Posted on 06/27/2009 10:01:54 AM PDT by Salvation
How Old Is Your Church?If you are a Lutheran, your religion 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 religion was founded by King Henry VIII in the year 1534 because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to remarry. If you are a Presbyterian, your religion was founded by John Knox in Scotland in the year 1560. If you are a Protestant Episcopalian, your religion was an offshoot of the Church of England founded by Samuel Seabury in the American colonies in the 17th century. If you are a Congregationalist, your religion was originated by Robert Brown in Holland in 1582. If you are a Methodist, your religion was launched by John and Charles Wesley in England in 1744. If you are a Unitarian, Theophilus Lindley founded your church in London in 1774. If you are a Mormon (Latter Day Saints), Joseph Smith started your religion in Palmyra, N.Y., in 1829. If you are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your religion 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 religion 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 belong to one of the religious organizations known as 'Church of the Nazarene," "Pentecostal Gospel." "Holiness Church," "Pilgrim Holiness Church," "Jehovah's Witnesses," your religion is one of the hundreds of new sects founded by men within the past century. If you are Catholic, you know that your religion was founded in the year 33 by Jesus Christ the Son of God, and it is still the same Church. |
This list is incomplete. What about Unitarian Universalists, Orthodux Presbyterians, Baptist Presbyterians, American Presbyterians, the Western Branch of the PresbyLutheran Reformed Church?
There’s a second list in there somewhere that is more complete. But you are correct on its incompleteness.
It’s just there are so many sects, sub-sects and sub-sub-sub-sects of Protestantism that it gets difficult to trace.
This is so ridiculous. The church began, as noted in Genesis 4, when “men began to call on the name of the LORD.” Their trust was grounded in the Seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head. In other words, they confessed the Messiah/Christ who was to come into the world in order to be crucified for them (having His heel crushed), but in so doing destroy the Serpent, i.e., Satan (whose head would be crushed). This is the church of all the faithful, all the sons and daughters of Abraham, whether before the incarnation or after. They, like their father Abraham, longed to see Messiah’s day, and they saw it and were glad. (John 8:56) This is the church represented by Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. This is the only church that will stand, as it always has, until the end of the world.
So, if you want to claim that your church was founded only in 33 A.D., it is a johnny-come-(very)lately church.
You really are serving Satan by trying to introduce division among those who follow Christ. Examine your motives. Are you promoting Christ by publishing this article? Or are you promoting your church?
I challenge you to think of Christ. Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, who established His church in Jerusalem and throughout the world among those who adhere to Him.
You really are treading dangerous ground by facilitating division among those who follow Christ. And you demean the term “salvation” by promoting Rome above Christ.
“Welcome home”? No, “home” is found in Christ. Not in Rome.
May Rome decrease and Christ increase. John the Baptist understood this. May you understand this.
Christ is the center of every Catholic Mass, regardless if it is a Latin Rite (Rome, as you say) or another rite.
I believe you know that.
Not only the Liturgy of the Word — the words of the Old Testament, a Psalm and words of Christ from a Gospel. On Sundays a Readings from a New Testament author is also added.
Then the Liturgy of the Eucharist takes place — the bread and wine are transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ through the words, hands and actions of the priest through the Holy Spirit.
Have you ever attended a Catholic Mass to witness this? I think you would be impressed.
How can you read my mind and say that I am being divisive? These are the facts — the dates of the establishment of different branches of Catholic, Christian and non-Christian Churches......I’m not understanding your accusation......Is it a personal attack against me or against the Catholic Church?
My church traces its lineage back to Christ. I’m a member of a Christian church, with Christ as its head. Your insistence the Roman Catholic Church is the only legitimate one is pure arrogance, and needlessly insulting to those who follow Christ, the founder of His church, His bride, which consists of all those who’ve been adopted into His family.
May Christ increase. Christ, not Rome. Christ, and not my particular denomination either. Let’s promote Christ, rather than demean someone’s fellowship affiliation.
Throughout history God has brought out a remnant from among His people. The Reformation was a recent calling of His, to bring His beloved out from among an entity gone apostate.
My main point is not to say that you are not a Christian. My main point is not to say that Christ is not proclaimed an exalted during your Mass. My main point is that its bigotry to say that the congregation of which I’m a part is not Christian, that Christ is not our head, that it’s part of an illegitimate church.
This arrogant sentiment is captured well in big’ol_freeper’s comment 187, when he writes that I reject Christ because I don’t submit to Rome. No, I embrace Christ and His word. And I am a member of the church He founded: The fellowship of believers, His bride, which finds its home not in Rome but in Heaven.
Do you know what “denomination” I belong to? No, you don’t. Because I affirm and promote Jesus, not my particular fellowship. May you do the same.
I believe you will find that carrying arguments from one thread to another is verboten in the religion forum. I've made no posts on this thread (until now).
I should have included the link to your comment:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2470878/posts?page=187#187
I apologize for not including that.
No need to apologize for not posting a link. You are most welcome to your point of view. That wasn’t the point.
The point was that, by the rules of engagement for the forum, arguments can’t be brought from one thread to another.
The reasoning behind that is to avoid folks stalking each other from thread to thread carrying on a personal argument.
It would have been perfectly appropriate to post your comment on the original thread where I made my post 187. Not that I agree, but there is nothing wrong with that comment.
I have no argument with you; I am not “arguing.” I’m simply referencing something you wrote that I felt was relevant to the discussion at hand. Don’t take that as starting, or continuing, an “argument.” It’s not.
Do not carry the same debate from thread to thread.
I’ve been in FR for a dozen years, and never knew that I was forbidden from referencing something relevant from another thread. I’ve seen others do it for years; I figured it was fine to do it here. I’ll do my best to obey.
The issue is not the referring to a post on another thread. It is arguing against that post on a new thread.
doesn't work that way....if you believe in Christ, then you follow His instructions....very plain and very easy to understand. Making up your own rules as you go along doesn't count!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.