How Old Is Your Church?
If you are a Lutheran, your religion was founded by Martin Luther, an ex- monk of the Catholic Church, in the year 1517.
If you belong to the Church of England, your religion was founded by King Henry VIII in the year 1534 because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to remarry.
If you are a Presbyterian, your religion was founded by John Knox in Scotland in the year 1560.
If you are a Protestant Episcopalian, your religion was an offshoot of the Church of England founded by Samuel Seabury in the American colonies in the 17th century.
If you are a Congregationalist, your religion was originated by Robert Brown in Holland in 1582.
If you are a Methodist, your religion was launched by John and Charles Wesley in England in 1744.
If you are a Unitarian, Theophilus Lindley founded your church in London in 1774.
If you are a Mormon (Latter Day Saints), Joseph Smith started your religion in Palmyra, N.Y., in 1829.
If you are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your religion to John Smyth, who launched it in Amsterdam in 1605.
If you are of the Dutch Reformed church, you recognize Michaelis Jones as founder, because he originated your religion in New York in 1628.
If you worship with the Salvation Army, your sect began with William Booth in London in 1865.
If you are a Christian Scientist, you look to 1879 as the year in which your religion was born and to Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy as its founder.
If you belong to one of the religious organizations known as ‘Church of the Nazarene,” “Pentecostal Gospel.” “Holiness Church,” “Pilgrim Holiness Church,” “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” your religion is one of the hundreds of new sects founded by men within the past century.
If you are Catholic, you know that your religion was founded in the year 33 by Jesus Christ the Son of God, and it is still the same Church.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
STEVE RAY HERE COMMENTING ON TOM’S COMMENT. THIS IS THE SAME OLD ASSUMPTION PRESENTED OVER AND OVER AGAIN. NO DATA TO PROVE IT OF COURSE, BUT A LOT OF ASSUMPTIONS AND WISHES IT WERE SO. YES, “CATHOLIC CHURCH” WAS USED BY A FIRST CENTURY BISHOP AND A DISCIPLE OF THE APOSTLES. IT IS EVEN RUMORED THAT HE WAS THE CHILD SET IN JESUS’ LAP. HIS USE OF THE WORD SO CASUALLY AND NOT AS AN INNOVATION WOULD LEAD US TO THINK IT WAS ALREADY IN COMMON USAGE AT THE TIME.
IF YOU SAY THAT THE WORD “CATHOLIC’ WOULD HAVE BEEN PEPPERED THOUGHOUT THE NEW TESTAMENT, THEN I WOULD ASK “WHAT ABOUT THE TRINITY AND THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE”? IF THEY ARE TRUTH THAT YOU HOLD THEN WHY ARE THEY NOT SPILLING OUT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AS WELL.
I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SEEING THE DOCUMENTS OR HISTORICAL PROOF THAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS CONSTITUTIONALLY INAUGURATED IN 313, AND WHAT DATE WAS IT? THERE IS NO SUCH THING, JUST WISHFUL THINKING. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS THE CHURCH JESUS BUILT, GIVING PETER THE KEYS, MAKING HIM A FOUNDATIONAL ROCK, BUILDING UPON THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS (EPH 2:20) AND IT WAS ONE VISIBLE CHURCH WITH VISIBLE RECOGNIZABLE LEADERSHIP.
THE WHOLE IDEA OF AN DIVIDED INVISIBLE CHURCH IN SPIRITUAL UNITY WAS A CONCESSION OF THE DISPUTING REFORMERS.
TOM WRITES: Actually, the Catholic church was founded as an organized religion, calling itself the Catholic Church around 313 AD under Roman emperor Constantine. If it were true that Jesus founded the Catholic church, then references to it would have been peppered throughout the Gospel as well as Paul’s epistles. To be fair, though, the term “Catholic” was first used by St. Ignatious of Antioch, believed to be a disciple of the Apostle John when writing a letter and referring to the Christian church of the day.
I mean to also add the year was 107 when the first useage of “Catholic” appeared in writings by St. Igantius. Sorry for the earlier misspelling, too.
I came across this document with the addition of the AME, African Methodist Episcopal Church. , Unfortunately, entry was the only one to omit the name of the founder. It reads:
‘If you ARE an A.M.E., your church was started around 1800 by an African America. ”
As a Black Catholic, I was not happy to see the African American unnamed so I set out to find the article on line. The hard copy I have is this one verbatim except that AME is omitted here altogether.
For everyone’s information, it is Reverend Richard Allen. He founded the AME in 1816 out of necessity. For more informatiohttp://www.essortment.com/reverend-richard-allen–african-american-religious-leader-63915.htmln .