Why Christianity Split Into Many Religions

Running head: WHY CHRISTIANITY SPLIT INTO MANY RELIGIONS 1

Why Christianity Split into Many Religions

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WHY CHRISTIANITY SPLIT INTO MANY RELIGIONS 2

Why Christianity Split into Many Religions

At the onset of Christianity, Jesus established one church and expressed the wish that

Christians should remain united in serving God. However, this never came to be. For the first

four thousand years, Christians remained unified with no significant diversion. Around 1054, the

first significant Christian division came and resulted in the Western Church (Catholic) and the

Eastern Church (Orthodox Church). Later in 1517, the publication of 95 Theses against Catholic

practices by Martin Luther resulted in the formation of the Lutheran Church and the wave of

Protestantism. Today, the major denominations in Christianity include Eastern Orthodoxy,

Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism. Major divisions of the latter include Episcopalians,

Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Pentecostals. The main reasons for these

divisions include human nature, disagreements on beliefs and practices, and the role of tradition.

As expressed by Haidt (2013), all human beings have independent minds and

personalities. They characteristically choose what they want and react to situations distinctly as

dictated by the theory of individual differences. Their processes of making choices are

characterized by vibrancy and criticality. Because of this, even Christians struggle with pride,

selfishness, and stubbornness. While a number of them can serve under the existing church

structures, some develop a sense of self-righteousness and the desire to create their own

churches. Other than rebellion, the processes of resolving relational conflict in churches also

bring about various challenges at times. As a result, many Christians who feel offended or

demeaned by others find the need to break away and find peace.

Perhaps, the leading cause of divisions among Christian religions disagreements over

various Christian practices and beliefs. A review by Corvino, Anderson, and Girgis (2017) listed

some of the leading issues of controversy in modern Christian faith to include baptism, alcohol,

WHY CHRISTIANITY SPLIT INTO MANY RELIGIONS 3

spiritual gifts, and female pastors, and image representation of Jesus and God. In some churches,

the presence of the statue of Jesus is common, and people kneel before such statues to worship.

Other churches express the belief that God, Jesus, or other spiritual establishments cannot be

represented by images of carvings. To them, such acts are satanic and must be avoided. The

major areas of controversy on baptism concern the baptism of infants. Divergent interpretations

by different churches either criticize or justify the act in different ways. Some churches opine

that infants are too young to make a choice between wrong and right. As such, they may not be

baptized. This position is contravened by others who baptize children. Alcoholism and spiritual

gifts also attract controversies that have led to church divisions and the formation of new sects.

Conformity to traditional ways of worship and the advancement of modern ones has also

played a role these divisions. The Roman Catholic Church leads in adhering to traditional ways

while many protestant churches differ on these issues. Among the most sensitive areas in these

traditions are women in church leadership, types of worship music to be used, the propagation of

worldly politics on church pulpits, and the sensitivity of topics like abortion and gay marriages

(Smith, 2018). Conservative sects adhere to traditional approaches, which they believe are strict.

However, more liberal sects approach religion with modernism. Examples of the latter include

dancing vigorously in church and accepting abortion when the lives of mothers are at risk.

Despite the differences that lead to the divisions in Christianity, all Christians still

confess various basic tenets that hold the entire religion together. These include the

unconditional belief in God, inerrancy of the Bible, virgin birth of Christ and his resurrection,

and the fact that Christ’s death on the cross served as atonement for Christians. On the other

hand, the differences that have historically caused numerous divisions arose from human nature,

disagreements on beliefs and practices, and the role of tradition.

WHY CHRISTIANITY SPLIT INTO MANY RELIGIONS 4

References

Corvino, J., Anderson, R. T., & Girgis, S. (2017). Debating religious liberty and discrimination.

New York: Oxford University Press.

Haidt, J. (2013). The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion. New

York: Vintage Books.

Smith, J. K. A. (2018). All things hold together in Christ: A conversation on faith, science, and

virtue. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

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