The Roman Catholic Church?

Question

According to Jesus the Roman Catholic Church will never fall why then so many people against it and what would it take for you to become Catholic?

Also when Martin luther left the church to form another I belive it was a bad move for christianity because they made God as they want to see him

Answer 1

I'm Catholic and i'm proud of it. The C.C. and its Holy Sacraments were made by JESUS HIMSELF.

Answer 2

The Scripture is more along the lines of "the gates of Hell will not prevail against" the Church. There's much discussion over what was meant by church - is it a particular tradition, or is it the body of all believers? Too often it comes down to a lot of chest-thumping self-righteousness.

I am Catholic and I believe that the gates of hell will not prevail against the faithful Catholic - but I also think that a true follower of Christ can be found in other denominations of Christianity.

There's a lot of reasons why people are against the Catholic Church. There's people who, for reasons beyond logic, still point to the deaths of the Cathars and the Docetists in the 11th and 8th centuries, or to the Crusades, or other far-and-away events that really have nothing to do with the Catholic Church today.

There are others who've fallen under the unfortunate influence of bigots (Jack Chick, Bob Jones, Oral Roberts, Fred Phelps and their ilk) and still view Catholics with the 1800's stereotype of the drunken, uncivilized, uneducated Irish immigrant. And through the miracle of the internet now, there's a lot of well-meaning Christians who've never been to a Catholic Mass or even inside a Catholic Church, but are more than happy to add their voices to the din of misguided ministers who think Jesus called them to hate people they don't understand.

In a spiritual sense, the Catholic Church has been under attack - at war - since its inception 2,000 years ago. It is also true that all Christians are at war. But the Catholic Church is a very visible institution, and so its struggles are easily public, while the day-to-day spiritual battles of the individual are invisible to the media.

And for HarryTiko - let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

Answer 3

In my opinion, God is not man-made. Religion is. Humans have free will and choose their own paths in life. Sometimes, divide and create new religions to suit their ideals and ways of life. Martin Luther never intended to form a new religion, he only wanted to reform the corrupt leaders of the Catholic Church at the time. His followers wanted a change and created a religion that they felt was right.

Luckily, the Church has reformed since then, and I know scores of wonderful, intelligent, and kind people who are Catholic. A church can only fall if nearly everyone has left it. As I recall, Catholicism is in no danger of this.

The reasons why it seems so many people don't approve of Catholicism are many. You have some that believe that their views are always right (even the atheists). You have others who have weeded out a few bad priests and now distrust and misunderstand all other parts of Catholicism (Hundreds more men in other non-Catholic organizations have abused their powers in similar ways, yet you don't hear about the 'evils' of beliefs). It's become kind of cool to diss the Church in today's American society (punk culture, 'funny' priest costumes, etc.)

Answer 4

I am Catholic, I converted at the age of 32 because I needed something bigger than myself. The catholic church has had its history, but then what country/religion hasn't. I am English but I do not hate England even if its people did travel the world conquering and killing.

People are always quick to judge what it is they don't know or understand. The Lutheran religion is a beautiful religion born from Catholicism, as is Church of England.

Remember that in the middle ages the Church was the Government. who agrees with everything their Government does?

The media grab hold of something and don't let it go, a bit like a dog with a bone.

Jehovah's Witnesses have had their share of scandal, as has the Anglican church. You don't hear much about them though do you?

Answer 5

It was actually Pope Leo X that excommunicated Martin Luther and his teachings in the Papal Bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. It was not Pope Clement VII.

To answer the question, what would it take for me to become Catholic? As Lutherans we may not be Papists, but we are already Catholic! When we confess in the creeds, "We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church" we actually believe that! But I disagree with your interpretation of the Matthew 16:18 passage. Where is Jesus speaking to only the Roman Catholic Church? The problem with the Romanists is that they get too wrapped up in the physical assets of the Church (the church militant) and sometimes forget the about the “Church Triumphant.” Just as Paul speaks to the Jews in Rome about the Gentiles being a part of the faith at the end of Romans 3, so to can this be applied the Roman Catholic Church.

“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.”

Paul in these verses lays waste to the idea that the Jews have a leg up on the Gentiles. The problem Paul was dealing with in the congregation in Rome was that the Jews were looking down their noses at the Gentiles.

Answer 6

Do you think that because you believe someone said something 2000 years ago, that people should not oppose bad ideas and practices today?

The catholic church would have to right all of it's wrong ways in order to convert me, and even then I would have to have strong evidence that god exists, so it probably wouldn't make sense.

I was raised catholic but it just didn't ever take. My parents followed all the normal indoctrination steps: baptism, classes, regular mass attendance, prayers, communion, and confirmation. Even at communion at age 6 I remember thinking that it was all "fake" (I didn't know the word "hypocrisy" then).

The catholics do some great charity work. But they also do some very bad things, which are inexcusable in this day and age. Sadly, a good portion of catholics actually know that these policies and practices are wrong, yet they are silent and continue to pay the church!

There is plenty of reason to be against the catholic church. People in bad marriages because they don't live together first and can't get divorced, no birth control, no sex for priests (except with children), the enormously hypocritical wealth of the vatican, and all the silly superstitions.

Answer 7

The Catholic Church can never be destroyed, even with corrupt leaders! So if we can't destroy it ourselves, it can never be destroyed. Jesus promised he would be with us until the end of time, or He is a liar.

To become Catholic requires the grace of conversion. You have to be called by God. It's a still, small voice, not some screaming TV preacher. To hear God's voice requires humility.

If we wish to locate the Church founded by Jesus, we need to locate the one that has the four chief marks or qualities of his Church. The Church we seek must be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

The Church Is One (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13, CCC 813–822)
Jesus established only one Church, not a collection of differing churches (Lutheran, Baptist, Anglican, and so on). The Bible says the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23–32). Jesus can have but one spouse, and his spouse is the Catholic Church.

His Church also teaches just one set of doctrines, which must be the same as those taught by the apostles (Jude 3). This is the unity of belief to which Scripture calls us (Phil. 1:27, 2:2).

Although some Catholics dissent from officially-taught doctrines, the Church’s official teachers—the pope and the bishops united with him—have never changed any doctrine. Over the centuries, as doctrines are examined more fully, the Church comes to understand them more deeply (John 16:12–13), but it never understands them to mean the opposite of what they once meant.

The Church Is Holy (Eph. 5:25–27, Rev. 19:7–8, CCC 823–829)
By his grace Jesus makes the Church holy, just as he is holy. This doesn’t mean that each member is always holy. Jesus said there would be both good and bad members in the Church (John 6:70), and not all the members would go to heaven (Matt. 7:21–23).

But the Church itself is holy because it is the source of holiness and is the guardian of the special means of grace Jesus established, the sacraments (cf. Eph. 5:26).

The Church Is Catholic (Matt. 28:19–20, Rev. 5:9–10, CCC 830–856)
Jesus’ Church is called catholic ("universal" in Greek) because it is his gift to all people. He told his apostles to go throughout the world and make disciples of "all nations" (Matt. 28:19–20).

For 2,000 years the Catholic Church has carried out this mission, preaching the good news that Christ died for all men and that he wants all of us to be members of his universal family (Gal. 3:28).

Nowadays the Catholic Church is found in every country of the world and is still sending out missionaries to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19).

The Church Jesus established was known by its most common title, "the Catholic Church," at least as early as the year 107, when Ignatius of Antioch used that title to describe the one Church Jesus founded. The title apparently was old in Ignatius’s time, which means it probably went all the way back to the time of the apostles.

The Church Is Apostolic (Eph. 2:19–20, CCC 857–865)
The Church Jesus founded is apostolic because he appointed the apostles to be the first leaders of the Church, and their successors were to be its future leaders. The apostles were the first bishops, and, since the first century, there has been an unbroken line of Catholic bishops faithfully handing on what the apostles taught the first Christians in Scripture and oral Tradition (2 Tim. 2:2).

These beliefs include the bodily Resurrection of Jesus, the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the sacrificial nature of the Mass, the forgiveness of sins through a priest, baptismal regeneration, the existence of purgatory, Mary’s special role, and much more —even the doctrine of apostolic succession itself.

Early Christian writings prove the first Christians were thoroughly Catholic in belief and practice and looked to the successors of the apostles as their leaders. What these first Christians believed is still believed by the Catholic Church. No other Church can make that claim.

Man’s ingenuity cannot account for this. The Church has remained one, holy, catholic, and apostolic—not through man’s effort, but because God preserves the Church he established (Matt. 16:18, 28:20).
.

Answer 8

Martin Luther was actually trying to reform the Catholic Church and was excommunicated by Pope Clement VII.

He did not intend for the mess that resulted to have happened

The Catholic Church has always endured some tribulation and has always survived. It always will.

Answer 9

I am a Catholic and yes it will never fall. The people are against the Churchbecause they reckon we are not Christians and we don't follow the Bible and because of some Priest who have gone astray
Do as I do hold your head up high and be proud of who you are a good Christian Catholic person
God Bless You

Answer 10

It is not the RC Church that Jesus was referring to. Its the Church of Jesus(the Body of Christ) in which the RC Church is a part. The true Church of Jesus consists of all those who believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
I Cr 13;8
12-10-6

Answer 11

Jesus had no opinion on the Catholic church as the Catholic church didn't exist when Jesus was alive. I am a recovering Catholic and I can't recommend it. Although there are many honorable Catholics I know the Catholic church to be a corrupt and evil organization. I suggest you leave it alone.

P.S. ALL churches make God as they want to see him/her/it/them.