Expert: Brenda Martin - 4/5/2005

Question
Brenda no disrespect but you listed human traits not just Catholic traits.  In addition, are you denying Protestant faiths grew out of Catholicism? Didn't King Henry start the Anglican church because he wanted a divorce, didn't Martin Luther post the 95 thesis, didn't John Calvin begin the reformation?  Are you familiar with the books of Paul and Romans in the New Testament? Are you familiar with feeding Christians to the lions in Rome? Are you familiar with the Edict of Milan? Are you familiar with the Byzantine Emprire, Are you familiar with the Great Schism? To add to your list you forgot "IMPERIALISM".  Are you aware the America's were founded on Chrisitan beliefs?  Repeating my question, "How does a Catholic/Christian basher provide a critique which contradicts the historic truth? NOTE Besides the New Testament not much else is known about Jesus Christ.  As far as I know all Catholic/Christian faiths accept the New Testamanet.
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Followup To
Question -
When considering the 2000 years of church history, the foundation of nations on Christianity, and the derivation of Protestant and Semi-Christian religions.  Why would the bashing exist?  Or how does a critic balance historical significance which contradicts their argument? In other words, for a person born in the US and raised under the Christian doctrine, to say Christianity is wrong is equivalent to saying the US is also wrong.  It is painfully obvious the US was founded on Christianity, so I will not go into details, but the very fabric of religion is embedded into every American.  Does a critic say my parents were wrong, grandparents were wrong, my country is wrong, my beliefs are wrong and yet exist because they were born in a country where their parent's beliefs were instilled in them?
Answer -
Hi Abe, you asked--"WHY DOES CATHOLIC BASHING EXIST?"

1. Aids among clergy
2. Bloodguilt
3. Concordats with Hitler.
4. Crusades
5. Disunity
6. Homosexuality among clergy
7. Inquisition
8. Lawsuits over child abuse by clergy.
9. Occultism growing.

Add to that, their unscriptural teachings of —

1. Apostolic succession
2. Celibacy
3. Birth control
4. Confession
5. Confirmation
6. Image veneration
7. Limbo
8. Purgatory
9. Trinity
10. Peter first Pope.


To mention but a few reasons, why the Catholic Church comes in for "bashing", they in no way resemble "Christianity" as established by Jesus Christ.

All the best
Brenda


Answer
Hi Abe, you said--"YOU LISTED HUMAN TRAITS NOT JUST CATHOLIC TRAITS".

True, not just Catholics have homosexuals etc. many professing "Christians" practice these things, so they are also wrong and come in line for criticism.

"ARE YOU DENYING PROTESTANT FAITHS GREW OUT OF CATHOLICISM?"

No of course not, although various Protestant groups broke free from the papal authority of Rome, they carried over some of the basic flaws of the Roman Catholic Church, features that resulted from the abandonment of true Christianity. For example, although the governing of the Protestant churches varied somewhat, the basic division of the church into a dominating clergy class and a subjugated laity was retained. Also retained were unscriptural doctrines such as the Trinity, the immortal soul, and eternal torment after death. And like the Roman Church, the Protestant churches continued to be part of the world, being closely involved with the political systems and the elite ruling classes.

"ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE BOOKS OF PAUL AND ROMANS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT?"

I should be, I have read them now for over 30 years.

"ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH FEEDING CHRISTIANS TO THE LIONS IN ROME?"

Yes TRUE Christians (not catholics) were fed to the lions.  

"ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE EDICT OF MILAN?"

Yes, in  313 C.E., Constantine arranged a partnership with Emperor Licinius, ruler of the eastern provinces. By means of the Edict of Milan, together they granted freedom of worship and equal rights to all religious groups. Many historians, however, downplay the significance of this document, saying that it was just a routine official letter and not a major imperial document signaling a change of policy toward Christianity.

"ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE BYZANTINE EMPRIRE"

In 395 C.E., when Theodosius I died, the Roman Empire was officially divided in two. The Eastern, or Byzantine, Empire had its capital at Constantinople (formerly Byzantium, now Istanbul), and the Western Empire had its capital (after 402 C.E.) at Ravenna, Italy. As a result, Christendom became divided politically and also religiously.  

"ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE GREAT SCHISM?"

It was not until 1123 C.E. that the first so-called Ecumenical Council was held in Rome. But by then the “great schism” had taken place between Rome and the Eastern churches, the first split having occurred in 867 C.E., and the final schism in 1054. So, from a strictly historical standpoint, no truly ecumenical or universal council was ever held in Rome.

History testifies that with the organization of the Papacy after A.D. 440 the great schism between the Latin and the Greek parts of the Roman world began to develop. Up to this time the church in the West, centered at Rome, and the church in the East, with headquarters in Byzantium, were one church. But there were certain basic differences which made for confusion. Racially, socially, linguistically, mentally, morally and philosophically there were deep gulfs between the two. The East was Greek in blood and in speech; the West was Latin. The conflict deepened between the East and West.

"THE AMERICA'S WERE FOUNDED ON CHRISTIAN BELIEFS?"

What do Christendom's early centuries reveal? At the inception of Christianity, there were two ways available to those espousing that unpopular faith—hold to the uncompromising teachings and principles of Christ and the Scriptures or gravitate toward the wide and easygoing path of compromise with the world of that time. The history of the first 400 years shows which path the majority eventually chose.

The "Americas" like everywhere else, were founded on church doctrine, the "Christian beliefs" Jesus taught, were long gone. With the alliance of religion and political power sealed by Roman emperor Constantine, the spiritual, doctrinal, and moral condition of Christendom plummeted. Many historians agree that “the triumph of the Church during the fourth century” was, from the Christian point of view, “a disaster.” ‘Christendom lost her high moral level' and accepted many practices and philosophies from paganism, such as “the cult of Mary” and the adoration of the “saints,” as well as the concept of the Trinity.

"BESIDES THE NEW TESTAMENT NOT MUCH ELSE IS KNOWN ABOUT JESUS CHRIST".

Not quite correct, although references to Jesus Christ by early secular historians are meager, such references do exist. Cornelius Tacitus, a respected first-century Roman historian, wrote: “The name [Christian] is derived from Christ, whom the procurator Pontius Pilate had executed in the reign of Tiberius.” Suetonius and Pliny the Younger, other Roman writers of the time, also referred to Christ. In addition, Flavius Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, wrote of James, whom he identified as “the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ.”

The New Encyclopædia Britannica thus concludes: “These independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time and on inadequate grounds at the end of the 18th, during the 19th, and at the beginning of the 20th centuries.”

" ALL CATHOLIC/CHRISTIAN FAITHS ACCEPT THE NEW TESTAMENT"

There is a big difference in saying they, "accept the NT" it is quite another to actually live by it as Jesus and the Early Christians did. As the bible says; "Only those DOING the will of God will live forever"

All the best
Brenda