Where does Catholicism come from?

Question

If the Romans didn't like Jesus, why is there a form of Christianity called Roman Catholic?

Answer 1

Constantine, a general, converted to Christianity around the year 300 CE (was it 312?) just before a battle outside of Rome. He became emperor, and began a process to legitimize Christianity in the empire. Somewhat later, around 380 CE, Christianity was made the official state religion (and paganism was outlawed and then the pagans were persectured-- what goes around comes around). So that's how the Roman empire became Christianized in a nutshell. There's lots more, but you can read the histories for yourself. It's a good education.

Answer 2

Catholoicism is derived from the word "Catholic" which means "universal".

February 27, 380 AD: Emperor Theodosius issued an edict, De Fide Catolica, in Thessalonica, published in Constantinople, declaring Catholic Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire.

That's exactly where it came from as the Catholic Church was based in Rome. Thus the term "Roman Catholic"

Answer 3

Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire under Constantine. You've probably heard the term "Holy Roman Empire," which refers to the empire after Christianity was adopted. Also, the Pope is always the Bishop of Rome, as have been all the popes back to St. Peter. Rome is where our "headquarters" are, if you like, and it is where the worldwide leader of the RCC resides. Thus, for reasons historical, geographical, and organizational, we are the *Roman* Catholic Church.

Answer 4

The catholic (catholic means universal, and is one of the four marks of the true faith: One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic) faith was founded by Jesus Christ thru His Apostles (and thru them their disciples) and after many years of persecution, (the first 30 Popes were martyred) the Roman Emperor was converted, And the Holy Roman Empire began. Thus the name, The Roman Catholic church. Until Martin Luther and Henry VIII, if you were a "Christian" you were Catholic.

Answer 5

The Roman church was one of the important early churches. Rome being the capital of the Roman Empire for centuries after Christ's earthly sojourn.

They later managed to get themselves into a position where they were at the apex of organisational control of all western European churches. From a protestant view they took too many powers unto themselves.

In the Reformation in the 16C many believers (protestants) split off from this over-hierarchical and controlling church organisation, mainly because some of the doctrines they were teaching (at that time) were seriously straying from the New Testament message. The 16C Popes sought to posture as the 'one and only church', as they didn't want to repent of wrong doctrine and behaviour. Later Popes have improved a lot but still see the Reformation as an aberration, not a necessary reaction to corruption in high places.

The modern catholic church has probably dealt with the most serious charges of abuse levelled at it at that time. It is probably too late to unite with the protestant churches at a structural level.

Answer 6

Paul designed a religion based on the jewish coptic cult (the very first form of christianity). Paul took his religion to Rome, and started spreading it amoungst the jews and greeks.
Linus (cousin to the emperor) saw the advantages of the this new Paulian religion, in the control of the masses. In 67AD he oversaw the execution of peter and the confiscation of his documents. He also confiscated all the writings Paul had. Paul returned to Greece where he committed suicide.

Linus now declared himself Papa (pope) of the new religion and started the incorporation of the then current religions of Rome . The worship of Isis, from which the catholics get their eucarist, and their madona figure with the babe in arms. And the worship of Venus from which comes the celibasy of the priests and the orders of nuns.

Rome spent a lot of effort to destroy all the early documents of the origianal Coptic Cult, and most of the early, so called martyrs, were in fact from the coptic church, and not the church of Rome at all as they claim..




Catholics seem to dislike the truth.
Judging from the thumbs down given out.

Answer 7

Ok...

In like 300 something AD, the Roman Emporer Constantine got a feeling(of some sorts) to put the Christian symbol on the shields to see if their God would protect the Roman soldiers...well the soldiers lived, so Constantine converted then made Christianty the official religion of Rome...

So the Roman Catholic Church dirived from the Early Church( which they are TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS), and the Early Church wee Jews who believed in Jesus...

Think of it like this "what is the only difference between Jews and Christians?" Answer: "Christians are just Jews that accepted Jesus as the Messiah and the Jews of today didn't"

Answer 8

I always thought that their Catholic Religion based most of their beliefs off of Paul's teachings. Paul was a Roman henceforth Roman Catholic.

Answer 9

My answer, rather an elaboration on Catholic Crusader's clear one, follows later.


When the Catholic Church is criticised, those who speak against forget to notice one important thing: When Jesus charged Peter with the creation of His Church, He knew that Peter was a true representative of Humanity, he was weak and indecisive, given to bouts of violence. He was the most human of the Disciples. Nevertheless, he was entrusted by Jesus to be the founding stone of His Church. Because Jesus gave us a Human Church that we may learn from her and that by learning we would step by step, reach the level of sanctity that He expects from us. The Catholic Church has made innumerable mistakes and will, doubtless, continue to do more. Because she is a Human institution, albeit her divine origin. Pope John Paul II took important steps to rectify the way of the Church, one hopes that his successor will have the intelligence to continue. The Church is imperfect still but some of her followers, like me, cannot dream of moving to other because that would be a refusal of the Gift that Jesus gave us. We may speak against the policies of some of her officials, but we cannot leave her. As I said previously, this is intended as an elaboration on an already given answer.

Terry M. If you see this: Can you give the source of the information about the death of Paul by suicide??. Catholic History states that he was executed during the reign of Nero, in Rome. If you have some other, serious source, about Paul's death, please share it.

Answer 10

Catholicism comes from Christ.

Fortunately, a lot of people in Rome learned to love Jesus and that's why there is Christianity in Rome.