“The tendency toward schism in the Church goes back to apostolic times. Still we can claims to have a continuous organization link to those times. But the splits in the Protestant churches are continuous.”
I understand that that is your perspective, and I mean no insult. However, be aware that protestants believe that, to one degree or another, the RC church abandoned biblical teachings and so the Protestants are the one continuous church, the remnant, if you will.
I don’t mean to start an argument over this doctrine or that in this thread; merely to point out that there is another perspective on schism.
Certainly schism does go back to apostolic times. The church was already dividing before the epistles were written, what did Paul say, some were saying “I am of Paul” and “I am of Apollos” and “I am of Jesus?” The tone of his letter seems to display some measure of disgust, something like, “I thank God I baptized none of you!”
(goes off to get Concordance and Bible)
Oh well, you inspired me to get out my Bible, always a good thing, so here it is:
“For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius. . .”
1 Co 1:11-14
I am simply pointing out that the Catholic church has maintained organizational integrity well enough to claim, for instance, allegiance to a line of popes extending to the First Century. The Reformers never agreed exactly what the true alternative to Catholicism, except that there ought to be one. The result has been an endemic sectarianism. Roman Catholicism has never been as unified as it sometimes pretended, but the organization integrity has been preserved.
You wrote:
“I understand that that is your perspective, and I mean no insult. However, be aware that protestants believe that, to one degree or another, the RC church abandoned biblical teachings and so the Protestants are the one continuous church, the remnant, if you will.”
This is not a matter of perspective but of logic and common sense. Where were the Protestants in the 12th century? The 9th? The 14th? The 3rd? They never existed until 1517. Period. Even most Protestants who know anything about history are willing to admit that. That means - logically - that Protestants are not a continuous church, but a novel sect. They can not be a remnant.