I have a couple of brief reflections on what you have concluded. Brevity is not easy for me, but I shall try.
1. Your thoughts on the accuracy of history reminded me of the old saying that "History is written by the victors." In the case of Christianity, Christian history was written by those who
endured. They endured a vicious attempt by the Roman Empire to wipe them out, to include destroying records that they existed and by killing their adherents.
But the Romans were unsuccessful, as witnessed by the Roman Catacombs, filled with the remains of Christian dead, and remaining fragments of different books of the Bible, discovered centuries later in Christian monasteries, and of course the Muratorian fragment.
The very existence of Christians, then and now, is proof that Jesus lived, died, and rose to live again. The Apostles, and later Christian martyrs would not have died to further a cause that they knew was false, if they could be spared by simply saying a word of denial of Jesus.
2. You may know that there was a long period of time when the accuracy of accounts in the Bible were doubted because there was no physical "proof." But in the 1930s and later, archaeological digs and discoveries unearthed certain things which were found to be just as described in the Bible.
3. As a Baptist, with no dog in the fight, I think it was a mistake to allow Mass in the local language, abandoning Latin. The reason is simple. First off, it is not difficult to learn the relatively few Latin phrases in the Mass, and their meaning. I did so just because I sometimes went to Mass. In New Orleans it seemed that every politician who got elected to office wanted to hold a special Mass, and I was invited.
The reason I think Latin should have been retained is because in my travels around the world, my (Irish) Catholic companions had no problem going to Mass, and understanding it in Latin, although they didn't know a word in the local language. Having it in Latin emphasized the Global reach of the Catholic Church.
4. It is a shame that so many people who have lost interest in the denomination in which they were raised are reluctant to try a little visit to a local Southern Baptist Church. In the main, the churches contain down-to-earth, friendly people who are a far cry from the stereotypes often depicted by unfriendly critics.
And, if you sit down for a conversation with a Southern Baptist pastor, you will find that the core position of the church is similar to that articulated by Martin Luther so many years ago; in Latin - Sola Scriptura.
What Does Sola Scriptura Mean?
The other position, the one that got Martin Luther in the most hot water, was Sola Fide. Sola fide (Latin: by faith alone), also known as justification by faith alone, is a Christian theological doctrine that distinguishes most Protestant denominations from the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and some parts of the Restoration Movement. You are
not required to do "works" to achieve Salvation. (No Confession; no Hail Mary; no acts of contrition; etc.)
But............. you also cannot achieve Salvation without Faith in Jesus as the provider of that Salvation. That is key.
Well...........Brevity got lost somewhere along the way.
Carl in Tampa
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