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Who said anything about worshiping Thor and Odin?

But I did say the Church spread via the sword. Remember the whole “Holy Roman Empire”? When the Catholic Church became one with the “government”, imperialism was used (and the sword/stake/etc) to “keep” the “faith”.

There is a pretty extensive list of pagan practices adopted by the Catholic Church as part of their method of assimilation. Many of our no generally accepted traditions around Christmas and Easter are prime examples.

I grew up Episcopalian (what I consider the kissing-cousin of Catholicism. I grew up with a fairly heavy respect for the Catholic Church. But then I discovered such books at Fox’s Book of Martyrs, and began studying the inconsistencies in the version of Christian history I had grown up hearing.

I began to ponder why some very faithful Christians I know did not celebrate the “traditional” way at Christmas, Easter, and so-on.

And most importantly, I began to regularly and faithfully read the Bible.

We scream here on FR about liberal revision of US History - yet so many won’t even consider digging into the history of Christianity. They are simply content to take centuries of “official” and very controlled history and tradition and don’t question anything.

There is still enough of history that the Catholic Church wasn’t able to completely destroy, burn, conceal, or re-write if one simply is willing to be open to the possibility that the truth is out there.

And please understand - that while I may come across as a Catholic hater because of my frequent posts on Catholic-related threads, that could not be farther from the truth. I try to speak in love as Christ would have His disciples do. Salvation is not directly linked to a denominational label, but specifically and ONLY in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Not in our works (that none may boast/brag). Not in any other. The desire of God’s heart is that none should perish, but all would come to eternal life. Those of us who truly believe the Word of God, also have such a desire. Anything that teaches “another Gospel” is clearly warned about in God’s Word.

For it is by Grace you are saved, not of yourselves (nothing you can do for yourself), it is a Gift of God, that none may boast.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

There is still enough of history that the Catholic Church wasn’t able to completely destroy, burn, conceal, or re-write if one simply is willing to be open to the possibility that the truth is out there.

Talk about begged questions.

But I did say the Church spread via the sword. Remember the whole “Holy Roman Empire”? When the Catholic Church became one with the “government”, imperialism was used (and the sword/stake/etc) to “keep” the “faith”.

I know the Holy Roman Empire -- that came about only in the 7th century. By that time, the Church had converted Celts, Romans, Britons and many Germanics peacefully with no sword. The Franks themselves (who became the Holy Roman EMpire) were converted in peace. Charlemagne forcibly acted against the Saxons, yes and converted them, but this was political on HIS part.

The Anglo-Saxons converted peacefully as did the Vikings and the Scandanavians and the Slavs from the Poles to the Russians to the Bulgarians.--> The Church did NOT spread due to the sword, if you say that you haven't heard of the martyrs who died at the hands of the Romans, Germanics, Vikings etc.

"Fox's book of Martyrs" is highly fictionalized. And it is one-sided, not mentioning the persecution of Catholics in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland under the Anglicans and not mentioning the persecution of Catholics in Switzerland (did you know that hte urban Calvinist cantons attacked the CAtholic forest cantons to force them to Calvinism?) or in Germany and Scandanavia where Catholics were persecuted. There was evil done on both sides, not just one

You're not a Catholic hater from the posts that I've read, but are misled about the historical bits (e.g. 1 The Church was not spread via the sword, except for the case of the Saxons (not even the Anglo-Saxons, just the saxons in Frisia and Saxony), the rest were converted peacefully and 2. Foxe's is one-sided at best, fictionalised at worst)

“There is still enough of history that the Catholic Church wasn’t able to completely destroy, burn, conceal, or re-write if one simply is willing to be open to the possibility that the truth is out there.” —> Ahem, like which, might I ask? Foxes book? Or “The Key” by the Paulicians? Or the Gospel of Thomas by the Gnostics?