Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site umcp-cs.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!umcp-cs!mangoe From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate) Newsgroups: net.religion.christian Subject: Re: WChurches saying they are the ONE TRUE CHURCH Message-ID: <3141@umcp-cs.UUCP> Date: Sat, 9-Feb-85 17:06:35 EST Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.3141 Posted: Sat Feb 9 17:06:35 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 10-Feb-85 01:31:20 EST References: <319@gargoyle.UChicago.UUCP> <469@ptsfa.UUCP> Distribution: na Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD Lines: 26 In article <562@topaz.ARPA> hedrick@topaz.ARPA (Chuck Hedrick) writes: >> To the best of my knowledge the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist >> Presbyterian and a variety of other "churches" ALL state in their >> official doctrine that they are the ONE TRUE CHURCH. (They either >> excommunicate or damn each other.) I appreciate that many are moving >> toward reconciliation but what are they move from? This is almost totally wrong. All of them claim to part of the ONE TRUE CHURCH, but of those listed, only the Catholics lay claim to being the sole representative of Christ on earth. The Anglicans recognize practically everyone claiming to be Christian, and generally allow all baptized christians to partake of communion. In the USA, most of the various Lutheran churches and the Episcopal Church are linked together much more strongly. Even the Eastern churches and the protestants have some ties. About the only groups for which the above statement is really true are the hyper- schismatic groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses or the "heretical" (in the sense that their theology disagrees violently with that of the principal denominations) churches such as the Mormons. I don't want to go off at great length, but the above statement shows a need for some education as to the true tenets of the various denominations. Next we'll be hearing comments like "All Baptists are fundamentalists" or "All Episcopalians support homosexuality." Charley Wingate umcp-cs!mangoe