Have you ever noticed how delicate a subject religion can be? Some are hesitant to discuss it. Some avoid the subject altogether. Some even become defensive when they are asked about their religion.
Why do people think this way? Why do they feel threatened at the subject? Could it be that some people are uncertain or apprehensive about their faith? Many people are uneasy over the fact that religious divisions exist. Many are uncomfortable when religion and controversy cross paths, and some would rather dismiss the subject as trivial.
If we are to be honest with ourselves, we must see religious division as something we must deal with (1 Corinthians 1:10). Rather than shying away from a discussion of the subject, we should welcome it.
Question: Is it right for one man to preach ten different doctrines in ten different pulpits? No, it would not be right. But what if ten different men preached ten different doctrines in ten different pulpits. Of course, it would be wrong as well. Yet isn't it strange that so many people see nothing wrong with this? And this is exactly what is being wrong in the religious world. Religious division in the world is the rule and not the exception. Most people simply accept it as such.
Where did this religious division come from? The Lord's church in the beginning was one united body. Differing denominations did not exist. As time went by, men began to follow not the scriptures but rather human creeds. Catholicism soon arose as an apostate movement. It grew in strength over the next thousand years and soon dominated most all of Europe.
In the 1500's men began to speak out against the Catholic church without fear of being put to death for doing so. These men sought to "reform" the Catholic church. Among these men were:
Martin Luther - Luthern
John Calvin - Presbyterian
Henry VIII - Episcopal
John Smythe - Baptist
John Wesley - MethodistYet these men did not appeal to the Bible alone for authority, and so began various denominations. These denominations have remained and proliferated in the years since - even until the present time.
Is this acceptable to God? Is this what Christ prayed for in John 17:20,21? Denominationalism is not necessary at all. It only divides people. We can be Christians and Christians only and not be a part of any denomination.
1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
