[Resettozero]

There was nothing else until the Luther split in the 1500s.

Except for the underground Christian Church that God has always kept. The same underground believers in Jesus Christ that Roman and other RCC rulers were putting to death in a variety of hideous ways. But, that's probably easy for some to forget.

[mountn man]

[vladimir998]

“Except for the underground Christian Church that God has always kept.”

There was no such Church. Even Protestant historians admit it: http://www.amazon.com/Baptist-Successionism-James-Edward-McGoldrick/dp/0810836815

[Mrs. Don-o]

I designed and presented a Lives of the Saints class for 11 weeks this past summer in my parish. It's hard to choose just a few from so many, but we did just 11 saints, from Irenaeus (2nd century) to John Henry Newman (19th century).

I was particularly interested in how they dealt with controversy, either within their own closest religious communities, or when dealing with erroneous movements like the Gnostics, the Donatists, and so forth.

I was looking for rational, patient, persistent approaches. I was looking for balanced people able to be reasoned with; strong for the truth; humble enough to be corrected. I found them!

One could write a History of the Catholic Churh based on crimes, just as one could write a History of the United States of America based on crimes. It would be stirring for those who enjoy the thrill of moral indignation; it would also be biased in a deeply damaging way. But I found it very restoring in mind, heartm, and spirit, to read history based on saints who, like Christ, were truly full of mercy, and would rather suffer than inflict suffering.