Posted on 10/11/2014 8:36:27 AM PDT by Gamecock
Question: If one thing is clear, it's that there is one, single, visible Church that Jesus founded. This multitude of competing, conflicting denominations is no sign of God's work; therefore, it must be the work of the Evil One. Somewhere in the midst of these 30,000 denominations, there is one true church, and the rest are in sin and rebellion.
Answer: The "thousands-of-denominations" argument is very often employed to prove all sorts of things. Here are some citations from letters received from other Catholics:
How can all these denominations claim to follow the Bible yet all come to different conclusions? How can I possibly know which one of those above teach the truth when they can't even agree on what the Bible says? The Bible alone has created so much havoc in this world.
If there is only one Church, why are there so many Protestant denominations? Possibly many thousands throughout the world, as compared to only one Catholic Church? I do see it as a sign of God's judgment that there are close to 30,000 Protestant denominations.
The Bible alone can be dangerous. In fact, the Bible alone IS dangerous. Look at Protestantism: 100,000 different interpretation of the Bible, 100,000 contradictions, 100,000 different denominations claiming to have the key.
Peter said that no prophecy of the Scripture is for private interpretation. This is why you have 30,000 different Protestant denominations that all believe differently from one another. This alone should give you a clue that Protestantism is not the true Church of Jesus Christ.
So, the existence of many Protestant denominations supposedly proves that the Sola Scriptura is dangerous, that we should not try to understand the Bible for ourselves, that the church of Rome is the one true church, and of course, all the other churches are false.
Elsewhere I have written on the significance of the heterogeneity among Christians. (See That They May Be One and Disagreement among Protestants). Here I simply want to make one important addition, namely, that the allegation so often repeated by Catholic apologists that there are 20,000 to 30,000 Protestant denominations is simply FALSE . . . not to mention the double standard employed, for the Roman Church is not exactly united. There are untold factions and divisions, and diverse understanding of doctrine within Catholic groups and by different Catholic theologians and individuals.
In an article entitled "30,000 Protestant Denominations?", Evangelical apologist Eric Svendsen exposes the falsehood of this fabrication. Briefly:
Svendsen shows that the source of this figure is the World Christian Encyclopedia (David A. Barrett; Oxford University Press, 1982).
Barrett cites a figure of 20,780 denominations. However not all of them are Protestants. According to Barrett, Protestants account for 8,196 (and incidentally, Roman Catholics account for 223).
However, even this figure of eight thousand Protestant denominations is misleading, for Barrett defines "distinct denominations" as any group that might have a slightly different emphasis than another group. The distinction is made on the basis of jurisdiction, rather than differing beliefs and practices.
Barrett breaks down the Protestant bloc into twenty-one major "traditions" which are much closer to what we usually mean by the word "denominations." It is interesting that Roman Catholics are subdivided into sixteen such "traditions."
Svendsen concludes, "In short, Roman Catholic apologists have hurriedly, carelessly - and, as a result, irresponsibly - glanced at Barrett's work, found a large number (22,189), and arrived at all sorts of absurdities that Barrett never concluded."
There, fixed it for ya.
Placemarker
You can take your sacred name cult nonsense somewhere else.
Yes.
http://www.gotquestions.org/body-of-Christ.html
I also got to a building where we worship The Lord.
Is that church not an “institution”?
You bother reading the link?
Yes, I did. And you link said:
>>The universal church of God is all those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ,<<
Is this “universal church” not an “institution”?
Exactly. It’s the believers that make up the Bride of Christ, not a denomination, nor a single church.
. I could go on but you get the idea.
Your post 36....most catholics I’ve noticed on this blog identify as catholic. Not Christian. Why is that if you are a Christian?
Your post 46. There is one doctrine of Christianity and it is found in the bible.
>>The universal church of God is all those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ,<<
Is this “universal church” not an “institution”?
If you want to call it that but it’s not the Catholic Church. It is “all those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.”
Like it says, you receive salvation through faith in Jesus Christ — it doesn’t say the Catholic Church.
Did you know that catholic means “universal”?
So all those that are Catholic are going to heaven. And all those not Catholic going to hell? Is that what you’re trying to tell us?
and they claim protestants are always the ones changing!
The ones I personally know are different than some of the ones here. Thank goodness for that.
“There is one doctrine of Christianity and it is found in the bible”
Can you point out the Table of Contents to me where it says the Bible is official doctrine of Christianity. Be curious to know.
** Was there a pope?**
The same time he breathed on the apostles, he gave the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter.
Have you ever read that in your Bible?
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Is that in your Bible?
Errors beget errors when posted.
Can you point out the Table of Contents to me where it says the Bible is official doctrine of Christianity. Be curious to know.
If not the Bible, what else? The mere fact this is rejected/questioned is intriguing and very revealing.
Perhaps the Book of Mormon?
Maybe the Bhagavad Gita?
Maybe the Koran?
but to be clear to those in the roman catholic cult.....the doctrines of Christianity are found ONLY in the Bible.
No where else do we learn about Christ or how to become a Christian.
"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. John 6:63
Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. John 6:68 (you remember Peter don't you?)
btw...these are found in the Bible.
The same time he breathed on the apostles, he gave the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter. And what do you do with a key? You open a door. And that's what Peter did for the Jews as he preached the Gospel. It's what Paul did when he preached the Gospel to the Gentiles. You've read that....right?
Have you ever read that in your Bible?
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Is that in your Bible?
Yes that's in mine. But this is also in the roman catholic cult:
0 Virgin Mary, most powerful Mother of Mercy, Queen of Heaven and earth, in accordance with your wish made known at Fatima, I consecrate myself today to your Immaculate Heart. To you I entrust all that I have, all that I am. Reign over me, dearest Mother, that I may be yours in prosperity, in adversity, in joy and in sorrow, in health and in sickness, in life and in death.
and here I thought all along we gave our lives to Christ.
As He chose Mary as the instrument through whom He would come to us, so He chose Mary as the instrument through whom we should go to Him.
Silly me again...I thought the Holy Spirit drew us to Christ.
http://www.rosary-center.org/consecrt.htm
"Mary is the intermediary through whom is distributed unto us this immense treasure of mercies gathered by God, for mercy and truth were created by Jesus Christ. Thus as no man goeth to the Father but by the Son, so no man goeth to Christ but by His Mother." (Vatican Website: Encyclical of Pope Leo 13th on the Rosary, Octobri Mense, Pope Leo XIII, 1903-1914)
Funny, I tried searching for these ideas in the Bible and they weren't there!
You are correct about errors except.....Errors beget errors when one relies upon man-made false teachings.
the teachings of the roman catholic cult on Mary are sheer blasphemy and in no way supported by Scripture.
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