@ Horus

You want me to accept that some omnipotent being created the world in 6 days and then rested?! God who just created the universe needs rest?

Not because He was tired though, but because He wanted to set an example for mankind. I thought that was pretty obvious.

And if he could create the world in 6 days then he could have done it in 5. If he did it in 5 then he could have done it in 4 days. If he did it in 1 day then he could have done it in an 1 hr, a minute, a second. No he wouldn't be bound by time at all. I can't accept that being as my god!. You have been programmed from a very young age. You have learned not to question anything that is taught to you, not even the obvious contradictions or things lacking plain common sense.

Of course because you don't know God, you reason the way you do. Its that simple. God does things for a reason, so don't blame Him because you fail to understand the bible.

Its really strange coming form those who boast about having created the canon. It also shows that having put the books together doesn't of itself indicate that those who did it are influenced by it. That has been the history of the Catholic organization from ever since.

I am not surprised to hear this.

@ Chukwudi44

Do you now the difference between compiling the bible and writing it? The catholic church simply put together what was already written by the prophets and apostles. So quit trying to make the deceptive catholic church appear important, because it is not. As a matter of fact not even such an act in itself can make up for the evils that were committed by the Catholic church against true Christians.

So beat it,

I wonder why! You see that is part of the problem.

How can a thread just up and disappear unless it was deliberately deleted? can some bright person please give a plausible reason?

@ slimfine

I have been studying with the JW for some time now and many things make sense but I hate the fact the I must have to agree with all the things they teach. Is like if you disagree, then you are of the world! My birthday is special to me and I hate that I have to give that up. I started celebrating my brithday again cos I did not see anything wrong with it. Christimas, yeah I could see the point in not celebrating it and I can also see the point of celebrating still. And I hate the many people are asking me when am gonna get babtized. overall, they are nice people and so are the many people in other religion.

JWs are extremely technical people as much as they seem to be nice. They are nice until you get on their wrong side. I have known quite a few who left the organization because of how they were treated. Even family members would pass their own on the street and not say hello. Its that serious.

They will deny that truth all they want, but the truth is the truth,

My brother I am moving on. I have very little time to splits hairs with you.

So why did Jesus refer to His Father and His own death? Why should we accept your book over what the Bible teaches? Give us reasons that make sense.

First we are not prophets nor have we ever claimed to be prophets. We have only ever claimed to be bible students.

Its either you have selective memory, or you don't have a historical knowledge of your organization. You insist that no claim was made but how about these words coming from your organization:

"So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come? These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? , This 'prophet' was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah's Christian witnesses."

Watchtower 4/1/72, p 197

As bible students there is always room for error but once that error is found we make the needed changes.

I agree but not from an organizational level. Secondly, the fact that such errors were not discovered sooner, some of which persisted in the organization for years upon years, suggests strongly, that God could not have been leading such an organization. Don't forget that your organization claimed to have gotten the authority from God Himself. Think about the implications for awhile. Your claim to be the only true organization has never changed, yet you're saying that errors as grave as the ones highlighted were allowed to linger in the movement for long periods of time, and the only time the need came up to revise such doctrines were only so due to the obvious failures of the specific prophecies.

Why couldn't someone save the day? Why weren't there checks and balances? Why wait after a failed prophecy to now argue that there is room for improvement? Have you personally upon studying the word ever saw a situation in which either the prophets failed, or the apostles failed in what was delivered to them? This is the formula, if the prophecy failed, then the prophet failed, worse yet if the claim of being a prophet was made.

Jehovah's Witnesses once celebrated many of the holidays of the world however over time we came to learn that many of these holidays were pagan in origin and we stopped partaking in them. The paragraph that you quoted was another example of an error that was made. At one time bible students believed that they knew the date of Jehovah's great day but later with deeper understanding of scripture this mindset was changed.

I appreciate that honesty on their part, but when you people presently behave as if you have accurate knowledge, as you often times say, then its experiences like these that come back to haunt you. Why do you think that persons in general find your organization so repugnant? Its not because we hate you as a people. Its because we see the effort on your part to be exclusive. It is a known fact that JWs tend to separate themselves, even in situations that have nothing to do with religion. When I was at university I used to invite some to religious meetings, and not once did any JW student turn up, yet they were always expecting you to turn up at theirs.

As a medical student you are learning to master the art of medicine, then once you have become a MD someone may say you have finally mastered the art. However even once doctors have so called "mastered" their profession they must still continue learning.

No one in their rightful mind can gainsay your point, but unfortunately, that is not the point. The real substantive point being made is that truth cannot be altered. If you make a claim that you have truth, then how can truth turn out to be error? Truth cannot change! God's truth cannot be altered, hence the problem lies with the one who claims to possess the truth, yet doesn't.

But I am not going to continue arguing my faith with you or anyone else.

I don't blame you at all. I am not sure you are able to argue your points well enough to convince the fora otherwise.

My suggestion is to personally study God's words for yourself, as the noble Thessanolicans did, after having heard Paul expound the scriptures went and made sure that what he said matched up with scriptures.

How can you be sure when you were not there?

By emergent I mean doing good. Sabbath keepers live in a world that doesn't favour us. We are in the minority. We don't make the laws that govern society, so as sabbath keepers we have to do our best. We have to strike a balance between not appearing to look legalistic in refusing to do good on the sabbath, and fulfilling the true purpose of sabbath keeping.

So if a sabbath keeper for example chooses to become a doctor, and while he is at a church service there occurs an emergency outside the church, should he attend to the case or what?

The answer to all of your pharisaical queries is simply seen in this question. What would Jesus a true sabbath keeper have done if a crisis or emergency happened?

@ Marlbron

Hmm, interesting, Let us take it one by one

Meet him in the air and so shall we ever be him. So you will be with Christ suspended in the air for ever! Good for you my friend, but I don't think that will happen as the air is actuall the world. You will meet with him and be with him in the world.

Its obvious we won't remain in the air. The bible says we will meet Him in the air. The phrase "so shall we ever be with the Lord" does not mean we will be with Him in the air forever. I mean if I were to say to my wife, "honey I will meet you in Los Angeles, and so shall we spend the rest of our lives together" Does that mean it has to be in Los Angeles?

2. Yes, the bad guys will be punished. Remember we are not told that the punishment will occur immediately he arrives. There will be some time lapse before he is revealed. That was why he compared it to the days of Noah.

Time lapse? I am talking about His return, and how the bible has described that return, and what is expected when He returns. Don't confuse the signs of His second return with the actual return itself.

3. I notice you are confused about the 1000yrs and the first ressurrection. Let me explain. After Christ died, he started ruling.

He is not yet King of Kings so He cannot rule. Now He is High Priest making intercession and making atonement in the heavenly judgment.

The 1000yrs reign started with the death of the disciples and faithfuls who were killed. The 1000yr reign was from the heavens and we are past that stage now.

Its obvious you're clueless. Revelation 20 says that the 2nd resurrection comes at the end of the 1000 years. Obviously the 1st resurrection begins the period.

Remember he said that all powers were given to him in heaven and on earth. For you to be qualified for the first ressurection, you first must die with him (be baptized of the holy spirit: when you are dipped in the water you are dead in him, when you leave the water, you ressurrect in Him). When you have been baptized subsequent physical death has no hold on you . If you die before his coming, it means little as you will surely regenerate when he appears. When you regenerate, you will not be overtaken by the 2nd death.

Don't make an issue about what we already know. We are discussing the 2nd return and the events that will occur when He returns. The events themselves is a means of dispelling any myths about what the rapture is.

3. It is wrong doctrine to say the earth will be empty of humans. Christ went to great pains to tell us how the end will look like , including giving us signs and telling us that two people will be together, one will be taken and the other lrft. He is simply saying that the evil ones will be elliminated from the world. Note he did not say Christians or Muslims or aetheist, He only classified two classes of people. the righteous and the unrighteous. The righteous have a reward, they inherit the earth.

That matthew 24 passage concerning two in bed is a most mis-understood text. Let me show you why. Matthew 24 is based on two separate themes. One on the second coming of Christ and the appropriate signs, and the other theme that deals with the destruction of Jerusalem and the signs that will precede it.

Jesus used Noah's flood as a parallel illustration to explain what it will be like in the last days just as it was before the flood destroyed the wicked back then.

The key words are "taken" and 'left" , Now who was "taken" by Noah's flood? The wicked or the righteous? The wicked of course! Now who were left by the flood? The righteous of course!

When Jesus comes He will find two classes of people. The righteous, and the wicked. In this case it will be the righteous that will be left, and the wicked that will be taken. You may ask how would the wicked be taken? Its simple the bible didn't say how, but based on the parallelism given by Jesus, it would become logical that the wicked will be taken by the destruction that attends Jesus' coming, just as how the wicked back then were taken by the flood. Now how are the righteous left? Its simple, they are left alive, or they have remained alive.

Notice that the words "left' and "remain" mean the same thing, and that is why Paul used the very word "remain, " to describe the chosen ones when Jesus returns speaking of the destruction. Listen:

1 Thes. 4:16,17 "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

Paul here is alluding to who will physically survive Christ's advent, and that is the righteous living. The wicked will be struck down by the glory of Christ. Another way to put the phrase "alive and remain" is "remain alive"

4. He comes as a thief in the night. A thief does not come with noise.

Two different passages with different contexts. Coming as a thief in the night means that there would be some who will be taken unawares. A thief doesn't make it known when he is coming. Point number 2 is that Paul is addressing the physical characteristics of Jesus' second coming. It will be visible, and well as audible. You dare not use one passage with a totally different meaning to nullify another passage with a totally different truth. You just don't play with God's words that way. I expect better!

That is why I desire a Muslim to indicate one outstanding prophetic fulfillment that is unique to the Kuran, and can be traced in history. I know for sure that the bible has proven itself true and trustworthy because its prophecies have indeed come true.

@ Sowhat77

You said you have come back to the true organization after having been into the world and have examined other persuasions. Did you take the time to examine all of them in all fairness?

If the organization was Jehovah's true and only, then why has the organization changed so many of its initial doctrines, if those doctrines were bible-based from day one? Can truth change? Is it one thing today, and another thing tomorrow?

Why would God allow His true organization to hold on to so many errors for so long before there was a need to see those doctrines in a new light? Let me supply you an example,

1918 "Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the Apostle in Hebrews 11, to the condition of human perfection," (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, p. 89).

When the year 1925 came listen to how one author penned these words, "The year 1925 is here. With great expectation Christians have looked forward to this year. Many have confidently expected that all members of the body of Christ will be changed to heavenly glory during this year. This may be accomplished. It may not be. In his own due time God will accomplish his purposes concerning his people. Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire this year," (Watchtower, Jan. 1, 1925, p. 3).



And you expect us to see through your gimmicks in this thread. That is just one of many failed predictions. Do you still believe that God will bring into disrepute His name and character by allowing His chosen to make such horrific blunders?

One of the true signs of a true prophet is that every prediction that is made must come true. The bible says if it doesn't he is a false prophet. "If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him." Deut. 18:22

I was really hoping for respondents to approach this thread from a different perspective. Once again people of different religious persuasions are doing what they have not been able to get away from, and that is to critique or oppose another sacred book without having read it, or made an attempt to understand it.

I for one have never read the Kuran, and as such have never made an attempt to argue against Muslims in this thread, even if I thought that their claim to fame was unfounded. Hence I am asking Muslims in particular to intelligently defend the Kuran. Both Christians and Muslims I believe are able to use their book to justify why they believe their sacred book is the genuine one.

Is there a Christian, or Muslim that has in fact read a sacred book, or parts of it, whether it is perceived to be one or not, from the opposing camp? Is there a Christian that has read the Kuran with an open mind? Is there a Muslim that has done the same thing with the bible?

Its very easy to tell the fora that the Kuran is God's words, but is there anything that can be used as solid proof that indeed the book came from God? Is there a distinctive prophecy that was made by the Kuran that is unique to the Kuran? Has that prophecy been fulfilled in history?

Once again goodly people let us reason without offending.

Sure that would be the acid test, right? What makes the Koran any different? Certainly there are persons who have read certain books, and have found them impacting on their lives.

My next question is this, apart from the commonalities between sacred books, what distinguishes the Koran from all other sacred writings?

Please I am asking Christians not to derail the thread with unnecessary arguments. I genuinely want Muslims to respond freely.

Here is my take on what will happen at the rapture:

What happens when Jesus comes for His church? Several things:

1. The living righteous and the resurrected saints are caught up to meet Him in the air, (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17)

2. The living wicked are struck dead by His glory and brightness,
2 Thess. 1:6-10 say, "6Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."

In 1 Thessalonians Paul speaks of the first resurrection and associates it with the righteous who died. John in Revelation 20: 5,6 say this, "5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

The rest of the dead in verse 5, obviously means the wicked who did not resurrect when Jesus came back the second time. They will be resurrected after 1,000 years. John like Paul associates the first resurrection with God's elect who had died before Jesus came back. I'd go on to say that the first resurrection will comprise all of God's people from all dispensations, which includes those who lived before the cross, and those who lived during and after the cross. The Cross of Jesus spans all dispensations.

The earth will be empty of humans during the 1000 years.

The second coming of Jesus would have been so gloriously powerful and majestic that the earth will be broken up. John describes it as follows - Revelation 6:14-17 "14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.  15 and the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"

Peter describes it as follows - 2 Peter 3:10-12, "10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?"


The only life forms that will survive are Satan and His demons. According to John in Revelation 20 Satan is bound for 1,000 years. It will not be a physical binding as such, but a circumstantial one, meaning since the earth has no human form for him to tempt and deceive, his "hands are tied", so to speak. He will be left to contemplate for 1,000 years his fate, and what a mess he made of things.

Even the OT prophets saw what the day of the Lord would have been like:

Jeremiah 4:23-26 say, "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger."

Jeremiah 25:33 says, "33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground."

Isaiah 24:1,3 says, "Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. 3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word."

So there is unity in what the scriptures have to say concerning the destruction that will occur at the day of the Lord. Jesus is coming back as Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. He is not coming back to give anyone a second chance. Humans had ample time to pay attention to the gospel. Jesus said, "This gospel shall be a witness"

All the mockers of the bible and Jesus, God's Only-Begotten Son, will be rudely awakened. Soon and very soon we shall see the KING.

The rapture will be a real experience, but I don't believe its secret based on what I have understood the bible to mean. I also do not believe that anyone will be left behind to face the Anti-Christ either, as most denominations tend to teach.

In fact the word doesn't occur in the bible, but like most words, it has taken a meaning which is the second coming of Christ.

Anyone reading the bible and taking a serious look at end time events would logically see that the bible is dead accurate.

I guess its called comfort zone. Nobody wants to be disturbed from their church family, and friends who all believe the same thing. It is some kind of self-deception if you ask me.

@ Banom

Abuzola is not a frustration to anyone, but himself. In either case he is not the enemy. Satan is, not him.

I agree with you on that. Being a Christian is more than a label. Same should go for all religions. Believing in something is not enough. That belief system aught to change you for the better.

For those who believe that abortion is murder, without any exception whatsoever, what if you had a daughter who was 12, and she got raped and became pregnant. Would you want her to carry that child full term?

@ Sowhat 77

I have to agree with you. Its people who corrupt religion. There is this psychological trapping it seems that force people to feel authoritative as they associate with religion.

@ Alimat 2

Are you a follower of Jesus Christ, or not? If you are not I wouldn't expect you to understand the gravity of this thread, but if you are, then you need to know the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation that have warned about the RCC, and what it did, and still plans to do in the last days.

@Bobby: This is just exactly why I included you. Here I confesses I am already learning it, but you wouldn't even see the very thing you included in your quote Sad The wise learns as well as sharing ideas, but many people who have argued with you can confess that you never agree. You just divert.

How can I agree to error and lies? Is that what you want from a forum? As far as I am concerned you have no substance whatsoever in your approach to debates. You just ask the forum to take a look at how you have responded to persons with whom you have disagreements, and let them be the judge of who is a real debater. Instead of holding a difference of opinion, and being civilized about it, you have taken a position of cursing and swearing, and name calling.

Your dishonesty has seeped all the way down to your bones, so you cannot help yourself.

@poster and all those blaspheming against Mary!

have u guys heard abt The Apparitions Of Virgin Mary At Zeitoun Church, Egypt
http://www.zeitun-eg.org/stmaridx.htm

This apparation occured for more than a year and only stopped when the gvt tried to make money out of it.
it was seen by millions of people all over the world and several people were healed.
this was even shown on tv station across the world! Non-christians were converted.

And be warned that those apparitions are really demons posing as Mary. Paul said that Satan himself will transform as ministers in order to deceive. Jesus Himself warned us not to be fooled by false miracles in the last days. Listen what John the author of Revelation said about demons, Revelation 16:14 "For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, "

Mary is dead and is awaiting the first resurrection. Satan will perform miracles in order to keep uneducated and simple-minded people into slavery. It is only as we study God's words of truth that the light will shine in our minds.

You Catholics have been warned to flee Sodom before the fire begins to reign down. You have been warned,

@SysUser

The fact and reality is Catholic members have been brainwashed. Only God in His mercy can deliver them now. True Christians have time on our side. Soon they will see that were led down the road to hell, but for some it will be too late.

The prophecy cannot be wrong. In Revelation 18:4 God is calling out His true followers from spiritual Babylon before God's judgments are poured out. This LovePeddler of a woman known as the "mother of harlots" will soon meet its Waterloo, which will be inescapable. God's judgments will be swift.

This is what Revelation has predicted about the Roman Catholic organization's demise, listen:

Revelation 17:16 says prophetically, "16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the LovePeddler, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire."

Verse 18 confirms what organization its talking about when it said these words, "And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth."

There can only be one "woman" (church, organization) that has universal influence in politics, and other non-religious matters, and that is the Catholic organization.

@ mactao

1 Co 14:2

2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

I'd have to assume you do not have any knowledge whatsoever of how Greek was translated into what we have as translations. The very word "unknown" is an applied word, which means it was never apart of the original Greek. The translators added the word to beef up the sentence so to speak.

The word tongue means language. If its a language it is intelligible. What the verse is rightly saying is that whosoever speaks in a foreign language does not speak to people who don't know that language, but speaks to God who knows all languages.

Secondly the verse continues to say "howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries" The word "spirit" means mind or understanding. in other words the person who happens to hear such a language finds it mysterious. Every person who hears a language they cannot understand finds such a language mysterious. You at some point in your mind begin to wonder what the hell is being said. You just don''t have a clue. That is why Paul addressed the dilemma in the following manner, which was happening in a congregational setting, by suggesting the following: "9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air." Obviously the goal was to edify the whole congregation with teachings rather than trying to prove to the church that you had a gift.

It does happen when people are speaking in tongues that they begin to speak other human languages. But it's possible that you utter sounds that are not comprehensible by others, from the verse above.

Something Paul discouraged, and which begs the logical question. Why do the modern churches continue to practice something that was contrary to the teachings and instructions of Paul?

Now, people misuse the whole tongues thing, even people who speak fake tongues. The Bible in 1Cor 14 says that all things should be done to edify the Church. If someone gets up in the middle of a service and starts speaking out loud in "tongues", then God is not pleased. One, it's disorderly. Two, the Bible says that if there is no interpreter, one should speak to himself and God alone.

Which makes me wonder about the source of such utterances.

I hope you understand now.

You thought I didn't understand? I understand all right. I understand that there are congregations that have literally built up a brand new doctrine that is turning their members from a better understanding of what God intended.

That brand of worship is built on nothing more than emotionalism. I hate to say it but its true.

Most people that write in this religous forum confirm outright that they are fanatics. They express no desire to learn and always continue to repeat the same thing. Nobody ever agrees he is wrong. Adoption of extremely harsh words, quoting, writing unexhaustible list of insignificant boondoggle and sarcasm is the language. And I must confess that I almost learnt it. The aim of discussion boards is to share ideas not verbal contest please. People like Abuzola, Bobbyaff and Ogaga who always continue to dance to the tune of maniacal idiosyncrasy are typical examples.

So what are we doing if not sharing ideas? So as long as we are not sharing your grand ideas as to what constitutes a real forum, then to hell with us, huh?

That's what forums are for - To discuss passionately things you disagree on, be they religious, political, or economical. If you cannot take the heat get out of the bloody kitchen. Its pretty obvious you lack the discipline to seriously discuss important issues, especially if those issues find you on the other side of the fence.

Don't even mention the use of harsh words when you are party to the very crime you falsely accuse others of. As far as I am concerned you are the biggest hypocrite on Nairaland.

I doubt if you have read through the critical points in this thread. I don't think you have. I'd advise you to take a look at those photos of blatant idol worship and come back and deny the truth.

You defenders are a bunch of spineless ones.

It depends on the age of the mother to be. If she is a child I'd suggest she aborts. I believe its worse for a child to have to bring an infant into the world after being raped, than the act of aborting it.

If its an adult then I'd encourage to carry the pregnancy.

Continuing,

3) Most Roman emperors (and citizens) were henotheists. A henotheist is one who believes in the existence of many gods, but focuses primary on one particular god, or considers one particular god supreme over the other gods. For example, the Roman god Jupiter was supreme over the Roman pantheon of gods. Roman sailors were often worshippers of Neptune, the god of the oceans. When the Catholic Church absorbed Roman paganism, it simply replaced the pantheon of gods with the saints. Just as the Roman pantheon of gods had a god of love, a god of peace, a god of war, a god of strength, a god of wisdom, etc., so the Catholic Church has a saint who is “in charge” over each of these, and many other categories. Just as many Roman cities had a god specific to the city, so the Catholic Church provided “patron saints” for the cities.

(4) The supremacy of the Roman bishop (the papacy) was created with the support of the Roman emperors. With the city of Rome being the center of government for the Roman empire, and with the Roman emperors living in Rome, the city of Rome rose to prominence in all facets of life. Constantine, and his successors, gave their support to the bishop of Rome as the supreme ruler of the church. Of course it is best for the unity of the Roman empire that the government and state religion be centered in the same location. While most other bishops (and Christians) resisted the idea of the Roman bishop being supreme, the Roman bishop eventually rose to supremacy, due to the power and influence of the Roman emperors. When the Roman empire collapsed, the popes took on the title that had previously belonged to the Roman emperors – Pontificus Maximus.

Many more examples could be given. These four should suffice in demonstrating the true origin of the Catholic Church. Of course the Roman Catholic Church denies the pagan origin of its beliefs and practices. The Catholic Church disguises its pagan beliefs under layers of complicated theology. The Catholic Church excuses and denies its pagan origin beneath the mask of “church tradition.” Recognizing that many of its beliefs and practices are utterly foreign to Scripture, the Catholic Church is forced to deny the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.

2 Timothy 4:3–4 (NIV)
"3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths, "