Has the world gained or lost by the separation of Christians into Protestants and Catholics? (paradise, hell)
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Most definitely gained. If you adhere to Catholicism as the Catholic Catechism teaches it you will go to hell. Note--I'm not in any way saying no Catholics can be saved---but simply saying that Catholicism is not consistent with Biblical Christianity.
In the abstract, it's meaningless. In that context, it is like the impact of dividing science fiction fans into those who like Star Trek and those who like Star Wars: It doesn't affect "the world" one way or the other.
The Reformation, however, did make a difference, probably as much difference as the establishment of Christianity itself, and both in the same way: Each of them ratified the notion that spiritual truth is mutable. The Christians established the precedent that the dogma they were born into (ancient Judaism) could be brushed aside for what they determined was a more rational belief system, and the Protestants did effectively the same thing, brushing aside the dogma that they were born into. These events paved the way for the legitimacy of progressive religion and other advancements in the human condition.
Ignoring Vizio's University of the Atmosphere assertions and looking at it from a historical perspective, I think it would be fair to say that the split served to accelerate the colonization and populating of the American continent. First, the existing rivalry between Catholic France and Spain, and Protestant England and The Netherlands, insured that both sides would be competing with the other for domination of the newly discovered territories. Once colonies were established, loyalties to the mother nation were kept intact by continuously playing the religion fear card. The residents of the 13 British colonies were convinced that they needed the might of Great Britain to save them from the Papists in Canada and the west. The colonists in what is now the Latin American nations needed Spain to protect them from the apostate British Americans.
Second, the freedom to practice some splinter form of religious belief was the motivation for leaving the mother nations. The history books frequently state that the Puritans came to America seeking religious freedom. That is misleading. They were seeking a religious escape from the domination of the Anglican Church, but had no interest in setting up some anything goes religious freedom paradise, they wanted a place of their own where only their religion prevailed and they could persecute others.
It is also obvious that the rise of the Protestant movement had a major impact on the emergence of the British parliament as the supreme power of the land with the crown reduced to a limited monarchy. The Glorious Revolution was the last chapter of the century long Catholic/Protestant conflict in 17th Century Britain.
Ignoring Vizio's University of the Atmosphere assertions and looking at it from a historical perspective, I think it would be fair to say that the split served to accelerate the colonization and populating of the American continent. First, the existing rivalry between Catholic France and Spain, and Protestant England and The Netherlands, insured that both sides would be competing with the other for domination of the newly discovered territories. Once colonies were established, loyalties to the mother nation were kept intact by continuously playing the religion fear card. The residents of the 13 British colonies were convinced that they needed the might of Great Britain to save them from the Papists in Canada and the west. The colonists in what is now the Latin American nations needed Spain to protect them from the apostate British Americans.
Second, the freedom to practice some splinter form of religious belief was the motivation for leaving the mother nations. The history books frequently state that the Puritans came to America seeking religious freedom. That is misleading. They were seeking a religious escape from the domination of the Anglican Church, but had no interest in setting up some anything goes religious freedom paradise, they wanted a place of their own where only their religion prevailed and they could persecute others.
It is also obvious that the rise of the Protestant movement had a major impact on the emergence of the British parliament as the supreme power of the land with the crown reduced to a limited monarchy. The Glorious Revolution was the last chapter of the century long Catholic/Protestant conflict in 17th Century Britain.
Why would you want to do a think like actually address my statements? I mean....it's such a horrible thing that the Gospel is actually preached, isn't it?
Why would you want to do a think like actually address my statements? I mean....it's such a horrible thing that the Gospel is actually preached, isn't it?
I would have thought that you would have caught on from my other posts. You make assertions, but apparently are absent any grounds for making those assertions, at least you have not produced them upon request.
Until you do provide some substantive backing for your assertions, I will continue to regard your contributions as noise. Your first post in this thread is an example of what I mean. The OP asked about the impact of the Christian schism on the world and your response was to present religious dogma about who is saved for heaven and who is not. That is noise.
Ignoring Vizio's University of the Atmosphere assertions and looking at it from a historical perspective, I think it would be fair to say that the split served to accelerate the colonization and populating of the American continent. First, the existing rivalry between Catholic France and Spain, and Protestant England and The Netherlands, insured that both sides would be competing with the other for domination of the newly discovered territories. Once colonies were established, loyalties to the mother nation were kept intact by continuously playing the religion fear card. The residents of the 13 British colonies were convinced that they needed the might of Great Britain to save them from the Papists in Canada and the west. The colonists in what is now the Latin American nations needed Spain to protect them from the apostate British Americans.
Second, the freedom to practice some splinter form of religious belief was the motivation for leaving the mother nations. The history books frequently state that the Puritans came to America seeking religious freedom. That is misleading. They were seeking a religious escape from the domination of the Anglican Church, but had no interest in setting up some anything goes religious freedom paradise, they wanted a place of their own where only their religion prevailed and they could persecute others.
It is also obvious that the rise of the Protestant movement had a major impact on the emergence of the British parliament as the supreme power of the land with the crown reduced to a limited monarchy. The Glorious Revolution was the last chapter of the century long Catholic/Protestant conflict in 17th Century Britain.
While I gave you a private rep for this post I've decided the subsequent response earned you a public "thanks" for this post. It's a pleasure to read an intelligent, well-thought-out response.
In theory you hate to see anything create more divisions between people, but Catholicism needed its hegemony challenged and its power limited, so to me the schism was the lesser of two evils. Protestants basically broke off over the RCC's worst excesses and therefore curbed them. The competition between Christian denominations has probably curbed the worst excesses of Christianity in general, too ... the protestant movement's lack of central authoritarian command and control helped to keep any flavor of protestantism from becoming so dominant that it would fall into some of the same excesses as the RCC.
In theory you hate to see anything create more divisions between people, but Catholicism needed its hegemony challenged and its power limited, so to me the schism was the lesser of two evils. Protestants basically broke off over the RCC's worst excesses and therefore curbed them. The competition between Christian denominations has probably curbed the worst excesses of Christianity in general, too ... the protestant movement's lack of central authoritarian command and control helped to keep any flavor of protestantism from becoming so dominant that it would fall into some of the same excesses as the RCC.
I think Protestants make better music than Catholics, so I'm glad they are around.
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