Below you will learn about the beliefs of Catholicism and Scripture showing their error.
Roman
Catholicism is traced backed to when the Apostle Peter. St. Peter
spent time in Rome. Many Catholics consider him as the first pope,
and every pope since him is regarded as his spiritual successor. This
gives the leader of the church spiritual authority and provides a
means for resolving disputes that could divide the church. They are
taught that through trials like persecution, heresy, and the
reformation, the notion that the church leadership represents the
continuation of an unbroken line from the apostles and their
teachings ("apostolic succession") has contributed to the
survival of Christianity. However, the idea of the pope did not exist
from the beginning of the church. It was not until several centuries
after Christ that the church began to develop into the Roman Catholic
Church as we think of it today, with its particular doctrines,
practices, and hierarchical system of authority.
Through the
conversion of Emperor Constantine in 318 AD, the church began to
adopt a governmental structure mirroring that of the Empire, in which
geographical provinces were ruled by bishops based in the major city
of the area. Soon, the bishops of major cities in the empire emerged
as preeminent, including the bishops of Jerusalem, Alexandria,
Antioch, Rome, and Constantinople. The Roman bishop Leo I (440-461)
is considered the first pope by historians, as he was the first to
claim ultimate authority over all of Christendom.
Catholic Beliefs Include:
Catholics do believe in the virgin
birth, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and the Trinity
of God.
Catholics
observe seven sacraments, which are religious rituals they believe
were commanded by God and effective in giving grace on the believer.
The seven sacraments are Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion (also
known as the Eucharist), Confession (also known as Penance or
Reconciliation), Marriage (also known as Matrimony), Holy Orders
(also known as Ordination), and Anointing of the Sick (also known as
Extreme Unction or Last Rites).
Religious Rituals Do Not
Give Us God's Grace, Only Believing In And Accepting Jesus Christ As
Your Personal Savior Does.
“Nevertheless
death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned
after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of
him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free
gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the
grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus
Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that
sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation,
but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.” -
Romans 5:14-16.
After
the sacraments, comes the qualification to pray, is the single most
important aspect of our life as Catholics. Catholics believe in
praying to God, saints, and also to Mary to intercede on their
behalf.
There Is Only One Person That Intercedes On Our
Behalf, And That Is Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
“Who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us.” - Romans 8:34.
The prayers
are counted on rosary beads and are collectively known as the rosary.
A rosary consists of several (five or fifteen) decades of set
prayers. A decade consists of one Our Father, ten Hail Marys and one
Glory Be. These prayers, and the beads used to count them, are called
chaplets. There are over 60 different approved circlets of beads used
to guide prayers in the Catholic Church. Each is used for a
particular type of prayer: prayer to the Holy Spirit, meditation on
the Seven Sorrows, the Sacred Heart, or the Holy Face, prayer to
various saints, and prayer to Mary under her many different titles.
According to Catholic tradition, the rosary was instituted by the
Blessed Virgin Mary herself. In the 13th century, she is said to have
appeared to St. Dominic (founder of the Dominicans), given him a
rosary, and asked that Christians pray the Hail Mary, Our Father, and
Glory Be prayers instead of the Psalms. To help prevent praying the
rosary from becoming a mindless repetition, the practice developed of
meditating on events in the lives of Christ and Mary, which are
called "mysteries." They are classified as the Joyful,
Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. Each consists of five
events, which correspond to the five decades of the rosary.
There
are only three people that we can pray to, God the Father, Jesus the
Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are one in the same, but the terms are
used according to our needs. If you are not saved God will not even
hear your prayers.
“But
thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast
shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
- Matthew 6:6.
“And he
said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in
heaven, so in earth.” - Luke 11:1-3.
“And
whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father
may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I
will do it. ” - John 14:13,14.
“Likewise
the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we
should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he
that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit,
because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will
of God.” - Romans 8:26,27.
By the way, anyone who is
saved is a saint, “But fornication, and all
uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as
becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor
jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For
this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous
man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of
Christ and of God.” - Ephesians 5:3-5.
Catholics
believe in life after death. The believer, those who have lived good
lives and died in the faith of Christ will, as the Bible tells us,
share in His resurrection. They believe while we live together on
earth as Christians, we are in communion, or unity, with one another,
but that communion doesn’t end when one of us dies. They believe
that Christians in heaven, the saints, remain in communion with those
on earth. They believe that just as one might ask a friend or family
member to pray for us, one can approach a saint with our prayers,
too.
No one has to live a good life, it is only by
believing and personally accepting Jesus Christ as you Savior that
you are saved.
“For by grace are
ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” - Ephesians
2:8,9.
No One Gets To Heaven Unless You Are Saved
“That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
- Romans 10:9,10.
Catholics believe the authority of the
church lies within the hierarchy (chain
of
command)
of
the church. They believe that Baptism is a sacrament that regenerates
and justifies, and is usually done in infancy. Baptism is often
called The door of the Church, because it is the first of the seven
sacraments not only in time, but in priority, since the reception of
the other sacraments depends on it. It is the first of the three
Sacraments of Initiation, the other two being the Sacrament of
Confirmation and the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Once baptized, a
person becomes a member of the Church.
The
authority of the church is God and His Word, Jesus is the head of the
church, His believers are the body of Christ.
“And
he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the
head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For
it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;”
- Colossians 1:17-19.
“For
as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the
same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one
members one of another.”
- Romans 12:4,5.
“Now
of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an
high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the
Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true
tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”
- Hebrews 8:1,2.
Catholics believe that truth is found
mainly in the Bible, as interpreted by the church, but also found in
church tradition. The Catholic Church historically teaches that the
original writings by Bible authors are flawless. The Catholic Church
includes the same 66 books of the Bible, but adds the books of the
Apocrypha. The Catholic Church appoints all male, and almost all
unmarried clergy. The Catholic church discourages members from
reading the Bible, siting that a person will never understand nor
comprehend it, therefore, they provide the Sunday Missal as a
replacement.
The Bible
is written or was transcribed by about forty men inspired by God, it
is flawless, but there are only 66 books, there are no missing books,
and the Apocrypha books were not inspired by God therefore, they were
removed from the Bible. God only allows believers to understand His
Word, those who read it and are not saved will not be able to
comprehend it and will see it as something other than it truly is.
“And
he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of
God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and
hearing they might not understand.”
- Luke 8:10.
“He
that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that
believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the
record that God gave of his Son...And we know that the Son of God is
come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that
is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus
Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”
- I John 5:10,20.
Catholics
believe forgiveness of sin is achieved through church ritual, with
the assistance of a priest in confession.
There
is only one way to be forgiven of sins and that is by confessing to
God that you are a sinner and asking Jesus to save you. There is no
ritual to follow and no priest can talk to God for you, only you can
talk to God and save yourself.
“That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
- Romans 10:9,10.
“If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
- I John 1:9.
“That
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved.”
- John 3:15-17.
Catholics believe hell is more than a
physical place, it is a state of being involving the pain,
frustration, and emptiness of life without God.
Hell
is real and anyone not saved will end up in it, it is not a state of
being, a person will suffer burning, torturing pain forever.
“And
the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be
tormented day and night for ever and ever...And death and hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever
was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire.”
- Revelation 20:10,14,15.
“And
in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham
afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father
Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip
of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in
this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime
receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now
he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between
us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass
from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would
come from thence.”
- Luke 16:23-26.
Catholics
are required to believe that when Mary herself was conceived, she was
without original sin. They believe the Virgin Mary is below Jesus,
but above that of the saints. This is a required belief of the
Catholic Church in matters of religious doctrine.
Mary
was not without sin, she was a sinner like everyone else, only Jesus
was sinless. She found favor in God's eyes to carry Jesus.
“And
in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of
Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And
the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly
favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And
when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her
mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said
unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And,
behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and
shalt call his name JESUS.”
- Luke 1:26-31.
The Lord's Supper (Eucharist/Communion) -
Catholics believe this sacrifice is Christ's body and blood
physically present and consumed by believers ("transubstantiation").
Communion is given to represent the body and blood shed of
Christ, only those who are saved can receive communion.
“And
he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them,
saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in
remembrance of me. Likewise also
the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my
blood, which is shed for you.” - Luke 22:19,20.
“And
when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is
my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After
the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying,
this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye
drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread,
and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the
Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and
drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth
and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.”
- I Corinthians 11:24-29.
Salvation
- The Catholic religion teaches that salvation depends on faith,
works and sacraments. Catholics believe that salvation is lost when a
responsible person commits a mortal sin. It can only be regained
through constant repentance and the sacrament of
confession.
Salvation
comes only by asking Jesus to save you, there is not amount or work,
no sacraments that can save you, only by confessing that you are a
sinner and asking Jesus to save you can you obtain salvation. Once
you are saved, you are saved, nothing you do can take it away.
“That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved. For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation.” - Romans 10:9,10.
“For
then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world:
but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin
by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to
die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear
the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the
second time without sin unto salvation.” - Hebrews 9:26-28.
Statues
- Catholics give honor to statues and images as symbolic of the
individual saints.
Honoring
and giving tribute to statues is idolatry and a sin.
“Ye
shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a
standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your
land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.”
- Leviticus 26:1.
“Idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,
heresies, Envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you
before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” - Galatians
5:20,21.
Purgatory
– The Catholic religion believes in purgatory, the condition or
process of purification or temporary punishment, in which, it is
believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made
ready for Heaven, held in some kind of limbo until enough money is
paid by the living to the church to get them out.
There
is no such thing as purgatory, when you die you go to one of two
places, if you are saved, you will end up in heaven, if you are not
you will end up in hell.
“Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him
that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
- John 5:24.
Last Rights – Catholics believe in last rights,
a time before death when a priest visits for a last confession in
hopes that they get to see Jesus in heaven.
Last
rights will do no good if a person is not saved, once again, unless
you ask Jesus to save you yourself you will not get to heaven.
“For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
- Romans 10:13
