Do the two phrases/terms go hand-in-hand? Or can they be seperated? What is your perspective on these two words and the history they portray?
070207 9:03p
2007-07-02 15:03:22 · 18 answers · asked by YRofTexas 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
No.
The word Church meant, at the time of Christ, "Assembly of Men" or "Assembly of People".
The assertion that Peter was the first Pope has been discredited many times by historians and by the Bible which describes how Paul evangelized the Church.
I believe that Christ's comment about building the Assemble of People on Peter the Rock had more to do with Peter's fearless nature. When a large group of armed men came to arrest Christ Peter drew his sword and attacked them. The while Christ was being held Peter was so bold as to infiltrate the very courtyard of the High Priest. Hardly the actions of a coward as Peter is often portrayed in Dogma. It is my belief that Peter rejected Christ with his mouth, not with his heart, because he wanted to stay in the courtyard to rescue Christ.
It was Peter's fearless evangelizing of Christ in Israel that created the circumstances that led to Paul building the Church. No Fearless Peter, No Saul (The Persecutor), No Apostle Paul, No Church.
In my opinion the belief that an organization so filled with a history of sinful leaders could be led by an infallible person is heretical.
2007-07-02 15:25:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, they cannot be separated due to the fact that the word church was -probably- introduced by the leaders of the religion to recognize such an establishment.
-You might want to check an etymology website and search the word "church" to better understand how the word came into existence to what it is today.
As for the history it portrays...
I think the church (as does everything in existence) has its pros and cons.
Heres one example of the scale:
Pro: Teaches people SOME good, moral things. But as we all know, morals have been passed down through family rules, way before the church was ever established or when the Bible was written.
Con: Thousands, if not MILLIONS, have died in the name of the Christian god, and MANY have died in the fight to withstand their cultural beliefs and fight off the Christian invasion, which has ultimately failed.
I am very happy that many Pagan beliefs have been protected and withheld after all these blood ridden years....
2007-07-02 22:10:37 · answer #2 · answered by iColorz 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
i think it depends on what religion a person affiliates themselves with, if someone is Christian, for example, hearing about "the Church" will probably remind him of his own religion. Though I guess that since the Catholic church has been in a lot of scandals lately and been in the news, a person with no religion would be likely to associate "the Church" with "Catholic".
2007-07-02 22:13:40 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Protestants do not connect Catholics and "the Church". For them the church encompasses all believers in Christ. We consider Catholics as an organized religion that believes in Jesus and included in the church but not the exclusive church organization.
2007-07-02 22:09:05 · answer #4 · answered by kaehya2003 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For a Protestant the word Catholic is the last thing that comes to mind when the word Church is mentioned.
2007-07-02 22:07:15 · answer #5 · answered by Fish <>< 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Church belongs to God, and the Catholic is man made religion like every other denomination their is only one true Church and it belongs to God and Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
2007-07-02 22:12:22 · answer #6 · answered by Fisherofmen 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are not the same to me. Catholic is a sub-set of the Church.
2007-07-02 22:06:14 · answer #7 · answered by Richard of Fort Bend 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When I hear church, I think of all Christian faiths, of which Catholic is one (this is for some that don't think so). Catholic is a branch of Christianity.
2007-07-02 22:08:00 · answer #8 · answered by RB 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no it reminds me of the early churches in rome the christians were killed for going to. but again there are many religions so church can mean something different to somebody else.
2007-07-02 22:07:19 · answer #9 · answered by Holly T 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no - by capitalizing the "C" in church it implies to me, the entire collective idea of all churches in the world - like all the Christians put together in one thought. Probably like how God thinks of them, instead of with all their petty ideas and fights to separate them.
2007-07-02 22:07:25 · answer #10 · answered by tranquilitti 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋