Do you believe there is one true church?

[Ani_Ibi]

Traveller1534:

Many of you speak of schisms and such but isn’t the underlying truth here that many times the so called true church of Christ has fallen and fallen gravely??

You seem unsure. Perhaps you should consider what Jesus Himself said, that is that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church.

Traveller1534:

You can’t just sit there behind all of your self righteousness and pretend that no matter what happens, mother church will not and cannot be led astray.

This is just plain uninformed, discourteous, and unworthy of further response…

Traveller1534:

All of the many scandals over the centuries, the child sexual abuse, the coddling and protection of Nazi war criminals, the Spanish Inquisition and need I go on??

No need. You’ve amply demonstrated a complete lack of research coupled with some very strong opinions: an odd combination, to be sure.

 

[Traveller1534]

It’s your denial of the facts not mine. Call it a lack of reasearch or whatever you will, but the facts still remain about the Catholic church and its role in Nazism and the Spanish Inquisition.

 

[mark_a]

If the numbers are so many less than other churches, then show me who else has over a billion dollars in lawsuits pending for sexually abusing children???

Because lawyers go after the organization with the deep pockets.

 

[happygal]

No matter how much you claim that you beleive in the Eucharist it can only be a symbol in your church. The reason being that your “priests” do not have the authority of transubstantiation of the Eucharist. In your case and with all other “churches” the Eucharist will always be a symbol.

**Hi Efrain

You remarks were alittle unpolished. You were judging all protestant churches whom taking communion as the real body of Christ. Do remember judgement shall be upon you of your censure. Therefore i suggest you to be more humble for the glory of God.**

 

[teachccd]

I became Anglican because Anglicanism sticks to ancient traditions…

Such as ordaining gay bishops and women, both traditions of the early church…

 

[Contarini]

Such as ordaining gay bishops and women, both traditions of the early church…

You do not know that he is Episcopalian or member of another Anglican church that does these things.

Edwin

 

[MelanieAnne]

Some thoughts on this thread ~

1. Too many people today think that God needs to come to them, that they can pick and choose those things they like/dislike and “shop” for the religion that best fits their own ideas, where they are “comfortable”. They may be very nice, very good people, but they are wrong. A very wise friend once told me this ~ It is our job to adapt ourselves to God, not the other way around. This may be hard for the modern person to grasp, they may be very used to “doing their own thing”. This is the big exception to that habit!

Very often adapting to God means you make changes, not all of them “comfortable”. I have 3 words for you ~ “Get over it”. God is God, you are you. It’s your job to conform to God.

1. WE are the Church. ALL OF US. A few weirdos who exploit the goodwill and good intentions of the whole church do not make up the entirety of “the Church”. WE ALL are the Church. Mostly, the Church is made up of people who go to Mass and live their lives as best they can. The clergy is a tiny part of the Church. They’re important, of course, but they are not the entire Church. ALL OF US are the Church. And all of us sin, without exception. The fact that anyone sins doesn’t mean the Church is wrong, it means that we all sin and we all need to do better.

It is pointless to argue with those who want to batter the Church about either of these concepts. They are not fighting to learn, they are fighting just to fight. When they are ready to learn, they will not fight anymore. They will listen. But today, if you fight them just to fight, you waste your time and you become LIKE THEM. Don’t do that. It’s a bad idea.

Love, Melanie

 

[ASimpleSinner]

It’s your denial of the facts not mine. Call it a lack of reasearch or whatever you will, but the facts still remain about the Catholic church and its role in Nazism and the Spanish Inquisition.

I am almost enjoying this…

What role would that be again?

 

[Goth_Catholic]

I am almost enjoying this…

What role would that be again?

Ditto. This is amusing. But it being 2:30 in the morning with mass in a few hours, I may take that back.

 

[RNRobert]

This is so self righteous it makes me just about want to puke! I cannot for the life of me believe that Catholics can be so thick headed as to think that they are the only one and true church that Christ founded. Just because the name “Roman Catholic” has stood over the centuries certainly and positively doesn’t mean that the same beliefs and the same practices by the same ordained ministry by succession takes place even today. This is a total misconception of truth. The Catholic church has changed its position and changed its practices on many counts over the years. This total misrepresentation to the parishioners and the lies and deceitment is precisely why I left the Catholic church 4 years ago!

A response from the stupid question department:

If you are so nauseated with the Catholic Church, then why in the world are you wasting your time on a Catholic forum??? If you have problems with the church, fine- go ahead and leave- but why do you insist on coming here to air your grievances? If you are happy in whatever church you are in now, all well and good, but why must you come here and vent your rage against the Church? Are you hoping to “enlighten” some of us ‘poor, benighted Catholics?’ Or perhaps maybe you have doubts about leaving and are trying to justify your actions?

 

[guanophore]

well I guess you are in a state of extreme or should I call it magisterial denial about the travesties that MANY priests in your church have caused. If the numbers are so many less than other churches, then show me who else has over a billion dollars in lawsuits pending for sexually abusing children???

Is this why you left the Catholic Church, Traveller? Because you are scandalized by the fallen behavior of some of the members thereof? I don’t blame you for feeling that way, but getting back to the title of the thread…does sinfulness on the part of some members of the body invalidate what Christ created?

 

[Geocacher]

This Quandary is what has bugged me the most about life, and I do see this Mess were in, is something that has caused people to jump into the Evolution’s bandwagon, meaning that this mess makes it harder for people to believe in a God in the first place.

I have found difficulties in both the Catholic and Mormon Churches, but als some good in each. There are Truthes that are scattered among the many churches, and It is hard to see which is the best one for my spiritual advancement.

I have several times in the past, when I have felt well enough, where I was full of the spirit, where the Spirit dragged me to my sister’s LDS ward, and have really lit up with the spirit with the people there.

Seems to me, that the most important thing is to fast and pray, which chapel should I attend, since the spirit may direct a person to attend a place where they get the most (name removed by moderator)ut from the spirit and the members.

This is far from being easy to answer, that I could be completely off the mark here, but I find the best solution is not to worry which church, as so much, where do you want me to attend a church Lord, if you could reveal where you need me the most, that I can be the most effective spiritually, and in helping others on their spiritual path too.
Geoff

 

[Ani_Ibi]

RNRobert:

Are you hoping to “enlighten” some of us ‘poor, benighted Catholics?’

I hardly think that someone who would say the following is in a position to enlighten us:
Traveller:

This is so self righteous it makes me just about want to puke!

RNRobert:

Or perhaps maybe you have doubts about leaving and are trying to justify your actions?

Maybe treating folks in a rough manner is a way of gaining status in a peer group.

 

[Ani_Ibi]

Traveller1534:

It’s your denial of the facts not mine.

Do you have the facts? Yes or no please.

If yes then please set them out and provide evidence proving that they are facts and not fiction. Thank you.

Traveller1534:

Call it a lack of reasearch or whatever you will,

You have not provided evidence for your allegations. Therefore your allegations lack evidence. Duh! I don’t see the mystery in that statement.

Traveller1534:

but the facts still remain about the Catholic church and its role in Nazism and the Spanish Inquisition.

You are right. The facts do remain. But you have not demonstrated that you know what the facts are.

 

[Efrain]

The two questions aren’t exactly the same at all. I’m sure that probably most people will agree that it’s not God’s perfect will that there are so many splits in the Body, but this cannot be then taken to mean that there is only one true Christian Church.
Saying that the Catholic Church is therefore the one true Christian Church because of the historical continuity is, in my opinion, like saying determining the source of the Nile/length of the Nile is easy.
As has been expressed countless times, it all depends on what you believe the one holy and apostolic catholic church is. I don’t believe that God makes a distinction based on what building you’re in on a Sunday personally - he looks at the spirit of the person.

Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church. Throughout Christianity there had to be a means on earth to safeguard the Truth. That vehicle happens to be His Church, therefore necessary for her to be perpetual, for if at any time the Church would cease to exist, there would be a lack of the fullness of Truth. Who else kept intact the revelation of God throughout history? Certainly the Sacred Scripture is given to us so that we may believe, but in past 500 years hasn’t there been more factions and disagreements in the error of Sola Scriptura due to misunderstandings because of faulty interpretations?

Is Sacred Scripture alone enough for us to be as one? The Lord prayed to our Father that we may all be one so that the world may come to believe. The doctrine of Sola Scriptura is proven defective, certainly not all we need, therefore not the fullness of Truth. So I ask you how else will we be able to recieve the fullness of Truth, the revelation of God?

 

[teachccd]

You do not know that he is Episcopalian or member of another Anglican church that does these things.

Edwin

Women priests??

 

[Ani_Ibi]

jack hawkins:

Saying that the Catholic Church is therefore the one true Christian Church because of the historical continuity is, in my opinion, like saying determining the source of the Nile/length of the Nile is easy.

False analogy.
jack hawkins:

As has been expressed countless times, it all depends on what you believe the one holy and apostolic catholic church is.

Nope. Doesn’t matter how many times you espouse relativism; relativism is not the source of the Truth.

For any church other than the Catholic church to be the one holy and apostle catholic church, then Jesus would have to have abandonned us and left us orphans for 1400 years.

Did Jesus abandon us and leave us orphans for 1400 years? Look at the evidence. Hint: no.

Certainly the Sacred Scripture is given to us so that we may believe…

The Canon of the Bible was compiled in order to assist the Christian clergy to be ‘reading from the same page’ as it were because the Church had grown in such leaps and bounds that churches were now geographically distant from each other; peoples were having all sorts of disparate and incorrect ideas about what the Gospel meant; and oral teaching alone could not keep up with the growth of the Church.

 

[jmcrae]

Does God accept the catholic only and reject all others?

God (Jesus) only founded the Catholic Church, and no other. The remainder were founded by men and women who disagreed with something taught or done by the Catholic Church that Christ founded.

No matter how bad things ever get with the Catholic Church, Jesus will remain faithful to His promises that He made to His Church.

 

[distracted]

There is only One Chruch for all who have been baptized into His Body through His Holy Spirit.

The church is not an organization…but an organism…the living Body of Christ on earth…His witness and Presence in the world, His holy people, called from every nation, kindred, tongue and people, a royal prieshood, a holy nation found in every part of the earth.

Those who follow Him are bound together in His love.

The Church is a real presence…holy and invisible, but manifested in each local meeting, where two or three are gathered together in His name, He is there.

The scriptures are a witness of God’s dealing with humanity, they record how others have experienced Him in their lives and are a witness and guide, but the Inspirer is greater than the inspired, and still works among us guiding and teaching us Himself, just as He did in the days of the apostles…the only difference between our time and theirs is separated in time.

Right… And Protestants ARE part of the Catholic Church, whether they realize it or not…

 

[distracted]

This is so self righteous it makes me just about want to puke! I cannot for the life of me believe that Catholics can be so thick headed as to think that they are the only one and true church that Christ founded. Just because the name “Roman Catholic” has stood over the centuries certainly and positively doesn’t mean that the same beliefs and the same practices by the same ordained ministry by succession takes place even today. This is a total misconception of truth. The Catholic church has changed its position and changed its practices on many counts over the years. This total misrepresentation to the parishioners and the lies and deceitment is precisely why I left the Catholic church 4 years ago!

No doctrines or dogmas have been changed…
And if so many practices have changed (as u allege), why, in this radically different world (so different from the middle ages, etc.) aren’t priests allowed to be married? why can’t women be priests? Have things changed that much in the RC Church, really? I don’t think they have (although i don’t care 4 the changes of Vatican II)…
In any case, i think u should see a doctor… If reading someone’s opinion/comments… can make u so ill, you’re in sad shape… What is the meaning of that kind of wild reaction???