ascension roman catholic church

The Roman Catholic Church contends that its origin is the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ in approximately 30 A.D. The Catholic Church proclaims itself to be the Church that Jesus Christ died for, the Church that was established and built by the Apostles. Is that the true origin of the Catholic Church? On the contrary. Even a cursory reading of the New Testament will reveal that the Catholic Church does not have its origin in the teachings of Jesus, or His apostles. In the New Testament, there is no mention of the papacy, worship / adoration of Mary (or the immaculate conception of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the assumption of Mary, or Mary as co-redemptrix and mediatrix), petitioning saints in Heaven for their prayers, apostolic succession, the ordinances of the church functioning as sacraments, infant baptism, confession of sin to a priest, purgatory, indulgences, or the equal authority of church tradition and Scripture.

So, if the origin of the Catholic Church is not in the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, what is the true origin of the Catholic Church?
"Bond Girl" did you read the information at the site? Do you agree with it? Is this new information for you? I would like to know who here agrees with the information.
"Anonymous", I am interested in knowing the true origin of the Catholic Church. I address the Christians because I desire to hear the Truth.
"Laveyansatanist", I don't think that I'll receive thousands of answers, and I believe that it's possible for a non-Catholic to give the truth about the origin of the Catholic Church; however, I'm glad to hear of the true origin by Catholics and other non-believers as long as the truth is shared.
"tebone0315", I claim to be a part of the Church that Jesus founded, and it's older than the Catholic Church. I am a part of The Church. It was not founded by any man other than Jesus who was also God the Son. What are the beliefs of the Church? All of them are located in the Word of God. They are not decided or created by any other man that Jesus the Christ the Messiah. So, I don't understand how you can claim that the Catholic "Church" is older than THE CHURCH that existed at the time of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
"Kazoo M", I'm not bashing anything. I'm asking about the origin of the Catholic Church. Rather than read the catechisms created by religious men, I would prefer to read God's Word. God's Word is the basis for my beliefs. If God's Word doesn't instruct me to believe or do something, it's really not necessary, and it can be harmful or fatal. If Catholics say that Jesus created the CATHOLIC Church, I think it should be easy for a Catholic or someone to point me to the scripture in the Bible that says this is true along with scripture in the Bible that supports the claims of Catholics. No need to be offended. I only ask for the Truth from the Bible, God's Word.
"TheBansh...", I'm not trying to pass anything off as my own wording. Since you ask about the source that caused me to create this question, I will share more of it's content with you. As already shared by one responder, the information comes from http://www.gotquestions.org/origin-Catholic-church.html and I wanted to ask this question to see if people would confirm what I've read or give different answers. Since you're interested in the site more than responding, I'll share more of the details. I would like to know if others here are in agreement with the details.
"TheBansh...", I'm not trying to pass anything off as my own wording. Since you ask about the source that caused me to create this question, I will share more of it's content with you. As already shared by one responder, the information comes from http://www.gotquestions.org/origin-Catholic-church.html and I wanted to ask this question to see if people would confirm what I've read or give different answers. Since you're interested in the site more than responding, I'll share more of the details. I would like to know if others here are in agreement with the details.
"TheBansh...", I'm not trying to pass anything off as my own wording. Since you ask about the source that caused me to create this question, I will share more of it's content with you. As already shared by one responder, the information comes from http://www.gotquestions.org/origin-Catholic-church.html and I wanted to ask this question to see if people would confirm what I've read or give different answers. Since you're interested in the site more than responding, I'll share more of the details. I would like to know if others here are in agreement with the details.
"TheBansh...", I'm not trying to pass anything off as my own wording. Since you ask about the source that caused me to create this question, I will share more of it's content with you. As already shared by one responder, the information comes from http://www.gotquestions.org/origin-Catholic-church.html and I wanted to ask this question to see if people would confirm what I've read or give different answers. Since you're interested in the site more than responding, I'll share more of the details. I would like to know if others here are in agreement with the details.
"TheBansh...", I'm not trying to pass anything off as my own wording. Since you ask about the source that caused me to create this question, I will share more of it's content with you. As already shared by one responder, the information comes from http://www.gotquestions.org/origin-Catholic-church.html and I wanted to ask this question to see if people would confirm what I've read or give different answers. Since you're interested in the site more than responding, I'll share more of the details. I would like to know if others here are in agreement with the details.
For the first 280 years of Christian history, Christianity was banned by the Roman empire, and Christians were terribly persecuted. This changed after the “conversion” of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Constantine “legalized” Christianity at the Edict of Milan in A.D. 313. Later, in A.D. 325, Constantine called together the Council of Nicea, in an attempt to unify Christianity. Constantine envisioned Christianity as a religion that could unite the Roman Empire, which at that time was beginning to fragment and divide. While this may have seemed to be a positive development for the Christian church, the results were anything but positive. Just as Constantine refused to fully embrace the Christian faith, but continued many of his pagan beliefs and practices, so the Christian church that Constantine promoted was a mixture of true Christianity and Roman paganism.
Constantine found that with the Roman Empire being so vast, expansive, and diverse – not everyone would agree to forsake their religious beliefs and instead embrace Christianity. So, Constantine allowed, and even promoted, the “Christianization” of pagan beliefs. Completely pagan and utterly unbiblical beliefs were given new “Christian” identities. Some clear examples of this are as follows:
(1) The Cult of Isis, an Egyptian mother-goddess religion, was absorbed into Christianity by replacing Isis with Mary. Many of the titles that were used for Isis, such as “Queen of Heaven,” “Mother of God,” and “theotokos” (God-bearer) were attached to Mary. Mary was given an exalted role in the Christian faith, far beyond what the Bible ascribes to her, in order to attract Isis worshippers to a faith they would not otherwise embrace. Many temples to Isis were, in fact, converted into temples dedicated to Mary. The first clear hints of Catholic Mariology occur in the writings of Origen, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, which happened to be the focal point of Isis worship.
(2) Mithraism was a religion in the Roman Empire in the 1st through 5th centuries A.D. It was very popular among the Romans, especially among Roman soldiers, and was possibly the religion of several Roman emperors. While Mithraism was never given “official” status in the Roman empire, it was the de-facto official religion until Constantine and succeeding Roman emperors replaced Mithraism with Christianity. One of the key features of Mithraism was a sacrificial meal, which involved eating the flesh and drinking the blood of a bull. Mithras, the god of Mithraism, was “present” in the flesh and blood of the bull, and when consumed, granted salvation to those who partook of the sacrificial meal (theophagy, the eating of one’s god). Mithraism also had seven “sacraments,” making the similarities between Mithraism and Roman Catholicism too many to ignore.
(3) Most Roman emperors (and citizens) were henotheists. A henotheist is one who believes in the existence of many gods, but focuses primary on one particular god, or considers one particular god supreme over the other gods. For example, the Roman god Jupiter was supreme over the Roman pantheon of gods. Roman sailors were often worshippers of Neptune, the god of the oceans. When the Catholic Church absorbed Roman paganism, it simply replaced the pantheon of gods with the saints. Just as the Roman pantheon of gods had a god of love, a god of peace, a god of war, a god of strength, a god of wisdom, etc., so the Catholic Church has a saint who is “in charge” over each of these, and many other categories. Just as many Roman cities had a god specific to the city, so the Catholic Church provided “patron saints” for the cities.
(4) The supremacy of the Roman bishop (the papacy) was created with the support of the Roman emperors. With the city of Rome being the center of government for the Roman empire, and with the Roman emperors living in Rome, the city of Rome rose to prominence in all facets of life. Constantine, and his successors, gave their support to the bishop of Rome as the supreme ruler of the church. Of course it is best for the unity of the Roman empire that the government and state religion be centered in the same location. While most other bishops (and Christians) resisted the idea of the Roman bishop being supreme, the Roman bishop eventually rose to supremacy, due to the power and influence of the Roman emperors. When the Roman empire collapsed, the popes took on the title that had previously belonged to the Roman emperors – Pontificus Maximus.
Many more examples could be given. These four should suffice in demonstrating the true origin of the Catholic Church. Of course the Roman Catholic Church denies the pagan origin of its beliefs and practices. The Catholic Church disguises its pagan beliefs under layers of complicated theology. The Catholic Church excuses and denies its pagan origin beneath the mask of “church tradition.” Recognizing that many of its beliefs and practices are utterly foreign to Scripture, the Catholic Church is forced to deny the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.

Do you agree with this origin of the Catholic Church? Is it new information for you? It's new to me!
The origin of the Catholic Church is the tragic compromise of Christianity with the pagan religions that surrounded it. Instead of proclaiming the Gospel and converting the pagans, the Catholic Church “Christianized” the pagan religions, and “paganized” Christianity. By blurring the differences and erasing the distinctions, yes, the Catholic Church made itself attractive to the people of the Roman empire. One result was the Catholic Church becoming the supreme religion in the “Roman world” for centuries. However, another result was the most dominant form of Christianity apostatizing from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and the true proclamation of God’s Word.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 declares, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
"Hussein", you claim, "The Catholic Church is the only Church on earth which fits the pattern of the Church which Jesus Christ founded, and as Blueprinted for us in the Bible."
My Reply: Perhaps your bible supports the worship of Mary; however, I have read many translations, and I don't find even one reference or hint of a comparison of the modern day Catholic Church and the actual CHURCH of the bible. Jesus established the Church (The People). He didn't create a cathedral full of idols. He didn't teach us a "hail Mary" prayer. Please cite the references in the bible that gives the Catholic church permission to make its claims for each and every one of its rituals and traditions that are NOT MENTIONED in all of the translations that I have read. Again, Jesus established The Church which represents all believers in Him. Catholicism today has added much that's simply not in the bible. For me, the bible is sufficient. God's Word is sufficient. The Truth is what I desire.
“Clare, OCC, SFCU”, you said when you “studied Scripture and compared it to what” you were “hearing from the pulpit” in a Baptist Church, “there was quite a bit missing.” Well, I was raised in a Baptist family, too. I also saw that the Full Gospel of Jesus was not taught by my pastor or denomination. I, too, began to study God’s Word, but studying the Truth did not lead me to the doors of the Catholic church where the Truth is not found. When I studied God’s Word, it led me to the Truth that’s simply found in God’s Word! The scripture led me to a closer walk with Jesus. My relationship with Jesus is also closer now than ever before, but I haven’t had to compromise my beliefs or accept false teachings in the process. I’m glad you have a closer walk with Jesus. It’s my hope that your walk will become even closer until you can see for yourself the traditions and doctrines of man that are not taught or supported or aligned with the Bible. Continue to study the Bible.
“Clare, OCC, SFCU”, you said that “90% Christian evangelization is directed toward…Catholics…rather than people who do not know Christ.”
My Reply: I think this should be a sign to you that the followers of Jesus the Christ the Messiah who know Him as Lord are concerned about your soul. I think that these people know how close you are to knowing and living the Truth; however, you’re surrounded with deception by man that is centuries old. Do you know Jesus as Lord? If yes, you will obey Him. As you look around you in your cathedral or during your Mass, you will see people doing things and hear people saying things that are simply not Scriptural or condoned by Jesus. Drop your title and simply look for the Truth by reading God’s Word without your catechism book that’s created by man. Clare, don't stop searching for the Truth. May your spiritual ears and eyes be opened and your heart softened to hear, see, and believe the Truth in God's Word.
“Clare, OCC, SFCU”, you asked or accused, “Shouldn’t you be out there with the 10% who are actually obeying the Great Commission given by Christ?”
My Reply: Clare, I have left my home, family, and property in the USA to be obedient to God’s Word in a distant nation. Yes, I have accepted the mandate given by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20. Jesus' command for all believers is to make disciples. It is not optional. These disciples need to know the Truth in God’s Word rather than the traditions and deception created by man. I don’t know if your percentage is correct, but here are the verses you reference.

MATTHEW 28:19-20
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
“Clare, OCC, SFCU”, I am obedient to God’s mandate. I live in a country where I only see believers at our fellowship when we gather to praise and worship God. Throughout the week, I am surrounded by primarily Muslims, Hindus, and atheists. I would give you more details, but it’s not prudent to do so. I will say that most of the people I meet have never known a follower of Jesus the Christ the Messiah who knows Him as Lord, and they have never read let alone seen a Bible. Yes, I am ministering to the lost nations, and it is a challenge. Yes, we need more believers of God’s Word here. Yes, it requires a commitment and sacrifice. However, my love for my Lord and Savior is sufficient to give my life to Him and to His Truth as shared in His Word. I don’t add to the Bible when I speak to the lost. I only share what God reveals to us in His Word.
“Clare, OCC, SFCU”, you asked if “real evangelization” is “too risky, face-to-face?”
My Reply: This is a good question. The answer if “No, real evangelization is not too risky face-to-face when I stand on God’s Word. The Muslim country where I live gives potential for a physical threat, but I do not fear people who can harm my body, I have a holy fear or awe or respect for God who has the ability to receive or reject my soul for eternity. Because Jesus first love me, I now go to share this love with others. Nearly seven years have passed since I left my “comfort zone and the remote control” in the USA. Thank you for affirming, again, the reason I am here in this country and the reason that I now visit the QandA section of Yahoo. I am here, but I’ll not neglect the lost in the USA. Truth can be shared face-to-face here, but I can also use the Internet for Truth to reach around the globe. God is in the business of restoration, and He is drawing people to Him from EVERY NATION.
MATTHEW 16:18
"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.”

Beware of not seeing the trees (disciples) for seeing the forest (church). Jesus said He would build the church, but He told us to make disciples.

How do you plant a forest? You don't. You plant one tree at a time. Those trees then reproduce other trees and a forest develops. This process takes time and commitment.

Disciples cannot be mass-produced. Be faithful to help whoever God has given you opportunity to disciple, and JESUS will build HIS CHURCH.
"Big Guy 360" and "Kristevonne", I thank both of you for your responses that are most inline with the truth, and your answers give support and clarity to my question which is not a question of hate or intended "to bash". I seek to know the Truth, and I seek to share the Truth.

It is unfortunate that the official members of the Catholic church who call themselves Christians did NOT give any answers to dispute WITH EVIDENCE FROM THE BIBLE, GOD’S WORD or clarify my question. It is unfortunate that the Catholic church cannot support the reasons for the traditions and doctrines that it teaches because they are not taught in the New Testament of the Bible.
Why didn’t even one Catholic give Biblical support to contradict the following: “In the New Testament, there is no mention of the papacy, worship / adoration of Mary (or the immaculate conception of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the assumption of Mary, or Mary as co-redemptrix and mediatrix), petitioning saints in Heaven for their prayers, apostolic succession, the ordinances of the church functioning as sacraments, infant baptism, confession of sin to a priest, purgatory, indulgences, or the equal authority of church tradition and Scripture.” Why? Because there isn’t any Biblical support for these traditions of man and false doctrines of man. So, my question remains. If the origin of the Catholic Church is not in the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, what is the true origin of the Catholic Church? If you are Catholic and you didn’t answer my question, I hope you will at least search for the answers for yourselves.
The Word of God is sufficient, final, and complete.

You said:

"The origin of the Catholic Church is the tragic compromise of Christianity with the pagan religions that surrounded it. Instead of proclaiming the Gospel and converting the pagans, the Catholic Church “Christianized” the pagan religions, and “paganized” Christianity. By blurring the differences and erasing the distinctions, yes, the Catholic Church made itself attractive to the people of the Roman empire"

Right on, brother!

And you also said:

"Even a cursory reading of the New Testament will reveal that the Catholic Church does not have its origin in the teachings of Jesus, or His apostles. In the New Testament, there is no mention of the papacy, worship / adoration of Mary (or the immaculate conception of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the assumption of Mary, or Mary as co-redemptrix and mediatrix), petitioning saints in Heaven for their prayers, apostolic succession, the ordinances of the church functioning as sacraments, infant baptism, confession of sin to a priest, purgatory, indulgences, or the equal authority of church tradition and Scripture"

You took the words out of my mouth. You don't know how many times I have said this same thing writing this same list. We don't just say to them, "You are wrong!" We point out to them exactly where the churches doctrines and traditions deviate from the bible and true gospel of Christ. But still they call us catholic haters and bashers.

I have come to the conclusion that catholics defend their religion and their priests no matter how much they are shown the error and no matter what crimes they commit. They are taught from birth it is the only true religion yet they don't care about the evil antichristian doctrines they are agreeing with by claiming to belong to this church. Do they think since there is some truth thrown in there with the lies that makes it Godly? That is what every false religion does. It mixes lies with truth.

2008-11-23 08:32:44 by One Way! Jesus!

communion, st andrews catholic church edinburgh. sung mass sundays 11.30am daily mass times [tridentine] phone fr emerson 0131 332 3750