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| The early Christian church was also persecuted, and did not persecute heathens or other Christians. Any Church guilty of persecution does not follow the example of Jesus Christ set forth by the Apostles in the Bible. | | The early Christian church was also persecuted, and did not persecute heathens or other Christians. Any Church guilty of persecution does not follow the example of Jesus Christ set forth by the Apostles in the Bible. |
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| =Growing Pains=
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| ==[[The Godhead]]==
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| The doctrine of One God in Three Persons (the [[Trinity]]) was formulated by Tertullian, a priest in Carthage (Tunisia). The Church of Rome did not initially agree with Tertullian, who later left the established churches. However, this doctrine slowly gained status in the Church at Rome until Bishop Felix began advertising this doctrine to the Church at Alexandria.
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| Of the 250-318 Bishops that attended the Council of Nicea (along with 1,200 deacons and accompanying laity - per Athanasius and Eusebius of Caesarea), only two Arians refused to agree with the Nicene creed. This either indicates that they all were in unity, that the creed was sufficently vague to support each of their doctrines, or that the voting was rigged. Considering that 22 Arian supporters attended, the latter two are the most likely. The fact that further councils were called to refine this doctrine, many of which resulted in significant schisms, leads to the conclusion that the creed was at least extremely vague.
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| The Godhead has been one of the most divisive subjects in the history of Christianity. Differences of opinion on this topic have often led to bloodshed - as if God wants us to kill each other to protect our notion of who he is.
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| ==Apostolic Succession==
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| The Bishops in the churches that had Apostolic succsession began to exert influnece over other churches, excommunicating those who did not listen, while fighting for supremacy among themselves. By 400, Anastasius became the first Bishop of Rome to use the title Pope. The doctrine of post-milleniumism began at this time, which resulted in a period of Dark Ages with the Catholic Church at the head of Christendom.
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| ==Adding and Inventing Doctrines==
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| Constantine donated great amounts of money to the Church at Rome, and build the old St. Peter's Bascilica. Bishops taxes were reduced, and many pagan temples were converted into Christian Churches. While this sounds like a revival, Constantine did not care about salvation and was baptized only on his deathbed. Instead, Constantine thought to win the loyalty of his subjects by subtle manipulation: flattery, and religion.
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| *A half-pagan and half-Christian ceremony was performed at the dedication of Constantinople in 330 AD when, in the market place, the Cross of Christ was placed over the head of the Sun-God's chariot, accompanied with hymns.<ref>The New Catholic Encyclopedia (1908) </ref>
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| *Later, traditions were implemented (like pennance) that were not Biblical.
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| ==Persecuted to Persecutor==
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| It was after the Christian Church gained political power that it began persecuting other Christians in order to "enforce doctrine". This resulted in the death of millions, brutal treatment of non-Christians, and deadly inquisitions.
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