gnrm23 said:

i dunno how this got to be a catholic-bashing dealio, but...
early christianity was primarily urban in nature...
& there were 5 "patriarchates" of which rome was only one...
after the first few centuries of its history (during which many "heretics" were eliminated) the christian church(es) moved from a fringe jewish messianic cult to a persecuted minority to an accepted religion of the roman empire (constantine was emperor of the roman empire, seated in greece/turkey, & not in rome)to becoming damned near mandatory for everyone in europe & nearby environs...
the great schism between east & west took place in the late 11th century (over the nature of the person of the holy spirit); the "protestant reformation" got underway during the lifetime of dr martin luther (late 15th & early 16th centuries), a roman catholic (order of st augustine) priest & professor of bible studies at wittenburg university (though there were more lacalized reform movement in europe several years before luther was born)...

all roman catholics are (nominally) christian; not all (nominal) christians are roman catholic...
as to who is REALLY a christian --- well, "by their fruits shall ye know them"...


~
really, calling roman catholic baliefs as far from "mainstream christianity" as satanism is absurd...
RC is one of 3 main groups of Xtianity - eastern orthodoxy, roman caholicism, & the many protestant churches...
(there are others with long histories, & some rather ecent variations so far from "mainstream" as to be considered ummmm not 'zackly christian...)


oy

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Ditto. Thanks for the history facts, it was really needed for this discussion.
I just wanted to mention the Cathars in the 13th century. They were the first christian gnostics. I wonder what the world would be if they had become the main christian religion ...
http://gnosistraditions.faithweb.com/mont.html

MAIA