VERY confused about ecumenical movement

I think that Vincent of Lerins gave the best answer about determining truth. If some ofyou can get beyond the word 'catholic' and understand it in a universal sense, what he's saying is that the Holy Spirit guides/has guided the Church CORPORATE into certain truths. This is no rugged individualism, but instead a certainty that the Holy Spirit speaks the same to everyone, and that many hear Him, wherever they live, wherever their culture, wherever their church. I believe that Vincent's formula is an excellent one for ecumenical discussions, helping to cast aside individual interpretations/novelties, and to see what the "Spirit is saying to the churches." And there we can discover the 'Catholic' (or if you prefer 'Orthodox') faith. This would of course, merit our study of the early church fathers, something that, frankly, many Protestants have failed to do. Their assumption (shared by Joseph Smith)that the Church quickly corrupted is part of the problem, and why we have so many different 'opinions' and 'denominations' today.

 

Jude;
I still don't see what the problem is with having different opinions and denominations.

Also, IMO I believe the "church fathers" fell away from the Jewish/Hebraic roots of their faith which did lead to ingesting a lot of corruption.

Cotton