Once the Church was unified in faith and doctrine, names only represented the location, not the beliefs.
At the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD, Pope Leo 1st of Rome wrote a writing called the "Tome of Leo" which promoted a heresy called Nestoriansim.
Dioscorus, the Bishop of Alexandria exposed Leo publicly and excommunicated him. As a result, Leo and his co-conspirators, the emperor Marcion and empress Pulcheria framed Dioscorus to discredit him, then they sent a military governor to Alexandria who declared himself thier new spiritual leader.
The people rejected this impostor and so the Roman military executed about thirty thousand on the first day and many others later and did similar with the Churches of Jerusalem and Antioch.
At this point the Church split in two, Alexandria, Jerusalem and Antioch maintaining the original faith while Rome and those Churches under her began to change things.
Later in 1054 AD, what we call the Eastern Orthodox Churches broke from Rome due to Roman alterations to the faith and thier corruption, specifically thier changing of the Nicene Creed then later the Protestants broke from Rome for similar reasons.
Today, those Churches that remained loyal to the original faith are called the "Oriental Orthodox", although they are commonly the subject of false accusations such as they are "Monophysite" which is something they have never taught or supported.
All others are breakaways through and/or from the Roman Catholics, all teaching thier own interpretations, however the Eastern Orthodox are almost the same in thier faith as the Orientals. The Romans have a number of variations and the Protestants teach just about every variation imaginable, depending on which one you listen too.
Have a think about this, the Romans and the Easterns broke from the original faith at Chalcedon so what does the following verses say about them.
"Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us." 1 John 2:18-19
Also as the Protestants broke from Rome after they became manifest what does that make them the children of?
A long time ago, all Christian religions (Protestantism, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheranism,etc.) Used 2 belong 2 the Catholic Church until the Schism of 1054, when the Eastern & Western Churches lost contact w/each other. The Western Church added a new sentence 2 the Nicene Creed; Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father & Son. FYI, Eastern Orthodox is still considered Catholic. & Luteranism started when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of his Church. He opposed abuses within the Church, especially the abuses of indulgences. Protestanism (???) Idk I forgot.
they all agree on the Nicaean Creed in the original, but not on one sentence of revision
they all like Augustine and all like St Basil
Catholic and Protestant have often had their views of grace and justice of God cast in terms of a legal court while Orthodox tend to be less punitive and focus on Christ the victor
Orthodox tend to have a slightly different view of the nature of Christ but for many people this will be somewhat semantical. They would not say the father sent the son and the son sent the spirit. They would say the father sent the son and spirit The feel western Christians over explain the infinite but have a few mysteries of their own.
Protestants emphasize salvation through a saving faith and as a gift and reformed Christians follow tha BIble and attempt to follow a Biblical faith and church traditions perhaps in a more minimal unadorned way, many feeling that orthodox and catholic empellishments might be ditractions.
Catholics emphasise church tradition probably do not realize that Greek Orthodox trace thier head bishop to the bishop of Jerusalem as well as they.
The central issue is the locus of authority in the Church.
For Roman Catholics, it's the Church's Magisterium.
For Orthodox, it's Holy Tradition as expressed in the Ecumenical Councils.
For Protestants, it's either (1) the Scriptures (for "magisterial" Protestants like Lutherans and Reformed) or (2) the inward witness of the Spirit (for some radical Reformation groups).
There are many other differences, but that's the core.
While I cannot address Eastern Orthodoxy, the major difference between RC and Prot. is this: Catholics revere Christ because He was crucified. Protestants revere Christ because He was resurrected. This explains the fact that the Catholic cross has the Corpus, whereas the Protestant cross is empty.
"What separates us as believers in Christ is much less than what unites us." (Pope John XXIII)
Almost all important doctrine is completely agreed upon between Catholic Christians and other Christians.
Here is the joint declaration of justification by Catholics (1999), Lutherans (1999), and Methodists (2006):
By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping us and calling us to good works.
There are many minor doctrine issues and some major cultural traditional differences which, I believe, do not matter that much.
A Catholic worships and follows Christ in the tradition of Catholicism which, among other things, recognizes that Christ made Peter the leader of His new Church and Pope Benedict XVI is Peter's direct successor.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
They all believe that Jesus is God.
They believe that Christ was conceived through a virgin.
The believe in the Holy Trinity; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit: one in essence and undivided.
They believe in the atonement for sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Catholicism has the statues, Eastern Orthodoxy has the icons, while Protestantism has 3000 different denominations!!!
Once the Church was unified in faith and doctrine, names only represented the location, not the beliefs.
At the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD, Pope Leo 1st of Rome wrote a writing called the "Tome of Leo" which promoted a heresy called Nestoriansim.
Dioscorus, the Bishop of Alexandria exposed Leo publicly and excommunicated him. As a result, Leo and his co-conspirators, the emperor Marcion and empress Pulcheria framed Dioscorus to discredit him, then they sent a military governor to Alexandria who declared himself thier new spiritual leader.
The people rejected this impostor and so the Roman military executed about thirty thousand on the first day and many others later and did similar with the Churches of Jerusalem and Antioch.
At this point the Church split in two, Alexandria, Jerusalem and Antioch maintaining the original faith while Rome and those Churches under her began to change things.
Later in 1054 AD, what we call the Eastern Orthodox Churches broke from Rome due to Roman alterations to the faith and thier corruption, specifically thier changing of the Nicene Creed then later the Protestants broke from Rome for similar reasons.
Today, those Churches that remained loyal to the original faith are called the "Oriental Orthodox", although they are commonly the subject of false accusations such as they are "Monophysite" which is something they have never taught or supported.
All others are breakaways through and/or from the Roman Catholics, all teaching thier own interpretations, however the Eastern Orthodox are almost the same in thier faith as the Orientals. The Romans have a number of variations and the Protestants teach just about every variation imaginable, depending on which one you listen too.
Have a think about this, the Romans and the Easterns broke from the original faith at Chalcedon so what does the following verses say about them.
"Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us." 1 John 2:18-19
Also as the Protestants broke from Rome after they became manifest what does that make them the children of?
A long time ago, all Christian religions (Protestantism, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheranism,etc.) Used 2 belong 2 the Catholic Church until the Schism of 1054, when the Eastern & Western Churches lost contact w/each other. The Western Church added a new sentence 2 the Nicene Creed; Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father & Son. FYI, Eastern Orthodox is still considered Catholic. & Luteranism started when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of his Church. He opposed abuses within the Church, especially the abuses of indulgences. Protestanism (???) Idk I forgot.
they all agree on the Apostles Creed
they all agree on the Nicaean Creed in the original, but not on one sentence of revision
they all like Augustine and all like St Basil
Catholic and Protestant have often had their views of grace and justice of God cast in terms of a legal court while Orthodox tend to be less punitive and focus on Christ the victor
Orthodox tend to have a slightly different view of the nature of Christ but for many people this will be somewhat semantical. They would not say the father sent the son and the son sent the spirit. They would say the father sent the son and spirit The feel western Christians over explain the infinite but have a few mysteries of their own.
Protestants emphasize salvation through a saving faith and as a gift and reformed Christians follow tha BIble and attempt to follow a Biblical faith and church traditions perhaps in a more minimal unadorned way, many feeling that orthodox and catholic empellishments might be ditractions.
Catholics emphasise church tradition probably do not realize that Greek Orthodox trace thier head bishop to the bishop of Jerusalem as well as they.
Protestantism is very much "by the book". It also does not have the deutero-canonical books in its Bibles.
Eastern Orthodoxy is also by the book, but not as much as Protestantism.
Catholicism is somewhat by the book, but mostly relies on Doctrines and Apostolic teachings.
Also: Catholicism and Orthodoxy derive from the original form of Christianity, while Protestants split off and did their own thing.
The central issue is the locus of authority in the Church.
For Roman Catholics, it's the Church's Magisterium.
For Orthodox, it's Holy Tradition as expressed in the Ecumenical Councils.
For Protestants, it's either (1) the Scriptures (for "magisterial" Protestants like Lutherans and Reformed) or (2) the inward witness of the Spirit (for some radical Reformation groups).
There are many other differences, but that's the core.
While I cannot address Eastern Orthodoxy, the major difference between RC and Prot. is this: Catholics revere Christ because He was crucified. Protestants revere Christ because He was resurrected. This explains the fact that the Catholic cross has the Corpus, whereas the Protestant cross is empty.
"What separates us as believers in Christ is much less than what unites us." (Pope John XXIII)
Almost all important doctrine is completely agreed upon between Catholic Christians and other Christians.
Here is the joint declaration of justification by Catholics (1999), Lutherans (1999), and Methodists (2006):
By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping us and calling us to good works.
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_counc...
There are many minor doctrine issues and some major cultural traditional differences which, I believe, do not matter that much.
A Catholic worships and follows Christ in the tradition of Catholicism which, among other things, recognizes that Christ made Peter the leader of His new Church and Pope Benedict XVI is Peter's direct successor.
For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/index.htm
With love in Christ.
They are all the same....wrong.