Church of Rome

Name: Church of Rome
Author: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The work critiques the contemporary Roman Catholic Church, asserting that its current adherents do not represent true Catholicism as understood in the early Christian church. The author argues that the Council of Trent fundamentally altered the nature of Catholicism, creating a division between what he considers authentic Catholic beliefs and the practices of modern Roman Catholics. Using the metaphor of a river, he illustrates the idea that true Christianity has been purified and separated from the impurities introduced over time, with the modern church representing the broader, muddied current. He rejects the label of "Catholic" for Roman Catholics, insisting that true Catholicism is singular and cannot be divided by nationality or local distinctions. The author expresses skepticism about the notion that removing legal restrictions on Roman Catholics would diminish their influence, suggesting instead that such changes could enhance their appeal, particularly among the upper classes. He believes that the Roman Church's ability to cater to human passions and self-deception could lead to its growth in society if barriers were lifted. Overall, the work presents a strong defense of Protestant beliefs while critiquing the Roman Catholic Church's legitimacy and potential for expansion in a changing social landscape.

By Samuel Taylor Coleridge · First published 1830 · Genre: Theological Critique, Philosophical Essay, Religious Commentary · 712 words

First lines

The present adherents of the church of Rome are not, in my judgment, Catholics. We are the Catholics. We can prove that we hold the doctrines of the primitive church for the first three hundred years. The council of Trent made the Papists what they are. [1] A foreign Romish bishop has declared, that the Protestants of his acquaintance were more like what he conceived the enlightened Catholics to have been before the council of Trent, than the best of the latter in his days. Perhaps you will say, this bishop was not a _good Catholic_.[2] I cannot answer for that. The course of Christianity and the Christian church may not unaptly be likened to a mighty river, which filled a wide channel, and bore along with its waters mud, and gravel, and weeds, till it met a great rock in the middle of its stream. By some means or other, the water flows purely, and separated from the filth, in a deeper and narrower course on one side of the rock, and the refuse of the dirt and troubled water goes off on the other in a broader current, and then cries out, "_We_ are the river!"

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Church of Rome is listed on Textopian as an essay by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, dated 1830 CE.

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Work type: Essay
Author: Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Date: 1830 CE
Language: English
Genres: Theological Critique, Philosophical Essay, Religious Commentary, Historical Analysis, Sociopolitical Commentary
Length: 712 words
Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)

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Genres

Theological Critique — The work critiques the doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, focusing on the distinction between Catholics and Protestants.
Philosophical Essay — The text engages in philosophical discourse regarding the nature of Catholicism and its historical evolution.
Religious Commentary — It provides commentary on the state of Christianity and the implications of religious identity.
Historical Analysis — The work references historical events, such as the Council of Trent, to support its arguments.