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What I find is the unbelievable amount of difference between denominations. There are those who believe once saved, always saved vs backsliders are no longer heaven bound.
There are those who believe only dunking during baptism is acceptable and those who believe in sprinkling.

There are those who believe that baptism is necessary for salvation while others believe it's only an outward sign to others of acceptance.

There are those who baptize in the trinity, yet others believe that only in the name of Jesus is appropriate (ala John the Baptist).

Still yet others believe that only the outward showing of the holy spirit through tounges is evidence of salvation.

Is it any wonder we can't figure out how to be of service when we can't even agree on how to achieve salvation. Even by the "Perfect Book", we are lost on the most basic of tenents of how to achieve eternal service to God.

I live in a large midwestern city, the 32nd largest metropolitan area in the nation. There are over 125 different denominations (not individual houses of worship) listed in my yellow pages. Over 125 different beliefs and ways to be of service to Christ, God and His kingdom. Yet there is one God and one Way.

Christians need to go into a period of deep prayer, meditation and thought in order to determine how to serve God. Not our version of service, but God's way.

What I find is the unbelievable amount of difference between denominations.

You bring out some valid points. The very device that was included to help us access God's Word (the inclusion of Chapter and verse divisions) has through time given Christians a dangerous nearsightedness. We Christians like to take the different chapters and verses as though they were Legos(tm) and build whatever we want - instructions notwithstanding. Think context whenever you read the Bible. Read an entire letter and think upon it - don't use one sentence to build an empire.

I agree there are too many denominations. They should all become Reformed Baptists (my own perspective).

(Oh, that's not what you had in mind?)

The simple fact of the matter is that denominations exist because we don't agree completely. The idea is that we are all Christians de nomine (of the name) __________.

Denominations certainly beat the heck out of trying to make all Christianity homogeneous in their theology. That's been tried before, and it resulted in horrors like the Inquisition.