Why do Catholics listen to the words of men instead of the Word of God?

Question

Could they really justify their pagan practices biblically?

Answer 1

They don't. You're a freak.

Answer 2

Do Protestants not listen to the words of men? When your pastor/minister says his sermon, do you not assume that what he is saying is not true to God's word?

While I am NOT Catholic, I am amazed at the unabashed ignorance and negativity people are expressing here about the Church. People seem to feel justified in ripping something they know little about. Worship Mary? Do whatever the Pope says? You must hang around with much different Catholics than I.

The Catholic Church is flawed, just like all churches (including my Lutheran one). But it brings great peace to millions of people, and encourages followers to feed the poor, have faith, and love your neighbor. Can that really be all that bad?

Answer 3

The Catholic Church is Christ's Church. All other churches are founded by men who are in protest of what Christ created. I belief that all the critics of Christ's Church hate the Church because His Church was given promises that their man made churches do not have. Christ promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church. This guarantees to all that the Church can never fall into apostasy. In doing so the Scriptures promise that His Church is the "bulwark and ground of the truth" which is exclusive of His Church. He said that He would be with His Church until the end of the age and that the Church would endure for all times.

As we see from the asker here and many people joining this discussion in answering the "straw man" question that there is an unjustified hatred for Catholics. So much so that people will even make up lies about the Church and then attack those lies as if they are the truth. There is no excuse for such actions as the Catholic Church publishes its Catechism on the web and all this information can be verified or debunked by simply accessing this information.

Catholics know what we believe and we know that the accusations are false, so to whom are these liars speaking? Are they just preaching to the choir of fellow haters and prevaricators of Christ's Church and if so for what purpose? Are they just trying to justify their doctrines of men such as throwing the corporeal Christ out of their worship and their antinomianism. There is also the heresy of "Bible only" or "Sola Scriptura" which has caused tens of thousands of divisions and wounds to Christ's Church through schism and false teaching. Even the Gospel itself is not safe from their heresy where they teach a lawless soteriology of "faith alone" where the only place that is mentioned in Scriptures is when it is forbidden as written by St. James.

The facts are, there are no Pagan practices in the Catholic Church but only the accusations of anti-Catholic haters like Alexander Hislop, Loraine Boettner and Ralph Woodrow.

As Catholics we will continue to pray as Christ gave us example that we all be one in His Church and welcome those who the Holy Spirit brings into His fold. We will welcome those who drawn by the Holy Spirit desire the real food of salvation which is the Eucharist containing the Body, Blood., Soul and Divinity of the Lord that the Lord said in His soliloquy at the synagogue in Capernaum is necessary for eternal life. The Church will remain the refuge from the world just as the Ark was the refuge of humanity from the great flood where all can come and receive the fullness of faith, practice and truth. May the Lord have mercy on us all.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 4

Why does anyone believe in god in the first place? You realize you are all listening to the words of people who lived 2000 years ago, thought the earth was flat, the sun revolved around it, and that it was the center of the universe? Religion is full of fairy tales, contradictions, and B.S. Think logically, why would we be so special that some huge omnipotent being would even pay attention to us? That's a little self-absorbed if you ask me. We are animals, plain and simple. You don't go anywhere when you die. You just die and that's it. It would be nice if you went somewhere, but you don't. We evolved from simpler primates to be who we are. We shouldn't waste the one life we have going to some building so some guy in a robe can tell us how to live our lives, reading a really old ficitonal book, and governing our lives on what some people in aincient times wrote. Get a life, and get a clue.

Answer 5

Hello,

Because all of our knowledge comes from the words and writing of men inspired by God. God does not talk to any of us directly anymore for 2000 years and counting.
Christ never appeared to tell us if he approved of the teachings and interpretations of Martin Luther nor has he verified personally if the rapture and the theology of eternal security is interpreted correctly.

Catholics listen to the words of scholars like St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas in the past just like Protestants listened to the words of men like Luther, Kelvin John Knox etc rather than the word of God who says no words as of late.


Cheers,

Michael Kelly

Answer 6

Because without Tradition, the Bible would not exist.

Sola Scriptura has a big problem -- where do the Scriptures come from? Can you show me Book, Chapter and Verse where the Spirit tells the apostles, "Include these books in the Bible?"

Of course you cannot -- you and I both know no such verse exists.

The Canon of the Bible was not set down until between 350AD and 400AD, by a Council of Bishops, who voted on each book (and the vote was never unanimous -- where's the Holy Spirit's inspiration???).

The final result contained 73 books.

This would remain the canon for the Bible until Martin Luther used the Masoreic Texts instead of the Septuagint for the Old Testament, and reduced the number to 66.

This is all a matter of historical record.

Bit of an oops to drop seven books that had been there for over a thousand years, don't you think?

---------

Suspendor:

That's just during the week -- Saturday Vigil and Sunday contain an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, a New Testament Letter, and a Gospel.

The weeks also include the Psalm.

It's also worth mentioning that with the conclusion of a three-year cycle, every word in the Bible has been read in Mass.

Answer 7

No they cannot.

The Catholic Catechism is roughly the equivalent of the Jewish Talmud, which is the Jewish commentary on the Old Testament.

Jesus made it quite clear that their traditions were wrong when they were contrary to the Torah and the Tennach which are the Jewish names for the Old Testament Scriptures.

There are so many warnings in the New Testament which warn us not to do things done by Catholics.

Such as don't call a man, Father.

Such as don't go beyond the written word.

Such as telling us that forbidding people to marry or forbidding people to eat certain foods are the doctrines of demons.

The New Testament is very clear, they don't see it because they are blind to the truth.

They need to be born again and most of them are not.

Once they are born again, and note that being born again is NOT baptism, they usually begin to see and eventualy leave the religion of Rome.

Pastor Art

Answer 8

You need to be more specfic in your accusations. Don't merely accuse the Church of "pagan practices" without providing evidence, as if your claim was some sort of self-evident proof.

I interpret your "words of men" as dissing the Catholic Clergy. Consider:

Ordained Leaders Share in Jesus' Ministry and Authority
Matt. 10:1,40 - Jesus declares to His apostles, "he who receives you, receives Me, and he who rejects you, rejects Me and the One who sent Me." Jesus freely gives His authority to the apostles in order for them to effectively convert the world.

Matt. 16:19; 18:18 - the apostles are given Christ's authority to make visible decisions on earth that will be ratified in heaven. God raises up humanity in Christ by exalting his chosen leaders and endowing them with the authority and grace they need to bring about the conversion of all. Without a central authority in the Church, there would be chaos (as there is in Protestantism).

Luke 9:1; 10:19 - Jesus gives the apostles authority over the natural and the supernatural (diseases, demons, serpents, and scorpions).

Luke 10:16 - Jesus tells His apostles, "he who hears you, hears Me." When we hear the bishops' teaching on the faith, we hear Christ Himself.

Luke 22:29 - the Father gives the kingdom to the Son, and the Son gives the kingdom to the apostles. The gift is transferred from the Father to the Son to the apostles.

Num 16:28 - the Father's authority is transferred to Moses. Moses does not speak on his own. This is a real transfer of authority.

John 5:30 - similarly, Jesus as man does nothing of His own authority, but He acts under the authority of the Father.

John 7:16-17 - Jesus as man states that His authority is not His own, but from God. He will transfer this authority to other men.

John 8:28 - Jesus says He does nothing on His own authority. Similarly, the apostles will do nothing on their own authority. Their authority comes from God.

John 12:49 - The father's authority is transferred to the Son. The Son does not speak on his own. This is a transfer of divine authority.

John 13:20 - Jesus says, "he who receives anyone who I send, receives Me." He who receives the apostles, receives Christ Himself. He who rejects the apostles and their successors, rejects Christ.

John 14:10 - Jesus says the Word He speaks is not His own authority, but from the Father. The gift is from the Father to Jesus to the apostles.

John 16:14-15 - what the Father has, the Son has, and the Son gives it to the apostles. The authority is not lessened or mitigated.

John 17:18; 20:21 - as the Father sends the Son, the Son sends the apostles. The apostles have divinely appointed authority.

Acts 20:28 - the apostles are shepherds and guardians appointed by the Holy Spirit / 1 Peter 2:25 - Jesus is the Shepherd and Guardian. The apostles, by the power of the Spirit, share Christ's ministry and authority.

Jer. 23:1-8; Ezek. 34:1-10 - the shepherds must shepherd the sheep, or they will be held accountable by God.

Eph. 2:20 - the Christian faith is built upon the foundation of the apostles. The word "foundation" proves that it does not die with apostles, but carries on through succession.

Eph. 2:20; Rev. 21:9,14 - the words "household," "Bride of the Lamb," the "new Jerusalem" are all metaphors for the Church whose foundation is the apostles.

Answer 9

to clarify what I think the asker is questioning: why are so many Catholic beliefs NOT found in the Bible?

The Bible is inspired by God- that is all you need to believe. What I hate about Catholics is that every time the Pope comes up with something, they all believe it. The Pope is not God.

For example, the idea that Mary is sinless and is worthy of worship is absolutely sinful. There is nowhere in scripture that states that Mary is sinless. She is just a person. She was a good person, and God used her in His plan, but she is nothing more. It is unbiblical to worship a human being. That is why it is so wrong to worship Mary. She is just a human like you and I.

Answer 10

Please be more specific.

We read and proclaim the Word of God.

I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. (John 16:12-13)

Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours. (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

We instruct you, brothers, in the name of (our) Lord Jesus Christ,to shun any brother who conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us. (2 Thessalonians 3:6)

I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you. (1 Corinthians 11:2)

The Catholic Church does not use Holy Scripture as the only basis of doctrine. It could not. The early Catholic church existed before and during the time that the New Testament was written (by Catholics).

There were hundreds of Christian writings during the first and second centuries. Which New Testament writings would become official was not fully decided until about 400 C.E.

Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit was guiding the early church (and is guiding the church today) to make the correct choices about things like:
+ The Holy Trinity (which is also only hinted at in the Bible)
+ Going to church on Sunday instead of Saturday (which is actually directly against one of the Ten Commandments)
+ The Communion of Saints
+ Which writings include in the New Testament?

Things that are even more modern like
+ Slavery is bad. Slavery is never declared evil in the Bible. This was one of the justifications for slavery in the Confederate States.
+ Democracy is good. The Bible states that either God should be the leader of the nation like Israel before the kings or kings should be the leader, "Give to Caesar that which is Caesar's." This was talked about a lot during the American Revolution.

This second source of doctrine is called Apostolic Tradition.

Do Christians who do not allow the continuing guiding force of the Holy Spirit to make their beliefs more and more perfect, still endorse slavery as Colossians 3:22 commands, "Slaves, obey your human masters in everything"?

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 80 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect1chpt2.htm#80

With love in Christ.

Answer 11

I am cathoilc. I have been for 21 years now. We do listen to the word of God. I take it you have never been to a Catholic mass but right after the priest finishes reading the gospel (which comes from the bible) he says... the gospel, the good news, the words of the lord-- Amen. After that he will say the Holmony (spelling?) which is the interpetation of it and usually they will talk about current life events which it relates to. Plus. I think we have to be doing something right since majority or atleast a huge numberof people in the world is Catholic.