Hello all from Chestertonrules

I'm not catholic, but regardless, I saw chestertonfan and got excited Welcome to the boards.

Welcome to Christian Chat, Chestertonrules. I have no doubt Jesus started the Catholic Church. I also have no doubt he started my church.

Does the Catholic Church still teach that every other church is wrong and they are right?

Of course. Jesus only started one Church and he promised that the Holy Spirit would lead them into all truth. Paul said that the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth.

Of course, that doesn't mean only Catholics will go to heaven, it just means that the fullness of truth is found in the Church, as Jesus said.

That's not the answer to the whole question. It only covers the part that they say they are right. You did not answer the part about if they still say everyone else is wrong. And if they do not say everyone else is wrong, then what meaning does "one true church" have? "One" certainly makes it sound like every other one is false.

It's another question, but I do not recall Jesus ever using the word "Catholic". So how do you know that when He used the word "church", he meant the Catholic church?

If one Church is guided in the fullness of truth, then other Churches are wrong by definition when they disagree with this Church. Jesus only started one Church. That's not to say that other Christian churches don't get many things right because they do.

Catholic simply means on the whole. The early Church was united with single leadership. The word Catholic is just a modifier to describe the Church. It wasn't used in writing until about 100 AD. It isn't really relevant, though. We know who the leaders are because they were appointed by the apostles. We can read their writings. What the Church came to be called isn't a central issue.

1. Jesus did not start the church. Acts 7:38 states it existed at Sinai.
2. you are using church in two different ways. Jesus "built" the one church which is all of us. By calling some churches (denominations, a different use of the word), it just creates confusion.
3. It is not true at all that the early church was all under one headship. If that were true, there would be no Eastern churches, and no heretical sects to have been banned. There would have been no false apostles for Paul to have gone against.

My question relates not to the catholic church (small c - adjective meaning "on the whole"), but to the Catholic Church, the worldwide entity headquartered in the Vatican and claiming headship of the Pope. That is like a corporate name, and no more means "on the whole", than "Suregood" foods means something that is surely good to eat.

1. Please check the Greek. The word that is used applies to expansion of an existing structure, not to building a new one. Also explain my reference to the quote in Acts, which says the church existed at Sinai.
2. Jesus did not start the church, as I said in #1. The Eastern churches were started by the same 13 apostles, and are not under Rome. Many other churches were started by other apostles who left only limited written records (since the Catholic church burned whatever they could.)
3. Acts 15 was a meeting between Paul and the Church in Jerusalem. The other churches were not part of this meeting.

You have not justified your conclusion. Please answer my objections. At best, they are one denomination among many. All Chirstians subsist in Jesus Christ, some Catholics included.

Hi, I am living in Eastern Europe with my wife, we have come here for study and worship. Your discussion of the Catholicism issue is interesting. Perhaps I may be able to help a small amount. After Christ, the Apostles and the others in Christ set out. They were to Ecclesiastic or Assemble and Preach the Word as prescribed by the Christ. Needless to say, persecution was sever and extreme. This can be read about in a book called the Synaxcerion. Christians were persecuted without mercy until 321CE when Constantine came to power. The original first century church was later divided, Catholic one direction, Orthodox in the other. Their belief in the Christ was and is the same. The most obvious difference is the Catholics celebrate the Passion of the Christ, or Salvation thru the Blood poured out at the Cross for us of Faith. The Orthodox celebrates the Resurrection of the Christ which shows us we can be born again into eternal life thru Faith. They both are off shoots of first century Christianity. It was at this time other involvements started to occur such as the Sabbath being moved from Saturday to Sunday. The Greek name for Saturday is still "Sabbato". Biker Dave

I believe in the new covenant. The new covenant fulfills the hope of the old, and is therefore built onto it. Abraham is a blessing to all nations. Therefore, the church is founded from Jerusalem outward. Not from Rome rewriting history

If the Eastern churches left, then are they true churches or not? If the Catholic Church is the only true church, they are not. But if they were founded by the apostles they are. So which is it?