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This is what Salvations link said?

As the end of the 2nd century approached, the true Church of God in Rome had all but disappeared; and a LARGE COUNTERFEIT, UNIVERSAL CHURCH was firmly in place with a successive line of bishops or “popes” tracing their office back to — NOT PETER — but Simon Magus! The Catholic Church was founded on the PRIMACY OF SIMON MAGUS! Any church (Worldwide Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God included) that believes in the primacy of Peter and apostolic succession is knowingly (or unknowingly) following the system planted in Rome by SIMON THE MAGICIAN!

I think this is something of recent and imaginative vintage. There was, for instance, a book by Robin Cook that had as its premise the discovery of a Gospel of Simon Magus that would radically alter the understanding of early Christianity. What's alleged in the quote above appears to be yet another way to bash Catholics by claiming (as Mohammed and Joseph Smith in their turn did) that the true way was lost and replaced by charlatans who, of course, must be purged so that the light of truth, in the person of the "reformer," may once again shine out and guide the lost stumbling masses toward salvation, blah, blah, blah.