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As I just said a little bit ago, it isn't about a numbers game. Christian is a term that means follower of Christ and it is defined specifically in scripture what that means in action, in fruits produced and in purity of message. If those criteria are not met, the label is missapplied and the person is a fraud. And we are warned and commanded to make these judgements so that we don't get led astray into false teachings. You're begging the argument.

There, again, may be a billion Catholics on this planet. There were 8 that God saved from the flood. The rest of the world I'm sure thought itself just fine and dandy. There are more communist Chinese on the planet than Catholics. There are as many Islamists. Their numbers don't make them any more right than are you. Popular, perhaps, but Christianity isn't popular. It isn't about numbers. It's about Actions, Fruits and the message. Rome loses the argument on all three counts. And I'd submit it is the reason Rome redefined the church in different terms hoping it could appear to live up to those - and it couldn't even do that.

Your statement that Christians haven't believed that until the last century is stated in ignorance of history.

Catholics are followers of Jesus Christ. We believe that He is the only begotten Son of God.

As for who believed what when, the Catholic Church (and the Orthodox Churches) have been in existence since the 1st century AD. Fundamentalism is a product of 19th century America; neither Luther nor Calvin nor any of the major Reformers taught, inter alia, the need to be "born again," the doctrine of "once saved, always saved," the Rapture, or dispensationalism, all common beliefs among American fundamentalists. (Of course, I can't say that all American fundamentalists believe in them, since their own interpretations of scripture vary considerably).

As I just said a little bit ago, it isn't about a numbers game. Christian is a term that means follower of Christ and it is defined specifically in scripture what that means in action, in fruits produced and in purity of message.

hmmmm... Christian = follower of Christ. Catholics ARE followers of Christ. Christians follow scripture. Catholics DO follow scripture. Voilà Catholics = Christian!

It's about Actions, Fruits and the message. Rome loses the argument on all three counts

Actions: Who keep the flame of belief burning through all the bad times when Christianity's land of origin was overrun by slammies and those churchs died out? .

Fruits: Which church has spread the word to the most souls in S America, Africa, Asia, Europe, the world? Which church has spread the most, saving he most souls. The numbers game is NOT a game, it shows how many souls were saved. The RCC believes in getting off it's butt and doing something, saving more souls instead of sitting back and having 'revivals' which consist of little more than anti-Catholic propaganda.

Message: Which other church can state that it has and has spread the true message untouched and unchanged since the time of the apostles?

The Catholic church is NOT Rome, the Catholic church is the UNIVERSAL Church of God and I resent you confining it to Rome.

The Church then, wins on all counts. All Apostates from the Universal Church LOSE on those counts. Let's take the fundamentalists:

Actions: Ha!

Fruits: How many souls? How many non-Christians have been converted by these?

Message: How many messages? one per person? Person A think Pastor B puts too much sugar in his coffee so A forms his own 'church' where he serves less sugar in the coffee. That's the fundamentalists, like seed thrown on rocks, they have NO roots and get blown away