If all Protestants were right there would not be 30,000 plus denominations. The Catholic missed the turn for certain or there would not have been a reformation, but how many after leaving the RCC went down right road from there and how many continued along the "wider way that leads to destruction"?
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matt 7:13-14
While I know that what you say is true of too many Catholics, it is also true of too many non-Catholic Christians. Probably some people fled the RCC to find an easier walk rather than to move closer to God. Certainly many people remain where they or go to a new "church" to find something more comfortable for their flesh rather to approach God more closely.
Dear brother, I referred to the catholics as that is the topic,
'What catholics really believe'
The reformation was inevitable once people were taught to read the Bible for themselves. But was a mess the Protestants made of breaking away from the RC ways and since then they just made matters worse and worse, following 'what people wanted' not necessarily what 'Jesus teaches'. By this what I am saying is, there became protestant high church follows RC tradition, protestant middle of the road are part RC tradition and part not, then there are protestant evangelical if they can get it together.
Twenty seven years ago when I accepted the Lord into my life, I started going to an Anglican church, it was a new church from both prospectives, building and people, it started as many do in an home group and then a church hall. At first rights and wrongs to scripture are noticeable, you fall into the pattern they offer, you don't see the friction going on inside, hidden behind the welcome and good choir, etc, but after a while they start to show and the cracks become visible. Those who started from the home group and church hall, always wanted the final say in everything that happened there, it was 'their church'!!! Then there was the choir, a very good one I must say, but they ruled what should and would be sung. The creed included the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, although I never used to say the RC words, there is so much more.
It was sad to see and eventually I had to leave, as did many others. The congregation was mixed, the elderly that wanted the traditional worship, the younger that wanted evangelical song and worship, the minister went with the elder people as they were the ones who pushed their influence whose church it was, whose church they thought it was, but I have to say that was after the choir dictated the hymns they said should be sung.
Denominations!!! Satan has done a good job, I think that can be summed up by rearranging the first five letters, denom, demon. I can only repeat, it is sad, I agree with you, the catholics got it wrong and still cannot see it, the protestants got many things wrong and are still doing so, and so have many other denominations. Until people put aside denominational differences, forgetting them completely, and come to Jesus, learning from the early church it will not change.
It is amazing how many people think they are in a denomination yet only show their faces for christening, marriage and funerals. The best example of this I have seen is when people are admitted to hospital, it asks what Religion they are... in the UK the most common answers are RC and COE and that is usually after frowning and wondering.
Isn't it amazing also that so many of these lost souls go through life rejecting 'Christ' and 'His Church' yet when you attend the funerals you would think everyone goes to heaven when they die! The path is narrow but that is not why they don't see it, they are spiritually blind.
But much more, it must hurt our Lord to see those attending a church but don't really know what a church is, or those who think they know the truth yet are unwilling to open their hearts to the teachings of Jesus and the early church as is written down for us all in our Bibles. Our Lord must weep at those who think they are right but are not open to the Truth in the Word.
Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV) 13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide
is the gate and broad
is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow
is the gate and difficult
is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. The warnings are clear for us all.
