Christian Tolerance?

“Of all the animosities which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by difference of sentiment in religion appear to be the most inveterate and distressing, and ought most to be deprecated. I was in hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy which has marked the present age would at least have reconciled Christians of every denomination, so far that we should never again see their religious disputes carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of society.”

~ George Washington, letter to Sir Edward Newenham, Oct. 20, 1792.

Source for most of the biographical discussion of Washington's religion is The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, From Washington To F.D.R., by Franklin Steiner.

Today, there are many ways of classifying the over 1,000 Christian faith groups in North America:

By denomination
Into three or four meta-groups (e.g. Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican)
By theological belief system (Calvinism, Arminianism, etc.)
By religious family, (Baptist, Lutheran, Pentecostal, etc.), and
By "wing." The conservative, mainline, and liberal wings of Protestantism are described here.

	Introduction: Fragmentation of Christianity from one to thousands of faith groups
	Criteria for selecting the "true" church Using Jesus' statements and how he treated outcasts as a guide Using Jesus' disciples and church success as guide; Conclusions
	The view of an evangelical Christian (an essay donated by William Taylor Sr.)
	The beliefs of some Mormons
	The current teachings of the Roman Catholic Church

This lack of consensus is so extreme that sincerely and devoutly held beliefs by very liberal Christians may well be considered blasphemy by very conservative Christians, and vice-versa. One result is that some Christians view Christianity as a collection of religions, not as a single religion.