The Catholic Church is the Authentic Church of Christ

Thank you for respecting my views and accepting to discuss this topic. I in turn also respect your views as well. On that note, let us begin. Let me first begin my saying that the Catholic Church is the original Church. The Catholic Church is indeed, the oldest Christian institution on the planet and is the Church founded by Christ our Lord. This statement is affirmed by both Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Examples: "If you are a Roman Catholic, Jesus Christ began your religion in the year 33. "(Ann Landers (Jewish), syndicated columnist in the Daily Record of Morris County, N.J. (from which we take this piece) for Monday, November 11,1996 reads) ROMAN CATHOLICISM: Christian church characterized by its uniform, highly developed doctoral and organizational structure that traces its history to the apostles of Jesus Christ in the 1st century C.E. (Marriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions " 1999, page 938 ) The history of the Roman Church, therefore, in relation to the ancient oriental churches, is in fact, the history of this claim to supremacy. The claim of supremacy on the part of the bishop of Rome rests on the belief that Christ conferred on the apostle Peter a 'primacy of jurisdiction;' that Peter fixed his see and died at Rome and thus, that the bishops of Rome, as successors of the apostle Peter, have succeeded to his prerogatives of supremacy. In this light, historians read the facts of the early history of the church---and they trace to this acknowledgment of the superiority of that see, the numerous references to Rome on matters of doctrine or discipline; the appeals from other churches, even those of Alexandria, Antioch, and Constantinople; the depositions or nominations of bishops, examination and condemnation of heresies---of which the first five centuries, especially the 4th and 5th, present examples. . . In all the controversies on the Incarnation---the Arian, the Nestorian, the Eutychian, the Monothelite---not only was the orthodoxy of Rome never impeached, but she even supplied at every crisis a rallying point for the orthodox of every church. ( Imperial Encyclopedia and Dictionary, Volume 32 " 1903) The Church of Rome is the earliest of Christian organization; after three centuries of persecution, it was given freedom by the edict of Constantine and Licinius and acquired increased influence. Bishoprics were established in various parts of the empire, but the one at Rome remained supreme, and in time the title of Pope, or father originally borne by all the bishops indiscriminately, began to be restricted to the bishop of Rome.(The World Book Encyclopedia " 1940, Page 6166, Volume 14,) (The Catholic) Church... traces an unbroken line of popes from St. Peter in the 1st century AD to the present occupant of the papal throne. During this nearly 2,000-year period there were more than 30 false popes, most notably during the late 14th and early 15th centuries. These men were merely claimants to the position. There have rarely been periods when a genuine pope was not ruling the church. In 1978 John Paul II became the 264th true pope.(Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia " 1996) "The Roman Catholic church ... the only legitimate inheritor, by an unbroken episcopal succession descending from Saint Peter to the present time, of the commission and powers conferred by Jesus Christ...Until the break with the Eastern church in 1054 and the break with the Protestant churches in the 1500s, it is impossible to separate the history of the Roman Catholic church from the history of Christianity" (The Encarta Encyclopedia " 1997 says) "33-40 A.D. The Roman Catholic Church is founded by Jesus Christ"(The Timetables of History " 1975) "ROMAN CATHOLICISM The largest of the Christian denominations is the Roman Catholic church. As an institution it has existed since the 1st century AD, ...The Roman church owes its existence to the life of Jesus Christ in the 1st century AD" (Comptons Encyclopedia "1995) "Roman Catholic authority rests upon a mandate that is traced to the action of Jesus Christ himself, when he invested Peter and, through Peter, his successors with the power of the keys in the church. Christ is the invisible head of his church, and by his authority the pope is the visible head." (Encyclopedia Britannica "1999) "Roman Catholicism Christian church characterized by its uniform, highly developed doctrinal and organizational structure that traces its history to the Apostles of Jesus Christ in the 1st century AD." (Encyclopedia Britannica "1999) "We are compelled to concede to the Papists that they have the Word of GOD, that we received it from them, and that without them, we should have no knowledge of it at all." - Martin Luther, commentary on St. John. So we know that historically, the Catholic Church is the original Church. As stated before, both Catholics and non-Catholics alike (including Protestants) acknowledges this assertion. However, some believe that though the Church was the original Church it fell into apostasy and became corrupt but this theory is defective. If the Church went into apostasy, Christ is a liar. Jesus said that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church (Matt. 16:18). He also said that He will be with us until the end of time (Matt. 28:20) and will not leave us orphans (John 14:16-18). He also said that the Father will send the Holy Spirit in His name to teach us all things and to remind us of all the things that Jesus told us (John 14:26) and that the Spirit of Truth will guide them into all Truth (John 16:13). If the Church fell into apostasy, the gates of hell prevailed against the Church, the Father did not send the Holy Spirit and Christ left us orphans. The Church is the body of Christ, and if Satan was capable of infiltrating the Church by corrupting it with heresy and error, he is greater than Christ but the bible tells us otherwise (1 John 4:4). Another point I would like to address is the Protestant teaching of Sola Scriptura. This is the teaching that the bible is the sole rule of Faith and that it is the final authority in all things. This too is heresy. Practically all of the Protestant denominations today teach Sola Scriptura and it is because of this teaching that there are so many Christian denominations to this day. By whose authority and by whose interpretation do we go by and follow? How can we trust a fallible man to interpret an infallible book? ST. Augustine said it best, "In no other way have heresies arisen, and perverse doctrines that ensnare souls and cast them into the abyss, than because the Scriptures, which are good in themselves, are ill understood, and what is thus ill understood is rashly and boldly asserted." " (In Joan. Tract, xviii. tome, iii, col. 430). We have thousands of interpretations of Scripture yet, there is only one meaning not countless. All of this confusion is not the work of God for he is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). "No prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation" (2 Pt. 1:20) and Scripture can be hard to understand and misinterpreting it can lead to one's destruction (1 Pt. 3:15-16). Therefore, there must be an infallible guide that can interpret it and give us the true meaning of the infallible and inspired Scripture and that is the Church. The Church is the "pillar and the foundation of the Truth" (1 Timothy 3:15). This means that the Church uphold the Truth and keeps it stable. If the Church went into apostasy and was corrupted, the Church of course could not be the "pillar and foundation of the Truth" since it could not be considered a firm foundation making the Truth itself slump and plummet. Evidently, the Church that is the "pillar and foundation of the Truth" is the Catholic Church, since, it is the original Church therefore making this Church the Church that sustains the Truth. In conclusion, the Authentic Church of Christ would need to have been the original Church. The Church must not believe in Sola Scriptura (and this is the teaching of the majority of Protestant denominations), the Church must not have been founded by man or by schism. The Catholic Church alone existed since the time of Christ, the Catholic Church alone is the "pillar and foundation of the Truth" and the Catholic Church alone is the Authentic Church of Christ" guided by the Spirit of Truth, preserved by Christ with his promise that the "gates of hell shall not prevail against it".