Darron Steele said:
Eliyahu:
The definition of "Protestant" means `someone who protests.' Protestants protested the way the Catholic leadership ran those congregations, and did so during the Protestant Reformation. That is the standard definition.
That 1 John 2:19 has any ties to Roman Catholicism is an astounding claim. 1 John 2:19-23 describes those who left as "antichrist" and describes such as denying the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. This is not a tenet of Roman Catholicism. It was a tenet of Gnostic non-Christian groups.
Also, 1 John was written before Rome even had a monarchial bishop. The New Testament describes congregations being governed by a plurality of elders. A late first century letter by the congregation at Rome describes itself as being authored by the whole congregation. In c. 110, Ignatius wrote to seven congregations and mentioned the monarchial bishops of the eastern six -- no mention was made of a monarchial bishop in the western congregation at Rome.* This is another reason that the passage cannot describe Roman Catholicism.
*Jefford, et al, Reading the Apostolic Fathers, pages 62-3.
Baptists are tied to Anabaptist groups, as are Mennonites and a number of other denominations. Anabaptists were already plentiful at the opening of the Protestant Reformation. Their origins are unknown. They cannot be deemed Protestants. Their descendant groups cannot be considered Protestant. Hence, my phrase "whatever else denominations."
I would not say that 1 John 2:19 is entirely referring to RCC. However, there were such apostates even during the Apostlic era. Such apostates were quite increasing as time goes on and as the Christians are increasing. Such apostates were not stand-still but form a certain groups and increased rapidly, faster than the truly born again believers. They became the Roman Catholic as we notice how Cyrill did to call Mary the Mother of God, while Nestorius and his fellows were diminishing.
You'd better read or grasp the article by EH Broadbent which I posted. It is written from the view of born-again believers, not by RCC views.
Baptists have very very long roots and which go eventually back to Apostles.
Throughout history there have been apostates all the time.
Read Gal 1:5 ( another gospel), there were false brethren ( Gal 2:4), there might have been some people who preached another Jesus ( 1 Cor 11:4), Paul warned such apostate even unto the elders of Ephesian church, " even among you there shall men arise, speaking perverted things, to draw away disciples after them" ( Acts 20:30).
There are so many pagan customs performed by RCC. If they are not from Holy Spirit, where are they from?
If you read Pilgrim Church, you can find there have been so many groups of non-Catholic believers, who were persecuted by RCC as heretics, let alone the Eastern Church and East Asian Church in China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, and Central Asia. When Crusade killed thousands of Jews and De Vausis, Waldenses, they opposed to RCC. The word "protestant" was attached by Catholics, actually they just called themselves as Christians. So the distinction by naming " Protestant" doesn't mean very much. Non-Catholic Christians during Dark Age were persecuted by Catholic and they protested Catholic paganism, which has been and will be still remembered by their God until the great day of Judgment.