The Roman Catholic Church is by far the largest and wealthiest of all the so-called “Christian Denominations.” It has consistently claimed to be the only true Church – the Church which was founded by Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. In addition, especially in this generation, it has embellished its image and attracted and held members by the claim that it is the one Church which has never changed, All of these claims are false. However, in recent years, the Roman Catholic Church has done a complete about-face, actually boasting of the many changes it has instituted to meet the changing needs of Catholics and non-Catholics alike in this modern age.
Is the Roman Catholic Church the one true Church? Are its past and present teachings and practices Scriptural? How has the Roman Catholic Church changed through the centuries? How much has it changed in our lifetime? Have these changes been basic or superficial? Where is the Roman Catholic Church headed?
The purpose of this article is to turn the spotlight of truth upon Roman Catholicism both as to its past history and present teachings. Our sincere desire is to be of help to Catholics, many of whom are well aware that, in recent years, their church has been Instituting many changes, most of which have left them confused, uncertain, and deeply troubled. For the first time in their lives, many Catholics are raising serious questions about their Church, its leaders, its teachings and its practices. They now realize that their church is not united but divided over issues such as birth control, abortion, divorce, celibacy for priests, women clergy, gay clergy, Papal infallibility, prayer, worship, music, purgatory, confession and even the meaning of the Mass. The moral degeneracy and financial scandals which have rocked the Charismatic movement have also been exposed in the Roman Catholic Church, all the way from the Vatican to the local parish. Confusion reigns supreme and Catholics who take their religion seriously don’t know which way to turn.
A source of further confusion for many is the fact that for centuries Roman Catholics were taught that all those outside its membership were heretics to be shunned, persecuted or even killed. It was not until the middle of this century that the Roman Catholic Church modified and softened its stand by first calling non-Catholics, “separated brethren.” More recently, even that negative connotation has been eliminated so that today, Catholics are to consider “all Christians” to be “brothers and sisters in Christ.”
However, these changed outward attitudes on the part of Roman Catholics toward non-Catholics, and their increasing usage of evangelical terminology, has unfortunately resulted in many evangelicals mistakenly believing that the basic false doctrines and heresies of Romanism have changed, something that simply is not true. Thus, both Catholics and non-Catholics alike should take a fresh look at Biblical, historical and current look at this largest supposedly Christian denomination in the world. If it is the one true Church as it claims to be, then every believer in Christ should become a part of it. But, if it is and always has been a false church, then all who truly believe the Bible and trust Jesus Christ as Saviour will separate from it, warn about it, and urge others to do likewise.
Through our extensive radio and literature ministries, it has been a great blessing to hear from many former Roman Catholics who have been delivered from the bondage of the false doctrines of Romanism; who have experienced the new birth by faith in Jesus Christ alone; and who are doing their best to reach their Catholic loved ones and friends with the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At the same time, it has been a real heartache to realize that so many non Roman Catholics who profess to know Christ as Saviour, have been deceived by the new attitudes and vocabulary of Catholicism so that the Roman Catholic Church is now being accepted by many evangelicals as a sister church with only minor differences rather than the false church which it actually is.
The Truth About the Roman Catholic Church is that it always has been and continues to be a false church. Those Biblical doctrines it professes to believe and teach are vitiated by Roman Catholic dogma based upon tradition which contradicts God’s holy, infallible Word, the Bible. Error is never more deceptive than when it is presented with a veneer of truth. Throughout its entire history, Roman Catholic leaders fit the description of the false teachers who God warned in advance would come on the scene in the last days deceiving many by their “feigned’ (pretended or hypocritical) words their “great swelling words of vanity, ” as described in 1 Peter 2:1-3, 18, 19,
Before examining and refuting some of the well known false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, it is essential to understand that two basic false teachings of Roman Catholicism (even apart from its many other errors), clearly classify it as a religious cult rather than a true church. These two basic errors are:
Firstly, Roman Catholicism, although teaching that the Bible is the Word of God, adds the spurious apocryphal books to the Scriptures, and also elevates church tradition and the edicts of popes and councils (the words of men), to the same or an even greater level of authority than the Word of God. This amounts to adding to the Word of God, thereby placing Roman Catholicism under God’s curse. Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18, 19.
Secondly, Roman Catholicism, although teaching that faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation, actually denies the truth of the Gospel by adding sacraments, good works, and purgatory as additional requirements for forgiveness of sin and eternal life. This amounts to the preaching of a false Gospel which places the Roman Catholic Church under God’s curse. Gal. 1:6-10.
Thus, by Scriptural standards, the Roman Catholic Church is a false church which can only expect God’s judgment, not a true church which can claim God’s blessing. No amount of outward change should be permitted to obscure this fact.
As for the claims of the Roman Catholic Church that its history can be traced back to Jesus Christ, Peter, or the other apostles, such claims lack both historical and Scriptural support. The true Church of Jesus Christ was not founded upon Peter, but upon Peter’s confession of Christ’s deity as recorded in Matthew 16:16: “.. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. ” Peter was not the first pope nor is there any Scriptural justification whatever for such an office. Peter’s own inspired testimony as to his position and ministry is given in I Peter 5:1-4. He further identifies himself in 2 Peter 1:1 as “a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ….’ History confirms the fact that there were no popes in the early church nor even in the Roman Catholic Church during the first centuries of its existence.
Furthermore, the long-held claim that the Roman Catholic Church was the only church which never changed is not supported by church history not even Roman Catholic history. How sad to realize that this false claim influenced so many to join or to stay in this false church which actually is the product of centuries of changes. Most of these changes came as a result of yielding to heathen customs and practices which were subsequently incorporated into Roman Catholic teachings and worship.
The following is a partial list of heathen, unscriptural practices which became a part of Roman Catholic dogma over a period of seventeen centuries. Some of the dates given are approximate. In many cases, these heresies were even debated for years before being given the status of required beliefs:
Although some of the preceding Roman Catholic heresies are now being questioned by many, both inside and outside the church, none have been officially repudiated and all continue to be practiced by millions of Catholics around the world. The urgent need today is for Roman Catholics; yes, and all who claim to be Christians, to examine their own beliefs and the teachings of their churches by the only sure standard – the Bible. Whatever contradicts, adds to or subtracts from the sixty-six books of the Old and the New Testaments, is error no matter how many may cling to it.
Roman Catholics who read the Bible will soon discover that many Catholic teachings and practices are specifically forbidden by Jesus Christ Himself. Note carefully the following warnings given by the Lord Jesus Christ to the religious leaders of His day concerning vain worship, vain tradition and vain repetitions. All of these are particularly applicable to Roman Catholicism today. Vain worship: In Matthew 15:8-9, Jesus said, ‘This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the command men of men.” All worship is indeed vain when it is based upon the commandments of men rather than the Word of God. Vain tradition: In Matthew 15:6b, Jesus said, ‘Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. ”
[Note: Valid tradition is based upon Scripture and confirms it. Vain tradition is based upon man’s teachings and violates it. In Roman Catholicism, tradition is consistently elevated above the Scripture which results in vain worship (no matter how sincere) and makes the commandment of God of no effect – a very serious matter.]
Vain Repetition: In Matthew 6:7, Jesus said, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” A basic part of Roman Catholic worship is the frequent repetition of The Rosary whose origin is clearly tied to heathen religions such as Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism. Roman Catholics should listen to the words of Christ forbidding vain repetitions, rather than using the vain repetitions of Catholicism.
During the past forty years, at least three important trends in the Roman Catholic Church are clearly observable. These are: (1) A greater emphasis upon the place of Mary. (2) A major emphasis upon ecumenical activities with a view to seeking the full visible unity of all religions. (3) The acceptance of the so-called Charismatic renewal within the Church with new emphasis upon the claimed “ministry of the Holy Spirit.” There is every reason to believe that all of these major trends will continue and increase; and, all of them are very deceptive, very dangerous, very unscriptural.
The place accorded Mary in the Roman Catholic Church is not Scriptural nor is it new, but it cannot be denied that, during the last one hundred years, veneration of Mary has dramatically increased, Note in the historical chart given earlier in this article that the exaltation of Mary and the term, Mother of God, became official Catholic dogma in 431 A.D.). with prayers to her proclaimed in 600 A.D. But, note also that the “Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mat)@” was not proclaimed until 1854; her “Assumption” not until 1950; and her title “Mother of the Church” not until as recently as 1965.
Some Roman Catholic observers believe it may not be much longer until Mary is officially proclaimed “Co-redemptrix with Christ.” In fact, the premier issue of a new Roman Catholic publication, Catholic Heritage (Vol. 1, No. 1, Sept-Oct 1991) has the front page title: “Mary, Mother of the Church,” and, in a Question and Answer column, the question is asked, “At the foot of the cross, Mary shared in the mystery of the passion. True or False? Answer: True. Mary united her sorrows to those of hey Son. The sorrowful and immaculate heart of Mary bled with her Son for all of mankind. For this reason, we invoke her under the title of Co-redemptrix.”
All of the popes during the past thirty years have done their part to increase the influence of Mary in the Roman Catholic Church based completely on tradition rather than upon the Bible. In the August 28, 1975 issue of the official Vaticannewspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, Pope Paul VI, speaking of the ceremony celebrated the day before in St. Peter’s in honor of the Madonna at the Feast of the Assumption of Mary said, “Her venerated image, known as Salus Populi Romani’ was carried in procession from St. Mary Major’s as part of the Holy Year ceremonies, so that the overflow crowd of pilgrims, coming from all parts of the world, could see it and thus increase their devotion to her. In this way we should all be reminded of the meaning and practice of the cult of Mary, inseparable from the unique and central cult of Christ …Let us pray to her with humble, trusting and childlike faith.”
Did you know that the present pope, John Paul II, has dedicated himself completely to Mary? In 1985, during his visit to Vancouver, B.C., the special souvenir edition of B. C. Catholic carried a full I page color photo of the pope under the caption, Totus Tuus which, in Latin, means” all yours. “The following explanation was given, “When Karol Wojtyla was consecrated bishop of Cracow by Pius XII in 1958 he took, ‘Totus Tuus’ (all yours) as his motto, thus presenting himself to Mary. In his first Urbi et Orbi message immediately after being elected pope he said, “At this difficult hour, full of fear, we must turn our thoughts with filial devotion to the Virgin Mary who always lives in the midst of Christ and exists as his mother. We must repeat the words, Totus Tuus which 20 years ago were inscribed into our heart and soul.”‘
Pope John Paul II has visited many of the major Shrines to Mary. He attributed his escape from death at the hands of a would-be assassin and the overthrow of communism in Eastern Europe to the intervention of Mary. Millions of Catholics are making pilgrimages to the various Marian shrines, seeking and often claiming miracles of healing and answers to their prayers to Mary. New apparitions of Mary and special messages from her are being claimed in various parts of the world. Yet, there is absolutely no Scriptural foundation for any of these beliefs or practices. Mary was indeed a virgin (pure sexually) so that she could fulfill the Old Testament prophecy that Christ would be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14). She was a godly woman, but not sinless. As with all true believers in Christ, when Mary died, her soul and spirit went to heaven, but her body awaits the resurrection; she did not bodily ascend to heaven as did Jesus Christ. Nothing in Scripture indicates that prayers were ever offered to Mary nor that she was worshipped by anyone. Most of Roman Catholic teaching concerning Mary is based entirely on human tradition and contradicts the Bible, the Word of God.
The present ecumenical emphasis and activities of the Roman Catholic Church are also of recent origin. When Vatican Council I was held in 18691870, the invitation of the pope to the Orthodox Churches to participate was refused; and, his public appeal to “Protestants and all non-Catholics” to return to the only true fold” received resentful refusals. However, in the intervening years it became increasingly obvious to the Roman Catholic hierarchy that their church needed some serious updating, particularly with regard to relationships with other churches. In 1960, Pope John XXIII established the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity; and, in 1962, he convoked Vatican Council II which he called “An ecumenical council for the universal church.”
Less than a year later, Pope John XXIII died, but his successor, Pope Paul VI, who had attended four sessions of Vatican 11 before becoming pope, did everything possible to continue and expand the ecumenical emphasis. His expressed position was that the Roman Catholic Church could best demonstrate the validity of its teaching, not by condemnation or severity, but with the “medicine of mercy.” His emphasis was upon “working for the full visible unity in truth among all Christians” and that this unity should extend also to non-Christians. This new approach of Vatican 11 was successful in gaining the co-operation of the major Orthodox Church bodies as well as 38 delegated observers from almost all the major Protestant denominations. Of course, Pope John Paul 11 has expanded the ecumenical emphasis in the Roman Catholic Church to unprecedented heights. While this has received high praise from religious leaders and denominations, the kind of unity sought by the Roman Catholic Church is contrary to the Bible. All unity purchased at the expense of doctrinal purity is satanic and deceptive. 2 Cor. 6:14-18, Eph. 5:11, 2 Tim. 3:1-17; 4:1-8. All who join hands in ecumenical fellowship with those who preach a false Gospel are under God’s curse. Gal. 1:6-10.
Palo Mayombe
Palo Mayombe is the dark side of Santeria and is said to be the world’s most powerful and feared form of black magic. The difference between Palo Mayombe and Santeria is those who practice the religion of Santeria profess to use the forces of light to achieve their goals and magic spells, while the members of Palo Mayombe use the forces of darkness. Many members of Santeria avoid being associated with Palo Mayombe. 
Palo Mayombe has a very long history, originating in the African Congo and transported to the Caribbean during the Spanish slave trade to Cuba and Puerto Rico in the 1500s. The influence of Palo Mayombe can be found in Central America, Brazil and Mexico. In Brazil it is known as Quimbanda, a mixture of traditional Congo, and is indigenous in India and Latin American spiritualism It has its own priesthood and set of rules and regulations which will vary according to the Palo Mayombe house to which a practising individual – called a Palero – has been initiated into. It is a very strong and powerful form of black magic.
The Roman Catholic Church was infiltrated by the false teachings and unscriptural practices of the Charismatic Movement in the early 1960’s. Its influence within Roman Catholicism is growing rapidly. As always, the devil has a very clever way of compounding error while giving the results a more respectable appearance. Space limitations prevent a more comprehensive consideration of its past and present approaches but we have prepared other articles providing important details to all who might be interested in knowing why the Charismatic Movement and its teachings are so deceptive and dangerous. Once this movement became entrenched in the Roman Catholic Church, RCC leaders were quick to see that it would be to their advantage to encourage these teachings rather than to oppose them. They discovered that they could use the Charismatic doctrines and practices to help build the Roman Catholic Church by considering it a logical and needed “renewal movement within the church.”
An added factor was that those who had supposedly experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit felt a greater love and respect than ever for the Roman Catholic Church, including the Mass, the other sacraments, the veneration of Mary and all the other false teachings of Roman Catholicism. Many people are attracted to the displays of hearings, miracles, and other supposed demonstrations of Holy Spirit presence and power, not realizing that if this were a true ministry of the Holy Spirit it would lead them to a recognition and repudiation of the false teachings of Roman Catholicism. The Charismatic Movement, both within and outside of the Roman Catholic Church is not a movement of the Holy Spirit, but of a false spirit. John 16: 7-14; 2 Cor. 11:13-15.
Adding to the religious confusion of our day is the inconsistent, compromising position taken by the world’s two outstanding evangelical leaders, Dr. Billy Graham and Dr. Bill Bright. Both of these men now praise and work with ecumenical apostates, charismatic deceivers and Roman Catholics which represents a complete reversal of their original, Biblical positions. Both are widely respected and have charming personalities, but their present willingness to work with anybody who “calls Jesus, Lord” completely ignores the warning Christ gave in Matthew 7:21-23. Billy Graham now sends Catholics who make “decisions” in his crusades back to the Roman Catholic Church with no warning of the false Gospel it preaches. Bill Bright even has Roman Catholics on his Campus Crusade staff. Both men thus disobey the Bible.
What about the Mass which lies at the very heart of Roman Catholic theology and worship? Is its observance based upon Scripture or Catholic tradition? What does Roman Catholicism teach as to its meaning and importance? The Baltimore Catechism says: “It is a mortal sin not to hear Mass on a Sunday or a holy day of obligation, unless we are excused for a serious reason. They also commit mortal sin who, having others under their charge, hinder them from hearing Mass without a sufficient reason.”
The Creed of Pope Pius IV, an official creed of the Roman Catholic Church says, “I profess that in the Mass is offered to God a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice (that is, a sacrifice which satisfies the justice of God and so offsets the penalty for sin) for the living and for the dead; and that in the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist there is truly, really, and substantially, the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ; and that there is a conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the blood, which the Catholic Church calls Transubstantiation.”
The Council of Trent declared: “The sacrifice (in the Mass) is identical with the sacrifice of the Cross, inasmuch as Jesus Christ is a priest and victim both. The only difference lies in the manner of the offering, which is bloody upon the cross and bloodless on our altars”; and, in Canon I stated: “Whosoever shall deny that in the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist there are truly, really, and substantially contained the body and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, together with his soul and divinity, and consequently Christ entire, but shall affirm that he is present therein only in a sign and figure, or by his power, let him be accursed.
But what does the Bible say concerning the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the Cross? Hebrews 10:10-14, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man [Jesus Christ], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.”
What a difference there is between what the Bible teaches and what Roman Catholicism believes and teaches regarding the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross! The supposed continual offering up of Christ by the priests negates His finished work on the Cross. The Bible says, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” (I Peter 3:18)
“Roman Catholicism makes salvation a long, complicated process with no assurance of eternal life and forgiveness of all sin; to faith in Jesus Christ is added Baptism, the Mass, Confession, prayers to Mary and the Saints, good works, and purgatory.”
“By contrast the Bible teaches salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone, not by sacraments, prayers or works:”
“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.” (Eph. 2:8-9)
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” (Titus 2:13)
“Bible salvation is God’s free gift to any sinner who believes with the heart that Christ died for his sins and rose again for his justification:”
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” (1Cor. 15:1-4)
“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. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom. 10:9-13)
“Bible salvation gives immediate assurance of eternal life:”
“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 this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (I John 5:10-13)
Carefully read and believe:
“But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (John 1: 12)
“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. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36)
“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)
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:1-6)
“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. No church ever saved anyone, but Christ can and will save everyone who will come and trust Him as their Saviour.” (John 20:30-31)
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.” (John 10:27-30)
“Trust Christ today and be saved for all eternity!”
Mostly but not all by M.H. Reynolds, reprinted from Foundation Magazine, Vol. XIII,
Fundamental Evangelistic Association, Box 6278, Los Osos, CA 93412 – USA
Further information:
The Secret Truth of Roman Catholicism
Dirty Secrets of the Roman Catholic Church
Prayer for Renunciation of Catholicism I
Prayer for Renunciation of Catholicism II for Release from the Strongholds of Jezebel
Prayer for Renunciation of the Jezebel Spirit and to Break Jezebelic Curses
Rise of Global Church of Lucifer
Mystery Babylon The Great
Ecumenism and New World Order
The Reformation and the Jews and The Shocking Truth about Martin Luther
Rehearsing What God Has Done – Testimony of Shaun Willcock
Mission to Catholics
Truth in Reality 
Word of God Almighty endureth forever!
God bless you and may He lead you into truth, because your understanding of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church (the Catholic Church) and the liturgy of the Church, established by God Himself, is completely erroneous, biased, ahistorical and NOT in accord with truth or reality. I am asking the Blessed Mother of God, Mary Most Holy, and Glorious Saint Joseph, the Holy Apostles, and all God’s angel and saints (“He is not God of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.” [Mark 12: 27] and I know that you are already saying to yourself, “See, they worship Mary”, or something similar) to pray for you and help bring you to the fullness of truth which resides only with the Church established by Christ, namely the Catholic Church, wherein Our Holy Father Pope Francis and all the bishops of the world who are in communion with him preside as successors of the Holy Apostles and as guardians of the truth.
I think you need to re-read the article and above all, read the bible.
Verses from the bible are already laid out for you.. read them again.. those are the words of god… you dont believe the word of God? So what do you believe is true? Then the source of that truth that you believe is your god and not the god of the bible.
We do believe the Word of God. It is you who do not, or else you never dare to speak against the Sacraments Christ established. Christ Himself declared, “Unless you eat My Flesh and drink My Blood, you have no life within you.” When questioned on this point, He repeated Himself more emphatically, “Unless you gnaw on My Flesh and drink My Blood, you have no life within you.” Those who could not abide this teaching departed to perdition. Did you know that the Anointing of the Sick forgives sins according to the Bible? “Is anyone among you sick? Let him send for the presbyters, and they will anoint his head with oil and pray for him, and the prayer of faith will save him, and the Lord raise him up, and if he has committed any sins, they will be forgiven him.” He we have the Bible saying the opposite of what Protestants say: It is not the prayer of the sick person, but the prayer of the presbyters which saves him, and his sins are forgiven based on this. Martin Luther wanted to rip the entire Epistle of James out of the Bible because he could not abide this teaching. How about Confirmation? Acts 8 records an incident where there were those who believed and were baptized, but the Holy Spirit did not come upon them, because they had not received the Laying of Hands. The Apostles went forth to lay hands on them, and only then did they receive the Holy Spirit.
Verily, whoever speaks against the signs of the Covenant speaks against the Covenant. What would have become of the man that said, “I believe in the God of Abraham, and I am circumcised. Adding these sacrifices and festivals perverts the Covenant God made with Abraham, and Moses is a heretic for commanding us to do them?” Verily, God would set his face against that man and cut him off from the midst of his people, as indeed he did to Korah and to Dathan.
Thank you for your comment. We would like to point out that the long statement of belief (164 words) on a blog site you have mentioned that purports to be Christian does not mention the name of Jesus a single time. Considering that there is no other name by which men must be saved, that would suggest there could possibly be something not quite right with what has been said.
With all due respect, although Mary herself said she was blessed among women for having Jesus as her son, nowhere in the Bible does it say that Mary is the ‘Mother of God’ and nowhere in the Bible is Joseph called “Glorious Saint Joseph”.
The Bible clearly tells us to “call no man father” and “do not use vain repetitions as the heathens do”.
There is no evidence to suggest that all the bishops of the world are in communion with Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us something else entirely, which is that Jesus is the ONLY mediator between God and man and no one goes to the Father except through Him and that is one of the reasons for the existence of this site and others like it.
Mission To Catholics
I commend your devotion to Jesus and I truly think it is great that you are exposing the evils of reiki etc. but you are misled on the Catholic church. I love Jesus Christ with all of my heart and it is for that reason that I will never leave the Catholic church which is the church Jesus founded. I think you have a poor understanding of the Bible and have been blinded by believing lies about God’s church. If you read the old testament right through to the new testament, it speaks of tabernacles, vestments, holy temples, priests and living bread from heaven. All of which are in the Catholic church. Read John 6 – 53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Also, the Blessed virgin Mary is the new ark of the covenant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=momjlXorYo4
Also,to quote from Frank Sheed -“We are not baptized into the hierarchy, do not receive the cardinals sacramentally, will not spend eternity in the beatific vision of the pope.” “Christ is the point. I myself admire the present pope, Paul VI; but even if I criticized him as harshly as some do, even if his successor proved to be as bad as some of those who have gone before, even if I sometimes find the Church as I have to live in it a pain in the neck, I should still say that nothing a pope could do or say would make me wish to leave the Church, though I might well wish the he would. Israel, through its best periods as through its worst, preserved the truth of God’s Oneness in a world swarming with gods and the sense of God’s majesty in a world sick with its own pride. So with the Church. Under the worst administration – say as bad as John XII’s a thousand years ago – we could still learn Christ’s truth, receive his life in the sacraments, and be in union with him to the limit of our willingness. In awareness of Christ, I can know the Church as his Mystical Body. And we must not make our judgment by the neck’s sensitivity to pain!”
In Matthew 23:2 Jesus said – Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: 2“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.…”
As the Pharisees sit in Moses seat, so the Pope sits in Peters seat in the church Jesus established. But like the Pharisees, the Popes are also prone to error but yet can never change the commandments of God though they can succede in leading others into error which they will answer for.
As prophesied by God’s saints and by Our Lady who God exalted to queen of heaven because she was the most humble before God, the church has, is and will be attacked by the devil right to the point that satan will enter the church and attack it from within and may even corrupt it to the level of the pope in the end times but as Jesus promised the gates of hell will not prevail and just when the enemy thinks they have won, Jesus Christ will be triumphant as always and using his earthly mother who is the ark of his new covenant will crush the serpents head.
attend a catholic burial ceremony and get to see contrast of true christian teaching….
i v personally observed from the neighboring catholic church that roman beliefs mean more than the prophecies and teachings of the old testament and teachings of the new testament…
apostle Paul was much conversant with pharisees teaching, roman statutes, and many other philosophies… he abandoned all this to preach pure gospel of Christ…remember he had a first hand revelation…
no where does he show superiority of Joseph nor Mary…
even john the baptist who had the biggest privilege of baptizing Jesus.. who had own disciples… who the disciples of Jesus highly acknowledge especially when he was beheaded is no where worshiped or homaged…they never read, refer to or interpret the book of revelation
currently in our community, Catholics who are getting saved i.e converting and truly testifying Christ as their Savior and letting go all this traditions of considering Mary to be their intercede are being excommunicated… because they realize
in the garden of Aden, man created Adam and give eve as a helper…
they realize even the priests back in old testament had wives and were used by God as the mediators for his people… they realize that we are n longer under the curse of the law for Christ made a curse for us by being hanged on the cross ….
The Catholics you see leaving the church and becoming protestant, what do you think that is ? They are taking part in the great apostasy. The great apostasy is the rejection of Jesus Christs true church. Think about it, if the other christian churches are filling up, then how are the other churches going to have apostasy ?
Do you OBEY the TWO(2) Greatest Commandments spoken of by the Lord YAHSHUA HAMASHIACH Himself who said: “(1) Love the LORD Thy God/Elohim (to mean YAHWEH) with all your BODY, SOUL and SPIRIT, and (2) Love Thy neighbors as thyself…”?? I*F you DO, then there is NO possibility that you are NOT an ELECT of YAHWEH. And that’s the Gospel TRUTH of YAHSHUA / YESHUA HaMashiach! HalleluYAH.
If you really love someone, you will tell them the truth.
they are being excommunicated by fellow Catholics
Your article is long on scripture quotes, mostly condemning false practices, but almost entirely lacking in any that bolster your claim that Catholicism contravenes teaching. You lean on the bible as if it just appeared ab inicio, not as as if the Old Testament was organized by the Jews a couple of hundred years AFTER the crucifixion and almost 150 after the Temple was rededicated to Apollo. You blatantly ignore Exodus where we are told that those who do not participate in the Passover meal to be cut off from the people, and that in John’s gospel Jesus says unless you eat his flesh and drink his blood, you have no life within you, and that Jesus repeated the words of the Last Supper twice after he died, each time saying it was his body and his blood, which precludes any misunderstanding that this was what he wanted his disciples to do. Acts tells that the first disciples did this, and how one problem was that the poor did not have bread to bring to the meal. This is the testimony you rely on to refute the Mass? You mentioned the personal revelation to Saul/Paul, and ignore where he himself mentions how sad it would be if he, after having brought so many to Jesus, would, himself, not make it because of something he might do to offend the Lord (sin).
Finally, you deny that the Holy Spirit is guiding the followers of Jesus, by raising up the scriptures as supreme, yet in Acts we see that the Apostles saw Peter as first among equals, saw that they held a conference in Jerusalem, and decided what they should do BEFORE the book of Acts was written. Was that scriptural at the time? No, but they had the Holy Spirit and the authority Jesus gave to Peter to shepherd his sheep. You imply . . . no, you boast that authority is gone, and the Holy Spirit is little more than a reference librarian when you tell us that our faith must be the same as that of those 2000 years ago, and that we cannot know more than that because God would not allow it. It’s not as if the Jews had their understanding broadened by the Prophets. Nope. God gave Moses the law, then Jesus was born of a woman who was, it would seem, NOT his mother and saved us. Any thing the prophets said must have been in the the Pentateuch . . . or are you a latter day Samarian?
The Bible tells us a great deal about the Holy Spirit and this article lists what the KJV Bible tells us.
The True Holy Spirit
Thank you for all your references with all the scriptures on the Holy Spirit. It is really helpful. Earlier I was trying to read your article on the Holy Spirit but was discouraged reading the scriptures in the KJV version. Would it be possible for you to use a more understandable version, in future. The old KJV is too arduous. I was even wondering if your choice of Bible version had something to do with misplaced “tradition”…?
I speak especially for those not familiar with obsolete wordings and turns of phrases and disused verbs in English. I was not brought up an English speaker, and I struggle with that version. I think many English speakers do too. Most are happy with NIV or even NAS.
(I am not suggesting The Living Bible; “God forbid!”, I nearly hear you say. ) 😉
I think you and I have a different take and understanding of the Charismatic Movement. If you mean by that the prosperity gospel, especially in America, I entirely agree with you. If you mean the move of God and of the Holy Spirit in the early seventies among all denominations, and also the Pentecostal movement after Azusa street revival, I disagree with you. It was truly the Lord who reached out to us in denominational churches, who would never have had a chance otherwise to have encounters with Him and life changing experiences.
For me, it was 45 years ago that I was transformed, renewed, delivered and born again, although I did not know the term, by the love of God and the infilling of the Holy Spirit (with, I have to tell you, the ‘evidence of speaking in a new tongue I had never learnt’ as Jesus said we would in Mark 16 , I know you disagree with the experience!).
It happened at a Catholic charismatic conference, in the old city of Paray-le-Monial, in the heart of France where Jesus had revealed His heart to a young woman in a vision many years previously.
I received then a huge thirst for reading the Bible that I could not put down for years. As a result, after five years of trying to share my faith and my experience of the Holy Spirit and feeling frustrated, the Lord allowed me to leave the Catholic Church.
You are very right in that article, in the last 25 years or so I have seen a revival of the place of Mary in the Roman Catholic Church which has horrified me. They say a Hail Mary at the end of every mass, I think.
The medium sized processions to Mary on the 15th august of my childhood which had fizzled out completely in the 80s and early 90s I think, which I thought was a good thing, are now in full swing with hundreds of people. I’m talking about Brittany. But not this year because of Covid-19.
So this was to say, can you use another version than Old King James ?
Greetings! While your–just recently read–treatise on the purported falsehoods of Roman Catholicism are a bit enlightening; still you make no statement of the vast array of the Fundamentalist Religious Segment of Christianity–which, to say the least–is in various fractionated and often conflicting sects – To Wit: There’s the Jehovah’s Witnesses and their particular take; and the Assemblies of God People and their take (their insistance on Glossalalia and the “Rapture Event! Not, to begin to mention the Christianity by Ordeal;; Snake Charmers etc…etc.! Then there’s the self styled Evangelists: Rex Combard; Garrner Ted Amstrong and Brother Firpo–all of whom have their particular: “take” on Evangelism! Who is to be believed–let alone as “Gospel Truth”?? It is all so VERY, VERY INCOHERENT AND CONFUSING–TO SAY THE LEAST! An alternative to
Catholicism–or Responsible Protestant Denominations? HARDLY! Thank You! Tom Adams (tomtech115@yahoo.com)
Satans 2 most successfull deceptions, roman catholicism and islam.
A roman catholic once sad to me that he’s saved because he was baptized as in infant! That’s what they believe! I told him what the Bible says: that we must be baptized with the HOLY SPIRIT! Thank JESUS CHRIST for paying for your sins on the cross and HIS resurrection on the 3rd day!!! It must come form the bottom of your heart and don’t forget, JESUS is GOD, see John 1! Water baptism is an act of obedience for born again Christians! FATHER, SON and HOLY SPIRIT = one GOD in 3 persons.
How can an infant be saved? There is no such thing as an “age of accountability” in the Bible, but rather the dreadful warning that a son of Abraham who was not circumcised on the eighth day was cut off from his people, and that God even threatened the life of Moses, his chosen deliverer, because he neglected to circumcise his son at the appointed time, sparing him only because his wife circumcised their son then and there.