Why am I not Roman Catholic?

Question

1. OF ALL THE HUMAN TRADITIONS taught and practiced by the Roman Catholic Church, which are contrary to the Bible, the most ancient are the prayers for the dead and the sign of the Cross. Both began 300 years after Christ ... 310AD.

2. Wax Candles introduced in church about 320AD.

3. Veneration of angles and dead saints about 375

4. The Mass, as a daily celebration, adopted 394AD.

5. The worship of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the use of the term, 'Mother of God', as applied to her, originated in the Council of Ephesus in .... 431AD.

6. Priests began to dress differently from the laity in 500AD.

7. The doctrine of Purgatory was first established by Gregory the Great about the year 593AD.

8. The Latin language, as the language of prayer and worship in churches, was also imposed by Pope Gregory I. 600 years after Christ ...600AD. The Word of god forbids praying and teaching in an unknown tongue. (1Cor.14:9).

9. The Bible teaches that we pray to God alone. In the primitive church never were prayers directed to Mary, or to dead saints. This practice began in the Roman Church about 600AD. (Matt. 11:28; Luke 1:46; Acts 10:25-26; 14:14-18)

10. The Papacy is of pagan origin. The title of pope or universal bishop, was first given to the bishop of Rome by the wicked emperor Phocas, in the year 610AD. This he did to spite Bishop Ciriacus of Constantinople, who had justly excommunicated him for his having caused the assassination of his predecessor emperor Mauritius. Gregory I, then bishop of Rome, refused the title, but his, successor, Boniface III, first assumed title "Pope." Jesus did not appoint Peter to the headship of the apostles and forbade any such notion. (Lk. 22:24-26;Eph.1:22-23;Col.1:18;lCor.3:11).Note:-Nor is there any mention in Scripture, nor in history, that Peter ever was in Rome, much less that he was pope there for 25 years; Clement, 3rd bishop of Rome, remarks that there is no real lst century evidence that Peter ever was in Rome."

11. The kissing of the Pope's feet began in 709AD. It had been a pagan custom to kiss the feet of emperors. The Word of God forbids such practices. (Read Acts 10:25-26; Rev. 19: 1 0; 22:9).

12. The Temporal power of the Popes began 750AD. When Pepin, the usurper of the throne of France, descended into Italy, called by Pope Stephen II, to war against the Italian Lombards, he defeated them and gave the city of Rome and surrounding territory to the pope. Jesus expressly forbade such a thing, and He himself refused worldly kingship. (Read Matt 4:8-9; 20:25-26; John 18:38).

13. Worship of cross, of images and relics was authorized in 788AD. This was by order of Dowager Empress Irene of Constantinople, who first caused to pluck the eyes of her own son, Constantine VI, and then called a church council at the request of Hadrian I, pope of Rome at that time.

14. Holy Water, mixed with a pinch of salt and blessed by the priest, was authorized in 850AD.

15. The veneration of St. Joseph began in 890AD.

16. The baptism of bells was instituted by Pope John XIV, in the year 965AD.

17. Canonization of dead saints, first by Pope John XV in 995AD. Every believer and follower of Christ is called saint in the Bible. (Read Rom, 1:7; I Cor. 1:2).

18. Fasting on Fridays and during Lent were imposed in the year 998AD.

Imposed by popes said to be interested in the commerce of fish. (Bull, or permit to eat meat), some authorities say, began in the year 7OOAD. This is against the plain teaching of the bible. (Read Matt.15:10 1Cor. 10:25; 1Tim.4:1-3).

19. The Mass was developed gradually as a sacrifice; attendance made obligatory in the 11th century. The Bible teaches that the sacrifice of Christ was offered once and for all, and not to be repeated, but only commerated in the Lord's Supper. (Read Heb.7:27; 9:26-28; 10: I 0- 14).

20. The celibacy of the priesthood was decreed by Pope Hildebrand, Boniface VII, in the year 1079AD. Jesus imposed no such rule, nor did any of the apostles. On the contrary, St. Peter was a married man, and St. Paul says that bishops were to have wife and children. (Read 1st Tim. 3:2,5, and 12: Matt 8:14-15).

21. The Rosary, or prayer beads was introduced by Peter the Hermit, in the year 1090AD. Copied from Hindus and Mohammedans 1090AD. The counting of prayers is a pagan practice and is expressly condemned by Christ (Matt 6:5-13).

22. The Inquisition of heretics was instituted by the Council of Verona in the year 1184. Jesus never taught the use of force to spread His religion ...1184AD.

23. The sale of Indulgence, commonly regarded as a purchase of forgiveness and a permit to indulge in sin, began in the year 1190AD. Christianity, as taught in the Bible, condemns such a traffic, and it was the protest against this traffic that brought on the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.

24. The dogma of Transubstantiation was decreed by Pope Innocent III, in the year 1215AD. By this doctrine the priest pretends to perform a daily miracle by changing a wafer into the body of Christ, and then he pretends to eat Him alive in the presence of his people during Mass. The Bible condemns such absurdities; for the Lords Supper is simply a memorial of the sacrifice of Christ. The spiritual presence of Christ is implied in the Lord's Supper is simply a memorial of the sacrifice of Christ. The spiritual presence of Christ is implied in the Lord's Supper. (Read Luke 22:19-20; John 6:35; I Cor. 11:26).

25. Confession of sins to the priest at least once a year was instituted by Pope Innocent III, in the Lateran Council, in the year 1215AD. The Bible commands us to confess our sins direct to God. (Read Psalm. 51: 1 - 10; Luke 7:48; 15:21; John 1:8-9). 26. The adoration of the wafer (Host), was decreed by Pope Honorius in the year in 1220AD. So the Roman Church worships a God made by human hands. This is plain idolatry and absolutely contrary to the spirit of the Gospel. (Read John 4:24).

27. The Bible forbidden to laymen and placed in the Index of forbidden books by the Council of Valencia in 1229AD. Jesus commanded that the Scriptures should be read by all. (John5:39: lTim.3:15-17).

28. The Scapular was invented by Simon Stock, an English monk, in the year ... 1287AD. It is a piece of brown cloth, with the picture of the Virgin and supposed to contain supernatural virtue to protect from all dangers those who wear it on naked skin. It is fetishism.

29. The Roman Church forbade the cup to the laity, by instituting the communion of one kind in the Council of Constance n 1414AD. The Bible commands us to celebrate the Lord's Supper with unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine. (Read Matt. 26:27; I Cor. 11:26-29).

30. The doctrine of Purgatory was proclaimed as a dogma of faith by Council of Florence in 1439AD. There is not one word in the Bible that would teach the purgatory of priests. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sins. (Read I John 1:7-9; 2:1-2; John 5:24; Rom. 8: 1).

31. The doctrine of 7 Sacraments affirmed in 1439AD. The Bible says that Christ instituted only two ordinances, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. (Read Matt. 28:19-20; 26:26-28).

32. The Ave Maria, part of the last half in 1508AD. It was completed 50 years afterward and finally approved by Pope Sixths V, at the end of the 16th century.

33. The Council of Trent, held in the year 1545, declared that Tradition is of equal authority with the Bible 1545AD. By tradition is meant human teachings. The Pharisees believed the same way, and Jesus bitterly condemned them, for by teaching human tradition, they nullified the commandments of God. (Read Mark 7:7-13; Col. 2:8; Rev. 22:18).

34. The apocryphal books were added to the Bible also by the Council of Trent in 1546 These books were not recognized as canonical by the Jewish Church. (See Rev. 22:8-9).

35. The Creed of Pope Pius IV was imposed as the official creed 1560 years after Christ and the apostles, in 1560AD. True Christians retain the Holy Scriptures as their creed. Hence their creed is 1500 years older than the creed of Roman Catholics. (Read Gal. 1:8).

36. The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in the year 1854AD. The Bible states that all men, with the sole exception of Christ, are sinners. Mary herself had need of a Savior. (Read Rom. 3:23; 5:12; Psalm. 51:5; Luke 1:30,46,47).

37. In the year 1870 after Christ, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of Papal Infallibility 1870AD. This is a blasphemy and the sign of the apostasy and of the antichrist predicted by St. Paul. (Read II These. 2:2-12; Rev. 17:1-9; 13:5-8,18). Many Bible students see the number of the beast (Rev. 13:18). 666 in the Roman letters of the Pope's title: "VICARIVS FILLII DEI." -V.5, I-1; C-100, l-l: v-5, 1-1; L-50, 1-1; 1-1-Total, 666.

38. Pope Pius X, in the year 1907, condemned together with 'Modernish", all the discoveries of modern science which are not approved by the Church... 1907AD. Pius IX had done the same thing in the Syllabus of 1864.

39. In the year 1930 Pius XI, condemned the Public Schools ... 1930AD.

40. In the year 1931 the same pope Pius XI, reaffirmed the doctrine that Mary is "the Mother of God.... 1931AD. This doctrine was first invented by the Council of Ephesus in the year 431AD. . This is a heresy contrary by Mary's own words. (Read Luke 1:46-49; John 2:1-5).

41. In the year 1950 the last dogma was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary ....1950AD

Kerri, another user asked me why i reject catholic teachings. I couldn't remember who it was, so I just put it out for everybody. You're correct, it's long!

Tur b and yeow...my point, or at least part of it, is that doctrinally the RC church is lost and wandering. The list I posted is not all encompassing. There's much, much more.

The doctrines Christ taught, and the distorted money-making schemes the RC church turned them into are miles apart.

The veneration of mary is heresy. The confessional booth is heresy. There is one God, and one mediator between man and God; the man Christ Jesus.
What more needs to be said?

The papacy is illegitimate. See point 10.

We can take the popes one by one and critique them and thier pronouncements if you like, but somehow I don't think you want to go there.

tiger lily, i didn't say you worshipped mary. i used the term venerate. even a protestant understands the difference. it's still heresy.

Answer 1

Apparently you are not catholic because you believe in the word of the one true God.

www.loveyouJesus.com

Answer 2

Well, that's kind of like the "Calvinist" versus "Hyper-Calvinist" deal. People have made a semantic adaptation that helps them communicate a complex concept in a single symbol. Sure, technically, [C]atholicism is broader than the Latin Rite, although you must confess that the Latin Rite is the one most familiar to modern Western societies. Why is that? Could it be the absolute crushing dominance of the Italian Home Office with respect to the lesser traditions? Might you cut a little slack for those of us taking the 50,000 foot view of the matter? If tomorrow, the adjectival use of "Roman" to delineate [C]atholicism's core nucleus of doctrine were simply stopped, it would take no time at all for a new adjective to replace it, as the linguistic need for such a device is real and inescapable. I think something like "Papal Catholicism" might be an adequate replacement. In any event, history has created the identity you seek to rehabilitate by remarketing under a more neutral brand name, and natural language will fill any vacuum left behind by artificial word games used to suppress the negative associations of the Roman label.

Answer 3

Thanks for bringing these things to our attention.
The issue concerning any church and its practices should be “Is this Biblical?” If a teaching is Biblical (taken in context), it should be embraced. If it is not, it should be rejected. God is more interested in whether a church is doing His will and obeying His Word than whether it can trace a line of succession back to Jesus’ apostles. Jesus was very concerned about abandoning the Word of God to follow the traditions of men (Mark 7:7). Traditions are not inherently invalid…there are some good and valuable traditions. Again, the issue must be whether a doctrine, practice, or tradition is Biblical.

Answer 4

Your first point is incorrect.

The Jews prayed for the dead as shown in 2 Maccabees 12:40-46:

But under the tunic of each of the dead they found amulets sacred to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. So it was clear to all that this was why these men had been slain. They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden. Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. The noble Judas warned the soldiers to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin of those who had fallen. He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin.

http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/2maccabees/2maccabees12.htm#40

Catholics do pray for the dead for the following reasons:

+ We pray that the the dead person was right with God at the time of his (or her) death. God can do anything and is not constrained by a little thing like time.

+ We pray that the dead person will not have a hard process of purgation.

Yes, Catholics believe in Purgatory.

Are you perfect now? Most people would say no.

Will you be perfect in heaven? Most people believe yes.

Purgatory (or purgation) is the process of God's love changing our imperfect selves into perfect beings.

Depending on the amount of change needed by different people this can be an easy or slightly harder process.

Everyone in purgatory is on their way to heaven.

I don't think Mother Teresa of Calcutta had a very hard time of it.

With love in Christ.

Answer 5

Prayers for the dead were practiced by the Jews long before the time of Christ. Examples abound in pre-Christian Jewish writings (like the Apocrypha). Inscriptions in the catacombs dating to decades of the Apostles includes prayers for the dead.

"Mother of God" was used by Irenaeus of Lyon, c. 150 AD.

Priests began to dress differently with Aaron. His clerical vestments were supposed to be an ordinance forever (according to the Old Testament).

How was Latin an "unknown tongue"? It was the only known tongue at the time.

Again, early inscriptions in the catacombs include prayers to departed saints, c. 2nd century AD.

Veneration of relics began with the martyrdom of Polycarp, a contemporary of the Apostle John. It was also practiced by the followers of Paul during his own lifetime.

Fasting on Fridays is described in the Didache, c. 150 AD.

The doctrine of transubstantiation is affirmed by Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110 AD), as well as Irenaeus (c. 190 AD). Not to mention the Apostle Paul and Jesus himself.

Confession of sins is described by Clement of Rome, c. 87 AD (before the close of the New Testament canon).

The Jewish canon (excluding the Apocrypha) was enacted in 90 AD, and was specifically meant to eliminate Christian books. The Apocrypha is described as Scripture as early as Clement of Rome, c. 87 AD.

I am not Roman Catholic, so I only addressed the topics that were relevant to me.

Answer 6

Do you really think any Catholic would spend so much time and effort to rant about whatever church you believe is the "true" church? Your antichrist rant (#37) is a little scary, though. Traditionally, heretics used to say stuff like that right before they decided to massacre all the Jews in town.

Answer 7

So ... basically you are saying that you are not a member of the Church Christ founded because you are terribly confused and not very knowledgeable. Yes, that is obvious. And that is usually the case when someone is trapped in manmade denominational religion, in open defiance of the stated will of God, "that they all may be one". I will pray for you.

Answer 8

So you are telling me you should not accept christianity either .....

The bible is compiled by the Catholics.

I do not know why you emphasis point 10 ..... there are so many errors ....

a. The first pope is Peter.

b. Boniface III Papacy began in February 19, 607 and ended in November 12, 607 after he died ..... I sincerely doubt he is able to assume the "title of the" alleged "first pope" in 610AD when he is dead for 3 years.

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Anyway, if you want to copy Rev. Stephen L. Testa fallacy, please do some check first, and please, have the decency to put it down as your source.

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I am not a roman catholic, but what you had written are pure fallacy.

Answer 9

You have no idea what you are writing about.

If you did, you wouldn't be wasting our time with all this nonsense.

The church that Jesus founded could no more teach error than Jesus could.

It is you who are greatly confused ... and you have no idea how the authentic church actually works.

Answer 10

What a lot of hogwash! Stop copying and pasting as you have got it all wrong

The Baptist Church has got it all wrong how typical

Answer 11

"The Word of god forbids praying and teaching in an unknown tongue. (1Cor.14:9)."

So do you read the Bible and listen to sermons only in original Biblical languages?