The origin of the different churches

There are many churches in the Netherlands, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and so on. There is some cooperation, but they all seem to stand on their own. Once it started as one church under Jesus’ leadership. Now there are many divisions. How could that happen? 

Churches in all kinds of variations

If you live in the Netherlands and you go to the church people often ask: Which church do you attend?
There are all kinds of churches in our country. It seems to be that the Dutch made a sport of causing church divisions. 

Ideas about faith differ

The Bible doesn’t say how many different churches there should be. Jesus and his first followers were all by themselves. In the gospel of John, Jesus prays for unity among his disciples. In the letters of Paul, a man who travelled a lot to tell about Jesus, we can see that there were already a few different kinds of churches.

Everyone wants to experience faith in his own way, with his own customs. Till a certain point you can have several kinds of celebration in one congregation. If there is too much difference between members of one church, it’s better if they start a new church.

Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, the Great Schism

When the number of people of the Christian church grew, discussions started within the church. An argument about one word led to a division of the whole church in the year 1054. This division was like a crack on the map of Europe. In Western Europe the church of Rome (the Roman Catholic church) gained power. In Eastern Europe the Eastern Orthodox church was in charge.

The argument between both churches was about the cohesion of God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It was a theory that had a large impact on the faith of people who lived in those days, but still we understand only a little about it. This division of the church is called the Great Schism.

The Protestant Reformation

In the fifteenth and sixteenth century, the Roman Catholic church gained more and more power. Beside this the preachers of those days used the concept 'hell' to frighten the people. If you didn't obey the church's wishes, like handing over money, you would burn in hell after your death. For people who weren't rich here on earth this was a horrible future. They gave their money, till they died of hunger.

A number of people who had studied couldn't bear this any longer. Known names of these people are Martin Luther and John Calvin. They decided that the church should be led by the people themselves. By means of democratic consultative committees (synods) it became possible for the people to appoint their own preachers. People could also manage the flow of money. It became much less hierarchic compared to the time when the Roman Catholics ruled the church. People told other people about their faith because they were finally able to express their faith in Christ. Their name is derived from the Latin protestari. This means to witness.  

Still disunity

After the Eighty Years' War there was only one leading church in the other countries in Europe, but the Netherlands was the only country with freedom of religion. Every faction with its own ideas split itself off through the years. There are still many followers of the two Western European mainstreams in our country.

The Roman Catholic church and the Protestant Church in the Netherlands are the two largest churches. Beside this, many kinds of churches originated in the protestant church over the last 150 years. Furthermore, the phenomenon of the evangelical church came to the Netherlands from America. There is less hierarchy in these churches and the emphasis is more on the enthusiastic singing and making music for God.

Cooperation?

The churches are starting to cooperate more and more, worldwide and in our own country. The council of churches is the trailblazer in this cooperation. It's meant to remember that all churches want to serve the same Jesus in faith and society. That's why the council arranges many projects about poverty, environment and cooperation between people with different religions.

Not all churches participate in this council and not all participants share the same enthusiasm. There are also churches which prefer their own truth. Perhaps they even oppose the unity Jesus prayed for.

Sources: www.todio.nl