Catholics Aren't Christians?

[bennyboy]

Is the contention here that there are sufficient trappings of paganism/other cultures/faiths within catholicism as to disqualify them as christians? I'm unimpressed....the OT is a borrowed book..and the NT fares no better. They're all a bunch of fucking pagans - they're just too pigheaded to own up to it, and I have to say...so fucking what, what's the big damned deal? A faith of borrowed thought that spawns another faith of borrowed thought (and schisms like stars between them over the centuries) and each sect pointing the crooked finger at the other...for what...borrowing? If that's a problem....they're all in trouble, but why is it a problem?

I think in this particular case the problem is that the Catholics do things which very expressively go against the God of the Bible they supposedly adhere to. They took "sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor" to "Build giant cathedrals laced with gold buy bilking everyone for 10% of their income. Also, wear elaborate gowns laced with gold and giant ruby rings on your fingers, so the impoverished masses will know you're the true chosen leader of God's flock."

I mean, the Catholic church literally sells (sold?) forgiveness from sins for cold hard cash. This is in stark contrast to the New Testament, in which Jesus overturns the tables of moneychangers, outraged that his "father's" place was being used for commerce.