more stupid questions.

[greymare]

more stupid questions, and i dont know if this is the correct forum, so move me if you wish.
so, what is the difference between, catholics, presbytarian, lutheran, anglican, born again christians, baptists etc. or perhaps i could ask,, what are the similarities. I know nothing at all about most of these, but from what i see they are similar and basically sing differnt hymns. If this questionis too vague, i apologise.

[17th Angel]

lol if you were looking for a short, sweet simple answer fraid not lol... To me the difference is nada... They are all brothers and sisters... There is your simple answer.... Now here comes the complex part.......

[BlaznFattyz]

the similarities between all christians is believing in and having faith that jesus christ is the word of god come in the flesh, and that he was crucified, and resurrected, and glorified back to heaven, and that he is our saviour, and that we can only come to God the father through him. we all believe in the divinity and the oneness of God expressed in three persons; father, son, and holy spirit.

the differences are many times cultural, where christianity has overlapped distinct cultures and somethings are intertwined. other times it is gifts where christianity has fallen in to the hands of those chrisitans with money or the ability to accumulate money so there is lots of evangelism around the word, others there is the gift of languages and the translating the bible into different languages for the world, and there is the gift of baptizing people, others is the gift of song and praises to the lord, and others there is the gift of preaching and calling people to god like billy graham.

but, because we all stick to the essential doctrines of christianity we are one church with many talents doing many things for the glory of god.

[juantoo3]

Not speaking as an authority, but as a long time observer;

Some Christian denominations are more formal: Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans. Others are noticeably less formal: Baptists, Pentecostals, and assorted Holy Rollers. Some are firmly entrenched in long standing tradition, others take more of a "go with the flow" approach. Some place a great deal of emphasis on extra-curricular activities (some good, some bad) such as fund raising and missionary excursions. Some place more emphasis on teaching and preaching. Some put a lot of effort into "spreading the word" and evangelizing, some just kinda open their arms and (at least in theory) welcome any who chance their way. A lot of them talk the talk of being accepting, but often walk the walk of isolationism and seclusion. There are as many variations on the theme of Christianity as there are denominations and independent churches, <sarcasm>and every one of them alone is correct and the rest are mistaken (just ask!).</sarcasm> There are mainstream stuffy traditionals and there are relatively new sects (some even say cults). Some worship on the Sabbath, some worship on Sunday. Some worship the sun rise on Easter, and some try to hold to the Biblical Holy Days and celebrate Passover. Some look to human leadership to lead and guide them (and otherwise tell them what to do), while others are taught to go directly to the Heavenly Father for inspiration, comfort and blessings. Some believe Jesus is G-d manifest in flesh, some believe Yashua to be a great teacher of a radical Judaism whose teachings became intermingled with pagan traditions.

And a whole host of combinations and interpretations in between any of these extremes.

Likely some will disagree with me, but that goes with the turf. Christians have been bludgeoning each other for centuries over trivialities that in the end have no bearing on salvation.

[lunamoth]

Here's another little bit of the answer (from “What People Ask About The Church,” by Dale A. Robbins

What is a liturgical church?

Most churches have some form of liturgy that guides the flow of service, but a "liturgical church" conducts its services by a strict, prescribed liturgy — a formal structure or order of worship, which has been passed down from tradition. This type of church generally places much emphasis upon ceremony and ritual, and may use various forms of religious icons.


A historical form of liturgy practiced in many such churches, is as follows:


(1) Confession of Sins
(2) Pronouncement of Absolution
(3) Acknowledgment of God's Authority
(4) The Reading of God's Word
(5) A Hymn of Praise
(6) A Sermon
(7) The Offering
(8) The Prayers of the Church
(9) The Holy Communion


Well known liturgical churches who follow a similar form are the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal, and Eastern Orthodox churches.

[greymare]

thanks guys again, for taking the time to explain stuff to me.

here is another....

why does the "plate" continue to get handed around in mass"for the poor" when the Vatican is undenialbly the richest state/empire on earth.? No disrespect intended, just a question. and what riches does it hold and are we the public have a look?

[greymare]

or is too contraversial a quesiton:??

[Thomas]

Originally Posted by greymare

... when the Vatican is undenialbly the richest state/empire on earth ...

And your evidence for that statement?

No disrespect in return, just an observation that I am continually told the Vatican is the richest place on earth, but no-one ever produces the figures, it's apparently just one of those things that everyone knows ... ?

Thomas

[greymare]

my bad , tomtom, its just one of those things that everyone suposedly knows. ok, disregard undeniably, ok
?

[greymare]

well is it a rich state or not? does it not hold "untold " wealth. ??? or am I victim of too much tv again. (i wouldnt be surprised) lol

[juantoo3]

Originally Posted by Thomas

And your evidence for that statement?

No disrespect in return, just an observation that I am continually told the Vatican is the richest place on earth, but no-one ever produces the figures, it's apparently just one of those things that everyone knows ... ?

Thomas

With all due respect, they are the only Christian church with a bank:

The Vatican Bank is a name commonly given to the Istituto per le Opere di Religione (IOR) or Institute for Religious Works, located in Vatican City. It is run by a professional bank CEO who reports directly to a committee of cardinals, and ultimately to the Pope (or the Cardinal Camerlengo during an interregnum). Since its assets are not considered property of the Holy See, it is not overseen by the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See,[1] and it is listed in the Annuario Pontificio together with foundations such as the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel, which provides funds for training people to fight drought and desertification in nine African countries.[2] The current President is Angelo Caloia.

The Vatican Bank was involved in a major political and financial scandal in the 1980s, concerning the 1982 $3.5 billion collapse of Banco Ambrosiano, of which it was a major share-holder. The head of the Vatican Bank from 1971 to 1989, Paul Marcinkus, was under consideration for indictment in 1982 in Italy as an accessory of the bankruptcy.[3]

Vatican Bank - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

see also:

Vatican Bank Claims
http://www.vaticanbankclaims.com/4ac.pdf

which highlights a legal action against the Vatican Bank

The Great Vatican Bank Mystery - TIME

which touches on the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano

To answer your question directly Thomas would require getting the bank to release an accounting. Seems not very likely without an Italian court order.

While some Protestant denominations may indeed have financial holdings (the Mormons for example are into several large scale investments), none come close to holding a bank as collateral.

[greymare]

seems to me, i have opened another can of worms.

[juantoo3]

Originally Posted by greymare

seems to me, i have opened another can of worms.

All the better to go fishin' with...

[greymare]

ill bring the line and you can help with the bait 123. K?

[juantoo3]

Found this too:

Cover story: Catholic real estate bonanza

An Italian-owned Manhattan real estate development company claiming ties to high-ranking Vatican officials is bidding on properties owned by dozens of U.S. dioceses and religious orders. Some church real estate professionals have questioned the company’s tactics, while others praise the firm for its promise to revitalize vacant church property.

The Park Avenue-based Follieri Group, founded nearly three years ago by Raffaello Follieri and his father, Pasquale Follieri, has “entered into contracts for the acquisition of over $100 million of church property in three U.S. cities” and is “actively bidding on an additional quarter billion dollars of church assets,” according to the company’s Web site.

Same story from a Catholic source:
National Catholic Reporter: For sale – Developer with Vatican ties seeking U.S. church property - Catholic Online

Hmmm, just one venture with one U.S. company...talking $350 million dollars. I know of a whole lot of churches for whom such a figure is a fantasy and a pipe dream. I wonder how much real estate the Vatican owns in Europe?