I'm afraid you are mistaken. Not all protestant denominations trace their roots to catholicism. Most of them trace their roots to the Protestant Reformation.
For the longest time I thought that Evangelicals thought of Catholics as a cult, and even seemed to think that the Pope was the anti-Christ.
Some of them still do think of catholicism as a cult, and yes some still do equate the Pope with the Anti-Christ. Though they are mistaken about the Pope being the Anti-Christ (I equate him more along the lines of the false prophet spoken in end-time scenarios) they are correct about the catholic religion as being one of rituals and no spiritual substance whatsoever.
The Evangelicals that I work with have shown me much affection and care, and they are excellent Christians.
True christians are affectionate and caring. It's a spiritual requirement which they gladly bear for the cause of the Cross.
Sorry to be such a downer here folks, but I don't see the coming together of catholicism and evangelical christianity as a good thing. If spiritual principles are compromised then this just fits in together with end times prophecy and the present day ecumenical movement. And that just brings us closer to end-time events.
It doesn't seem to me that genuine affection and caring is strictly a by product of the 'spiritual requirement' of the Cross you're supposed to bear. That is a hollow and perfunctory understanding of the Commandment to Love.
Of these three, "Love is the geatest", not love just because you're supposed to bear it, but genuine, honest to goodness love. I see that in my Evangelical co-workers, It is not simply because they bear spiritual requirement on behalf of the Cross. It is because they genuinely have affection for me, as I do for them, and do not presume to know who -other than themselves- is saved and who is not.
So what if events bring us to the end-time results? Isn't that what we all desire?
And I take exception to your comments about the Pope. Judging from the healing he has brought to peoples and to nations, I do not see him as being a 'false prophet.'
I'm sure all of Poland would support your conclusions....(among other nations)....
What evil has he brought personally into your life in recent years?
I'm afraid you are mistaken. Not all protestant denominations trace their roots to catholicism. Most of them trace their roots to the Protestant Reformation.
Yep you are right. I will never accept the Catholic system. The word tells us to separate ourselves from the world and false teachings. I fully intend to keep it that way. All is going as planned for that one world religion where all are joined based on a fuzzy feeling and not what the word of God says.
I agree with you to a point. I still feel Catholics and Protestants can work together on moral and cultural issues and that there are Catholics who are truly saved. One doesn't have to have a perfect understanding of theology to have a relationship with Christ. But as a system, I must state that I believe the Roman Catholic church is a false one that has given false hope to multitudes and is responsible for the blood of many saints.
"'If I'm not mistaken, all sects trace their roots to Catholicism.'"
"I'm afraid you are mistaken. Not all protestant denominations trace their roots to catholicism. Most of them trace their roots to the Protestant Reformation."
Ummmm, the Protestant Reformation marked the break of some Western Christians with Roman Catholicism. So tracing roots into the Reformation, traces roots historiclally into Roman Catholicsm.
ALL, let me repeat, ALL Western (this excludes Eastern Othodox) Christian denominations come out of the Reformation (eventually) so by inference all came out of Roman Catholicism.
To put it another way, 500 years ago (when Luther was still finishing his education...prior to the 95 Theses) ALL (that is A-L-L) Christians in Western Europe were Roman Catholic.
No exceptions were tolerated, and dissenters were physically wiped out (usually burned at the stake)....
Yes I know there are a few unlearned folks who try to claim otherwise (like somehow baptists go back to John the B...), however they don't have history on their side. Of course there were various cults that grew up in medieval times---but until Luther, every one of them was brutally surpressed and destroyed.
Most current Protestant groups were breakaways from the first Protestants, which were originally Lutherans, Calvinists, Anglicans, and Anabaptists(=all others). Strangely enough, the modern Baptists trace their roots back into Anglicans, not Anabaptists.
I too share trepidation in getting too cozy with Rome. The council of Trent documents still stand (which explicity condemn Protestants and their beliefs) and I'm afraid many evangelicals are confused about doctrines of justification and imputation--key areas of difference with Rome.