Question for Catholics?

Question

I see the statement alot that the Catholic church was the first Christian church and it was founded by Peter based on the isolation and interpretation of the verse that says "on this rock shall I found my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"

1) Werent the Christians established by the apostolic church (the real first christian church) being killed off by the Roman empire decades before the Catholic church came into existance?

2) If that verse meant that everyone was to follow Peter, why would Christ just say this outright to the disciples? Why did he scold them for arguing over who was firstt and most important? He could have just said Peter.

3) If Peter was the 'rock', didntt the gates of hell prevail against him when he denied Christ three times afterwards

4) If the Pope is infallible, and history shows plenty of papal curruption and scandal, wouldnt that mean that God would have to be corrupt?

Answer 1

I agree. Peter means little stone in Aramaic. Jesus called himself the rock. Pope is the most corrupt person in the world. There is no Bible verse that says that sats there needs to be a Pope. The Catholic Church is an invention of Satan. Jupiter turned into Paul and Venus turned into Mary. Keep up the good work by exposing the holes in the Catholic Church. Catholic Church is basically occult. It has led millions to hell.

Answer 2

Actually Christ started the Catholic Church, but St. Peter (prince of the Apostles) was the first Pope. The Early Church Fathers wrote plenty of things to prove that the Catholic Church was established by Jesus Christ and is the one true Church.

The Old Testament speaks of the House of King David having a steward/vicar. The steward/vicar is the highest of the king's servants.

Since Christ is King in the New Testament, he too needs a steward/vicar. Hence, Peter is that Vicar, and so too are all those who get St. Peter's title.

Christianity is a kingdom.

1) The Apostolic Church is the Catholic Church. If you check the writings of non heretical Christians of the time, you can see that the Apostles had the same beliefs as Catholics do today. Christ says in the Bible that He would never leave His Church, and he never has. The Catholic Church is still here today.

2) In Aramaic, the word "kepha" means both Peter and rock. In Koine Greek the word Petros is masculine for rock. Rock in Koine is Petra, but this is the feminine form. You can't give a man a feminine name. Thus Petros and Petra mean the same thing: Peter the rock.

3) No, the Gates of Hell won a battle, but not the war, the "war" is still being waged today. And Christ DOES NOT lie, if He says Satan will not prevail (win) then Satan will not. Satan hasn't prevailed because the Catholic Church is still here today.

4)Infallibility DOES NOT mean sinless. It means the Pope can't be wrong when it comes to a Doctrine. Corruption and scandal have nothing to do with infallibility. Find out what Doctrine IS from a Catholic source.

Answer 3

The simplest and most striking evidence for Peter's authority is his new name.

When God made faithful Abram the "father of many nations" and his first "chosen person" Abram's name was changed to Abraham.

When God led Jacob to the land that would eventually become the Holy Land, and Jerusalem, and the home of the 12 tribes, God gave Jacob a new name. Israel.

When God chose Simon as the head of the new "Holy Nation" which is the worlwide universal church, he gave Simon a new name. Peter, which means rock. Little or big. Doesn't matter.

Then Jesus said, "On this rock I will build my church."

Also, when Jesus asked Peter, three different ways, whether Peter loved him, it wasn't just for fun. It was really Peter's oath of office.

Kind of like we swear to 1) tell the truth, 2) tell the whole truth, and 3) tell nothing but the truth, when we go to court. Scrutiny. Three testmonies. Perfect agreement. Something like that.

The Catholic church, which was the ONLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH in the world for the first 1500 years, knows this, for a fact.

All the other apostles knew it. All the other disciples knew it. The whole church always knew it.

The Blessed Virgin Mary knew it.

Peter's successor St. Linus, certainly knew it.

We still know it today.

In fact, no one, prince or pauper, anywhere in the world, ever thought to question it or dispute it, until around the 15th century.

The facts are still the facts. St. Peter was the first pope.

And if Jesus didn't really give Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, why, in all the well known jokes and stories, is Peter always the guy standing there at the pearly gates?

Go figure!

Answer 4

1. no there were churches started all over the middle east by various apostles and by Paul and by his followers.

Each major city including Rome had churches, (many in hiding)
And they continued and grew. So no the christian church was never wiped out, it only latter became legal under Rome after years of trying to destroy it.

Rome was not the head of the church for 100's of years. It was only one of many larger churches. As the churches grew in size constaople ( spelling) was considered by many the real head of the church, this disagreement between Rome in the west and the church in the east is what caused the split in 1100.

2. And it did appear that Peter was the head, since Paul went to speak to the disciples about allow gentiles in as Christians and it was Peter that spoke for the group. But in general we have to remember that soon after the group did not stay together but each one went on thier own way and moved from cities to cities visiting and starting new churches. So without post offices, cell phones and telegraphs, most likely many of the Apostles never spoke to one another after they left Isreal.

Yes isn't that great, even after denying Christ, the holy spirit came on him and gave him and the others great strenght.
they were all afriad before that, but afterwards got thier strenght

4. actually no the Pope is just a man, it is only if and when they speak and annouce specific orders that those orders are called infallible. All of his others actions are just those of a man ( and a leader of a large church. This is a normal misunderstanding of anyone that has not studied the teachings of the Catholic church but merley take what they hear as truth

Answer 5

1. Just as the Apostles selected a replacement for Judas, they also selected replacements and additional Apostles (Bishops) as led by the Holy Spirit.

2. Matthew 16:15-19 states: He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

This statement looks like it was said directly to Simon Peter to me.

Peter was not one of those arguing over who were arguing over being most important.

3. Peter did deny Jesus three times. And later Jesus forgave him. This was all before the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

All through the Bible, God puts men who are weak and sinful into positions of authority. I am not wise enough to question God's choices.

4. The Catholic Church teaches that the Pope is infallible at closely defined times.

The Pope is only infallible when he, in union with the body of bishops, solemnly teaches that a doctrine as true.

This comes from the words of Jesus to Peter (the first Pope) and the Apostles (the first bishops), "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" (Matthew 18:18) and "He who hears you hears me" (Luke 10:16).

At all other times the Pope can be just as sinful as you and me and be in need of forgiveness.

With love in Christ.

Answer 6

Jesus was Jewish. Peter was Catholic, hence St. Peter. They went to competing schools so this is just a matter of cross town rivalry.