Best proofs that the Catholic Church is the church of the Bible

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How do we prove that our Catholic Church is really the church described by the Bible?

I am almost sure this has been asked before, but I didn’t find the corresponding thread, sorry.

So, what are the best list of proofs, best websites, best articles, best expertly written books, and the best short answers which shows that the Catholic Church is the one true Church of Jesus Christ described in the bible?
 
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Sayanz:
How do we prove that our Catholic Church is really the church described by the Bible?
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By tradition taught by early Christians. By an unbroken line of spiritual primates assigned by Jesus and given the keys to the Kingdom of heaven by him.
Through Sacred Scripture and the Sacred Tradition of the Church that enables the Catholic Church to properly understand God’s word.
Through the Sacraments that are God’s presence in our lives. By the fact that the Catholic Church is the ONLY Church founded by Jesus Christ.
 
See the thread on the “hunt for the fourth cup” – an article by Scott Hahn.

This article is so good for several reasons, and one point he makes along the way – which is a very good point in favor of the Catholic Church and its Eucharistic liturgy – is that we “must eat the Lamb” The point being, where else can you eat the Lamb except in the Catholic Church which teaches that very point.

catholic.com/thisrock/1991/9109fea1.asp
 
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FightingFat:
By tradition taught by early Christians. By an unbroken line of spiritual primates assigned by Jesus and given the keys to the Kingdom of heaven by him.
Through Sacred Scripture and the Sacred Tradition of the Church that enables the Catholic Church to properly understand God’s word.
Through the Sacraments that are God’s presence in our lives. By the fact that the Catholic Church is the ONLY Church founded by Jesus Christ.
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I can’t get MOST of your links to work 😦
 
Thanks so much for those who replied. These are very useful information and links indeed.
 

The One true Church, and how to recognize it.​

Use this guideline as a measure…

*It was founded by Jesus Christ Himself in Mt 16:18.
*It would be built on Simon Peter, Mt 16:18.
*It would be defended by GOD Himself, Mt 16:18-19.
*It would have authority given by Jesus Christ, Mt 16:19,18:17-18.
*It would be guided by the Holy Spirit who will dwell within it, Jn 14:15-17, Act 15:28,16:6.
*It would be one and undivided, Mk 3:24-25.
*It would have one fold and one shepherd, Jn 10:16.
*It would have Priests, Bishops, and Deacons, 1Tim 3:1-13.
*It must have the Holy Eucharist celebration, Jn 6:42-70, Act 2:42.
*It must be found in all nations, Mt 28:19.
*It must be found in all centuries, Mt 28:20.
*Jesus Christ said He would be with His Church every day, in every year, until the end of the world, Mt 28:20. This means no gaps in time.

Examine your Church to see if it meets ALL of these requirements.
It must NOT have a human person founder.
It must have a continuous history going back over 1950 years.

(taken from here:home.inreach.com/bstanley/truech.htm

also see here:
home.inreach.com/bstanley/how.htm

AND

here:
home.inreach.com/bstanley/index.htm
 
Thanks. How about books?

I read Rome Sweet Home by Scott Hahn and was convinced. Are there other books such as this?
 
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Sayanz:
Thanks. How about books?
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I would avoid things that try to ‘convince’ and go more for things that enlighten.
🙂

I really enjoyed reading this. It is simple, positive and intelligent and offers real insight into the Gospel stories.

Also, I would really recommend anything by John Paul II. For example:-

Crossing the threshold of hope.

On the relationship between faith and reason.

I have found that reading the Holy Fathers words has enspired me imeasurably. He was an incredible man.

I would also say that reading the Bible is incredibly moving in this regard; especially the Gospels. Sometimes we forget just how unique a person Christ was and reading the Gospel really reminds you of his intuitive teaching, his gentleness and enormous love and his huge and incredible sacrifice. In reading and re-reading the New Testament, I am confronted starkly by my Lord and Saviour. The experience is very humbling and I find it hard not to see the authority of our beloved Church reflected directly in his words. It seems inescapable.
 
That was beautiful, Fighting Fat. Those were great words of wisdom. Yes, as Benedict XVI said in the opening message of his encyclical our religion is about meeting a person, more than an ethical choice…
It is something to be meditated on endlessly.

But some people need “proofs”, they need convincing, I think. I think that is the reason why St. Thomas wrote the Summa Contra Gentiles, and the popes their encyclicals…

Anyway, indeed we need to meditate more on the person of our Lord and his words. I agree…
 
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Sayanz:
That was beautiful, Fighting Fat. Those were great words of wisdom. Yes, as Benedict XVI said in the opening message of his encyclical our religion is about meeting a person, more than an ethical choice…
It is something to be meditated on endlessly.
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Thank you, I agree! 🙂
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Sayanz:
But some people need “proofs”, they need convincing, I think. I think that is the reason why St. Thomas wrote the Summa Contra Gentiles, and the popes their encyclicals…
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Yes, this is true. But I have found that we do not really need ‘truths’, what I mean to say is that I have found that left unmolested, most Catholics find the Magesterium comforting, an anchor if you like. The need for appologetics has been driven by attacks from other Christian groups. I have especially experienced this myself and find it incredibly sad. The internal feuding can only weaken Christianity. I have found that the Papacy and the Vatican seem to broadly ignore this and address our humanity and spirituality at a much more important and fundemental level. I see much of these appologetic arguments as pointless semantic bickering- much more of man than of God. But yes, I have to say it is essential that we Catholics do have answers to this questions, if only to convince our antagonists that we have a carefully considered wisdom regarding our beliefs and are not simply automatans.
 
In the final analysis, as Benedict XVI himself kept on saying, even before he became Pope, the best proof are the saints. I specially love this passage from The Beauty and the Truth of Christ written by the then Cardinal Ratzinger:

Nothing can bring us into close contact with the beauty of Christ himself other than the world of beauty created by faith and light that shines out from the faces of the saints, through whom his own light becomes visible.

Well, that’s [Deus Caritas Est](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(name removed by moderator)) in a nutshell.
 
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Sayanz:
How do we prove that our Catholic Church is really the church described by the Bible?

I am almost sure this has been asked before, but I didn’t find the corresponding thread, sorry.

So, what are the best list of proofs, best websites, best articles, best expertly written books, and the best short answers which shows that the Catholic Church is the one true Church of Jesus Christ described in the bible?
Click to expand...

If this could be proved, we would not need faith, or be Christians - or else, Christianity would be a philosophy, and not a religion.​

If it were a philosophy, one could become Christian only on condition of being of a philosophical turn of mind. It would no longer be catholic, universal.

And we don’t need God to be made man, in order to have a philosophy. ##
 
40.png
Sayanz:
How do we prove that our Catholic Church is really the church described by the Bible?

I am almost sure this has been asked before, but I didn’t find the corresponding thread, sorry.

So, what are the best list of proofs, best websites, best articles, best expertly written books, and the best short answers which shows that the Catholic Church is the one true Church of Jesus Christ described in the bible?
Click to expand...
The best information that we have, does not show a discontinuity of the biblical Church at any given point in time.
 
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JSmitty2005:

The One true Church, and how to recognize it.​

Use this guideline as a measure…

*It was founded by Jesus Christ Himself in Mt 16:18.
*It would be built on Simon Peter, Mt 16:18.
*It would be defended by GOD Himself, Mt 16:18-19.
*It would have authority given by Jesus Christ, Mt 16:19,18:17-18.
*It would be guided by the Holy Spirit who will dwell within it, Jn 14:15-17, Act 15:28,16:6.
*It would be one and undivided, Mk 3:24-25.
*It would have one fold and one shepherd, Jn 10:16.
*It would have Priests, Bishops, and Deacons, 1Tim 3:1-13.
*It must have the Holy Eucharist celebration, Jn 6:42-70, Act 2:42.
*It must be found in all nations, Mt 28:19.
*It must be found in all centuries, Mt 28:20.
*Jesus Christ said He would be with His Church every day, in every year, until the end of the world, Mt 28:20. This means no gaps in time.

Examine your Church to see if it meets ALL of these requirements.
It must NOT have a human person founder.
It must have a continuous history going back over 1950 years.

(taken from here:home.inreach.com/bstanley/truech.htm

also see here:
home.inreach.com/bstanley/how.htm

AND

here:
home.inreach.com/bstanley/index.htm
Click to expand...
Great list, and I see you’ve included 1Tim 3:1-13…Wouldn’t hurt to go a verse or two more, 1 Tim 3:15 (J.B.) “that is, in the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe”. [pillar of truth; bulwark of truth - depending on translation] May I suggest this to be describing the Catholic Church, otherwise you would need to find an untruth in its doctrine for this not to be so.
 
Faith is the only reason, nothing else.

I believe that one must believe–that is it. (HEAR THEN SEE)

I am not sure, but I believe that St. Thomas Aquinas would say that we must believe and then our agruments help our faith. He would say, I think, that our silly little argument are not the reasons why we believe.

Luther produced the greatest irony in history: Only faith. Then he decided on his own what books should be in the Bible. He did scholarship and choice to make a list of books for the Bible. NOT FAITH, but human choice. To this day, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod does not have a official list of books in the Bible. How many other Christians gatherings do the same?

Well, just a thought.

I am a Roman Catholic would needs lots of practice.

As St. John of the Cross would say—GOD IS BEAUTIFUL.
 
I suppose quoting the Catechism can help us resolve the usefulness of proofs.

*156 What moves us to believe is not the fact that revealed truths appear as true and intelligible in the light of our natural reason: we believe “because of the authority of God himself who reveals them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived”. *

Yes, our faith is based on God and his gift. But, after saying that, it talks about “external proofs”.

*So “that the submission of our faith might nevertheless be in accordance with reason, God willed that external proofs of his Revelation should be joined to the internal helps of the Holy Spirit.” *

What are these?

*Thus the miracles of Christ and the saints, prophecies, the Church’s growth and holiness, and her fruitfulness and stability “are the most certain signs of divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence of all”; they are “motives of credibility” (motiva credibilitatis), which show that the assent of faith is “by no means a blind impulse of the mind”.
*

So making a list of these best proofs might still be a good way of helping people who do not have the faith decide that the Catholic Church is “believable” and those who already have the faith decide to be more fervent…
 
And that’s suppose to be complemented by:
*
158 “Faith seeks understanding”: it is intrinsic to faith that a believer desires to know better the One in whom he has put his faith, and to understand better what He has revealed; a more penetrating knowledge will in turn call forth a greater faith, increasingly set afire by love. *
 
When I fell in love with my wife, I wanted to know everything about her, including her past, and her family.

Why shouldn’t my love for Christ bring out this same desire, or of course, a far greater desire, to read the Bible, and to study the Church?!?

Notworthy
 
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