Sect not Denomination

    My brothers and sisters in Christ,
    For a long time, I used the word, "sect" when referring to Protestant religious groups, not, "denomination."

    Why? Because 'denomination' implies equality.

    For example, consider different 'denominations' of currency...

    We will say that two $5 bills are equal to, or, as good as, a $10 bill, right?

    But non-Catholic denominations - or sects - are not equal to The Church, and they are not even the same when compared to each other. To complicate matters, they often have the belief that one Christian religion is as good as another....as long as you're not Catholic. But if they believed it, there wouldn't be hundreds of different groups. So they don't seem to practice that belief, except where Catholics are concerned.
    But Christ, Himself, literally set into motion what would become His only Church - and that traces back 2,000 years to what is STILL the Catholic Church. It's often a twisted path, but it still leads back to the same starting point.
    Every church that came later (much later), however, is a concoction of men, and has divorced itself from some, or all, of Christs own commissions for both worship and salvation. This is the case with all Christian churches outside the Catholic Church. See the lead foto for just one example of this.
    Regardless of what they say, their often violent opinions about this, or what they call themselves, they are not within the Church that Christ, himself, inititated. They cannot trace their own origins further back than the early 1500's - and many far later than that. They try to make this look like that is when Christianity REALLY began, but each is following their own version of what they think God wanted. This makes them many things, not the least of which is willfully separated.... but not equal.
    Now, don't take my bluntness as antagonism - I don't doubt the sincerity of these, my fellow Christians, or their good intentions. And I'm not the one to judge them in the end. I respect them as fellow Christians.
    So with all said, 'sect' has always seemed appropriate when seen this way. In fact, if we define the term we get this:

A sect is a group that breaks away from a larger religious, philosophical, or ideological body and follows its own distinctive beliefs or practices. It often claims to preserve the “true” form of religion or worship, seeing itself as more faithful or pure than whatever group it came from.

Sect vs. denomination
Sect: a breakaway or splinter group with distinct beliefs.
Denomination: a recognized branch within a broader religion (e.g., Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist within Christianity).

    The word “sect” is actually neutral if viewed academically, but few will see it that way. In everyday language, it normally carries a negative implication of being narrow, rigid, or separated... even if that is the case!

    But, today, my dear friends, today I have relaxed and I use 'denomination' more often than, sect. This is simply because it IS so very often viewed negatively by others. The last thing I wish to do is add another burden to my fellow Christians by stirring up their anger over a word.
    What concerns me now, and which I pray daily for, is the fact that they have taken to picking and choosing which of Christs expectations they intend to meet.... because, if they were to meet them all,...they'd be Catholic. 
    My friends, love as Christ loves, embrace, and pray for our separated brothers and sisters.