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Paulo Bittencourt

Freethought • Humanism • Atheism

“I don’t want to believe, I want to know.”

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The Word of Flawed

“A book that causes confusion, quarrels, fights, division and even wars cannot be of divine origin, unless God is stupid and sadistic.”— Paulo Bittencourt

How many times have we heard Christians call that heap of copies of copies of more copies of rags of fragments of parchments from the Iron Age, with myths also from the Bronze Age, the Word of God! How many times have we heard Christians assert that Christianity is the true religion!

Isn’t it natural to expect that the intelligence of a being who creates a universe with trillions of galaxies is infinitely greater than ours and, therefore, if he decided to reveal himself through texts, that his book would be written with such clarity and precision that it would be impossible not to understand it or to misinterpret it? If a religion were invented based on a book with such clear and precise instructions and if for the Creator of the Universe the greatest thing is love, would it be possible for even just one of its practitioners to commit an act of violence? How could a divine book motivate its readers to persecute and kill each other and those who, for whatever reasons, reject it?

Because of the Bible many millions of people, Christians and non-Christians, were killed. Millions! Christianity is based on a book supposedly of divine origin, yet it’s the most divided religion. Even though they no longer persecute and kill each other over the “Word of God” (since secular laws prohibit them from doing so), Christians still today fight over it. There are thousands of Christian denominations, and each of them claims that all the others are wrong, going so far as to teach that members of the wrong denominations are, after death, tortured in a lake of fire and brimstone.

There are hundreds of doctrinal disagreements within Christianity, but they can be organized into a manageable set of major categories. Not every denomination disagrees on every point, and some disagreements are considered essential while others are relatively minor. Below is a broad doctrinal map of the major issues on which Christian traditions differ (many of which were reasons why Christians spent centuries persecuting and killing each other).

1. Scripture and Revelation
Authority of Scripture
Biblical Inerrancy
Interpretation
Canon of Scripture
Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal Books
Relationship Between Old and New Testaments
2. God and the Trinity

Most historic Christians agree on the Trinity, but there are disagreements concerning its formulation and implications.

Trinity
Personhood of the Holy Spirit
Eternal Generation of the Son
Procession of the Holy Spirit
Divine Simplicity
Divine Immutability
Divine Impassibility
God’s Knowledge of the Future
Foreknowledge and Predestination
3. Creation
4. Humanity
5. Original Sin and The Fall

One of Christianity’s largest areas of disagreement.

6. Free Will and Human Ability

This produces major differences between:

7. Jesus Christ
Christ’s Identity

Historic Christianity generally follows Chalcedon (“One person, two natures, fully divine and fully human”), but there are major historical disagreements:

Other Christological Questions
8. The Incarnation

The Monothelite controversy concerned whether Christ had one will or two.

9. The Atonement

One of the biggest Protestant/Catholic/Orthodox theological differences. Different theories include:

Questions include:

10. Extent of the Atonement
11. Salvation

Probably the largest area of disagreement among Christian traditions.

Justification
Faith
Works
12. Sanctification

Especially important in:

13. Predestination
14. Perseverance and Eternal Security
15. Baptism

Huge denominational differences exist.

Who should be baptized?
What Does Baptism Accomplish?
How Should Baptism Be Performed?
When?
16. Baptismal Regeneration

Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican and many other traditions differ considerably from Baptist/non-denominational traditions here.

17. The Eucharist/Lord’s Supper

Perhaps the second-largest sacramental disagreement.

Questions include:

18. Number of Sacraments
19. Confession and Forgiveness
20. Mary

Extremely important differences.

Catholics and Orthodox generally have much more developed Marian theology than most Protestants.

21. Saints
22. Icons and Religious Images

This was historically a major controversy in Eastern Christianity.

23. Church Authority

A massive dividing line.

24. The Papacy

Christian traditions disagree over:

25. Apostolic Succession
26. Women in Ministry
27. Church Offices

Disagreements about:

28. Spiritual Gifts
29. Speaking in Tongues
30. Baptism in the Holy Spirit
31. Divine Healing
32. Spiritual Warfare and Demons
33. Angels
34. Purgatory
35. The Intermediate State

What happens between death and resurrection?

36. Hell

Major disagreements include:

37. Heaven
38. Resurrection
39. Final Judgment
40. Second Coming of Christ

And within premillennialism:

41. The Rapture

Especially controversial among Protestants.

42. Tribulation
43. Millennium
44. Antichrist

Disagreements over whether the Antichrist is:

45. Revelation and Prophecy

Also disagreement over:

46. Israel and the Church
47. Christian Relationship to Judaism
48. Christian Relationship to Government
49. War and Violence
50. Marriage
51. Sexual Ethics

Major differences exist concerning:

52. Abortion and Human Personhood

Different Christian traditions disagree about:

53. Contraception
54. In Vitro Fertilisation and Reproductive Technology
55. Gender and Gender Roles
56. Christian Clothing and Lifestyle

Particularly among conservative traditions:

57. Sabbath
58. Old Testament Law
59. Tithing
60. Christian Fasting
61. Lent and Liturgical Calendar

Some traditions consider these essential liturgical practices; others reject mandatory liturgical calendars.

62. Christmas and Easter
63. Worship

Disagreements over:

64. Prayer
65. Prayer for the Dead
66. Deification/Theosis

Especially prominent in Eastern Christianity:

67. Divine Essence and Energies

Eastern Orthodox theology distinguishes:

This is controversial or differently formulated in Western Christianity.

68. Beatific Vision
69. Grace
70. Merits and Rewards
71. Indulgences
72. Apostasy
73. Universalism
74. Unreached People and Those Who Never Hear the Gospel
75. Infants Who Die
76. Baptized Christians Outside One’s Denomination
77. Ecumenism
78. Schism
79. Clerical Celibacy
80. Ordination
81. Excommunication
82. Ecclesial Authority and Heresy
83. Creeds

Different levels of authority assigned to:

84. Baptismal and Eucharistic Boundaries

Disagreements over:

85. Baptism Formula
86. Last Rites and Anointing
87. Church Burial and Cremation
88. Spiritual Authority of Charismatic Leaders

Especially in Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity:

89. Prosperity Theology
90. Christian Perfection
91. The Nature of Christian Conversion
92. Assurance of Salvation
93. Spiritual Disciplines

Disagreements about:

94. Monasticism
95. Relics and Pilgrimage
96. Icons vs. Idolatry

A particularly important distinction:

97. Natural Theology
98. Philosophy and Theology

Disagreements concerning:

99. The Relationship Between Faith and Reason
100. What Counts as “Christian Doctrine”?

Some Christians define Christianity primarily through Nicene orthodoxy: Trinity + Incarnation + Resurrection + Salvation through Christ. Others require:

There is disagreement not only within Christian doctrine, but over which doctrines are necessary to qualify as Christian in the first place.

The Disagreements Can Ultimately Be Grouped Into About 12 Giant Questions

In seeking to understand why Christianity split into Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, Anabaptist, Baptist, Methodist, Adventist, Mormon, Pentecostal, etc., the enormous list above can be compressed into these:

  1. What is the authority? (Scripture/Scripture + Tradition/Church)
  2. Who is God? (Trinity/non-Trinitarian alternatives)
  3. Who is Jesus? (Different Christologies)
  4. What happened at The Fall? (Original sin/Ancestral sin/Other views)
  5. How free is Humanity? (Calvinism ↔ Arminianism ↔ Catholic/Orthodox synergism)
  6. How are we saved? (Faith alone/Faith + Works/Sacramental participation/Theosis)
  7. Can salvation be lost? (Perseverance/Conditional security)
  8. What is the Church? (Catholic/Orthodox/Protestant/Invisible church models)
  9. What are baptism and Eucharist? (Sacramental realities ↔ Symbolic ordinances)
  10. Who has authority? (Pope/Bishops/Councils/Pastors/Congregation/Individual)
  11. What happens at The End? (Different resurrection, millennium, rapture, judgment and Hell models)
  12. How should Christians live? (Different positions on law, Sabbath, sex, marriage, politics, war, etc.)

What do you think?
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