But the physical location of where the Church was founded has nothing to do with the marks of the true Church. Again the marks of the church are as stated in the OP. The Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Where it was founded is not relevant to those four marks.
Well that is an interesting assertion. I wonder how you get there? If I am searching for a cow, and someone gives me a detailed description, as Christ has given us for the church, to say it has these particular four marks there for it MUST be THE cow, could lead to some interesting misunderstandings. It has four legs, horns, a tail, and is black. If that is the only part of the description you looked at, you might come up with two African trombone players, being followed by the cops.....technically accurate, but not at all what you are looking for. The other parts of the description, such as cloven hoofed, ruminant, gives milk, four nipples, wearing a bell, and with a green numbered tag in the left ear, gives a much greater chance that you get THE cow. Or at least a cow at all.
Not true. There is division. You see, just because I believe the Pope and Bishops of the Catholic Church are the true successors of the Peter and the Apostles does not mean that I don't think my protestant brethren are part of the Church as well: I do. They are my brethren, but they are my seperated brethren. I would liken the situation to a brother who runs away from home and disavows our parents. Technically he is still my brother, but yet he has chosen to forsake all the family traditions and special days we get together and everything else.
Protestants are Christians and accepted as brothers, something that the Catechism of the Catholic Church is actually quite clear about (something that you may not have known). Yet, they are seperated from us.
Here is one of these places that we surely have some misunderstanding. There ARE denominations. I do not and did not deny that. But, THE church was commanded not to be divided. THE church that Christ built was not built to be divided. And the key to removing divisions is to go all the way back to the beginning and BE the church that Christ built. What ever divisions men have built afterwards are NOT of Christ. They are of men. The fact that men choose to divide the church means men are the problem. How terrible is it, that even after the clear teachings, we have some men saying I follow Pope Benedict, and others saying, I follow Martin Luther, and yet others saying I follow Calvin, and others following Wesley? Is Christ divided? God forbid. I choose to follow Christ and Christ alone. The teachings he gave us through his Apostles are everything we need to know on life and Godliness.
1 Corinthians 1:10-21
King James Version (KJV)
10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.
16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
Again, not true. Can the Bible break bread with you? Can the Bible pray for you and you for it? Can a Bible baptise you? Christianity and the Church came before the Bible did, not the other way around. The Church gave us the Bible as we know it today; the Bible does not give us the Church. Show me someone who says, "My church is Bible-based", and I will reply, "My Bible is Church-based, for it came to us from the Church." Don't misunderstand me: The Bible is the only book that is God-breathed; I know this. But to say it is all we need is simply not true.
I believe it is all we need to KNOW. Christians surely have each other and surely need each other. We have INSTRUCTION on that, and I think it was clear enough that I was talking about knowledge and instruction, but if I was not, certainly, we need the body of Christ, the blood of Christ, we need to be baptized, we need each other, clearly.
It is a basic belief for me, when I get into thinking about questions and cannot find certain answers, that I do not need to know. (perhaps sometime we can enjoy some of those discussions) But, I trust the scriptures when they tell me that everything is there pertaining to life and Godliness, that all the knowledge that I MUST have to serve Christ is contained there.
And by the way, the Word of God is not confined to the pages of a book. The Word lives; the Word is Jesus. All that Jesus said and did is the Word of God, yet all that Jesus said and did is not written in the Bible. Divine Revelation is transmitted in writing and orally. Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition together make up the Word of God.
Half true, at best. Yes, there is more that is not recorded, that would fill all the books of the world, but these were recorded that we might believe.
John 21:24-25
King James Version (KJV)
24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
1 John 5:12-14
King James Version (KJV)
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
The sacred tradition argument is directly opposed to the word of God and Jesus taught strongly against substituting the traditions of men for the word of God.
Matthew 15:2*3
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
Matthew 15:6
And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
Mark 7:3
For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
Mark 7:5
Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
Mark 7:8
For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
Mark 7:9
And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Mark 7:13
Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
Galatians 1
King James Version (KJV)
1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.
20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
21 Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;
22 And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.
24 And they glorified God in me.
Colossians 2:8
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
I am afraid that scripture teaches STRONGLY against the traditions of men argument. The inspired word of God I am happy to obey as best I can. But any attempt to modify the word of God must be met with suspicion and held up to the light of scripture. And then what good is it? If they say LESS than Christ taught us, it has no value, for it is less. If they say MORE than Christ taught us it has no value, for it has added to the word of God, and attempted to bind the traditions of men as the word of God. And if it says something DIFFERENT then it has no value because it is different from the word of God.