“Rejoice, unshakeable Tower of the Church.” There was a tower in Babylon’s plane ... the goddess from thence is come to live again in the catholic religion.”
Really? I wonder how my ancestors missed that! Just as a matter of curiosity, why do you suppose God let the Christian world get it so wrong for so long? Why did He wait over 1500 years to “enlighten” a bunch of non Greek speaking Western Europeans as to the Truth and since then to limit the understanding of that Truth to so few people, virtually all of whom are English speaking Westerners?
Really?
You guys are the ones who believe in free will. Remember?
Not only that, His word has been out there the whole time with its ability to correct the error that religions and churches promulgate.
What do you want Him to have done. FORCE everyone into believing a certain way as the Catholic church loved to do?
Why did He wait over 1500 years to “enlighten” a bunch of non Greek speaking Western Europeans as to the Truth and since then to limit the understanding of that Truth to so few people, virtually all of whom are English speaking Westerners?
He didn't wait 1,500 years to do that. His Holy Spirit has always been on hand to enlighten people. Anyone who truly wanted to know God could and would find Him.
He always has a remnant.
The ekklesia JESUS established is based upon believing in Jesus as Savior. PERIOD. Your religion, catholiciism, as you put it 'the christian world' is not that Ekklesia. So in all generations, people can be born from above by The Holy Spirit after the fashion of Peter preaching on Pentecost or sharing the Gospel in the house of Cornelius, without 'your institutional hierarchy' even being involved. Salvation cometh by HEARING and hearing by The Word of God ... not some pagan rite of eating the food offered to idols, as catholic Mass conducts the rite.
And there are doubtless many such born from above members of Christ's body right there in those pagan-based halls of catholic empowerment. I've known one or two who did not adhere to the pagan rites of Mass or the Mariology demigoddess nonsense, yet they stayed in that other religion's system because of family or loved ones, all the while KNOWING they are alive in Christ by the Spirit of God in them. They are troubled souls, but they gave been born from above and are out of the reach of the god of catholiciism.
Oh we know --because we have witnessed it for several weeks, intensely-- your ilk will plead that Peter was the first Pope of the catholiciism institutional religion. Or the dogma that the first eucharist was on the night before Jesus went to the cross for our redemption (so the Remembrance was instituted BEFORE the sacrifice thus showing it is indeed a remembrance of what He did once for all forever at the Cross, a sacred memorial to show the Lord's death for us until He returns, for us!). These fantasy claims of this other religion, catholiciism, are not supported by scriptures unless one reads a huge amount into the very sparse verses dragged out of context to play word games.
This 'christian world' of the catholic church constitutes another gospel, one which requires the followers to eat the flesh, blood, soul and divinity of the god of this other gospel. And that heresy too is only supported in catholiciism by ripping one or two verse out of the context of all the Word, ignoring the extensive use of parables ands sacred metaphors by JESUS, and in open defiance of the Law which JESUS said would not pass away and which exposes the catholic Mass as a pagan blasphemy.
But to the utter consternation of the god of catholiciism, a father of liars and lies, there are actually human beings believing in Jesus without adhering to the blasphemous dogmas of catholiciism. You could say God's Spirit Saves some inspite of the catholiciism commands to blaspheme the Lord of Hosts by committing pagan rites to empower the institution of that catholiciism 'christian world'.
Concur
He didn't...
In Acts 20:17-38, the Apostle Paul has an opportunity to talk to the church leaders in the large city of Ephesus one last time face to face...In that passage, he tells them that false teachers will not only come among them but will come FROM them (vs. 29-30)..Paul does not set forth the teaching that they were to follow the 'first' organized church as a safeguard for the truth..Rather, he commits them to the safekeeping of 'God and to the word of His grace' (vs. 32)...Therefore, truth could be determined by depending upon God and 'the word of His grace'...
The first century churches were given the truth...In Jesus' written words...
2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Any writing or doctrine that deviates from those first century church teaching or scriptures is false...The disciples who wrote the books of the bible were confident they had given everything God wanted them and us to know for our salvation...Any deviation from those is corruption...
There wasn't a Catholic church or even a Catholic any where near the first century...One can look high and low in the New Testament and will find nothing that resembles the Catholic religion...
And as such we can see that corruption became prominent in the church and self appointed leaders colluded with the pagan emperor of Rome and it's massive army and claimed for itself the title of the one true church...Constantine even made the cross a symbol of his new Christian army...
So to answer your question, the 'church(es)' in small groups and numbers who did not abandon the teaching of the disciples and the words of God carried on with God's blessings...God's church is NOT a massive world wide religion...
You do not need faith to become a Catholic, but a professed faith, and that, faith in the Catholic religion...The real church is made up of people with a cleansed heart...And only God knows who they all are...
So just where in the Greek do you see any created being receiving the manner of adulation given to the Mary of Catholicism, or even one word of praise to Mary in the life of the Nt church (Acts-Rev.)?
We are told,
As the the Son of God supernaturally, spiritually makes believing souls into children of God, Mary is said to be the mother of Christians in "supernatural and spiritual generation."
as Christ was sinless, so Mary was;
as the Lord remained a virgin, so Mary;
as Christ was called the Son of God, indicating ontological oneness, so Mary is called the Mother of God (which naturally infers the same, and is not the language of Scripture, which even clarifies Israel birthed Christ "according to the flesh, God blessed for ever": Rm. 9:4,5);
as the emphasis is upon Christ as the Creator through whom God (the Father) made all things, including Mary, so it is emphasized that uniquely “to her, Jesus owes His Precious Blood,” shed for the salvation of mankind, (the logic behind which can lead back to Eve);
as Catholics (adding error to error) believe Christ gave His "real" flesh and blood to be eaten, so it is emphasized that Mary gave Him this, being fashioned out of Mary's pure blood and even being “kneaded with the admixture of her virginal milk,” so that she can say, "Come and eat my bread, drink the wine I have prepared" (Prov. 9:5);
as Scripture declares that Christ suffered for our sins, so Mary is said to have done so also;
as Christ saves us from the condemnation and death resulting from the fault of Adam, so it is taught that man was condemned through the fault of Eve, the root of death, but that we are saved through the merits of Mary; who was the source of life for everyone.
as the Lord was bodily ascended into Heaven, so Mary also was;
as Christ is given all power in heaven and in earth, so Mary is “surpassing in power all the angels and saints in Heaven.”
as Christ is the King of the saints and over all kings, (Rv. 15:3; 17:14; 19:16) so Mary is made Queen of Heaven and the greatest saint, and that “Next to God, she deserves the highest praise;”
as the Father made Christ Lord over all things, so Mary is enthroned (all other believers have to wait for their crowns) and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things;
as Christ is the express image of God, and highly exalted above all under the Father, having the primary position among all creation, so Mary is declared to be the greatest saint of all, and the first of all creatures, and as having a certain affinity with the Father, with a pre-eminent resemblance which she bears to the Father;
as Christ ever liveth to make intercession for the saints, so is Mary said to do so;
as all things come from the Father through the Son, so Mary is made to be the dispenser of all grace;
as Christ is given all power on Heaven and on earth, Mary is said to have (showing some restraint) “almost unlimited power;”
as no man comes to the Father but through the Son, so it is taught that no one can come to the Son except through Mary in Heaven;
and as the Lord called souls to come to Him to be given life and salvation, so (in misappropriation of the words of Scripture) it is said of Mary, “He that shall find me shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord;” “that through her are obtained every hope, every grace, and all salvation. For this is His will, that we obtain everything through Mary.”
And as Christ is given many titles of honor, so Mary also is, except that she is honored by Catholics with more titles than they give to the Lord Himself!
We must never adore her; that is for God alone. But otherwise we cannot honor her to excess, because it is not possible to overestimate the privileges God gave her in making her His own Mother. “What the church teaches,” by Monsignor J.D. Conway/ Imprimatur of Ralph L. Hayes,, New York; Harper and Brothers; 1962 (He also states, “It seems manifest that Christians simply adapted the art of pagan Rome to their religious needs:” p. 218)
Pope Pius XII asserts in an address on the Queenship of Mary, “after your assumption into heaven, he crowned you Queen of the Universe....In your name, resounding harmoniously in heaven, may they recognise that they are all brothers. Receive, O most sweet mother, our humble supplication above all obtained for us, that on that day, happy with you, we may repeat before your throne that hymn which is sung today around your altars. You are all beautiful, O Mary, you are the glory, you are the joy, you are the honour of our people.’ Catholic Culture, Prayer of Pope Pius XII, Composed for the Marian Year, 1954
“The power thus put into her (Mary’s) hands is all but unlimited. How unerringly right, then, are Christian souls when they turn to Mary for help...How rightly, too, has every nation and every liturgy without exception acclaimed her great renown, which has grown greater with the voice of each succeeding century. Among her many other titles we find her hailed as ‘our Lady, our Mediatrix,’ — (St. Tharasius, Orat. in Praesentatione) ‘the Dispenser of all heavenly gifts.’ (On Off. Graec., 8 Dec.).” Pope Leo XIII, in Adiutricem (On the Rosary), Encyclical promulgated on September 5, 1895, #8. http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo13/l13adiut.htm
When therefore we read in the writings of Saint Bernard, Saint Bernardine, Saint Bonaventure, and others that all in heaven and on earth, even God himself, is subject to the Blessed Virgin, they mean that the authority which God was pleased to give her is so great that she seems to have the same power as God. Her prayers and requests are so powerful with him that he accepts them as commands in the sense that he never resists his dear mother’s prayer because it is always humble and conformed to his will.... — St. Louis de Montfort, in Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, #27, 246. http://www.ewtn.com/library/Montfort/TRUEDEVO.HTM
Mary can be declared by the Church to be not only the “helpmate” of that Second Divine Person — Co-Redemptrix in Salvation, Mediatrix in grace — but actually “like unto Him.”...when she acts, it is also He who acts; and that if her intervention be not accepted, neither is His.... Her position as "the first of all creatures, the most acceptable child of God, the nearest and dearest to him," (Cardinal Newman); As Mother of God, says Lepicier, Mary contracts a certain affinity with the Father; · The pre-eminent resemblance which she bears to the Father, which has fitted her to pour out into the world the everlasting light which issues from that loving Father.... He has no children but by her, and communicates no graces but by her...and through her alone does He dispense His favours and His gifts. A Marian Synthesis; http://www.catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/general/msynthesis.htm
Mary is the sealed fountain and the faithful spouse of the Holy Spirit where only he may enter...She is the sanctuary and resting-place of the Blessed Trinity...the holy City of God, the greatness of the power which she wields over one who is God cannot be conceived...her prayers and requests are so powerful with him that he accepts them as commands...because it is always humble and conformed to his will, the dispenser of all he possesses...What immeasurable greatness...Mary has authority over the angels and the blessed in heaven...God gave her the power and the mission of assigning to saints the thrones made vacant by the apostate angels who fell away through pride....all the angels in heaven unceasingly call out to her...They greet her countless times each day with the angelic greeting, "Hail, Mary", while prostrating themselves before her, begging her as a favour to honour them with one of her requests...The whole world is filled with her glory,... Moreover, we should repeat after the Holy Spirit, "All the glory of the king's daughter is within".... Whatever desires the patriarchs may have cherished, whatever entreaties the prophets and saints of the Old Law may have had for 4,000 years to obtain that treasure, it was Mary alone who merited it and found grace before God by the power of her prayers and the perfection of her virtues." — St. Louis de Montfort, in Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, miscl. http://www.legionofmarytidewater.com/docs/true.doc