Posted on 05/18/2015 6:05:47 PM PDT by Old Yeller
For years, growing up as a Roman Catholic, we were taught that we were members of the one true church. It was impressed upon us regularly by the parish priest during Mass while giving his homily; by the nuns all throughout my Catholic parochial school years of second through seventh grade.
It was impressed upon us during our preparation to receive for the first time the sacraments of Penance, Communion and Confirmation. And while attending CCD classes all the way through high school. (CCD is the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, an association established at Rome in 1562 for the purpose of giving religious education, normally designed for children.)
It was an established fact that we understood and we never questioned the validity of it. And to be honest, it was a matter of pride, that we were privileged enough to be members of the correct church, while all others had belonged to something else that didn’t quite measure up to the status of the Roman Catholic Church.
After all, how could it be possible that Roman Catholicism is not the one true church?
Look at what Rome has to offer: It has the priests, the nuns; the bishops; the cardinals; and of course, the Pope. They have the Sacraments; the statues; the holy water; the incense; the Stations of the Cross; the Eucharist - in which Chris supposedly physically manifests Himself into the wafer after the consecration by the priest during the Mass; the Marian apparitions—which appear mainly to Roman Catholics.
And they have the Vatican, where the Vicar of Christ (who they believe is Christ’s representative on earth), governs the faithful and makes infallible proclamations and doctrine. How can this not be the one true church? No other organization on the face of the earth comes close to offering to its flock what Rome provides for its faithful.
But, of course, to be true, one must adhere to what has been established as truth and not teach or practice what is contrary to the truth. We read in Scripture a few passages that declare what is truth and what is not. Jesus proclaimed in John 14:6:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.”
Ah, but the Anglicans have the music.
IMHO.
As a LAtin Rite Catholic (the term “Roman Catholic” was coined to sow distrust), I dismiss anything claiming that “the Roman Catholic Church is the One Tru Church”. For starters, there are Eastern Rite Catholic Churches that are as “Catholic” as the Latin Rite.
See # 22; the Catholic Church survived in the East even as Rome fell.
The Pope & Church are preserving the institution of marriage and the sanctity of life; many other “Christian” denominations have folded on both.
the following was written in 99AD by Clement, who was ordained by Peter himself - he describing a Church that is well established and faithfully doing as the Lord instructed since His Ascension. Thus the Roman Church continued the work of the apostles. BTW, all of the quotes, notes and comments are from the protestant Christian Classics Ethereal Library. www.ccel.org
CLEMENT OF ROME
Introductory Note to the First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
[a.d. 30–100.] Clement was probably a Gentile and a Roman. He seems to have been at Philippi with St. Paul (a.d. 57)... A co-presbyter with Linus and Cletus, he succeeded them in the government of the Roman Church...Clement fell asleep, probably soon after he dispatched his letter. Few details are known about Clement’s life. According to Tertullian, Clement was consecrated by Saint Peter,[2] and he is known to have been a leading member of the church in Rome in the late 1st century. Early church lists place him as the second or third[1][3] bishop of Rome after Saint Peter...he was executed by being tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea.[1]
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ii.ii.xlii.html
Chapter XLII.—The order of ministers in the Church.
The apostles have preached the Gospel to us from178 the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ [has done so] from179 God. Christ therefore was sent forth by God, and the apostles by Christ. Both these appointments,180 then, were made in an orderly way, according to the will of God. Having therefore received their orders, and being fully assured by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and established181 in the word of God, with full assurance of the Holy Ghost, they went forth proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand. And thus preaching through countries and cities, they appointed the first-fruits [of their labours], having first proved them by the Spirit,182 to be bishops and deacons of those who should afterwards believe. Nor was this any new thing, since indeed many ages before it was written concerning bishops and deacons. For thus saith the Scripture in a certain place, “I will appoint their bishops183 in righteousness, and their deacons184 in faith.”185
Chapter XLIII.—Moses of old stilled the contention which arose concerning the priestly dignity.
And what wonder is it if those in Christ who were entrusted with such a duty by God, appointed those [ministers] before mentioned, when the blessed Moses also, “a faithful servant in all his house,”186 noted down in the sacred books all the injunctions which were given him, and when the other prophets also followed him, bearing witness with one consent to the ordinances which he had appointed? For, when rivalry arose concerning the priesthood, and the tribes were contending among themselves as to which of them should be adorned with that glorious title, he commanded the twelve princes of the tribes to bring him their rods, each one being inscribed with the name187 of the tribe. And he took them and bound them [together], and sealed them with the rings of the princes of the tribes, and laid them up in the tabernacle of witness on the table of God. And having shut the doors of the tabernacle, he sealed the keys, as he had done the rods, and said to them, Men and brethren, the tribe whose rod shall blossom has God chosen to fulfil the office of the priesthood, and to minister unto Him. And when the morning was come, he assembled all Israel, six hundred thousand men, and showed the seals to the princes of the tribes, and opened the tabernacle of witness, and brought forth the rods. And the rod of Aaron was found not only to have blossomed, but to bear fruit upon it.188 What think ye, beloved? Did not Moses know beforehand that this would happen? Undoubtedly he knew; but he acted thus, that there might be no sedition in Israel, and that 17 the name of the true and only God might be glorified; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Chapter XLIV.—The ordinances of the apostles, that there might be no contention respecting the priestly office.
Our apostles also knew, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and there would be strife on account of the office189 of the episcopate. For this reason, therefore, inasmuch as they had obtained a perfect fore-knowledge of this, they appointed those [ministers] already mentioned, and afterwards gave instructions,190 that when these should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed them in their ministry. We are of opinion, therefore, that those appointed by them,191 or afterwards by other eminent men, with the consent of the whole Church, and who have blamelessly served the flock of Christ in a humble, peaceable, and disinterested spirit, and have for a long time possessed the good opinion of all, cannot be justly dismissed from the ministry. For our sin will not be small, if we eject from the episcopate192 those who have blamelessly and holily fulfilled its duties.193 Blessed are those presbyters who, having finished their course before now, have obtained a fruitful and perfect departure [from this world]; for they have no fear lest any one deprive them of the place now appointed them. But we see that ye have removed some men of excellent behaviour from the ministry, which they fulfilled blamelessly and with honour.
AMDG
This not about grace or rapture or any of that rot. It’s about ONE truth that Christ taught, a Commission given strictly to Peter and his successors, and was founded on One Church. That Petrine authority that assembled the books in the Bible did not fly out of the window eleven centuries later with the curse of the Reformation of 1517 that has provided us with 30, 000 different and conflicting sects of Protestantism from David Koresh to Billy Graham and everything in between.
Apparently, by your lights, every Tom, Dick, and Harry, and Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the Moonies, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Rapturers,and every two-bit neighborhood pastor of the local Foursquare Church can crack open the pages the Bible and offer there “own” interpretations of the Bible.
This is possible only because there are large shoals of fish that swim in shallow theological waters ready for easy bait.
Before you attack Catholicism, perhaps you may like to really ask why a universe of serious intellectuals from every religion, atheists included, and every discipline of science and arts who after careful study and examination have CONVERTED to Catholicism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_converts_to_Catholicism
The ONE TRUE CHURCH is an organism, not an organization.
It is comprised of all born again believers in Jesus, throughout the church age. Those who are new creatures in Christ, and are now part of His body, His Bride.
Oh noes!! Where, pray tell, did you read about this???
>Ex cathedra meaning “On the Throne,” in various classical languages.
Absolutely Untrue.
it means literally “from the chair”, a theological term which signifies authoritative teaching and is more particularly applied to the definitions given by the Roman pontiff. Originally the name of the seat occupied by a professor or a bishop, cathedra was used later on to denote the magisterium, or teaching authority. The phrase ex cathedra occurs in the writings of the medieval theologians, and more frequently in the discussions which arose after the Reformation in regard to the papal prerogatives.
AMDG
What is this “good sir” language? I identify as female but mainly because science, a field dominated by those who’ve won life’s lottery, can’t change my DNA. Each year as a pre-voter that I competed in the smallbore Whistler Boy match at Camp Perry, I passed out copious literature about why we need a Whistler Cisgender match. And damn your #patriarchy!
Could the fact that Mary was STILL ALIVE have something to do with it?
Spoken to the church at CORINTH, not ROME.
BTW:
Show me where in the New Testament Jesus tells the apostles and disciples to write a “New Testament,” and that these writings are to be the ONLY source of truth for believers.
Indeed, the Anglicans produced some of the great music of the Christian faith through hymn writers such as Joseph Barnby ("O Perfect Love"), John Dykes ( "Holy, Holy, Holy," "Eternal Father, Strong to Save") and Arthur Sullivan ("Onward, Christian Soldiers").
But in my opinion, the Methodists have the best music. Methodist hymn writers include Lelia Morris ("The Stranger of Galilee," "Nearer, Still Nearer," "What If It Were Today?"), Charles Gabriel ("He Is So Precious to Me," "Lord, Like the Publican I Stand"), William Kirkpatrick ("Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah," "Lead Me to Calvary," Daniel Towner ("The Old Ship of Zion"), Fanny Crosby ("Blessed Assurance," "Near the Cross") and many others.
The same Church that through Petrine authority confirmed the true Word of God in its assembly of the canonical texts after researching for over 200 years, hundreds of texts, cross-checked against the received oral tradition.
Whatever Church that does not believe in Petrine authority is an unvarnished heresy. I suggest you read the book by the renowned essayist Hillaire Belloc, “The Great Heresies.”
I’ll go with St. Ignatius of Antioch.
As early as 110 A.D., not even fifteen years after the book of Revelation was written, while on his way to execution St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote:
“Where the bishop is present, let the congregation gather, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church”. The Church believes that when the bishops speak as teachers, Christ speaks; for he said to them: “He who hears you, hears me; and he who rejects you, rejects me” (Lk 10, 16).
Here are just three examples that we can all agree are far more knowledgeable on the subject than the contrarians here. We can all agree these are not shallow or the low-IQ Christians who believe in Rapture, the Moonies, Joel Osteen and that crowd.
1. Ulf Ekman, the founder of Scandinavia’s biggest Bible school, with a congregation of some 4000 individuals, converted to Catholicism because his theological inquiry confirmed for him the indispensability of the Catholic sacraments.
2. Francis J. Beckwith, a “born-again” evangelical, a tenured professor at Baptist-affiliated Baylor University in Waco, Tex, was the president of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), an association of 4,300 Protestant theologians resigned and joined the Catholic Church.
3. Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, was a pre-eminent Lutheran theologian in America. He knew his Bible-text and history like no other Protestant having taught and written extensively on the subject. When he converted to Catholicism he said, “I have long believed that the Roman Catholic Church is the fullest expression of the church of Christ through time.”
Keep your eye on the ball- the enemy is not of this world, but principalities of the air....their their servants are Muslims, Homosexuals, and Democrats.
Just go down to the library of any theology department of any major university and you’d find shelves of library books on Petrine authority.
Oh, if you doubt Petrine authority, you must also doubt the accuracy of the books assembled as the canonical texts established in the Synod of Rome in AD 382.
And, oh, you must then think that every Tom, Dick, and Harry, and David Koresh and Jim Jones have a claim to split open the pages of the Bible and each may definitely offer their “own” interpretations.
And oh, you must then think Christ taught many truths and established many Churches each contradicting one another.
yeah, it’s true...there was no-one else for about 1,600 years until the revolution...then there were thousands of wannabees, none of which ever made much sense.
That is a total misinterpretation of that scripture it that Jesus was the Christ that the church is built upon not Peter
All of this sanctimonious back biting is unseemly, surely your bible says something about it.
“grassfed, organic local cow tail)”
Did a Catholic or Protestant raise that cow?
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