How do you know which church is truly the church of Jesus Christ?

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rjs1:
So you are saying that beliefs about thousands of life defining topics don’t matter, only belief concerning one topic defines whether any one of the thousands of denominations is the true Church.

What about:

abortion
marriage and divorce
euthanasia
baptism
the sacraments
heaven and hell
salvation
scripture
the intercesiion of the saints
the role of Mary
and many, many other issues of a life defining nature??

Don’t they matter? Of course they do.
Of course God has given us guidance on all these issues. And since the thousands of denominations have radically differing views on these issues we have to ask which is right.

Again, there is only one logical answer. The Church that traces its origin back to Jesus Christ Himself. The only Church that was not started by some human being centuries AFTER the time of Christ.
The Catholic Church.
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rjs1

Thank you, great post! It is concise and to the point. I liked this quote/question of yours “So you are saying that beliefs about thousands of life defining topics don’t matter?” That’s what I’ve been trying to explain. Different religions equal different beliefs. They can not all be right. Nobody has provided an answer to this question. Thanks for your reply.

Additionally, I’ve noticed the non-Catholic Christians who have responded to this thread are staying away from “The Bible was created by the Catholic Church” comment that I addressed in the first post on this thread. I would like to hear a protestant response to the “Bible Issue”.
 
The Catholic Church is the one true church, it is the Universal Church, all the rest of the denominations are just off-shoots of the Catholic Church.

Sara
 
sara888 said:
The Catholic Church is the one true church, it is the Universal Church, all the rest of the denominations are just off-shoots of the Catholic Church.

Sara
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Ditto
 
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AquinasXVI:
Dr. Kreeft came up with this one:

How can you squeeze INFALLABLE Bible juice from a FALLABLE Catholic orange?
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There are no perfect churches because we humans are a part of them and we sin. However, don’t confuse infallibility with impecability.

A crude Protestant came to understand the fact “Holy Father can still use the bathroom and miss the toilet seat and still be infallible!”

The answer is YES because he holds the same spiritual ranking as Peter who was the author of 1Peter and 2Peter in the Bible. It is only during the time that he communicates “ex-cathera” when he’s considered infallible.

In the meantime, the Holy Father still goes to confession - just like the rest of us.
As Christ promised, “the gates of hell shall not prevail”… Good thing… There’s a lot of hell around lately.

Blessings,

Joanie
 
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GodBlessJoanie:
There are 30,000 Christian and psuedo Christian organizations (per the IRS tax records) and ONLY ONE HOLY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Blessings,
Joanie
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I find it amazing that there are exactly 30,000 Christian religions at any given time. It is also amazing that people who use this quote do not include the RCC under “Christian religions”. Your statement is also pointless because…

There are 30,000 Christian and psuedo Christian organizations (per the IRS tax records) and ONLY ONE HOLY LUTHERAN CHURCH.

get my point?
 
UBERROGO,

If you were a “Christian” for the first 1500+ years after the life of Christ, you were a Catholic. Catholics of course, are “Christians”. In fact, they were the first “Christians. The reason, I believe Catholics refer to themselves as Catholics, or Roman Catholics and other Christians as “non-Catholic Christians” or “Protestants” is because by definition, that’s what they are. The Catholic Church was the first “Christian” religion. The Catholic Church gave us the Bible. All other “non-Catholic’, “Christian” religions share the same common “Protestant” theme and or belief, “protesting” the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church was first on the scene and everyone else followed. The Catholic Church is not protesting itself.

Google “LUTHERAN CHURCH” and you will discover that there is not “ONE HOLY LUTHERAN CHURCH”. There are many versions of the “Lutheran” religion. However there is only ONE holy Catholic and Apostolic Church and ONE Pope. Get my point?
 
You are missing the point that just because you write really big and in bold does not make your statement true. Neither does googleing something mean anything. My point was that you can just lump all Christian religions together, pull your own to the side and say “oh look mine is the only right way”. Doing that really proves nothing in the end.

I wasnt arguing for the Luteran side either, I was simply using it for an example (incidently I am not sure where you were going with your statements T.E.)

If you think that Protestants everywhere are still protesting the RCC then you need to wake up. Protestants arent as focused on the RCC as youd like to believe, they are actually ::GASP:: focused on Jesus!
 
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UBERROGO:
You are missing the point that just because you write really big and in bold does not make your statement true. It is tantamount to increasing your volume because your argument is failing. Neither does googleing something mean anything. My point was that you can just lump all Christian religions together, pull your own to the side and say “oh look mine is the only right way”. Doing that really proves nothing in the end.

I wasnt arguing for the Luteran side either, I was simply using it for an example (incidently I am not sure where you were going with your statements T.E.)

If you think that Protestants everywhere are still protesting the RCC then you need to wake up. Protestants arent as focused on the RCC as youd like to believe, they are actually ::GASP:: focused on Jesus!
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UBERROGO:
I find it amazing that there are exactly 30,000 Christian religions at any given time. It is also amazing that people who use this quote do not include the RCC under “Christian religions”. Your statement is also pointless because…

There are 30,000 Christian and psuedo Christian organizations (per the IRS tax records) and ONLY ONE HOLY LUTHERAN CHURCH.

get my point?
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Ironcially the Lutherns have different “sects” for lack of a better word. You can tell because all you have to do is ask “who’s the head of the Luthern Church” and most people have no clue…or their answers are different. The Lutheran Church is anything but ONE.

Ask anyone who’s head of the Roman Catholic Church and they can at least say “The POPE.”

Also, so name belong to a Church named after a mere mortal seems funny. I think I’d rather get my relgion from Christ himself.
Blessings,
Joanie
 
sara888 said:
The Catholic Church is the one true church, it is the Universal Church, all the rest of the denominations are just off-shoots of the Catholic Church.

Sara
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Actually, Dr. Scott Hahn PhD, who’s a convert from being a Presbyterian Minister, calls them the “breakaway Churches” in most of his books.
Blessings,
Joanie
 
If you were to read an unbias history of Christianity you will find that the Catholic Chruch of the first four centurys is not the same catholic church we have today
 
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UBERROGO:
You are missing the point that just because you write really big and in bold does not make your statement true. Neither does googleing something mean anything. My point was that you can just lump all Christian religions together, pull your own to the side and say “oh look mine is the only right way”. Doing that really proves nothing in the end.

I wasnt arguing for the Luteran side either, I was simply using it for an example (incidently I am not sure where you were going with your statements T.E.)

If you think that Protestants everywhere are still protesting the RCC then you need to wake up. Protestants arent as focused on the RCC as youd like to believe, they are actually ::GASP:: focused on Jesus!
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Read Post #18, #19 because you might end up included there.

I know that in the Gospels, a disciple complained to Jesus that SOMEBODY WHO WAS NOT A DISCIPLE WAS PREACHING IN JESUS’ NAME. Jesus said something like this to them, and I think he was angry, “NEXT TIME DO NOT STOP ANYBODY PREACHING IN MY NAME.” So that is how I look at these other christian churces.

But Jesus also said, that He wants that one day there will be just ONE FLOCK AND ONE SHEPHERD.

So what shall we do??? Split and split so that there will be many flocks and many chief shepherds???
 
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GodBlessJoanie:
Ironcially the Lutherns have different “sects” for lack of a better word. You can tell because all you have to do is ask “who’s the head of the Luthern Church” and most people have no clue…or their answers are different. The Lutheran Church is anything but ONE.

Ask anyone who’s head of the Roman Catholic Church and they can at least say “The POPE.”

Also, so name belong to a Church named after a mere mortal seems funny. I think I’d rather get my relgion from Christ himself.
Blessings,
Joanie
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Are you tring to make a point too or did you just not read my post?
 
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UBERROGO:
You are missing the point that just because you write really big and in bold does not make your statement true. Neither does googleing something mean anything. My point was that you can just lump all Christian religions together, pull your own to the side and say “oh look mine is the only right way”. Doing that really proves nothing in the end.

an example (incidently I am not sure where you were going with your statements T.E.)

If you think that Protestants everywhere are still protesting the RCC then you need to wake up. Protestants arent as focused on the RCC as youd like to believe, they are actually ::GASP:: focused on Jesus!
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UBERROGO
Hi, thanks for your post.
  1. The big bold letters used in my previous post were cut and pasted from your quotes.
  2. Go to post #1 and try and give me an answer to the “Bible question”.
  3. I know you weren’t arguing for the *Lutheran side and you were merely stating that as an example. However, my comment made regarding the "one holy **Lutheran *Church" could also be applied to “Baptists”, “Pentecostal” and most if not all of the other non-Catholic Christian religions. Why do you think that there is more than 30,000 other "Christian” religions?
  4. History, Apostolic secession and the formation of the bible prove that the Catholic Church is the one and only true church of Jesus Christ.
  5. Do you know how the word “protestant” or “protesting” applies to this discussion? When one states that a religion is “protestant” or “protesting” the Catholic Church, they are saying that the other non-Catholic religion(s), which followed Catholicism, disagree with the teachings, doctrine and authority of the Catholic Church.
Are you saying that you do not disagree with the Catholic Church? If you do disagree with Catholicism, then by using this religious definition of “protesting”, you are “protestant” in your beliefs. All non-Catholic Christian religions or followers are “focus” on the RCC, in the sense that their religion was not pluck out of thin air. Its foundation, history and core beliefs are based on a break from Catholicism and disagreements with Catholicism.

Depending on where your religion falls in history, your religion and beliefs also disagree and broke from other “Christian” religions after Catholicism. That is why there are 30,000+ different “Christian” religions. New religions spring up because at some point in time, a man /person decides that he knows more or has greater authority over the religion that preceded the one he started.

I can start my own religion. If I do, isn’t’ the burden of proof on me, the founder of my new religion, to prove that the previous beliefs are wrong? What would I base my proof on? Well, most who have tried to accomplish this, do so by using the bible that they received from the Catholic Church and in my opinion that is just insane.

I believe that the truth is the truth, no matter who is stating it. Anything that is true and good is true and good. Any truths espoused by other non-Catholic Christian religions are the truth but they represent the partial truth or partial truths. The Catholic Church represents complete truth and “all of the powers of hell will not prevail against it”.

There can only be one true Church. 30,000 different beliefs can not all be right. It is impossible for all of them to be right and possess the complete truth because they all have different beliefs. The Catholic religion possesses the complete truth.
 
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blackstone:
If you were to read an unbias history of Christianity you will find that the Catholic Chruch of the first four centurys is not the same catholic church we have today
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Hi blackstone and welcome to the Catholic Answer Forums and our discussions here. Thank you for your post. I don’t understand the point you are trying to make? Can you please provide some examples? Do you know what an Ecumenical Council is? There were many changes made in the early Church (First Century AD) before the formation of the Bible and while the Apostles were still alive. Many of Saint Paul’s letters were written for clarification and redress to help and define the beliefs of the early Church. One can find instances in the Bible were the Church “changed”. The issue of Gentiles and circumcision is one example that comes to mind. Does that mean that the entire Bible is flawed or wrong? Can you please elaborate? Are you saying that Ecumenical councils are wrong? It was a Catholic Ecumenical council that determined what writings constituted the Bible.
 
The Eurasian:
Luther was a FOUNDER.

Peter was not.
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Hi Eurasian, thank you for your post.

Martin Luther was a founder of what? Please tell me which “Lutheran” Church that exists today, is the church that Martin Luther “founded”? You are right; Saint Peter was not the “founder” of the Catholic Church, Jesus (God) was the “founder” of the Catholic Church.
 
Ok I’m back among the living… After a successful opening and a few more bugs here and there I’m almost back to normal. Amazing how much faster illness can catch up to you when you are overly tired but I digress…

Ok Jimmy B,

On the topic of the origins of scripture the way that I understand my churches position the Catholic church kept the Bible intact but also kept it equal or lower than tradition. Thus we see the Catholic church as keeping the Bible, just not using to the extent that we believe it should be. I know at my university (Fresno Pacific, a Mennonite Brethren School) there were courses on apocryphal scripture. Traditionally my church tends to center on the gospels (especially Luke) a the core of our teachings but from what I have seen Biblical teaching isn’t limited to the canon.

One other thing, calling every protestant and Anabaptist denomination a different religion is a bit inaccurate. We are all Christians foremost, Catholic, Presbyterian, Mennonite, or whatever should be second. Yes there are theological divisions but at the end of the day we worship the same God and put our faith in Jesus for our salvation.
 
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Shlemele:
Ok I’m back among the living… After a successful opening and a few more bugs here and there I’m almost back to normal. Amazing how much faster illness can catch up to you when you are overly tired but I digress…

Ok Jimmy B,

On the topic of the origins of scripture the way that I understand my churches position the Catholic church kept the Bible intact but also kept it equal or lower than tradition. Thus we see the Catholic church as keeping the Bible, just not using to the extent that we believe it should be. I know at my university (Fresno Pacific, a Mennonite Brethren School) there were courses on apocryphal scripture. Traditionally my church tends to center on the gospels (especially Luke) a the core of our teachings but from what I have seen Biblical teaching isn’t limited to the canon.

One other thing, calling every protestant and Anabaptist denomination a different religion is a bit inaccurate. We are all Christians foremost, Catholic, Presbyterian, Mennonite, or whatever should be second. Yes there are theological divisions but at the end of the day we worship the same God and put our faith in Jesus for our salvation.
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Shlemele,

Glad to see your back. I’m also glad you are felling better!
 
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blackstone:
If you were to read an unbias history of Christianity you will find that the Catholic Chruch of the first four centurys is not the same catholic church we have today
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I beg to differ. Where Peter is, there is the Church.
 
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