Is the Catholic Church a
Denomination?
Many misinformed
non-Catholics have told me that it is
one.
Let us set this misconception straight once and for all and with the
truth:
Denomination:
A denomination is something that we mortals help
to create by joining it.
The Catholic Church is not a denomination because it
is a divinely
instituted community. There is not much in a denomination that
is secure
from change. It is constantly being revised by its members. It has
no
unchangeable form as is commanded of the Catholic Church by Jesus Christ.
A denomination changes with the trends of the age, and many times simply
by
a vote of its members. In other words, a denomination changes when
opinions
change. One example is of the Anglican Lambeth conference of 1930
when it
was decided to allow contraception. Prior to that year, all
denominations
taught as the Catholic Church did on that subject. After that
date, then
one by one, other denominations decided to change and
accepted
contraception, and they did it not because GOD wanted them to, but
from
secular pressure. A denomination has fluid boundaries that change with
the
times. The Catholic Church has fixed boundaries on the matters of faith
and
morals and so it does not change, simply because GOD does not change.
The Origin of the word Denomination in a religious sense:
"Denomination:
(n.) Look up denomination at Dictionary.com
late 14c., "a naming, act of
giving a name to," from Old French denominacion "nominating, naming," from Latin
denominationem (nominative denominatio) "a calling by anything other than the
proper name, metonymy," from denominare "to name," from de- "completely" (see
de-) + nominare "to name" (see nominate). Meaning "a class" is from mid-15c.
Monetary sense is 1650s; meaning "religious sect" is 1716."
Notice that
the word was originated in a religious sense in 1716. By that date the
Protestant revolt from the Catholic Church led by Martin Luther in 1520 had already split within itself into
at least twelve pieces. A word had to be found to
distinguish one split sect from another and that word was Denomination.
December 26, 2015