why is the catholic church the only ture christian church?

Answer 1

Because it is the Church Jesus Christ himself started, and was so for about 1,000 years. If you really think about it, and look into the history of it all, it's silly to be any other type of Christian. That being said. All Christian churches have some truth. The Catholic church is the only one with the fullness of truth.

Answer 2

It is in the name; "Catholic" means "Universal." Technically, any Christian who God acknowledges would be in the "Catholic" Church.

Of course, Catholic has now become a name rather than a description. The modern Catholic Church claims that it is the only true Christian Church because of how it was founded and how they believe that priesthood is passed down. Christ told Peter that he (Christ) would use him (Peter) as the rock - the foundation stone - of his church. The Catholic Church took this to mean that Peter had the supreme authority over the church after Christ left; he was the one to determine what is proper practice/faith and what is false. He supposedly then passed this authority to a successor when he died. This station became the Pope (other Christians do dispute this interpretation of Christ's statement, as well as the claim that Peter passed his role onto a bishop in Rome). Therefore, the Pope is supposed to be the one who determines what is and is not Christian. In the reformation, Christians broke away from the Catholic Church. Logically, if the Pope is the one who determines what is and is not Christian, then people who purposely reject him are also rejecting Christianity. This belief is also the foundation of the idea of papal infallibility (which has been in and out of favor with the Catholic church at different times).

Catholics believe that in order for one to be an ordained priest (and thus eligible to perform the sacred rites necessary for Christian living) one has to receive that ordination from another priest. Therefore, supposedly, all Catholic priests could trace their priestly lineage back to St. Peter himself (who is considered the first Pope). Other Christian sects cannot (and generally do not care) to claim this.

That is why Catholics (and the current Pope in particular) believe that only the Catholic Church is the Christian Church.

But you know what they say... when there's something corrupt in the priesthood... who ya gonna call? Martin Luther! *queue Ghostbusters theme music*

Answer 3

It is the only Church that bears the Four Marks of the True Church:

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 4

The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ in approximately 33 AD. Christ commissioned the Apostles to "teach all nations." All other Christian denominations are founded by a human or group of humans.

Christ promised the Apostles that he would not leave them orphans, but would send the Spirit to guide his Church. The Catholic Church, guided by the Spirit, has remained faithful to the teachings of Christ, as promulgated by the Apostles. The Bishops of the Catholic Church are the successors of the Apostles by ordination and consecration in an unbroken line.

The teachings of the Catholic Church are often misunderstood. Those who approach the Catholic Church with an open mind and heart are often convinced of the Truth of her teaching.

Answer 5

Let me answer this as an atheist.

If Christianity is valid, and for our purposes, let us suppose it is, then only those beliefs held from the beginning are valid. Only beliefs transmitted by the early believers and believed by all believers across time should be valid. So, a belief in the bible alone is false since it is clearly not held before the sixteenth century by anyone and would be strongly disputed by the people who worked on the canon itself.

So, dropping the core Protestant beliefs as unhistorical results in the deletion of Protestantism as a possible valid church. And in fact, any real look at the historical record would drop Protestantism. Luther correctly diagnosed the problem, but his solution was outside the historical and apostolic Christianity received in his day. I do personally, have tremendous sympathy with Luther, but he was wrong in his solution. He got caught up as did others in the problems of the day.

That leaves the Orthodox, Oriental, Catholic, and Coptic Churches.

They are almost doctrinally identical. Since none of them are in total schism any longer, it is probably improper to treat them as a separate body. This is important since in many respects their patriarchs do not treat them as truly separate anymore ( the Patriarch of Moscow being the special exception and he is just jockying for power). They are also not truly one anymore either.

There is some disinginuity on both the Catholic proclamations regarding the orthodox and the Orthodox regarding the Catholics. Most of it is posturing, but otherwise self-evident observations.

So, it would be more proper to say that the only true Christian Churches are those of apostolic origin, living in communion with a valid bishop serving in his role as apostolic successor (see Acts 2 on the ordination of Mathias the first bishop), who proclaim the same message today as was proclaimed by the orthodox church in the beginning, and who actively seeks to love their neighbor understanding the limitations of human frailty. That leaves Catholicism, Orthodoxy, the Copts and the Orientals. The one big original sprawling original church.

Of course, as an atheist I think all of this disputation is malarky, but if Christianity were true then only the first churches have any claim on validity.

Answer 6

Lolololol, funny how many conflicting answers you get isn't it? However, if you're looking for the "Catholic" answer, the Baltimore Catechism states (in question and answer form):
Which is the true church established by Christ?
The one true Church established by Christ is the Catholic Church.
How do we know that the Catholic Church is the one true Church established by Christ?
We know that the Catholic Church is the one true Church established by Christ because it alone has the marks of the true Church.
What do we mean by the marks of the Church?
By the marks of the Church we mean certain clear signs by which all men can recognize it as the true Church founded by Jesus Christ.
What are the chief marks of the Catholic Church?
The chief marks of the Church are four: It is one, holy, catholic (meaning universal), and apostolic.

Obviously these things only serve as proof to those who are already believers, but for those who aren't, dig through your history books, Jews came first, their faith claimed that a Messiah would come and he did, thus Catholicism began, and everything else was just a split off. But honestly, posting this is pointless, 1: because nobody who doesn't already agree with me is going to be persuaded to believe me because of a post on Yahoo answers, and 2: because I don't really think that I need to shove my beliefs on others, after all, the golden rule is do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I don't want your beliefs, you don't have to take mine.

Answer 7

Here is the full text of the new document that states nothing new: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070629_responsa-quaestiones_en.html

Most Christian denominations believe that each of them is the fullest version of the Church of Christ.

While the Catholic Church also believes that she is "the highest exemplar" of the mystery that is the Church of Christ, she does not claim that non-Catholic Churches are not truly Christian. The Catholic Church teaches:

Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements.

Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church.

All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 819: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p3.htm#819

With love in Christ.

Answer 8

It all depends on what your definition of "church" is. In the Gospels, Jesus established a church based on the profession of faith by the Apostle Peter. Jesus established only one church.

Catholics recognize Peter as the first Pope of the Catholic Church. The first known use of the term "Catholic Church" was in a letter by Ignatius of Antioch in 107, who wrote: "Where the bishop appears, there let the people be, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."[

There have been splits and schism from the Catholic Church. The catholic Church refers to these groups as "ecclasiastical communities", not churches based on a very narrow definition of "church"

Answer 9

the Church is catholic because Christ is present in her. "Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the Catholic Church." In her subsists the fullness of Christ's body united with its head; this implies that she receives from him "the fullness of the means of salvation"which he has willed: correct and complete confession of faith, full sacramental life, and ordained ministry in apostolic succession. The Church was, in this fundamental sense, catholic on the day of Pentecost and will always be so until the day of the Parousia.
This is the sole Church of Christ, which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic. These four characteristics, inseparably linked with each other, indicate essential features of the Church and her mission. The Church does not possess them of herself; it is Christ who, through the Holy Spirit, makes his Church one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, and it is he who calls her to realize each of these qualities.

Only faith can recognize that the Church possesses these properties from her divine source. But their historical manifestations are signs that also speak clearly to human reason. As the First Vatican Council noted, the "Church herself, with her marvelous propagation, eminent holiness, and inexhaustible fruitfulness in everything good, her catholic unity and invincible stability, is a great and perpetual motive of credibility and an irrefutable witness of her divine mission

Answer 10

i think that you need to research what's the real meaning of Christianity.
true christianity is not derived from a church, its the individual; christianity is a daily walk.
do not be fooled into believing in true churches gimmicks, its not the church u have to believe in, believe in God. Go to church as an individual seeking God, not seeking good people( the church/congregation).

oh and Catholic Priests aren't allowed to get married so they turn themselves into pedifiles & molest little boys , those that are guilty how exactly do u explain that being true christians of a true christian church.

and thats just my point; sinners are everywhere it does not depict the church, just the individuals. So the right thing to say is not a true christian church, but instead true christians in the churches.
Get it Right!!!!!!!