If the Roman Catholic Church understands original sin and the depravity of man....?

Question

Why in the WORLD would they put one person in charge, label him as "infallible"? I support church hierarchy, because it is biblically founded. All churches need hierarchy. But so much heresy has been stamped "Thus sayeth the Pope" and Catholics accept this! Praying to Mary as Redemtrix and Saints for intercession is blatant idolatry. The OT and NT are SO clear on that. All I can say is, "Why, why, why?"

and HappyKid: I (in addition to being raised Catholic, attending Catholic School, and having two priests and a monsignor in my family) I have read the Catechisms of the Catholic Church at least twice in the past year. If this constitutes ignorance, then I would like for you to call me "The most fallible Pope Ignoramus the First."

and Christian Betty: MY Bible says "NO ONE IS GOOD." Romans 3:10-18 Are Mary and the Saints included in no one, or do we need an English major in here?

Kotes 19: I am a saint. So are all of my brothers and sisters in Christ. You can join us, if you'd like or continue thinking it's an elitist group for the truly holy judged by wicked and sinful men.

AMDG: You'd have better luck quoting the book of mormon to me than maccabees; I've completed more than one class on Inspired Scripture and Canon.

Answer 1

None of the major traditions or doctrines of the Catholic Church were taught, defended, practiced, or embraced by the apostolic church. For example the Catholic teachings on prayers for the dead originated around 300 A.D., the veneration of angels and dead saints (375 A.D.), the exaltation of Mary and the use of the term “Mother of God” (431 A.D.), the doctrine of purgatory, instituted by Gregory I (593 A.D.), the title of “Pope” (first given to Boniface III in 607 A.D.), holy water blessed by a priest (850 A.D.), canonization of dead saints (instituted by Pope John XV in 995 A.D.), the rosary used in prayer (1090 A.D.), the sale of indulgences (1190 A.D.), transubstantiation (first proclaimed by Pope Innocent III in 1215 A.D.), Auricular (private) confession of sins to a priest (instituted by Pope Innocent III in Lateran Council in 1215 A.D.), the doctrine of seven sacraments (1439 A.D.), the Hail Mary (1508 A.D.), tradition declared to be of equal authority with the Bible (Council of Trent 1545 A.D.), the Apocryphal books added to the Bible by the Council of Trent (1546 A.D.), Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary (proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854 A.D.), infallibility of the pope in matters of faith and morals (proclaimed by the Vatican Council in 1870 A.D.). Many other traditions of men could be added to this list, all of which are not rooted in Scripture.
When one carefully compares the major teachings of the Roman Catholic Church with the Bible it becomes clear that it is a religious system composed of many man made practices and teachings, which often contradict the clear truths contained in the Word of God.

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AMDG
2 Maccabees isn't inspired Scripture, in-fact; none of the Apocrypha is, even the Catholic Church agrees with that

Answer 2

The first split of the church was 1056AD when the church split into the eastern and western traditions. Theats when the term Catholic and Orthodox came into use. Catholic is universal meaning it is intended foreveryone not just people of jewish decent (this is the original meaning of the term) The Catholic church has been passed down from pope to pope with Peter being chosen as the first pope. So yes the Catholic church is the true church because Jesus chose its leader and with the guidence of the Holy Spirit the church has survived.

Answer 3

If only one person is in charge, in any organization, then that would make the leader a Dictator, the Pope is not. In any organization, to maintain a certain order, a hierarchy is needed [in any system].

The Pope is not labeled as infallible, he is however, viewed to be as the successor of St. Peter. Peter, himself, denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed. And yet, Jesus loved Him and still loves him. The Pope apart from living 3/4 of his life serving the Lord, is also human, just as Christ have been. [Remember Jesus' act re: the vendors in the temple?]

Papal infallibility is a dogma, [belief, like a law, i.e. State of Emergency], wherein the Pope can use when/during declaration of teaching on faith/morals new to the Church. The Pope has not use this power since 1950.

When we pray to Mama Mary and the Saints, it is for intercession and we do not regard them as God or even equal to God. We regard them as someone near to God through the exemplary life they lived and how they have spread God's word while they were alive. [Remember when Jesus was on the cross, he said, "woman, behold thy son, Son, behold thy mother."] Jesus even gave us His mother, who are we to deny such gift?

I do not claim to be an expert, but this is what i know from my faith, i am raised and still am a Catholic. I am a Christian.
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awww i got a thumbs down, but no rebuttal?,... ;-P
God bless us,..

Answer 4

I agree and I'm Catholic. I agree with the real presence and many of the Church doctrines but this is where I draw the line. The Pope shouldn't have sole authority over 1.1 billion people, is not right! I know that is because of the succession of Peter who Christ gave the keys to his Church as stated in the Gospel of Matthew and in the book of John. However, the myth that man should have complete dominion over an entire church is kind of like a dictatorship. There is nothing wrong to praying to Mary and the Saints, is asking for intercession not idolatry. I do agree with the Pope issue.

Answer 5

Wait, wait, wait. Pump the brakes here. Let's answer these one at time and S L O W L Y. Take a deep breath, my Protestant brother.

Peace be with you.

Firstly: You, as many others, completely misunderstand the Church and its teaching on 'infallibility'. Infallibility is a term used for 'office' as in any teachings on faith and morals that come from the Papacy are infallible. Check the 2,000years of Church teachings on faith and morals, not one has ever been renegged.

Do not read this to mean Pope = sinless person. WRONG.
The Pope goes to confession many more times than any other person and he does not call himself Sinless. Holy, yes, as we're all called to be (sanctified and set apart for God's use = holy). Sinless, no.

Secondly, again, your arguments are the typical ones my Protestant friends give me regarding Mary and the Pope. Obviously you are not even aware of the full teachings of the RCC on anything having to do with Mary or intercessory prayer to name a few. Have you ever cracked a Cathechism? I mean no disrespect but your questions and their harry-carry implications aren't anything but some remote caricature of what you think the church teaches.

Allow me: Intercessory prayer to saints is not "praying to the dead". Without getting into the catechism, try thinking of this: saints are not 'dead', they are alive with Christ, in His eternal glory, having been completely refined and made holy to even be in His presence. The praying to saints does not 'take away' anything from Jesus' glory. It doesn't diminsh Him, infact, it expresses His love.

God is a 'family man'. He chose Mary as the ark of the New Covenant. Have you ever studied the parallels in scripture from the OT Ark of the Cov which David carried and the NT Ark in Mary?

God, being holy, would not use an unholy vessel ~ by principle He could NOT use anything unholy or it would die. Remember anyone who so much as touched the ark died, not because God was mean, but because He is the Holiest of holies. Nothing 'dirty' can contain Him or feel Him unless He prepares you to.

Please, there is so much I could expound on regarding your questions. But for times' sake, please go online to a catechism and READ and LEARN the truth of what the RCC teaches. I think you'll come away with the answers you're looking for.
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I know we're all saints once God makes us holy. If you know so much about the RCC, you would know that we call those in the body of Christ 'saints', its a generic term for a believer who lived a holy life.

Your comments make no sense with all due respect.

And I will pray for your hostility to be replaced by God's peace.

Answer 6

The Pope is NOT labelled infallible.. they have a situation where he can be considered infallible, but that has almost never been done. Why bear false witness like that?

Mary and the Saints aren't idols, either.. they are people! And good people, too!

Personally, I am a big fan of man's depravity....thank GOD I am forgiven!

Answer 7

You can have a relationship with God, directly. Don't feel you need a church, or a priest as a go-between.
Jesus was teaching people all they need to do is believe in him. The church was angered 'cause Jesus cut them out. Now you're confused by the church. Go to the source. 3:16

Answer 8

Catholics pick and choose what scriptures they want to believe.
They put responsibility upon the Pope and the Vatican to lead them about.
You bring up a few issues within the RC Church.
What's with the whole The Ecumenical Movement? (The Great Whore of Babylon is alive and well, and in its infant stage.)

Answer 9

Sigh....

We do not think that the Pope is infallible. It is only when speaking on matters of faith that he is said to be so. There have only TWO infallible statements ever made. It appears as though you do not understand what the term means in regards to the Pope.

We do not believe that the saints are dead - we believe in the communion of saints. We ask mary and them to pray for us, just as we ask our family to.

It is not idolatry.

Answer 10

Mary is NOT a redemptrix , she is co-redemptrix (co meaning with), because of her we have Jesus

as for praying to her, or any of the saints. How is that idolatry?

People challenge the Catholic practice of asking saints and angels to pray for us. But the Bible directs us to invoke those in heaven and ask them to pray with us.

Thus in Psalm 103, we pray, "Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will!" (Ps. 103:20-21). And in Psalm 148 we pray, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host!" (Ps. 148:1-2)

Not only do those in heaven pray with us, they also pray for us. In Revelation, John sees that "the twenty-four elders [the leaders of the people of God in heaven] fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8). Thus the saints in heaven offer to God the prayers of the saints on earth.

Angels do the same thing: "[An] angel came and stood at the altar [in heaven] with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God" (Rev. 8:3-4).

Jesus himself warned us not to mess with small children because their guardian angels have guaranteed intercessory access to the Father: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 18:10).

Because he is the only God-man, Jesus is the only Mediator between man and God (1 Tim. 2:5), but this in no way means we cannot or should not ask our fellow Christians to pray with us and for us (1 Tim. 2:1-4), including those Christians in heaven, who have already had their sanctification completed, for "[t]he prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects" (Jas. 5:16).

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Try reading what the Church says about the Church, or what a Catholic has to say - rather than take what a anti-Catholic pastor/person/organization has to say.


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AirborneSaint - your answer is so far off. find one Catholic doctrine that doesn't have it's basis in Scripture or in Sacred Tradition.

The prayers for the dead. . . 300 AD (which should read AD 300 in case you are really interested) is just stupid. Read the Bible 2 Maccabees - 12:45, Judas sends a collection to the Temple for those fallen in battle, found with amulets on, "that they might be freed from this sin." Do some research before answering.

Or were you counting on Catholics no knowing their Bible?

I would correct the rest of your flawed information, but I don't have that kind of time right now.