Are the Roman Catholics United? by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 31, 1870

Are the Roman Catholics United?

By Dudley Marvin Canright

CATHOLICS are constantly pointing to the divisions and disputes among Protestants, and contrasting this with the unity and oneness which they assert everywhere exists among Catholics. But this is a false claim. Divisions, contentions, and fierce and heated disputes have always existed, and do now exist, among them. True, they all belong to one church and one communion; but this is about the extent of their unity.

The following facts I gather from Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, vol. 3, pp. 106–108.

1. The Catholics are divided respecting the extent and magnitude of the power of a Roman pontiff. This point is now under fierce dispute.

2. They are divided respecting the extent and prerogatives of the church.

3. They are divided respecting the nature, operation, and necessity of divine grace.

4. They are divided respecting original sin, the natural power of man to obey the divine law.

5. They are divided respecting the nature of God's eternal decrees in regard to the salvation of men.

6. They are divided respecting many points of morality and rules of conduct.

7. They are divided respecting the administration of the sacraments.

8. They are divided respecting the right method of training Christians.

This list might be extended indefinitely if we were to notice as small points as often make disputes and divisions among Protestants; so that really the Catholics can claim no superiority in this respect.

D. M. CANRIGHT.