Does anyone know why so many evangelicals don't consider Roman Catholics to be Christians?
Different bible, the pope, the holy trinity and much of the dogma associated with Catholicism.
I mean historically, in the bible, Catholics are the only christians that existed at that time. I mean until the 1500's there were really no other clearly organized christian branches to follow but in 1517 Martin Luther's "95 Theses" challenged Catholic dogma. Of course Henry VIII was the first king to defy the catholic church and start his own...probably as much a money/income thing as a divorce thing imo.
Anyway that is partly why christianity is so dubious for me...I mean there is a clear evolution that if you look closely is simply just a further division of wealth. How do you solve a crime...follow the money. How do you explain modern civilization/humanity...follow the money. It is no wonder in a capitalist society the US is responsible for so many versions of the christian religion. 'Merica.
Most non-catholics, not just evangelicals, consider the Catholic church being filled with side altars where you can pray to saints, to be "worshipping false idols". Not a recent thing, one of Martin Luther's peeves, in fact.
I can't answer the question, but it's so fucked up.
In the beginning there's no Bible just a collection of parables. Then someone puts a selection of these parables together in one place. People start to live by the teachings of this compendium . The compendium is destroyed. A bunch of Roman Catholics re-write the parables supposedly from memory, but form them into a book and say it's the word of God. Now the people that wrote the book that everyone is worshipping aren't Christians.
My head aches and I need a hit...
I dabbled with the JWs in my youth and from what I remember it goes like this.
Catholics are idolaters saints and virgin Marys abound. Revelations talks of the whore of Babylon sitting on 7 hills (a reference to Rome). "Tho shalt have no other god than me" Yet the pope is supreme pontiff on earth etc.
My Pentecostal background confirms this as the consistent refrain from that area of the schism.
Just like all other religions. Eventually they break into sects. I once saw a show about interviewing Pakistanis on a train. One guy smugly said, if everyone were Moslem there would be no violence. Thing some of the most violent places are between Sunni's and Shiite Moslems. Remember Romney (Rummy)? Evangelicals didn't vote for him because he was a Mormon (now even they are dropping that name). Nature of the beast.