These threads are both sad and funny. Unfortunately this type of forum is not very conducive to actually weeding out truth from err, and people end up spending time on inconsequential details.
A few points should be made
1. “Catholic Church” is a USELESS and confusing phrase to use in the context of a protestant debate with followers of the popes. While “catholic” may have a legitimate meaning of universal, in this context it only confuses what is being said. Please use “Roman Catholic Church”, or perhaps “followers of the popes” since I am sure you don’t want to use the “whore of Revelation”, or the “fallen away” of Thessalonians.
2. It is an entirely unbiblical notion to believe that simply because someone labels themselves as “Christian” or that the believe in God and are religious, that it is actually true. The most religious people of Jesus time were the Pharisees. He spent a significant amount of time condemning them and said the kingdom would be taken from them. So please just stop acting like we are all believers can’t we just hug and love Jesus. Take note GeronL, GreyFriar, zot. We are commanded in Rev 18:4 “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues”. Se also Rev 14. If you are firmly committed to the delusion that such widely varying belief are both Christian then maybe you should avoid such threads. Truth might upset your apple cart too much.
3. The Roman Catholic Church as followers of THE pope did not exist in the early church and the Biblical canon was not agreed upon by the Roman Catholic Church. EVERY bishop was known as a pope. The supremacy of one bishop in Rome as the supreme pontiff was something that happened over time. THAT was the falling away and the evolution of the Roman Catholic Church. Before that the pope of Rome had no more power than other popes, like those in Britain around 200 A.D. That is why it is known as ROMAN Catholic Church now it is because it recognizes a head in Rome.
4. The world continued on in much the same way all of recorded history, until after the protestant reformation when the 2520 of captivity of His people would end. God poured out his blessings, now we have modern medical advances, airplanes, a standard of living and freedom not seen for millennia. This was a BLESSING for coming out of “Her”, as God grew His kingdom. If the reformers were apostates, these last five centuries should have been the darkest of all history. But it is the reverse. WAKE UP!
You are absolutely right. Have been here for more than a decade and can testify to your assertion. Frank discussion goes by the wayside. No matter how many times one posts a valid defense, backed by solid apologetics, it is ignored and the same arguments resurface on another thread. Enjoy your stay. Always good to have new voices in the forum, regardless of their position.