LibertyGal on Nostr: I hate all of the splits in the church, but understand why they happen. One thing ...
I hate all of the splits in the church, but understand why they happen. One thing that can be seen in all human organizations, including the church, is that the low level workers work hard on the mission (serving Christ). Those that seek leadership tend to be those who care more about wealth and power than the mission. Over time the leadership gets taken over by the least Christian in the Church. They start leading the church/denomination in the wrong direction. Those who are still faithful to God and His word, then leave because the church/denomination has drifted from the path.
Although for every generalization, there are plenty of exceptions, my experience has shown the older the denomination, the more likely for it to have been corrupted. Even the earliest Protestant denominations (Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc.) that used to be very biblical denominations have become terribly corrupted. There may be a few decent churches left, but the denominations are totally messed up.
The Catholic church started out really good. They then dealt with some true heresies, but overcorrected. Their initial reactions were not terrible, but led to future generations being led astray. As the Catholic Church got more rich and powerful, ungodly men sought leadership. I think there were many Popes, including the current one, that are not Christians. When I was younger, it seemed like every Catholic I met didn't really have Christian beliefs. It felt like they used Catholicism as a "don't witness to me" card. Today, I know a bunch of Catholics who I believe are strong Christians. I can't be sure, but it seems that even though the leadership has become more and more liberal and anti-biblical, many of the members have become more devout and more biblical (even if I disagree strongly on certain points). Maybe I just met the wrong Catholics when I was younger and the right Catholics when I got older or maybe God has been calling His Catholic brothers and sisters back to Him. I don't know.
Although being part of a Christian church and participating in certain group callings like the Lord's Supper (Eucharist) and Baptism, we need to all go to the Bible for our theology, not men. We need to be like the Bereans:
"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11)
Although for every generalization, there are plenty of exceptions, my experience has shown the older the denomination, the more likely for it to have been corrupted. Even the earliest Protestant denominations (Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc.) that used to be very biblical denominations have become terribly corrupted. There may be a few decent churches left, but the denominations are totally messed up.
The Catholic church started out really good. They then dealt with some true heresies, but overcorrected. Their initial reactions were not terrible, but led to future generations being led astray. As the Catholic Church got more rich and powerful, ungodly men sought leadership. I think there were many Popes, including the current one, that are not Christians. When I was younger, it seemed like every Catholic I met didn't really have Christian beliefs. It felt like they used Catholicism as a "don't witness to me" card. Today, I know a bunch of Catholics who I believe are strong Christians. I can't be sure, but it seems that even though the leadership has become more and more liberal and anti-biblical, many of the members have become more devout and more biblical (even if I disagree strongly on certain points). Maybe I just met the wrong Catholics when I was younger and the right Catholics when I got older or maybe God has been calling His Catholic brothers and sisters back to Him. I don't know.
Although being part of a Christian church and participating in certain group callings like the Lord's Supper (Eucharist) and Baptism, we need to all go to the Bible for our theology, not men. We need to be like the Bereans:
"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11)