A History of Church Denominations

For the first thousand years of its existence there was only one Christian belief.  There were no denominations until 1050 with the split of the Western and Eastern Church. From this time on there were two major branches of Christianity. These are known as the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

The next import division occurred in the 15^th century.  This division was the Protestant Reform.  This reformation was begun by Martin Luther and by 1529 the German princes who sought the freedom to choose the faith of their territory protested against the doctrine of the church and the denomination of Protestantism was born.

Those still in Roman Catholicism as the Reformation developed began to form various groups in other parts of Europe.  In Switzerland the teachings of Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin and in Scotland with John Knox became Presbyterianism.  Also from Switzerland were the beginnings of Anabaptists today known as Amish, Quakers, Baptist and Mennonites?

Anglicanism was established in 1534 begun when Kin Henry VIII withdrew from the authority of the Pope and brought about the birth of Episcopalians.  In America Methodism based on John Wesley’s movement was around the same time.

Religious History In The United States

  Through the history of the United States it has always been a country of religious diversity. This factor which has created horrendous religious wars and years of deadly conflict in other countries the conflict in the United States seems almost minor.

The United States has had religious clashes from the Revolutionary War to the attacks of 9/11.  The history of religious violence, intolerance, discrimination, and persecution in the United States has not been as devastating as in other counties and, some possible explanations for why despite its diversity may be  that the United States is a nation founded on religious conflict. 

The colonies were settled by those escaping religious persecution in Europe.  Some historians have evidence that religion played a major role in the American Revolution and that revolutionaries believed it was willed by God for the Americans to engage in war against the British.

The Church of England was attempting to establish one, uniform religion the colonial America was divided, each of the colonies being bound by their own form of Christianity.  Many religions were able to establish themselves in America, colony by colony where distinct religious characters survived and had one religious denomination.

 The American colonists saw the Revolution as a war for political independence, but also a fight to protect the religious diversity of the colonies. It became a battle for religious independence and freedom to exist on the American continent and a conflict that the various American religious denominations revolting against the Church of England, who wanted to impose the Anglican religion in America.


After the Revolutionary War there was turmoil between the various states and Christian denominations.  During and soon after the Revolutionary War the political appearance of religious conflict in governing the various colonies. Some states abolished some churches, and supported others. The state constitution of each colony differed in its policy on religious establishment, or state-supported religion.

The 1800’s was in terms of religious discord in America was relatively calm.  The one religious dispute in this period were tension between Catholics and Protestants, which caused violence aimed at Irish Catholic immigrants.  The increase of immigration from Europe during this Century overlapped with a flood of Catholics and the rise of the activist Protestantism in the U.S.  As strong Protestant values infused the country, immigrants who were Catholic were viewed as outsiders and undemocratic. 

In the 1830s and 1840s, anti-Catholic violence occurred in the country.   In Philadelphia in 1844, gun fights between so called Native Americans and Irish Catholics. 

 Around the same time the Mormons, who materialized after the 1830 discovery of The Book of Mormon, were a religious community driven out of New York to Utah, where they finally settled after seeking shelter in various other states.

 The Mormons prospered, adopted the doctrine of polygamy, and founder Joseph Smith proclaimed his candidacy for president of the United States.  In 1857, with the threat of a religious state of Mormons the president ordered the installation of a new non Mormon governor.

The tension rose in the state. However, no violence occurred and, the attention became focused on the Civil War.

As the federal government fought the Civil War, political oppression of the Mormons continued and by 1887 the church disbanded until the 1890s, when the Mormons ended the practice of polygamy, and Utah obtained statehood in 1896.

The next century saw the beginning of anti Semitism; the federal government began restricting immigration from Europe.  While Jews had lived in America since colonial times, they were only tolerated and discriminated against in small incidents.  By 1920, immigration limits had taken effect on the basis of national origin.  They were not repealed during the Holocaust, when Jewish refugees were attempting to escape from Hitler in Europe.

During the period of the Great Depression anti Semitic increased to the magnitude that had not been seen before in the history of the Jewish experience in America.  In New York and Boston, Jews were violently attacked.  Most anti Jewish prejudice was seen in social and political discrimination.

 Racial and social injustice persisted until the 1950s, Jews were not allowed membership in country clubs, excluded from colleges, not allowed to practice medicine, and could not hold political office in many states.

The United States has approximately 1,500 religions and 360,000 religious centers.  Christianity dominates the country’s religions, followed by Judaism.   In the past few years Islam has surpassed Judaism and is the country’s second religion.

After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, anti Muslim sentiments sparked religiously motivated hate crimes against Muslims in the United States.

The religious war and conflict seen in the Middle East and Europe has not been as pervasive in the United States.  Although the number of different religions has grown over the decades, this diversity has not led to serious conflict.

The American tradition of the separation of church and state can be one of the possible reasons for the incidences of disturbances between religions and preventing disharmony among the religions of the United States.

The Crusades

The Crusades were numerous Holy Wars led by the Christian European countries against the Saracens or Muslims.  The Crusades began in 1095. The Crusades were a series of military journey by the Christian nations of Europe in the attempt to rescue the holy places of Palestine from the rule of the Mohammedans. There were eight in crusades, the first were called the Principal Crusades, and the last four the Minor Crusades.  There were several other missions.

The cause of the crusades was a war between Christians and Moslems revolved around the city of Jerusalem. The City of Jerusalem was holy to the Christian religion. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem honored the hill of the crucifixion and the tomb of Christ and was visited by Pilgrims. In 1065 Jerusalem fell to the Turks and thousands of Christians were massacred setting off the events which contributed to the cause of the crusades.

The purpose of the crusades was at first to release the Holy Land, in namely Jerusalem, from the Saracens, but as time progressed it was extended to taking control Spain from the Moors, the Slavs and Pagans from Eastern Europe, and the islands of the Mediterranean.

There were nine crusades. The first four crusades were the most important. For a two hundred years Europe and Asia were engaged almost constant battles.  The first crusade lasted from 1095-1099, and established the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.

The kingdom of Jerusalem was slowly lost until the last Christian city, Acre, went under in 1291. The hopes of returning to the Holy Land persevered; the Kings of France and England often made plans, although the endeavors were not successful.

The crusades also started the important knightly orders, the Knights Templar, the Teutonic Knights. These were orders of religious knights, working from monastic rule to defend the holy land and pilgrims in making retreats to Jerusalem.

The effects of the Crusades on Europe of the Middle Ages were a major factor in the progress of the history of civilization. The effects influenced the wealth and power of the Catholic Church politically, commerce, intellectual development, social and material effects brought about the famous Voyages of discovery. The crusaders came from both the Upper and Lower classes. The Holy Land Pilgrimages movement came from the pilgrimages which Christians had long been accustomed to make to the scenes of Christ's life on earth.

All of Europe was in turmoil for two centuries because of the crusades and cost several millions of lives, and vast depletions in treasure and suffering. But the Holy Wars were productive in many ways the permanent effects of the good of the crusades influenced civilization on a whole. It gave the beginning of  the incentive given to geographical discovery led various travelers, such as the famous explorer Marco Polo and others to explore the most remote countries of Asia. And so began the age of exploration of the world and a beginning to a new era in civilization.

Roman Military and Religion

After the collapse of the Roman Republic, state religion had to adapt to the customs of a new systems of emperors. One of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, justified the monarcy rule with a program of a revival of religious reform.  Oaths previously made for the security of the republic now were for  the wellbeing of the emperor. The worshiping of the emperor expanded on and the traditional reverence of the divine of individuals became an Imperial cult and was one of the major ways Rome made it’s authority in the provinces. and controlled loyalty throughout the Empire. Rejection of the state religion was the equivalent to treason. This was the major conflict for Rome with Christianity, Romans regarded Christianityas a form of atheism.

Constantine I became the first emperor to convert to Christianity. And the era of Christian supremacy began.  Under the rule of Theodosius Christianity became the Rome’s official religion. Christian one God belief became an element of Imperial domination.  But Rome's original religious chain of command and its ritual influenced Christian like, and many pre Christian beliefs and practices to survive in Christian festivals and local traditions

Military success was achieved through a combination of the divine and virtures those who lacked these traits civic or private negligence provoked divine wrath and led to military disaster. Military success was the standard of a special relationship with the Gods, and to Jupiter in particular.

Roman commanders offered vows to be fulfilled after success in battle and in their failures they vowed to compensate for their lack of success.

Roman camps had a pattern for defense and religious ritual. Each camp had its own religious personnel; standard bearers, priestly officers and their assistants. As in Rome, whatever Gods he served in his own time was up to the individual; the forts included shrines to household Gods, personal deities and deities unknown.. They celebrated Rome's official festivals. Jupiter was one typical personal shrine The efforts of military commanders to envoke the divine will were on occasions that were less successful.

Wars in the Name of God

A religious war is a war caused by, or rationalized by, religious differences. It can involve an established religion against a different religion or a sect in the same religion, or a religiously inspired group trying to force its faith by violence, or suppression of another group because of its religious beliefs or practices. The most famous of this type of war are The French Wars, the Crusades, the Thirty Year’s War and the Muslim conquests.

A series of military campaigns that took place during the 11th through 13th centuries was called The Crusades, originally, the goal was to recapture the Holy Land and suppress the expansion into Asia Minor and Europe proper by the Muslims. Later Crusades against other societies for religious reasons or because of political conflicts. In 1095, the Pope and church was involved in a war that was called a Holy war.  In 16th Century France there was a succession of wars between Protestants and Roman Catholics called as the French Wars. In the first half of the 17th century, the Germans, Sweden, and Poland were  inundated by religious wars in the Thirty Years War,  Roman Catholicism and Protestantism France did take the side of the Protestants for political reasons as the country was a country of Catholicism.

In the Middle Ages, religion was a major factor in fostering anti-Semitism. Though not part of Roman Catholic beliefs, many Christians including members of the clergy viewed the Jewish people responsible for the killing of Jesus.  Both the Jews present at Jesus’ death and the Jewish people collectively committed the sin of deicide, or God killing. For 1900 years of Christian-Jewish history, the charge of deicide has led to hatred, violence against and murder of Jews in Europe and America. 

This status was reputed in the 1960’s with the support of the Pope. 

Mythological Wars

Mythological wars of the Hindu are the battles described in the Hindu text of ancient India. They consist of many great heroes, extraterrestrial weaponry, magic, and the supernatural beings.

The major wars that were fought for perpetuation of righteousness that brings prosperity to humanity over the wickedness that causes humanity to suffer. The wars were often to eliminate demonic beings or lords and rulers who pursue ambition and domination for worldly pleasures as these are considered evil. But War is taught to be of great personal and social importance, where every warrior must do his duty, epitomizing courage, honor, and fearsome expertise even at the cost of his life.

The major Hindu Gods, often engaged in war, they and many mythological Hindu heroes use celestial weapons with supernatural power to help them in the fight.

The Christian and Jewish version of Heavenly war is seen in the fall of Satan and his angels who for rebelling against God were degraded and condemned to place of punishment on Earth of in Hell.

In The Book of Revelation the casting of Satan down from heaven, which other versions was an action of God, is accredited to the Archangel Michael at the conclusion of a war between the two groups of angels.

Scholars have seen a similar belief in the Dead Sea Scrolls. These are named The War Scrolls and are also known as the War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness. In the War Scroll, the angels of light, who are associated with Michael as the Prince of light, will fight in heaven against the angels of darkness, who are categorized as the fallen angels, the Sons of Light win the final victory.

Patterns in Greek mythology with the fall of superhuman beings punished for opposing the Gods also appears in Greek mythology.  Hephaestus was cast down from the Olympus by Zeus and landed on the island of Lemnos. There are accounts recounts that the Gods, after defeating the Titans, threw them down to Tartarus and condemned them to as far beneath the earth as earth is beneath the skies.

These different accounts can be seen in most mythologies most of the cultures of the earth. Is it a coincidence or is there some basis for these myths? Scholars will continue to research until the mysteries are answered or we will discover the truth behind the myths after our lifetimes.

The Greeks and the Persians

The ancient Greeks traced their history to mythological events and their birth rights to the Gods and Goddesses. The major event in the early history of ancient Greece was the Trojan War. This is that most famous of ancient wars that the Greeks ended with a crafty idea and a gift of the Trojan Horse.

The term Greco-Persian Wars against the Persians with the more common name Persian Wars. Most of our information about the wars comes from the Greeks. It was not just Greeks against Persians, and not all the Greeks on the Greek side. The Persian Wars; covers the invasions of Greece by two Persian kings from about 492 B.C. to 449/448 B.C.

Earlier attempts by the Persian kings to control Greece had extended the Persian Empire around the Mediterranean coast by taking over Greek colonies.

Some Greek city states joined Persia, as did other non-Greeks, such as the Egyptians, but many, under the leadership of Sparta, on land, and under the dominance of Athens, at sea, were in opposition of the Persian forces. Before their invasion of Greece, there were revolts within the Persian territory.

Revolts within Persian territories continued even during the war. When Egypt revolted, the Greeks helped the Egyptians when they rebelled against the Persians.

The Persian Wars are dated 492-449/448 B.C. However, there were two mainland invasions of Greece, in 490 and 480-479 B.C. The Persian Wars ended in 449, but by this time Athens had developed her own empire. Conflicts between the Athenians and the allies of Sparta continued...

 The battle of the Thermopylae began when a fleet of Persian ships had sailed along the coastline from northern Greece into the eastern Aegean Sea towards the mountains at Thermopylae. The Greeks faced the Persian army at a pass that controlled the only road between Thessaly and Central Greece. Spartan King Leonia’s was in charge of the Greek forces that tried to hold back the Persian army, to delay them, and keep them from attacking the rear of the Greek navy, which was under Athenian control.

Spartan soldiers were supposed to arrive and help defend Thermopylae against the Persians. Unfortunately for after a couple of days, a traitor led the Persians around the route behind the Greek army, eliminating the chance of Greek victory.