Orthodoxy was established when the pagan, Roman Emperor Constantine asked some of the Christian bishops to give him a definition of who was a Christian, so he would know who he was going to “tolerate” (not kill) under his edict of toleration. A number of bishops assembled at Nicea in 325 CE. He presided, a pagan emperor. Constantine had been in a battle and had supposedly seen a vision of a cross in the sky and received the message, “By this sign conquer.” He forcibly baptized all of his troops, all but their sword hands, so they could keep on using those to murder in war. You see, it was not permitted for a soldier to be a Christian, due to Jesus teaching of turning the other cheek, etc.
The bishops met and formulated the Nicene Creed and also determined the date for Pascha (Easter). This group of clerics had adopted the Johannine view of the deity of Christ and the resurrection, even though the earlier gospel writers and James had not included those myths. What is truly crazy about this whole scene is that we have a pagan emperor giving his imprimatur to the establishment of the Holy Roman Catholic Orthodox Church. He refused to be baptized until his deathbed since he wanted to have freedom to sin again, such was his total misunderstanding of grace.
For this act, the Church granted him sainthood! Ever since, the church has been entangled with states and arms and has been totally corrupt and apostate. The protestant churches have been no better. The Protestant Reformation was an internecine bloodbath. When I led The King’s Jubilee Monday Evening Bible Institute, students were hoping things were going to get better after the Dark Ages. Everyone quit after the Reformation; they were so depressed.
I have been abused and lied to by every denomination I have been a part of. They are all in it for the money and to control others. None of them serve the poor. None of them know where their authority comes from. That is because they have none! It is all bullshit!