In English Please

I am not a particularly religious person, but the idea religion has always been of interest to me. It is fascinating to look at the major world religions and to study their similarities and differences as well as the differences in the doctrine versus the actual practice of the religion. However, I have found myself confused and overwhelmed with all of the fractures within the system and the different denominations. Even though history is chronological for the most part, I find it easier to understand some aspects if I know what is going to happen.

For a world regional geography class a few semesters ago, I created my own simplified version of the history of world religions; a timeline of sorts. I like uncomplicated explanations because it makes studying a bit easier. Part of my outline shows the progression of Christianity and highlights events such as the Great Schism in 1054. I also included more details such as a list of denominations that grew from several divisions in the church.

History of World Religions: Christianity

1. Divisions: Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodoxy,
2. Great Schism, 1054.
1. Eastern Orthodox Church

i. Denominations include: British Orthodox; Serbian Orthodox; Orthodox Church of Finland; Russian Orthodox; Syrian Orthodox; Ukrainian Orthodox; Bulgarian Orthodox; Romanian Orthodox; Antiochian Orthodox; Greek Orthodox; the Church of Alexandria; the Church of Jerusalem; and the Orthodox Church in America.

2. Roman Catholic Church

i. Protestant Reformation.

1. Denominations include: Amish; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon); Jehovah's Witnesses; Quakers; Seventh-Day Adventist Church; United Pentecostal Church International; Calvinism; Lutheranism, Nazarene, Presbyterian.

2. Reformed: based in Switzerland. Followed teachings of Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin.

3. Presbyterianism: based in Scotland. Followed teachings of John Knox.

4. Anabaptists: based in Switzerland. Connected with Amish, Mennonites, Quakers, and Baptists.

5. Anglicanism: based in England. Created by King Henry VIII.

i. Episcopalianism: interpretation of Anglicanism in America.

ii. Methodism: based on Anglicanism. Followed the teachings of John Wesley.

I also included links to comparisons between denominations from Religious Facts. I like these charts because they are easy to read and compare the denominations well; it makes studying religion less overwhelming.
•Facts and Stats
•Beliefs
•Practices
•Positions on Social and Ethical Issues
•Catholic and Protestant Theology

Another nice graphic to help make sense of the organization of Christianity can be found here.


Source Consulted:
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/denominations/history.htm