Thought you might find this helpful...
How old is your Church?
If you are a Lutheran, Martin Luther, an apostate of the Roman Catholic Church, founded your religion in Germany, in the year 1517.
If you are a Mennonite, your church began in Switzerland with Grebel, Mantz, and Blaurock, in the year 1525.
If you belong to the Church of England, also know as Anglican, your religion began with King Henry VIII in 1534, who established his own church because the Pope could not grant him a divorce with the right to remarry.
If you are a Presbyterian, your religion was founded by John Knox, in Scotland, in the year 1560.
If you are a Congregationalist, your religion was founded by Robert Brown, in Holland, in 1583.
If you are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your religion to John Smyth, who launched it in Amsterdam, in 1606.
If you are a Unitarian, John Biddle in London founded your religion in 1645.
If you are an Episcopalian, your religion was an offshoot of the Church of England, founded by Samuel Seabury in the American Colonies in the 17th century.
If you are a Quaker, your religion was founded by George Fox, in England, in 1647.
If you are a Methodist, your religion was founded by John and Charles Wesley, in England, in 1739.
If you are a Universalist, John Murray founded your religion in New Jersey, in 1770.
If you are an Evangelical, you owe the founding of your religion to Jacob Albright, in Pennsylvania, in 1803.
If you are a Mormon (a "Latter Day Saint"), then Joseph Smith started your religion in Palmyra, New York, in 1829.
If you are a Seventh Day Adventist, your religion originated in New York, by William Miller, in 1831.
If you worship with the Salvation Army sect, then you acknowledge William Booth in London as your originator, in 1865.
If you are a Jehovah's Witness, then your church was founded by Charles Taze Russell, in 1872, and renamed in 1931 by Judge Rutherford, his successor.
If you are a Christian Scientist, then Mary Baker Eddy founded your religion in Massachusetts, in 1879.
If you belong to the Assembly of God religion, then a General Assembly in Arkansas started it in 1914.
If you claim the Church of the Nazarene as your religion, then Union at General Assembly launched it in 1919.
If you are an Evangelical Reformed, then Union at General Assembly created it in 1934.
If you belong to "Pentecostal Gospel," your religion is one of the hundreds of new sects founded by men in the last 100 years.
If you are a Roman Catholic, you know that your religion was founded in the year 33 by Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Again, I am not a member of any of those. I am a member of the church as mentioned in Romans 16:16.
Yes, Alan, it's me, Zuriel.
All this talk of cowardice, my, my.
You want to go by dates and tradition, instead of doctrine? Your organization's own 'tradition' is basically an almost constant revamping of your church's doctrinal beliefs.
**If you belong to "Pentecostal Gospel," your religion is one of the hundreds of new sects founded by men in the last 100 years.**
I, like you, claim to trace my church back to Pentecost, but yours does not obey Peter's command to baptize in the name of Jesus.
Now, because of your style of posting, I will reply in like fashion.
**If you are a Roman Catholic, you know that your religion was founded in the year 33 by Our Lord Jesus Christ.**
Alan, you and a multitude of others, really underestimate Satan, big time.
Also known as Lucifer, he said, "..I will be like the most High". He and his angels waged war (no small feat) in heaven. He lost.
In the OT, Satan wasted no time in countering God's righteousness with something 'better' to Eve. He offered counterfiets to the Lord's Law. Note how worshippers of Baal performed animal sacrifices.
While the devil uses almost countless ways of attacking God's creation, Satan still wants to be like the most High. He is also transformed into an angel of light, and his ministers into ministers of righteousness.
Therefore it is no small thing that Satan would, within hours of the birth of the church of Jesus Christ, move into counterfiet mode, and take center stage.
Remember, the devil is transformed into an angel of light, so nothing that would appear to be 'Christian' is off limits for laying claim to:
Satan welcomes scripture, remember, he's been twisting it since tricking Eve. So he would make no hesitation to taking credit for helping the people have access to it.
Satan welcomes religious leaders. He can manipulate them with the good ol' tried and true 'pride of life' tricks.
Satan has no problem with crosses being displayed, or church buildings built in the shape of one.
But.........
let one sinner see that Peter taught repentant souls to be baptized in the name of JESUS for the remission of sins, and that sets the devil on edge like nothing else. The fact that people fight this command of Peter, saying "it's not important", or "it's not done in the name of Jesus" is proof of rejecting the original Apostolic message.
Yes, I believe the devil has had a 'christian' church counterfiet, front and center, with plenty of ritual and visual aides since the days of the apostles, for they warned of such being present even then.
I can present this with a good many scripture references for you tomorrow night, for now is bedtime.
All Christianity was born at that time. Carry on!