Catholicism: why are so many things unscriptural?

Question

Like why do they believe Mary had no other children. James was his brother!
Or the she still was a virgin? She had other kids
And why do you have to confess your sins to a priest? Our sins are forgiven because Jesus died, how will confession doing anythign else to help complete what is already done. is Jesus not enough.
And purgetory? purged of our sins? once again was Jesus not enough. Someone please answer these questions! and if possible provide scripture (and that would shut me up)!

Answer 1

Catholics adhere to the Pope as the vicar of Christ.
Christians believe that the Bible is the final authority.
2 Timothy 3:16

Catholic tradition is of equal authority with the Bible.
Christians believe traditions of man cause error.
Matthew 15:3

Catholics adhere to Mary as a co-regent of Jesus.
Christians beleive that Mary was blessed, but only human.
Luke 11:27-28

Catholics believe that priests or Mary are mediators.
Christians believe there that only Jesus is Mediator.
1 Timothy 2:5

Transubstatiation recrucifies Christ at the communion.
Christians believe Christ died just once.
Hebrews 6:6

Catholics believe Mary was a perpetual virgin.
Christians believe the Bible that He had siblings.
Mark 6:3

Catholics call their priests "father".
Catholics call their teachers "pastor" or "minister".
Matthew 23:9

Catholics pray repetitive words with Rosary Beads.
Christians pray the same as they speak.
Matthew 6:7

Pope canonizes those to be called "saints".
Christians believe all who believe are saints.
Philippians 1:1

Pope decides who is "priest" in church leadership.
Christians believe all who believe are a priesthood.
1 Peter 2:5

Celibacy is enforced on priests and bishops.
Christians believe they should be married.
1 Timothy 3:2-5

Catholics believe Peter was the first Pope and not married.
Christians stand by the Bible that he was married.
Mark 1:30

Catholics bow down and burn candles to graven images.
Christians do not bow to images.
1 John 5:21

Catholics believe only the priests can understand the Bible.
Christians believe they can study and understand the Bible.
Ephesians 3:4

Catholics believe Mary was without sin.
Christians believe only Jesus was without sin.
Romans 5:12

Justification pronounced as anathema by Council of Trent.
Christians believe we are justified by faith.
Romans 3:28

Catholics hold to Peter as foundation "rock" of the church.
Christians hold to only Christ as foundation Rock.
1 Corinthians 3:11, 1 Corinthians 10:4

Catholics worship Mary as the Mother of God.
Christians only worship the Godhead.
Revelation 19:10

--Stolen from Schneb

Answer 2

I'm afraid that not all your answers will have a scripture reference... and those that do might have ones that aren't spelled out in black and white. Welcome to Catholic theology, where tradition and thought come into play along side of scripture.

In a nutshell:

1) The official teaching is that Mary never had any other children and never had sex. The reasoning behind it helps solidify Jesus' "claim" to be the Son of God. But honestly, many Catholics don't agree with this teaching and bottom line, it's just not as important as Jesus and his teachings, so most of us just don't worry about it.

2) While we do confess sins to a priest in the sacrament of reconciliation, it is GOD and GOD ALONE who does the forgiving and yes, Jesus' sacrifice has broken the chains of sin. So why do it? It's a sacrament of healing and, in my opinion, accountibility. There is a psychological reason to putting voice to what we have done wrong, even if we know we are forgiven. I do wish it was a sacrament that could be celebrated by more than just a priest, but that's not going to change in the forseeable future.

3) I think you are asking about purgitory and are operating under some very old theology. The concept is pretty simple - most people don't deserve to "go" to hell, but let's face it, we aren't perfect either, so going directly to heaven? Maybe not so much. Purgitory is a theological answer to what happens to our beloved dead between now and the Second Coming.

Answer 3

1. Brother is a word Hebrews use to mean a close male relative. Lot and Abraham were called brothers but they were actually cousins.

2. Confession is very clearly set forth in Scripture. See Matt. 9:8 where the authority to forgive sins "was given to men." See also John 20:21-23 where the Lord, after the Resurrection, breathes on the apostles and says "whose sins you forgive are forgiven; whose sins you retain are retained." Jesus gave the apostles the authority to forgive sins.

See also James 5:14-16. This is a verse Protestants also ignore because it doesn't fit anywhere in their theology. First, in the first two verses (14-15), James is talking about the sacrament of the sick. The priests are called and they anoint the sick person with oil and pray over him and forgive his sin (another example of man having the gift of forgiving sins). Then, in verse 16, James says "Therefore, confess your sins to one another..." By using "therefore," James is connecting verses 14-15 to 16. This means that, just as the priests are called upon to forgive sins in the sacrament of the sick, the priests are also called to forgive sins in the sacrament of confession. No Scriptural support? It is amazing how so many Protestants ignore these passages. That is because they all support the 2,000 year-old Catholic teaching.

3. There's not room enough here to give the biblical texts and Church fathers authoritative teachings on purgatory....

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Answer 4

Mary had no other children. The words brother and bretheren in Aramaic can also mean cousin or close relative. Some of the ones that were called the bretheren of Jesus were the sons of Mary, the wife of Clopas.

Confession to a priest is Biblical.
John 20:21-23 states "(Jesus) said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.' And when He said this, He breathed on them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

Jesus gives the disciples the authority to forgive, and not to forgive. This means a priest must hear the sins in order to know whether to forgive them or hold them bound. We do confess to God directly in our own prayers, but we also confess through the ministery of the priest because that is what God requires, as taught in Scripture. If you will read 2 Cor 5:17-20 you will see that St. Paul explains how the Apostles are ambassadors of Christ's work of reconciliation. This means that they share in the ministry of Christ and forgive sins in His name. James 5:13-16 tells us that the sins of the sick are forgiven in this sacrament of annointing. He specifies that the presbyters (priests) must be called. They obviously had a power the ordinary Christians didn't have, the power to forgive sins. So we go back to what Jesus said "As the Father sent Me so I send you". The Apostles are to continue the mission of Christ. The mission to forgive sins. Jesus knows our human nature and provides sacramental confession to give us several important gifts: humility, the certainty of forgiveness, spiritual direction and help to overcome self-deception and rationalization in matters of sin.

Purgatory is also Biblical, however, the verse that in which it is most evident was removed from the Canon of the Bible by Martin Luther in the year 1529.

God bless,
Stanbo

Answer 5

Nothing the Church teaches or practices ever goes against scripture.

The Bible was not compiled until around 300 AD. This means the Chruch was actively teaching and worshiping without a Bible (as we know it). So, the Church also considers sacred tradtions, that which were passed down, to be authoritative since it pre-dates the Bible.
http://www.catholic.com/library/Pillar.asp

The perpetual viriginity of Mary has been believed for ages. It is not unscriptural..even though it isn't mentioned, it certainly does not go against the teachings of God that she would have been. Also, the word interpreted as "brother" is also same word used for cousin...so it literally could just mean the relatives of Jesus, not necessariy the brother as we know that word to mean.
http://www.ewtn.com/faith/Teachings/maryc2.htm
http://www.scborromeo.org/papers/virgin.PDF
http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/talmud.htm

We confess our sins because we were told to by Jesus.
Jesus gave his Apostles the authority to loose and bind sins. http://www.scripturecatholic.com/confession.html

Purgatory, again not specifically mentioned but non the less it fits in with what we know and understand of the teachings of God and of Christ. "The concept of a "final cleansing" or "purgation" for those who require it is very evident in the Bible, in the writings of the early Church Fathers, and in the Old Testament religion whence Christianity sprang."
http://www.fisheaters.com/purgatory.html

The biggest problem is the seeing of scripture as the only possible authority. If this was true then the scripture would say so...but it doesn't. Jesus gave Peter the authority and the keys. If you read Isaiah 22 you will see how it is the transfer of the keys that designates Eliakim as the new master of the palace. The "giving of the keys' is the giving of authority...giving another the power to act in the place of the master. Jesus knew this...he knew the Torah inside and out. So when he said to Peter, "...you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ " he was giving Peter much more then a set of imaginary keys. He was giving him authority and power.

I could go on and on....if you actually were to read and research why we practice what we do, you'd find that it is far beyond what you are guessing. The Church in not an institution started by man but started by God! It is a divine institution.

Answer 6

James wasn't Jesus' brother. He was more than likely his cousin.

Remember that "brother" has a very wide meaning in the Bible. The Bible often uses the word "brother" to describe relationships that are clearly not of the sibling variety.

Nobody other than Jesus is identified as a "son of Mary," and no one is identified as a "daughter of Mary."

Also, remember that when Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive and bear a child, Mary replied "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"

This is not the language an engaged woman uses if she planned on having kids the natural way -- it's clear from Mary's words that she had taken a lifelong virginity vow. Otherwise, her response to Gabriel would have made no sense at all.

Purgatory is not mentioned by name in the Bible -- but neither are "Trinity" or "Incarnation," and I hope you believe in those!

2 Maccabees tells us that it is holy and wholesome to pray for the dead -- which means that these "dead" cannot be in Hell (where no prayer can help them) or in Heaven (where no prayer is needed). Obviously it's referring to a third state.

Jesus speaks of being put in prison until we pay the last penny. Such "payment" is not necessary in Heaven, and it is impossible in Hell. Again, this is speaking of a third state.

We have historical evidence that the very earliest Christians prayed for the dead -- something they would not have done if purgatory weren't real.

Confession to God through a priest: didn't Jesus tell His apostles, "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven; whose sins you retain are retained"? This makes no sense without the sacrament of reconciliation.

Jesus established this sacrament for many reasons -- and one of them is that He, more than anyone, understood human nature.

He knew that "going straight to God" would make it too easy for us to feign sorrow, and to give ourselves a pass for sin -- especially for serious sin. He knew that the sacrament, as practiced in Catholicism, was the best way for us to exercise true repentance and sorrow for sin.

As for penance, that's also very Biblical. Remember that David, even though he was perfectly contrite, still had to undergo penance for the sin of having a man killed and taking his wife.

It's the same as a child who is truly sorry for not doing his homework, but gets grounded by his parents anyway as punishment. Nothing unfair about that. Penance is the same thing.

.

Answer 7

There is no binding proof that James was his brother, in many of his talks he addressed whole groups of people as "Brothers" does that mean that everyone in that group was his brother?

The perpetual virginity of Mary is a belief that was held by the early Christians, the apostles, and even of the Protestant Reformers Calvin and Luther.

The claim that Mary had other children is quite a new thing made popular by fictional books like the Davinci Code.

They sell books but are not based in credible theology.

Answer 8

Here is your problem, you are not understanding Scripture properly and need more study. Everything that Catholicism teaches is Scriptural. Absolutely nothing taught is in contradiction to the Bible which is a Catholic book, written by Catholics and approved for use by Catholics.

Perhaps one of the problems you are having in interpretation is that you are using a proof text methodology which almost always results in eisegesis or misinterpretation based on presuppositions. the fact that you are asking us to do the same is proof that this is the method you use. Catholics on the other hand see the Scriptures as a whole body of work and not as a collection of proof texts and use a very different hermeneutical method that results in an understanding of the truth contained in Scripture.

You just need more study. I pray this helps you.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 9

The Bible says James was Jesus's brother but the Bible was originally written in Aramaic and there is no Aramaic word for cousins, aunts, etc. Just brothers and sisters.

We confess our sins to a preist because that's how Jesus told us to do it. "Whose sins you sall forgive, they are forgiven. Whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." Jn. 20:23

We are perfected in Purgatory. You agree that we must be perfect to enter Heaven, right? So if we're not perfect then we would go straight to hell, right? But isn't God merciful? Doesn't He want us to be in Heaven with Him for eternity? That's where Purgatory comes in. Read Hebrews 12:5-11 and Maccabees 12:46.

In Pace Christi,
Atticus Finch

Answer 10

Oh wow!!

Good Q/A!!

These pppl before me are all taking things

out of context. No, man was not given the

right to forgive sins therefore giving man

the right to put in or take your name out of

heaven NO. Peter was not a POPE if

so where does it say Peter you are aPOPE

Yes Mat 12:13-19 let's the words come out

of Peters mouth but Christ said it didn't

come from him (man) but from His Father in

heaven. The 'ROCK" IS JUST THE

firm foundation of the church which is

Christ's vs 18 and is Christ Col 1.24.

Mary never saved one soul in the scriptures

why do they think she can in heaven if

she's even there! Col 3.1 says Jesus sits

on the right hand not Mary.

All power and authority was given to Christ

(Matt 28>19) Not Mary and certainly not

Peter. Christ shed His blood in the New

Test. where salvation is (only) Mat 26.26

Catholics teach Old Test salvation or works

Christ the only mediator (one)Gal 3.19f

The church is autonomous and Christ is the

only head NO POPE INCLUDED...