The Truth about "The Council That Created Jesus"

I'm friends with many people on Facebook and social media, from many different faiths and some with none. One particular gentleman posted this particular gem of an internet meme on his Facebook feed today. Naturally, I felt the need to set the record straight.

I thought I would post my reply for those who may find themselves confronted with a similar meme.

The Text Posted with the Meme

In 325, at the Council of Nicea, Constantine the Great, created the Catholic Church after a genocide of 45,000 Christians, where he tortured them to renounce reincarnation. At the same time, religious books from every village of the empire are collected and thus create the BIBLE.

In 327, Constantine, known as Emperor of Rome, ordered Jerome to translate the version of the Vulgate into Latin, changing his Hebrew names and adulterating the scriptures.

In 431, the cult of the VIRGIN was invented.

In 594, PURGATORY was invented.

In 610, the title of the Pope was invented.

In 788, worship of pagan deities is imposed.

In 995, the meaning of kadosh (put aside) was changed to saint.

In 1079, the celibacy of priests is imposed >> a fully Catholic word.

In 1090 the Rosary was imposed.

In 1184, the Inquisition was perpetrated.

In 1190 indulgences are sold

In 1215, confession was imposed on priests.

In 1216, Pope Innocent III's account of the terror of bread (a god in Greek mythology), turning into human flesh, was invented.

In 1311 a baptism took place.

In 1439, the non-existent PURGATORY was dogmatized.

In 1854 the immaculate conception was invented.

In 1870, the absurdity of an infallible pope was imposed, in which the concept of recruitment was invented

There are more than 2500 things invented by this religion to enslave human beings with Christianity ...

Religions and their gods were created as a means of MANIPULATION and BUSINESS. As part of the EVOLUTION of the human being lies the FREEDOM of these means of manipulation. Although humans are gradually in the era of AWAKENING, every day young people are LESS RELIGIOUS for another two generations and Catholic religion will be in decline. (I wish to see that moment) Everything will be part of our EVOLUTION.

It's up to you to keep believing what you now believe to be the absolute truth because you didn't question yourself... question yourself.

My Response to His Ignorance

Thank you for posting this bit of anti-Catholic bigotry. Allow me to set the record straight:

Jesus Christ's earliest mention in historical record comes well before the date of 325 ad. We have more evidence for his existence than we do for that of Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great.

Constantine didn't "create" the Catholic Church. He became a member of it. It predates him by more than 200 years. There's historical documentation to show that.

There is no historical documentation for your reported genocide. In point of fact, Constantine the Great ENDED Roman persecution and the torture of Christians by issuing a decree that permitted not only Christians but "all others" full authority to follow "whatever worship each person has desired." and "Every one of those who have a common wish to follow the religion of the Christians may from this moment freely and unconditionally proceed to observe the same without any annoyance or disquiet.”

The virginity of the Virgin Mary is well documented as facts established before the year 400 and even pre-date the 2nd Century AD.

The doctrine of purgatory comes out of Scripture, so it dates before the 2nd Century.

The earliest recorded use of the title of 'pope' was in regard to the patriarch Heraclas in a letter written by his successor, Pope Dionysius of Alexandra, to Philemon, who was a priest. The word pope means father, and the popes are all considered to be fathers of the Church.

There is not now, nor has there ever been, worship of pagan dieties involved in the Catholic Church. In point of fact, we worship one and only one God. The person who created this meme is obviously quite ignorant of many things, including Catholic doctrine.

I have no idea why the word kadosh matters here, or what its relevance is to the point this poster is trying to make. Saints are those who die united to Christ. That is all.

The celibacy of the priesthood was imposed as a discipline for good reason. Priests dedicate their lives to the service of the Church. The Church becomes their bride. It would be grossly unfair to ask a human woman to play second fiddle to the demands of the Church. It would be equally unfair to ask the priest to choose his parishioners over his earthly wife. This celibacy leaves the priest free to tend to the needs of Christ's flock without concerns about shortchanging his family.

The Rosary is not "imposed" upon anyone. It is a tool for meditation upon the life and promises of Christ and a powerful catechism for walking the path of learning how to "love your neighbor as yourself."

The Inquisition happened, but not because of Christ's teachings. It happened because of people are human and even the best of us make mistakes. If you're interested in the nuances of what happened and why - along with more fact-based information than hype - you can read this article: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08026a.htm

The selling of indulgences was never permitted in Church law. Those who did so operated outside the law. That indulgences were granted for people helping build up the Church is only natural, since saving the souls of others is something that would not be forgotten by Christ and would count against any accumulated debt of sin you might face.

Confession and its practices date back to Scripture. There is mention of it in other written documents preserved in the 1st and 2nd century. Moreover, it's just good for the soul.

The True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is not a doctrine made up in 1216. Christ himself states the words, "For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink." It is also mentioned in Scripture by Saint Paul and in early Church documents dating from the 1st and 2nd Centuries.

The first documented Baptism takes place in early Scripture and documentation of baptisms taking place is found in the first and second centuries. I imagine millions of baptisms took place in the year 1311 - not just one - as most of the world was Catholic at this point in history.

In 1439, the first formal declaration about the Church's stance on this ancient teaching was put into writing to settle the matter after disputes arose. As mentioned earlier, it was not a new teaching.

In 1854, the Immaculate Conception - like the doctrine of Purgatory - was formalized by writing but it already was a teaching of the Church. Moreover, an appearance to a young shepardess at Lourdes, France confirmed the doctrine. If you're interested in the history of that, there's a spring that exists now that did not exist prior to 1854 which our Lady created and has been healing people ever since. https://www.catholicherald.com/.../i-am-the-immaculate.../

In 1870, the doctrine of Papal Infallibility was formalized in a document, though it was a church teaching long before that. The point of Papal Infallibility is to ensure that the Church operates in unity and the faithful are all moving in the same direction - toward Christ.

Religion can be a tool to manipulate and control, and most people do encounter it that way. It usually appears as Rigid Expectations, Legalistic Indoctrination, Growing Inconsistencies, and Overbearing Nosiness (which no one wants or likes, for the record).
However, the Religion that God established is intended to be Respectful Empathy, Loving Intentions, Guided Instruction, and Ongoing Nurturing - which is something everyone can appreciate.
Religion is all about relationships. The goal of the Catholic religion is to help people develop the self-control necessary to engage in relationships that are healthy, life-giving, and filled with love.

If you'd like to discuss this, just inbox me. I'm happy to discuss it with you.

Illustrating the Need for Clear Catechesis

What this meme does, at least for me, is illustrate how poor the job we as Catholics have done in explaining our faith. Everything in our doctrine makes sense if you recognize that it all comes down to helping us live out Christ's doctrine to love one another as He loves us. That's why I'm working on a simple course called Loving Catholicism, and a book to go with it, to help people better understand the faith and why it is we do what we do.

I've given that course to the Bishop to review and I'll let you know when I hear back on whether or not I'm permitted to promote it. Say prayers. The Catholic Church is the antidote to all the things that are wrong in society, but we've got to get better at teaching it before people will accept the great gift we offer them.