Good read. But be careful. The Catholics on this site hate being challenged and will turn nasty quick if you challenge them.
You could also try understanding Judaism by reading The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. It would be less harmful.
You could try understanding economics by reading Das Kapital. It would be more enlightening.
You could try understanding patriotism by listening to Cindy Sheehan. It would be more honest.
You could try understanding race relations by reading The Turner Diaries. It would be more honest.
Right. And people who are drowning can read a short pamphlet on "Gripping Heavy Stones."
Sheesh. The hate never ends.
LOL! boogada-boogada-boogada! Scary Catholic Church!
oooooo!
You left the Catholic church for a lightweight carny' barker like Rick Jones?
If Luther were around to read fortune cookies, would he add "alone" or "in bed" to the end of every prediction? Oh wait - the Bible only outlaws adding words to Scripture! Well it's a good thing Luther didn't add words to scripture like "alone" or start throwing out books at whim. He'd be in a lot of trouble according to St. John the Apostle.
How Old is Your Church?
This is a summary of a selected few denominations, churches, and religions and when they were founded.
If you are a Lutheran , your denomination was founded by Martin Luther, an ex-monk of the Catholic Church, in the year 1517.
If you belong to the Church of England, your denomination was founded by King Henry VIII in the year 1534 because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to re-marry. The Church of England separated itself from the Catholic Church under Henry VIII but it didn't actually become a new Protestant religion until the reign of his son, Edward VI.
If you are a Presbyterian, your denomination was founded by John Knox in Scotland in the year 1560.
If you are a Protestant Episcopalian, your denomination was an offshoot of the Church of England founded by Samuel Seabury in the American colonies in the 17th century.
If your are a Congregationalist, your denomination was originated by Robert Browne in Holland in 1582.
If you are a Methodist, your denomination was launched by John and Charles Wesley in England in 1744.
If you are LDS or "Mormon" (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), Joseph Smith Jr. started your religion in Fayette, NY, on April 6th, 1830.
If you are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your denomination to John Smyth, who launched it in Amsterdam in 1605.
If you are of the Dutch Reformed church, you recognize Michaelis Jones as founder, because he originated your denomination in New York in 1628.
If you worship with the Salvation Army, your sect began with William Booth in London in 1865.
If you are a Christian Scientist, you look to 1879 as the year in which your religion was born and to Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy as its founder.
If you consider yourself a member of one of the Pentecostal churches, your movement began in Topeka, KS (1901) and Los Angeles (1906), in reaction to perceived loss of evangelical fervor among Methodists and others.
If you call yourself a Mennonite, your movement was named after Menno Simons, a Catholic priest for 12 years, who left the Church to join the conservative Anabaptist wing.
The Amish, started by Jacob Amman around 1693, are just one of many different church bodies within the Mennonite community in the U.S.
If you belong to one of the religious organizations known as "Church of the Nazarene", "Pentecostal Gospel", "Holiness Church", "Pilgrim Holiness Church", "Jehovah's Witnesses ", your denomination is one of the many thousands of new sects and religions founded by men within the past several hundred years.
If you are a member of one of the Orthodox Eastern Churches your church separated from the Catholic Church in 1054 in the Eastern Schism. Although imperfect, the communion between the Orthodox Churches and the Catholic Church is so profound "that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord's Eucharist" (Pope Paul VI, quoted in CCC para 838).
If you are Jewish, Abraham became the first Jew when God promised him: "I will make you a great nation...". Your religion was founded by God in the Jewish calendar year 2049 (1711 BC), over 3700 years ago. God revealed Himself to the Jews through the Prophets and promised to send a Messiah. Jesus Christ, a Jew from the House of David, came to this world as His only begotten Son in fulfilment of the scriptures.
If you are Catholic, you know that your Church was founded in the year 33 A.D. by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.