Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This is why I'm catholic. I feel that all other forms of christianity are erroneous and unoriginal. As some have teachings that are just downright false such as speaking in tongues, the use of oils, dancing (which is downright pagan), or worse yet snake handling ( God forgive those snake handling fools). I once went to a pentacostal church and was sickened by what I saw the pastor was screaming and yelling nonsense, the people where shaking and speaking in tongues as though they where possed by satan himself. The pastor called me up and asked "do you belive that jesus christ is lord and savior?" "yes!" I replied he then blew on me and I fell like brick. I can say one thing that was NOT jesus as my lord would never push me to the ground. You fools return to the root religion and stop being taken for idiots as god does not need a % of your income your pastor does so he can finish paying for his BMW. in a catholic church you will serve none but the true god and not satan in disguise.
Last edited by PersonaFan; 12-06-2009 at 11:20 PM..
I'm not sure I'd put it so bluntly, but this is an appeal to me as well. However I think the Eastern Orthodox and Coptic churches do have some similar claims on age. Particularly the Coptic and the Syriac Orthodox Church based in Antioch.
I have actually looked into those at times, but the Orthodox churches tend to strike me as too ethnic-specific. Also I favor Catholicism interest in scholastic life as opposed to Orthodoxy's focus being largely/mostly on mysticism. I do value mysticism, but I value that we produced people like Albert Magnus or others in the "Renaissance of the Twelfth Century" while they did not.
Still I do tend to think most Protestantism is in a way artificial, a creation of human interpretations of the *Bible. I do not see it with quite the same hostility you seem to, but I do admit my posts at times show some disdain I hold for it. From my perspective it did not flow naturally from the origins of Christianity, but instead came as more of a disruption. If they had simply wanted to remove things they deemed "corruptions" they could have become like the Eastern Orthodox or some forms of today's Anglo-Catholics. Instead they rejected much of Christian practice found even in the Ante-Nicene Fathers and exchanged the traditional Christian Old Testament for the Rabbinic one. By that I mean the oldest Christian Bibles we have, from the fourth century, contain the deutero-canonical books. Justin Martyr even mentions the value of the Septuagint in his debate with Trypho.
That said this does not mean I think today's Protestants are bad or that Protestantism produced nothing of value. Protestantism perhaps did inspire the Church to deal with certain corruptions and it also may have reached things about Northern European culture that Catholic leadership, at that time, was maybe not connecting to very well. And the Calvinist emphasis on education and thrift may have had some economic value. The Puritanical work-ethic ideals of them aren't really good, but some good things from it can be learned and applicable among us. Even the Pentecostals I think may remind us that Christianity is more than just an intellectual exercise, that it's an emotional thing too. I don't think that means embracing the kind of emotionalism I feel they practice, but maybe it means thinking more on the emotional needs of the parishioners. Particularly the need for joy and wonder, which I think can be found in Catholicism too.
*The Quakers are something of an exception as I believe they see themselves as founded by the inspiration of "The Inner Light", which I believe is their term for the Holy Spirit. The non-Protestant Mormons also claim a directly divine origin through the Angel Moroni.
Last edited by Thomas R.; 12-06-2009 at 11:21 PM..
This is why I'm catholic. I feel that all other forms of christianity are erroneous and unoriginal. As some have teachings that are just downright false such as speaking in tongues, the use of oils, dancing (which is downright pagan), or worse yet snake handling ( God forgive those snake handling fools). I once went to a pentacostal church and was sickened by what I saw the pastor was screaming and yelling nonsense, the people where shaking and speaking in tongues as though they where possed by satan himself. The pastor called me up and asked "do you belive that jesus christ is lord and savior?" "yes!" I replied he then blew on me and I fell like brick. I can say one thing that was NOT jesus as my lord would never push me to the ground. You fools return to the root religion and stop being taken for idiots as god does not need a % of your income your pastor does so he can finish paying for his BMW. in a catholic church you will serve none but the true god and not satan in disguise.
A lot of this stuff has crept into the Catholic Church unfortunately. It can be quite difficult to discern, especially for those who are badly catechized (a problem all too common since V2).
catholic (sic) as you type it means universal church (the whole of the Christian church). As you state in your post, there are many Christian churches, not just the Roman Church.
This is why I'm catholic. I feel that all other forms of christianity are erroneous and unoriginal. As some have teachings that are just downright false such as speaking in tongues, the use of oils, dancing (which is downright pagan), or worse yet snake handling ( God forgive those snake handling fools). I once went to a pentacostal church and was sickened by what I saw the pastor was screaming and yelling nonsense, the people where shaking and speaking in tongues as though they where possed by satan himself. The pastor called me up and asked "do you belive that jesus christ is lord and savior?" "yes!" I replied he then blew on me and I fell like brick. I can say one thing that was NOT jesus as my lord would never push me to the ground. You fools return to the root religion and stop being taken for idiots as god does not need a % of your income your pastor does so he can finish paying for his BMW. in a catholic church you will serve none but the true god and not satan in disguise.
I'm speaking as a former 'Christian'....The 120 in the upper room spoke in tongues. The bible says to annoint with oil. Dancing? Didn't David dance his own clothes off? I"d don't see where any of this is spoken of as evil or pagan in the bible. But I can see why you'd be put off by Pentecostal church. I was trapped in one for 14 years. Yuck.
catholic (sic) as you type it means universal church (the whole of the Christian church). As you state in your post, there are many Christian churches, not just the Roman Church.
I've explained this to you before, but he probably meant the Catholic Church headquartered in the Vatican or what Orthodoxy sometimes calls the Papal Catholic Church.
Calling it just "The Roman Church" is a term from anti-Catholic English tracts. The Catholic Church includes several rites, not just Latin or Roman. Some Catholics therefore do not like calling it even "The Roman Catholic Church" and some Catholics are of Eastern rites.
Not that I think you necessarily care and I think Roman Catholic is generally fine by me so long as the person is not in an Eastern-rite in communion with Rome. However I think "Roman Church" is pretty much an insult. I think you are likely being insulting on purpose, but in the slim chance you aren't I ask again that you quit it.
I've heard this theory, but there's no mainstream historical evidence for the Baptists existing before the sixteenth century. Some try to trace the Baptist through various groups that rejected infant baptism, but many to most of those are very different than the Baptists. The earliest group to be close might be the seventh century Paulicians, but judging from what I find and documents of the eighteenth century Paulicians they were different from Baptists.
Aren't the Orthodox and Coptic Churches the oldest Christian churches in the world ?
We Catholics can always argue Peter is the first Pope and that beats every other claim to the oldest Church
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
