Is the Roman Catholic Church the original church?

Question

I think not.
I've been doing a little research here and there and learned a few things. Catholic means universal, which most of you already know. So how long after Christ died did this group of people turn away from the TRUE church of the New Testament?
I found several timelines and as far as I can tell, as early as 130 years after Christ's death, a man named Justin Martyr was writing about the Eucharist, which is completely unbiblical. Again in 150 AD, he wrote the Divine Liturgy which, again, claimed the Eucharist as fact.
In 431 AD, the Third Edumenical Council gives Mary the title Theotokis "God-Bearer" and Panagia "ALL - HOLY" and declared her an EVER-VIRGIN - before, during, and eternally after the birth of Christ.
The original church, called catholic (universal) by many was indeed the original church. However, after the Reformation, the word catholic was primarily used by the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH and that's why we don't use the word catholic because we don't want to be

associated with them.

My question.......does anyone know an earlier time that people turned away from the true teaching of the Bible? 130 years was the earliest I could find, but maybe someone knows? Would appreciate a link.

Thanks!

sorry this was so long - but had to get info in to get to my q

Okay.....rephrase original Q. Is the RCC the original CHRISTIAN church.

Answer 1

They make this claim,but comparing their teaching to the bible,I find it a man made
church with no scriptural support.

Answer 2

The first split of the church was 1056AD when the church split into the eastern and western traditions. Theats when the term Catholic and Orthodox came into use. Catholic is universal meaning it is intended foreveryone not just people of jewish decent (this is the original meaning of the term) The Catholic church has been passed down from pope to pope with Peter being chosen as the first pope. So yes the Catholic church is the true church because Jesus chose its leader and with the guidence of the Holy Spirit the church has survived.

Answer 3

People constantly post questions like this assuming that the original Church was simply a group of believers that later became dominated by the Catholic Church, and simply remained underground for 1,500 years until the Reformation, which finally restored Christianity to the true teachings of Christ. I ask, which teachings are those, because from what I see Protestants don’t even know that themselves. They constantly thump the bible as “proof” of their beliefs, yet they can’t even agree on beliefs, hence the thousands of different denominations. Where is the unity in Protestantism, yet Christ taught the 12 apostles one teaching and one faith? Why is there a free-for-all of private interpretation among non-Catholics when the apostles only interpreted Jesus’ Word one way? Which protestant church has it right?

Answer 4

Everyone had their theories before Constantine institutionalized the Church. The things you mentioned weren't the ONLY theories. They had some wacky theories. By the time of Constantine ever thing was so confusing because everybody was reading the bible so many different and radical ways that Christianity would die out in just a few years. So Constantine got all the major Christians to meet and they examined the Bible to see exactly what it said. That's where we get the Nicene Creed and the Apostle's Creed. They didn't turn away from the Bible. They USED the Bible to see what was true and what wasn't true.

I'd also like to add that you did some research but how much of the research was done in the Bible?

Answer 5

Yes,The RCC is the Original Christian Church.
I'm completely confused,how is the Eucharist unbiblical? No,The Church Jesus Founded, (Roman Catholic Church) was consisted to be called The Catholic Church until 107 A.D. You're Question is confusing.

Answer 6

I'm sorry, but why do you think Eucharist is a false teaching according to the Bible? Please expound.

The word Trinity appears nowhere in the Bible. It is a word used to describe a particular teaching. Eucharist is a word used to describe the teaching of Christ. Jesus said "Take this and eat it. This is my body". Was he lying? Did the words "Just kidding" get lost somewhere?

I asked a question the other day directed toward your ilk, but nobody was able to answer it. In all your research, and with all your wisdom, you and your kind ignored it. Care to have a go and put your money where your mouth is?
ttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArdWVBT.wlSYQRK8GZh4qILty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071101185720AAJob4M

I have to pick an answer soon, so why not hurry along and give it a shot? Someone offered to eat a computer mouse if anyone could give a good answer that didn't support the Catholic position. Here's your chance.

Answer 7

Synopsis

1. Churches according to the New Testament model are started by the Apostles and their team members. These churches as a whole strictly followed the traditions of the Apostles in doctrine and practice. This happened in the 1st Century.

2. In the 3rd Century those who lapsed in their faith and worshiped the Emperor to escape persecution, then wanted back into their local churches respectively, once persecution had ended. Those churches who accepted them became the Lapsi Churches. Emperor Constantine organized them under his leadership in 325 A.D. to create the Catholic Church. At this point there are two groups of churches. The 1st Century Cathari, and the 3rd Century Lapsi.

3. From 1179 A.D. and onward the Lapsi/Catholic Reformers left the Catholic Church and joined with the ancient Cathari/Good Men churches. Many churches joined forces with Peter Waldo, yet at the same time many ancient Cathari/Good Men rejected such a move. The most famous Catholic Reformer in time became Martin Luther.



At the point where he makes his mark in Church History there are three pre-existing groups of churches:

= the 1st century Cathari/Pure

= the 3rd century Lapsi/Catholic (of which Martin Luther was a part in 1517)

= the 12th century mixture of the two Reformers/Protestants (Which joined Him for protection from persecution in 1525). Martin Luther joined the 3rd group to himself, gave them political power, and made them famous.



In 1517 - he was already frustrated with the Catholic Church. It was in this year that he mailed a letter of the 95 thesis to the man in charge of collecting Papal Indulgences. He became a seeker, and was influenced and had personal contact with the Cathari churches in his area.



In 1525, he made a pact with Peter Waldo's 350 year old half Lapsi/half Cathari churches. In promise for protection from persecution, they completely refomed and joined him accepting his watered down version of Catholicism in place of Peter Waldo's which offered no protection. This is the primary source of his immediate and large grass-roots power base in Germany.



Almost immediately he began persecution the ancient Cathari who refused to submit to him. John Calvin in Switzerland would follow his example. So what relation did our spiritual ancestors have with the reformers? They kept their distance from them. They refused to compromise with them. They were persecuted for their stand for doctrinal purity and practice by the Reformers. So it is an absurd claim that we came from them or were part of them.

Answer 8

Yes.

The original Church of Christ started at Pentecost about the year 33 C.E. According to Acts 11:26 "it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians."

This same Church has referred to itself as the “Catholic Church” at least since 107 C.E. (about 10 years after the last book of the New Testament was written), when the Greek term "Katholikos" (meaning universal) appears in the Letter of St. Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans:

"Wherever the bishop appear, there let the multitude be; even as wherever Christ Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church."

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/ignatius-smyrnaeans-hoole.html

We do not know how long they had been using the term "Catholic" before it was included in this letter.

All of this was long before the Council of Nicea and the Nicene Creed from 325 C.E. which states, "We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church."

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07644a.htm

You seem to be under the impression that the New Testament as it stands today existed in the first and second centuries. This is not true.

The writings did exist. But they existed along with dozens of other writings about Christ and His Church. Which of these writings would become the New Testament was not full decided until about 400 C.E.

How can you say that Justin Martyr deviated from the New Testament when the New Testament did not exist?

The Catholic Church does not use Holy Scripture as the only basis of doctrine. It could not. The early Catholic church existed before and during the time that the New Testament was written and assembled.

Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit was guiding the early church (and is guiding the church today) to make the correct choices about things like:
+ The Holy Trinity (which is also only hinted at in the Bible)
+ Going to church on Sunday instead of Saturday (which is actually directly against one of the Ten Commandments)
+ The Communion of Saints
+ Which writings include in the New Testament?

Things that are even more modern like
+ Slavery is bad. Slavery is never declared evil in the Bible. This was one of the justifications for slavery in the Confederate States.
+ Democracy is good. The Bible states that either God should be the leader of the nation like Israel before the kings or kings should be the leader, "Give to Caesar that which is Caesar's." This was talked about a lot during the American Revolution.

This second source of doctrine is called Apostolic Tradition.

I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. (John 16:12-13)

Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours. (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

We instruct you, brothers, in the name of (our) Lord Jesus Christ,to shun any brother who conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us. (2 Thessalonians 3:6)

I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you. (1 Corinthians 11:2)

Do Christians who do not allow the continuing guiding force of the Holy Spirit to make their beliefs more and more perfect, still endorse slavery as Colossians 3:22 commands, "Slaves, obey your human masters in everything"?

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 80 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect1chpt2.htm#80

With love in Christ.

Answer 9

It's also called the Roman Catholic Church because it was founded by a Roman emperor. If you read the letters of the apostles, I'll think you'll find that early Christians had trouble keeping the faith before the Bible was even completed. The priests in Jesus' time had turned away from the truth and were misleading the people. That's one of the reasons Jesus came to Earth. All through the Old Testament, the people kept messing things up. At one point they all were taken captive to Babylon. There have always been some people, though, who manage to preserve their integrity.

Answer 10

suzi peter and the deciples were preaching 40 days after jesus accended. on the day of pentecost the day theholy ghost came to live in our hearts peter preachedto over 3000 people. the apostle paul established churches in peoples houses.not long after christs death god bless pastor carney

Answer 11

no.

The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

"And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." - Acts 11:26.