Are you aware that there has been a line of churches from the time of Jesus other than the Catholic system?

Question

They were not organized like a religion, government or controlled by men. They have always been grassroots movements based upon teaching and preaching from the Bible.

These traits make them incomprehensible for the Organized religions and their historians, so their existence in denied. Yet spiritual links can be found in every age, and in almost every country on EARTH, not just in Europe.

Answer 1

The “first church” is the church that is recorded in the New Testament, especially in the Book of Acts and the Epistles of Paul. The New Testament church is the “original church” and the “one true church.” We can know this because it is described, in great detail, in Scripture. The church, as recorded in the New Testament, is God’s pattern and foundation for His church. On this basis, let’s examine the Roman Catholic claim that it is the “first church.” Nowhere in the New Testament will you find the “one true church” doing any of the following: praying to Mary, praying to the saints, venerating Mary, submitting to a pope, having a select priesthood, baptizing an infant, observing the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper as sacraments, or passing on apostolic authority to successors of the apostles. All of these are core elements of the Roman Catholic faith. If most of the core elements of the Roman Catholic Church were not practiced by the New Testament Church (the first church and one true church), how then can the Roman Catholic Church be the first church? A study of the New Testament will clearly reveal that the Roman Catholic Church is not the same church as the church that is described in the New Testament.

The New Testament records the history of the church from approximately 30 A.D. to approximately 90 A.D. In the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries, history records several Roman Catholic doctrines and practices among early Christians. Is it not logical that the earliest Christians would be more likely to understand what the Apostles truly meant? Yes, it is logical, but there is one problem. Christians in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries were not the earliest Christians. Again, the New Testament records the doctrine and practice of the earliest Christians…and, the New Testament does not teach Roman Catholicism.

Answer 2

*Is Catholic*

At the time of Jesus, there was no such thing as an "unorganized religion". It didn't exist and is something more of a post-enlightenment phenomena.

All the heretics at the time of Jesus were quite well organized.

Besides "unorganized religion" is an oxymoron. Religion means those things that binds one to the gods. It is the rituals, prayers, and forms of worship based on specific beliefs. Religion is thus always organized and always public. If the thing is unorganized, then it is not a religion...perhaps it is a movement (even these are organized!) or set of personal beliefs, but it is not a religion.

Answer 3

You need to reread your history book.

The Christian bible, the New Testament, did not exist until the year 400. The early Christian writings that make up the new testament did not come into being at the earliest until about 20 years after the death of Christ.

With no written bible, how was the Faith preserved and taught?

The answer: Tradition. Mainly oral tradition.

This is historical fact. To ignore this is the same as ignoring that gravity exists.

God bless.

Answer 4

The Bible is a Catholic Book put together by divine inspiration

Answer 5

Christianity started in a region that was full of would-be messiahs. People who claimed to either be God, the Messiah, or announcers of the way for the Messiah, or to God.

As such, it is possible that there were individuals, or even groups who were not part of the organization controlled by Paul, Peter, or Jude.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church considers that eunuch of Acts 8:26-40 to be the "founder" of their church. It appears to have developed with minimal oversight from Jerusalem. [Circa 33 CE.]

The Saint Thomas Christians are another group that appears to have developed with minimal influence from Jerusalem. [They date from circa 55 CE.]

Celtic Christianity developed without the influence of Roma. Whether or not there was oversight from Jerusalem, prior to the destruction of Celtic Christianity by Catholic Christianity is debatable. Acts 29:7-15 states that Paul to mission work on the coast of England. [His ship landed in the Thames estuary, so it is possible that he went to London. ] Other manuscripts imply that Celtic Christianity spread westward, from Glastonbury. [Whilst some, if not all of the early Celtic Christian manuscripts are forgeries, there is enough documentation from Catholic Christianity to support the basis that it (Celtic Christianity) developed from sources that had minimal influence from either Jerusalem, or Rome.] [Paul's trip would be circa 50 CE. Glastonbury has been connected to Christianity since either the 12th Century, or 2nd Century, depending upon which documents/set of evidence one ascribes to.]

The "Desert Fathers" and their monastic communities were organized by St Anthony, as a way for people to learn from the hermits what "True Christianity" is. [This covers the 2nd to 5th centuries.]

Nestorian Christianity developed as a rejection of its basic theology by Catholic Christianity. [ The influence of Nestorian Christianity can be found in Islamic practices, and beliefs.]

There are hundreds of other scattered groups, for which either documentation, or physical evidence exists. Very few of them show continuity in either time, or geographical spread.

Grassroot movements do not continue in time, unless there is an organization within it. Any such organization would leave traces of its existence. Granted, the archives might be lost. Supporting manuscripts might have been destroyed. Still, given the encircling of the world during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by evangelic protestant missionaries, any loose association of Christians would have been recorded in either missionary journals, or theological journals.

One _might_ be able to make a case that the surviving members of a such a group are akin to the "New Mexico Jews" whose ancestors were crypto-jews, you can do so. Just be aware that those "New Mexico Jews" appear to have lost virtually their entire Jewish heritage. This would imply that any autonomous, unorganised group of Christians would show no resemblance to any of the contemporary Christian groups. Furthermore, they probably would not be recognisable as Christians, using any definition of the term.

>Teaching and Preaching from the Bible.

Roughly 15 languages are grouped as "The Biblical Languages". This is because until the end of the fifth century those are the only languages into which the Bible is known to have been translated into.

Whilst an oral tradition is possible, it would survive only if the entire village, or larger area, were caretakers of the tradition. The oral tradition might survive as long as the village,was not conquered by another village, tribe, or group. [We still have the issue of "where is the evidence to support this hypothesis?".]

A written tradition can survive longer.

Orthodox Judaism demonstrates that sacred texts can be preserved in a language other than the vulgar. [The Ramban's _Guide to Hebrew_ demonstrates that Joe Sixpack will learn to read a sacred language.] Still, that preservation only takes place when there is a community that is organized to preserve it.

Outside of Catholic Christianity, Orthodox Christianity, and Coptic Christianity, and Thomas Christians, there is no evidence to support a claim that a written tradition has been preserved.

IOW, where is the evidence to support your hypothesis?

Answer 6

The church and christianity started in Isreal (not Rome).
They were called christians first in Antioch:
Acts 11:26

Answer 7

Pastor Billy says: where is your question? and thats great but.... you haven't named them.

SO name one.

addition: history lesson number #1 for Robert P, Catholicism has never claimed to start in Rome. Robert mentions Antioch but lacks the insight to also understand those Christians attend .... the Catholic Church. Read St. Ignatius bishop of Antioch circa 100ad.

observation #100 why does Kait continually speak on Catholicism as she is a known anti-catholic married to a Catholic who she condemmed to hell as he hasn't conformed to her rejection of God's mercy founded in her Baptist doctrine.

Answer 8

That's good. I think organized religion is an error. I prefer worshipping Christ myself in a non-denominational, unpoliced way.

Answer 9

No, I'm not aware of anyone but heretics, who were always trying to twist the Living Word to make them feel comfortable.

Answer 10

Are you talking about the Gnostics, or someone else?