In my lengthy work critiquing the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura, Not by Scripture Alone: A Latter-day Saint Refutation of Sola Scriptura, I cautioned against arguing (falsely) that there are 20,000+ denominations within Protestantism, and that the fracturing within Protestantism is largely due to ecclesiology, not epistemology per se. Interestingly, in the (short-lived) missionary discussions the Church produced for the Jewish people in 1979, the author(s) of one particular section stated that, instead of there being thousands of churches (denominations) within the broad Christian spectrum, there were hundreds:
Missionary: After the days of the Apostles, revelation from heaven to the Church of Jesus Christ ceased, and divine authority was taken from the earth. This was the beginning of the false Christianity that has now multiplied into hundreds of rival churches . . . (Missionary Discussions for the Jewish People, page JC-15, as cited by Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Mormonism: Shadow or Reality? [5th ed.; Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1987, 2008], 4-A, emphasis added).
As an aside, I would be very interested in acquiring a copy of “Missionary Discussions for the Jewish People” (1979), even if it is in a scanned PDF format. If anyone can help, let me know at IrishLDS87ATGmailDOTcom
