How can a Christian believe all that the Roamn Catholic Church teaches?

Question

This question is especially designed for Meg M...I hope you too will do a little reading. Your church teaches that Mary is God....false; that there is a place between heaven and hell called purgatory....false; that the Mass is an unbloody sacrifice to atone for sins, as though Christ's once for all sacrifice did not do the job...false; that we have several mediators between us and God depending upon our need at the time...false; that our works win us favor with God and allow us into heaven...false. In your reading, do you ever simply read the Bible alone. If you did you may find salvation is through faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone, for God's glory alone. I hope and pray that you will continue to seek truth.

Answer 1

ROMAN CATHOLICISM Investigated
Since its inception, Roman Catholicism has polluted the Christian world with her false roman catholic doctrine and unbiblical teaching. Roman Catholicism is easily exposed by holding her many false doctrines against the light of the Bible. some good examples of Roman Catholic doctrine are: the Rosary, confession to a priest, infant baptism, the Mass, Holy Communion, transubstantiation, Mary as co-redeemer, Easter, purgatory, prayer to the saints, papal infallibility, etc.these are all false catholic doctrine and man made fairy tales without any biblical foundation whatsoever.

For too long the Roman Catholic Church has fooled billions with her claim that she is the "one true church" Jesus founded. A cult is characterized by brainwashing her members to the point that they are not to question the "authority" of the cult itself over religious things. For this reason many roman catholics are what The Bible calls, blind guides leading the blind never to question their church or leaders. Luckely the world is beginning to wake up to the truth about this counterfeit church. Roman Catholicism is white sepulcre counterfeit christianity. Remember the best way to deceive is to counterfeit and the master of counterfeit is satan. If you believe Roman Catholicism is Christianity I urge you to investigate Roman Catholicism and catholic doctrine for yourself on this website.





The Vatican's open hatred and denial of the Word of God

The Christian's open acceptance for the Word of our God





I have heard time after time all sorts of arguments, for and against, "Sola Scriptura," which translated means "Bible Alone." Recently the barrage of Romish attacks has been concentrated in this area both on and offline, so much so that I felt I needed to address it here. Before sharing what the Word has to say regarding numerous Christian attributes and matters of faith, let us see first what the Roman Catholic church has to say about this. Keep in mind however, that this very church claims to be a "Christian" church and therefore subject to biblical jurisprudence. The Bible we hold in our hands is called a CHRISTIAN Bible for a reason. So, what does the Vatican say about this Christian Bible?




"The Bible does not contain all the teaching of the Christian religion, nor does it formulate all the duties of its members." The Faith of Millions, pp. 153-154

"Now the Scriptures alone do not contain all the truths which a Christian is bound to believe, nor do they explicitly enjoin all the duties which he is obliged to practice." The Faith of Our Fathers, p. 72

"Can you learn to save your soul just by reading the Bible? No...because the Bible does not have everything God taught." A Catechism for Adults, Q. 1, p. 52





The Roman Church cunningly declares the Word of God is unable to educate the Christian regarding his or her lifestyle. The Vatican also claims the Scriptures are completely unable to direct the lost unto Salvation. However, the Word of God says quite clearly...




Timothy 3:15 - "For from thy infancy thou hast known the Sacred Writings, which are able to instruct thee unto salvation by the faith which is in Christ Jesus."





So why is it the Vatican is declaring the exact opposite? It appears rather plain that the Scriptures are quite able to do that which the Vatican says it cannot. Fact is folks, if you investigate the methods of Satan you will see he ALWAYS twists that which the Lord says. In the Garden of Eden he twisted the Lord's Words to make it appear He lied regarding the end result of sin. He also did the same thing in the desert when he tried to tempt our dear Lord. Evidently the Scriptures do just fine in leading people to the salvation according to Timothy. In fact, that verse openly points to the Vatican and shouts in thunderous tones, YOU ARE A LIAR! It can’t be said any plainer then that.

As for educating the soul in all aspects of life, we have 2 Tim. 3:16-17 as a standard of fact. It says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproving, for correcting, for instruction in justice, that the man of God may be perfect, equipped for every good work."

The Scriptures are declaring that they are THE All-Sufficient Authority in fully equipping the child of God. By the way, an interesting tid bit that will surely quench attacks regarding "New Testament Epistles" that are always popping up regarding Paul's writings. Did you know that Paul's Epistles are actually defined as "Scripture" by Peter the Apostle?




2 Peter 3:15-16, "And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."





So, the Bible is the Sole Authority, the Sole Guide, and the ONLY method by which the child of God can learn to understand that which all Christians need to learn. Yes, many things are taught first hand by the Holy Spirit, however, more often than not we have a tendency to learn better if we read it as well. And the Holy Spirit always teaches that which can be confirmed in the Word as Truth. Isaiah plainly says if they speak not “according to this Word,” then they are preaching things of darkness. (See Isaiah 8:20)
Truth is, you cannot find one good work that the Christian is not equipped to do that's not already provided for, or explained in the Scriptures. The Catholic church is wrong. Plain and simple! Ever since the Catholic church was able to burn all the Bibles and place them on the index of forbidden books back in 1229ad in the Council of Valencia, they have "assumed" they have the SOLE AUTHORITY in matters of Christian faith and practice. Why do they assume this authority? The same way they assumed any authority. BY FORCE! They first burned all the Bibles, then they translated the Word into Latin so that NO ONE could understand it but them! Problem is, not longer afterwards, the Lord had Martin Luther translate the Word back into German. And as soon as the people got the Bible in their hands, they realized the church lied. Plus, they had further confirmation in rather blunt tones when some of the people started to study the Word. Soon they would come across meaty Scripture and as is sometimes the case, they sought help to understand the passage. So they asked their parish priests what certain difficult passages meant. To their surprise, they found the priests were 100% unable to decipher the Word. In many cases the priests couldn’t even understand milky (easy) Scripture, let alone the meat (hard). Turned out, the people were far more knowledgeable of the Word then the priests themselves, hence was the beginning of a Global Reformation. Rome did all it could to defame Luther and his German Bibles to no avail. At every turn, when they closed the mouth of one, two or more sprang up.

The Bible exposes their lies easily and at the same time uplifts itself as the sole authority for the Christian's faith and practice and moral authority. Still, many times I have seen John 20:30,31 placed on the table as a method of proof regarding Catholic tradition.




John 20:30-31 - "Many other signs also Jesus worked in the sight of his disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."





Indeed the Word of God does not record every moment of Christ's life on earth. This I fear is an open opportunity for the natural man to pounce upon and declare, SEE? HERE IS PROOF THAT WE CAN RELY ON! Fact is however, when reading the full context of that passage one can see that it DOES say, "these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God..." It's more often than not the ploy of the enemy to assume theology is found in the absence of Scripture. Sad reality here is, how does one build a doctrine on NO Scripture at all? In the same false doctrine they are proclaiming God feeble by suggesting He is "unable" to instruct us in ALL ways necessary for Christian life in His Word. They actually seek to use a Bible to prove the Bible useless? That has always amazed me! How can those that hate the Word of God expect to use the Word of God to vilify it? In one instant it is uselss to them, in the other it is their base of evidence? That my friend is the ultimate Babylonian theology! CONFUSION!

The "amount" of data found in His Word is indeed sufficient for the child of God. This is done in fact BY GOD'S OWN DESIGN! To question otherwise, is to belittle the Creator Himself, as well as question His divine wisdom. THAT has always been the agenda of Satan, and as you will soon see, THAT has always been the agenda of the Vatican as well! Further Roman Catholic theology states…




"...a competent religious guide must be clear and intelligible to all, so that everyone may fully understand the true meaning of the instructions it contains. Is the Bible a book intelligible to all? Far from it; it is full of obscurities and difficulties not only for the illiterate, but even for the learned." The Faith of Our Fathers, p. 70

"We must, therefore, conclude that the Scriptures alone cannot be a sufficient guide and rule of faith...because they are not of themselves clear and intelligible even in matters of the highest importance..." Ibid., p. 73

"Secondly, the Bible is not a clear and intelligible guide to all." The Faith of Millions, p. 152





Those quotes portray the many excuses you would see coming from pre as well as post-Lutheran exposed priests. Many claimed the Bible useless afterwards with quotes such as these to thwart the reality that the priests themselves were completely unable to preach the Word of God. Yet before the Bibles arrived in the native tongues of many you would hear Rome proclaim this lie…




"How can you get the true meaning of the Bible? You can get it only from God's official interpreter, the Catholic Church. ' A Catechism for Adults, p. 10





Strange thing is, this quote is echoed to this day. This is what makes it so hard to share Truth with Catholics. If it goes against what their priests teach, they choose to ignore it. You can even open their own bibles in front of them, point to a verse that proves their leaders lied, and they will merely turn their heads and refuse to look at that verse! I know, I have seen this happen with my own eyes!

If you are one that has already investigated the prophetic facts regarding the Roman Catholic church, you will fully understand why they would make statements proclaiming the Bible unintelligible. For it is written plainly that, "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." -1 Corinthians 2:14

The Roman Church is the epitome of the natural man, and therefore can in no way see the Truths contained within the Holy Writ. That is why to them it is a book of "obscurities and difficulties not only for the illiterate, but even for the learned" Is it not written in Scriptures that Timothy "from thy infancy thou hast known the Sacred Writings"? How is it a mere child can discern the Word of God Almighty, but the theologians of the Roman Catholic church admit they cannot? For those that have eyes to see and ears to hear, the answer is very plain.

By the way... If you are one that does not understand this prophetic fact regarding the Roman Catholic church, I would suggest an intense study into this eschatological fact. You may want to stop by a few pages on this site...

Antichrist Identified

Antichrist flashmovie

Whore of Babylon flashmovie

7 Year tribulation fact or fiction?

For now, let me assume we are all on the same page. Let us continue our investigation into why Rome hates the Bible so intensely. If you ask any Catholic, most of them will tell you that their church has faith in the Bible. Some will say their church is described in the Bible. They will even go so far as to say their church encourages their flock to actually read the Bible. With that in mind, I have to ask the Catholic. "Have you ever investigated your church's teachings on the Bible?"




"The Bible does not pretend to be a formulary of belief, as in a creed or catechism. There is nowhere in the New Testament a clear, methodical statement of the teaching of Christ" Question Box, p. 66

"The very nature of the Bible ought to prove to any thinking man the impossibility of its being the one safe method to find out what the Savior taught." Ibid., p. 67

"Again it has ever been practically impossible for men, generally, to find out Christ from the Bible only." Question Box, p. 70

"...The Bible nowhere implies that it is the only source of faith." Ibid., p. 77 "The Bible was not intended to be a textbook of Christian religion." Catholic Facts, p. 50





According to Rome itself, the Bible is NOT a loved, or trusted book! They openly and repeatedly declare that this is a book that is NOT required reading for the Christian. According to Rome, it is not to be embraced as a "safe method to find out what the Savior taught." Yet John 20:31 so eloquently professes "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." John is saying that people can actually learn about Jesus from the Bible, and the Bible ONLY. Praise the Lord John wasn’t a Catholic! Had he been one, we would never have heard such words, for he would have been taught by his church leaders not to bother in the first place. Dare I remind you of what Martin Luther went through for being arrogant enough to want to actually read a Bible let alone translate one?

Looking into the Catholic church's actual Catechism books used for teaching Catholic doctrine. Here we find a MAJOR clue as to why they hate the idea of Sola Scriptura.

In the THE CONVERTS CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC DOCTRINE (112 pages) written by. Rev. Peter Geiermann, C. SS. R.B. Herder Book Co.15 & 17 South Broadway St. Louis, Mo. 1946 We find that out of the 448 Questions within the 112 page book, there were 776 answers. This is due to the fact that many of the questions had multiple answers. Some had as many as 17 answers to a single question. Out of all these questions regarding "Catholic Doctrine" there were only 56 Bible verses listed to define the doctrines! And more than 75% of those Bible verses were taken completely out of context! But for the sake of illustration, let us assume for a moment that all 56 of those verses were in context. 56 Bible verses used for 776 answers equates to only 13.8% of the questions having Bible verses given to explain them. That means, 86.2% of the answers describing Catholic doctrines were NOT found in the Bible! And out of that 13.8% one can truly realize at least 75% were taken way out of context by merely opening a Bible and reading the passages IN context for themselves. It’s that easy! The strange thing here is, the Roman Catholic church actually admits they do not use the Bible "religiously."





"The doctrines of the Catholic Church are entirely independent of Holy Scripture." Familiar Explanation of Catholic Doctrine, by Rev. M. Muller, p.151




This is the main reason the Roman Catholic church hates any mention of the theological standpoint of "Sola Scriptura." Their campaign against it for so many years is now completely uncovered by merely peering into the church's own teachings. They do NOT want to adhere to biblical jurisprudence simply because to do so would entail shutting down almost 90% of the churches teachings and doctrines! And according to their own "Rev. M. Muller”, it would mean a 100% shut down! Fact is they MUST fight this notion of Sola Scriptura simply because it is their enemy! Hence, their enemy is Christ! Because it is plainly written that Jesus is the Word made flesh that dwelt among us according to John 1:14.

As for all the claims the Catholic church makes regarding their argument that "Sola Scriptura" is not biblical. How does one explain the following passages that expose their lies point by point? And by the way, these are points I shared a moment ago from authenticated Roman Catholic statements.




They said the Bible doesn’t record all necessary things which Jesus did. Acts 1:1-2 says, "The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:"

They said Scripture doesn’t contain the certainty of Christ's actions and teachings. Luke 1:3-4 says, "It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed."

They say Scriptures cannot teach us to believe in the name of Jesus. John 20:30-31 says, "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."

They say Scriptures cannot give instructions to salvation. 2 Timothy 3:15 says, "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

They say the commands of the Lord are not found in His Word. 1 Corinthians 14:37 says, "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord."

They say proper conduct is nowhere emphasized within the Word of God. 1 Timothy 3:14-15 says, "These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."

They say every good work is not found in His Word. 2 Timothy 3:15-16 says, "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

They say the Word cannot tell us how to be protected against sin. 1 John 2:1 says, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:"

They say we cannot have assurance of eternal life. 1 John 5:13 says, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

They say the Scriptures ARE not standard by which Bible teachers are tested. Acts 17:11 says, "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

They say the Scriptures can be superceded or stepped over. 1 Corinthians 4:6 says, "And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another."

They say you cannot be blessed by merely reading His Word. Revelation 1:3 says, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."

They say you cannot find joy in the Word. 1 John 1:3-4, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."

And, most important, they say the Word is not the standard of judgment. Revelation 20:12, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."





With all this evidence exposing the Vatican and its lies, it is become plainly obvious that they surely choose NOT to tell their flock two things.
The Bible is the sole authority in religious matters. The Vatican has numerous documents declaring her hatred for the Word.
If the Catholic people that have a true and honest heart for the Lord knew just one of these two facts, I have no doubt many would leave that church immediately. My suggestion to those that know this truth is, TELL THEM of the Truth contained in Scripture. If you are a Christian, it is your duty to tell them of these facts. Tell them that the Catholic church not only lies about the Word, they vilify it at every chance then can. Notice the following quotes regarding their open disgust for what we as Christians consider a well of life giving water.





"The Scriptures indeed is a divine book but it is a dead letter, which has to be explained, and cannot exercise the action which the preacher can obtain." Our Priesthood, p. 155

"...A dead and speechless book." Question Box, p. 67

"The simple fact is that the Bible, like all dead letters, calls for a living interpreter." The Faith of Millions, p. 155

"Through Luther, although Calvin seems to have been the first to announce monobiblicism clearly, the Bible became the arm of the Protestant revolt. A dumb and difficult book was substituted for the living voice of the Church, in order that each one should be able to make for himself the religion which suited his feelings. And the Bible open before every literate man and woman to interpret for themselves was the attractive bait to win adherents..." A Catholic Commentary, p. 11



THE BIBLE SAYS plainly...
Mark 7:7, "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."





This is what Rome does with the CCD books that have been proven to be at least 86.2% non Biblical doctrines. And if they are not of the Bible, they can only be of two other sources. Either commandments of man, or doctrines of demons!



THE BIBLE SAYS plainly...
Isaiah 8:20, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."





This Rome does as well, for they cannot possibly be speaking according to the Word of God when over 86.2% of their doctrines are outside the Bible! There is no light in this church!



THE BIBLE SAYS plainly...
2 Timothy 3:15-17, "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."





Again... What is the REAL reason Rome shouts PROVE UNTO ME USING ONE VERSE PROVING SOLA SCRIPTURA AND I WILL ACCEPT IT! Because they know it is a loaded question. It's no different than saying "show me one verse that shows me how to prevent a life of sin!" Or how about, "show me one verse that will show me how to understand who the beast is" Or "show me one verse that explains who Michael the Archangel really is, or who the Two Witnesses are!" You cannot do it in ONE VERSE and they know it! The real reason they do it is to belittle the Word of God so as to stand above it supreme. When they say “show me ONE verse” they are counting on the hearer to be one that never studies a Bible. For the Bible student knows their agenda in a statement such as this! So, they usually avoid the truly learned of the Word to ask such questions. This is how Rome fills their pews. With people that never read Bibles! And once there, they insist they continue to avoid that Holy book.

In 1229ad when they commanded all Bibles burned and translated into Latin, they knew what they were doing. They were trying to PREVENT the people from reading the Words found in that book that EXPOSED THE ANTICHRIST IN ROME! And that is the ONLY REASON Rome hates the theological standpoint we call to this day, SOLA SCRIPTURA. They know with 100% clarity that those that understand the Bible can effectively unmask them, so they shout to the masses, that don’t read the Bible, that the Bible is a dead and speechless book! And when you have over 1 BILLION people shouting that phrase, just like in Noah’s day, the majority figure, “We can’t all be wrong!.” Problem is, the Remnant has always been described as the smallest number, so… where do you stand?

Martin Luther led the charge back in the 1500's. I am sure you have heard or seen this quote before, for it has been the heralding cry ever since it was uttered from the lips of Luther himself.





The Archbishop of Trier, John Eck, asked Martin Luther:

I ask you, Martin - answer candidly and without horns - do you or do you not repudiate your books and the errors which they contain?

To which Luther replied,

Since then Your Majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me. Amen. Martin Luther, the Diet of Worms - April 18, 1521




WHAT DOES IT ALL BOIL DOWN TO?
The Roman Catholic Church's open hatred of the Word of God. They themselves admit...





"The doctrines of the Catholic Church are entirely independent of Holy Scripture." Familiar Explanation of Catholic Doctrine, by Rev. M. Muller, p.151.



FINAL NOTE:
Ever notice this? The Catholic Church will use 1 Timothy 3:15 where it says, "...the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." They actually go to the Bible for their method of madness. They use the very same Bible they proclaim is useless to say we must adhere to them as the sole authority in religious matters. However, if you proclaim Sola Scriptura unto them, they shout THE BIBLE IS A DEAD AND SPEECHLESS BOOK! Talk about CoNfUsIoN!

In essence ... they are saying... we will use the Bible when it is CONVENIENT for us to do so. But when it exposes us as sinners, we will put it aside!



HYPOCRITES!
Only a hypocrite would use a book they already declared useless as the main method of evidence for their stand!

Answer 2

1. The Catholic Church does NOT teach that Mary is God. Read our catechism and find out for yourself.

2. The Bible supports the idea of being fully cleansed after death so we enter Heaven whiter than snow. The process is called purgatory and it's not between heaven and hell; it's between death and heaven. See the following verses: Ps 66:12, Mt 12:32, Phil 2:10-11, Ecc 12:14, Lk 16:19-31, 1 Thess 3:13, Is 4:4 (cf. Eph 4:8-10; 4:7 6:5-7 1 Pet 3:19-20) 2 Tim 1:16-18, Mic 7:8-9, 1 Cor 3:11-15, Heb 12:14, Mal 3:1-4 15:29 12:29, 2 Cor 5:10, Rev 5:3,13, Mt 5:25-6, Lk 12:58-9, 7:1, 21:27

3. Christ instituted the Mass as a fulfillment of Passover, transforming the Judaic covenant between God and His people into the Christian covenant. It's Christ's same once-and-for-all Sacrifice, made present for people today. It's not a new one, so we Catholics DO believe that His work on the Cross is fully sufficient.

4. Catholicism does not teach that we have mediators between us and God, other than Christ, who is the only mediator. However, the Bible says that we share in Christ's work, and if we share in His work, then we are responsible for evangelism and praying for our Christian brothers and sisters. This is a form of mediation, and I'm quite certain you do it, too. So pot, meet kettle.

5. The Bible tells us that we must practice works and "work out our salvation with fear and trembling." We do not think works take the place of faith; rather, we believe that our faith leads us to good works, which is fully Scriptural. See Mat 7:16-20, Matt: 19:21, Mat 25:40-43. Mt 25:15-28, 2 Cor 5:10, Rev 20:12, Lk 19:6, Gal 6:2, Gal 6:4, 1 Cor 9:16, James 5:20, James 2:14-16 ff, 1 Cor 9:16, Jer. 17:10; 32:19.

Catholics do read the Bible, all the time and in every Mass. In fact, we have Scripture reading every day that helps us work through the entire Bible systematically in like 3 years time, some parts (Gospels and Psalms) covered more than once. Today's readings are: Sirach 44:1,10-15, Psalm 132 and Matthew 13:16-17.

I hope and pray that you get some FACTS before making accusations. You posted a lot of lies about Catholicism -- remember who the father of lies is, please and stick to the truth next time you want to criticize your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Answer 3

Well, considering that every Christian on earth believed what the Catholic Church teaches until a few hundred years ago - because there was no Christian Church but the Catholic Church - it doesn't sound too unbelievable that Christians would believe what the Catholic Church teaches. The real question of course is - by what authority do manmade churches of the past few hundred years reject core Christian beliefs that every Christian on earth believed and accepted before the plague of denominationalism descended upon the earth, in direct violation of the stated will of God, "that they all may be ONE"? It's no wonder you are confused about doctrinal truth since you have rejected the will of God, and are entrapped in a manmade system of unauthorized denominations that can't agree with one another on a single doctrinal issue, let alone agree with the original Christian Church founded by Jesus Christ for all mankind. Sad.

It's especially laughable that such semi-Christian churches, who can't agree among themselves on the meaning of a single biblical passage, think they can use their simplistic biblical interpretations to "disprove" the teachings of the very Church that compiled the Bible in the first place! As though there was any possibility that the bishops of the Catholic Church, in compiling a book of Catholic writings for use by the Catholic Church, included anything contrary to Catholic teaching!

Answer 4

"Your church teaches that Mary is God"....false.

You are correct. That statement is indeed, false.

"that the Mass is an unbloody sacrifice to atone for sins, as though Christ's once for all sacrifice did not do the job...false"

You should have quit before the comman. you are making a false conclusion.

"that we have several mediators between us and God depending upon our need at the time...false; "

You are correct. This statement is false. There is only one mediator, jesus Christ. Please learn the difference between mediator and intercessor.

"that our works win us favor with God and allow us into heaven...false."

Correct. The Catholic Church teaches that we are saved by the grace of God

Since you read your Bible, show me where it says we are saved by faith alone. It is not there.

I hope and pray that you will some day find the truth.

Answer 5

X-Catholic Here.... In order:

A) Does not teach Mary is a God. It says she is the Mother of God, born without sin (Immaculate Conception) and she is Saintly.

B) False, eh? You got proof? This is like the questions to atheists I see all the time "Prove God doesn't exist". You can't prove purgatory, nor can disprove it. You'd have to die first to prove it. Doubt you're going to volunteer for this either.

C) The Mass does not atone for sins. That's Confession.

D) Never heard this one in all my years as a Catholic. You pray to God, He hears. People pray to Saints & Angels for guidance, they listen.

E) I agree with this one. lol. Though doing good works would logically make someone a better person.

So Mr. I-Have-No-Idea What-I-Am-Talking-About, why dont you actually attend a CCD lesson, or speak with a Roman Catholic preist before spouting ideas about what you THINK Catholics believe and showing your delusions? Go make that appointment before you post again.

Thanks!

Answer 6

I agree with many of your statements. Here is further testimony.

Mary is NOT God. She is to be respected as a Saint, although she did not go through the process to become a Saint, she is widely accepted as one. She can be considered the "Christokos", which is the "bearer of God", in the sense that she bore Christ, but this does not make her God/ part of God.

There are no mediators between people and God (other than Jesus, who is referred to as the "Mediatrix"-- the one and only). Saints do not mediate communication between flesh and God, but can simply be asked to pray for us. They are no further 'up the line' toward God than people are. A description of an illustration may help here. What many people believe is that the communication with God would go in a straight line-- with God at the top, Saints and Mary in the middle, and humans at the bottom, and that in order for humans to communicate with God, they must speak with saints. This is not true at all. Think, rather, of a triangle. God is at the top, humans and Saints are the bottom. All groups can communicate equally without any mediators. So, people can still ask saints for to pray for them, but the saints cannot deliver God's grace to people.

I could go on and on, but some people who don't read theology books would commit suicide.

Answer 7

I really suspect you've been reading Jack Chick.

If you're interested, I've addressed most of these claims on my blog: http://brainfaith.blogspot.com/2007/07/other-half-of-problem.html (and again at http://brainfaith.blogspot.com/2007/07/back-to-chick.html).

However, I'll address it again in brief here.

1. The Catholic church does not teach Mary is God. Mary is the ultimate saint, holy enough that God honoured her as his earthly mother. Please show me where in the church catechism you've found any reference to Mary as God.

2. The concept of Purgatory, while not heavily accented in the church, does exist. It's based on pieces of scripture the protestant church doesn't acknowledge (in particular II Maccaabees) so it's difficult to argue about.

3. I'm also not sure where your information about the mass is coming from (although once again I suspect Jack Chick). The mass is exactly what Jesus commanded; in fact, every mass highlights the words "DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME." The mass does not atone for sins.

4. Have you ever asked someone to pray for you? Why? Isn't it enough to pray to God yourself? Why do you need someone to pray for you? Same with Catholics. Saints are extraordinarily holy people who we know are with God, so sometimes we ask them to pray for us when we need the extra support.

5. As for reading the Bible alone and the whole works vs. faith thing, this I really went into in some detail before, but I encourage you to read the book of James, especially James 1:23-27. As a Catholic, I also believe in salvation by faith, but like C. S. Lewis I believe that "if what you call your ‘Faith’ in Christ does not involve taking the slightest noticice of what He says, then it is not Faith at all–not faith or trust in Him, but only intellectual acceptance of some theory about Him." (Mere Christianity)

Please try to keep an open mind. You may not agree with everything you find in the RCC, but please proceed on facts and not stereotypes. Good luck!

Answer 8

You have a few statements out of line with the Catholic teaching: Mary is *not* God -- some have risen her to a level of superstition, but most Catholics realize that she is a woman to be respected and admired for her life and devotion to the Lord. Also, we do not believe that there are multiple mediators between us and God -- just like asking a friend to pray for you, Catholics often ask Mary and the Saints to pray for us to Jesus, who is the sole mediator between us and God.

The primary difference for our reasoning in these areas is that we do not consider the Bible a literal and historical account as you do -- rather, we observe it critically, as a very valuable document that requires careful interpretation of its words. We believe that it was not dictated by God's very words, but inspired into writing by God's actions -- meaning that human interpretation of these actions leaves room for human error in the writing. I hope and pray that you will continue to seek tolerance of different views.

Answer 9

Saying that the roman catholic church teaches Mary is God is about as incorrect as saying evolution theory teaches we evolved from apes, or that Martin Luther was really a Klingon. Straw men don't help you prove a point.

Answer 10

As a non-denominational Christian, I do not believe in much that the Roman Catholic Church teaches ...
Confession to humans
Praying to Mary and the Saints
Sending envelopes to your home expecting money
Making someone convert before they can get married in the church ...

Just to name a few.

Answer 11

Catholics are christians too...
The people you call christians are protestants...

Which version of the bible do you have ? King james ?? Well, let me tell you that he modified many things from the original one, to suit himself...