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Which one is right?

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christianmom2389

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I have been a Christian for a couple years now.. and I am still confused by all of the denominations.

There seem to be so many.. Which one is right? I wasn't raised in a certain one.. so I am looking at all of these from a complete outsider's perspective.

I know that I need to study Christian history and find these answers myself.. but just wondering if anybody would be able to share general information or how they were able to determine which denomination they were.
 
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wordsoflife

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All denominations are WRONG because they consist of sinful man. That being said some are better than others. Look for a denomination that believes in the CREEDS of the Church such as the Lutheran Church or the Catholic Church. Does the Church believe in the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed? That is a good test:

Apostles Creed
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.

Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
 
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Albion

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wordsoflife said:
All denominations are wrong because they consist of sinful man.
Click to expand...


If so, the church itself is wrong? I think you may instead mean that sincere believers come to different conclusions about God's truth because of sin...and therefore we have denominations.​
 
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Albion

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wordsoflife said:
No, I mean what I said. Denominations are imperfect.
Click to expand...

If you mean what you said...you said all denominations are wrong, not imperfect.

What I was trying to clarify was why you think that no denomination's beliefs can be correct. To me, there's no reason that one of them can't be correct, even if thousands of others are wrong. I also do not see any reason to think that the mere existence of denominations is a sin (which you seemed to suggest).
 
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wordsoflife

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I don't believe there is any perfect Church that is getting it all right.

Albion said:
I also do not see any reason to think that the mere existence of denominations is a sin (which you seemed to suggest).
Click to expand...

I'm not suggesting that. What I am suggesting is that because denominations are full of sinners they are imperfect.
 
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Albion

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wordsoflife said:
I don't believe there is any perfect Church that is getting it all right.
Click to expand...


But is it impossible for some one of them to get it right?



I'm not suggesting that. What I am suggesting is that because denominations are full of sinners they are imperfect.
Click to expand...

Well, humans are imperfect, so if avoiding imperfection is one's goal, it would be necessary to live alone in a cave. I don't find anything in scripture that hints that this is necessary or Godly. In fact, we are repeatedly told to associate with other imperfect humans.
 
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AHJE

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Dear Christianmom2389,

Peace be with you,

I encourage you to read all you can of the primary sources (actual entire letters) of the Early Church Fathers (or Patristics) of the first 3 Centuries after the death of St. John the Beloved Disciple.

You may begin with St. Ignatius of Antioch (who actually was a disciple of St. John the Beloved ... He was also the first person to refer to the Church as "Catholic") with Justin Martyr (an Early Christian Apologist) and with Clement of Rome (an early successor of St. Peter).

Read all they have written and you will begin to know with clarity which Church was founded by Jesus Christ.


Three questions to keep in mind as you explore the Early Church Fathers:
(1) What did they teach about the role of the Bishop of Rome?
(2) What did they teach about the Holy Eucharist (the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion)?
(3) What did they teach about the Blessed Virgin Mary?

May the Holy Spirit protect you from all error and bring you to the FULLNESS of the Truth.
 
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AHJE

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I invite you to view this explanation of the History of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass:

What are the Historical Roots of the Mass? - YouTube!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the Beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. AMEN.
 
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Albion

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AHJE said:
Three questions to keep in mind as you explore the Early Church Fathers:
(1) What did they teach about the role of the Bishop of Rome?
Click to expand...

A few said the fame of Peter--nothing more than that--recommended unity with the diocese of Rome. Others said that James was the head of the church and still others said it was Paul. Some said Peter AND Paul. Some flatly denied any primacy to Peter or his successors, so there is NO proof from Tradition of Papal Supremacy.

(2) What did they teach about the Holy Eucharist (the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion)?
Click to expand...

That in some way it was the real presence of Christ, but not Transubstantiation.

(3) What did they teach about the Blessed Virgin Mary?
Click to expand...
All manner of things. Some taught that she's buried in the Near East, others Britain, some other places. There are many legends about Mary.
 
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AHJE

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ON THE PRIMACY OF PETER the Early Church Fathers had this to say:


____________________________________________________________



Peter's Primacy

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In another Fathers Know Best tract, Peter the Rock, we showed that the early Church Fathers recognized that Peter is the rock of whom Christ spoke when he said, "You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church." This tract highlights some of the implications of that fact.
Because Peter was made the foundation of the Church, there were practical implications: it gave him a special place or primacy among the apostles. As the passages below demonstrate, the early Church Fathers clearly recognized this.
[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]Clement of Alexandria[/FONT]

"[T]he blessed Peter, the chosen, the preeminent, the first among the disciples, for whom alone with himself the Savior paid the tribute [Matt. 17:27], quickly g.asped and understood their meaning. And what does he say? ‘Behold, we have left all and have followed you’ [Matt. 19:27; Mark 10:28]" (Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? 21:3–5 [A.D. 200]).

[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]Tertullian[/FONT]

"For though you think that heaven is still shut up, remember that the Lord left the keys of it to Peter here, and through him to the Church, which keys everyone will carry with him if he has been questioned and made a confession [of faith]" (Antidote Against the Scorpion 10 [A.D. 211]).
"[T]he Lord said to Peter, ‘On this rock I will build my Church, I have given you the keys of the kingdom of heaven [and] whatever you shall have bound or loosed on earth will be bound or loosed in heaven’ [Matt. 16:18–19]. . . . Upon you, he says, I will build my Church; and I will give to you the keys, not to the Church" (Modesty 21:9–10 [A.D. 220]).

[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]The Letter of Clement to James[/FONT]

"Be it known to you, my lord, that Simon [Peter], who, for the sake of the true faith, and the most sure foundation of his doctrine, was set apart to be the foundation of the Church, and for this end was by Jesus himself, with his truthful mouth, named Peter, the first fruits of our Lord, the first of the apostles; to whom first the Father revealed the Son; whom the Christ, with good reason, blessed; the called, and elect" (Letter of Clement to James 2 [A.D. 221]).

[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]Origen[/FONT]

"f we were to attend carefully to the Gospels, we should also find, in relation to those things which seem to be common to Peter . . . a great difference and a preeminence in the things [Jesus] said to Peter, compared with the second class [of apostles]. For it is no small difference that Peter received the keys not of one heaven but of more, and in order that whatsoever things he binds on earth may be bound not in one heaven but in them all, as compared with the many who bind on earth and loose on earth, so that these things are bound and loosed not in [all] the heavens, as in the case of Peter, but in one only; for they do not reach so high a stage with power as Peter to bind and loose in all the heavens" (Commentary on Matthew 13:31 [A.D. 248]).

[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]Cyprian of Carthage[/FONT]

"The Lord says to Peter: ‘I say to you,’ he says, ‘that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.’ . . . On him [Peter] he builds the Church, and to him he gives the command to feed the sheep [John 21:17], and although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a single chair [cathedra], and he established by his own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were that also which Peter was [i.e., apostles], but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. So too, all [the apostles] are shepherds, and the flock is shown to be one, fed by all the apostles in single-minded accord. If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he [should] desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?" (The Unity of the Catholic Church 4; 1st edition [A.D. 251]).

[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]Cyril of Jerusalem[/FONT]

"The Lord is loving toward men, swift to pardon but slow to punish. Let no man despair of his own salvation. Peter, the first and foremost of the apostles, denied the Lord three times before a little servant girl, but he repented and wept bitterly" (Catechetical Lectures 2:19 [A.D. 350]).
"[Simon Magus] so deceived the city of Rome that Claudius erected a statue of him. . . . While the error was extending itself, Peter and Paul arrived, a noble pair and the rulers of the Church, and they set the error aright. . . . [T]hey launched the weapon of their like-mindedness in prayer against the Magus, and struck him down to earth. It was marvelous enough, and yet no marvel at all, for Peter was there—he that carries about the keys of heaven [Matt. 16:19]" (ibid., 6:14).
"In the power of the same Holy Spirit, Peter, both the chief of the apostles and the keeper of the keys of the kingdom of heaven, in the name of Christ healed Aeneas the paralytic at Lydda, which is now called Diospolis [Acts 9:32–34]" (ibid., 17:27).

[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]Ephraim the Syrian[/FONT]

"[Jesus said:] Simon, my follower, I have made you the foundation of the holy Church. I betimes called you Peter, because you will support all its buildings. You are the inspector of those who will build on Earth a Church for me. If they should wish to build what is false, you, the foundation, will condemn them. You are the head of the fountain from which my teaching flows; you are the chief of my disciples. Through you I will give drink to all peoples. Yours is that life-giving sweetness which I dispense. I have chosen you to be, as it were, the firstborn in my institution so that, as the heir, you may be executor of my treasures. I have given you the keys of my kingdom. Behold, I have given you authority over all my treasures" (Homilies 4:1 [A.D. 351]).

[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]Ambrose of Milan[/FONT]

"[Christ] made answer: ‘You are Peter, and upon this rock will I build my Church. . . .’ Could he not, then, strengthen the faith of the man to whom, acting on his own authority, he gave the kingdom, whom he called the rock, thereby declaring him to be the foundation of the Church [Matt. 16:18]?" (The Faith 4:5 [A.D. 379]).

[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]Pope Damasus I[/FONT]

"Likewise it is decreed . . . that it ought to be announced that . . . the holy Roman Church has been placed at the forefront not by the conciliar decisions of other churches, but has received the primacy by the evangelic voice of our Lord and Savior, who says: ‘You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it; and I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven . . . ’ [Matt. 16:18–19]. The first see, therefore, is that of Peter the apostle, that of the Roman Church, which has neither stain nor blemish nor anything like it" (Decree of Damasus 3 [A.D. 382]).

[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]Jerome[/FONT]

"‘But,’ you [Jovinian] will say, ‘it was on Peter that the Church was founded’ [Matt. 16:18]. Well . . . one among the twelve is chosen to be their head in order to remove any occasion for division" (Against Jovinian 1:26 [A.D. 393]).
"Simon Peter, the son of John, from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, brother of Andrew the apostle, and himself chief of the apostles, after having been bishop of the church of Antioch and having preached to the Dispersion . . . pushed on to Rome in the second year of Claudius to overthrow Simon Magus, and held the sacerdotal chair there for twenty-five years until the last, that is the fourteenth, year of Nero. At his hands he received the crown of martyrdom being nailed to the cross with his head towards the ground and his feet raised on high, asserting that he was unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord" (Lives of Illustrious Men 1 [A.D. 396]).

[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif](To be Continued on next post)[/FONT]
 
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AHJE

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(Cont. )


[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]Pope Innocent I[/FONT]

"In seeking the things of God . . . you have acknowledged that judgment is to be referred to us [the pope], and have shown that you know that is owed to the Apostolic See [Rome], if all of us placed in this position are to desire to follow the apostle himself [Peter] from whom the episcopate itself and the total authority of this name have emerged" (Letters 29:1 [A.D. 408]).

[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]Augustine[/FONT]

"Among these [apostles] Peter alone almost everywhere deserved to represent the whole Church. Because of that representation of the Church, which only he bore, he deserved to hear ‘I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven’" (Sermons 295:2 [A.D. 411]).
"Some things are said which seem to relate especially to the apostle Peter, and yet are not clear in their meaning unless referred to the Church, which he is acknowledged to have represented in a figure on account of the primacy which he bore among the disciples. Such is ‘I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,’ and other similar passages. In the same way, Judas represents those Jews who were Christ’s enemies" (Commentary on Psalm 108 1 [A.D. 415]).
"Who is ignorant that the first of the apostles is the most blessed Peter?" (Commentary on John 56:1 [A.D. 416]).

[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]Council of Ephesus[/FONT]

"Philip, presbyter and legate of [Pope Celestine I] said: ‘We offer our thanks to the holy and venerable synod, that when the writings of our holy and blessed pope had been read to you . . . you joined yourselves to the holy head also by your holy acclamations. For your blessednesses is not ignorant that the head of the whole faith, the head of the apostles, is blessed Peter the apostle’" (Acts of the Council, session 2 [A.D. 431]).
"Philip, the presbyter and legate of the Apostolic See [Rome] said: ‘There is no doubt, and in fact it has been known in all ages, that the holy and most blessed Peter, prince and head of the apostles, pillar of the faith, and foundation of the Catholic Church, received the keys of the kingdom from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the human race, and that to him was given the power of loosing and binding sins: who down even to today and forever both lives and judges in his successors’" (ibid., session 3).

[FONT=arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif]Pope Leo I[/FONT]

"Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . has placed the principal charge on the blessed Peter, chief of all the apostles, and from him as from the head wishes his gifts to flow to all the body, so that anyone who dares to secede from Peter’s solid rock may understand that he has no part or lot in the divine mystery. He wished him who had been received into partnership in his undivided unity to be named what he himself was, when he said: ‘You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church’ [Matt. 16:18], that the building of the eternal temple might rest on Peter’s solid rock, strengthening his Church so surely that neither could human rashness assail it nor the gates of hell prevail against it" (Letters 10:1 [A.D. 445).
"Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . established the worship belonging to the divine [Christian] religion. . . . But the Lord desired that the sacrament of this gift should pertain to all the apostles in such a way that it might be found principally in the most blessed Peter, the highest of all the apostles. And he wanted his gifts to flow into the entire body from Peter himself, as if from the head, in such a way that anyone who had dared to separate himself from the solidarity of Peter would realize that he was himself no longer a sharer in the divine mystery" (ibid., 10:2–3).
"Although bishops have a common dignity, they are not all of the same rank. Even among the most blessed apostles, though they were alike in honor, there was a certain distinction of power. All were equal in being chosen, but it was given to one to be preeminent over the others. . . . [So today through the bishops] the care of the universal Church would converge in the one See of Peter, and nothing should ever be at odds with this head" (ibid., 14:11).
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presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors.
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permission to publish this work is hereby granted.
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Copyright © 1996-2012 Catholic Answers
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SOURCE: http://www.catholic.com/tracts/peters-primacy

Praised be Jesus Christ!
 
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wordsoflife

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Albion said:
But is it impossible for some one of them to get it right?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is impossible. There is no perfect Church.


Obviously. But, that wasn't what we were discussing.
 
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AHJE

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Please show me the whole letter and the Father who wrote it.



That in some way it was the real presence of Christ, but not Transubstantiation.
Click to expand...
It is either bread or it is the Real and Substantial Presence of Jesus Christ our Incarnate Lord. It cannot be both. Jesus said "This IS ..." not "This is ... and ...". Understand?



All manner of things. Some taught that she's buried in the Near East, others Britain, some other places. There are many legends about Mary.
Click to expand...
For starters did they proclaim her to be the New Eve, the Mother of God, and that she is Ever-Virgin?

God bless you.
 
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Albion

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AHJE said:
It is either bread or it is the Real and Substantial Presence of Jesus Christ our Incarnate Lord. It cannot be both.
Click to expand...

Of course it can be.

Jesus said "This IS ..." not "This is ... and ...". Understand?
Click to expand...
Actually, he did not use a verb. We supply the "is" in order to translate it into English. Understand?

But even so, we often speak in metaphors. Jesus did so repeatedly. And this has been explained many times on these forums. You cannot show any interpretation to be the correct one merely by quoting the words of institution with greater emphasis or volume.
 
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GloryBe!

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I was raised non denominational, and I've remained that way. Although, do to experiences in my life, I believe very differently than most Christians, now. However, having knowledge of where denominations get their beliefs, who they follow, and what they require is very important if you are to be strong. I suggest being wary of those who quote anyone other than Jesus, God, and the disciples. For example: do your research on John Calvin and Augustine,even Luther. Read history to decide if you truly want to follow men like these. Also, I suggest looking into the writings that were omitted from the present day Bible. Man has changed Christianity greatly from what it began as. Knowledge is power. I would have to agree with a previous statement (before it turned into a Catholic fight) that no denomination I've heard of has it right. I feel absolutely no pressure to agree with any particular denomination.
 
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Albion

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I apologize for all that diversionary chatting. As for your very reasonable question, I think that all you can do is what you hope to avoid doing--studying Church history. Sometimes there is no substitute for that if you want to find the denomination that can be considered the most correct embodyment of the message and teachings of Christ. But if you do as I suggest, here are some guidelines to keep you from making a mistake.

Age or size is not a determiner of which church is right, if any.

The Bible is the only real common denominator we have as Christians. If it is not credible, there is no Christianity at all, and you might as well give up. If it is reliable, nothing supplements it.

Consistency does not prove truth. It is entirely possible that any group of Christians in history made mistakes but were brought back to the truth later. It's the later that matters in such a case.

Do not allow yourself to be easily persuaded about "what happened" or "What was believed." There are many myths that various denominations promote about history. You have to be careful not to be using slanted, partisan versions of past events.

The basic message of the Gospel is inclusive as regards doctrine and practice. The more that the denomination in question sees other denominations as genuine Christian churches (even if incorrect on some non-essential matters), the more likely it is that that denomination holds to an unadulterated version of the faith of Christ.
 
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AHJE

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Indeed there is no substitue for doing your homework and studying Church History. (This is the best kind of History to study anyways.) Invite the Holy Spirit to guide you in your study.

Age or size is not a determiner of which church is right, if any.
Click to expand...
I don't know about size, ... but AGE certainly does matter. One of the marks of the Church which Jesus founded is Apostolicity. The True Church must be able to show you that it goes back all the way back to the HOLY APOSTLES (to the beginning).

Pay special attention to this verse: "And you shall give testimony, because you are with me from the beginning." (St. John 15:27, DRB) [And this was immediately after Jesus spoke about the distinct testimony of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.]

"As for you, let that which you have heard from the beginning, abide in you. If that abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning, you also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father." (1 St. John 2:24-26, DRB)

Furthermore, Jesus PROMISED to be WITH His Apostolic Church unto the end, unto the consummation of the world. (see St. Matthew 28:20)

The Bible is the only real common denominator we have as Christians. If it is not credible, there is no Christianity at all, and you might as well give up.
Click to expand...
The Holy Bible is indeed Authoritative and it is Divinely Inspired and the 27 books of the New Testament were declared Canonical by the Bishops of the Catholic Church in the late 4th Century at the Council/Synod of Hippo @ 393 A. D. (There is no Divinely Inspired Table of Contents in the Bible and nowhere in the Bible does it say which books belong in the Old or New Testaments). I am just stating the obvious facts.

If it is reliable, nothing supplements it.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, ... this statement is nowhere to be found in Sacred Writing (the Holy Bible). Let us be honest here, ... this is the man made tradition of Sola Scriptura (which states that ONLY the Bible is the rule of faith and morals).

The Bible is indeed the Word of God in Written Form but as 2 Thes. 2:15 and 1 Thes. 2:13 shows us there is indeed a Divine Tradition that is also the Word of God and not the word of men (not the tradition of men either).

Let us be honest here. (I, for my part,can assure you that if I do not know the answer to something that I would much prefer to remain silent than to give someone false or erroneous advice.)

 
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AHJE

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This is the most important thing to remember in your search for the True Church of Jesus:

There are 4 MARKS by which you can distinguish the True Church from a False Church:

(1) She is ONE. There is ONE Body of Christ, ONE Bride of Christ, a UNITY of Faith, a UNITY of Worship, ONE Baptism, ONE Sacrifice, ONE Fold, with ONE Shepherd, ONE Universal Pastor, ONE Rock, and so on. Remember that our Risen Lord commanded Peter to feed His Sheep and that the Bible teaches us that we must be subject to those who are over us IN the Lord.

(2) She is HOLY. (as mentioned above in my previous post)

(3) She is UNIVERSAL/Non-Sectarian. That is, She is sent to ALL nations and subsists throughout ALL ages. She is sent to every place and every time, to all peoples of every age, sex, race, status and station in life.

(4) She is APOSTOLIC (as I already mentioned ... the Church MUST be traced back historically all the way back to the Holy Apostles ... to the beginning. And She must show that Her Bishops are truly the Successors to the Apostles by the Laying on of Hands (Holy Orders). In Romans 10 it says, How can they preach unless they be SENT?

If a Church is missing any ONE, just ONE of these marks, you can safely conclude that it is not the Church of Jesus Christ, the One that He founded and the One for whom He shed His Blood (though He did shed His blood for the whole world).

Praised be Jesus Christ, our Bridegroom.
 
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