Were the first christians mormons or catholics?

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Mormons claim that Jesus did establish his true church while he was here on Earth, and that church included the true doctrine of God. Then, they believe, shortly after the apostles died, the church fell away from God (the great apostasy), and God therefore took away all priesthood authority on earth and restored it with Joseph Smith. They believe that the Catholic church is the continuation of the false church. If this is true, is there any evidence of the early church (approximately 30 AD to 130 AD) practicing and believing Mormon doctrine such as baptism for the dead, celestial marriage, the idea that God has a physical body, the idea that man can become gods, etc.?

It just seems clear to me that if Jesus did found a church with Mormon doctrine before the apostasy, then we would see it in history, but I can’t find any evidence.
 
If the Mormon church existed in the first century, why did they feel a need to write their own bible many centuries in the future. Seems a bit contradictory to me.
 
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They are completely different beliefs. Starting with God the father. One has nothing to do with the other.
 
Could say same for jehovah witnesses and others, they all have the common belief in an apostasy that never happened
you are right about early Christian church history, there is no evidence of Mormon doctrine, it is catholic doctrine that the 1st century Bishops wrote so convincingly about.
 
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The Mormon Church did not exist before 1830. There is no evidence of it ever existing in the early Church because it didn’t exist.

Also, In order to counter the Mormon claim, you should ask them exactly when the church did fall away, because the canon of the Bible wasn’t even settled until 382 AD in the council of Rome. This bible had 73 books in total (the same as the Catholic Bible today).

Furthermore, the Mormon Church uses the King James Version of the Protestant Bible (66 books) which didn’t exist until the year 1611. (The bear bible published in 1569, the 1st Protestant Bible, also had 73 books in it, and it wasn’t until later that the deuterocanonicals were removed). If the Catholic Bible was in circulation until Martin Luther came around during the Reformation then when exactly did the church fall away? My point with all of this, is that if the Mormon Church is going to use the King James as their definitive version of the “correct” bible then it would appear that at the very least the Catholic Church didn’t “fall away” until at a very minimum until 1569 when the canon of the bible was starting to be questioned.

All that being said, if Christ’s Church did actually fall away in the Early Church, and Mormonism didn’t exist until 1830, then why are they using a schismatic church’s bible as their Old and New Testament Canon from an already fallen away Church…and if they were to say the Catholic Church fell away sometime in between 382 - 1611 AD then why don’t they have the 73 books of the Catholic Bible?

Its all a nonsensical argument to me in the 1st place, and that’s not even getting into Mormon theology, which has a whole host of other problems as well. Mainly because even the Old and New Testament excluding the 7 books contradict their own theology.
 
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I thought the first “church” consisted of people known as Jewish Christians, and they met and worshiped in people’s homes rather than in synagogues. This is in keeping with Jewish worship even today, which considers the home a holy place, the kitchen table an altar for prayer containing lighted candles and bread to usher in the Sabbath.
 
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Well, Mormonism didn’t exist in the 1st Century, so it could not have been the Mormons.
 
Regarding the “great apostasy”, which contradicts Christ Himself who said that the gates of hell “would not prevail” against His Church (in Mathew16), I ask:
  1. Who?
  2. What?
  3. When?
  4. Where?
  5. Why?
  6. How?
There is no answer forthcoming. Only stammering or that “true believer” stare.
 
The first Church, was the Church that Christ established, they called themselves Christians (and yes, they were Jewish because the 1st Christians were Jesus’ disciples who were also Jewish). In that time, that were persecuted by many groups including the Jewish People, the Romans, etc.

Christians didn’t worship in synagogues because the synagogues were the Jewish places of worship.

About your third point, I can neither confirm nor deny what Jewish people thought back then, but what I do know is that the writings of the Early Church Fathers carried out the same service that the Roman Catholic Church Does today. It may have looked different and evolved, but it was always centered around the Eucharist, which the Catholic Church practices every single time a mass is said. The reason: Jesus told us to repeat the last supper when he established the priesthood as the same service.

So yes, the 1st Church was made of Jewish Christians, who were part of a Catholic (universal) Church because Jesus intended to have one unified Church for everyone. The Apostles and writings of the Early Church Fathers confirm that the modern day Roman Catholic Church still practices what the twelve Apostles handed down namely the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist in the Mass.
 
Jstanford1026 said:
is there any evidence of the early church (approximately 30 AD to 130 AD) practicing and believing Mormon doctrine
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No. Just the opposite.

Ignatius of Antioch wrote during the 1st century. He knew the Apostle John, who was still alive in his lifetime. His letters don’t say anything like Mormon beliefs. But they do agree totally with Orthodox / Catholic doctrine.
 
It is a religion based on claimed revelations by an angel no one had heard of, transcribed onto mystical/mythical plates which no one ever saw, and in a language that was unknown - and still is.

It fundamentally changed the nature of God by denying Christ’s eternal divinity and claims that God had physical sexual relations with Mary to produce Jesus. It authorized the men to have as many women as they wanted.

Rather than a denial of the self, it teaches the indulgence of the self - at least for men. Other than how it has been spread, there are several eerie parallels with Islam.

What is wrong with this picture?
 
Don’t forget Satan is also Gods son and Jesus brother in their faith.
God the father was a man who took it from other Gods and became a God - he did not create the universe and today its believed he lives on a planet called Kolob and has a wife and children.

It is far from resembling or even being close to any christian theology - Joseph Smith basically rewrote everything to the point it no longer resembles Christianity in anyway.
 
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ColoradoCatholic said:
Christians didn’t worship in synagogues because the synagogues
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Actually, according to the Catholic Sentinel, David Anders and others, they did for several decades until they were expelled. There is an interesting piece here;

in the letters of St. Paul, the realization gradually emerged that they were expanding the traditional Jewish monotheism so as to encompass the person of Jesus. The Jewish Synod of Jamnia, probably in the mid-80s of the 1st century, was responsible for excommunicating the Christians/Nazarenes from mainstream Judaism

 
I find it really hard to believe they preformed the Mass inside the synagogues. I am under the impression that they were preaching etc. there, but not preforming the Holy Sacrifice.

The Jewish non-Christians would have been scandalized by that type of practice inside the synagogue.

Also there is literally 0% evidence that the council of Jamnia ever took place. Some Protestant denominations point to it to justify their Bibles (66 books) however when you read the actual cited document it in no way even points to a council of any kind. Its just several Rabbis talking about whether or not Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes were inspired, the word Jamnia is nowhere to be found in the entire text. Its a false argument with the intent to push a narrative. Don’t take my word for it though read the text yourself.
 
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ColoradoCatholic said:
Also, In order to counter the Mormon claim, you should ask them exactly when the church did fall away, because the canon of the Bible wasn’t even settled until 382 AD in the council of Rome. This bible had 73 books in total (the same as the Catholic Bible today).
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And good luck getting an answer from an individual. I have not studied any of their documentation, so I don’t know if someone somewhere stated exactly where that apostasy occurred, but when you ask an individual, you are likely (if not guaranteed) that the conversation will change.
 
Jstanford1026 said:
is there any evidence of the early church (approximately 30 AD to 130 AD) practicing and believing Mormon doctrine such as baptism for the dead, celestial marriage, the idea that God has a physical body, the idea that man can become gods, etc.?
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No.

1234567890
 
The first Christians were Jews & Greeks. The doctrine wasn’t set in stone. Belief was in the Life, death & Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism, Communion, & Baptism of theHoly Spirit. The first Seven churches were new. A few strange ideas popped up. That’s where Paul wrote to them to correct their errors. We have Purgatory. We are to pray for the souls in Purgatory.
Mormonism wasn’t even thought of. The Baptist’s popped up next. They were called the Anspedibaptists. The division was infant Baptism. Martin Luther was a Catholic monk. He had issues w certain church actions. He gave up, as they ignored him. He posted 99 Theses-on the door of the Cathedral in Worms
Then, King Henry w his divorce left Catholicism. The Anglican/Episcopalian Church was born.
Calvin w Presbyterianism. Wesley had Methodism. Then, there is a Protestant free for all. Mormonism
1820- Joseph Smith & the angel Maroni -Mormonism. Islam is 700 yrs old.
Anything similar was taken by Smith from Catholicism.
God is! The Last Supper is a command. The Catholic doctrine comes from Jesus’s messages.He is present in our COMMUNION!
Google. EUCHARISTIC MIRACLES.
In Christ’s Love
Tweedlealice
 
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