..existed BEFORE the Bible was written?

There is nothing wrong with the Catholic Church. In fact it is the Church instituted by Christ 2000 years ago.

The Catholic Church existed before there even was a Bible. The Bible is a product of the Church. The Church compiled the and choose which books would be in the Bible and closed the Canon of Scripture. Additionally, the entire New Testament was written by the early Christians, who were Catholics. Not yet called Catholic but they were the early roots of the Church we today call Catholic.

St. Ignatius first referred (in writing) to the Church as Catholic in 107 AD in a letter he wrote to the faithful before he was martyred for Christ and before there was a Bible.

Jesus never told anyone to write the Bible, to even take notes. The early Church was evangelized by word of mouth, oral tradition.

The Church can support every belief and practice with Scripture. However, the Church is not Bible-based, we are Christ based. Protestant faiths have all sprung up in the last 500 years, therefore they are all Bible-based and use the Bible as their sole rule of faith. This is because they are not 2000 years old with the Apostolic Tradition to support their beliefs.

There are over 30,000 groups, sects and churches in the Protestant faiths. They are all based on individual personal interpretation of Scripture. The Catholic Church is one, united, holy, Church that follows Christ supported with Sacred Scripture and Sacred Oral Tradition. Which one sounds more like what the Bible says Christ actually instituted?

The problem with being "Bible-alone" is that you limit yourself to your own interpretation of the Bible and make yourself a pope. You read a verse, you decide what it means, and you establish your faith based on that...but what if you're wrong? Can you be sure you are infallible? But the Catholic Church is not based on personal interpretation. The dogmas of the Church have not changed and will never changed. They are clarified, and re-explained to meet and apply to current societal situations, but they never change at the core. This is because they cannot change...they are from Christ himself.

The Church was given to us by God as our earthly guide, our tangible place to worship, to receive Christ, and to practice our call to holiness.

"There are not more than 100 people in the world who truly hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they perceive to be the Catholic Church. ....As a matter of fact, if we Catholics believed all of the untruths and lies which were said against the Church, we probably would hate the Church a thousand times more than they do."

-----Archbishop Sheen

Everything about the Catholic Church can be proven with the bible.

The Church does nothing outside Christ's teachings.

Peace be with you

<<<Devout Catholic>>>
Catechist