It seems the trouble begins with papal assertion that the lineage of popes traces back to Peter and therefore they are the one true church. Well there is no Biblical evidence that Peter was ever in Rome.


Roman Catholicism also declares the "Laws of the Church" to be of equal authority with Scripture.

Canon 252 Sec. 3 claims sacred tradition is the basis for dogmatic theology.

"We confess that the Pope has the power of altering Scripture, or increasing and diminishing it, according to his will." --Article I, "Confessio Romani-Catholica in Hungaria Evangelicis publice prescripta et proposita." From "Libri Symbolici Eccl. Cath. editi a Slreitwolf Gotting, 1838 Tom. 2, p. 343

"We confess that whatsoever new thing the Pope of Rome may have instituted whether it be in Scripture, or out of Scripture, it true, divine, and salvific; and, therefore, ought to be regarded as of higher value by lay people than the precepts of the living God." --Article IV, "Confessio Romani-Catholica in Hungaria Evangelicis publice prescripta et proposita." From "Libri Symbolici Eccl. Cath. editi a Slreitwolf Gotting, 1838 Tom. 2, p. 343

"We confess that Holy Scripture is imperfect and a dead letter, until it is explained by the Supreme Pontiff and permitted by him to be read by lay people." --Article XXI, "Confessio Romani-Catholica in Hungaria Evangelicis publice prescripta et proposita." From "Libri Symbolici Eccl. Cath. editi a Slreitwolf Gotting, 1838 Tom. 2, p. 343


Quote Originally Posted by JB
Tradition has been a source of sustaining faith when the scriptures were not available, during times of persecution and when seperated from the body of the church.
That's a joke, since it was the catholics that was doing the persecution.

Catholics banned the people from posessing the scripture. They said that only the priest class was fit to interpret it for the masses. In the time of Luther hardly any catholic priest had ever read the bible. It wasn't even encouraged.

During the time of the persecutions of christians (real ones before Constantine) there is no mention of christians needing traditions because they had no scripture.

Quote Originally Posted by JB
The catholic catechism .
Is catechism mentioned in scripture? NO. So who cares about it? People who care what other men say. That is where you went wrong.

Quote Originally Posted by JB
.
The old testament scriptures have been around longer than Christianity but the new testament writings have been around only as long as Christians which includes the bishops of Rome. They were just as instrumental in deciding what went into the Bible as the Eastern bishops. And your King James was written from the manuscripts that they chose.
There is only one answer for that. Somehow -despite- the corruption that was for seen by the apostles, that began to creep into the church shortly after John the last of them died. God found a way for the truth to prevail in the form of the New Testament anyway. But given the corruption in the church at the time I can't help but wonder if it is possible that something got left out that should be in. I have read some of those books the Lost Books of Eden, the Book of Enoch, the Book of Thomas but they all seem to have a made up hoky "feel" to them, similar to the Koran or the Book of Mormon .


Quote Originally Posted by JB
Pope's claim to infallibility:
I gave you several links to catholic web sites where they, Catholics, make this claim. I don't know why it is so hard for you to believe this when the Vatican has already changed The Ten Commandments. SShh!



Quote Originally Posted by JB
The Orthodox faith is even stronger than the Romans when it comes to maintaining the traditions and practices of the apostles and first followers of Christ.
If Orthodox faith was doing so then they would probably be keeping the Sabbath instead of Sunday since the Vatican openly takes credit for changing that too!

I think perhaps you have no idea of the depths of this corruption.