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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>
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Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
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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