'Born Again' people, are you learned about the history of the Catholic Church and how it began?

Question

or, do you have your own version of history just like you have your own version of the Bible like the KJV?

Answer 1

I've written to quite a few "born agains' and showed them the historical proof, but most refuse to acknowledge it. What happens is I've tried to show them non-biblical, historical documents, like the writtings of the Church Fathers, timelines showing the history of the Church, the bible, etc.; most won't look at that. "If it's not in the bible, it's not true."

Their behavior is almost cult-like. It makes me feel like if I tried showing them how an encyclopedia about the American Civil War was created, they'd answer "If it's not in the book, I won't look at it." Well, how did the book get here in the first place? Printing press? Book editor? Illustrator? Or did a ray of sunlight part the clouds and float it gently down to our pleading hands?

The worst one I think was a Church of Christ minister who claimed that HIS church was the one founded by Christ (naturally). I showed him examples of history proving the case for the Catholic Church, and he tried to reinterpret and INSERT his church into the texts as if they were talking about him. Disturbing.

Answer 2

There won't be any Catholic bashing on my part. I, a former Catholic was very much interested in trying to figure out the Catholic teachings against the Catholic edition of the bible. I did this over many years as a Catholic and the more I searched, the less I was convinced that the Catholic Church was inline with the bible. I used the bible as the final authority as to what is right. And that is, I used the Catholic edition to test the Catholic Church. Currently I have 3 differet edtions of the Catholic bible. To my surprise, the catholic edition was not much different then the other versions out there with the exceptions that the other versions omitted some of the books that are in the Catholic edition. About 12 are omitted. But by in large, not even the Catholic edition spells out the Peter was the first Pope. History says that it was Gregory I around 590ad till 604ad.
The reasons for different versions is because the language used was more suited locally then at a global level. Wycliff, Tyndales,KJV, Revised Standard Version all were suited for different regions all the while the meaning remained the same, the message was the same the deliverance was regional. A KJV is hard to read here in the USA. That is why we tend to use the New Internalional Version or the new and improved New King James. But they all agree and line up pretty much with the Catholic edition. The only exception to this standard policy of all these bibles agreeing is the unmention version issued by the Watchtower Society. That is a bad translation suited strickly to support Watchtower doctrines and teachings. I also have that version. Currently I own 7 different versions for study purposes.
Do yourself a favor. Research the catholic church using the Catholic bible edition. Be true to yourself. Be convinced by yourself. At this time I would say ignore all the chatter about what to follow. But do read.
Like I said, I was Catholic (38 years), now I am Protestant.

Answer 3

RIFF said:
The churches history is one of avarice, greed, bloodshed, murder, rape, and spiritual corruption at every level. She's not called "the Whore" in Revelations for nothing,


I reply:
In Rev 18:20-24
"Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her! . . . And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth"

This shows that the Whore persecuted no just Christians but apostles and prophets. Apostles existed only in the first century, since one of the requirements for being an apostle was seeing the risen Christ (1 Cor9:1). Prophets existed as a group only in the Old Testament and the first century (Acts 11:27-28,13:1,15:32,21:10)

Since the Whore persecuted apostles and prophets, the Whore must have existed in the first century. This demolishes the claim that the Catholic Church is the Whore because your version of the Catholic Church could not persecute the Apostles simply because it did not have the might and power to do so yet. At that time, all Christians were united and the persecutions were from the Roman Emporors.

God Bless
Robin

Answer 4

Roman Catholic faith is the earliest form of Christianity, copies of the Eucharistic prayer have been found from as early as 65 AD.

Fundamentalism came into existence in the mid 1800s as a response to early German Lutheran Higher Criticism in theology.

Roman Catholic faith believes in the Nicean Creed as it was created out of the Apostles Creed at the Council of Nice (Nicea) in the early 300s.

Fundamentalism believes in the "Bible" as the sole source of doctrine. They will assert that the autographs of the Bible preexisted the Roman Church -- that is a provable lie. The Bible came into existence in any recognizable form as a direct result of an action. by St. Jerome........ The Bible as a whole was not compiled until the late 4th century and then it was compiled by a Catholic saint (St. Jerome) at the request of a Catholic pope (St. Damasus I).

Worship-wise, the Roman Church continues to celebrate the same sacraments that were celebrated in the first century. Fundamentalism uses a type of worship, depending on the branch, developed sometime between 1650 and 1920.

Catholics believe that they are THE church... they trace thier "pope" back to St. Peter...

The other branches... which you refer to as Born Again/Fundamentals.... come from Martin Luther and his rebellion from the Cathloic church...

Answer 5

Congratulations on your open recommendations and activity interior the early history of Christianity. The effective Christian author and non-denominational pastor Lee Strobel, alongside with lots of his colleagues, shares your activity interior the writings of the Fathers of the Church. They settled virtually each and every question approximately scripture being asked right this moment interior the 1st few hundred years of the church. My guess is that Strobel and buddies have been interested in the Fathers for the real history of the early Christians, which has been grossly distorted by Dan Brown for his ordinary novels and flicks. i advance into in Rome over the Christmas trip journeys and visited the catacombs of St. Callista. It advance right into a effective adventure. there have been excursion classes for English speaking visitors, besides as Spanish, Germans, Dutch, and of course Italian audio equipment. We observed the grave of St. Cecilia who advance into martyred for her faith in Christ and obedience to his ethical rules. The catacombs have been the burial places for Christians exterior the partitions of Rome, no longer hiding places. Had Christians hid interior the catacombs, they'd have been fairly hunted down and thrown to the lions. Cheers, Bruce

Answer 6

I am a professor of early Church history and a Catholic convert. I graduated from two of the leading Protestant seminaries with MA and PhD degrees in reformed theology and religious studies. I was a Protestant for 50 years and a minister for 25 0f those years. I taught early Church history both as a Protestant and a Catholic. The study of history is one of the factors that brought me to the Catholic Church when I realized that it was the Church spoken of in the book of Acts and the faith spoken of in the Bible is the faith and practice of the Church created by Christ known today as the Catholic Church.

Not only does the Catholic Church offer the entire fullness of faith and practice but it is the Catholic Church that Jesus spoke of in His promises:

"The gates of hell will not prevail"
"I will be with my Church until the end of the age"
"The Church is the bulwark and ground of the truth"

To know the true history and be able to discern the difference between the true history and the false and fanciful history of those that hate Christ's Church brings one to the realization that when Jesus prayed in the garden that we all be one He meant that we be one in His Church created with himself as the cornerstone and the disciples the 12 foundation stones of the Church. Today the successors of those original twelve lead the enduring Church promised by Christ to welcome Him at the Parousia. that Church is the Catholic Church.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 7

Are you sure that *you* are learned about the history of the Catholic Church?

If you were, your faith would evaporate like a raindrop in Death Valley.

- Peter's papacy? Pure fiction.

- Popes Linus and Anacletus? Imaginary.

- The virgin birth? A late story, based on pagan myths and a *mistranslation* of Isaiah 7:14.

- The gospels? Telephone game at best; nothing is known of Jesus the man. The gospels may even be fictional haggiographies.

- Acts of the Apostles? Ditto.

- Consistent ethic of life? A product of the late 20th century. For the past 17 centuries, the Catholic Church has advanced torture, murder, and negligence of--even disdain for--the one life that we *know* we have. No, the crusades were not an aberation.

- The primacy of Rome? Based on forged documents, and the Vatican *knows* it. The Eastern Schism was not so much a split from Rome as an agreement to disagree. There has NEVER been a united Christianity.

Yes, the 'born agains' are comically deluded about the history of the Bible. But there's a hell of a lot about the Catholic Church that they didn't teach you in Catholic school or in CCD.

Answer 8

i've read about the history of the catholic church...from history books and from the vatican's point of view-the differences are interesting, to say the least...but the best thing i have is Christ, who predates the rcc by at least a century or more, and will still be there long after all denominations and sects are just footnotes in history...

if you're going to put down those who don't take orders from rome, you'll HAVE to do better than that

Answer 9

I think their version of Bible history goes something like this, but I could be wrong....

God decided one day to write a book for all of us to follow. If a certain word or phrase is not found within its pages, then it doesn't exist. Everything one believes must be found written in this book, preferably in large print black ink and between leather bound covers.

So anyway, around the year 1611, this book floated down from Heaven on a puffy white cloud and was given to King James. It was, of course, bound in leather and everything Jesus said had been carefully written in red ink. King James attached his name to the title of this book and he is credited with giving the Bible to the world...known as "The King James Bible."

Like I said, I could be wrong. However, the things most of the "born agains" say have led me to believe that this is their take on things.

;-)

Answer 10

The Catholic church, all though very large, is not the end all be all to Christianity. The Catholic church became more about money and rituals a long time ago. Real born again people live simple lives. Talk with God through Jesus, try to do good and help others. I've nevered believed in the excess as the Catholic church does.

It doesn't matter how things started. It is already written how it will end. In case you're wondering, the writers of the original Bible weren't Catholics. There wasn't a Catholic church yet. Christians are simply "followers of Christ".