Why are there so many Christian denominations and only one Bible?

[Woodduck31]

"interpreted to their liking" is a huge part of the problem. So many "religious" leaders over the course of history until now have had agendas that didn't include Truth, but a desire for power and wealth. So many over the course of history don't take the responsibility to seek the Truth, they are content to allow false teachers to form their opinions for them.

I certainly know I don't understand every Biblical Truth, but I'm also guarded when someone tries to impress on me their opinion about what Scripture says.

Matthew 25: 31-46 gives a glimpse of part of the criteria by which God sees us, but it doesn't describe what position or office we attain in our particular "brand" of church. Love God and love your neighbor. It is as simple as seeing someone hungry and giving them something to eat, or seeing someone hungry and walking away.

God speaks to me all the time, He speaks to me through His Word in the Bible. He speaks to anyone who will read and listen. All too often people look to "blind guides" for their version of the truth rather than seek God's Truth themselves. I've read a lot of different versions of the Bible and it's never really been an issue which one other than my Greek New Testament, it's kind of a slow laborious challenge to read. I went through college with a RSV, so much of what I have committed to memory is in that translation, I grew up on the KJV and also remember lots of verses in that translation as well.

 

[Grif]

The number of denominations has nothing to do with interpreting God's Word. It has to do with arrogance, pride, selfishness, personal agenda and sin. Very few people actually read the Bible to any extent, but depend on a church leader, preacher, teacher to tell them what it says. Sadly some of those men think appearing Godly is a means to gain worldly things and personal significance.

We english speaking people have the arrogance to believe a version of the Bible in english is more valid than one in another language. What if your language is not english and there aren't any of those "thee and thou" phrases? I have a Greek New Testament from my college days it was written in the common language of the first century, but not very practical unless it's in the language you understand. I have classmate from college who worked for many years with Pioneer Bible Translators in their quest to translate Bibles into the 2000 languages that still have yet to read a Bible in their own language.

The Bible is not complicated when it's translated into the common language of the people reading it. We have the written Word of God available to us common folk, yet we are willing to allow others to tell us their "version" of what it says.

When I get up in the morning while everything is still quiet and without distraction I can read God's Word. It's all pretty familiar territory by this stage of my life, but somehow God's Word is still living and I still have those moments of clearer understanding. It's God speaking to me, God who is truth and not a man who has flaws or an agenda telling me what I should think. The best version is the one you will read.

There are so many denominations because most don't read the "version" they have on the night stand or end table. We can argue which version is better than another and never in our lifetime let God speak to us through that Word. Denominations are like divorce, not part of God's Will, but because of man's hardness of heart.

That's pretty good.

 

[Lip Shooter]

More customers.

 

[Aunt Betty]

The tower of babel...
Up until then we all spoke the same tongue.
That curse still exists and we're still suffering from it so please...no more angering God.

 

[Josh carpenter]

There are many versions of the Bible Kjv nkjv niv ect. that’s just a few KJv uses old English is more difficult to understand niv takes out old adds modern words

 

[bwurts]

When I said interpretations I did not me translations - interpretation - how the the body of Christ interprets the same passage different .

I should have been more clear

 

[Aunt Betty]

The tower of babel story is why.
When we all started speaking different languages and adopted different cultures has affected us all to this day and continues to affect us.
The devil must be delighted with himself.

 

[cootmeurer]

Its a great question. This is my take on it.

There are two main reasons for the dissension/split/denominational issue.

First, and we can see this in Acts, even among men like Peter (schooled at the feet of the greatest teacher, "graduated" from the greatest seminary EVER) and Paul (schooled by one of the greatest Rabbi's, personally visited by a risen Christ) we have disagreements on interpretation. We still see this today among honest Christians striving to find the "right" answer to vexing issues. Some of this is language driven (Greek words/meanings don't always translate well into English). Easiest way to show the language gap is with the versions of Love. English uses the single word Love to mean all sorts of things. Greek has three major loves (Phileo, Eros, Agape) along with some shading depending on context.

Second, as has been alluded to by other posters, is the willing desire to use the Preaching of Christ and Word of God deliberately to empower oneself and ones faction. This has also been going on since the beginning (Im thinking here of the slave owner that had the female slave that prophesied because of a demonic spirit, and when she was cured/exorcised the owner wanted to buy that ability from Peter). This continues on to this day - with many denominations willingly abandoning truth, which leads to a denominational splits as some remnant that is closer to the truth wants to remain while the progressive side wants to modernize.

 

[Joecannoles]

Some believe the "Authorized" version (KJV 1611) is the most "accurate", but I think most people today would have a hard time reading the English of that timeframe, and understanding what it means (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...hUKEwjW6dmj-cD3AhV_M1kFHfTaBXAQMygIegUIARDLAQ). The 1611 has went through several changes since that time, to be in our current style of English. So....do we read the "original" or the "updated" version? And if it is updated, is it really still the "Authorized" version? And remember, it was "Authorized" by the British Crown (man), not God.

 

[sdkidaho]

I'm sure there are many reasons why there are so many different denominations - I don't think I could accurately list them all.

Perhaps if within those different denominations we focused on what we have in common, rather than our differences, we could become more apt to follow the Savior, rather than argue amongst ourselves and continually judge one another as we seem to do. Through all of the different denominations, we all have a huge commonality: Jesus Christ. He is the one thing that absolutely makes all the difference in the world.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That verse is often quoted. I like the perspective that the following verse gives it:
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

I'm grateful for the many men here that believe in Christ and choose to follow Him. I'm grateful for the freedom of religion and hope I can seek to love Gods children on the earth despite differences.


Easier said than done, but I'm trying...