[RnMomof7]

Uh uh! Nope. I don't think so. These are rites. Rites means ritual not belief. They wear different vestments and have different practices but it's really not a denomination. Its not like they ever split off from Rome, they just developed organically as rites in their own cultures, with the Church of Rome as their head. But no these are not denominations IMHO. I am a Catholic of the Roman rite. Another may be a Catholic of the Coptic rite. We are both of the same Catholic Church that is based in Rome. Somebody correct me if I am wrong here.

What you call a rite we would call a denomation :>) Theresa there is actually little difference in what Protestants believe

At the far extreme you have the biggest difference in the belief over the cession of spiritual gifts...but you have that within the RC church too..

[Theresa]

"What you call a rite we would call a denomation :>)

Well you guys are just using the wrong nomenclature.

Theresa there is actually little difference in what Protestants believe.

Mom this cannot be true. I doubt my lifelong Baptist neighbor can be convinced that it won't make a bit of difference if she converts to an Episcopal and goes to the lovely church down the street where the female priest preaches and communion services are every Sunday. If there is little difference WHY split up in the first place? Theoreticaly almost all Protestants should be Lutherans since Luther was the first to formally break away. But even Lutherans are split into Evangelicals and Missouri-Synod. If there is little difference why the split?