Denominations?

The Catholic Church, once part of the original Orthodox Church was excommunicated, and excommunicated the other 4 Patriarchs in 1054 AD, known as the Great Schism. Details of the Great Schism can be found in the History-2 section of this website.  

There are many differences now between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, but a few main differences that separate them are:

• Papal Authority - One overseer over the whole church, the Pope
• Purgatory
• Indulgences
• The immaculate conception of Mary
• One is born with the guilt of sin, not just the sin nature
• Transubstantiation - Bread & Wine literally turn into Christ's Body and Blood

Like the Orthodox they also hold to Tradition as authoritative as Scripture, salvation is Faith plus Works (Sacraments), as well as prayers, icons, and veneration are given to Mary and the Saints. Baptism and the focus of the Mass are similar, although it is definitely different in appearance and experience.   

Both the Orthodox and Catholics hold claim to tradition since it was through tradition and the Church that the Bible was given through.  

The problem I and most Protestants see with that claim is that the letters we now know as our Bible was considered sacred and scripture before the turn of the 1st century, before there was any considered organized religion. The Bible was literally delivered to the Church, which would in turn hold authority over any Church government, Church authority, or any tradition set by them.  

The Catholic church has had many councils over the years stacking tradition on top of scripture that ultimately led to the Reformation. Once the Catholic Church split from the Orthodox Church in 1054 it went through some very dark times over the next 500 years and really abused the power it had accumulated. We would start to see reformers throughout history shortly after that, which would lead to the Reformation in the 1500's. From there we will see many splits from the once Catholic Church which we call Protestants.  

During the Reformation, Lutheran and Reformed theologians generally believed the Catholic view of the means of salvation to be a mixture of reliance upon the grace of God, and confidence in the merits of one's own works performed, which the reformers called legalism. These Reformers position was that salvation is entirely comprehended in God's gifts (God's act of free grace), dispensed by the Holy Spirit according to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ alone. 

The standalone sola fide justification of souls is a tenet of most Reformed sects but neither the Roman Catholic nor the Eastern Orthodox church. These Protestants exclude all human works (except the works of Jesus Christ, which form the basis of justification) from the legal verdict (or pardon) of justification. Catholic and Orthodox believe that salvation comes through Faith plus works (i.e., baptism, Eucharist, confession).

While rejecting all other mediators between God and man, classical Lutheranism continues to honor the memory of the Virgin Mary and other exemplary saints. This principle rejects the belief that there are no sacraments in the church without the services of priests ordained by apostolic succession. Sacraments, according to Catholic doctrine, essentially require a bishop or at least a priest in order to be valid. Reformers taught the "general priesthood of the baptized", which was modified in classical Protestant theology into "the priesthood of all believers" denying the exclusive use of the title "priest" to the clergy. 

Protestants typically argue that scripture is clear to all people regarding the essential truths of the Christian gospel of salvation. In contrast to the Roman Catholic view of a Magisterium (or teaching office) of the church, which is required to infallibly interpret scripture; Protestants argue that through the Holy Spirit, individuals can, by themselves interpret the scriptures responsibly. Catholic and Orthodox view Tradition and Scripture as equal in authority. This led to traditional practices and theologies from Popes and Patriarchs to be considered infallible, without error, but we see through history many that led were full of errors. That goes for all leaders in all denominations, so having one authoritative source (Scripture) that proceeded them all is essential.

'Glory to God Alone' stands in opposition to the veneration perceived by many to be present in the Roman Catholic Church of Mary the mother of Jesus, the saints, angels, popes, or priests. The reformers believed that human beings, even saints canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, the popes, and the ecclesiastical hierarchy, are not worthy of the glory that was accorded them; that is, one should not exalt such humans for their good works, but rather praise and give glory to God who is the author and sanctifier of these people and their good works. 

Even though the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church do hold many similarities, it does look like throughout history the Catholic Church did fall pretty far away from the Orthodox Christian teachings as they split in 1054. 

The Roman Catholic Church was the Church of the West and part of the 5 Patriarchs that led the Church. Once they split and became one, there were many doctrinal changes established. This led to the revolt and reformation in the West. All Protestant denominations do stem from the Catholic Church in search for the Orthodox Christian teachings of the Bible, and the Apostles. 

Once this split occurred in the 1500's, in the West, there was no longer a hierarchy established to lead the Protestant churches and many ended up going their own way. Rather what we have today is seen as good or bad, it did seem to be the right move to try and get back to the Biblical teachings of Christianity. We now have many Protestant denominations which can be confusing to choose between. Below is some of the more popular denominations that many do hold to the same fundamental doctrines of scripture, interpretations seem to vary quite a bit though. There are also many, a few discussed below, that have taken a more Gnostic approach and strayed from the Biblical teachings of Christ Deity.