Originally posted by Kiffin:
Wrong, There was a bishop over the Church of Rome but no papacy. He must have been senile or lacking leadership if he was a pope
since Athanasius and the Church of Alexandria led the charge. One wonders why this pope didn't issue a papal decree on the whole issue but instead let a Roman Emperor and the Eastern Churches take the lead.
You're funny. Not really, though.
You can say what you want, and I can't stop you from going on and on, but there WERE popes back then, and we have histories of them, including that they were in fact called "the pope." And if you bothtered reading, it was Constantine who called the Council of Nicea, in approval with the Pope, who sent two representatives in his stead, and approved the canons after the Council. Constantine was a loyal subject to the Pope, and became ROMAN CATHOLIC officially on his death bed.
They were protesting, the Apostaste doctrines that had corrupted the ancient Catholic Church when the Roman Church through the power of political power upsurped all the other Churches.
And yet they each had their own ideas. Of course, none of their doctrines were apostate, right? As long as it differed from the Catholic Church, it's not heretical, right? That's some twisted double standard.
Calvin and Luther referred to themselves as Catholics in seeking to Reform what Rome perverted.
Yes, and people further reformed Luther and Calvin. Apparently they still had perverted doctrine! Oh, when will it end?
Anabaptists, Baptists and others of the Free Church sought the same thing but sought to restore back what Rome perverted.
If it's so simple, why can't you all agree?
We keep the ancient Catholic tradition but not the perverted Roman tradition that took over through the 5th through 8th century.
And yet the ancient Catholic Church professed Mary to be the Mother of God, had established the doctrine of purgatory, and many other things that you uniformly reject. Even the canon of the Bible was established by the "ancient catholic church," and you reject that! You reject what doesn't suit your tastes.
Even the 1689 London Baptist confession confesses it's belief in one Holy Catholic Church.
Except that they are not ONE with the rest of the Protestant community because they differ greatly on many issues of doctrine.
So we owe the RCC nothing for you are not the ancient Catholic Church.
Good thing you've proved this conclusively!
I have a list of bishops of Rome but they weren't popes.
Amazing.
You need to read Dr. Bruce Shelly of Denver Conservative Seminary's Church history History book which shows conclusively that the popes were a later thing.
The Arians also proved conclusively that Jesus Christ did not have two natures, and that he was purely divine. I guess we should agree with them to, since they did a good job at convincing the entire eastern Roman empire! Try reading the Oxford Dictionary of Popes, which takes a VERY objective, non-pro-Catholic look at the papacy, and yet still recognizes these men as definitely being "popes."
The idea of popes existing til the 1st century has as much valitidy as saying there is a unbroken line of Baptist churches to the first century.
The first is valid, and historical presidence. You just made the second half of that sentence up.
None of these Churches took orders from Rome until much later.
The papacy gradually developed into what it is today, just as Christianity gradually developed, and wasn't an overnight sensation. However, it was developed much, much, much earlier than you claim.
The Eastern Churches as well as the Anglicans Church is governed by councils and synods in a similar fashion as the 4th century churches.
Perhaps that's because they are schismatic churches that seperated itself from the Papacy but conviently held on to particular tradtions. Kind of like modern Protestantism.
The RCC is ruled by a pope. Why even have a council if you have a infallible pope in the 4th and 5th century? Because there was no pope.
You're showing your distinct lack of knowledge of how the Catholic system really works. Councils are lead by/supported by the Pope and the college of Bishops, in order to resolve an issue. Then, at the end, the Pope makes the final call. Your statement above is absolutely ludicrous.
Genealogical connection is irrelevant. Any Church that holds to the Apostles doctrine has Apostolic succession in contrast to the RCC that claims it through lordly corrupt princes who called themselves popes.
Do a quick history on Pope John Paul II. A corrupt lordly prince? Wake up and realize we aren't still living in the Dark Ages, something which the Catholic Church survived. And what is Apostolic doctrine? If you have it, why does it differ from the Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyrterian churches down the street?
Truly the RCC like Protestants and the Eastern Churches get much of their doctrine from the ancient Catholic Church but the Ancient Catholic Church and Roman Catholicism are no more synomous, than is Apples with Oranges.
Nice analogy, but you've yet to make it relavent. You've listed one author, with whom I can toss at you a hundred more that will say something entirely different.
Try backing up your statements.