The Catholic Church- What Many Don't Know

The Catholic Church. Many people refer to this as the original, or first church in the foundation of Christianity. The truth, in fact, could not be further, neither in date, or in practice. The 1st century church that Jesus Christ built was vastly different from what Rome infused into it in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries. Was the Vatican around before then, yes, and you would be surprised at its practices before this time, but it had inherently been in a bid for power...at all costs. Lie upon lie has been laid up and so many people follow the traditions of man over what is in the Bible, the Word of God. We are going to take an in depth look at this church with some of its teachings, professions, and doctrines, and then I will leave it up to you to decide. If you are Catholic and reading this, please do not think I hate or despise you, I am concerned for your soul in eternity. Read with an open mind and let the Holy Spirit guide you.

Ask most Catholics who has supreme authority in religious matters here on earth, and you will be told, the Pope. Why is this? The Catholic church believes that the Apostle Peter was its first Pope, and that chain of command has come down through the ages. When Jesus told Peter, "Upon this rock I will build my church", He was not referring to Peter as the rock. Jesus is the rock, and the foundation. The cornerstone, and without Him there would be no church.

In addition to the Bible, Catholicism also follows tradition and the decrees of the Pope and church councils as religious authority.

"Did God intend that the Bible alone should be the guide to salvation? No, because certain things in the Bible can be misunderstood, and because the Bible does not have everything God taught" - Catechism, p. 51.

"Do we get from the Bible alone all our knowledge and certainty about what God has told us? No, there is also Sacred Tradition … What is tradition? The Word of God handed on to us by the Apostles in their preaching and by their successors in the church to the present day … Do you have to believe in tradition? Yes … we are obliged to accept all the truths contained in the Bible and Tradition…" - Catechism, pp. 9,10.

"Council … assemblies of the rulers of the Church legally convoked, for the discussion and decision of ecclesiastical affairs … The decrees of general councils have no binding authority till confirmed by the Pope … The infallibility of general councils so confirmed follows from that of the Church…" - Dictionary, pp. 227-230.

"Does Jesus require us to follow the Pope in matters of religion? Yes, because obedience and loyalty to the Pope are among the chief requirements of Our Lord's plan for unity … Can the Pope make an error when teaching religion? Not when he is speaking solemnly (ex cathedra) as head of the church. Then he has that special protection from error which God gives as a spiritual safeguard for all the members of the church" - Catechism, p. 56.

1. The original apostles received all the truth we need to guide us to eternal life, and they wrote this down in the Scriptures (John 16:13; 2 Pet. 1:3; Acts 20:20,27; Matt. 28:20; I Cor. 14:37; 2 Tim. 3:16,17).

2. The teachings of these inspired writers can be understood by the common people. We do not need official interpreters to understand the word, but we should use the word to check out the teachers! (Mark 7:14; 2 Tim. 3:16,17; John 20:30,31; Acts 17:11; Psa. 119:105)

3. We displease God when we follow tradition or church laws or any human standard as the source of authority for the church (Matt. 15:1-14; Col. 2:8; Gal. 1:6-9; Prov. 14:12; 2 John 9-11; Jer. 10:23).

"The Pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the Vicar of Christ on earth … is the visible head of the whole Catholic Church … Who was the first Pope? St. Peter, who was made Pope by Jesus Christ Himself … Did Peter's authority die with him? No, it was handed down to a man named Linus, and after he died, it was handed down to another, and so on, during the past 2000 years" - Catechism, pp. 55,56. Below the Pope in the church hierarchy are various levels of cardinals, bishops, priests, etc.

"The law of the [Roman] Church forbids persons living in the married state to be ordained, and persons in holy orders [priests, etc.], to marry" - Dictionary, p. 132.

1. Jesus is the Head, foundation, and chief shepherd of the church (Eph. 1:22,23; Col. 1:18; Matt. 28:18; I Cor. 3:11; Acts 4:10,11; I Pet. 2:3-8; John 10:11,14; I Pet. 5:4; Heb. 13:20). For the church to have two heads (Jesus and the Pope) would be spiritual adultery, like a woman having two husbands (cf. Eph. 5:22-24 to Rom. 7:2,3).

Note on Matt. 16:18 - The "rock" on which Jesus built His church is not Peter, but it is the truth that Jesus is the Son of God (v13-17). In this context, Jesus is not confessing and exalting Peter; rather, Peter is confessing and exalting Jesus! The "rock" on which the church is built (Greek PETRA) is a solid ledge of stone. It is not the same as Peter (Greek PETROS, a stone), but is contrasted to Him. This agrees with I Cor. 3:11 and other verses listed above, which show Jesus is the foundation of the church.

2. Peter had no greater authority than the other apostles (2 Cor. 11:5; 12:11,12). All had power to bind and loose by preaching the gospel guided by the Holy Spirit (cf. Matt. 16:19 to 18:18; John 20:22f; and Mark 16:15,16; John 16:13; Gal. 1:11,12). Peter had the "keys" to be the first one to preach this gospel and open the door to both Jews and Gentiles to enter the church (Acts 2 and Acts 10), but others preached as much and as effectively as he did (I Cor. 15:10).

3. Peter did not fit the pattern of modern Popes. He was married (Matt. 8:14; I Cor. 9:5). He refused to allow men to bow to honor him religiously (Acts 10:25,26). He wore no exalted title such as "Father" (Matt. 23:9).

4. No one today can be a successor to Peter or to any other apostle. Apostles had to be eyewitnesses of the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:21,22; I Cor. 9:1; 15:8; Acts 2:32; 3:15; etc.). Apostles confirmed their apostleship by doing miracles (2 Cor. 12:12; Mark 16:20; Acts 3:1-10; 9:32-42; etc.). Those who received this miraculous power from the apostles, could not in turn pass it on to others (Acts 8:5-18).

5. Marriage is honorable for all, including apostles and bishops (Heb. 13:4; Matt. 8:14; I Cor. 9:5; I Tim. 3:2,4; Tit. 1:5-7). It is a clear sign of apostacy to forbid people to marry (I Tim. 4:1-3).

Catholicism teaches that the elements in communion become the literal flesh and blood of Jesus.

"The Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament in which Jesus Christ is really and physically present under the appearances of bread and wine … The appearances of the bread and wine (taste, smell, color, size, shape, weight) did not change, even though the bread and wine were actually changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus. The substance of the bread and wine are changed into the substance of the body and blood of Jesus. This change is called transubstantiation."

"When does the priest change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus? At Mass, when he says, 'This is my Body. This is My Blood.' …

"What is the Mass? The sacrifice of the Cross, the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, offered in an unbloody manner under the appearances of bread and wine … Who offered the first Mass? Jesus offered the first Mass at the Last Supper when He changed the bread and wine into His Body and Blood … Is the sacrifice of the Mass the same as the sacrifice of the cross? Yes, they are the same…" - Catechism, pp. 69-76.

1. Even after Jesus said "This is my body … This is my blood," the elements were still described as "fruit of the vine," "bread," and "cup." Both statements cannot be taken physically. (Matt. 26:29; I Cor. 11:26-28)

2. Jesus' sacrifice was not repeated, so the mass cannot be the same sacrifice offered today (Heb. 7:26,27; 9:24-28; 10:9,10; I Pet. 3:18).

3. Jesus could not have offered a sacrifice (the "first mass") before He died because the Old Testament was still in effect then, and He could not serve as a priest under that testament (Heb. 7:12-14; 8:4; 9:15,16).

4. Changing bread and wine to flesh and blood would require a miracle. True miracles could always be verified by the physical evidence that the change had occurred (cf. John 2:1-11), yet Catholicism admits there is no evidence of change in the bread and cup. Furthermore, miracles have ceased and cannot occur since the "perfect" written word was completed (I Cor. 13:8-13; cf. Jude 3; James 1:25).

6. "This is my body … This is my blood" refers, not to the physical substance of the elements, but to their spiritual significance. Other similar statements of Jesus are: "I am the door … I am the vine" (John 10:7,9; 15:1,5).

In a memorial, one thing is used to remind us of another thing. The memorial is never physically and literally the thing it reminds us of (cf. I Cor. 11:24,25 to Ex. 12:11-14). If I show you a picture and say, "This is my wife," you do not conclude that my wife is a piece of photographic paper. The picture is a memorial which reminds me of my wife. So the bread and fruit of the vine are elements which remind us of Jesus' body and blood.

Catholicism exalts Mary to a super-human position, and prays to her and to saints.

"…the Blessed Virgin can do whatever she pleases both in heaven and on earth … At the command of Mary, all obey, even God … God grants the prayers of Mary as if they were commands … Yes, Mary is omnipotent … for the queen by every law enjoys the same privileges as the king … Since the mother, then, should have the same power as the Son, rightly has Jesus, who is omnipotent, made Mary also omnipotent … whatever the Mother asks for, the Son never denies her" - Glories, pp. 154-156.

"Catholics believe that the Blessed Virgin was free from all actual sin because of divine tradition confirmed by the Council of Trent" - Question Box, p. 360.

"The Church teaches us that [Mary] was always a Virgin - a Virgin before her espousals, during her married life and after her spouse's death" - Faith of Our Fathers, p. 138.

"…the Eternal Father … besides giving us Jesus Christ, our principal Advocate with Him, was pleased also to give us Mary, as our Advocate with Jesus Christ … He has placed the whole price of redemption in the hands of Mary, that she may dispense it at will .. [T]he way of salvation is open to none otherwise than through Mary .. No one is saved but through thee … Whoever asks and expects to obtain graces without the intercession of Mary, endeavors to fly without wings … [A]ll graces are dispensed by Mary, and … all who are saved are saved only by the means of this Divine Mother…" - Glories, pp. 169,85,143f,8.

"O most pure Virgin Mary, I worship thy most holy heart … It is … well to say the rosary kneeling, before an image of Mary" -Glories, pp. 104,508.

Catholic prayer books contain examples of prayers that members should pray to Mary or to other saints (see "The Confiteor" in Catechism, p. 135, and "Prayer to St. Joseph" in St. Pius X Daily Missal, p. 1031).

"Mary is the co-mediator to whom we can entrust all our cares and petitions" (Catechism 968-970, 2677)

1. Jesus was born from Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). He possessed His divine characteristics in common with God and His human characteristics in common with Mary. Hence, He possesses omnipotence because of His Deity (John 1:1-3,14; Phil. 2:6-11; Col. 2:9; Eph. 1:19-23). But Mary would not share in Jesus' Divine characteristics. To say she is omnipotent would exalt her to the position of Deity.

2. Deity is sinless (Deut. 32:4). Though Jesus has always been God, He came to earth as a man and lived sinlessly (2 Cor. 5:21; I John 3:5; I Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15). All other humans sin (Rom. 3:10,12,23). That includes Mary. To say Mary is sinless would exalt her to Deity and make God a liar (I John 1:8,10).

3. Virginity before marriage is a virtue, but after marriage it is not a virtue (Heb. 13:4). In fact, to refuse the sexual union with one's marriage spouse is a sin because it tempts one's spouse to commit fornication (I Cor. 7:2-5). Jesus had "brothers and sisters" in the very same sense that Mary was His "mother" (Matt. 12:46-50; Mark 6:3). (Note that "sister" never refers in the gospel to a cousin or more distant relative. There was a different Greek word for a female cousin or kinswoman - Luke 1:36.)

4. Jesus is our only mediator and advocate with God in prayer and in salvation (I Tim. 2:5; I John 2:1,2). Only God can dispense forgiveness (Mk. 2:7- 12). Salvation is only through Jesus (Acts 4:12; Heb. 5:9).

5. We worship only Deity, not created beings (Matt. 4:10; Rom. 1:23,25). We must not bow or kneel to any created being or statue in religious honor (Acts 10:25,26; Rev. 22:8,9; 19:10). To honor Mary as Catholics do is idolatry (I John 5:21).

6. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

7. Revelation 15:4 says, "Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy."

8. Romans 3:10 says, "There is none righteous, no, not one."

NOTE: In contrast, Mary said that God is her Savior (Luke 1:47). If God was her Savior, then Mary was not sinless. Sinless people do not need a Savior.

9. There is only one mediator, and that is Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men -- the testimony given in its proper time."

10. Hebrews 7:25 says, "Therefore He (Jesus) is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them."

11. Ephesians 3:12 says, "In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."

Lent: "A fast of forty days preceding Easter … There is no mention in Scripture of the observance of Lent, or, indeed, or any determined time for fasting among Christians" - Dictionary, p. 512.

"What is abstinence? The Church's law of abstinence says that on certain days you may not eat meat … What are the days of obligatory abstinence? Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent" - Catechism, p. 132.

1. The Lord's supper is the only New Testament memorial with any regular, fixed time frequency. It is a memorial of Jesus' death observed each first day of the week (I Cor. 11:23-26; Acts 20:7).

2. Gal. 4:10,11 expressly warns of the danger of giving religious significance to days not authorized by God.

3. Binding that people must not eat meats at certain times is a clear evidence of apostasy (I Tim. 4:1-3).

Catholicism teaches there is, after death, a place of temporary punishment which can be escaped by the merits of other people.

"What is purgatory? A place and state of temporary punishment after death … Who goes to purgatory? Those … 1) who die while guilty of unrepented venial sins 2) who die without having done sufficient penance to pay the debt of the temporal punishment still due their past sins … Where do you go when you leave purgatory? To heaven to be with God … Can you help the souls in purgatory? You can shorten their stay by having Masses said for them, praying for them and doing good works for them" - Catechism, pp. 37-39.

Regarding indulgences, we are told: "The Church has recourse to the infinite merits of Christ … and to the merits of saints who have done penance more than sufficient to pay the temporal punishment due to their own sins … their actions had a penitential character which availed for others if not needed for themselves" - Dictionary, p. 441.

In other words, people in the past did more good works than they themselves needed to get out of purgatory. By meeting the conditions set down by the priest, you can claim the benefit of these good works, so you or a loved one get out of purgatory sooner. That is an indulgence.

1. After death, there will be no crossing over from the place of punishment to the place of reward (Luke 16:26). Hence, our eternal destinies are fixed at the time of death and cannot be changed by anything we or anyone else does.

2. Each person will be rewarded according to what he personally did in the body (Ezek. 18:20; 2 Cor. 5:10). No one's reward or punishment after death can be determined by what other people do.

3. No human has any excess good deeds beyond what he himself needs (Rom. 3:9-18,23; I John 1:8,10; James 2:10; Luke 17:10).

4. God is no respecter of persons. Wealthy people have no advantage over poor people regarding their destiny after death (Acts 10:34,35; James 2:1-9; 2 Cor. 8:12; Mark 12:41-44). But since the priest gets paid to say masses for the dead, the doctrine of purgatory lets people who are rich (or who have rich relatives) escape punishment sooner than poor people.

Catholicism teaches that sins must be confessed to a priest to be forgiven.

"Who has the power to forgive sin today? All bishops and priests of the Catholic Church can forgive sin … What do you have to do to have your sins forgiven? You have to be truly sorry for them and confess them to a Catholic priest … Does the priest merely pray that your sins will be forgiven? No, acting as God's instrument and ordained minister, he truly forgives the sins" - Catechism, pp. 78.

2. "The words 'priest,' 'priesthood' … are never applied in the New Testament to the office of the Christian ministry. All Christians are priests (I Pet. 2:5,9; Apoc. 5:10)" - Dictionary, p. 692. (Note that this is the admission of an official Catholic reference work.)

3. All Christians can pray to God through Christ for forgiveness of their own sins (Acts 8:22; Matt. 6:12).

4. Any Christian can pray for the forgiveness of another Christian; but they only pray - they cannot actually forgive the sin. And all righteous men (not some special priestly class) do this for one another (James 5:16).

These are quotes from authoritative literature, hierarchy, catechisms, and more. There is no scripture, no, not one, which declares that the Sabbath ever changed. Many misinterpret verses that they think give them the right, or justify it by saying that is when Jesus rose from the dead; however, the command of the 7th day being the Sabbath never changed. Where did it come from? How about a few other power plays against God such as changing the Sabbath?

In reference to the Pope: "He can pronounce sentences and judgments in contradiction to the rights of nations, to the Law of God and man...He can free himself from the commands of the Apostles, he being their superior and from the rules of the Old Testament." Roman Decretalia (Decretal de translat. Episcop Cap.)

"The Pope has power to change times, to abrogate laws,and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ." Roman Decretalia (Decretal de translat. Episcop Cap.)

"We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred solemnity from Saturday to Sunday." The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, 1957, pg 50.

"Sunday is our mark of authority...The Church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact." Catholic Record, September 1, 1923.

Speaking of the Catholic Church which is often referred to as she, "She took the Pagan Sunday and made it the Christian Sunday... and thus the pagan Sunday dedicated to Balder became the Christian Sunday dedicated to Jesus." Catholic World, March, 1894, pg 809). Incidentally, Balder is the Babylonian god, Baal.

"Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act, and the act isa mark of her ecclesiastical power." Faith of our Fathers, Cardinal Gibbons.

"The Bible says remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath Day. The Catholic Church says NO! By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week. And lo the entire civilized world bows downin reverent obedienceto the command of the holy Catholic church." Father Enright, American Sentinel, June 1893.

Pope Pius 1566 commanded by council of Trent... "It pleased the Church of God that the religious celebration of the Sabbath Day should be transferred to the Lord's Day (Sunday)." Catechismus Romanus, 1867, Chapter 3.

"Sunday is a Catholic institution, and is claims to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles. From the beginning to the end of Scripture, there is not a single passage which warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first." Catholic Press (Sydney) August 25, 1900.

"You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce religious observance of Saturday." James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers, Pg 89.

And you know what is sad? The Protestant world has never stood up against it? Why, there are a couple verses which seem to be a justification, yet none of them actually do. Look at more.....

"The Christian Sabbath is therefore to this day the acknowledged offspring of the Catholic Church, as spouse of the Holy Ghost, without a word of remonstrance from the protestant world." The Catholic Mirror, September 23, 1893.

"If Protestants would follow the Bible, they should worship God on the Sabbath Day. In keeping the Sunday, they are following a law of the Catholic Church." Albert Smith, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, replying for the Cardinal in a letter dated February 10, 1920.

"Protestantism in discarding the authority of the Roman Catholic Church, has no good reasons for its Sunday theory, and ought logically to keep Saturday as the Sabbath." John Gilmary Shea, American Catholic Quarterly Review, January 1883.

"Not the Creator of the Universe, in Genesis 2:1-3, but the Catholic Church, can claim the honor of having granted man a pauseto his work every seven days." S. C. Mosna, Storia della Domenica, 1969, Pgs 366-367.

"Sunday is founded not on Scripture, but on tradition, and is a distinctly Catholic institution." Catholic Record, September 17, 1893.

"The New Testament makes no explicit mention that the apostles changed the day of worship, but we know it from tradition." The New Revised Baltimore Catechism, 1949, Pg 139.

"The authority of the church could not be bound to the authority of Scriptures, , because the church had changed...the Sabbath in to Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority." Canon and Tradition Pg 263.

Methodists: "Take the matter of Sunday, there is no passage telling Christians to keep that day, or to transfer the Jewish Sabbath to that day." H.F. Rall, Christian Advocate, July 2, 1942.

Presbyterian: "A change of the day to be observed from the last day of the week to the first. There is no record, no express command, authorizing this change." N.L. Rice, The Christian Sabbath, Pg 60.

Lutheran: "The observance of the Lord's Day (Sunday) is founded not on any command of God, but on the authority of the church." The Augsburg Confession in the Catholic Sabbath Manual, part 2, section 10.

Baptist: "There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath day was not Sunday....There is no scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the seventh day to the first day of the week." Edward T. Hiscox, author of the Baptist manual, New York Ministers Conference, November 13, 1893.

"But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?.....But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew 15:3 & 9

"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, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." Mark 7:7-9

Jesus kept the Sabbath! "And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read." Luke 4:16.

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein." Hebrews 13:8-9

"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." John 15:10

And the Disciples continued on honoring the Sabbath!! "And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God." Acts 13:42-44

And what does the God's Word say about those that assume such power and authority as the pope and the Catholic church?

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." 2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4

So it is gut check time. It is one thing when you don't know, it's entirely something different when you do and simply put your head in the sand so as not to break man's traditions. When an organization places itself above God, true Christians should take note, this is the spirit of anti-Christ.No man can forgive sins, no saint nor Mary can mediate for you, and works do not get you into Heaven, only the saving grace of God. We need to remember, Jesus died not only to forgive our sins, but through that forgiveness, allowed us to be able to have a relationship with God again and eventually be in His presence forever.

In His Grace,

Mike Harris

The Catholic Church- What Many Do Not Know