What about Catholicism?

What about Catholicism?

by Harley Pinon

Introduction

In general how do people become Catholics? Probably most became Catholics like people become members of other churches—they were born into a Catholic family. There is another way that people become Catholics—they marry a Catholic. And yes, I’m sure that some convert to Catholicism for other reasons than what we have listed here.

Why does it matter how someone becomes a member of the Catholic Church, or any other church? It matters because we become very emotionally involved with our religious beliefs. If someone, or something challenges our beliefs, it is like they are challenging us and our family, and people often become very defensive. I can honestly say that I was brought up a bit differently because of my dad. If you are interested in more of the story about my dad, I suggest the short article that I wrote about him, My Dad Dad challenged all religious beliefs by what the Bible said. That became part of my belief system. Carolyn and I are members of the Church of Christ, but we disagree with some of the teachings that are commonly held by members of the Church of Christ. These are found elsewhere on my website, and are too numerous to list here. Articles About the Millennial Reign of Christ Are we there yet? The Trinity, and numerous others.

All I'm saying is that I have been willing to question the teachings of the church of which I am a member. There is a reason for doing that. Revelation 2 & 3 are letters that are written to "the seven churches of Asia." What is the message: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."' (Rev 2:7 NKJV) What is the message? As you read these two chapters, what you will find is that God gives a description of the general condition of each church, but what is the most critical message each time? Each time there is a promise to the individual who lives according to the will of God, "To him who overcomes" and then a challenge to the church to repent in most of the cases.

So what is the message? I believe the message is that we must do as my dad always urged us to do: study the scriptures and find the will of God, and then do it regardless of what others are doing. Yes, if you read the story about my dad, you'll find he left the denomination of which he had been a member, and even an elder at one time. But he changed to another church because he believed the one where he had been a member was wrong. If you are a Catholic, I would ask you to prayerfully and carefully consider the concerns that I have with Roman Catholicism. This is only a limited part of my concerns, but at this time, I will not make this an exhaustive study.

What about Catholicism?

What can we say about Catholicism? The Catholic Church takes pride in the fact that it can trace its history back to the first century church. That is impressive to a degree, but it also has some potential problems. Over a long period of time, things can change. We would hope things change for the better, but that isn’t always the case. Paul warned: "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. {30} "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves." (Acts 20:29-30 NKJV)

Take a look at America! Is America a better country today than when it was founded? In a material way, the answer is obviously yes, but what about our spiritual roots? As I write this article, I write from the perspective of one who has lived on this earth for almost 69 years. That’s not quite one-third of the years our country has been a nation, but look at the changes: the Supreme Court has legalized abortion, banned Bible reading in public schools, banned prayer in many public settings. Homosexuals used to "live in the closet," and now their lifestyle is flaunted, and we are looked upon as bigots if we do not accept their lifestyle. All of that in 69 years.

So what happened to the church? During the fourth century, Constantine took a second look at Christianity. He came to admire Christians. He saw that they would die for their faith, and he decided that these were the kind of people he needed more of, so he legalized Christianity. Some might think: What a blessing! But was it? Constantine was a man of civil government background; he was not a Bible scholar. This is part of the problem, but there are other aspects of Catholicism that must be considered.

What is the Bible?

The Bible, to protestant Christians is the inspired word of God. How is that true? It’s true because of our understanding of inspiration. What is inspiration? Consider this passage: (2 Pet 1:20-21 NKJV) "knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, {21} for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." This passage says much about the Bible. Indeed, this may be the understanding of many Catholics for the Bible, but many Catholic leaders do not see the Bible this way. They see holy men of God spoke, but they overlook, or minimize the second part: "as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." As a result, many Catholic leaders place many human teachings on a par with the Bible. The thinking goes like this: The church gave us the Bible, so the church can change the Bible. They teach that the Pope is infallible. This would mean that he could speak with the same authority as the Bible. What happens is that words of the Pope, and traditions of the Catholic Church come to carry the same weight as scripture. But all of this is going in the wrong direction. If the Bible is inspired of God, then it is God Who gave us the Bible. It isn't true that the church gave us the Bible. . It is God's book, and man does not have a right to change it. What happens when man decides he can change the Bible?

Practices and Doctrines not found in the Bible.

We will not attempt to list all the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism, but let me name a few. Praying to Mary is not taught anywhere in the Bible, yet is practiced by Catholicism. By Catholics, Mary is referred to as "The mother of God." This is impossible! God is eternal. Mary had a beginning and an end of life on this earth. In no way is she God. She gave birth to Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit coming upon her, and as a result of her giving birth to Christ, He was called "the Son of Man." The name Jesus used to refer to Himself most often was to call Himself the Son of Man. Even in the following passage, He uses the expression, Son of Man, (Mat 18:11 NKJV) "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost." Eighty-seven times in the New King James Version of the Bible, the expression Son of Man is used. In contrast, "Son of God" is used only forty-six times, and many of these references were made by others about Him. I'm not denying that He was the Son of God. He was, and that is important, but we need to clearly understand that Mary was not the mother of God. In fact, I do not believe that the Bible teaches that Jesus was God. I believe it teaches that He was the Son of Man, and the Son of God, but there is a difference in being God and being the Son of God. If you are interested in this question, I would refer you to a whole list of articles that are listed elsewhere on this website. Index of Articles about the Trinity

We will not go into a complete list of all the differences between Catholicism and Protestant Christianity. It's easy to say, but harder to perceive, but the question is this: Are these different practices found in the Bible? There are many: infant baptism, sprinkling for baptism, the elevation of the priests and making them so special, as well as the rank of Cardinals and the Pope which are not found in the Bible, and which are in contradiction to the spirit that Christ said all of His followers should have: (Mat 23:8-9 KJV) "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. {9} And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven." Again, here is a violation by the Catholic Church because they refer to the priests as "Father." Jesus clearly said not to do that.

What about the Catholic Bible?

Many Protestant Christians think that the difference in Catholic Churches and other churches is the Catholic Bible. I don't believe that to be the case at all. The Catholic Old Testament contains books that we refer to as the Apocryphal books. Some of these may be historically correct, but Protestant Christians do not accept them as inspired. I don't really believe that constitutes much of the difference between Protestant Christianity and Catholicism. The real problem that I see with the Catholic Bible is in the footnotes. There is a footnote in the Catholic Bible about the passage to which I referred above about call no man your father upon the earth and the footnote is trying to say, But that doesn't apply to calling a priest your Father. I can't put my hands on my Catholic Bible, so I'm paraphrasing, but that is the thought. If the footnotes are ignored, the Catholic Bible is not that different from the Bible used by Protestant Christians.

The Cry of the Restoration Movement

Elsewhere on this website, I have an article entitled: Why I am a Member of the Church of Christ. I believe the leaders of the restoration movement were trying to get us back to the Bible. That's what I am personally interested in doing--getting back to the Bible. I even challenge my brethren in the Churches of Christ with articles that I have placed on this website such as the article Are we there yet? Personally, I want all believers to be united, just as Christ prayed the night of His betrayal, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; {21} "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." (John 17:20-21 NKJV)

There is a passage of scripture that causes me real concern for all my Catholic friends. I know it's in Revelation, and I know that isn't the easiest book to understand, but I believe that Revelation 17 is describing the Catholic Church. One verse says "Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits." (Rev 17:9 NKJV) Rome sits on seven mountains. Then this challenge follows: "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. {5} "For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities." (Rev 18:4-5 NKJV)

One other thought, and I will end for now. The Catholic Church is having problems because their priests are involved in molesting boys sexually. I've also read of immoral sex between priests and nuns. All of this is contrary to the Bible and is brought on by another violation: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, {2} speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, {3} forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth." (1 Tim 4:1-3 NKJV) Because of the difficult days when Paul was writing to the church at Corinth, he said staying single might be good, but look at the whole picture: But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; {9} but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion."(1 Cor 7:8-9 NKJV) The Roman Catholic Church will not allow their priests or nuns to marry. As a result, they burn with passion and far too often, involve themselves in sexual immorality. The Catholic Church has accepted seriously flawed doctrines, and I would urge my Catholic friends to seriously consider giving up Catholicism and becoming simply New Testament Christians. How does one become a Christian? Again, let me refer you to an article on my website: How Does One Become a Christian? If you have further questions or comments, feel free to contact me by e-mail.

Bible Study with Harley

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