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| Altar - The Catholic Church |
Why Catholics Are Right!
One thing that is evident among Catholics is their belief of "to believe is to see" rather than "to see is to believe". This is one distinct difference between believing faith-based Catholics whose faith is centered on all Jesus Christ's teachings and what He had passed on to His Apostles (written and non-written oral traditions) and the non-Catholics who will only believe what their eyes can see and read in the bible. Anything they can't find and read from the bible to them is unbiblical and from the devil.
28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God"
Churches that do not believe in the divinity of
Jesus Christ will never teach their flock about this and will always omit in
their readings to avoid refuting their own teachings. Verse 28 is the true belief of the doubting Apostle
Thomas who finally believed that Jesus Christ is truly his Lord and his
God.
29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have
believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet they believed."
Non-Catholics are doubting Thomases and will
only believe in Jesus as God when they see Him as God. The risk they have to
take is unfathomable as only after death will they see who Jesus really is. And
if they are not under God's favor and grace they will be thrown into the
everlasting lake of fire. Please visit "Protestants Accepted
Jesus' Divinity"
30 Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of his disciples, which
are not written in this book.
For some non-Catholics man-founded churches unless
they see or read these other signs in the bible they will never believe.
31 But
these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God: and that believing, you may have life in his name.
What good it is to believe on things because your
eyes can see them and yet your heart cannot feel?
[John
20:28-31]
One thing they don't realize is that because of their human interpretation devoid of inspiration from the Holy Spirit of the Holy Bible according they are committing errors upon errors which they cannot see and therefore will never admit. However, they are fast and vocal on whatever they deem are faulty teachings of the Catholic Church.
Silent Crusader
Excerpt From: Catholic Answers To Protestant Objections
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St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican, Rome
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Objection:
The
Catholic Church is not founded by Jesus Christ, the Emperor Constantine was the
one who founded the Church of Rome thus its foundation and origin is paganism
and not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Answer:
The premise that the foundation of the
Catholic Church is paganism can only be true if it is indeed founded by the
emperor Constantine. However this is not the case even before the birth of
Emperor Constantine the Catholic Church already existed. As a matter of fact
this great pagan emperor converted to Christianity on his deathbed and was
baptize as a Catholic.
Constantine became the emperor of Rome from 306 A.D until his death on 337 A.D, all the emperors before him scorned Christianity and persecuted each and every followers of Christ from the laity, the priests and the bishops. Constantine was the 1st Roman emperor to support Christianity and become Christian. From the time of Constantine, Christianity became the Roman religion.
Constantine became the emperor of Rome from 306 A.D until his death on 337 A.D, all the emperors before him scorned Christianity and persecuted each and every followers of Christ from the laity, the priests and the bishops. Constantine was the 1st Roman emperor to support Christianity and become Christian. From the time of Constantine, Christianity became the Roman religion.
[1] If the emperor Constantine was the
founder of the Catholic Church then it would be superfluous for him to convert
to the religion that he himself founded. However, Constantine converted to
Christianity which logically would imply that Christianity (Catholic Church)
already existed even before Constantine was born.
Furthermore, Constantine issued the edict of Milan which gave Christianity legal status in the empire. At the end of the fourth century, in the year 380, Christianity became the official state religion of the Roman Empire.
Furthermore, Constantine issued the edict of Milan which gave Christianity legal status in the empire. At the end of the fourth century, in the year 380, Christianity became the official state religion of the Roman Empire.
[2] Prior to the edict of Milan Christians
in Rome cannot publicly and freely practice their religion for the fear of
being persecuted and killed like what the previous emperors did. Therefore,
even before Constantine became an emperor and issued the edict of Milan the
Catholic Church already existed and was being persecuted for hundreds of years.
The idea that the founder of the Catholic Church is Emperor Constantine is
baseless and no iota of historical proof will ever support it.
300 hundred
years prior to the birth of Constantine a Catholic bishop already spoke of the
existence of the Catholic Church and this bishop was even martyred in Rome! St.
Ignatius bishop of Antioch explicitly mentions the Catholic Church on his
letter to the Smyrnaeans, this faithful bishop wrote; “Wherever the bishop
appears, let the people be there, just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is
the Catholic Church.”
[3] St. Ignatius of Antioch was compelled to
call the Church that Jesus Christ founded “Catholic” “in order to separate
itself from the various heretical groups and sects, the ancient church began
calling itself “Catholic.” This title underscored both its universality and the
inclusiveness of the witness on which it stood. It was the church according to
the whole, that is, according to the total witness of all the apostles.”
[4] Emperor Constantine cannot be the
founder of the Catholic Church because even before his birth the Catholic
Church already exists and this Church and the Church that Jesus Christ founded
in 33 A.D (Mt.16:17-19) are one and the same. Aside from St. Ignatius of Antioch
another faithful bishop also called the Church that Jesus Christ founded as the
Catholic Church. St. Polycarp in his letters to various Christian communities
attests that the Catholic Church and the Church that Jesus Christ founded are
one and the same. St. Polycarp wrote; “The Church of God which sojourns in
Smyrna, to the Church of God which sojourns in Philomelium, and to all the
dioceses of the holy and Catholic Church in every place: May mercy, peace, and
love of God the Father and of our Lord Jesus Christ be given to you in
abundance.”
[5] These are just a few statements coming
from the early Church Fathers which prove that the Catholic Church already
exists even before the time of Emperor Constantine. Logically it follows that
emperor Constantine cannot be the founder of the Catholic Church, it is
inconceivable to admit that emperor Constantine is the founder of the Catholic
Church even without an iota of historical proof. Sadly, Protestants are willing
to accept any baseless claims against the Catholic Church even if it cannot be
proven historically and biblically. A person or people who claim to be
following Christ must also know how to accept the truth even if they are not
amendable to it, and this is the truth that Emperor Constantine is not the
founder of the Catholic Church nor its origin is paganism. The sole founder of
the Catholic Church is Jesus Christ when he said to Peter “Though art Peter and
upon this rock I will build my Church” (Mt.16:17-19). Out of desperation and
ignorance of history Protestants use this claim in order to dismiss the divine
origin of the Catholic Church but a close reading of history it can be proven
that their claim is false and inaccurate.
[3] St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to
Smyrnaeans 8:2, William A. Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Church Fathers
Vol.1, p.25, (2010)
[5] The Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp 155/157
A.D, William A. Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Church Fathers, p. 30, (2010)
Vatican City - Center of Christianity (Click here)
Did Jesus Founded The Catholic Church? (Click here)
Vatican City - Center of Christianity (Click here)
Did Jesus Founded The Catholic Church? (Click here)
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