Why do Catholics......?

Question

See Christ more of a somber, sorrowful, sacrificial martyr, with suffering & persecution rather than his resurection filled with life, joy, godliness, and LIGHT? Also, I still can't understanding WHY they have these other different saints and why also they see and worship Mary as abigger figure than John the Baptist himself? .........and they should of named it the Roman Christian Church or Christ's Roman Church or Christ's Church instead of Roman Universal Church. And if you were to ask me who is the whore that sitteth upon many waters.........well it's obvious (Catholics), I mean not only are they all over the world but they are the only christian church filled with so much sinful acts, and there priest wearing fine linen and big churches filled with gold of graven images. Also, whats up with this opus dei cult they have?

Answer 1

You are right in your observation/study. But we cannot blame the member of the RCC for what they believe it is because they are deceived by the devil, as you said the RCC is the fulfillment in the revelation “Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

Answer 2

This is a little complicated, but I will try to answer your question.

Catholics do acknowledge the joyous event of Jesus light, joy, Resurrection and godliness. However, the suffering and persecution did play an important part in his life, and later church teachings. Saints are recognized as people who have been truly touched by divinity. It is true that Mary occupies a place that is perhaps greater than John the Baptist. That is because the understanding of Mary is different from other religions. Prayers are offered to God so that the intersessions and sacrifice of Mary and the Saints may "win" Gods favor. Mary (and the Saints) are never worshiped. It was named the Christian Church, because at the time it was the only Church that fallowed God. The Romans were only a population within the original Christian Church. Opus Dei (Gods work) is a misunderstood collection of religious believers. They mix a combination of the oldest catholic practices, with some very modern liberal ideology. Contrary to popular belief, they are not a big secretive society. I Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I believe your largely correct about the whore, but I think the whore is composed of all similar religions of which Catholics are the largest.
In reality Catholics hold a greater responsibility with respect to the image religion has on a world wide scale since there the biggest religion. Unfortunately there scandals have been taken as something that characterizes all religion.

They do worship Mary. What else would you call it when they dedicate overly elaborate statues to her and offer her prayers? Jesus is the only one mentioned in the bible that we should seek to get to the father.
Beyond that there's also what they do in Hispanic countries were each individual country seems to have it's own virgin.
Obviously the Mexican virgin is the most notorious one.

As for Jesus constantly being showed beaten and bruised....
Yes it's an important part of the bible, but you don't have to make that his constant image. Something which is actually a turn off for people who are unfamilier with the event.

I'macatholic2 will probably show up and add to this, but there actions speak for themselves.

EDIT:
Notice the first part of his post isn't backed by the bible. Also, there's nothing wrong with pictures of loved ones as long as you don't pray to them. When you start praying to them it becomes a matter of worship.

Deuteronomy 18:10,11
" There shall not be found among you........one who calls up the dead."

Isaiah 8:19
".......Should not a people consult there God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?

Also of interest......

2 Kings 1:3
".......Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the God of Ekron?

In other words if you have a question ask God he's the one who answers prayers.


In Numbers 21:8-9, "And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered."

What happened to this snake?

2 Kings 18:4
"......He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehustan"

*Foot note: Nehustan i.e piece of bronze*

It became an object of worship and so it was destroyed.

Answer 4

+ Mary and the Saints +

Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist Churches.

The Communion of Saints is the belief where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.

Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints, you, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa.

As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends living here on earth to pray for you. Or, you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother living in heaven to pray for you.

Prayer to saints in heaven is simple communication, not worship.

And prayer to the saints is optional not required.

http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p5.htm#946

+ "Roman" Catholic Church +

The Catholic Church has consistently referred to itself as the “Catholic Church” at least since 107 AD, when the term appears in the writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch

The term "Roman" Catholic is rather recent.

The new Anglican Church in England started using the term “Roman” in the 1500s as one of many ways of demeaning and demonizing Catholics.

Catholics accepted this late coming adjective without too much protest. Today “Catholic” and “Roman Catholic” are interchangeable terms. Both terms are even used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

To add a little more confusion, some apply the term “Roman Catholic Church” only to the Latin Rite Catholic Church, excluding the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches that are in full communion with the Pope, and are part of the same Church, under the Pope.

The term “Roman” neither increases nor decreases the faith, hope and love of the Catholic Church.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13121a.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic

+ Graven Images +

Do you have pictures of your loved ones? Have you ever looked at the picture of someone while talking on the phone to them?

Statues and pictures of people we love are not idols.

Statues and paintings of Jesus and the saints are just like pictures of the people we love and respect.

The King James Version of the Bible states in Exodus 20:4: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth"

Why were the Jews commanded not to make graven images? Graven images were the standard method of pagan worship. They were representations of false gods.

This is a very clear command.

However God commanded the Jews in Exodus 25:18 and 1 Chronicles 28:18–19, "And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them"

And in 1 Kings chapter 7 Solomon made bulls and other images out of precious metals.

It seems obvious that the Jews did not worship the cherubims and Solomon did not worship the bulls he had made. These images did not violate the command of God. Therefore, an image not made for worship is acceptable.

In Numbers 21:8-9, "And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered."

And in John 3:14-15, Jesus says in correlation, "And just as Moses lifted up the [image of a] serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

How can a statue of our Lord Jesus Christ dead on the cross be considered an idol to a false god? A crucifix is the message of the Gospel without words held up for all to see, a visual reminder of the sacrifice of Jesus, no different from a painting, a play, or a movie.

Catholics do not worship statues but the almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

+ With love in Christ.