Clarification, The Catholic Church - Part 3
Dear August readers:
With all of the Christian religions present in the world today one might think that arbitrarily picking one for yourself and your family carries no adverse consequences. However, there is only *one* statement *In the world* that *Jesus* himself made concerning the issue of "CHURCH" and here it is:
Matthew 16, 17-19 (KJV)
(16) (Quote) And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him,
(17) "Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jo-Na: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which in heaven".
(18) "And I also say unto thee, that thou art *Peter* and upon this rock I will build my *CHURCH*; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it".
(19) "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven".(Unquote)
Jesus was trying to save us from the thousands of denominations about him that currently fill the world with confusion. Jesus also knew that the first Peter would be dead by 67 A.D., and that His Church would need continued leadership until his return. He did not leave us shepardless.
The entire world knows that the Pope sits in the "Chair of Peter" and that the original Peter was replaced by Pope Linus (67-76) then by Pope Anacletus (76-88) all the way (unbroken chain) to Pope John Paul II who recently died and now to Pope Benedict 16. We have had a total (so far) of 265 consecutive Popes sitting in the "Chair of Peter". Only God could accomplish this monumental achievement.
This leaves me to pose this very important question:
Did "Some Guy" Found Your Church?
If you are a Lutheran, your religion was founded by Martin Luther, an ex-monk of the Catholic Church, in the year 1517 A.D...
If you belong to the Church of England, your religion was founded by King Henry VII in the year 1534 A.D., because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to re-marry.
If you are a Presbyterian your religion was founded by John Knox in Scotland in the year 1560 A.D.
If you are a Protestant Episcopalian (Anglican), your religion is an off-shoot of the Church of England founded by Samuel Seabury in the American Colonies in the 17th century A.D.
If you are a Congregationalist, your religion was originated by Robert Brown in Scotland in Holland in 1582 A.D.
If you are a Methodist, your religion was launched by John and Charles Wesley in England in 1744 A.D.
If you are a Unitarian, Theophilus Lindley founded your church in London in 1744 A.D.
If you are a Mormon, (Latter Day Saints) Joseph Smith started your religion in Palmyra, New York, in 1829 A.D.
If you are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your religion to John Smyth, who launched it in Amsterdam in 1605 A.D.
If you belong to the Dutch Reformed Church, you recognize Michaelis Jones as your founder, because he originated you religion in New York in 1628 A.D.
If you worship with the Salvation Army, your group began with William Booth in London in 1865 A.D.
If you are a Christian Scientist, you look to 1879 as the year in which your religion was born and to Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy as its founder.
If you are an Adventist (7th Day, etc) you are a member of a group of related denominations. One founded by William Miller (1782-1849) whose adherents came to be known as "Millerites", or "Evangelical Adventists". The church is called "The Adventist Christian Church" (1861). The Seventh-Day Adventist movement was founded under the leadership of Joseph Bates and James and Ellen White. They adopted the observance of Saturday as the Sabbath in 1844 and formally organized the movement in 1863 A.D.
If you belong to one of the *THOUSANDS* of other Protestant organizations such as "The Church of the Nazarene", "Pentecostal Church", "Holiness Church", Pilgrim Holiness Church" "Church of Christ", "Jehovah's Witnesses" etc. your religion is but one of a plethora of religions founded by men in the last 100-150 years.
If you are a Roman Catholic, you *KNOW* that your religion was founded in the year 33 A.D. by Jesus Christ the Son of God (Matt 16, 17-19) and it is still the same church. It is notable to remember that *ALL* the other churches listed above are *Horizontal Churches*, (recently founded) by men, and that the Catholic Church is a *Vertical Church* (from the time of Christ to the present) founded by Jesus himself.
All The Best,
Henri W. Tartt
Supervising Chemist, and Chief of Microbiology, (Retired)
City of Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
Email: henri@henriwtartt.com
Website: *Tartt's Scientific Approach* www.henriwtartt.com