Where were all the TRUE Christians (TM) for 1500 years?

[johnshelby]

soccerDad:

Wow, where do you folks live? There are no Catholic churches with these recreational amenities here in Virginia. There are a few catholic schools with small gyms though. Sorry I’m off topic now.

St. Patricks, Robertsdale, Alabama… lol

and we also have a Catholic school that has a gym…

and as for the topic of discussion here, the reformers of the
early protestant church, knew where the christians were for
the first 1500 years… they were in the Catholic church…

 

[RENMom]

soccerDad:

Wow, where do you folks live? There are no Catholic churches with these recreational amenities here in Virginia. There are a few catholic schools with small gyms though. Sorry I’m off topic now.

I live in St. Louis which is heavily Catholic. Just about everyone who isn’t Catholic has Catholic relatives or used to be Catholic. Almost all the Parishes have decent sized school with nice amenities. I know the Parish where we play soccer has a nicer gym than our public school which is down the road.

 

[RENMom]

E.E.N.S.:

Why are you not Catholic?

Well if you must know, I’m one of those pesky agnostics. I used to be Lutheran but realized historically it makes no sense and honestly fundamentalism really turned me off Christianity altogether. If I ever went back to Christianity, I would have no choice but to be Catholic but I’m still undecided.

Please no one bite.

 

[ComradeAndrei]

Some protestants like to claim that they were the various heretics (Arians, Nestorians, Albigensians etc.) because some of these heretical groups were supposedly “Bible-believing” Christians and the big bad Catholic Church killed them all off and then started a smear campaign to make them look bad.

Just take a look at history and you can see how lame of an explanation that is.

 

[zian]

Well if you must know, I’m one of those pesky agnostics. I used to be Lutheran but realized historically it makes no sense and honestly fundamentalism really turned me off Christianity altogether. If I ever went back to Christianity, I would have no choice but to be Catholic but I’m still undecided.

Please no one bite.

There are plenty of good books you can find recommended in many of these posts and on this site. Be gentle and patient and earnest with yourself, brother. Understanding is a journey. We will all pray for you.

 

[AquinasXVI]

Ken Hensley’s conversion story brought up a very striking point: if the Christians after Constantine became wholesale “corrupt” as many protestants believe, why was there no debate, no massive civil war (among those who called themselves True Christians) and no reformation at that point?

My contention is that the catholics then are the same as the catholics now: some are cafeteria, many on the agnostic side and many orthodox. It wasn’t ever -Pure Christians vs. Pure Heretics. But we all have a tendency to view history in such black and white pictures. This is where Hillare Belloc come into the picture. He insist that we are the same people in different times. That we should resist looking at the past as one big movie that all lines are clear.

If we can agree that every person is a sinner but set up to strive for sanctity, then we can see a picture of the past that of course some catholics were terrible and some catholics were very holy but the terrible catholics in no shape or fashion change the fact that Christ built his church on Peter and will be with it till the closing of the age (time).

in XT.