Posted on 06/18/2021 6:17:57 PM PDT by Marchmain
Over 1.2 billion people around the world follow the Catholic faith, the most widespread branch of Christianity. The nerve centre of Catholicism is the Vatican, a city-state carved out of Rome, and the ruler of the Church and the religion is the pope. Pope Francis is the 266th and current pope. For centuries, popes and their activities were cloaked in majesty and mystery. Since the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s, the Catholic Church has gradually become more open to the wider world. Read on to learn more about the Church and the popes with this slideshow.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
1.2 Billion? Perhaps as a cultural benchmark there are many hundred millions that will look towards Roman Catholicism. In terms of believing Roman Catholics? Well under half that number, maybe less than twenty percent.
Which just also happens to coincide with its catastrophic demographic collapse.
But of course, MSN left that bit out....
The Papacy loves gold and boys more than Jesus?
Ah yes, the man who came up with his theology on the toilet.
And it shows.
Ping
He read the Bible. He understood the Bible. He rebelled against Church grievances and rightly so. Should he have bought an indulgence for vandalizing a door?
Protestants and Catholics need to band together, for whole nother reason than to stand up to the Communists and Muslims.
::Protestants and Catholics need to band together....::
~~~~~
Gee, who posted the Luther graphic?
At least it wasn’t a danged slide show. If you think I need to know 20 or 95 things, then post them. :-)
“95 slides! Click here!” Yeah, hard pass, Martin.
The ruler of the Catholic Church and "the religion" is Jesus Christ. Popes have only served as His vicars, here on earth.
And Bergoglio has recently relegated that title, Vicar of Christ, to the history books. He won't use it. Apparently he's the vicar of another entity (Soros, Satan, perhaps?)
Pope Francis: I’m Not The Vicar of Christ or Successor of the Apostles!
He certainly thought that, didn't he!
I agree about standing up to the Commies and Muzzies as one.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t do a little sparring on the side!
ha ha!
1. Peter is shown and described as being the street-level leader among the 12, and lead pastor of the church at Jerusalem, and with whom Paul once spend 15 days with, and whose clearly manifest power was spiritual. (Acts 5; Gal. 1)
2. Nowhere is the church shown looking to Peter as the first in a line of infallible popes over all the churches.
3. Nowhere is ensured infallibility of papal office promised or taught.
4. Nowhere is any or all the churches commanded to submit to Peter as the corporate head.
5. Peter is not mentioned in Acts after cp. 12.
6. Peter is only mentioned rarely in epistles to churches aside from the two by Peter, who simply calls himself "an apostle," "an elder."
7. Peter is listed 2nd among those who seemed to be pillars in Gal. 2
8. Peter is not said to ordain Paul as an apostle but along with James and John simply gave Paul the right hand of fellowship (which Paul sought in order to prevent his attackers from overthrowing the faith of his converts). Gal. 2.
9. Peter (yet being a great holy man) is the only apostle ever publicly reproved. By Paul. (Gal. 2)
10. Peter is never said or shown to call any councils, or render the final judgment in Acts 15 nor close the council.
12. Peter is not mentioned as being in Rome, nor among the over 30 persons Paul lists in Romans 16.
13. Peter preached the evangelical gospel of salvation by heart-purifying regenerating faith, shown in baptism. (Acts 10:43-47; 15:7-9)
14. Peter is never shown confecting the Eucharist or instructing or appointing elders to do so nor referring it as spiritual food.
15. Nowhere is any there any provision manifest for a successor to Peter.
16. Peter was married. (Matthew 8:14; 1 Corinthians 9:5)
17. Peter was poor. (Acts 3:6)
18. Peter would not let even a pious Gentile bow down to him. (Acts 10)
19. Peter referred to scripture as the more sure word of prophecy, which prophecy he affirmed were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and affirmed writings of Paul as Scripture. (2 Peter 1:19-21; 3:15,16)
20. In many way Paul is manifest as being more of a pope than Peter.
Are not manifest to *you*, you mean. Because I see them in Acts and Romans and Revelations clear as a bell....but more importantly, the Church Fathers for 1500 years saw them in there as well.
Of course, that's the whole reason you said "wholly inspired" record, right? You were attempting to entirely exclude all the Christian literature that didn't agree with your idea of the NT.
Can't do that. There are enormously precious and valuable historical records of what the early Church believed, from the Didache and Clement all the way through to Constantine and beyond.
Valuable and precious, anyway, to those who aren't afraid of them, and who don't hold to the heresies they flatly condemn.
No, Catholic distinctives are nowhere in Acts and Romans and Revelations, much less clear as a bell, and insisting one can see them there would be an example of one seeing what they want but can only wish were there. That you appeal to the uninspired writings of post-apostolic men testifies to this.
"but more importantly, the Church Fathers for 1500 years saw them in there as well."
"More importantly?!" Seriously, the uninspired writings of men - which actually attest to the progressive accretion of traditions of men - are more important than only the only wholly inspired-of-God and substantive record of what the NT church believed?
"Of course, that's the whole reason you said "wholly inspired" record, right? You were attempting to entirely exclude all the Christian literature that didn't agree with your idea of the NT."
No, not exclude, but as subject to testing by that which is wholly God- inspired, as was even the veracity of even the very apostles who, unlike your writings and popes and councils, could speak and write as wholly God-inspired.
" Can't do that. There are enormously precious and valuable historical records of what the early Church believed, from the Didache and Clement all the way through to Constantine and beyond. Valuable and precious, anyway, to those who aren't afraid of them, and who don't hold to the heresies they flatly condemn. "
Actually rather than being afraid of them they both can reprove Rome - thus "she judges them more than she is judged by them" (Catholic Encyclopedia: “Tradition and Living Magisterium”) - as well as provide testimony of the accretion of her errors.
You mean THESE church fathers?
Clement of Rome: “We also, being called through God’s will in Christ Jesus, are not justified through ourselves, neither through our own wisdom or understanding, or piety, or works which we have done in holiness or heart, but through faith” (Epistle to Corinthians).
Ignatius: “His cross, and his death, and his resurrection, and the faith which is through him, are my unpolluted muniments; and in these, through your prayers, I am willing to be justified (Epistle to Philadelphians). Note: “muniments” are title deeds, documents giving evidence of legal ownership of something.
Polycarp: “I know that through grace you are saved, not of works, but by the will of God, through Jesus Christ (Epistle of Philippians).
Justin Martyr: “No longer by the blood of goats and of sheep, or by the ashes of a heifer...are sins purged, but by faith, through the blood of Christ and his death, who died on this very account (Dialogue with Trypho). “God gave his own Son the ransom for us...for what, save his righteousness, could cover our sins. In whom was it possible that we, transgressors and ungodly as we were, could be justified, save in the Son of God alone? ...O unexpected benefit, that the transgression of many should be hidden in one righteous Person and that the righteousness of One should justify many transgressors” (Letter to Diognetus).
Ireneus: “Through the obedience of one man who first was born from the Virgin, many should be justified and receive salvation.”
Cyprian: “If Abraham believed in God and it was imputed to him for righteousness, then each one, who believes in God and lives by faith, is found to be a righteous person.”
Athanasius: “Not by these (i.e. human efforts) but by faith, a man is justified as was Abraham.”
Basil: “This is the true and perfect glorying in God, when a man is not lifted up on account of his own righteousness, but has known himself to be wanting in true righteousness and to be justified by faith alone in Christ.”
Ambrose: “Without the works of the law, to an ungodly man, that is to say, a Gentile, believing in Christ, his “faith is imputed for righteousness” as also it was to Abraham.”
Origen: “Through faith, without the works of the law, the dying thief was justified, because...the Lord inquired not what he had previously wrought, nor yet waited for his performance of some work after he should have believe; but...he took him unto himself for a companion, justified through his confession alone.”
Jerome: “When an ungodly man is converted, God justified him through faith alone, not on account of good works which he possessed not.”
Chrysostom: “What then did God do? He made (says Paul) a righteous Person (Christ) to be a sinner, in order that he might make sinners righteous... it is the righteousness of God, when we are justified, not by works...but by grace, where all sin is made to vanish away.”
Chrysostom: “Again, they said that he who adhered to Faith alone was cursed, but he shows that hewho adhered to Faith alone, is blessed.”
Augustine: “Grace is give to you, not wages paid to you...it is called grace because it is given gratuitously. By no precedent merits did you buy what you have received. The sinner therefore received this grace first, that his sins should be forgiven him...good works follow after a justified person; they do not go before in order that he may be justified...good works, following after justification, show what a man has received.”
Augustine: “Now, having duly considered and weighed all these circumstances and testimonies, we conclude that a man is not justified by the precepts of a holy life, but by faith in Jesus Christ,—in a word, not by the law of works, but by the law of faith; not by the letter, but by the spirit; not by the merits of deeds, but by free grace.”
Anselm: “Do you believe that you cannot be saved but by the death of Christ? Go, then, and ...put all your confidence in this death alone. If God shall say to you, “You are a sinner”, say to him, “I place the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and my sin.””
Bernard of Clairvaux: “Shall not all our righteousness turn out to be mere unrighteousness and deficiency? What, then, shall it be concerning our sins, when not even our righteousness can answer for itself? Wherefore...let us flee, with all humility to Mercy which alone can save our souls...whoever hungers and thirsts after righteousness, let him believe in thee, who “justified the ungodly”; and thus, being justified by faith alone, he shall have peace with God.”
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