Soulman, it would seriously help the coherence of your post if you would learn to use the quote feature.
Originally posted by Soulman:
Eph. 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The verse plainly states NOT of works! How can this be made any plainer?
I agree. But where does it say that adding works nullifies the faith?
There were churches very shortly after the acension of Jesus. Jesus told Peter that upon this rock (meaning Jesus) He would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. By the way, Peter was NOT the first pope. That is just an example of how catholics twist scripture.
Just so ya know, catholicisim saw it's first light in the early part of the 3rd century with Constantine after his vision of the cross. He is actually considered the first papal figure historically. Catholicisim came out of the true church. If you want to be technical they are the true protestants.
Some truth, many lies. Until Constantine, the Church was often underground due to various persecutions from different emperors. Thus, there wasn't a whole lot of unity between the different parts of the empire. Constantine allowed the churches to come out of hiding and meet together to become unified. To say he was the first Pope is an utter lie. The "Pope" is really simply the Bishop of Rome. The office eventually became the Papacy, merely because it was the most influential Bishop in the Church.
The Catholic Church were the heirs of the original early Church. They didn't protest against anyone, they simply came out into the open.
Baptists are not considered protestants because they trace their roots back to John the Baptist and the first New testament churches. We are not even a denomination because denominations are protestants that came out of the catholic church. We never did. They came out of us.
Do you honestly believe this? Wow. Sorry to break it to you, but Baptists are heirs of the Reformation, just like the Mennonites, Lutherans, Methodists, ect.
They were not THE church of Christ. They were the dominant religion.
They were both. Now I will freely admit that I have slightly overstated the case, sure there were Christians outside the RCC. However they was not some unified Church that survived through the first 13 centuries of Christianity.
There were alternatives but they were not tolerated by the Roman machine. Catholics are credited historically with the murder of many millions of christians because they would not convert to catholicisim during the dark ages. It was not a choice. Convert or be killed. The church had to operate underground for centuries. They are the only religion that ever killed millions because they wouldn't convert in the name of Jesus Christ!
Protestants have killed many Catholics as well. Yes, the Catholic church killed many it considered heretical, but it wasn't doing some mass extermination of the true Christians like you seem to suggest.
Read The Trail of Blood: http://www.bryanstation.com/trail_of_blood.htm
It is a short read but will clear up many of your errors of this period.
I asked for reputable source.
You are right. But it doesn't pertain to us as we are not protestants. If you were a baptist, you would know that!
I am right, and it does pertain to us as we are Protestants. If you would do some honest research you would know that.
You are wrong! God has always had a church since the days of the apostles and it wasn't catholic!
So who was it? Please don't regurgitate a list of heretics and Catholic sects, we've been through that.
Just read the thing. If you have ever opened and read your bible even a little, you will see that the whole thing is anti-christ.
Hmmm, yes, after reading some of this I see your point. I especially am horrified by this:
"God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life."
Seriously, I'm missing the anti-christ part, would you mind quoting it for me?
You may say there is alot of truth in catholicisim. Yes there is. There is truth in all religion. But believing it's doctrines will send a man to hell. It is anti-God, anti-man and anti Christ in it's agenda and practises.

Let's see specific doctrine. Anyone can throw out random accusations without backing them up.