First, I am not a Roman Catholic, I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Roman Catholic Faith, Church and members.
If the Roman Catholic or the Orthodox Catholic or the Coptic are not the “true church” authorized to represent Jesus Christ on the earth then there isn’t any other, or if there is another it could be anyone who makes the claim. There is one other church that makes a similar claim, the Latter Day Saints but believing their authority takes an even larger leap of faith.
Protestant churches claim to pick up the mantle of the Roman Catholic Church, in other words they say they are the remnant of the “true Roman Catholic Church”. They, the Protestants have taken the church which was killed by the Popes and resurrected it in truth through Martin Luther. Martin Luther and those that followed him kept what they thought good from the Roman Catholic Church and discarded what they thought bad and the Sacrament of The Lords Supper was one of the things Luther thought wrong with the Church. The change made by Luther was at first very subtle sounding and eventually became that the “presence” of Christ was in the bread and wine but that the bread and wine were not literally the flesh and blood of Christ. While this difference may not sound earth shattering it is. Like in Catholic theology only the priest has the power to properly administer the Eucharist except in rare circumstances. This is where we run into problems.
In the Lutheran Church it is obvious where the priesthood authority comes from, it is traced back to Luther who traces his linage of priesthood back to Peter. Evangelical churches and other Protestant churches say they don’t need this priesthood linage to have authority to Baptize or offer the Eucharist, they get authority from the Holy Bible and from the Holy Spirit.
Don’t misunderstand my argument here, I’m not saying that the Catholics are the only ones authorized, I’m not making that argument for anyone, but if they are not then how is anyone? Do the Catholics not have the Holy Bible? Do the Catholics not have access to the Holy Ghost? Certainly they have these things as much as any believing Protestant.
If therefore the Protestant/Evangelicals have any authority to administer the Sacraments of The Church then so too do the Catholics, it would be absurd to think otherwise.
That brings us to another problem. If the Catholics, either the Roman or the Eastern or even the Coptic’s for that matter have the authority passed down from Peter that was apparently required to offer Mass for 1500 years, where did it go, do they not still have it?
If the Catholic Churches lost the authority of Peter then they are just one of many church preaching their own brand of Christianity, no better but surely no worse than any of the others. If the Catholics lost authority to offer the Eucharist then who has it? Can no one offer it with authority? If you believe that the Catholics lost it then you must believe that the Mormons claim to have had it restored must have some value for if that authority is required to offer up the sacrament of the Lords Supper or Eucharist then if the Holy Catholic Church doesn’t have it because that authority died in that church then certainly no church derived from the dead church would have it either.
So, do not quickly invalidate the authority of the Holy Roman Catholic, the Eastern Orthodox or Coptic churches unless you are prepared to invalidated your own church, or validate the claims of the LDS.
Thanks for your thoughtful post. Your take on World and Church History, and the logic throughout your post is somewhat skewed. Approximately 180 degrees.
The Holy Spirit must be moving within you to make that statement of faith and understanding.
May the faith and peace of Christ always live within you.
Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam
So you figure one religion is as good as another? Have you ever read the letters to the churches found in Revelation?