The grave difficulty with this analysis is that the earliest churches had no idea that a few, rabid folks were creating a central authority in a "pope". The word does not appear in any literature of reasonable authority until the latter part of the third century. The term "bishop" was interchangeable with a "presbyter" or "elder" and represented a description of the men at local churches identified with teaching/leading gifts.
Rome remanufactured this into a self-serving central authority, clearly contested throughout the ages by many local churches. That they dominated the landscape by brute force no more establishes their legitimacy than Hitler established his legitimacy in Europe.
And, even your math discloses that something was amiss from 1000 ad and following. Obviously, many brave folks were finally finding the voice to speak truth into the teeth of the oppressive rule of Rome. They paid dearly for such courage.
It was not, however, primarily political rule that needed reforming (but you're welcome for the U.S.). It was the mistaken theology of the seven sacraments, the sacerdotalism, the marioloatry, the indulgences, pergatory, penance, and (pardon the pun) a whole host of other errors in the manner the RCC represented the process of salvation. Those errors continue to this day.
The reformation set out in public view the Scriptural truths that undeserving men/women are elected before the foundation of world (Eph. 1) and that salvation is not a self-determined process like a business transaction (not wages, Rom. 4) wherein I exchange belief/trust/confession/actions/behavior or anything else originating in my soul for my rescue. Rather, it is the grace of God, through His Holy Spirit blowing where He will to make men alive from the dead (Lazarus imagery). Men and women are gifted faith to turn from self and cast themselves on the mercy of God, recognizing that the shedding of the blood of Christ (a one-time time/space/historical event) is the only thing that cleanses a man from sin and clothes him in sufficent righteousness to see God. They then begin the pilgrimage of beginning to recogize their rescue and are compelled to good works.
All repetitious chanting, confessions of sin, resolutions of heart, ceremonial sacraments are both ineffective and borderline blasphemous with regard to solving the problem of sin. Rome cannot give this error up because it is part of her hold over the supplicants. Tragic, monstrous, demonic. We call on Rome to repent...if she can.
Well, svcw...I guess that when you post a thread regarding “restoration” you will need to post something stating it is referring to mormonism, not to the Catholic church.
Well stated and oh so true. I’m so happy that the Spirit opened my eyes to these truths many years ago. I’ve felt nothing but freedom and His Grace ever since. But to be honest I’ve never been much for taking orders from men anyway. I’ve always said that I would have joined the Navy if I could have started out as an Admiral. LOL
This canNOT be true!!
Why...
we MORMONs got BISHOPS and in NO way would they be similar to a 'presbyter'!!!
We know 'cause our Founder said them PRESBYTERIANs wuz ALL wrong!!
--MormonDude(And UNTRUE as well!!!)
Why, Joseph Smith took care of all that stuff with his "restoration", didn't you get the word? From: Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration
Suppose for a moment someone told you these three facts about a New Testament personality and nothing more: first, the Savior said of this man, “O thou of little faith” (Matthew 14:31); second, this man, in a moment of anger, cut off an ear of the high priest’s servant; and third, this man denied knowing who the Savior was on three occasions, even though he had walked with Him daily. If that is all you knew or focused upon, you might have thought this man a scoundrel or a no-good, but in the process you would have failed to come to know one of the greatest men who ever walked the earth: Peter the Apostle.
Similarly, attempts have been made by some to focus upon or magnify some minor weaknesses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, but in that process they too have missed the mark, the man, and his mission. Joseph Smith was the Lord’s anointed to restore Christ’s Church to the earth. When he emerged from the grove of trees, he eventually learned four fundamental truths not then taught by the majority of the contemporary Christian world.
First, he learned that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are two separate, distinct beings. The Bible confirms Joseph Smith’s discovery. It tells us that the Son submitted His will to the Father (see Matthew 26:42). We are moved by the Savior’s submission and find strength in His example to do likewise, but what would have been the depth and passion of Christ’s submission or the motivational power of that example if the Father and the Son were the same being and in reality the Son was merely following His own will under a different name?
The scriptures give further evidence of this great truth: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). A father offering up his only son is the supreme demonstration of love that the human mind and heart can conceive and feel. It is symbolized by the touching story of Abraham and Isaac (see Genesis 22). But if the Father is the same being as the Son, then this sacrifice of all sacrifices is lost, and Abraham is no longer offering up Isaac—Abraham is now offering up Abraham.
The second great truth Joseph Smith discovered was that the Father and the Son have glorified bodies of flesh and bones. Following the Savior’s Resurrection, He appeared to His disciples and said, “Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have” (Luke 24:39). Some have suggested this was a temporary physical manifestation and that when He ascended to heaven He shed His body and returned to His spirit form. But the scriptures tell us this was not possible. Paul taught, “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him” (Romans 6:9). In other words, once Christ was resurrected, His body could never again be separated from His spirit; otherwise He would suffer death, the very consequence Paul said was no longer possible after His Resurrection.
The third truth that Joseph Smith learned was that God still speaks to man today—that the heavens are not closed. One need but ask three questions, once proposed by President Hugh B. Brown, to arrive at that conclusion (see “The Profile of a Prophet,” Liahona, June 2006, 13; Ensign, June 2006, 37). First, does God love us as much today as He loved the people to whom He spoke in New Testament times? Second, does God have the same power today as He did then? And third, do we need Him as much today as they needed Him anciently? If the answers to those questions are yes and if God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, as the scriptures so declare (see Mormon 9:9), then there is little doubt: God does speak to man today exactly as Joseph Smith testified.
The fourth truth that Joseph Smith learned was that the full and complete Church of Jesus Christ was not then upon the earth. Of course there were good people and some components of the truth, but the Apostle Paul had anciently prophesied that the Second Coming of Christ would not come “except there come a falling away first” (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
Following Joseph Smith’s First Vision, the Restoration of Christ’s Church commenced “line upon line, precept upon precept” (D&C 98:12).
Through Joseph Smith was restored the doctrine of the gospel being preached to the dead in the spirit world to those who did not have a fair chance on earth to hear it (see D&C 128:5–22; see also D&C 138:30–34). This was not the invention of a creative mind; it was the restoration of a biblical truth. Peter had long ago taught, “For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit” (
ABSOLUTELY INDEED.
That rubber history stuff in favor of bureaucratic political Rome centerd power mongering
is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
CONVENIENT.
Sheesh.
Insults our intelligence at some point.
Not to mention God’s!
Amen. You gave all the credit to God, took none for yourself, and you're still here! Amazing!