Replies

We need to remember why the reformers left Rome.

Amen!

I became a Christian after the reformation - centuries after. I go by the word of God and my relationship with him through prayer and his answers rather than my knowledge of the history of any man-made church.

But the article was interesting and I buy into all six quite readily.

They were global warming deniers ;)

As a former catholic, I invite one and all to leave what liberalism has wrought and re-find your faith without the middle man, tithes and Democrat party donating.

The choice is yours.

Bfl.

No offense but the debates about this here are mostly pointless as they devolve into snipe to be correctedcontests.

Each side feels the other is unorthodox and until Christ returns there’s going to be division. Of course share beliefs and help questioning people, but this kind of thing here usually just makes the trenches deeper.

Very good article.

The shorter version of this article is that Rome must,

1) Renounce Matthew 16:18

2) Renounce Ephesians 2:8-9

3) Renounce John 19:25-27, Luke 1:48, Revelation 12:1

4) Renounce all of the following

5) and 6) Turn surrender monkey, send out some reparation checks, apologize for burning people hundreds of years ago, when Protestants also burned people, and confirm error.

We need to remember why the reformers left Rome.

More precisely, why did they seem to have to wait 1500 years?

If the Church was so very bad, one would THINK that
--the Reformation might have happened sooner;
--some other Catholic (European) priests would have begun the process of separation;
--there would be ONE or even TEN Protestant denominations instead of 30,000+ different Protestant denominations in the world, divided among 1.6 billion Christians:
--that there wouldn't be 1.6 billion Catholics in the world
--that those 1.6 billion Catholics wouldn't be united in one faith, one doctrine, one denomination, under ONE Pope, from an unbroken line of popes, beginning with St. Peter, who received the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Luther received no keys. Do you really think that 30,000 different Protestant (protesting no more) is what Jesus had in mind?

Here are some of the Protestant denominations that were on the Internet, the list garnered by Protestants themselves.

Protestant denominations:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations_by_number_of_members

Estimates of the total number of Protestants are very uncertain, partly because of the difficulty in determining which denominations should be placed in the category. It seems however clear that Protestantism is the second largest major group of Christians after Catholicism by number of followers. Often that number is put at 800 million.
Some sources, which put the number at 800 million, include also Anglicanism within Protestantism. However, Protestant denominations in the world differ vastly to slightly theologically and do not form a single communion.

Historical Protestantism - 300-400 million

Baptist churches - 75-105 million
1. Southern Baptist Convention - 15.7 million
2. National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. - 8.5 million
3. National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. - 3.1 million
4. Nigerian Baptist Convention - 2.5 million
5. Progressive National Baptist Convention - 2.5 million
6. Baptist General Convention of Texas - 2.3 million
7. Baptist Union of Uganda - 1.5 million
8. American Baptist Churches USA - 1.4 million
9. Brazilian Baptist Convention - 1.3 million
10. Baptist Bible Fellowship International - 1.2 million

11. Baptist Community of the Congo River - 1 million
12. National Primitive Baptist Convention of the U.S.A. - 1 million
13. National Missionary Baptist Convention of America - 1 million
14. Myanmar Baptist Convention - 0.9 million
15. Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches - 0.8 million
16. Korea Baptist Convention - 0.8 million
18. Baptist Convention of Kenya - 0.8 million
19. Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India - 0.6 million
20. Cooperative Baptist Fellowship - 0.5 million

21. Nagaland Baptist Church Council - 0.5 million
22. Baptist Convention in Tanzania - 0.5 million
23. Orissa Evangelical Baptist Crusade - 0.5 million
24. Baptist General Association of Virginia - 0.5 million
25. National Baptist Convention (Brazil) - 0.4 million
26. Church of Christ in Congo–Baptist Community of Congo - 0.4 million
27. Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches - 0.3
28. American Baptist Association - 0.3 million
29. Union of Baptist Churches in Rwanda - 0.3 million
30. Association of Baptist Churches in Rwanda - 0.3 million

31. Garo Baptist Convention - 0.2 million
32. Baptist Community of Western Congo - 0.2 million
33. Baptist Missionary Association of America - 0.2 million
34. Conservative Baptist Association of America - 0.2 million
35. National Association of Free Will Baptists - 0.2 million
36. Canadian Baptist Ministries - 0.2 million
37. National Baptist Convention of Mexico - 0.2 million
38. Manipur Baptist Convention - 0.2 million[15]
39. Convention of Baptist Churches of the Northern Circars - 0.2 million
40. Baptist Community in Central Africa - 0.2 million
41. Baptist Convention of Malawi - 0.2 million

Lutheranism - 65-90 million
42. Evangelical Church in Germany - 24.5 million
43. Church of Sweden - 6.5 million
44. Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus - 6.4 million
45. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania - 5.8 million
46. United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India - 4.5 million
47. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - 4.5 million
48. Church of Denmark - 4.4 million
49. Batak Christian Protestant Church - 4.2 million
50. Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland - 4.1 million

51. Church of Norway - 3.8 million
52. Malagasy Lutheran Church - 3.0 million
53. Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod - 2.2 million
54. The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria - 2.2 million
55. Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea - 0.9 million
56. Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil - 0.7 million
57. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia - 0.7 million
58. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa - 0.6 million
59. Christian Protestant Church in Indonesia - 0.6 million
60. Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia - 0.4 million

61. Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod - 0.4 million
62. Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in
63. Slovakia - 0.4 million
64. The Indonesian Protestant Church - 0.4 million
65. The Protestant Christian Church - 0.4 million
66. Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria - 0.3 million
67. Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon - 0.2 million
68. Church of Iceland - 0.2 million
69. Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil - 0.2 million
70. Simalungun Protestant Christian Church - 0.2 million

71. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe - 0.2 million
71. Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia - 0.2 million
72. Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary - 0.2 million
74. Protestant Church of Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine - 0.2 million
75. The Lutheran Council of Great Britain - 0.2 million
76. Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church - 0.2 million
77. Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ - 0.2 million
78. North American Lutheran Church - 0.2 million

Reformed churches - 55-85 million[11][32][33]
Presbyterianism - 40-50 million

79. Presbyterian Church of East Africa - 4.0 million
80. Presbyterian Church of Nigeria - 3.8 million
81. Presbyterian Church of Africa - 3.4 million
82. Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong) - 3.0 million
83. The Presbyterian Church of Korea (TongHap) - 2.9 million
84. United Church of Canada - 2.8 million
85. Church of Christ in Congo–Presbyterian Community of Congo - 2.5 million
86. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) - 1.8 million
87. Presbyterian Church of Cameroon - 1.8 million
88. Presbyterian Church of India - 1.3 million
89. Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian - 1.3 million
90. Church of Scotland - 1.1 million

91. Presbyterian Church of Brazil - 1.0 million
92. Presbyterian Church in Sudan - 1.0 million
93. Presbyterian Church in Cameroon - 0.7 million
94. Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDongBoSu II.) - 0.7 million
95. Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDongChunTong) - 0.6 million
96. Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana - 0.6 million]
97. United Church of Christ in the Philippines - 0.5 million
98. Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa - 0.5 million
99. Presbyterian Church in America - 0.4 million
100. Presbyterian Church of Pakistan - 0.4 million

101. Korean Presbyterian Church - 0.4 million
102. Presbyterian Church in Korea (Koshin) - 0.4 million
103. Presbyterian Church in Ireland - 0.3 million
104. Uniting Church in Australia - 0.3 million
105. Presbyterian Church in Rwanda - 0.3 million
106. Presbyterian Church in Taiwan - 0.3 million
107. Continental Reformed churches - 20-30 million
108. Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar - 3.5 million
109. Protestant Church in Indonesia - 3.1 million
110. United Church of Zambia - 3.0 million

111. Protestant Church in the Netherlands - 2.5 million
112. Evangelical Church of Cameroon - 2.5 million
113. Swiss Reformed Church - 2.4 million
114. Protestant Evangelical Church in Timor - 2.0 million
115. Dutch Reformed Church - 1.1 million
116. Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa - 0.7 million
117. United Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands - 0.6 million
118. Protestant Church in Western Indonesia - 0.6 million
119. Evangelical Christian Church in Tanah Papua - 0.6 million
120. Protestant Church in the Moluccas - 0.6 million

121. Reformed Church in Hungary - 0.6 million
122. Reformed Church in Romania - 0.6 million
123. Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa - 0.5 million
124. Toraja Church - 0.4 million
125. Reformed Church of France - 0.4 million
126. Lesotho Evangelical Church - 0.3 million
127. Evangelical Christian Church in Halmahera - 0.3 million
128. Evangelical Reformed Church in Angola - 0.3 million
129. Christian Church of Sumba - 0.3 million
130. Karo Batak Protestant Church - 0.3 million

131. Reformed Church in America - 0.3 million
132. Christian Reformed Church in North America - 0.3 million
133. Christian Reformed Church of Nigeria - 0.3 million
134. Reformed Church in Zambia - 0.3 million
135. Kalimantan Evangelical Church - 0.2 million
136. Javanese Christian Churches - 0.2 million
137. Indonesia Christian Church - 0.2 million
138. hurch of Christ in the Sudan Among the Tiv - 0.2 million
139. Church of Lippe - 0.2 million
140. Evangelical Church of Congo - 0.2 million

141. Evangelical Church of Gabon - 0.2 million
142. Christian Evangelical Church of Sangihe Talaud - 0.2 million
143. Central Sulawesi Christian Church - 0.2 million
144. Evangelical Reformed Church in Bavaria and Northwestern Germany - 0.2 million

Congregationalism - 5 million
145. United Church of Christ - 1.2 million br>146. Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola - 0.9 million
147. United Congregational Church of Southern Africa - 0.5 million

Methodism - 30-80 million
148. United Methodist Church - 12 million
149. African Methodist Episcopal Church - 2.5 million
150. Methodist Church Nigeria - 2 million
151. Church of the Nazarene - 2 million
152. Methodist Church of Southern Africa - 1.7 million
153. Korean Methodist Church - 1.5 million
154. African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church - 1.5 million
155. The Salvation Army - 1.4 million
156. United Methodist Church of Ivory Coast - 1 million
157. Free Methodist Church - 0.9 million
158. Christian Methodist Episcopal Church - 0.9 million
159. Methodist Church Ghana - 0.8 million
160. Methodist Church in India - 0.6 million

161. Methodist Church in Kenya - 0.5 million
162. Wesleyan Church - 0.4 million
163. Evangelical Free Church of America - 0.4 million
164. Methodist Church of Great Britain - 0.3 million
165. Methodist Church in Brazil - 0.2 million
166. Anabaptism and Schwarzenau Brethren - 3.5 million
167. Schwarzenau Brethren/German Baptist groups - 1.5 million
168. Mennonites - 1.7 million
169. Amish - 0.25 million
170. Hutterites - 0.05 million

170. Hussites - 1 million
171. Moravians - 0.825 million
172. Czechoslovak Hussite Church - 0.14 million
173. Unity of the Brethren - 0.035 million
174. Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) - 0.4 million

Modern Protestantism - 400-500 million
175. Pentecostalism - 280 million
176. Assemblies of God - 65 million
177. Fangcheng Fellowship - 12 million
178. International Circle of Faith - 11 million
179. China Gospel Fellowship - 10 million
180. Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) - 9 million

181. International Church of the Foursquare Gospel - 8 million
182. Church of God in Christ - 6.5 million
183. Apostolic Church - 6 million
184. Jesus is Lord Church - 6 million
185. International Pentecostal Holiness Church - 4 million
186. United Pentecostal Church International - 4 million
187. The Pentecostal Mission - 2.5 million
188. Christian Congregation of Brazil - 2.5 million
189. True Jesus Church - 2.5 million
190. Church of Pentecost - 2.1 million

191. Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - 2 million
192. Pentecostal Assemblies of the World - 1.5 million
193. Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa - 1.2 million
194. Church of God of Prophecy - 1.5 million
195. Association of Pentecostal Churches of Rwanda - 1 million
196. God is Love Pentecostal Church - 0.8 million

Nondenominational evangelicalism - 80 million
197. Calvary Chapel - 25 million
198. Born Again Movement - 3 million
199. Association of Vineyard Churches - 15 million
200. Christian and Missionary Alliance - 4 million
201. Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) - 1.2 million

African initiated Protestant churches - 60 million
201. Zion Christian Church - 15 million
203. Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim - 10 million
204. Kimbanguist Church - 5.5 million
205. Church of the Lord (Aladura) - 3.6 million
206. Council of African Instituted Churches - 3 million
207. Church of Christ Light of the Holy Spirit - 1.4 million
208. African Church of the Holy Spirit - 0.7 million
209. African Israel Church Nineveh - 0.5 million
210. Seventh-day Adventist Church - 17 million
211. New Apostolic Church - 10 million

Chinese-originated and Chinese Independent Churches – 10 million
Groups listed have origins in the Lord's Recovery movement associated with Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. The Shouters are an offshoot of the Local Churches considered a dangerous sect by the Chinese government; due to the extremely decentralized nature of both groups, there is controversy over which house churches should be actually considered part of each. Eastern Lightning, which is in turn an offshoot of The Shouters, is very hierarchical (in contrast to its predecessors) and teaches that Christ has already returned as a woman named Lightning Deng.
Local Churches – between 1 and 10 million
213. Eastern Lightning – 1 million
214. The Shouters – unknown, probably less than 1 million
215. Restoration Movement - 7 million
216. Churches of Christ - 5 million

Christian churches and churches of Christ - 1.1 million
217. Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) - 0.7 million
218. Community of Disciples of Christ in Congo - 0.7 million
219. Plymouth Brethren - 1 million

=============================================

Chinese churches in the U.S.A. are offshoots of Protestant denominations, VERY specific to local Chinese populations.

Rome had asserted itself as the true church for centuries, and continues to do so today.

Here we see the dishonesty of Protestant polemics in trying to reduce the world-wide Catholic Church to merely that of Rome. The Catholic Church comprises 1.2 billion members (roughly half of all Christians) and is spread throughout the world. Since the Reformation there have been three church councils which were attended by bishops from all around the world.

In putting himself in the place of head of the church, the pope has set himself in the place of Christ. But Jesus Christ alone is the head of the true church.

It is Jesus Christ himself who proclaimed that Simon is Peter, the Rock, on which he will build his church.

Furthermore, Scripture affirms that Peter was not a pope, nor was any such office instituted.

There is no such statement in the Bible.

It’s doubtful [Peter] ever went to Rome to lead any church.

The testimony of the early church, from which we get the New Testament itself, testifies otherwise.

There is only one way in which depraved humanity can stand acceptable to God: justification by faith alone in the Person and finished work of Christ alone.

What we could not do, God did through the perfect life, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ came to divert and absorb the full wrath of God that should fall on us for our sin. Through faith in the Person and work of Jesus Christ, any sinner is instantaneously, not progressively, declared righteous before holy God.

Except that Scripture is quite clear to the contrary. When our Lord himself was asked what one must do the have eternal life his answer was "keep the commandments" not "just have faith in me." The parable of the sheep and the goats shows that we are judged by what we do, not just by what we believe. Paul is clear that faith alone is not enough:

Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9-10)
If I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.… So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:2, 13)

Love is the greatest virtue, not faith. And of course we have James:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the friend of God.” See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. (James 2:14-26)

Faith yes, but nowhere in the Bible does it say faith alone. Indeed, the only time the phrase "faith alone" appears is in the Bible is that above where it says "a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." Paul, even in Romans, is emphatic that we are judged by our works:

Therefore, you are without excuse,a every one of you who passes judgment. For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things. We know that the judgment of God on those who do such things is true. Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who engage in such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you hold his priceless kindness, forbearance, and patience in low esteem, unaware that the kindness of God would lead you to repentance? By your stubbornness and impenitent heart,d you are storing up wrath for yourself for the day of wrath and revelation of the just judgment of God, who will repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works, but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth and obey wickedness. Yes, affliction and distress will come upon every human being who does evil, Jew first and then Greek. But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, Jew first and then Greek. There is no partiality with God. (Romans 2:1-11)

Likewise Revelation:

I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life. The dead were judged according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls. The sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according to their deeds. (Revelation 20:12-13)

Constantly repeating "faith alone" cannot hide what the Scriptures actually say. It always amazes me that individual Protestants claim an infallibility to interpret Scripture that they deny to the Church as a whole.

As a former Catholic, I would like to add to the list: transubstantiation, graven images.

And why so many are coming back to the Catholic Church.

Churches and denominations are institutions, not individuals who act out in faith what they personally believe regardless of institutional dogma. A Roman Catholic is no less “Christian” than a Pentecostal, Episcopalian, Baptist, Morman or whatever. To think that one’s organizational affiliation determines the nature and extent of one’s attachment to Christianity is pure folly.

Amen!

Just think of the multitude of Hail Marys that could be levied upon you for not recycling. “Forgive me father, for I have not recycled” .... “That will be 400,000 Hail Marys and a $25,000 fine payable as you leave .... and go my son and sin no more but recycle”.

Messiah said there would be false prophets in sheep's clothing that inside would be ravening wolves. He said that they could be recognized by their fruit because corrupt trees bring forth evil fruit.

Anti-Semitism: Martin Luther - "The Jews & Their Lies" (1543)

First to set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn, so that no man will ever again see a stone or cinder of them. This is to be done in honor of our Lord and of Christendom, so that God might see that we are Christians, and do not condone or knowingly tolerate such public lying, cursing, and blaspheming of his Son and of his Christians. For whatever we tolerated in the past unknowingly and I myself was unaware of it will be pardoned by God. But if we, now that we are informed, were to protect and shield such a house for the Jews, existing right before our very nose, in which they lie about, blaspheme, curse, vilify, and defame Christ and us (as was heard above), it would be the same as if we were doing all this and even worse ourselves, as we very well know.

Second, I advise that their houses also be razed and destroyed. For they pursue in them the same aims as in their synagogues. Instead they might be lodged under a roof or in a barn, like the gypsies. This will bring home to them that they are not masters in our country, as they boast, but that they are living in exile and in captivity, as they incessantly wail and lament about us before God.

Third, I advise that all their prayer books and Talmudic writings, in which such idolatry, lies, cursing and blasphemy are taught, be taken from them. (remainder omitted)

Fourth, I advise that their rabbis be forbidden to teach henceforth on pain of loss of life and limb. For they have justly forfeited the right to such an office by holding the poor Jews captive with the saying of Moses (Deuteronomy 17 [:10 ff.]) in which he commands them to obey their teachers on penalty of death, although Moses clearly adds: "what they teach you in accord with the law of the Lord." Those villains ignore that. They wantonly employ the poor people's obedience contrary to the law of the Lord and infuse them with this poison, cursing, and blasphemy. In the same way the pope also held us captive with the declaration in Matthew 16 {:18], "You are Peter," etc, inducing us to believe all the lies and deceptions that issued from his devilish mind. He did not teach in accord with the word of God, and therefore he forfeited the right to teach.

Fifth, I advise that safeconduct on the highways be abolished completely for the Jews. For they have no business in the countryside, since they are not lords, officials, tradesmen, or the like. Let they stay at home. (...remainder omitted).

Sixth, I advise that usury be prohibited to them, and that all cash and treasure of silver and gold be taken from them and put aside for safekeeping. The reason for such a measure is that, as said above, they have no other means of earning a livelihood than usury, and by it they have stolen and robbed from us all they possess. Such money should now be used in no other way than the following: Whenever a Jew is sincerely converted, he should be handed one hundred, two hundred, or three hundred florins, as personal circumstances may suggest. With this he could set himself up in some occupation for the support of his poor wife and children, and the maintenance of the old or feeble. For such evil gains are cursed if they are not put to use with God's blessing in a good and worthy cause.

Seventh, I commend putting a flail, an ax, a hoe, a spade, a distaff, or a spindle into the hands of young, strong Jews and Jewesses and letting them earn their bread in the sweat of their brow, as was imposed on the children of Adam (Gen 3[:19]}. For it is not fitting that they should let us accursed Goyim toil in the sweat of our faces while they, the holy people, idle away their time behind the stove, feasting and farting, and on top of all, boasting blasphemously of their lordship over the Christians by means of our sweat. No, one should toss out these lazy rogues by the seat of their pants.

* * *

But what will happen even if we do burn down the Jews' synagogues and forbid them publicly to praise God, to pray, to teach, to utter God's name? They will still keep doing it in secret. If we know that they are doing this in secret, it is the same as if they were doing it publicly. for our knowledge of their secret doings and our toleration of them implies that they are not secret after all and thus our conscience is encumbered with it before God.

* * *

Accordingly, it must and dare not be considered a trifling matter but a most serious one to seek counsel against this and to save our souls from the Jews, that is, from the devil and from eternal death. My advice, as I said earlier, is:

First, that their synagogues be burned down, and that all who are able toss in sulphur and pitch; it would be good if someone could also throw in some hellfire. That would demonstrate to God our serious resolve and be evidence to all the world that it was in ignorance that we tolerated such houses, in which the Jews have reviled God, our dear Creator and Father, and his Son most shamefully up till now but that we have now given them their due reward.

* * *

I wish and I ask that our rulers who have Jewish subjects exercise a sharp mercy toward these wretched people, as suggested above, to see whether this might not help (though it is doubtful). They must act like a good physician who, when gangrene has set in, proceeds without mercy to cut, saw, and burn flesh, veins, bone, and marrow. Such a procedure must also be followed in this instance. Burn down their synagogues, forbid all that I enumerated earlier, force them to work, and deal harshly with them, as Moses did in the wilderness, slaying three thousand lest the whole people perish. They surely do not know what they are doing; moreover, as people possessed, they do not wish to know it, hear it, or learn it. There it would be wrong to be merciful and confirm them in their conduct. If this does not help we must drive them out like mad dogs, so that we do not become partakers of their abominable blasphemy and all their other vices and thus merit God's wrath and be damned with them. I have done my duty. Now let everyone see to his. I am exonerated. "

Prayers for The Religion Forum (Ecumenical)

....”In putting himself in the place of head of the church, the pope has set himself in the place of Christ..... But Jesus Christ alone is the head of the true church (Eph 1:22-23).”....

Well they’ll never dennouce the Pope...ever. Everything else trickles down for there to the Priesthood and then the Dead Saint worship...

Catholicism will cease to be that without the Pope and Priesthood...and mary worship. Of course they will never let looses of that.....thus the reformation would even have to take place today as well. I do not see catholicism changing the pillars it stands on...which is the Pope and the Priesthood....with Mary the c0-redeemer.

In our day especially, it seems that many Christians have history-amnesia when it comes to the importance of what God did through the Reformers.

As a Christian, I'm more interested in what The Lord did through his Son, Jesus Christ which was to eliminate the artificial, man-made religious barriers to having a direct relationship with Him.

Jesus Christ pierced the veil that separated us from having a direct, personal relationship with The Lord. Any religion or movement that puts itself between God and his children, and His children's ability to have a direct, personal relationship with Him is not of the Bible.

Period.

Anyone that thinks Catholics do not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are simply following the hatred of others. The government of the Catholic church has its issues and has always had its issues, but I have never met a Catholic, including the entire side of my wife’s family, that were not Christians in faith and spirit.