No human being has the right to begin a Church, or the ability to begin a true Church, since the Church is Christ's body, not ours.

About half of all Americans attend a church that has only existed since the 1960s. Other well-known churches were also instituted by people, not Jesus, long after Jesus came to earth.

Church	Founder	Year
Lutheran	Martin Luther	1517
Anglican	King Henry VIII	1534
Presbyterian	John Knox	1560
Congregationalist	Robert Brown	1582
Baptist	John Smyth	1609
Methodist	John Wesley	1738
Unitarian	Theophilus Lindley	1744
Episcopal	Samuel Seabury, et. al.	1789
Mormon	Joseph Smith	1830
Salvation Army	William Booth	1865
Christian Scientist	Mary Baker Eddy	1879
Jehova Witness	Charles T. Russell	1931
Pentecostal	Various	20th Century
Fundamentalist	Various	20th Century
Evangelical	Various	20th Century
None of these Churches were established by Jesus Christ 2000 years ago

History, however, shows that Jesus instituted the Catholic Church in about the year 30 A.D., and because "the gates of Hell shall not prevail againt it" the Catholic Church is "the pillar and foundation of truth," whose teachings on faith and morals are devoid of "spot and wrinkle" (Mt 16:18, 1 Tim 3:15, Eph 5:27).

Jesus teaches us to judge a tree by its fruit, so there are many other obvious things to look for when deciding on a church. Most Christians seek a church that is very active, because we know that Christ commands us to share His good news (Mt 28:19, Mk 16:15). They also want a Church that honors the Bible and teaches it at every service. Others choose based on the kindness of people at a Church, and whether or not the people there live the Gospel of love. Others want a church that focuses on the family, or provides a great singles ministry to help people find friends with Christian values. Still others seek a Church that really reaches out into the world with charity. These are all good reasons for deciding on a church, and Catholic churches throughout the world provide these things. But again, even more important than these "human" reasons to be Catholic, is the divine reason that Jesus instituted the Catholic Church.

The New Testament shows that Christ established one church with a distinct identity, organization, belief, and practice. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus declares, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." In 1 Timothy 3:15 St. Paul explains that "the church of the living God . . . is the pillar and foundation of truth." This church Christ established is obviously not just some abstract idea. And Matthew 18:17 makes no sense at all if Christ did establish an identifiable, institutional Church. It reads, "If your brother sins [against you], go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector." And when Paul was writing his many Epistles he was writing to churches in diverse places like Rome, Corinth, and Ephesus, instructing them on matters of organization and practice, and urging believers to recognize that everyone was part of the same body of Christ. The Catholic Church is the only Church that has survived with continuity since Apostolic and Biblical times.

Catholic means "Universal" in Greek, the language of the early Church. In 110 A.D. St. Ignatius of Antioch declared, "Wherever the bishop appears let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."

Chosen by the early Bishops (the Apostles and their successors), the name "Catholic" expresses the fact that because of Jesus, salvation is no longer restricted to a "chosen people," because Christ "wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim 2:3-4). The name also signifies the Church's universal mission to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 28:19).

That word "Catholic" is not literally in the Bible, but neither are the words "Trinity" or "Bible." The Bible is the Word of God, but the Word of God is not limited to just the Bible (Jn 20:30-31, Jn 21:25, 2 Cor 3:3, 1 Jn 2:21, 2 Jn 1:12, 3 Jn 1:13-14, Rev 10:4). The Catholic Church is also called the "Church of God" and "Church of Christ," but it is not to be confused with the recently established man-made churches with the same name.

Yes! In fact, the Catholic Church, guided by the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:26), established the New Testament. The Apostles and their disciples wrote the 27 books of the New Testament as well as many other Christian works. Yet, for centuries Christians disputed over which books were canonical. St. Athanasius, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Alexandria, was the first human being ever to propose the 27-book New Testament that all Christians now recognize. The Roman Catholic Councils of Hippo and Carthage in 393 AD and 397 AD, as well as the example of Pope St. Boniface in 419 AD established the New Testament as we know it. Catholics defended the Scriptures, to the death at times, against persecutions by certain Roman Emperors, and against the barbarians who conquered the Roman Empire in the fifth century. Catholics used the Bible to convert these same barbarian tribes over the next few centuries. In the Middle Ages thousands of Catholic Monks spent their entire lives copying Bibles by hand. Furthermore, Gutenberg, the inventor of the first printing press in about 1450 AD, was a Roman Catholic. Thus, the first book ever printed with a machine was a Bible, in the Roman Catholic Latin Vulgate translation, in about 1453-long before the Protestant schism. By the time of Luther's split in 1517, the Catholic Church had sponsored well over 124 printed editions, with many translations in German, Italian, French, Bohemian, Flemish, and Russian. No wonder St. Augustine (354-430 AD)-a man all Christians venerate-once declared, "I would not believe in the Gospels were it not for the authority of the Catholic Church."

Biblical readings are also a central part of every Catholic Mass (Church service). We show our love for the Bible by carrying it high above the Priest's head at the beginning, middle, and end of Mass. And after a passage of the Bible is read at Mass every Catholic proclaims, "Thanks be to God!"

Catholics do not worship Mary as we do the Holy Trinity. Instead, we call her blessed as the Bible demands (Lk 1:48). Mary is found many places in the Bible. First, she is foretold as the new Eve who will give birth to Christ in Genesis 3:15. In the first chapter of Luke, the angel Gabriel announces to her that God selected her out of every other woman in the history of the world to give birth to His only Son. John 2:1-11 then displays Mary's intercessory power when she succeeds in persuading Jesus to begin his public ministry before He even wanted to at the wedding feast of Cana. Mary also helped Jesus his entire life. She was at the foot of the cross when he was crucified, and she strengthened the Apostles in the upper room until Jesus rose again. The twelfth chapter of Revelations further shows Mary crowned in glory in St. John's vision. Mary thus fits prominently at both the beginning and end of the Bible, as well as at the beginning and end of Jesus' life on earth. No one except the Holy Trinity is more righteous than Mary is, so Catholics constantly ask for her intercessory prayers. The Bible says, "the prayer of a righteous person is very powerful" (Jas 5:16).

Every Christian has a Pope of sorts-someone they accept as the leader of their Church and fit, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to interpret the Scriptures for them in sermons and homilies. Peter was the first Apostolic leader or Pope (Cf. Mt 16:18, Lk 22:32, Jn 21:15-17).

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the city where Peter and Paul established the capital of the Catholic Church and also the site of their martyrdom between 64-67 AD. When the early Apostles like Peter died off, they passed on the Apostolic powers granted to them by Christ ( Cf. Mt 10:1, Mt 16:17-19, Lk 8:10, Jn 21:23) to Church leaders in the cities where they resided (Cf. Acts 14:23, 2 Tim 2:2, 1 Tim 3:1-7). These were the Roman Catholic bishops ordered to "exhort and correct with all authority" (Tit 2:15). This Apostolic lineage continues to be passed on to today's Catholic Bishops.

If this means you love and respect people of all faiths, the Catholic Church certainly agrees with you and works everyday to these ends! In that sense being Catholic means being inter-denominational. In fact, the word Catholic means "universal" in Greek, the language of early Christians.

At the same time, we must recognize that there really is no such thing as a non-denominational faith. When a preacher begins a "non-denominational" Church somewhere, he automatically begins his own new denomination.

Everybody draws their lines somewhere. And let's be realistic, if you are looking for a Church you are looking for set beliefs and practices. Catholics cling to the Catholic Church's beliefs and practices because Christ himself instituted them and He calls us all to unity.

We don't like everything every "Catholic" has ever done, either-but we still love them as well as every person who lives and has ever lived. We are a forgiving family. We acknowledge our sinful ways-and the sinfulness of all of humanity-and strive to do better in the future, through Christ. Many people have falsely called themselves "Catholic" when they never lived the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love.

When thinking of the Church it helps to envision Christ, Himself. The Catholic Church is also all God and all human at once. The Holy Spirit works in the Church so that its teachings on faith and morals is infallible. For example, the Catholic Church will never waver from proclaiming that Jesus is Lord or that God calls us to live virtuous lives. But imperfect people also make up the Church, so that while Church doctrine on faith and morals is infallible, our personal conduct is not always so. We know that if, hypothetically speaking, anyone found a "perfect" organization the last thing they should do is join it, for then it wouldn't be perfect anymore.

And practicing Catholics do lead exemplary lives of charity for Christ. The Catholic Church is also the only institution in the entire world to have survived the last 2,000 tumultuous years intact-that's a pretty good track record and a clear indicator of divine providence. Investigate the lives of people like Mother Teresa or Pope John Paul II and you will see what it means to be Catholic.

Simply call or visit your local Catholic Church and start attending Mass and theRite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) classes. It's a powerful, life-changing experience which is 100% free, non-obligational, confidential, and rewarding. You can also learn a great deal more about the Catholic Church by writing to The Rock of Inspiration. We're a non-profit, Catholic mission society dedicated to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and His Catholic Church. You'll receive lots of free materials to help you grow in the Catholic Church.