Why do Catholics think that because there is only one Catholic church, this somehow legitimizes them?

Question

There is only one major Catholic church and Catholics lean on this as proof that they are god's light in the world. The only reason this is the case is because for most of the Catholic churches history, anyone who had a thought outside of what the church leaders promoted was branded as a heretic and jailed, turtured, and killed(very Christian behavior by the way). I mean under those threats and after that much turture and murder no wonder there is only one Catholic church. Whats sad is this was done no matter how much the bible supported their position,

And God says where there is truth there is sure to be error. WHen God has his prophets, Satan flooded the scene with false prophets. Even at the time of Jesus there were thousands of people claiming to be either the messiah or having a messiah message. This didnt make JEsus any less legit. Whatever church is following God's word completely - there you have the light to the world. No church following traditions of men can be of God

Answer 1

Christ said 'I am the way, the truth, and the life'...He never mentioned ANY particular denomination

Answer 2

FOUR MARKS OF THE TRUE CHURCH



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.

Answer 3

Your understanding is off only because of the lack of knowledge.
Now, people may point out that Christians have at times resorted to violence wrongly, including the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. But the comparison is not completely apt. First, Christ Himself never advocated forced conversion and slaughter of unbelievers. Second, in the case of the Crusades we should be careful not to buy all of the anti-Catholic propaganda being sold. Do you know why Christians fought the Crusades? Because Muslims first forcefully took over Christian lands and persecuted the Christians living there, and controlled Christian holy sites. It is true that some Crusaders did some despicable things in a spiteful, vengeful way. But the Church herself never condoned, let alone ordered, these excesses. And as for the Inquisition, if it was as bad as some anti-Catholics claim, it is odd that there are records of people requesting transfers of their cases to the Inquisition from the secular Spanish courts. No doubt, some horrid things occurred, but it is more accurately understood as the unfortunate result of the weaknesses and sin of individuals, not the official teaching of the Church.

Answer 4

Actually there are over 20 different Catholic Churches that make up the worldwide Catholic Church.

In addition to the Latin Rite (Roman) Catholic Church, the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches are in full communion with the Pope, and are part of the same worldwide Catholic Church.

Eastern Rite Catholic Churches include:

Alexandrian liturgical tradition
+ Coptic Catholic Church
+ Ethiopic Catholic Church

Antiochian (Antiochene or West-Syrian) liturgical tradition
+ Maronite Church
+ Syrian Catholic Church
+ Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

Armenian liturgical tradition:
+ Armenian Catholic Church

Chaldean or East Syrian liturgical tradition:
+ Chaldean Catholic Church
+ Syro-Malabar Church

Byzantine (Constantinopolitan) liturgical tradition:
+ Albanian Byzantine Catholic Church
+ Belarusian Greek Catholic Church
+ Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church
+ Byzantine Church of the Eparchy of Križevci
+ Greek Byzantine Catholic Church
+ Hungarian Greek Catholic Church
+ Italo-Albanian Catholic Church
+ Macedonian Greek Catholic Church
+ Melkite Greek Catholic Church
+ Romanian Church
+ Russian Byzantine Catholic Church
+ Ruthenian Catholic Church
+ Slovak Greek Catholic Church
+ Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13121a.htm

With love in Christ.

Answer 5

Let's see maybe because of what Jesus said...

Mat 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Nothing can prevail against Christ's Church.

Let's see, were there Protestants around before the reformation? No! Only after the reformation were there any other Christian faiths (that did not agree with what Christ's Church taught). So what Universal (Catholic) Church do you follow. For me it is the Universal (Catholic) Church that has existed ever since the death and resurrection of Christ.

Also, it was not the Church that tortured, jailed, or killed those that did not believe as others believed, but Men, just like you and me. During those times, Protestant men tortured, jailed and killed just as much as Catholic men because of their differing beliefs. So is your church just as guilty as our church of atrocities? No, because it was the acts of men not Religion.

Just my thoughts...

Answer 6

What makes the Catholic Church legitimate is that it is Jesus and His disciples that founded it with Jesus as the cornerstone and the disciples as the 12 foundation stones. He said to His Church what you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven giving the Church all authority as the "bulwark and ground of the truth".

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 7

"Catholic" means "Universal"

RC Church is the salvation because of the Seven Sacraments. This doesn't mean we disregard our sister Christian Churches or bad mouth them. In fact, we're asked to invite them to learn and exchange conversations rather than shut doors. Your dissertation sounds as if you would like to close doors condemning all who are RC.

In fact, the similarities between the RC Church and Eastern Orthodox are so close that we sometimes fail to recognize the difference (Pope's authority). This doesn't mean that we (RC's) can take a Eucharist at a Eastern Orthodox Mass (or any other Chirstian Mass) because only a RC Priest (appointed as successor from Peter from the Pope) can "Transfigure". Additionally, only a RC Priest can "Forgive" sins: "For who ever you forgive the sins they shall be forgiven ... who ever you retain the sins they are kept" (John).

Answer 8

No, of direction no longer. Your synopsis of background is incorrect. The imperative intervention of the Church has been to restrain the passions of those below its authority. case in point, the Spanish Inquisition ended in somewhat few executions by way of fact the Church required trials, solid info, and of undertaking to refute costs (see link). The Catholic Church replaced into authorized by skill of Jesus to preserve his coaching from distortion and private, tendentious interpretations--the type usually promulgated by skill of self-appointed church homes. Jesus himself chosen its unique leaders and gave the Church the authority to "bind and loose." Does your church have such authority? Cheers, Bruce

Answer 9

It is not because there is only one Catholic Church that Catholics believe we are "legitimate," but because Catholic Bishops, and specifically the Bishop of Rome (the Pope), can trace their origins to the Apostles and thus Christ Himself.

The traditions you speak of are not the traditions of men, but are Sacred Traditions passed on orally by the Apostles, by the authority given to them by Christ Himself. Paul himself advises us to cling to the traditions passed on by him or the other apostles either by word of mouth or letter.

Yes, there were individual Catholics, including bishops and popes who committed grave sin. But the Church Herself, as the Bride of Christ, is undefiled. Paul wrote about this as well.

Peace be with you.

Answer 10

Which traditions of men? Catholic doctrine is Bible based.
Ask about any practice, it is in the Bible.

Answer 11

Same reason the majority of United States citizens know next to nothing about any other country EXCEPT the United States.

Narcissism at its finest.