There are many reasons people find themselves trusting in the Catholic institution. If you're not familiar with Rome's history, or you're new to Roman Catholicism, some of the claims Rome gives for her trustworthiness sound convincing, and in fact many claims are not entirely wrong—even Protestants are interested in many of the same kinds of characteristics.
ROME'S THEOLOGY
Many scholars and theologians agree that the Old Testament book of Job was written probably around 2,000 B.C. That's not an unrealistic claim, and in fact seems to make a great deal of sense. We have a book that's remarkably old, and pre-dates just about every other piece of literature found anywhere in the world. Not only that, but the contents of the Book of Job are entirely consistent with the rest of the Bible. That's really saying something!
If we are correct that Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament, that places his writings at about 1,500-1,000 B.C. Then, as you read through all the other books in the Old Testament, what you're reading is a compilation of material extending from 1,000 B.C. to about 400 B.C. And once again, all that content is entirely consistent throughout!
And of course we have the New Testament with 27 books, all of which harmonize perfectly with the Old Testament, and the end result is the most impressive multi-volume book ever composed. This is what Rome offers: a Bible that has touched the lives of literally hundreds of millions of people.
JESUS OUR MESSIAH
Along with an enduring book of the Church of God, the Bible centers around the life of the Jesus of Nazareth, the God-man. His life is described in the Old Testament as a somewhat cloaked figure (a type, or shadow, as theologians like to say) but specifically and clearly in the New Testament. His story is clearly reflected in Catholic theology, and it's no surprise that so many people want to belong to a church rooted in such a close relationship to the author and finisher of our faith.
INFALLIBILITY
Rome officially declared the Church (at Rome) infallible, at the first Vatican council in 1870. This council, the first one to succeed the Council of Trent (1545-1563 AD) was singular in declaring the Church cannot err. Although the subject of infallibility was talked about a lot over the previous centuries, Vatican I made it official, and when a Catholic council makes something official, its a way of revealing God's will. In other words, Vatican I declared that God told her the Church is infallible. Who wouldn't want to be a member of an infallible, unerring church?!
PILLAR OF TRUTH
The apostle Paul wrote in his book to his student Timothy that the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. What's interesting here is that Paul used the Greek word εκκλησια (ekklesia) to refer to the church, a word that is generic and general, meaning "assembly" or "congregation." Historical Tradition reports that Paul and Peter founded the church at Rome, therefore when Paul says "the church" he means "The Church at Rome." In fact, Rome's entire existence is predicated on the teaching that "the church" actually means "The Roman Catholic Church."
What needs to be said about this overview of the Roman Catholic Church?
Rome's Theology Revisited
What can we say that both Catholics and Protestants will agree upon? Let's take a shot at it! We said that the Book of Job was written four thousand years go, the rest of the Old Testament three thousand years ago, and the New Testament one thousand years ago. Historically speaking, the Church at Rome began as a home-church in the first century A.D., and grew over time to the great monolith we have now. What's the conclusion? Rome didn't exist when the Bible was composed!
Rome is fond of insisting that she declared what books were official. Catholic scholar Peter Kreeft said only Rome would know what books were to be included because, after all, "she wrote them!" However, what does this say about Israel? Wasn't the ancient nation of Israel official enough to declare what the Old Testament consisted of? As for the New Testament, how many churches existed in the first century? Weren't they just as qualified to speak on the canon of Scripture? Were Ignatius, Irenaeus, Origen, Chrysostom, Cyprian, and others all entirely Catholic, baptized into the Church at Rome, confirmed, and consecrated by the pope?