Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
For the sake of brevity, anyone who calls himself or herself "Christian", and who
is not Catholic or Orthodox, I have grouped all of the existing tens of thousands*
of individual non-Catholic sects under the single title of "Protestant" in this
writing. I realize that many would prefer not to call themselves Protestant, but
any Christian who is not active in the Catholic Church is making a protest
against the only Church which Jesus Christ founded whether they care to admit
it or not.
The word protest comprises the first seven letters of Protestant.
I am acutely aware that not all Protestant sects fit the mold of all of what I have
listed here, but with tens of thousands of different sects, it is impossible for me,
or anyone else, to tailor each topic to each individual sect, while simultaneously
keeping the document to a reasonable length.
"You shall not do as we are now doing; here, everyone does what seems right to
himself..."
Deuteronomy 12:8, a verse ignored by Protestants since they do these things.
"In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what he thought best."
Judges 17:6, 21:25, verses accepted by Protestants.
"(13) And Jesus came into the quarters of Cesarea Philippi: and he asked his
disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is? (14) But they said:
Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the
prophets. (15) Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? (16) Simon
Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. (17) And
Jesus answering said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh
and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. (18) And
I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (19) And I will give to thee the keys of
the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be
bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed
also in heaven."
Matthew 16:13-19
The above verses are a prime example of personal opinions contrasted with
doctrinal truth.
In verse 14 through 17, all but one of the disciples had nothing to offer but
personal opinions expressed by mere human creatures (as it is read in vs 14,
'some', 'other some', 'others', and in vs 17, 'flesh and blood'), and ALL OF
THEM WERE WRONG, save for one, Simon Peter.
Simon Peter was the only one to receive this revelation from GOD, and in so
doing he was the only one to express the truth, by GOD given authority. Since
GOD never changes, who would have the audacity to be so bold as to deny that
GOD does the same today as He did then, by giving His one representative of
authority on earth the fullness of doctrinal truth?
Now that we know what Holy Scripture has said, what do Protestants, who claim
to follow Holy Scripture, do about these verses? All of Protestantism is based
solely on personal opinions of men and women, and not on doctrinal truth. "If it
feels good for me, then that is all that matters", so they say. So where does an
attitude like this lead them, but to differences of opinion, squabbling, and finally
endless splitting of the Body of Christ. Go back and re-read those verses above.
GOD is not concerned with anyone's personal opinion, but only for those who
speak His doctrinal truth.
Protestants attack the Catholic Church by saying there is no need of a Pope.
Well, they should look in their own back yard first, because each Protestant acts
as his or her own pope. There are millions of "popes" in Protestantism, and all of
them are running around claiming that their personal opinion regarding the
interpretation of Scripture is the truth. Are there really millions of truths? I
thought Holy Scripture said there was only one truth.
Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism, lamented as he said these things
after he had seen the damage that individual interpretation of Holy Scripture
had done to his movement,
"This one will not hear of Baptism, and that one denies the sacrament, another
puts a world between this and the last day: some teach that Christ is not God,
some say this, some say that: there are as many sects and creeds as there are
heads. No yokel is so rude but when he has dreams and fancies, he thinks himself
inspired by the Holy Ghost and must be a prophet."
De Wette III, 61. quoted in O'Hare, THE FACTS ABOUT LUTHER, 208.
So how do they get back to doctrinal truth as GOD demands from all of us?
Truth is one and it is a person. There is only one truth.
To have only one truth you have to have only one authority, the same one
authority which was given to Simon Peter alone.
Is the Holy Spirit really prompting millions of Protestants, all of whom are
interpreting Scripture for themselves on an individual basis, and with so many
opposing viewpoints?
This question leads us to the next topic, that of "The Holy Spirit Told Me".
The "Holy Spirit Told Me" Error:
There are three "Spirits" from whom we may receive prompting. They are:
1. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. 1John 4:6
2. The human spirit within each one of us. 1Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12
3. The evil or Demonic spirit which comes from Satan, the spirit of error. 1John
4:6
All of Holy Scripture was written by people who were inspired by the Holy
Spirit. This being so, the Bible is inerrant. It has to be, as it came to us under the
inspiration of GOD.
Psalms 127:1 is Holy Spirit inspired and it says that there is only one Church, the
one founded by GOD Himself, and that in all others, the members labor in vain.
Isn't it interesting that teachings of the Old Testament are stressed anew in the
New Testament? Ephesians 4:1-6 repeats what is said in Psalms with a list of
many "ONES" including only ONE faith in verse 5. These verses have clearly
said that the Holy Spirit guides only the one Church which GOD founded, and
none other.
See John 16:13, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the
truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will
speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."
There are hundreds of millions of Protestants, all interpreting Scripture
individually by mere personal opinion, and with all of them claiming "The Holy
Spirit Told Me".
How can this possibly be, when every doctrine taught by one sect is denied by
another, except for the existence of GOD? One claims the "spirit" told them to
worship on Saturday, another makes the same claim except they were told
Sunday. One says the "spirit" told them not to baptize infants. Yet another
makes the same claim from the "spirit", but insists they were told just the
opposite, they must baptize infants.
One claims they were "told" to have communion once a week, yet another was
"told" once a month, and yet a third was "told" quarterly. You can readily see
that I could go on and on down through the whole list of beliefs and find one
which teaches one way and another to the contrary.
Since GOD is one, with only one truth and with only one Holy Spirit, how could
that one Spirit of truth be prompting those who have contradicting viewpoints?
Again, we look to Holy Scripture for the answer.
"And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has
given to those who obey him." Acts 5:32. See Acts 15:8 also.
Aha, so the Holy Spirit is given only to those who obey GOD. And who are they?
In what I have shown so far, how can any of those sects with opposing
viewpoints, be in obedience to the one truth of GOD?
Was Martin Luther in obedience to his superiors (Hebrews 13:17) when he
started the Protestant revolt all the while blaspheming his superiors at the same
time?
Just who do you suppose is creating all of this confusion between the Protestant
sects?
The answer is that the Holy Spirit cannot, and will not, for GOD cannot deceive
us, Isaiah 53:9, Hebrews 6:18, 1Peter 2:22, and He certainly cannot contradict
Himself, 2Timothy 2:13.
Since truth is one, GOD cannot lie, Titus 1:2. There cannot be opposing
viewpoints with each claiming to be of the truth. Common sense tells us that in at
least half of the opposing viewpoints the truth has to be compromised.
So now, just who is the liar and the Father of Lies? See John 8:44 for the answer.
1Corinthians 14:33, "For God is not the author of confusion..."
If GOD is not the author of confusion, then who is?
I would suggest that you re-read Psalms 127:1 and Ephesians 4:1-6 again, for of
the three choices of "spirits who told me", we have eliminated the first one.
There are only two choices left.
Which one of those remaining two is prompting Protestantism?
This leads us into the next topic, that of authority.
Holy Scripture has a lot to say about authority, as to just who has it and who
does not, and how important a central authority is to the understanding of truth.
However, Protestants have consistently rejected all authority. They simply
rejected what they never could have had from the onset of their revolt. However,
rejection of authority is anti-Christian and anti-Bible. Since they have rejected
his Church, haven't they rejected Jesus Christ and the Father as well? Luke
10:16 has clearly told us that they have.
"Obey your prelates and be subject to them. For they watch as being to render
an account of your souls: that they may do this with joy and not with grief. For
this is not expedient for you."
Hebrews 13:17
Was Martin Luther and the other leaders of the Protestant revolt obedient as
this verse demands?
"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him
alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the
evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the
church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a
Gentile and a tax collector."
Matthew 18:15-17
So what does this verse tell us as to where the final authority is to be found?
What is the name of that Church, since it is still with us? To what Church would
you go in order to obey the command of Jesus Christ in those verses if you lived
in 110, or 450, or 1025, or 1490? Can you name it?
There are many verses which warn against forsaking GOD given authority
regarding His Assembly (O.T.) or Church (N.T.) which He bestowed upon
prophets such as Moses
Exodus 3-40, and on the Apostles John 20:21-23, and to their successors,
Hebrews 13:7-8, 13:17.
Read of Mariam and Aaron as they complained against the authority of Moses in
Numbers 12:1-15, (3) "Is it through Moses alone that the Lord speaks? Does he
not speak through us also?"
GOD became angry with this remark, since He had previously chosen to speak
through his one and only father figure, His "vicar" on earth, Moses.
Consequently he turned Mariam into a leper.
Read of the rebellion of Korah against the GOD given authority of Moses in
Numbers 16, and pay especial attention to what happened to Korah, and to his
followers in Numbers 16:31-35.
His ending, and that of his followers is not pretty to say the least.
Which person in any of the now 39,000 Protestant sects has any authority at all?
Who has the over all authority to separate truth in teaching from the pitfall of
error?
"The Lord says, "These people worship me with their mouths and honor me
with their lips. But their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is based
on rules made by humans."
Isaiah 29:13
"Jesus told them, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites in
Scripture: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from
me. Their worship of me is pointless, because their teachings are rules made by
humans.' ""
Mark 7:6-7
The fact that the man-made "rule" of Sola Scriptura cannot be found in
Scripture proves it to be a "rule made by humans", and this makes it
diametrically opposed to Holy Scripture and the words of Jesus Christ.
Since Scripture is not self authenticating, and is not self teaching*, and does not
specify which books within it are inspired, how can the Protestant know that the
book to which he holds is inspired at all?
*Acts 8:30-31, 2Peter 3:16
Sola Scriptura has failed this most basic test. It is not Biblical. It is certainly not
historical before the Protestant revolt. It could not possibly have worked before
the invention of the printing press when Bibles became plentiful. It could not
possibly have worked when 95% of the masses were illiterate. From the evidence
I have presented in this essay, it simply could not, and does not, and never will
work. Protestantism fabricated this false man-made doctrine of Sola Scriptura
simply because they have nothing else to work with.
When Martin Luther came along and broke from the Church which Jesus Christ
founded, which had already existed for almost fifteen hundred years, and which
was on its 218th in a line of Popes going all the way back to St. Peter, he created
the first Protestant church. It was 1521. He was not alone in doing this but
almost immediately he and Thomas Munzer had a "difference of opinion" and
Munzer broke from Luther and formed the second Protestant church, also in
1521. The splits in Protestantism had begun and continue at a feverish pace to
this very day. In 1600 there were 100 splits. In 1900 there were over 1000. Today
there are at least 39,000 splits in the Body of Christ in Protestantism with new
ones being added every week, and the end is not in sight.
"Has Christ been divided up?" 1Corinthians 1:13, yet another verse ignored by
Protestants.
This is the legacy one receives as a "reward" for 'rule by opinion' which is
forbidden by scripture, insisting that 'the Holy Spirit told me' when He did not,
'Sola Scriptura' which is not scriptural, and 'rejection of an authoritative
governing body', which is against the commands of Scripture
(Matthew 18:17, Hebrews 13:17).
"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me
scatters."
Matthew 12:30, Luke 11:23
With, 39,000 different non-Catholic sects in the world today, just who is doing
the scattering?
It is obvious from the verses listed that 'he who scatters' is against the gatherer,
Jesus Christ.
These and many more denials of Catholic teaching come from Protestant scoffers
and doubters as they attempt to transpose Divine miraculous happenings into
mere human undertaking.
What these scoffers and doubters are really saying, is that, 'He who has created
the universe and everything in it out of nothing, and sustains it all by virtue of
His will, found it to be impossible do these things'.
In their denial of the examples which I have listed, Protestants have done nothing
other than to impose limits upon an unlimited GOD.
The scoffers and doubters with their narrow and limited insights, ignore these
words of GOD,
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says
the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher
than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9
Some of the false charges made by Protestants against the Catholic Church, due
to their mis-interpretation of Holy Scripture. Cases in point:
*Mary had "other children".
*Holding to the Sabbath.
*Peter had no Primacy.
*The Papacy is not scriptural.
*The Catholic Church could not be the Church which Jesus Christ founded, as it
does not match what Scripture says regarding the primitive Church.
*The Holy Eucharist is merely a symbol and could not be the Body of Christ.
Didn't Jesus Christ say in many verses that it is His Body? Did He say anywhere
that it was only a symbolic gesture?
*The seven churches mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3 are said to be various
Protestant churches. That is one of the most ridiculous claims of all, with
Protestants grasping at straws, and using wishful thinking. To make it simple, by
using today's English, those seven Churches were parishes in different cities of
the same one Church which Jesus Christ founded. In easy to understand terms,
they were all founded by the same Apostles who were all infused with the same
truth by the same Holy Spirit at the same time at Pentecost. They all taught only
one truth, so all of those Churches were in the same one fold, and were not in
seven different opposing Protestant folds.
The seven Churches are merely an extension of Acts 1:8 where Jesus said this to
the Apostles:
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you
shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem (local) and in all Judea and Sama'ria
(expanding to surrounding areas) and to the end of the earth (expanding over the
whole earth)."
How could this ever be accomplished except by establishing Churches in all areas
of the world?
The Protestant Acceptance and Rejection of Holy
Scripture Error:
This is known as Smorgasbord or Cafeteria Christianity. I have already
presented several verses which are rejected or ignored by Protestants.
"I will accept this verse because it feels good (again) for me, and I will reject that
verse because it does not fit in with what I believe", so they say. I have already
presented many verses of Scripture that are completely ignored by Protestants.
By their actions, rather than by their words, they contradict their claim to follow
Scripture to the letter.
Here is just a sampling of several more verses which Protestants either reject or
ignore in addition to those already mentioned:
Matthew 16:18, Jesus said He would found "A" Church. He did not say churches
did He?
John 10:16, And there shall be ONE fold and ONE shepherd.
Where did Jesus say there shall be 36,000+ folds as there are in Protestantism
today?
Luke 1:48
"For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; "
"Henceforth" means from the moment she said it. "All generations" is all of
humanity from the time she said it until the end of time. The word "will" is a
command and not a mere suggestion.
In all of my stack of correspondence from Protestants regarding the Mother of
GOD, from many years ago to the date of this writing, not a single Protestant has
ever called her blessed. I must point out a second time that this verse is not a
suggestion, but a command, and it is a command from GOD. The Archangel
Gabriel called her blessed in Luke 1:28. Angels speak for GOD. Elizabeth called
her blessed in Luke 1:42, and those words of hers came from being filled with the
Holy Spirit in the previous verse. GOD called her blessed more than once, so
what possible excuse can Protestants, who claim to faithfully follow Holy
Scripture to the letter, have to not call her blessed as well?
Dear Protestant; Do you call her blessed? No? Then why are disobedient to Holy
Scripture?
John 6:53, So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the
flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;"
Did He say to eat and drink a symbol of His flesh and blood? What does the
"Truly, Truly, I say to you" mean to you? We have already established that
truth is a person. That person is Jesus Christ. When "Truth" Himself said
"truly", twice in that verse, is that indicative of being a symbolic statement, or of
a reality?
Do you "truly truly" believe what "Truth" Himself said here?
Or perhaps, are you one of those in John 6:66 who refused to believe Him and
walked away from Him, abandoning His truth? Did you notice the 666
connection in that verse?
It is too bad that Protestants do not see the typological connections between the
Old and New Testaments. Did the Hebrews and Jews "symbolically" sacrifice
animals, or did they, in fact, sacrifice real animals? Read the book of Leviticus
and find out for yourself.
Malachi 1:11, all day in every place there is offered sacrifice, and there is offered
in my name a clean oblation. How many Protestants sects offer sacrifice at all, let
alone every day?
Matthew 28:19-20 says that Jesus Christ will be with His Church every day in
every century until the end of time. This theme is repeated in Ephesians 3:21 and
in John 14:16. Why then do Protestants insist that the Church which Jesus
Christ founded apostatized at some unspecified time after the last Apostle died?
By saying this, aren't they calling Jesus Christ a liar?
"He who does not believe the Son, makes Him a liar." 1John 5:10
There are over 50 verses in the Bible in which hell is mentioned. Matthew 23:33,
Mark 9:43, and Luke 10:15, are but three examples. Yet in some Protestant sects
the existence of hell is denied. Imagine how much space in the Holy Bible those
50 plus verses and the related verses cover, and you can readily see that a large
segment of Holy Scripture is denied by them.
1Corinthians 11:22 warns not to despise the church of GOD, "What! Do you not
have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the Church of GOD and
humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend
you in this? No, I will not."
Later in this essay, I will show you how some Protestant sects do indeed despise
the "Church of GOD" by calumnizing it and spreading lies about it.
Throughout this document, I have listed many more verses which are ignored by
Protestants.
"All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied
with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and
what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said, "See, this is new"? It has been already, in the
ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any
remembrance of later things yet to happen among those who come after."
Ecclesiastes 1:8-11
Protestants are afraid to read authentic historical documents written before their
revolt in the 16th century, because they fear what they may find written therein.
One of the most famous converts to the Catholic Church from Protestantism,
Cardinal John Henry Newman, wrote in his introduction to his "Development of
Doctrine" treatise,
"To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant". Newman set out to "prove"
from historical documents that Anglicanism was the "true" church, the Church
which Jesus Christ founded. What he found by extensive researching of genuine
historical documents was that it was not the Anglican church which Jesus Christ
founded, but the Catholic Church. From the overwhelming evidence which he
found, he immediately converted to the "true Church", the Catholic Church.
What happened to the Christian Church after Acts 28:30? Aren't you the least
bit interested? Did historical progress of the Christian Church end abruptly
there and then? Absolutely not!
Show me a period in Church history where the events of the time were not
recorded by historians and scribes?
I challenge all Protestants to read what has been recorded regarding the history
of Christianity, and to start with genuine historical writings beginning in the first
and second centuries. These are available for free on the Internet, and I have
provided two URL's for them in this link, so those who have no funds do not
have an excuse not to read them.
Aren't you the least bit interested in your Christian heritage, the struggles and
martyrdoms of your Christian ancestors who led us to where we are today? If
you call yourself a Christian, you certainly should be. Put yourself in John 16:12-
13 and note that the verses use future tense, which means coming revealed truths
by the Holy Spirit. It is the development of Scriptural doctrine over many
centuries. These century by century incremental steps are recorded in many
authentic historical documents and are available for all to see. Read for yourself
the progress of knowledge of the original primitive Christian Church down
through the centuries.
I must add that if you refuse to read the history of Christianity, then you must
have a closed mind, a subject of which I will deal later in this document.
1. This one has better child care while I attend the services.
Yes but Jesus requested that the little children to come to Him, Matthew 19:13-
15.
How can they when they are kept away from the services?
2. I like the singing in this one better. Yes but you cannot sing your way into
heaven.
3. Mine has a better Sunday school. Yes but only if they teach the truth.
4. I like the preacher in mine. Yes but there are many likable preachers all over
the place.
5. I enjoy the fellowship. Yes but GODship comes before fellowship.
6. I feel more comfortable with their beliefs because they fit better with my
beliefs.
Need I say more?
7. The distasteful things like the existence of hell and other subjects are not
mentioned.
Sometimes the truth hurts, but regardless of that, truth cannot be suppressed,
Romans 1:18.
8. It is not authoritarian, and rigidly structured.
Yes but the absence of authority breeds chaos, as we have already seen in
Protestantism.
9. Believe it or not, I have heard, "I like mine because it has a parking lot which
is easier to exit".
How is that for an excuse?
10. Then there is the error of the heresy of indifferentism, a false belief that all
religions are of equal validity. Therefore, it does not matter to which one I shall
go, so I will pick the nearest one.
The only valid reason to search for a Church is to find the true and only Church,
the one which the Lord GOD, Jesus Christ founded. We must not labor in vain in
those churches which were not founded by GOD, but were founded by mere men
or women, as Psalms 127:1 so clearly cautions.
"In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his
own eyes."
Judges 21:25.
This is not GOD's way, for GOD cares not for the opinions of men (Mark 12:14).
Sadly, Protestants consistently try to bring GOD down to our human level in a
feeble attempt to explain away these things by mere human terms, as I touched
upon in a previous topic.
They fail to see that GOD's laws which bind us, do NOT bind Him as well.
I have one all encompassing answer for Protestants for every one of the above
false charges which they make against the Mother of GOD.
Are you saying that GOD, who created everything out of nothing, and who
sustains all things by the power of His will, could not do these things?
When we all meet our maker at death, I would much rather have Him say to me,
"Welcome, for My mother has spoken of you often", instead of what He might
say to those who calumnized and degraded her, "Why did you do these things to
My mother?"
What would any good son or daughter say to those who would dare to degrade
his or her mother?
Jesus honors His mother. After all He did write the ten commandments,
including "Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother", did He not? Don't you
think He obeyed His own commandments and honored His own mother and set
an example for us to follow? Didn't He obey her motherly commands for at least
30 years (Luke 2:51)? Name another woman who was gifted with the ability to
tell the creator of the universe what to do, and have Him obey her?
Why then do Protestants, who claim to follow Scripture to the letter, fail
miserably when it comes to honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary?
Can they do less than the Lord Jesus Christ did for His mother?
Aren't they supposed to follow in His footsteps in the same way as Catholics do
(Matthew 16:24)?
What do they think they will gain by degrading and calumnizing the mother of
Jesus Christ?
3. The Catholic Church was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the
fourth century.
This charge is absolutely untrue. Constantine founded no Church, but merely
allowed Christianity to exist without Roman persecution, as his "Edict of Milan"
very clearly said.
No Protestant can produce a single authentic historical document to "prove" this
false charge.
Luke 6:37, "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will
not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;"
Romans 14:13, "Let us not therefore judge one another any more. But judge this
rather, that you put not a stumbling block or a scandal in your brother's way."
James 4:11, "Do not speak evil against one another, brethren. He that speaks evil
against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges
the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. "
How does anyone know who goes to hell? Do they, who make this false charge,
think they can read the mind of GOD? Only GOD knows who goes to hell and
He does not tell us.
Why then, do Protestants who claim to follow the Bible, make this judgment
upon Catholics?
Why is it that those who spread lies and calumny about the Catholic Church
never have any authentic historical documents to "prove" their false charges?
Why is it that Catholics can provide authentic historical documents, which
Protestants refuse to read, and yet Protestants in turn, cannot provide any
authentic historical documents that Catholics ask of them? In the years I have
asked for proof from scores of those who make these false charges, I have never
even once received documented "proof" of what they charge.
The reason for their lack of "evidence" is most certainly that the lie cannot be
"proven".
I would suggest that those who make these false charges, to please open their
Bibles and read
Revelation 21:27.
Those who persecute the Catholic Church, persecute Jesus Christ Himself, since
the Catholic Church is His Body (Ephesians 1:22-23), whether Protestants choose
to believe it or not.
In Acts 7:54 to 8:1-3, Saul had been persecuting the Church which Jesus Christ
founded (8:3) and in Acts 9:4, Jesus Christ said,
"Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me?"
Why didn't Jesus Christ say instead, 'why dost thou persecute my Church'?
"But these men, as irrational beasts, naturally tending to the snare and to
destruction, blaspheming those things which they know not, shall perish in their
corruption:"
2Peter 2:12.
This is yet another verse ignored by those Protestants who calumnize
Catholicism.
"Fear not, for I am with thee: turn not aside, for I am your GOD. I have
strengthened thee, and have helped thee, and the right hand of My Just One hath
upheld thee (almost 2000 years now). Behold all that fight against thee
(Protestantism) shall be confounded (split into 36,000+ pieces) and ashamed, they
shall be as nothing (Psalms 127:1...again!), and the men shall perish that strive
against thee (heretics, calumnizers and liars, past, present, and future)."
Isaiah 41:10-11
Didn't Jesus say, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone..."? John 8:7
Now if Protestants would just look in their own back yards, they would find that
the percentages of their own clergy accused to be even higher for the same crimes
than for Catholic priests . You do not hear much about those cases however,
because the liberal media has always set a higher priority for bashing the
Catholic Church whenever the opportunity arises.
However, we do recall the huge scandals perpetrated by Jimmy Swaggart, James
Baker, Jim Jones, and Jesse Jackson, just to name a few Protestant figures.
Have you ever noticed that when you point your finger at someone else, you have
three of them pointing at yourself? Try it and see?
The Protestant Error of Deriding What They Do Not
Understand:
It would seem that normal human curiosity would prompt all of us to search for
the truth. Even if we refuse to search for it of our own free will, Holy Scripture
demands it of us (Romans 1:18,2:8).
Some Protestant sects, however, constantly deride and blaspheme Catholic
teaching without ever bothering to find out whether what they deride is true or
not. Looking at their actions from a Catholic point of view, they appear to
display a hatred for the Catholic Church which is greater than their love for
GOD. Anyone who loves GOD, searches for Him, since He is truth personified.
"But these men, as irrational beasts, naturally tending to the snare and to
destruction, blaspheming those things which they know not, shall perish in their
corruption."
2Peter 2:12
"But these men revile whatever they do not understand, and by those things that
they know by instinct as irrational animals do, they are destroyed."
Jude 1:10
I have just presented four more verses in this lone topic which are not recognized
by Protestants.
A companion to this topic follows next...
1. The charges that Peter was not the first Pope, that Peter was never in Rome,
are proven false by scores of authentic historical writings which date in every
century all the way back to the first century. However, Sola Scriptura believers
reject all written history before the Protestant revolt, just as if history had come
to a standstill for fifteen hundred years, except if they can twist it to support
their false beliefs.
"The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and
with pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who
are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore
God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so
that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in
unrighteousness."
2Thessalonians 2:9-12
"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having
itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own
likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths."
2Timothy 4:3-4
"But if you have bitter jealousy and contentions in your hearts, go not glory and
be liars against the truth."
James 3:14
"But because I speak the truth you do not believe me. Which of you can convict
me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me?"
John 8:46-47
"And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust
from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it shall be
more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomor'rah
than for that town."
Matthew 10:14-15
I am forced to conclude that Protestants are not interested in finding the truth,
but are interested only in their own agendas.
Closed minds are closed to truth. Closed to truth is closed to Him who is Truth,
and to His Word.
This observation leads us to the next topic.
People with open minds, at least will listen to other viewpoints, and through
research, study, and prayer, will make careful decisions as to which viewpoint
has objective truth, which in itself will lead them to objective certitude.
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any
excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
Philippians 4:8
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth." Romans 1:18
"...but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness,
there will be wrath and fury." Romans 2:8
Well, there you have it. How are those with subjective certitude, resulting in
closed minds, ever going to be able to even find the truth?
The answer to that one is that they will not ever find the truth unless they open
their minds.
Scripture, as I have shown, commands us to have open minds so we can explore
all avenues presented to us in our search for the truth.
Protestants claim, that they follow Scripture ONLY.
I have noticed that they tend to do so only when it agrees with their personal
opinions, each with their own individual "subjective certitude".
However, Holy Scripture has clearly said that we must search for the truth, and
no one can do that while harboring a closed mind.
This behavior is commonly displayed among many, but not all Protestant sects.
The opposite of pride is humility. The opposite of disobedience is obedience.
Please show me the Scripture verses where Jesus Christ taught us to be arrogant
and not humble. Please show me where He taught disobedience instead of
obedience? He was both humble and obedient throughout the Gospels. Aren't we
supposed to imitate Him? He was obedient and displayed humility to His mother
and foster father after He was found in the temple (Luke 2:51), and to His
mother at Cana (John 2:3-10). Just imagine, here is the creator of the universe,
in humble obedience to a mere creature whom He had created. He was obedient
to Pilate, to Herod, to Roman rule (Mark 12:17), even to His death on the cross.
"He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will
be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12
"Likewise you that are younger be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, ALL
OF YOU, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but
gives grace to the humble.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he
may exalt you."
1Peter 5:5-6, more verses ignored by Protestants.
For those Protestants who exalt themselves due to unmitigated arrogance, how
can you possibly justify your actions in the face of what Jesus Christ has set for
us as an example to follow?
Where is humility in Protestantism instead of arrogance?
Where is obedience instead of disobedience? Was Martin Luther obedient? Was
he humble?
The Wearing of Protestant Glasses with Blinders Error:
In order to arrive at the truth, we must look through the lenses of the eyes of
Jesus Christ who is truth (John 14:6). Protestants consistently look at issues
through biased Protestant glasses with blinders on both sides and are seemingly
oblivious to what is available outside of their narrow field of view. They read
only Protestant material and books, and when asked for genuine historical
documents to "prove" what they say, they will invariably quote from some other
Protestant novel. These quotes are not genuine historical documents and offer no
"proof" of anything whatsoever, but are merely the opinions of the writer.
An intelligent, thinking person, using his GOD given common sense, will explore
all avenues available regardless of who wrote it, in order to arrive at the truth.
One prime example of what I have said here, is their refusal to read the
multitudinous writings of scores of Christians who lived before the Protestant
revolt.
Saint Augustine's (354-430 A.D.) "Confessions" is the second most widely read
book of all time right behind the Holy Bible, and it is very applicable to our lives
of today, yet Protestants will ignore this priceless treasure of lessons regarding
our relationship with GOD.
There are thousands of writings by scores of brilliant writers in every century of
which Protestants have consistently and willingly ignored.
Protestants make due with only a part of written material available, mainly
writings after the early 16th century. At the same time they will ignore the great
bulk, an enormous collection of genuine historical writings for the first fifteen
centuries of Christianity. This material is easily found on the Internet for free,
and in bookstores, and libraries .
I sense that they are afraid to read early Church writings, and even secular
writings, such as non-biased history books, and even Encyclopedias, for fear of
what they will find therein.
If a person wanted to find out who founded what Church, just have them consult
a secular Encyclopedia and it will have the answer.
"A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion."
Proverbs 18:2
Anything that contradicts even one of the verses listed above is not from GOD,
but from the author of division and confusion.
With all of those "Ones" listed above, why is it that Protestants cannot use their
power of reasoning to see that they do not comply with what Holy Scripture
commands of us?
35,000 plus Protestant "folds" is a violation by all sects of several verses in #4, #5
and #6 above.
With all of them teaching contradicting doctrines, they violate #2.
With none of them having any authority, they violate #7.
They all certainly violate #9 with their practice of "individual interpretation" of
Holy Scripture.
Why is it so hard to reason that to have only one truth, you must have only one
authority?
It is that simple, but Protestants simply cannot understand it, and their tens of
thousands of sects prove it.
After all, by simple reasoning and common sense, it is easy to see that GOD
would not have given us one inerrant book without first giving us one infallible
interpreter for it.
Read this most prophetic document written by Catholic Pope Paul VI, and
released on
July 25, 1968. In it he warned the world what the consequences would be if
contraception were allowed to continue. Pay especial attention to paragraph 17,
for in it you will clearly see his dire warning. Now look around you and compare
his prophetic words with the mess this world is in today, for it is exactly as this
Pope had predicted it would be over thirty-four years ago.
This mess we are in today, as to the consequences of contraception, was aided
and abetted by Protestant bowing to secular pressures and by their succumbing
to the will of man, rather than to the will of GOD.
Here is yet another verse which was clearly abandoned by Protestants for this
subject, but which is clearly followed by the, "unbending to secular pressure",
Catholic Church:
Acts 5:29, "But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than
men'."
What is the root of the problem here? Jesus Christ taught only one truth did he
not?
If you would take a Protestant shotgun and an Islamic shotgun and fire one shell
each at a wall, and examined the two patterns of shots, what would you see? You
would see a scattering of personal opinions, right, left, conservative, liberal, etc.
However, who would be at the center, or hub of each pattern? Name the person?
You cannot, as neither Protestantism nor Islam has any central authority to
make the final definitive decision regarding the truth of any of their perceived
doctrines.
The only authority that Protestantism thinks it has is registered in all of the shot
marks in their pattern, since every Protestant acts as if they were their own pope.
Now take a Catholic shotgun and perform the same test. Who is at the center
now?
The answer to "what is the root of the problem here", is that neither
Protestantism nor Islam has any central authority.
They are both anchored to a book which can be interpreted in as many ways as
there are books, or "as there are heads", as Martin Luther had once lamented,
as described earlier.
Consequently, both end up with never ending squabbling, strife, infighting,
factioning, and chaos, over which "head" has the correct interpretation of their
respective books.
For Protestantism, it is the Tower of Babel all over again.
"For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and
Him crucified." 1Corinthians 2:2
"O senseless Galatians, who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the
truth: before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been set forth, crucified among you?"
Galatians 3:1
"Catholics can relate to the crucifix since we all carry our crosses (Matthew
16:24).
Absolutely no one can relate to an empty cross since none of us has ever risen
from the dead."
Father Benedict Groeschel
Protestants say if it is not in the Bible they will not believe it, deja-vu Sola
Scriptura.
Simply by trying to use Sola Scriptura, neither I, nor they, nor anyone else, can
find the words or the doctrine of Sola Scriptura anywhere in the Bible.
With what they have been taught about it, how can any Protestant ever believe it
if they cannot find it in Scripture?
Isn't that being hypocritical, especially on that subject?
Protestants claim that the Catholic Church is corrupted, yet they also claim that
the Bible is infallible. However, it is a foregone conclusion, proven by historical
fact, that the Bible did indeed come from the Catholic Church. So are they
willing to admit that a corrupted Church had to have given them a corrupted
Bible that they use? Or, on the other side of the coin, are they willing to admit
that it had to have been an infallible Church which gave them an inerrant Bible?
So which way is it, a corrupted Church and a corrupted Bible, or an infallible
Church and an inerrant Bible?
Hypocrisy?
Why do Protestants constantly split and form new sects when there is no verse in
Holy Scripture which authorizes them to do so? Scripture has a lot to say about
oneness in Christianity, and scorns those who are divisive (1Corinthians 1:10-13,
1Timothy 6:3-5). Isn't having over 36,000 Protestant sects being divisive?
Aren't these never ending splits hypocritical for supposed Bible believers?
Why do some Protestant sects deny that the Catholic Church is mentioned in the
Bible and then turn around and say it is mentioned in the Bible as the "Whore of
Babylon" and the beast of 666?
Funny thing, but by capitalizing on using their belief in Sola Scriptura, and by
putting it into practice, I simply cannot find those connections to the Catholic
Church in Scripture, but then it does not surprise me, for since they made up the
story, neither can they.
Ah yes, Sola Scriptura, the false man-made invention of Protestantism that
works against them far more often than they think that it works for them.
Doesn't this prove that they are being hypocritical?
Why do supposed Bible believing Protestants chastise Catholics and the Catholic
Church with never ending false charges and hatred, when Holy Scripture clearly
says to love your neighbor as yourself? Hypocritical maybe?
"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" And he said to him,
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second
is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments
depend all the law and the prophets."
Matthew 22:36-40
Where does Scripture say anywhere, that you must love your neighbor except if
he be Catholic?
Ministers in some Protestant sects actually preach hatred of the Catholic Church
from the pulpit.
What kind of ministers are they who preach hatred of others instead of "Love
thy neighbor"?
I wish to thank all of those Protestants who persecute Catholics and the Catholic
Church, because all that you are accomplishing is to help all Catholics to a
greater reward in Heaven. Hear Ye!
"Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of
evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is
great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Matthew 5:11-12
When has the body ever told the head what to do? That is exactly how many
Protestant sects operate. That rule is called democracy, or government by the
people.
How many issues in Protestantism are decided by a vote of the people? Just a few
years back, a large mainline Protestant denomination decided to split yet again,
by a vote of its membership.
That form of government was not instituted by GOD for His Church.
1) Why then, do Protestants ignore this fact and continue to splinter the Body of
Christ?
2) There is no Protestant who can trace his or her church back any farther than
the Protestant revolt of the early 16th century.
Where is the verse which authorized them to break from the true Church in the
first place?
3) No Protestant can show that their church was founded by Jesus Christ, yet
Scripture says there is only one Church, the one founded by GOD (Psalms 127:1,
Matthew 16:18).
4) They deny that the Catholic Church is the Church which Jesus Christ
founded, yet they cannot name the Church which He did found in its stead. Isn't
it strange that Scripture has said that GOD's Church will last forever (Isaiah
2:2,59:21, Matthew 28:20, Ephesians 3:21), and yet Protestants refuse to name
it? If Scripture can be believed at all, why then do they refuse to name GOD's
one and only Church?
5) They cannot name the person who founded the Catholic Church while at the
same time they deny that it was Jesus Christ. That is strange also, since every
Church on earth was founded by a person with a name. Every single one of the
tens of thousands of Protestant sects can be traced back to a human person with
a name, as its founder. Why is it that Protestants refuse to name the founder of
the Catholic Church?
Isn't that the epitome of arrogance as I touched upon in a previous segment?
6) Why do Protestants spread the lie that the Catholic Church apostatized soon
after the last Apostle died, and therefore the Church of today is not the one that
Jesus Christ founded?
This lie flies in the face of Matthew 16:18, as Protestants must then have to admit
that the 'gates of hell' did indeed prevail, that the Bible was in error, and that all
of the verses I have previously listed that promise the perpetualty of Christ's
Church must be in error as well. This so-called "great apostasy" lie is then
magnified a hundredfold since no Protestant can produce genuine historical
documents which record such a "monumental, universe shaking event". Every
writer who was alive at the time had to have witnessed that supposed "profound
event", and those who have lived ever since (up until the time that the lie was
invented by Protestantism), did not write about it either. What with the "greatest
event since the crucifixion" at hand, why didn't they? It is because it never
happened, that's why. Simply put, "No lie is of the truth", 1John 2:21, so
therefore no lie can be proven.
Scripture does say that people within Christ's Church will apostatize, but not the
Church itself. For you see, it is impossible, since Christ is the Head, and the
Church is His Body.
How could the Body of Christ rebel against, and leave His Head? They are
inseparable forever.
"Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head
of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its
Savior." Ephesians 5:22-23
Okay Protestants, explain those verses? Is Christ really the Savior of His Body,
or did He desert it as Protestantism would have us believe? Is Holy Scripture in
error yet again according to Protestant false charges?
Are we to believe the Protestant lie, or the truth of the Word of GOD?
Do you recall the story of the wheat and the chaff, where the weeds will co-exist
with the righteous up until the very end, and then they will be separated out and
burned (Matthew 13:24-30)?
"For, in the first place, when you assemble as a church, I hear that there are
divisions among you; and I partly believe it, for there must be factions among
you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized."
1Corinthians 11:18-19.
From those two verses we have a perfect example of the apostasy of individuals
within the Church, those who cause divisions and factions. Now from what I have
shown in many places in this writing, just who is the cause of divisions and
factions? It is none other than Protestantism. Protestantism has already created
over 36,000 divisions and factions, and which number is still increasing
unceasingly every week to this very day.
Who are the 'genuine among you'?
They are the faithful of the one and only Church that Jesus Christ founded and
which is still with us after almost 2000 years of persecution. Read Acts 5:38-39
for the reason why this longevity.
For those who continue to spread the lie of the so-called, and non-existent, "great
apostasy", please re-read Revelation 21:8, and endeavor to explain Ephesians
5:23-24?
7) How many verses have I shown in this writing that Protestants ignore? Isn't it
a lie to say that you follow Scripture literally to the word, and yet ignore so many
Scriptural verses?
8) Why do Protestants take the whole Bible literally except for John chapter 6,
which they call symbolic? One chapter in the whole Bible is symbolic? How can
that be true?
9) How can Protestants say that Sola Scriptura has been in use from day one,
when for over 1400 years almost no one had a Bible, and even if they did, the
great majority of the masses were illiterate anyhow?
10) Since Protestants believe that "all Scripture is inspired (2Tim 3:16)", then
why aren't the gospels of Peter, Philip, Nicodemus, Bartholomew, Andrew,
Thomas, etc, in their Bible?
11) Where in Holy Scripture did Jesus give instructions that the Christian faith is
to be solely based on a book? How about the same question except for using the
Apostles instead of Jesus?
12) Why do Protestants say it is the Bible which is the pillar and foundation of
truth when the Bible clearly says it is the Church (1Tim 3:15)? Please give me the
name of that Church?
13) Why do Protestants reject Apostolic Tradition when the Bible clearly says,
"So then, brethren, stand firm and hold the teachings that you have learned,
whether by word or by letter of ours."
2Thessalonians 2:15, yet another verse ignored, and taught against by
Protestantism.
14) Why do Protestants deny that the Bible came from the Catholic Church
when they cannot name a truthful and provable alternate source, and where
there are literally hundreds of genuine historical documents which prove them to
be wrong in their denial?
15) Protestants deny that Peter was given primacy in Matthew 16:18. Nothing in
Scripture is done without a purpose. For what purpose then, did Jesus change
Simon's name to Peter?
16) Why do Protestants deny that the Papacy is Scriptural, when in fact, it is
very Scriptural?
17) Why is it that Protestants can never supply genuine historical documents to
"prove" their false charges? Is it because the lie can never be proven, but the
truth can be?
It is simple, if you have no truth, then you have no proof.
Catholics can, and do, supply genuine historical documents to prove what they
teach.
Why then do Protestants refuse to read them? Romans 1:18, 2:8
18) Why do Protestants deny the unbroken line of succession of Popes down
through the centuries from St. Peter to the present Pope, when the Catholic
Church has given free access for anyone to research genuine historical
documents to prove it to be true, but Protestants refuse to read them? Anyone
can go to a secular encyclopedia and see the same succession of Popes.
19) Why do Protestants deny that the Catholic Church has existed from the first
century, when hundreds of genuine historical documents, written by scores of
Holy men and women, are freely available to prove them wrong in their denial?
However, Protestants simply refuse to read them. As explained
earlier, Protestants teach that history ended with Acts 28:30 and did not begin
again until Luther came along.
"But there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden
that will not be made known."
Luke 12:2
"Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of
the age. The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his
kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers (includes those who lie and reject the
truth), and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash
their teeth. Then the righteous (those who follow the teaching of Christ through
His one Church) will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who
has ears, let him hear." Matthew 13:40-43
"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and
innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the world ."
Philippians 2:14-15
Galatians 4:16?
Written by Bob Stanley, August 20, 2002
Updated August 10, 2006
Updated April 25, 2008