You seem to be a very troubled person Angus, you been fed a lot
You have not said anything that the CC haven't heard before, trust me there is much more that is said which much is just hot air
Most likely what you are oblivious too is that during the reformation the reformers had the printing press, reformers were printing propaganda left right and center, and much more was printed during the last 500 years, especially in America, anti-catholicism was very much alive warping history, and Church teaching among the illiterate, much have stuck and is believed to be true, when actually it just plain propaganda
I've seen it well to often
No serious educated person will believe much of what you outlined on here
Just look of how you hammered it in as being it and truth
If you watch debates none will go into these points that you mentioned as they would lose, educated people know better where it's coming from
You will find that the infant church grew to become the CC
Until Constantine Christians were prosecuted, killed, government couldn't function as politicians were also Christians
Anyway we have records and accounts of what was going on in those times
You know anyone even preachers can say what they like, you need to supply historical documentation to support what one claims
There is also the catacombs to verify early CC believe
There are many educated converts to the CC who believed exactly as you posted and were very passionate to teach others, especially to catholics, digging deep they found out it was mainly propaganda, now most spend time debunking such notions
We catholics are fully aware of these, I've been aware of it since mid 70's and to be honest they mean nothing to me as I know better, I just ignore them and feel sorry for the person as no matter what they are told or shown they will still hold to this indoctrination
When you study how the CC defended itself when people came with different teaching, you will know it's not pagan origin
Just study the heresy of the time
What you will find is that the prosecuted church gain recognition with Constantine which gave it a chance to solidify its faith and grow
And just for your info only, the CC becoming what it is, was due to Pope Leo 1, as Constantine moved out of Rome to Constantinople, leaving it defenceless, When Atila the Hun invaded Rome, it was saved by Leo from then onwards the people looked up to the Papacy, it wasn't given it by Constantine
And the Bible was compiled by Gerome to form the Vulgate, under the pope
from lists of Church Fathers before him
Later rectified at church councils as being inspired by God and worthy of believe as its faith based on it with the understand of Traditions of the faith as handed down by the apostles as also being the criteria which the books in the NT were chosen from all the other writing of the time
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