I want to set the record straight.....

Well said. I agree it is a bit of a security blanket for many. And really, that is great. Religion can be a source of comfort and strength.

A plus for your post as well Punky...very nicely said.

Don't hide - I still like you! Well I hope you find something soon to believe in. Before I say anything else would like to point out that I do not equate belief in God(s) as a religion. So a person could be Christian and not be part of a religion. ..... You are right that most religions are made up. And many of the laws and rituals and such that they do are made up. This discussion was mearly to point out where and/or when Catholic laws were 'created' and how they came about.

Absolutely no offense taken at all. Those were just two quick links that I found. I have researched this extensively. The history of the Roman Catholic Church begins with Emporer Constantine. The catholic church was not begun with Jesus; that is just catholic tradition. As far as trusting wikipedia; I don't. Wikipedia is written and edited by people like you and me. It is not an encyclopedia based on expert writings - such as World Book, Britanica and such. I can register and go in and change things at will (in most cases - some things are blocked). You did prove one thing for me - the fact that many Catholic traditions are based on pagan origins. That is really what I was trying to show here as most don't accept, believe, understand or whatever verb you wish to use that fact. I hope that I have not come across in a harsh way as I have no intent to do so. As you said tone is hard when typing. Take care and thank you for your thoughts.

Yep we will just have to disagree. I would not trust the Catholic encyclopedia as it is biased. As far as Catholic you just confirmed what I said. You said the Catholic church was begun in the 2 century; which supports what I said about the catholic church starting with Jesus. Christianity started with him certainly :) Well thanks again for contributing

I have researched extensively as well. I've read many of Luther's writing, some Chick tracts, and various other things. I don't find any of them to be credible. It's all based on private interpretation and opinion, not divine revelation. The Church was called Catholic by the beginning of the 2nd century, long before Constantine. Roman was added much later with the Reformation. Every ordained priest in the Catholic Church can be traced back to the Apostles. Constantine played a pivotal role in the spread of Christianity, although not a Christian himself until his deathbed. That was my whole point with Wikipedia. The links you provided, and others, were written and edited by people like you and me as well. What constitutes expert writings? What expert writings were used by the authors of those websites you listed? Would you consider the Catholic Encyclopedia to be based on expert writings? www.newadvent.org I think an expert writing is one written by an eyewitness and confirmed by other eyewitnesses. This is something that each person has to decide for themselves, and it requires a bit of faith. I have no problem with the pagan origins. But it's not just Catholic traditions, but all of Christianity. Calendars, blessings, vestments, buildings for worship, prayers, and the word 'Amen' can all be said to have pagan origins. It doesn't mean that they're still pagan. Sort of the whole point of the new covenant. No harshness, we just have different viewpoints:)

Thank you for your comments. I actually have had catholics try to convince me that their beliefs all come from the bible. As I have said in other responses, I had a nun teaching me in school and she COULDN'T reconcile the bible with what she was teaching.

Aah yes faith is a key in much of life isn't it? I don't think any one religion has anything 100% right. As I said though my purpose was to only show the history of Catholic beliefs. Nothing more. I am not judging. I stated that I left the church and why only to provide my background. Not to say that I was judging.

Oh no! You didn't come across as judgemental. I was just stating it again that I wasn't because so many people think I was. Thank you very much for your thoughts. I really did appreciate them!

I didn't get any impression of judgement or accusation from your discussion. Interesting, isn't it, how different people perceive different things? You asked for comments, so I gave some of my thoughts. I hope they don't come across at judging to anyone, because they certainly aren't meant to be.