The bible..
Out of context: Reply #207
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- gramme0
Roman Catholicism + Christianity = same shit different pile.
czawada
(Oct 12 07, 14:48)Once again you prove that you don't know what you're talking about. As I mentioned before, there are true Christians who are Catholics (Henri Nouwen, G.K. Chesterton, J.R.R. Tolkien). BY and large, however, the Catholic church is what happens when a branch of Christianity goes sour over the course of hundreds of years. The Catholic doctrines of salvation (it's not just faith that saves, but good works and the sacraments), their doctrine of Mary (they believe she was perfect and that she can actually hear prayer from heaven), their doctrine of baptism (they believe that water in a priests' hands conveys saving grace), are all heresies that have absolutely no Biblical precedence.
The Reformation began when Martin Luther called bullshit on Rome's lies and twisting of the truth. Since then, the church has moved off in two general directions, Ecumenical (Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Anglican), and Reformed (also called Protestant or Evangelical): (Presbyterian, Baptist, Calvinist Reformed, etc.)
These divisions have downsides in that many of them were born in the midst of dissension and strife, qualities that everyone knows are not Christlike. However, sometimes the split was necessary, like the Reformation which was a reaction against hundreds of years of un-Bilbical Roman practice.
So no, they are most definitely not the same pile. Have you ever even been to an orthodox Reformed church? I know you grew up Catholic, but most Catholics grossly misunderstand Protestants. The vast maroity of criticism that I field from people here on NT is largely based on a deep lack of knowledge and understanding of history, and of orthodoxy.