>> The Orthodox church split away from the Roman Catholic Church and then further divided over the years into other churches. <<
Christ's true Church cannot be "split" anymore than Christ himself can be divided, for Christ and his Church are one body. the proper expression would not be to say that the Church split in 1054, but to say that the latins (roman catholics) left the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Christ in 1054.
>> It's the Roman Catholic Church that has the successor to St. Peter. <<
i think it would behove you to explore your roman catholic faith some more before we engage in further discussion. did you know that the holy apostle St. Peter was bishop in antioch prior to and for a longer duration than he was in rome? the Church was first established in jerusalem, so if we were inclined to follow the roman catholic reasoning jerusalem would take precedence over antioch and rome.
>> That's certainly not in the New Testament. <<
well then prove it. i challenge you to prove to me using the scriptures or the holy fathers how subsequent to the establishment of Christ's Church judaism is still to be practiced. the scriptures and the fathers say just the opposite.
>> Fair enough, and Peter was the first Pope and there is a continuous line of succession to St. Peter in the RC Church. <<
first pope of what? antioch? St. Peter consecrated bishops in antioch before he ever traveled to rome. furthermore, when the latin popes left the true Church the grace of the Holy Spirit left them and they can lay hands on whomever they wish, but it is meaningless. this is in the canons of the Church. baptisms or laying on of hands by heretics are not valid and amount to nothing. the pope of rome heretically departed from the true catholic Church, the Holy Orthodox Church, and in departing from the true faith the Holy Spirit departed from them. (not unlike how when king Saul departed from the commandment of the Lord, the Lord rejected him and took the Holy Spirit and the anointing away from him and anointed king David in his stead.)
>> Here Jesus of Nazareth says that is with the Church till the end of the world. To suggest that the RC Church is not the true Chuch is to suggest that Jesus has broken his word. <<
i am pleased to see that you understand the principal that there can only be One True Church. you are correct in recognizing that Christ would be breaking his word if there was not always one and only one true Church since the time of Christ. this quickly eliminates all claims by protestants to the claim of being Christ's true Church. for they have only been around for 500 years.
that leaves only two possible candidates to be Christ's one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, for there have been only two churches which existed since the time of the apostles up until now:
1) the True (Eastern Orthodox)
2) the False (since 1054 a.d.) (Roman Catholic/Latin) |
