You misunderstand, there are numerous things taught by the Catholics that I find scripturally sound, but just as ANY 'official' church, it has been plagued by wolves in sheeps clothing for well over 1000 years. I will venture to say that all Christianity cannot be right, there is but ONE way, and yet we find 1000 denominations including Catholicism.
You assume that people were illiterate, when we understand from archaeology that there were great civilizations with structured governments, something hard to create if so many cannot read. Do not forget that our history books themselves are written by the victors of war!
My qualms with the Catholic church is not in the people, those good, well meaning Christians, rather with the structure of politics that we see rampantly today. The idea of a man being head of the church is unacceptable to me, as Christ is the head of the Church. If pope literally means 'shepherd' then the means of electing the pope is biblically unsound. God will raise up pastors in His own accord to feed His children.
Do Catholics accept Christ as God, or is He merely equated to the 'Son of God'? Lucifer was a 'son' of God, Adam was as well, as were all of the angels, so why pass off His divinity? As Christians we are to pray in Jesus' name, not in the name of Mary, we are not to chant publicly as that is the way of the heathen. And allowing Sodomites to lead the congregation along with the number of pedophiles found in Catholicism gives me little belief that it is 'holy' at all.
Constantine is the very reason that many of the 'non canonical' books were removed, to fulfill his own political agenda, yet a thorough study of these so called 'gnostic' texts shed more light on scripture than the 66 found in standard translations. My facts are based on factual evidence that can be seen in the world today. I care deeply for my Christian brothers and sisters, and only want them to take a look at what God says for themselves instead of basing everything on what they have learned through someone else. No justification, no watering down the Word, no 'spiritualizing' away what was meant to be reality. Take time to accept Gods word for what it says, and then adjust your life accordingly, dont adjust the Word to fit your life.
xBlux, I'm so sorry for you, you really don't know what your writing about [ i'm not intenting to insult you ,but you and many others do not understand the Apostolic Catholic Church]
First- It is not a "denomination " it never split from another church as you find with every single Protestant church The Catholic /Apostolic Church was formed by Christ with his Apostles and their successors [ Eph. 2:19-20,]
The Church is Catholic { Matt28;19-20, Rev. 5:9-10]
The Church is One - Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 10;17, 12:13 ]
The Church is Holy- Eph. 5:25-27, Rev. 19:7-8 ]
Jesus chose the apostles [to answer your confused opinion that God never picked any men to lead His earthly Church while Jesus is back with the Father] He gave them His own power and authority [ Luke 10; 16 ]
His Catholic/Apostolic Church was never taken completely over as you say ,not one doctrine as ever been left out or changed in over 2,000 years, because Jesus doesn't lie when He said He would always protect His Apostolic/Catholic Church [ Matt.16: 15-19 ]
You are completely wrong when you try to write that people were not illiterate back then ask even any competent Protestant historian . They not only could not read, they could not afford the very expensive price of a Bible back then, you do realize that writing paper, as we know it, was non-existing back then, and also no printing presses were yet invented by the Catholic Guttenberg until much later
Your words about " pedophiles '' also applies to your Protestant churches , the name of Ted Haggart ring a bell, saved you Protestants cry, in a pigs eye he was saved , he would have never revealed the truth if he wasn't labeled by his gay boy friend. All the time your other Protestant ilk saying that he was "saved'. What a hoot.And many other cases. if your Protestant churches were all under one roof as is the Catholic Church is then your Protestant gay ministers would also make the World News instead of only the local news.
Constantine had nothing to do with the Books of the Bible or the Catholic Church, he only made Christianity the Faith of his empire . Constantine was never even baptised until his death bed..If you think he took out books then you can't believe that the Holy Bible is the only sole rule for the Christian Faith, now can you.