Satan does NOT want you to read this if you are Catholic! Rebuke him and read it to the end. You won't regret it if you do but He will win if you don't!
Many of my family and friends will turn on me for speaking the truth not just about what the Catholic church teaches, but also most Christian churches that base their doctrines and teaching on what the Catholic Church originated. God compels me to do so no matter what the personal cost. Truth matters! You don't have to believe Satan's lies anymore.
Let me start this Bible Study by stating some basic facts that qualify me to speak on this subject more than anyone else I know. Almost my entire family is Catholic. I was born and raised Catholic. I was Baptized and Confirmed as a Catholic. I went to a Catholic grade school, sang in the Catholic church choir, and was an altar boy at Catholic mass every Sunday.
We were clearly told by our priests to never read the Bible, that it would just confuse us, that it was better for the church to explain it to us.
I then went to a Catholic seminary for part of my high school years to become a priest and was finally allowed to read the Bible as part of my training, but the priests who were teaching us soon regretted me not just reading, but actually studying the Bible.
I was “asked to leave,” (got kicked out) of the seminary, because I questioned too much Catholic church doctrine that was based on “Apostolic Tradition”, that wasn’t what the Bible plainly said. Even back then God was preparing me for my life’s calling in His service of teaching the truth of His Word and correcting doctrinal errors.
I questioned what the priests taught us in the seminary that was not what the Bible actually says. I then attended a regular Catholic high school and graduated in 1970. Yeah, I've been around a long time and have seen and lived both sides of this Catholic verse Christian doctrinal controversary.
That's what distinctly qualifies me to address this and virtually no Catholc priest or bishop to Biblically refute me. 99.9% of them grew up Catholic and were trained in Catholic seminaries. They have had ONLY Catholic doctrines and teachings absorbed by their mind.
They have never lived for decades as a "Sola Scriptura" ("Scripture alone"), Holy Spirit guided Biblicist as I have, with no Catholic bias or influence in their understanding. The vast majority of them simply CAN'T understand Biblical Truth having lived only on one side of this their entire life. I on the other hand have lived and studied BOTH sides for 70+ years without any denominational bias or influence after leaving the Catholic Church! You can't know the truth if you only listen to one churches interepretation of the Bible that puts "Apostolic Tradition" above what it actually says.
When I was a Catholic, I was a “Catholic Catholic” if there ever was one, in spite of what I saw written in the Bible. I stayed in the church because even though I plainly saw so many errors and false teachings in it, I didn’t want to give up my “Faith”. This is important so I'll address it first before getting into the main part of this study. Over the years I have known many Catholics who said the same thing. Too many people refuse to allow God to correct them because they don’t want to give up their “Faith”, but what exactly does that mean? Faith in what?
Why didn’t I want to give up my Faith in a powerful denominational church run with an absolute control structure telling me what I could do in my life?
Why didn’t I want to give up my Faith in the churches “Apostolic Traditions” using fallible human reasoning and logic as the basis for understanding the Bible, instead of just accepting what God plainly says in it?
Why didn’t I want to give up my Faith in the churches biased translations and misinterpretations with a “spin” on everything God’s own Words actually say in Scripture to make it support predetermined Catholic church beliefs?
Why didn’t I want to give up my Faith in a corporate religion with all the pagan customs and traditions that made my religious holidays like Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, Holy Thursday, and the Lord’s Day so special?
I didn’t want to give up my “FAITH”, my Catholic "religion", because I knew I would alienate my Catholic family whose Faith I was raised in, and who gathered together for Sunday dinner after mass, and who joyfully celebrated holidays together. My “Faith” was something that I didn’t want to let go of because it had become a comfortable habit that I genuinely liked and enjoyed, but that isn’t what Faith is supposed to be all about. That isn’t what religion is supposed to be all about. That isn’t what the way to eternal life is supposed to be all about. My Catholic beliefs were WRONG as God soon showed me!
A person’s “FAITH” that they don’t want to give up should simply be FAITH in God and Jesus Christ, and not some inflexible, man-made religious institution that exercises total control over all its members lives for its own selfish and often political purposes? I mean seriously, that was the “FAITH” I didn’t want to give up for almost 30 years because I focused on the good times I had in the Catholic Church, and not the reality of how it was affecting my relationship with Jesus and obedience to God. I had no idea of the spiritual damage it was doing to me by listening to false Catholic Church teachings and NOT doing what God said in the Bible. My “FAITH” had put me on the pathway to Hell and I didn’t even know it. Then God opened my eyes and called me out of that false church and I became a Biblicist, one who believes what God actually says, His plain Words in the Bible, and not the traditions of men, biased interpretations of Scripture, or the denominational “spin” ministers put on what God plainly says. Most Protestants are not actually Biblicist and I don't claim to be alignment with any Protestant church. God then put me on the path of spiritual righteousness and eternal life in His Kingdom, independant of any religion or some denomination!
How about you? Was my “Faith” in a church the same “Faith” you don’t want to give up in your church? Is your "Faith" in a religion, or a relationshp with God the Father and HIs Son, our Savior, Jesus? Is faith THAT COMPLICATED that we need a religion to tell us what to do? Not from what I now see plainly written in the Bible.
It’s simple. The Word of God is sufficient and it tells us to believe in God, repent of our sins, accept Jesus as our Savior, receive the Holy Spirit, and obey God by doing what He actually says in the bible, and then endure in our faith to the end. That's all it takes to receive His gift of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s it! I no longer have to jump through all the denominational hoops, obey all the Catholic ”church laws”, and play all the religious “games” the Catholic Church had me do in order to be a good Catholic and earn my way into heaven.
So what exactly am I talking about here? What is “behind the curtain” that the Catholic Church doesn’t want you to know? What truth are they hiding from Catholics? Think about this for a moment. Almost every false doctrine, every false teaching, every false belief I write about in the Bible Studies on my websites showing what God actually says in the Bible, are contrary to what the Catholic Church originated, developed, encouraged, and has been teaching for over 1,800 years. The Catholic Church is hiding Biblical Truth from you! They don't want YOU to KNOW what God REALLY SAYS in His Word. They want you to believe their false teachings and dogmas instead for their own purposes.
The early Christian church was first referred to as the "universal church" with the use of the Greek term "catholic," which means "universal". The earliest surviving use of "catholic" to describe the church appears in the writings of Ignatius of Antioch, around 107 AD. So, during the first century the (Universal) Catholic Church got it right, teaching and doing everything Jesus wanted, and not doing things He didn't want. Things began to change in the second and third century, and most false doctrines were made official in the Catholic Church by the fourth cenury.
The first-century Catholic Church, continued to observe and teach resting on the seventh day Sabbath, (Saturday).
The first-century Catholic Church did not celebrate Christmas, or the Nativity.
The first-century Catholic Church did not celebrate Easter.
The first-century Catholic Church did not observe Good Friday as a distinct commemoration of Jesus' crucifixion.
The first-century Catholic Church continued to celebrate Passover.
The first-century Catholic Church did not teach that humans possess an immortal soul.
The first-century Catholic Church did not teach that Christians go to heaven as their eternal reward.
The first-century Catholic Church did not teach that church Elders, (later known as priests), could not marry and have families.
God commands us in 1 Thessalonians 5:21. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good". You can prove with the very Word of God that what you believe is 100% true!
The Catholic Church teaches Sunday, the 1st day of the week as the “Lord’s Day” of rest for Christians. The Church acknowledges that there is no explicit biblical command to move the Sabbath to Sunday but claims authority to institute Sunday worship based on historical apostolic tradition. However, evidence from the book of Acts and early Catholic Church history shows that the followers of Jesus in the Church kept the seventh-day Sabbath. This practice extended to both Jewish and Gentile Christians. In the beginning gentile Christian congregations of the Catholic Church kept the true "Lord's Day" on the Sabbath, as Jesus Himself declared.
The Bible plainly says the 7th day is the day of rest Jesus is "Lord of", and we should definitely do no work on it. The Bible says the Sabbath Day Rest is an eternal institution, to be observed for all generations, and that it was made for all men, not just Jews as the Catholic Church falsely claims. This would include all Christian Believers today. You can see detailed proof about this with your own eyes on my Bible Studies mentioned at the bottom of this page.
The Catholic Church teaches the birth of Jesus on December 25th, celebrating the birth of the SON OF GOD. They do so with the same pagan customs and traditions used by heathens to celebrate the birth of the "Sun God" on the same existing pagan December holiday. The Catholic Church in Rome began officially celebrating Christmas on December 25 in the year 336 AD. First century Catholics did not celebrate Christmas.
The Bible doesn't even tell us to celebrate a man-made religious holiday like Christmas, or the birth of Jesus at all. Early Catholics focused on the time of Jesus' baptism, not His birth. God actually says He "hates" it when we celebrate man-made holidays that He doesn't command in the Bible. You can learn more about this on my Bible Studies mentioned at the bottom of this page.
The Catholic Church began officially celebrating Easter as an annual feast around the mid-2nd century, with the date and method of celebration standardized at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. They chose the day of an established pagan holiday in honor of a goddess named "Eostar", pronounced Easter (Coincidence? Doubtful.) They celebrated Easter with the same customs and traditions that the Pagans used to celebrate their holiday.
The Bible doesn't tell us to celebrate a man-made religious holiday like Easter. There is no biblical instruction to observe a yearly festival commemorating Jesus' resurrection. God says He will punish all those following pagan customs and traditions like those found on Easter." Learn more about this on my Studies mentioned below.
The Catholic Church teaches observing the crucifixion on Good Friday afternoon around 3 PM, and on the same day, a Friday, every year. The church declared the celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday, a day and a half later.
The Bible says Jesus, the Lamb of God, was killed on Passover day, the 14th of the month of Nisan according to God’s Calendar. This day changes every year. The early Catholic Church continued to celebrate Passover, and this included a special remembrance with bread and wine as Jesus commanded at the Last Supper on Passover Eve. Jesus plainly said He would be dead and buried 3 days and 3 nights. He offered this as the final, explicit sign of His identity as the Messiah. It could not be only a day and a half and still be the true sign Jesus gave! The assumption that Jesus used a Jewish idiom that counted any part of a day as a whole day and night, rather than believing that Jesus literally meant what He plainly said, is pure speculation with absolutely no proof! This Biblically unsupported belief allowed for the creation of this erroneous Good Friday crucifixion to Easter Sunday resurrection doctrine. Read my detailed Bible Studies to see with your own eyes what God REALLY says about this.
The Catholic Church teaches a false Greek doctrine that we have an immortal soul that lives forever. If we are saved they claim it goes to heaven, (maybe with a brief stop for "purification" in some place called Purgatory). If we are lost they claim it goes to hell. These Greek ideas about the soul's immortality were adopted by early Christian theologians, even though the concept of an immortal soul is not explicitly found anywhere in the Old Testament. This doctrine only became common in Christian theology after the apostolic era, under the influence of pagan Greek philosophical ideas.
The Bible plainly says, not just once, but TWICE that "the soul that sins shall die". The soul does not have its own immortality. The soul does not have eternal life by itself, either in heaven or in Hell. The Bible says the soul of the wicked can be destroyed and ultimately cease to exist rather than suffer eternally in hell. Immortality is a gift from God ONLY for the saved. You can see proof about this in my Bible Studies mentioned at the bottom of this page.
The Catholic Church teaches us that we go TO heaven as our eternal reward. In the first 2 centuries there was no specific Catholic doctrine about our immediate fate at death. Early Christian creeds and preaching centered on the resurrection as proof of Jesus’s messiahship and the hope of believers’ own future resurrection and participation in God’s kingdom, with the “heavenly reward” concept developing more fully in later centuries. The Catholic idea that souls go to heaven as a reward draws from false Greek philosophical concepts of the soul.
The Bible plainly says no one goes TO heaven except Jesus. Period! It says instead that our eternal reward will be Christians reigning with Jesus as Kings and Priests in the Kingdom Of God on a New Earth instead. You can see detailed Biblical proof in my Bible Studies noted below.
The Catholic Church teaches that God is a 3 in 1 Trinity, just like the Triune God concept believed by 90% of pagan religions throughout history. The doctrine developed over several centuries as church leaders sought to clarify what the Bible said concerning this convoluted pagan concept. Early Catholic theologians like Tertullian didn't even use the term "Trinity" until the early 3rd century.
The Bible says nothing about a 3rd person in a 1 God Trinity. The word isn't even in the Bible. Do you think God the Father simply forgot to mention this in His Word if it was really true? We are talking about the very nature of God here! How could the Bible remain silent on this? It instead shows the Holy Spirit as a spiritual power or force that God breathes upon a believer associated with God's active presence in a person. The Holy Spirit is the very essence, the mind, life and power of God, not a being, but the means by which God interacts with His creation. We have been deceived into believing a totally false doctrine about the Holy Spirit and a Trinity God, due to gross misunderstanding, mistranslation of the original inspired Greek langauge in the Bible, and biased interpretation of God's Word by the Catholic Church.
Shocking allegations right? Have you ever heard such claims before? Do you want proof that this is all true? If you want to see the scriptures yourself that plainly teach what the Bible actually says about these subjects above, and others like them, visit my website .... Does My Church Teach What The Bible Really Says? Most Catholics and Christians will struggle with what I've written above because they have been deceived for so long, are so comfortable with their "Faith", and so satisfied with their churches explanation for all of this, because it sounds so spiriutally logical. I encourage you to read the individual studies and see the truth from the Bible yourself with your own eyes. Don't believe any man, (including me), or any church. See for yourself what God actually plainly says about what you believe!
Before you even go look at the studies on my website I mentioned above, consider all the following false Catholic teachings and doctrines. These dogmas and doctrines are the foundation of the Catholic Church that all other Christians churches came out of. It’s good to know these even if you are not Catholic. It’s even more important if you are Catholic. These are your roots and they are false! The Catholic Church is a master of deception by cleverly mixing truth and error in such a way that in the end it all sounds like Biblical truth. The Catholic Church DOES teach a lot of actual truth to their credit, (abortion, homosexuality, Jesus resurrection, etc.), but on major doctrinal matters they don't always know when to take God's word literally. Their lack of proper understanding of metaphorical, figurative, symbolic, and idiomatic language causes a lot of the problems. Their use of assumption, speculation, interpretation, bias human reasoning, and faulty translation, allows them to create doctrine and dogma that is NOT Biblical truth. It's not their fault. Satan has just done a masterful deception on the original Christian church. Unfortunately most Catholics are comfortable with the lies and don't even want to consdier changing their beliefs even in light of solid Biblical proof.
Jesus often used metaphorical language when teaching.
“I am the door” (John 10:9),
“I am the vine” (John 15:5).
"This is my Body" (Matt 26:26)
Jesus was not literally a physical wooden door, or an actual physical grape vine, or holding His own physical human flesh in His hands. He often uses figurative or symbolic words to represent some important point. The Holy Spirit only reveals the truth of the use of the words if we are totally in alignment with the Bible and God's WILL. If a church has denominational bias in their beliefs, they won't ever get it right!
Biblicists hold to sola scriptura, believing the Bible is the sole infallible authority for faith and practice according to what God actually SAYS in the Bible, not how it's interpreted.
The Catholic Church, however, falsely taught me in the seminary that Apostolic Tradition supersedes what is actually written in the Bible, God's plain Words. Don't let anyone tell you differently! Catholic doctrine proves tradition is used over and over again as they often ignore what God plainly says, His actual words, choosing comfortable religious tradition instead. Apostolic Tradition undermines the sufficiency and authority of the Bible, and introduces Catholic doctrines not really found plainly written in Scripture. Human tradition should NEVER be elevated above God’s Word!
In the Bible God plainly says:
“Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition…" (Mark 7:8-9 & 13)
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy or vain deceit, after the tradition of man, and not after Christ." (Colossians 2:8).
"Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" (Matthew 15:3).
Tradition is the foundation of the Catholic religion, not the actual Words of God in the Bible! If you believe I'm wrong don't just tell me, prove it from Scriptures!
Catholics believe the Pope is the head of the church and successor of Peter who they believe was the "Rock" Jesus was refering to in Matthew 16:18.
".... thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church"
This is a misunderstanding. The Greek word "petros" and the Greek word "petra" used in this same sentence have slightly but significant different meanings. Petros" was often used for a small stone or movable rock, while "petra" referred to a large rock, bedrock, or a massive, immovable formation. Jesus was speaking about Himself as the "Petra", the large "Rock" upon which He would build His church, not Peter, the "Pertos", the "small stone".
The Apostle Paul explicitly identifies Christ as the ROCK in 1 Corinthians 10:4.
"For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ
In Matthew 21:42-44, Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22 and applies it to himself:
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone... And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
Here, Jesus is clearly identifying himself as the "stone" or "rock" that is central to God's plan. The Greek word means "Mill Stone" a large heavy stone that can crush and break into pieces. Jesus often applies Old Testament "rock" prophecies to himself and is repeatedly described as the rock or cornerstone in the New Testament, not Peter.
Nowhere does Scripture declare that Peter exercised authority over the other apostles or over the universal (Catholic) Church as a singular head. Nor does the Bible mention the office of "Pope", the bishop of Rome, or any succession of such authority. The term "episkopos" (bishop/overseer) is used in the New Testament for church leaders in general. Examples include Philippians 1:1, Acts 20:28, 1 Timothy 3:2, and Titus 1:7. In these passages, the word is applied to multiple leaders in various communities, not to a single individual with authority over a city or the entire church. There is no mention of a "bishop of Rome" or any similar singular office tied to Rome in any biblical text. The association of Peter with Rome and the title "bishop of Rome" is rooted in later church "tradition" and Christian writings.
Catholics also teach Papal infallibility. If Peter was the first Pope, which the Catholic Church claims, then how could he make mistakes as Pope, as in Galatians when he was deceived by Judaizers.
"But when Peter came to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed….I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, lives after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" (Galatians 2: 11-14)
There are many other examples of Papal fallibility in history that nullifies this false Catholic teaching. Often one Pope taught exactly the opposite of another. How is this possible if Papal infallibility is true?
Pope Hadrian II (867) declared civil marriage to be valid, but Pope Pius VII (1800-23) declared it to be invalid.
Pope Eugene IV (1431) had Joan of Arc burned alive as a witch, but later Pope Benedict IV in 1919 declared her to be a saint.
Pope Pius XI in 1929 endorsed Fascism and called Mussolini "a man sent by God." History proves the Pope was totally wrong.
The Pope advised the German Catholic Party to vote for Nazi candidates. In 1933, the Vatican and Hitler signed a concordat, where the Catholic Church swore allegiance to the Nazi government. Later on Pope Pius XI condemned Hitler. Popes were, and are, fallible men just like everyone else!
The Catholic Church teaches us to pray to Jesus’ mother, Mary, and dead, so-called “saints”, to intercede to God the Father on our behalf. How can mere dead human beings mediate for us? The concept of additional mediators between God and man is not Biblical. It's an affront to Jesus! The Bible says there is ONE mediator, PERIOD!
The Bible says in 1 Timothy,
"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus". (1 Timothy 2:5)
So why do people pray to Mary and other dead “saints” as our mediators? Do you not believe what the Bible plainly says? Isn’t Jesus powerful enough and sufficient enough to petition God for you?
The Catholic Church teaches that Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life, a doctrine known as the Assumption of Mary. It is believed she died sometime between AD 41 and AD 60. Why is the “Assumption of Mary” up to heaven falsely taught when John plainly wrote in God’s Word 20 plus years later, (between AD 80 and 95), that NO ONE, (and that would include Mary), had gone up to heaven except Jesus? Is the Catholic church right and God is wrong?
“No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven-the Son of Man" (John 3:13)
The Catholic Church teaches the veneration of relics reflecting a belief in the communion of saints and the intercessory power of those who have lived lives of exceptional holiness. But the Bible warns against making or venerating physical representations that could lead to idolatry:
“Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves... Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure...” (Deuteronomy 4:15-16)
The Catholic Church uses graven images or statues of Mary and so-called “saints” in prayer and worship. The members bow to these statues, pray to them, and even kiss them! The Bible clearly teaches against this.
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them:” ( Ex 20:4-5)
The Church obliges Catholics to attend Mass every Sunday, and deliberately missing Mass without a serious reason is considered a mortal sin. Nowhere does Scripture say not going to church is a sin or instruct Christians to go to Mass every Sunday as a repeated sacrifice of Christ. The Council of Trent's strong affirmation of it being a "true and proper sacrifice" and not merely a symbolic meal or memorial makes it appear as a continual or ongoing sacrificial offering. The biblical text insists on the uniqueness and sufficiency of Christ’s one sacrifice, one time, and does not command or describe a ritual that would repeat or re-present that sacrifice as required for believers.
“He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.” (Heb 7:27)
“Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Heb 9:25-28)
“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all... For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.“ (Heb 10:10-14)
The Catholic Church teaches, contrary to the Bible, that our “souls” immediately go to a place called purgatory after we die to suffer and be purged for our sins. Purgatory is an imaginary place between heaven and hell. It doesn’t exist! It is taught because of a "concept" Catholics "believe" is present in some scriptural passages. This kind of conceptual interpretation based on human reasoning is what takes churches down the path of doctrinal error. The Catholic Church did this all the time which caused a lot of false teachinjgs to become accepted as Biblical truth, when in fact they are NOT! The Bible doesn’t ever mention a place of having to spend time suffering and somehow being purified by some means before moving on. They even say you can get out earlier if certain requirements are met. This purgatory concept deceives believers into a false sense of lukewarm security knowing they can avoid going straight to hell because living people will shorten their stay there by gifts of money to the church, masses for the dead, and prayers for their soul in Purgatory. What absolute nonsense that you can buy your loved ones way into heaven with some kind of customary donation or stipend paid to the priest when requesting a Mass for them.
This church teaches a sacrament is “instituted by Christ.” Many so-called sacraments do not meet this definition or pass a Biblical truth test.
The Catholic Church falsely teaches Infant baptism. Jesus did not institute this. The Bible teaches that we have a sinful "nature" at birth but doesn't actually say we have sinned in the womb or somehow have the sin of another person (Adam), in us. Furthermore, "Baptizo" in Greek in the Bible means "immerse"; Babies in this church are “sprinkled”. ("Ramtizo" in Greek) No baby was ever baptized in any way in the Bible. Catholic babies are not being baptized by sprinkling with water. A person must always be saved first, then baptized.
The New Testament examples of baptism consistently involve only adult individuals who have repented of their sins and made a personal profession of faith in Jesus. There is no mention of infants being baptized during Jesus' ministry or in the immediate apostolic period.
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized." (Acts 2:38)
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. " (Mark 16:16)
"And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest."(Acts 8:36-37)
Infants cannot “believe” or “repent of their sin” therefore they cannot be baptized according to what the Bible says.
The Catholic Church falsely requires confession of sins to a priest, a mere man, for forgiveness of sin. They falsely believe he acts acts by Christ’s authority. Catholics are obliged to seek sacramental confession with a priest for mortal sins because the don't believe confessing directly to God is sufficient. This also involves a system of penance and indulgences contrary to the Bible. The concept of making satisfaction for sin through human effort, doing penance, is seen as contradicting the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement for our sins. Belief in indulgences as remission of temporal punishment for sins is not Biblical. Catholic Canon laws 959–989 state that a priest has power to forgive sins, and confession to a priest at least once a year is necessary unto salvation. This is spiritual nonsense! Jesus did not institute this.
In John 20:23 Jesus gave authority to forgive specifically to the disciples present in the room, not to all future disciples. That is a false Catholic interpretation of this verse. It doesn't actually say this. If that were the case then ANY future Christian disciple of Christ, not just a Catholic priest, could forgive anyone's sins. Christian disciples are to proclaim the forgiveness of sins through the gospel. Ministers can declare God’s forgiveness based on faith in Christ, but do not possess the power to forgive sins themselves. The power is seen as declarative, not judicial. Ministers can announce forgiveness already granted by God, not enact it themselves. The Greek verb tense suggests the disciples in that room could declare forgiveness that God has already granted, rather than causing it themselves. There is no biblical basis for the Church’s authority to require yearly confession to a man, or remit temporal punishment for sin through indulgences. The Bible makes it very clear.
Here, David confesses directly to God and receives forgiveness.
"I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin." (Psalm 32:5)
When Simon of Samaria sinned after being baptized he was told to pray to God for forgiveness, not go to some man for confession.
"Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart." (Acts 8:22)
The Bible is very clear. No man can forgive sins.
"Who can forgive sins but God only." Mark 2:5-11
The Catholic Church teaches Confirmation of children, the conferring of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. The Bible plainly says "men", and "women", adults, not children had hands laid on them to receive the Holy Spirit. "But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.... Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit." (Acts 8:12,17)
"When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all." (Act 19:6-7)
The Bible also shows laying on of hands is used to set apart MEN for a ministry, not for children. Nowhere in the Bible does any Elder or Bishop lay hands on a child and “confirm” them, (regardless of whether they are 7 years old, the official "age of discretion" according to "Catholics", not the Bible).
Concerning 7 men of honest report the Bible says this.
"When they had prayed, they laid their hands on them" (Acts 6:6).
"And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away." (Acts 13:3)
The Bible also says, don't ordain pastors suddenly.
"Lay hands suddenly on no man." (1 Timothy 5:22)
"Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you" (1 Timothy 4:14).
When read in context it is plain to see in all these examples that these were all adults, not young children.
The Catholic Church teaches that the priesthood is a sacred office conferred through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. They teach a distinct, ordained, celebate priesthood that rules over ordinary Christians, who acts in the place of Christ. Does the New Testament show any example of the existence of a distinct celebate priesthood apart from the "priesthood of all believers", ALL Christians? There is no office of "priest" in the Bible. The Bible says Christians are all priests, both now and in the future when we will be in the Kingdom of God.
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood…as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:9, 5)
“And [Jesus] has made us to be …, priests” (Rev 1:6)
“You have made them to be …. priests” (Rev 5:10)
The Catholic Church teaches the celibacy of priests. This requirement of celibacy for ministerial servants of God is totally contrary to what the plainly Bible says and has caused much sexual immorality between priests, women and boys. Peter, supposedly the first Pope, was obviously married, because Jesus healed his mother in law.
And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. (Matthew 8:14)
“A Bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife." (1 Timothy 3:2)
"Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas". (1 Corinthians 9:5) (NIV)
The Catholic Church teaches that Transubstantiation (the communion bread and wine physically becoming the literal body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist) is actually taught as fact in Scripture. It is not! They believe that the consecrated communion wafer bread is not merely a symbol, but is changed, truly, really, and substantially into the actual Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. This belief that the communion host is actually Jesus is central to Catholic worship. Again it is found NOWHERE in the Bible. As mentioned earlier. In Luke 22:19-20, the Last Supper, the metaphorical language points to a spiritual or memorial symbolic meaning rather than a literal physical change of the bread and wine. These foods did not change into literal human flesh and blood that the disciples then ate that night during the Last Supper. It was still regular bread and wine that they consumed then, and Catholics still consume now. It was all symbolic! The Bible further clarifies this when it says,
“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life,” (John 6:63. NIV)
This shows a figurative, spiritual meaning rather than a literal one.
There are many more errors, but suffice it to say that these are all false teachings and doctrines according to what the Bible actually says. The majority, but not all of them, were picked up by Protestant churches in the Middle Ages until now, perpetuating the errors and deceiving the majority of Christians to believe false doctrines and teachings contrary to God’s WILL. You don’t have to believe the lies anymore. God will open your mind and spirit to His truth if you are willing to allow Him to use His Holy Spirit to do so. Don’t listen to what deceived men say in an apostate church any longer.
By definition, an apostate church refers to a church or congregation that has turned away from core, Biblical beliefs and teachings, or its practices are removed from biblical Christianity. An apostate church has abandoned or rejected essential Christian truths replacing them with teachings that contradict what the Bible actually says. Does the Catholic Church and most Protestant Churches that have accepted and adopted the errors of the Catholic Church meet this definition of an Apostate Church? What do you think?
As an interesting side note. A Country that was founded on Biblical principles and considered itself a Christian nation can also become apostate. A country can turn away from the core, Biblical beliefs and teachings it was founded on. It can abandon or reject essential Christian truths. It can endorse and support practices that are far removed from the biblical Christianity of its founding Fathers, like the commonly accepted sins of abortions, homosexuality in all of its LGBT variations, pre-marital sex, adultery, pornography, drug use, and even denying the existence of God Himself. If this flip-flop doesn’t describe the United States Of America I don’t know what country it does. Research shows that in the U.S., concern about personal sin and adherence to biblical moral, ethical and social standards is rapidly declining. Is it a coincidence that the new Pope of the probable number one Apostate Church in the world is from the probable number one Apostate country in the world? I don’t believe in coincidence. Wait and see what happens down the road in a few years!
"If a person was baptized Catholic but later leaves the Church and openly speaks against Catholic doctrine, but still claims to be Christian, and willfully, knowingly, and persistently denies Catholic dogma, the Church could label their position as formal heresy".
Dogmas are truths found in "divine revelation", meaning they are contained in Sacred Scripture or Sacred Tradition. Catholic dogma is the highest, most authoritative level of Church "infallible teachings": a revealed truth, solemnly defined and binding for all Catholics to believe as a matter of faith, so yes, I'm officialy a heretic as I have shown you Biblical truth that totally negates the "infalliblity" of these Catholic dogmas, teachings, and doctrines.
Please don't waste your time sending me an email telling me you talked to your priest and he logically refutted everything I showed you, that the Bible says contrary to Catholic teachings. They are trained to refute the plain truth in the Bible and won't hesitate one bit to deceive you with false Catholic biased logic. If you don't believe your priest will do this, read my study that proves he can,... and WILL. "And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14) ESV. You have been warned. Don't trust ANY church, religion, priest, minister, or preacher. Trust the actual Word of God!
Read my study.... Does Satan Rule The World As God Today?
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