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By NiteOwlDave
niteowldave@gmail.com
Some 40 men, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote the 39
books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament.
The Vatican accepts an additional seven New Testament books,
The Apocrypha. Many, if not most scholars, reject these books as being
Canon-worthy.
These books are minimally at odds with the other books, such as in
praying for the dead. In 2 Macabees 12:42-46, in The Apocrypha, it teaches,
"It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead,
that they may be loosed from sins."
The Old Testament was closed and accepted by the Jews from the
time of the Septuagint in 275 BC when the Jewish Scriptures were translated
from Hebrew into Greek.
We must accept that the end result is the conclusive Word of God.
Would the Creator of the universe give us a flawed manual? Hardly.
Here's the timeline for the bringing together of the New Testament.
Once packaged, Rome urged the "faithful" to heed the teachings of the
Canon.
That was excellent, but it raises the question as to why the Church of
Rome has strayed so far today from what the inspired Word of God teaches
us to do and what to avoid.
Were not the Scriptures closed upon final assembly? Yes. Some RCC
defenders point out that nowhere in the Bible does it say that there is no
more inspired documentation.
That begs the question, where in the Bible does it suggest there is
additional inspired material? Nowhere.
Very troubling to the Bible believer is why Rome has taken such an
abrupt left turn in the all-important subject of how a person attains eternal
life.
Let's take a look at some of the things practiced and promoted today
by the Roman Catholic Church as essential for getting into Heaven, but
without biblical basis.
1. Infant baptism
How does infant baptism help us get to Heaven?
Nowhere does the Bible teach that baptism makes a person right with
God. In fact, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:17, "Christ did not send me to
baptize, but to preach the gospel." (Also see Luke 23:40-43 and
Acts 10:44-48.)
2. Going to church
How does going to church or being an active member of a particular
church help us attain salvation?
The Bible teaches that the church is not something that we go to.
Rather, the church is the people of God, the worldwide collective of the
Body of Christ.
Ephesians 1:22-23 states, "He (the Father)...gave Him (the Son) as
head over all things to the church, which is His body (meaning group)."
(Also see 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 and Colossians 1:18.)
I believe that Jesus Christ, your Son, is the promised Messiah and
Savior. I believe that Jesus Christ is God, "manifested in the flesh,"
who died a substitution death on The Cross, shedding His own blood
to atone for my sins.
Because your Word states that salvation is available to all who repent
and believe, I repent of my sins and believe on The Lord Jesus Christ
as the Son of God, and Savior.
26. Tradition granted equal authority with the Bible (1545 AD).
27. Apocryphal books placed in the Bible (1546 AD).
28. Immaculate conception of Mary (1854 AD).
29. Infallibility of the Pope declared (1870 AD). Most Roman Catholics do
not realize that the popes excommunicated each other, argued, fought, and
even killed each other.
30. Assumption of the Virgin Mary (1935 AD).
31. Mary proclaimed Mother of the Church (1965 AD).
Are the above non-biblical doctrines hard and fast laws of the Roman
Catholic Church? Yes.
The late Cardinal Heenan said in January, 1964, "the Catholic Church
has no intention of altering the smallest point of its doctrine." (Universe,
24-Jan-1964.)
The RCC has spun its own interpretation, which in many cases is a
wide wander from the truth and is a direct violation of Revelations 22:18-19,
the fourth- and third-last verses of the last book in the Bible.
They say,
"18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of this book. If
any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that
are written in this book.
19
And if any man shall take away from the words of this prophecy,
God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city,
and the things which are written in this book."
The Roman Catholic Church tramples this warning with the following
proclamations.
2. Papal Infallibility.
"We believe in the infallibility enjoyed by the Successor of Peter
when he speaks ex cathedra as shepherd and teacher of all the faithful."
("Credo of the People of God," Pope Paul VI. Published by the Catholic
Truth Society, page 11, 30-Jun-1968.) Man-made.
3. Transubstantiation.
"The bread and wine cease to exist after the consecration. From then
on, therefore, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus, under the sacramental
appearance of bread and wine, are truly presented before us for our
adoration." ("Credo of the People of God," page 13.) Man-made.
4. The Mass.
"The Mass...is indeed the Sacrifice of Calvary realized on our altars."
("Credo of the People of God," page 12.) Man-made.
5. Mary Worship.
"She (the Virgin Mary) is the shrine of the Holy Spirit. This gift of
outstanding grace makes her outstrip by far all other creatures in excellence
whether they are in heaven or on earth. All Christ's faithful must issue urgent
pleas to the Mother of God and Mother of men." (Vatican II; Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church.)
"Mary's mediation continues in the history of the Church and the
world...and the Church expresses her faith in this truth by invoking Mary
under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix." (Pope
John Paul II Encyclical, "Redemptoris Mater," page 87, 25-Mar-1987.) Man-
made.
6. Salvation.
"Only through the Catholic Church, the universal aid to salvation, can
the means of salvation be reached in all their fullness." (Vatican II, Decree
on Ecumenism, page 11.) Man-made.
"Thou shalt not make to thee a graven thing (image), nor the likeness
of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those
things that are in the waters under the earth.
“Thou shalt not adore (bow down to) them, nor serve them: For I the
LORD thy God, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."
What did Rome do? She split God's Tenth Commandment into two
separate ones!
A Bible believer should not worship (bow before, kneel to, pray to,
pray through, light candles to, or expect sins to be forgiven by or through)
their crosses or churchy icons.
1 Timothy 2:5 states, "For there is one God, and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
Jesus told Peter that upon this Rock (Jesus) He would build His (my)
church. The Church of Rome replaces the Bible's Rock of Salvation with
blasphemous plans of salvation of its own invention.
While the RCC trumpets that Peter was the first Pope, there is no
evidence that Peter was even the top banana in Jerusalem after Christ
returned to Heaven.
The pastor and leader of the Church at Jerusalem was James, the
Lord's brother (Acts 12:17, 15:13-21, 21:18; Galatians 2:9).
Notice in Acts 8:14 that Peter is "sent" by the Apostles along with
John to Samaria. Peter is not doing the sending; somebody else is. If Peter
was in charge, he would be directing the show.
We have listed here much Bible add-on "new truth" promoted very
wrongly by the Church of Rome.
The Vatican runs a tight ship and insists on strict adherence to its
dogma with threats of ex-communications and lengthy shifts in a non-
biblical purgatory with its handy checkbook exits.
The concept of purgatory and prayers for the dead are not found in the
Bible. Doesn't the purgatory idea clearly suggest that Jesus really didn't
finish the job of paying our sin debt? See John 19:30 and 1 Peter 2:24.
Saints Alive!
The Bible tells us that anyone who has placed his trust in Jesus Christ
for eternal salvation is a saint. We do not earn saint-hood status, nor is it a
superhero title that earthly man has the right to bestow.
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our
brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which
are in all Achaia."
A visit to the Catholic Online site, the Saints & Angels section reveals
a lofty lineup of Vatican-selected saints in a manner that almost amuses.
"In 1969, the Church took a long look at all the saints on its calendar
to see if there was historical evidence that each saint existed and lived a life
of holiness.
In taking that long look, the Church discovered that there was little
proof that many "saints," including some very popular ones, ever lived.
Christopher was one of the names that were determined to have a
basis mostly in legend. Therefore, Christopher (and others) was dropped
from the universal calendar."
What, what!? That means that the many millions who prayed and
thanked Saint Christopher for traveling mercies prayed to someone who
never existed or at best was based on a legend.
Where was the outrage from the sheep? The answer is that no one had
the guts to march into the Vatican and yell, "FRAUD!"
This might sound ridiculous, but a solid case could be made for
declaring the RCC a cult, alongside the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses.
This is true of the Roman Catholic Church. The RCC is headed by the
pope who, at times, claims to speak for almighty God. Papal edicts must be
obeyed, without question.
Protestants, by and large, hold that the Bible is the one-and-only truth
source, the Word of God.
The Church of Rome and other "cults" pluck off some or a lot of the
Bible, then adds to it.
What About the Protestants?
Because of the tough stance here against the doctrines of the Church
of Rome, am I suggesting the Protestants have it right?