“Unadulterated faith in Christ would naturally entail love of His Church and avoidance of man-made sects.”
EXCUSE ME?? You mean the Catholic Church is NOT a man-made sect. If I recall my history correctly, the Roman Emperor Constantine wanted a unified system of religion to use for his statecraft. At that time there were a number of different branches of Christ believers. He basically said, get it together and come up with one Christianity for me to support politically. At Nicea after much arguing and counter-arguing the Nicean Creed was promulgated, making all other views heresies. After much fighting both intellectual and physical, the church at Constantinople succeeded in overcoming the very important alternative church at Alexandria. One result of this struggle was the move of some Alexandrian priests to Ethiopia where their form of Christianity has long persisted. Also the Coptic Christian Church followed by about 10% of Egyptians. Another result was the terrible, bloody destruction of the Albigensian heresy in southern France almost a thousand years later.
The ONE TRUE CHURCH was thus the MAN MADE result of a political decision made by a powerful man, the Emperor Constantine. This kind of ignorant pridefulness is just the kind of thing that enables someone like Sandusky or the pedophile priests to justify their behavior.
You wrote:
“EXCUSE ME?? You mean the Catholic Church is NOT a man-made sect.”
The Catholic Church is not a man-made sect. The Catholic Church was founded by Christ.
“If I recall my history correctly, the Roman Emperor Constantine wanted a unified system of religion to use for his statecraft.”
True, but the rest shows you do not recall history correctly:
“At that time there were a number of different branches of Christ believers.”
No. There was the Church and then there were sects of heretics or schismatics: Arians, for instance, did not believe in Jesus’ divinity; Donatists did not believe major sins could be forgiven after baptism.
“He basically said, get it together and come up with one Christianity for me to support politically. At Nicea after much arguing and counter-arguing the Nicean Creed was promulgated, making all other views heresies.”
No. The central belief of Arianism was ALWAYS a heresy. You cannot hold the belief Christ is NOT divine and be considered orthodox. Nicea merely defined that heresy and the orthodox doctrine.
“After much fighting both intellectual and physical, the church at Constantinople succeeded in overcoming the very important alternative church at Alexandria.”
False. It was, in fact, Alexandria which led the charge against Arianism. This effort was led by the great Catholic bishop of Alexandria, St. Athanasius. Again, you don’t know history.
“One result of this struggle was the move of some Alexandrian priests to Ethiopia where their form of Christianity has long persisted.”
Also, false. Christians already existed in Ethiopia. You are apparently confusing the rise of Coptic Christians (and Monophysitism) with Arians and Arianism. You’re off by a good century or two.
“Also the Coptic Christian Church followed by about 10% of Egyptians.”
Again, you are confusing the rise of Coptic Christians (and Monophysitism) with Arians and Arianism. Your history is a century or two off.
“Another result was the terrible, bloody destruction of the Albigensian heresy in southern France almost a thousand years later.”
Actually the destruction of the Albigensian heresy - which denied the Trinity, practiced ritual murder and undermined society - was a good thing. I’m not saying I like the fact that force was used, but I’m not losing sleep over it. The Albigensians, however, were violent and destabilized southern French society.
“The ONE TRUE CHURCH was thus the MAN MADE result of a political decision made by a powerful man, the Emperor Constantine.”
No. You present no facts to support that at all (which doesn’t surprise me). The Catholic Church existed BEFORE Constantine was born. Also, and you might not know this, Constantine did not even bother to make Christianity the official religion of the Empire. That happened 40 years after he died. Did you know that? Constantine did gain a great deal of control of a church - the Arian Church - which he championed AFTER Nicea since the Catholic Church rejected his attempts to control it.
“This kind of ignorant pridefulness is just the kind of thing that enables someone like Sandusky or the pedophile priests to justify their behavior.”
The pridefulness here is all yours. I am simply stating facts. You don’t seem to know what you’re talking about.