[af_vet_1981]

IF you know your catholic history, then you know that there were for more than two hundreds years following the death of the last Apostle five centers of the eklesia body. The ekklesia is the spiritual body of believers, those who faithe in Christ as Redeemer and Lord. These were in Jerusalem, Alexandria, Rome, Constantinople, and Antioch. Eahcx of these centers was headed by a local Bishop of the congregants, not by a pope. The holy appellation is attached to signify that the believers have confirmed their portion of the spiritual body of Christ, the Bride of Christ. This is not a man-made institution and will never be an institution. Catholicism is an institution. It have been fabricated over centuries through various heresies and adoptions of pagan practices in order to give it 'kool' with the masses.

If you know there were five centers in Jerusalem, Alexandria, Rome, Constantinople, and Antioch, why are you not, at least, Orthodox ?

If one knows the scriptures, one knows that in the First Century the Messiah gave blessed Peter the authority of the keys to the kingdom of heaven and the power to bind and loose. There was apostolic succession by the laying on of hands and they appointed bishops in more than just the five cities aforementioned.

1. The Apostle Peter led those who were eligible for Apostolic office (he set the criteria) to choose a successor apostle.
2. Blessed Paul and Barnabas ordained elders in the churches among the Gentiles.
3. Paul ordained Titus and then had Titus ordain other Bishops.
4. This is scriptural evidence of apostolic succession.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
Matthew, Catholic chapter sixteen, Protestant verse nineteen,
Acts, Catholic chapter one, Protestant verses twenty one to twenty six,
Acts, Catholic chapter fourteen, Protestant verse twenty three,
Titus, Catholic chapter one, Protestant verse five,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James

Your effort to conflate the devised institution of catholicism with the spiritual body of Christ is rejected, by many of US on these threads. And that is the WE to which I refer. Some catholics are members of the Body of Christ, but the catholic institution is not that body.

Can you provide a historical, visible, universal, alternative for the one holy catholic apostolic church that is physically present in every generation from the First Century to this day ?

BTW, I do not capitalize 'catholic' because capitalizing is a form of respect and I have none for your religion of popery foolery.

Admitting what one does, however inadvertent, is a first step toward confession of sin and reconciliation.

[MHGinTN]

Are you not familiar with the beginning of the Church and the church? How many offices of the church were there among The Church in the Upper Room, at Pentecost, in the House of Cornelius? What was the reason for the appointing of Stephen? Who presided over the first church Council at Jerusalem? Who issued the first pronouncement of that council meeting ... which member of The Church issued that first proclamation from the church at Jerusalem? When did the Apostles begin appointing deacons and other servant members of The Church to function in service to the church? And finally, when did the Bishoprics for The Church members which arose from this organizational development of the church become combined under ‘The Primate of all Bishops’?