The Teaching of the Catholics

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by

Robert Piña
in

Introduction: The Catholic religion has two non-biblical sources of authority, The catholic Douai-Rheims bible and the catechism of the Catholic church. 

The Catholic Religion Believes: 

  1. Salvation Plus Works- A person can either go to heaven, hell, or purgatory depending on if they died in a state of grace or not. The Catholic gospel is based on the catholic church, sacraments, and the pope.  “The seven sacraments are the necessary means established by Christ through which his redeeming, life-giving, sanctifying grace is imparted to individuals’s souls… If you don’t receive the sacraments, at all, you don’t receive grace”. 
  • In other words- a person must believe in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ plus be or get baptized. They believe in Infant baptism or adult baptism, if you can to the Catholic faith later in life (Vatican II, Constitution on Sacred Liturgy, Chap. 1, I, 5, 6, pp. 23-24). 
  • A person must also continue in the sacraments of the Catholic church. 
  • According to I Corinthians 15:1-4 and Ephesians 2:8-9, salvation is based on a person’s faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 1:16 “For I am not shamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth”. 
  1. Purgatory is a Place After Death– (A state or place of purification after death; in which the souls of persons are purified by expiating (destroying or removing guilt) such offenses committed in this life as do not merit eternal damnation). 2 Maccabees12:43-46. Furthermore, a person can be prayed “out of purgatory”. A Catholic is taught to pray to Mary and to dead saints for help. Luke 16:22 -23 “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments”.  
  1. Church Tradition is Bible– Church tradition has the same authority as the Bible, it allows the church to hold strange doctrines that people have to hold or else they’re in error. What ever the pope decides to set in place for the church is what everyone must follow. (We find, welling up between Christ and the Scriptures, the living teaching of the church guarding and explaining the truth. Through every gap and rift in the Bible message gleam the clear waters of tradition Karl Adam, One and Holy, pp.78-79). II Peter 1:19-20 “We have also a more sure word of prophecy…vs 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation”. We have a perfect and complete Bible. II Timothy 3:16-17 the Bible is able to give us all that we need without adding anything to it. 
  1. Mary Was Born Sinless– (The Immaculate Virgin was preserved from from all stain of original sin- Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution of the Church). “By this, they believe that Mary is the mother of Jesus, and since Jesus is God, Mary is the mother of God”. 
  • Paul never prayed to Mary. Paul is the apostle to the gentiles and we follow him. 
  • Luke 1:46-47 “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour”. 
  • I Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”. It’s not Mary, its Jesus Christ.
  1. The Lord’sSupper is Literal– Through a process called “transubstantiation” the priest will literally turn the bread into the literal body of Christ and the wine into the literal blood of Jesus Christ, this is called the Eucharist. Luke 22:19-20 this is done as a representation, not literally. It is to remember His death, broken body, and spilt blood. Before the Law- Genesis 9:3-4 “don’t eat flesh and blood”. During the Law- Leviticus 17:11-12 “shall not eat blood”. After the Law- Acts 15:20&29 “Abstain from blood”. 
  1. In Confession to a Priest– The present day priest has the right to hold or forgive mans sins. (The priest at the altar is at Mass as Jesus was on Calvary. His function is to bring God to men and raise men to GodHe consecrates and he sacrifices L.G Lovasik, The Eucharist in Catholic Life, Pg95). James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one to another, that ye may be healed”. (A fault is an error, lapse, or defect) Not confess your sins, which are offenses, trespass, or fall. I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. Hebrews 10:11-12  Priest offer sacrifices that can never take away sins. Jesus Christ offered one sacrifice for sins for ever. Matthew 23:9 “And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven”. 
  1. In Idolatry- The Catholic church makes it okay to have all kinds of statutes and images in their churches and in peoples homes. They believe it is okay to pray unto them and ask them for special favors. Just go to any Catholic church and it is immediately noticed. Exodus 20:4 “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: vs 5 Thou shalt not bod down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God”. Psalm 115:4-8 “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands…” 

Conclusion: These are only a few of the things the Catholic Church believes and abides by.