THE DISSENTING BEGINNING OF ROMAN CATHOLICISM

Chapter 1

The Foundation of Roman Catholicism

The foundation of the true Christian church is Christ. Jesus said, “upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). The “rock” to which Jesus referred was Himself, thus Jesus is the foundation of the church. Paul stated, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). The Roman Catholic Church proclaims its origin and foundation to be in Christ. The Catechism declares, “The one true Church established by Christ is the Catholic Church.”[i] While the Roman Catholic religion claims its origin and foundation to be in Christ, the history of the church dictates something opposite. History reveals the origin and foundation of Roman Catholicism to be men, and its construction began with the dissenting of New Testament churches from truth.
L.L. Clover, “Baptist History” wrote, “by the middle of the second century there was a great change in the attitude and practices of many of the churches. This was due largely to the fact Christianity was growing into a thing well known and widely accepted in the Roman Empire. The leaders among the Christians were sore troubled as to ways and means of marshalling and controlling the ignorant masses that were coming to them from heathenism.”[ii] The attempt to control this issue began a practice that replaced Christ as the head of the church. This new practice was a preacher rule or a church official rule. Clover stated, “Thus preacher rule, church official rule; along with thoughts of universalism, which were the seeds of Catholicism, began to raise their ugly heads upon the horizon of the Christian world. Along with these ideas there came also a relaxing of moral standards, and demands for a separated church membership taught by the first churches.”[iii]
In the first two centuries, Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and into much of the known civilization. Over this period of time, some of the churches began to practice error and compromise. The doctrine of the Nicolaitans influenced many churches in the first two centuries of the church. The Nicolaitans, a kindred to a antinomian sect: these where “One of a sect who maintain, that, under the gospel dispensation, the law is of no use or obligation; or who hold doctrines which supersede the necessity of good works and a virtuous life. This sect originated with John Agricola about the year 1538.abused the doctrine of Christian liberty.”[iv] H. Cowan, “The Bible Dictionary” wrote, “In defiance of the apostle’s warnings, (1 Corinthians 6:13-20; 8:9, 10; 10:8) as well as of the decree of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), they permitted participation in heathen feasts connected with idolatry and in the fornication which frequently accompanied such feasts.”[v]

While Jesus commended the church at Ephesus for hating the “deeds” of the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:6), He condemned the church of Pergamos for having those who hold their doctrine (Revelation 2:15). The Easton’s Bible dictionary states concerning the Nicolaitans, “They were seemingly a class of professing Christians, who sought to introduce into the church a false freedom or licentiousness, thus abusing Paul’s doctrine of grace, and were probably identical with those who held to the doctrine of Baalam.”[vi] Jesus said concerning the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, “which thing I hate.” (Revelation 2:14). Jesus hated the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. The word “hate” translates from the Greek word “misw”, a present active indicative verb indicating an action that is a reality. Jesus actually hated the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes. Spiros Zodhiates, “The Complete Word Study Dictionary”, defines “misw” as “the opposite of agapao, to love, phileo, to be a friend, it is equivalent to not loving.”[vii] Zodhiates refers to apecomai as a synonym for misow. Apecomai means to abstain or refrain.[viii]

The doctrine of the Nicolaitans were contrary to the teachings of Christ and the apostles. The churches received warnings to abstain from practicing and refrain from fellowship with those whom Jesus said concerning “which thing I hate.” In the church epistles of the Bible, Paul dealt with many of these errors that streamed from Nicolaitan teachings. John, while on the Isle of Patmos, wrote letters to the seven churches of Asia concerning the practicing of error. Some of the New Testament churches in this time began to follow false teachings and practice false doctrine. While some were content to adhere to the new teachings and practices, some were not willing to accept the changes. J.M. Carrol in his book “The Trail of Blood”, wrote, “This irregularity began in a small way, even before the close of the second century. This was possibly the first serious departure from the New Testament church order.” [ix]

The churches that accepted the new doctrines and practices began a dissention from the teachings of Christ and the apostles while others held to the ancient landmark teachings of Christ. From around A.D. 90, when John wrote the Revelation, until around A.D. 251, many teachings and practices of the churches changed. The heresies about which Paul and John warned the churches had festered; the heresy among the churches threatened their existence as true New Testament churches. A split was inevitable. True New Testament churches did not accept the heresies of the churches that forsook truth. Around the middle of the second century, churches that held to truth declared a non-fellowship with those which practiced heresy. Concerning the dissent ,J.M. Carroll wrote, “Let it be remembered that changes like these here mentioned were not made in a day, nor even within a year. They came about slowly and never within all the churches. Some of the churches vigorously repudiated them. So much so that in A.D. 251, the loyal churches declared non-fellowship from those churches which accepted and practiced these errors. An thus came about the first real official separation among the churches.”[x] As a result the foundation of Roman Catholicism began. Just as John prepared the material for the Lord’s New Testament church, so the heresies instilled in the churches of the first three centuries laid the foundation for what exists today as the Roman Catholic Church, a foundation of heresies and dissents from truth.
The Founder of Roman Catholicism

Around A.D. 306, Constantine, the Emperor of Rome, in the course of his wars with his enemies to establish himself on the throne, had a vision. Halley’s Bible Handbook records that, “on the eve of the battle of Milvain Bridge, just outside Rome (October 27, A.D. 312), he saw in the sky, just above the setting sun, a vision of the Cross, and above it the words, “In This Sign Conquer.”[xi] Constantine believed that the vision was a sign from God, and he decided to fight under the banner of Christ. He won the victory. Halley’s Bible Handbook called it, “a Turning Point in the history of Christianity.”[xii]

Until Constantine’s vision, many different sects persecuted Christians. After seeing the vision, Constantine made his Edict of Toleration. History records the nature of this edict “By this Edict, Constantine granted to (Christians and to all others full liberty of following that religion which each may choose) this was the first edict of its kind in history”[xiii] Constantine, now in favor of Christianity, offered many favors unto them. Among these favors were such as ministers were exempt from taxes and military service. He encouraged and helped in building churches. He also made Christianity the religion of his court.
In A.D. 325, Constantine issued a general exhortation to all his subjects to embrace Christianity.[xiv] Constantine, in his mind, saw himself as a great protector and perpetuator of Christianity; under his reign he built churches, stopped persecution, provided Bibles for many, stopped the gladiatorial fights that killed innocent people, reformed slavery, and abolished crucifixion as a form of execution. Many believed that the Chritianization of the Roman Empire would bring many great things to Christians and Christianity. As history reveals, however; Constantine’s good desire to advance Christianity proved to be destructive to true Christianity.

During his reign, Constantine created a hierarchy of church leaders. J.M. Carrol wrote in his book, “The Trail of Blood”, in reference to the Hierarchy, “The hierarchy organized under the leadership of Constantine, rapidly developed into what is now known as the Catholic Church. This newly developing church joined to a temporal government no longer simply an executive to carry out the completed laws of the New Testament, began to be legislative, amending or annulling old laws or enacting new ones utterly unknown to the New Testament.”[xv] The subjects of this newly developing church were those churches that dissented from the truth in the years prior. The churches looked for someone to head the churches, to protect the churches from heresies and provide the churches with direction. The churches that accepted Constantine’s hierarchy did not realize that they, in desiring these things of men, looked for someone to replace Christ as their provider, protector and perpetuator.

The distorted dream of Constantine for a Christian Rome ended with his death and the coronation of the Emperor Theodosius (A.D. 378). Theodosius reigned as emperor for 20 years, bringing great persecution to the once-protected Christians. Theodosius made Christianity the state religion.[xvi] He began a reign of terror to all who did not unite with the church. The nature of the church changed. The churches that united with Constantine and Rome desired to witness to the world of Christ, however, this changed under Theodosius. Halley’s Bible Handbook records that, “the Military Spirit of Imperial Rome had entered the church. The church conquered the Roman Empire. But in reality the Roman Empire had conquered the church, by making the church over into the Image of the Roman Empire.”[xvii]
The dissenting churches now depended upon Rome instead of Christ, thus putting on Rome instead of Jesus. The Roman Catholic Church portrays its founders and foundation, the evil Roman Empire. Christ is not the founder or foundation of the Roman Catholic Church as the church claims. Christ, the founder and foundation of His church, founded it during His personal ministry on earth and founded it upon Himself. The Roman Catholic Church finds its founder in Roman emperors and its foundation in heresy and Roman traditions as well as traditions of many cultures.
The Fallibility of Roman Catholicism
. The Roman Catholic Church accredits its growth and power to Rome. The church accepted and practiced the doctrines of Balaam and Nicolas: the church also accepted and practiced beliefs and teachings from many different cultures. Don Nardo wrote in his book, “Catholicism” “It is not by accident that the oldest surviving Christian denomination still has its main headquarters in Rome and calls itself the Roman Catholic Church. Nor is it by mere chance that today’s Catholics, as well as members of other Christian denominations that sprang from Catholicism, retain numerous beliefs, rituals, and customs that developed in ancient Roman society.”[xviii]

The Bible teaches that Christ is the head of the church. The headquarters of the church is where Christ is. Therefore in Heaven and not Rome abide the headquarters of the Lord’s church. Nardo seems to boast of the ancient beginning of Roman Catholicism and its adhering to the numerous beliefs, rituals and customs that developed in the Roman society. The beliefs and practices of the Lord’s church did not develop from society but from Christ Himself. Nowhere in the Bible does God speak of society as being a leader or legislative tool for truth. Jesus said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:16). The Holy Ghost leads the church into the beliefs and practices taught by Christ, not the beliefs and rituals of man. Today, the Holy Ghost leads the church in the teachings and practices of Christ as revealed in the Bible.

Nardo claims that, “The Romans provided the early religion with two very useful tools that proved crucial in its development.”[xix] Nardo’s statement is correct: The Roman empire was instrumental in the development of Roman Catholicism; however, the Roman Catholic religion is not the true church of Christ as claimed, but on the contrary began with the dissention from truth by true New Testament churches. One of the useful tools provided for the church, according to Nardo, was a well-maintained system of roads.[xx] Because of Rome’s highway system, Nardo said, “Thus Christianity often reached a new regions, not through the work of missionaries or preachers, but rather through traveling traders, slaves and others.”[xxi] According to Nardo, the church owes its growth the Rome and its system of roads.
While the roads of the Roman Empire did in fact provide access to many different places and peoples, God has always been the protector, provider, and perpetuator of His people. Egypt possessed corn in a time of a great famine; Jacob and his family moved to Egypt and in Egypt Jacob’s family grew into a nation of people. It was not the wealth and power of the Egyptians, however, that caused this, but it was the providential care of God. Joseph, when speaking to his brothers, said unto them, “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (Genesis 45:5-7). God preserved and protected His people. The Hebrew
word translated “preserve” is ,which means, “to care for or commit to.”[xxii] God preserved, protected and perpetuated His heritage Israel just as He preserves, protects and
perpetuates His heritage, the church, today. Jesus taught His church in the Sermon on the Mount that He would feed them, clothe them, and protect them. Jesus promised His church that as long as they served Him in truth they would never be in want for anything (Matthew 6:25-34).
Jesus, through the Comforter, provides, protects and perpetuates His church; He has the ability to do this without the assistance of any society or culture. Jesus promised this to His church before He ascended into Heaven. Jesus promised, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever” (John 14:16). Through the Holy Ghost, God provides, protects and perpetuates, and that not of the Roman Empire. The word “Comforter” translates from the Greek word paraklhton. James Strong in “The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible”, defines paraklhton as “an intercessor, consoler, advocate, comforter.”[xxiii] The Comforter, the Holy Ghost, is the protecting, providing and perpetuating presence for the church.
The second useful tool in the development of the Roman religion, according to Nardo, was the rich cultural melting pot of the Roman Empire. Nardo wrote,
“Rome provided the early Church was a rich cultural melting pot from which to draw religious ideas, practices and customs. In the first century A.D. the Roman Empire was made up of many different peoples with diverse ethnic, intellectual, and religious backgrounds. The early Christians were strongly influenced by many of the ideas in this Mediterranean melting pot. But they were particularly influenced by the beliefs and customs of the Jews, since the Christian movement was at first an offshoot of Judaism.”[xxiv]

From the claims of Nardo, and others who hold to this belief, it is easy to see that the Roman religion is an institution which foundation is in the dissention of true churches from truth, and its founder a Roman Emperor. Roman Catholicism exemplifies much pride in its construction, which, that by its own admittance formed from beliefs, practices, ritual, and cultures of the Mediterranean area. The fallibility of the Roman Catholic religion is in its foundation, founder and construction. The church’s foundation is heresy. The founder was a Roman Emperor. The construction was the idea of compromise.
Roman Catholicism is a product of an empire that history reveals to be evil. Many true churches of the first three centuries dissented from truth, united with the Roman Empire and birthed the Roman religion. The Roman Catholic religion left the image of Christ and put on the image of the world power. It influenced many during history. Influencing many nations, Roman Catholicism exists as a religious giant in the world. Spreading its heresy throughout the world, this religious tyrant has victimized many with its deceitful and devastating teachings.


[i] Chatechism
[ii] Baptist history pg 172 2 and 3 paragraph
[iii] same as above 3 paragraph
[iv] 1828 antinomean
[v] The Bible Dictionary page 547 vollume 3 big book
[vi] Eastons definition of Nico
[vii] Zodhiates pg 987 3403
[viii] same pg 213 567
[ix] trail of blood ph=g 15 3rd
[x] Trail of blood pg 16, 17
[xi] Halleys Bible Handbok pg 759
[xii] Halleys Book pg 759
[xiii] Same as above
[xiv] Sane as above
[xv] trail fo blood pge 19 --16
[xvi] Halleys pg 760
[xvii] halley 760
[xviii] Nardo pge 12
[xix] nardo pge 12 bottom
[xx] nardo pge 14
[xxi] nardo pge 14
[xxii] strongs
[xxiii] strongs 3875 pg 87
[xxiv] nardo pg 14