Is the Catholic faith a cult?

Question

I feel God has done nothing for me in my life. I never feel his presence. I just go to church and follow the commandments because I'm scared of the consequences in the after life. Whenever I ask questions about God and Jesus and my teachers can't think of an answer they just say 'faith.' Is Catholocism just a faith to scare people in to being good?

Answer 1

Not to answer your question as to it being a cult, but to suggest that you seek elsewhere if you are getting what you need!

Answer 2

Well, how are you defining 'cult', first of all? Here, I'll show you two groups. The first are Catholics...they're sitting in church singing a hymn. They might occasionally rise or kneel for prayer. After their service they might have a time of fellowship and then leave. The second group are born again Christian fundamentalists. They wave their arms in the air praising Jesus and some get themselves into such a heightened state of euphoria that they flail on the ground speaking in an incoherent babble. Hm. Which group looks more like a CULT to you? Which bears a greater resemblance to Moonies or Hare Krishnas?

Answer 3

No, catholocism is not a cult. Following without your heart in it isnt good. You need to find someone that has the answers to your question. You should set up a meeting with the priests or counslers at your church. They can and will answer your questions and help you not feel so empty.

Answer 4

You CAN feel the presence of God. Forget about religion, focus on Jesus and God's Word - The Bible. Read the Gospels first and the epistles of John and Paul. You will be going back to when Christianity began, so what you are reading will be the TRUTH, before Catholicism ever came into play. It originally developed as a means of social and political control during the Roman Empire.

If you honestly want to know more, e-mail me. I grew up Catholic, so I know what I am talking about.

Answer 5

The Catholic faith is very rich in beauty and tradition, but it can be a bit daunting sometimes. This is just my personal opinion, but it sounds to me as if God is calling you into a deeper relationship with Him. A spiritual director (i.e., mentor) is a good way to learn more about yourself and your relationship with God.

Is there a priest, nun, or deacon in your church that you admire and who seems like someone you could talk to about what's going on with your spiritual life? A trusted advisor can be a big help in deepening your relationship with God.

I will ask our Father in heaven to lead you to the person who can help you. God bless, my friend!

Answer 6

It seems that way sometimes. However, if one looks at Jesus as an example of how to live we can see that He constantly gave to other people and asked very little for himself in return. He showed us to love without expecting anything back. He showed us that a friend who loves another would die for that person.

Jesus did expect one thing from his followers. He told them "This is my commandment; love each other."

Don't look to any one religious group for that. Look to God and yourself with the help of others.

Just my opinion after reading God's teachings.

Kev

Answer 7

"Fear" of the Lord is one of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. I don't mean fear in the sense of being afraid, I mean fear as in "respect" for the Lord. Clearly you have this, otherwise you would not be praying.

The Lord is in your life. Many people think the act of praying is us reaching across the void that separates us from Him. It's actually the opposite. As mere human beings, we are powerless to reach across that void. When we pray, we are actually answering God - who can and is reaching across that void to contact us.

Our prayer is not so much the initiation of this contact, it's us answering God contacting us. God is reaching you.

Now a word on conventional fear. It's not wrong for you to want to be obedient to God out of fear of hell. Eventually, as you get to know God better, you will begin to desire obedience less from fear and more out of love for the Lord.

The Truth is, there is a hell, we can end up condemning ourselves to hell - and it's scary to think about. The fact that it is scary does not mean it isn't true. There is a downside to the afterlife.

There could not be a downside if there was not also an upside. it's clear to be you desire to love God and be obedient to Him. Be at peace with the fact you are going in the right direction.

Answer 8

The most crucial problem with the Roman Catholic Church is its belief that faith alone in Christ is not sufficient for salvation. The Bible clearly and consistently states that receiving Jesus Christ as Savior, by grace through faith, grants salvation (John 1:12; 3:16,18,36; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10,13; Ephesians 2:8-9). The Roman Catholic Church rejects this. The official position of the Roman Catholic Church is that a person must believe in Jesus Christ AND be baptized AND receive the Eucharist along with the other sacraments AND obey the decrees of the Roman Catholic Church AND perform meritorious works AND not die with any mortal sins AND etc., etc., etc. Catholic divergence from the Bible on this most crucial of issues, salvation, means that yes, Catholicism is a false religion. If a person believes what the Catholic Church officially teaches, he/she will not be saved. Any claim that works or rituals must be added to faith in order for salvation to be achieved is a claim that Jesus’ death was not sufficient to fully purchase our salvation.



While salvation by faith is the most crucial issue, in comparing Roman Catholicism with the Word of God, there are many other differences and contradictions as well. The Roman Catholic Church teaches many doctrines that are in disagreement with what the Bible declares. These include apostolic succession, worship of saints or Mary, prayer to saints or Mary, the pope / papacy, infant baptism, transubstantiation, plenary indulgences, the sacramental system, and purgatory. While Catholics claim Scriptural support for these concepts, none of these teachings have any solid foundation in the clear teaching of Scripture. These concepts are based on Catholic tradition, not the Word of God. In fact, they all clearly contradict Biblical principles.



In regards to the question “Are Catholics saved?”, this is a more difficult question to answer. It is impossible to give a universal statement on the salvation of all members of any denomination of Christianity. Not ALL Baptists are saved. Not ALL Presbyterians are saved. Not ALL Lutherans are saved. Salvation is determined by personal faith in Jesus alone for salvation, not by titles or denominational identification. Despite the unbiblical beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, there are genuine believers who attend Roman Catholic churches. There are many Roman Catholics who have genuinely placed their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. However, these Catholic Christians are believers despite what the Catholic Church teaches, not because of what it teaches. To varying degrees, the Catholic Church teaches from the Bible and points people to Jesus Christ as the Savior. As a result, people are sometimes saved in Catholic churches. The Bible has an impact whenever it is proclaimed (Isaiah 55:11). Catholic Christians remain in the Catholic Church out of ignorance of what the Catholic Church truly stands for, out of family tradition and peer pressure, or out of a desire to reach other Catholics for Christ.



At the same time, the Catholic Church also leads many people away from a genuine faith relationship with Christ. The unbiblical beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church have often given the enemies of Christ opportunity to blaspheme. The Roman Catholic Church is not the church that Jesus Christ established. It is not a church that is based on the teachings of the Apostles (as described in the Book of Acts and the New Testament epistles). While Jesus’ words in Mark 7:9 were directed towards the Pharisees, they accurately describe the Roman Catholic Church, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions

Answer 9

Cults are defined largely by how much control they exert over their followers, how much the followers are required to alienate themselves from others, etc. For a much better evaluation, check here:

http://www.ra-info.org/library/programming/Bonewits.shtml

Answer 10

No, Roman Catholicism is not a cult, it is and ancient form of Christianity.