+Iustin Barnabas can you please elaborate on your comment? I'm cradle Catholic, but I didn't understand your comment about the first seven ecumenical councils. What do you mean? Jerusalem was the first, what was the second?

+Celegorm Feanorson Typically Jerusalem isn't counted among the Ecumenical Councils (although it certainly was). Here's a list of all 21 councils after Jerusalem. www.newadvent.org/library/almanac_14388a.htm

+avn rulz Caller was very sincere and full of knowledge. And he was continuing to search.

Denominations have arisen through dissension and schism. What Christ founded was one visible and hierarchical Church on Peter and the Apostles. There were no independent and autonomous denominations in the Apostolic age nor in the early centuries until the Oriental churches split after rejecting the definitions of the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. These churches recognize only the first three ecumenical councils. As the Father and Jesus are one, so our Lord intended his Church to be one in faith with his Vicar, the successor of Peter, as head in union with all the bishops who represent the college of the Apostles. Unfortunately, Satan has tried to destroy the Church through the machinations of contumacious bishops filled with the lust for power and authority.

Hi Alex: One needs to remember that the man history knows as 'Jesus of Nazareth' was born, raised, and died a practicing, observant Jew. Indeed, Jesus stated quite clearly (Matthew 5:17, Luke 22:37) that he had not come to abolish or breakaway from the Mosaic Law that was the basis of Judaism but, rather, had come to fulfill the law and was, in his person, that fulfillment. Jesus and his disciples never considered themselves anything but Jews, and remained observant Jews until they died or were put to death. The Jesus sect or movement within Judaism that Jesus inspired never contemplated separating from Judaism, but were forced to 'go it alone' when they were, in fact, expelled from Judaism several decades after Christ was crucified. When Jesus sent his disciples out to proclaim "repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations ... beginning from Jerusalem" (Luke 24:37), he sent them as Jews operating within the framework of Judaism." The process of Christianity emerging from Judaism as a separate religion did not really begin until well after Jesus, Peter and Paul had all been executed by the Romans, and it took a century or more to fully complete in practice. Of interest from a historical context is the fact that there were several bishops at work shepherding 'Christian Churches' in Rome long before Peter arrived, and well after he left to. It is anachronistic in the extreme to imagine Peter functioning anything like a modern pope because the emergence of the papacy as we think of it today was a process that took several centuries. Immediately following Jesus' crucifixion, it was his brother 'James the Just' who was the first leader of the sect Jesus had established. James, of course, was martyred in Jerusalem and it was at that point Peter emerged as the primary leader - the first among equals, as it were - of the Jesus sect whose members often referred to it as 'The Way.' Members of that Jesus sect were first called "Christians" in Antioch late in the first century by those outside the movement. Christians have no worry about Satan destroying the Church, whether by "contumacious bishops" (to use your term), apathy, or other means (e.g., ignorant representations of the gospel such as the so-called 'prosperity gospel') because Christ promised (Matthew 16:18) that "the gates of Hades will not prevail against it [the Church]." What is required for Christian unity is for all denominations to practice and proclaim in thought, word and deed the two 'great commandments' (Matthew 22:36-40 & Mark 12:28-31) that Christ declared essential for those seeking eternal life. Even if all denominations were to somehow 'unite' with the Roman Catholic Church, that would simply produce a 'Christian unity' in name alone. The disunity that blights Christendom is rooted in the fact that all members of all denominations of the 'Church militant' on earth "have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The flawed nature of human beings (attributed to 'original sin' in Christian theology) also produces disunity within the Roman Catholic Church. There will only be Christian unity when Christians themselves conform their lives to the example set by Christ, daily put into practice the two great commandments given by Christ, and open themselves to the transformation that Christ brings into the life of each one who repents of, and turns from, his or her sin. Jesus was at pains to stress there is no salvation without walking the way of cross in imitation of him (Matthew 10:38, 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23, 19:27), for "the Son of Man came to serve, not to be served" (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45) .

Much of what you say evades the main point. The Church Jesus founded is one, visible, and hierarchical, with a central teaching and ruling authority, which does not consist of thousands of independent denominations believing in different things. The Reformed Presbyterians, for instance, believe in the necessity of infant baptism, while the Baptists do not, etc. The idea that the Church is invisible or pneumatic is a Protestant rationalization. I suggest you study the Patristic Fathers on how they define the Church, which is in keeping with what is revealed in the NT Epistles and the Book of Acts.

"When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40) Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. If you do these two things, you will lead a life pleasing to God, and you will have nothing to fear on 'Judgement Day.'

Our unity is pleasing to God. The bible calls us to be in unity of mind with the Church as our foundation of truth. God bless you :)

That statement you made is absurd. There is only one Christian church, and it is the catholic one. Don't buy into that Mumbo jumbo you hear online. Read the church fathers they were the first Christians and practiced the same faith we do today. "Roman Paganism" "riches" "gold" ??? First off, the Catholic Church is the worlds largest provider of free education and free healthcare. The Catholic Church is so full of miracles, and there are missions to help others and spread the true faith. There is only one God that the church worships. None others. Reverence and respect and intercession and prayer is not the same as worship. Read revelations it says the prayers of saints are like incense to God. Don't turn away from the church God established.

+RapidCycling07 The idea behind Protestantism is that they are protesting the aspects of the Catholic church that they believe to be unbiblical. Protestants tend to believe that the Catholic church strayed in doctrine through the years. I, of course, say this as a protestant. Based on how I interpret the scriptures, I disagree with some of the Catholic beliefs. But I would agree that the Catholic church is the original church, founded by Chirst.

Hey rapid, The Catholic church teaches that persons baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are baptized into the Catholic church. This means, by definition, that protestants are Christian (which is exactly what the Church teaches). Protestants are simply not in full communion with the Church but that doesn't mean they are not Christian. This is important to avoid human nature of making divisions that are not healthy among brethren or healthy in creating unity.

Clarissa Packer You are so right in everything you have written here. The Catholics blatantly break the 1st and 2nd Commandment. I have a hard time believing what this gentlemen had said because I feel he doesn't know the Bible well enough to defend his belief. He tends to be quoting more of things found in the Catechism. This gentleman has no understanding, that the church of God is not a building or an institution, it is Jesus. Once we are born again, we are in Him. Read Ephesians chapter 1, and He is the head of the Church.

Clarissa Packer Just because we pray to the saints does not mean we commit idolatry, idolatry is committed by worshiping statues and other things related to that. We don't do that, we don't worship saints, we venerate them, and veneration is much different compared to worship which we reserve only for God. Our holidays may have similarities with pagan one, but that does not mean that it makes us pagan in any way. Regarding the less than saintly moments of the Church and bad popes you must remember that the sins of man do not equal Church doctrine, our doctrine is still sound and pure. Regarding Purgatory, you say it's a scam and that you can't buy your way into heaven, I know exactley that your referencing to the indulgence problem that Martin Luther revolted against. While some corrupt priests and other local churches and parishes may have taught this the Church itself never officially taught this and in fact condemned it, the guy who even taught this heretical notion of buying your way out of Purgatory and into heaven actually repented later in his life.

Miguel Bustillos My friend, what does it mean to be born again? Also, we don't deny that Christ is head of the Church, if we denied that we wouldn't be Christian, we are onky saying that Christ established the Church and built it upon Saint Peter, this is simply believing that Christ picked a leader and that he had successors. Also regarding your blatantly false statement about Catholics breaking the 1st and 2nd commandment is simply not true, we don't break the 1st commandment because we do not practice polytheism, and we dom't break the 2nd commandment because we don't make graven images.

This response from Joseph Ho shows the fruit of listening to anti-Catholic propaganda. I do not mind you disagreeing with what the Catholic church teaches, but please get it right! Don't say we believe this when we clearly don't. If you tune in to Catholic Answers and read books written by Catholic authors who faithfully represent what the Church teaches then the Lord can begin to reveal truth to you. 1Tim.3:15