What is a true Christian? Wasn't the Catholic church around much longer than anyone other than the Jewish?

Question

Just wondering, because according to History, the only reason why Born agains, Methodists, Baptists, ie Protestants exist is because King Henry the 8th was not allowed to divorce one of his wives (this was before he decided beheading them was easier), so he went and started the church of England, which eventually broke off into all the other branches of Religion. So why do people in those religions call themselves True Christians?

Answer 1

The history of the Protestant churches predate Henry the 8 by a hundred years. They began with a German monk named Martin Luther in the late 1400s, who began to question some of the teachings of the Catholic church.

The main dispute that Luther had was over the issue of salvation. He held that the scriptures taught salvation by faith in Christ alone. That it did not require rituals such as communion or baptism, it did not require confession to a priest or absolution, it did not require a payment to the church to move a person out of purgatory and into heaven, but rather it was by faith alone.

When those who believed that were rejected by the Catholic church, they eventually became the Luthern church. Most of the other Protestant churches would come out of that same teaching, just beginning in other countries and under other leaders.

When Henry was unable to get a divorce from the Catholic church, he merely switched his religion to the already exist protestant religion, and made himself the "head" of that church so he could legalize his own divorce. But he did not create the Protestant Religion.

But to your main question... what is a true Christian? It is a person who has acknowledge (or confessed) the Lordship of Jesus over their life, and allowed faith in his resurrection to change their heart so that they are "born again" from the life of God. It has nothing to do with what church they attend. There are Catholics who are true Christians, and Catholics who are not. There are Baptist who have acknowledged Christ, and Baptist who have not. There are Methodist who have been "born again", and Methodist who have not.

As far as the Catholics being the "first church", they did not com into exist until 1059, when they split from the Orthodox church. They only predate the protestant church by about 400 years. The "real" church is no single denomination, but is made up of all people -regardless of denomination - who have been born again.

Answer 2

Luther was the first to break off of the Catholic church, the others actually broke off from Luther. Which is why the war of reformations or the 30 year war started it was not among Catholics and protestants as much as protestant verses protestant. Luther felt he had the right to break off but people did not have the right to break off from him. The Anglican Church of England was not technically part of the protestant reformations as it broke directly from the Catholic Church years later partially over Henery not being allowed to divorce and partially over an attempted land grab by the Monarchy to control the Churches lands. The Anglican Church has since had break offs.

Judism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism and Paganism have all been around before Christianity. Someone said Buddhism was but that is incorrect Prince Gautama who transended human existence and became Buddha was not born until the 7th century.

Answer 3

Yes, the Catholic Church was around before any other. But, Judaism is not a church. Churches are Christian institutions.

Anglicans, Episcopalians, Baptists, Methodists and some others descend from the English Reformation of King Henry VIII, to which you referred. This revolt for selfish reasons occurred in the sixteenth century shortly after the Protestant Reformation in Germany. All other Protestant churches descend from this tradition.

In 1054 A.D. Eastern Christianity split from the West for complicated geo-political reasons. Eastern Orthodox churches descending from this action are considered in schism, but not heresy because they have not changed any of the ancient doctrines received from the apostles. But they are not in communion with the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church. They are apostolic (descending from the apostles) because they have valid ordination and valid sacraments, unlike Protestant churches.

The one thing that Protestant churches do have that makes them true Christians is a valid baptism. This does not include Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons because they do not believe in the Trinity. But most other churches have a valid Trinitarian baptism and are therefore "true Christians".

Answer 4

If the Romans were not in error, then why have so many of Luther's Theses or the Anglican's Thirty Nine Articles been adopted by the Romans? The fact of the matter is that the Protestant Reformation arose independently in several countries and was a direct result of the corruption of the Roman cult. It was an attempt to return the Jesus cult to its roots.

As far as precedence, the Orthodox schism predated the Protestant reformation and, since the schism related to something which had not been settled at the time, they have a claim to being as old as the Romans. So, for that matter, do those cults (primarily gnostic) which were condemned by the Roman cult as heretical. These would include Jesus cults which denied that Jesus was human and those which denied that Jesus was god.

As far as Henry, that had nothing to do with religion on either side. The pope would not grant Henry a divorce because he did not want to offend Spain, not because it was theologically improper ("lack of male heir to kingdom" was a well established reason for divorce). On Henry's side, the Anglican movement already existed and granting them legitimacy stuck it to the pope and Spain; gave Henry his divorce; and got Henry some of the treasure that the Romans had been amassing.

Answer 5

Sorry, I guess you did not know that the apostle Paul started many churches in Greece & Macedonia, and Rome. WOW, what a revelation, and you can read it in the book of Acts for starters.

So, you are saying that Constantine had nothing to do with the origins of the Catholic church?

Constantine I legalized Christianity in Rome in 313 AD, and the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.
Constantine I was known as the first Christian Emperor in the Roman empire.

King Henry VIII was born in 1491, just a few years later.

grace2u

Answer 6

Not quite. There were several orthodox churches established at the same time as the one that would eventually be called the RCC.
Please read Protestant history better - especially Martin Luther. LOOOONG before Henry VIII.

Answer 7

Protestantism started before Henry VII... Check out the Protestant Reformation!

You're right; all of those types of Protestantism branched off of Catholicism beginning with the Protestant Reformation, which included Martin Luther. For 75% of all of Protestant history, they were Catholic.

Eastern Orthodox and Coptic Christianity split long before Protestantism though.

Buddhism, Hinduism, Tribal Religions, and just about every type of Paganism pre-date Christianity too.

Answer 8

Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, and Buddhism are all older than Christianity.

Martin Luther started the protestant reformation before Henry VIII decided to seek a second annulment. The Lutherans were followed by the Presbyterians (John Calvin and J. Zwingli), and a variety of other protestants that had nothing to do with Henry VIII.

As for True Christians, that seems to be a term of self-aggrandizement more than externally understood by others.

Answer 9

Yes, the Catholic church was the first Christian church.

However, Martin Luther was the first to break away from the Catholic church, not King Henry the 8th.

Answer 10

Actually, the Pagans that modern day Pagans and Wiccans base their faith on predate Christianity by a lot, given that Catholicism REPLACED Paganism - nearly always forcibly - throughout Europe.

And Protestants sprang from Martin Luther, not Henry VIII.

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