Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism

Author:
Christopher J. E. Johnson
Published: November, 2010
[creationliberty.com]

Contents:
Purgatory
The Mass
Indulgences
Wages of Sin
Idolatry
The Pope
Final Thoughts and Additional Reading

I'm writing this article specifically for the those that follow and practice Catholic teachings, but also as a reproof and education to Protestant Christians about the truths of the Catholic Church. I want it to be known that those of you who do follow and practice Catholic teaching are not the enemy, but if you, who are reading this, believe and practice the things I'm going to talk about in this article, I could not argue from scripture that you are Saved by Jesus Christ. The Roman Catholic Church, from which all Catholicism spreads, has been, for 1700 years, teaching a false gospel that is not of Christ.

Many have said to me, "Should you not be loving to the Catholics?" Absolutely, but lovingness is not equivalent to submitting to personal preferences. There is nothing more loving than the truth. Allowing someone to perish in a false system is not loving at all.

Others have said to me, "Are not Catholics brethren in Christ?" I am NOT saying that those who attend the Catholic Church are not Saved by Jesus Christ, but I AM saying that those who believe and practice the following things I'm going to list in this article are not Saved, and I pray the Lord wills me to be of some help.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
-Matthew 7:21

My goal in this article is to help bring some of the Catholics to an understanding of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ from the Scriptures. What I will say in this will offend some Catholics, and it will offend those who believe Catholics are brethren in Christ, but to allow someone to perish in hell for eternity with their hopes in false doctrine is not loving at all.

Though most Catholics will close this article before continuing, if you are a Catholic and will not read this article, I'd pray that you would be willing to at least listen to some videos from a former Catholic priest (left) and ex-Catholic member (right):

More videos like this from:
Berean Beacon

More videos like this from:
Creation Liberty Evangelism

Purgatory

Purgatory is, based on this author's observation, the glue that holds the entire Catholic Religion together. If the Catholic church removed purgatory from its teachings, it would be very hard to convince anyone to join the Catholic church.

purgatory (Lat., "purgare", to make clean, to purify): in accordance with Catholic teaching is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God's grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions
(See Hanna, E. (1911), Purgatory, Catholic Encyclopedia, New York: Robert Appleton Company, Dec 31, 2009, New Advent - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12575a.htm)

When you simplify it, purgatory is a saftey net. According to the Catholics, you don't go to heaven or hell when you die. You go to purgatory instead to get things "sorted out." Purgatory is not mentioned in the Bible at all, but here are some of the "proof verses" the Catholic church will claim for purgatory:

Catholic "Proof for Purgatory" - Verse #1
1 Corinthians 3:12-15
"Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

The Catholic interpretation is that man will be judged based upon his "good works." It is common, in my experience, for Catholics to leave out the verse just before these:

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
-1 Corinthians 3:11

The foundation is on Jesus Christ. In verse 15, it says that if any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved. He is saved by Jesus Christ, as verse 11 tells us. Jesus Christ is the foundation, and that is how we are saved, even though our works are burned. And Christ Himself explained to us why:

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
-Matthew 7:24-27

To take the passages in 1 Corinthians 3, and say there's a magical saftey net out there, is a very dangerous thing to teach because that is adding to the Word of God. Revelation 22:18 puts a curse on those that do that.

Catholic "Proof for Purgatory" - Verse #2
Matthew 5:26
"Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."

The Catholic explanation is that one will be "stuck somewhere" until one has paid all he owes. The first obvious question should be: "What is Christ talking about here?" If you read Matthew 5:22-25, you'll notice this is concerning anger towards others:

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
-Matthew 5:25

Jesus Christ is reminding us that those born again in Christ are handled by the family in matters of the law. However, in terms of man, we will be handled by the full extent of the law. The scripture in Matthew 5 has absolutely nothing to do with a "purgatory."

This is a fine example of what is called 'reading into the text', without taking it in context of what's being said. Christ rebuked Satan for doing that exact same thing. The devil would quote a piece of the scripture, saying "It is written..." and then Christ would correct him with the proper scripture. I place emphasis on this now because we will see many examples of this from the Catholic Church:

If one were to read the famous phrase by George Washington, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" That could be interpreted many ways. One could think, "Wow, what a sick man! He wants his soldiers to look their enemies in the face when they kill them." So how do we interpret that phrase? We have to read it in context of the situation. They were simply low on ammunition and Washington wanted to conserve bullets. Washington did not say it because he was a horrible person that wanted his soldiers to be cruel.

It is very dangerous to take writing out of context, especially when it concerns the Holy Scriptures. The idea of purgatory does not come from the Bible, but rather from hyperactive imagination.

Catholic "Proof for Purgatory" - Verse #3
Matthew 18:34-35
"And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."

Again, the Catholic interpretation of these verses is that God has a place where those that owe God something will have to pay it all off. And again, read it in the context of what's being said. Starting in Matthew 18:21, Peter gives us the topic of context by asking Christ:

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
-Matthew 18:21-23

This is where Christ begins to tell us another parable. There is a servant that owed much to his lord. The lord was about to call in all the debt, and the servant begged him to forgive the debt. The lord forgave all the debts. Then, that same servant went out and forced someone else to pay all their debts own to him. The lord was angered by the fact that he forgave all the servant's debt, but the servant was unwilling to forgive someone else the debt owed to himself. Because of that, the lord made the servant pay all that he owed. This parable is teaching us that we are to forgive others their trespasses as the Lord God forgives us ours.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
-Matthew 6:12

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
-Matthew 6:14-15

There is no scripture talking about some place you go to work out all your sins so you can get to heaven. This is a saftey net for the Catholic Church to gain a following. The concept helps people be more comfortable with their sin, and helps to comfort their fears of hell, but is not grounded in the clear teaching of scripture:

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
-Romans 5:8-9

We are Saved through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Moreover, we were saved once and for all:

Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
-Hebrews 7:27

And to accept purgatory would be to deny Christ's sacrifice for sins:

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
-1 John 2:2

Please note: The Catholic Church curses and damns every evangelical Christian like myself for believing what the Scriptures clearly teach:

"If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened (to him); let him be anathema."
-James Waterworth, Canons and Decrees of the Sacred and Ecumenical Council of Trent, 2003 Reprint, Kessinger Publishing, Canon #30, p. 48, ISBN: 9780766138414

anathema: a person or thing detested or loathed or accursed or consigned to damnation or destruction
(See "anathema" Random House Dictionary, Random House Inc, 2010; See also The American Heritage Science Dictionary, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2010)

The Mass

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
-Luke 22:19

This act of taking bread and wine, from the passover supper before Christ went to the cross, is commonly referred to as "communion." However, I am careful about using that word because its modern definition comes with the word "eucharist":

eucharist: the sacrament of Holy Communion; the sacrifice of the Mass; the Lord's Supper
(See "eucharist" Random House Dictionary, Random House Inc, 2010; See also The American Heritage Science Dictionary, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2010)

The Catholic Church teaches that the actual sacrifice of Christ was performed at the Last Supper. They believe and teach that the priests literally change bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.

Our Savior at the Last Supper... instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood..."
-New Catechism of the Catholic Church (Vatican II), Sacrosanctum Concilium, Consitution on the Sacred Liturgy #47; See also Matthew Bunson, Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Almanac, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 2008, Declarations of Vatican II, p. 178, ISBN: 9781592764419

"[Christ] offered up to God the Father His own body and blood under the [form of] bread and wine..."
-Council of Trent, Session XXII, Chapter I; See also William E. Addis & Thomas Arnold, A Catholic Dictionary, The Catholic Publication Society Co, 1884, The Eucharist, p. 320

Vatican II has also removed the blood to soften their beliefs in the eyes of their followers:

"[Christ, in the mass] perpetuates in an unbloody manner the sacrifice offered on the cross."
-Vatican Council II, Vol. 1: The Conciliar and Postconciliar Documents, p. 103; See also Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 1998, The Eucharist, p. 390, ISBN: 9780879736699

Yet, the Bible clearly states:

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
-Hebrews 9:22

Even though Christ said, "this do in remembrance of me," the Catholic Church practices the mass as a literal sacrifice repeated over and over for the remission of sins. This belief is not to be taken lightly because, as we will see, this creates a very serious heresy to the Scriptures because it rejects Christ's offering once for the sins of all mankind:

"The mass is truly a propitiatory sacrifice... [by which] the Lord is appeased. He grants grace... and He pardons wrongdoings and sins, even grave ones."
-John A. Hardon, The Catholic Catechism, Random House Inc, 1975, Ritual and Worship, p. 468, ISBN: 9780385080453

The Catholic Church believes and teaches that the bread and wine is the literal body and blood of Christ, transformed by a miracle of the priests, but still retaining the taste, smell, and appearance of bread and wine. This is, as I know of no other way to put it, absurd.

Let's say Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine, but did so under the appearance of remaining water. It would have been pointed out immediately as a fraud, and rightly so. What if Jesus had performed the miracle of bringing a man back to life, but under the appearance of the man remaining dead? Again, that is absurd. Yet, so many people believe that the Catholic priests are performing a miracle of turning bread and wine into the literal body and blood of Christ, under the appearance of remaining bread and wine. That is not a miracle; it's a fraud.

When Christ says, "I am the door," (John 10:7) are we to say that he is literally made of wood? When Christ says, "My sheep hear my voice," (John 10:27) are we to conclude that he is literally talking to sheep? Those are ridiculous thoughts, and we know through mere common sense what Christ is referring to, yet, the Catholic Church has done a marvelous job of convincing a huge number of people against common sense, and the obvious clear teaching of Scripture:

But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
-Hebrews 10:12,14

Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
-Hebrews 7:27

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
-Hebrews 9:12

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;
-Hebrews 9:28

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
-Hebrews 10:10

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:
-1 Peter 3:18

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
-Jude 1:3

I cannot see how this could be more clear. Christ died once, for all sins, for all mankind. He did not go to the cross so we would need to sacrifice him again and again, and require us to gain "indulgences" from the Catholic Church, as we will see in the next section.

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Indulgences

indulgence: a partial remission of the temporal punishment, esp. purgatorial atonement, that is still due for a sin or sins
(See "indulgence" Random House Dictionary, Random House Inc, 2010; See also The American Heritage Science Dictionary, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2010)

What sparked the beginnings of the reformation, were the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church in the eucharist mass said over and over again for the sins of mankind, which have already been paid once and for all by Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church's position and practice, inspired by profit (linked to the concept of purgatory, which is unscriptural) and rejected by the reformers, is best described in a famous saying by Johann Tetzel (commissioned by Pope Leo X), which earned a fortune for the church:
"As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs."
(See Roland Bainton, Here I Stand: Life of Martin Luther, New York: Penguin, 1995; also James Kittelson, Luther The Reformer, Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishing House, 1986)

Indulgences boil down to the Catholic Church's claimed authority, apart from scripture, to grant "bonus points" to one's salvation. Not only does the concept of indulgences reject the faith in Christ's death on the cross and ressurection for the sins of man, but it also has robbed people of their wages.
For example, when a widow loses her husband, she is under fear that her husband is stuck in purgatory. She spends what little fortune she has for the priest to sing the mass, and the Catholic Church, unknowing how many masses must be sung to get her husband into heaven, accepts her money willingly.

Even the pope himself does not know how many masses must be said for the souls in purgatory to gain entrance to heaven. That is no different than pagan mysticism, and offers no salvation.

Though the amount is unknown, the Catholic church is still willing to sell it to you.

The Catholic Church has practiced "selling salvation" by allowing people to pay money to be absolved of their sins. This is a short list of some of the sins and the prices that could be paid to be forgiven by the church:

-From The Gospel Day by Charles Ebert Orr, p. 195, The Echo Library, ISBN 978-1-40685-080-2

These people that paid for their sins to be absolved were called "annointed malefactors," and could NOT be prosecuted by any civil authorities, because the Pope's authority reigned supreme over the "kings of the earth." (Revelation 17:2, 17:18)
(For examples of annointed malefactors, see Notes and Queries, Oxford University Press, 1866, p. 359; See also Henry Worsley, The Dawn of the English Reformation, published Elliot Stock, 1890, p. 8; for more information on the Catholic church and the kings of the earth, read Corruptions of Christianity: Woman Rides the Beast here at creationliberty.com)

Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.
-Luke 20:46-47

There are twenty complex rules concerning indulgences. None of them are scriptural, but to demonstrate the point, let's take a look at one:

"The faithful who use with devotion an object of piety (crucifix, cross, rosary, scapular, or medal) after it has been duly blessed by any priest, can gain a partial indulgence. But, if this object of piety is blessed by the Pope or any bishop, the faithful who use it with devotion can also gain a plenary indulgence on the feast of the Apostle Peter and Paul, provided they make a confession of faith using any approved formula."
-Austin Flannery, Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, 1988, p. 77-78, ISBN: 9780918344151

Though there is no Scripture to back up these claims, millions of people around the world are brainwashed into thinking this can help them get into heaven. This also goes into the topic of idolatry, but we'll get to that later.

Some Catholics will say that they don't believe in indulgences. However, Vatican II states:

"[The Catholic Church] teaches and commands that the usage of indulgences�a usage most beneficial to Christians and approved by the authority of the Sacred Council�should be kept in the Church; and it condemns with anathema those who say that indulgences are useless or that the Church does not have the power to grant them."
-Austin Flannery, Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, 1988, p. 71, ISBN: 9780918344151

Wages of Sin

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
-Romans 6:23

The Bible clearly tells us that the price of sin is death. However, the Catholic Church has been working very hard to convince people that the wages of sin is works.

"Hence, to those who work well unto the end and trust in God, eternal life is to be offered, both as a grace mercifully promised to the sons of God through Christ Jesus, and as a reward promised by God himself, to be faithfully given to their good works and merits... by those very works which have been done in God, fully satisfied the divine law according to the state of this life, and to have truly merited eternal life..."
-Henry Joseph Schroeder, Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, 1941, p. 41, ISBN: 9780895550743

The Catholic Church teaches that it is not by faith alone, but through your works and merits that you earn eternal life. That doesn't sound anything like what the Scriptures clearly teach. Let's look at a few of the many Scriptures that defy what the Catholic Church is teaching:

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
-Romans 3:20

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
-Romans 3:23-24

The Scriptures teach us, without a doubt, that it is faith alone. Christ alone, by which we are justified. Not by "works" and "merits." Christ bears our sin, and imputes righteousness to us. We do not merit our Salvation through deeds (works) of the law:

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
-Romans 3:28

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
-Romans 4:5

And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.
-Romans 11:6

However, in the Catholic Church, you must pay your own debt to get into heaven. That is a complete contradiction to Scripture. This removes the grace of Christ, and replaces it with the impossible works in debt:

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
-Romans 4:4

It is faith alone that justifies us through Jesus Christ. Yet, the Catholic Church teaches that we must earn justification ourselves by works. Again, the wages of sin is death. But how can one pay for death without death? Therefore, they have to change the wages of sin to works in order to keep a church.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
-Galatians 2:16

Simply put, Christ paid the price of death for us. So we can either undertake the impossible task of paying the debt ourselves by works of the law, or, with faith alone, Jesus Christ can pay it for us.

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
-Romans 10:4

He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness... But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
-Romans 4:20-25

But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.
-Romans 9:31-32

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.
-Ephesians 2:8-9

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
-Phillipians 3:9

Yet the Catholic Church teaches people to do works of their choosing, in order to gain the unscriptural indulgences we talked about earlier:

"To gain indulgences, the work prescribed must be done... From the most ancient times... good works were also offered to God for the salvation of sinners, particularly the works which human weakness finds hard... Indeed, the prayers and good works of holy people were regarded as of such great value that it could be asserted that the penitent was washed, cleansed and redeemed with the help of the entire Christian people."
-Henry Joseph Schroeder, Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 1988, p. 68, ISBN: 9780918344151

Let's also recognize that the Catholic Church curses and damns every evangelical Christian like myself for believing and teaching what the Scriptures clearly tell us:

"If any one saith, that the good works of one that is justified are in such manner the gifts of God, as that they are not also the good merits of him that is justified; or, that the said justified, by the good works which he performs through the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ, whose living member he is, does not truly merit increase of grace, eternal life, and the attainment of that eternal life, if so be, however, that he depart in grace, and also an increase of glory; let him be anathema."
-James Waterworth, Canons and Decrees of the Sacred and Ecumenical Council of Trent, 2003 Reprint, Kessinger Publishing, Canon #32, p. 48-49, ISBN: 9780766138414

Though I don't believe that most people claiming to be Catholic believe this way, and are probably unaware of it, we must recognize and understand that if you claim to be a Catholic, this is the doctrine your church teaches. If that doctrine bothers you, I highly suggest you disassociate yourself with that religion, and get involved in a true New Testament church.

"If any one saith, that justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake; or, that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified; let him be anathema."
-James Waterworth, Canons and Decrees of the Sacred and Ecumenical Council of Trent, 2003 Reprint, Kessinger Publishing, Canon #12, p. 46, ISBN: 9780766138414

"If any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and also increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema."
-James Waterworth, Canons and Decrees of the Sacred and Ecumenical Council of Trent, 2003 Reprint, Kessinger Publishing, Canon #24, p. 47, ISBN: 9780766138414

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the clear teaching of Scripture shows us that it is by faith alone that we obtain the grace of justification and righteousness, apart from works. Works are simply a result of Christ working in us. Yet, the Catholic Church teaches something other than this. To have a following of strict believers in the Catholic Church that have been convinced that it is by works, and merit, that you get a ticket to heaven (that's what Trent says, "attainment of eternal life"), makes for a very vunerable church to those that seek to abuse the labor of its members.

Once you have a works-based mindset, instead of faith-based Salvation, you end up with statues in your front yard...

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Idolatry

Go to a Catholic Church, and ask them if they have a copy of the Ten Commandments you can take home with you. Sometimes they'll have little cards they hand out with the list printed on them. Here's an example of something you may receive:

Notice, at the bottom it says, "NAB" which is New American Bible. That's the Bible approved by the Roman Catholic Church. It says it takes these from Exodus 20:2-17. However, the 2nd commandment is removed from this list. #2 is actually #3, and so on. To make up for the lost commandment, they split commandment #10 into two parts. Here's the 2nd commandment:

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
-Exodus 20:4

Why would the Catholic Church remove this from their list of the Ten Commandments? Simply because their church is full of graven images and idols.

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
-1 John 5:21

Just as mentioned above, many Catholics have relics they use for their prayers and devotion. They are graven images, which God detests.

They bow before statues of Mary. That is idolatry. Many Catholics worship Mary over God. It's difficult to find a Catholic that's willing to be honest enough to admit these practices, however, admission is not needed to see the truth of the matter.

Millions and millions of people are praying to Mary, with huge numbers of marian shrines around the world.

Some Catholics will disagree with this idolatry, but what does the Pope say?

Carol Voitila (aka Pope John Paul II) developed an intense devotion to Mary after the death of his mother when he was 8 years old. When he became pope in 1978, he formally rededicated himself, and his whole pontificate, to Mary. He traveled often around the world to various marian shrines to worship her, along side millions of others.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
-Exodus 20:3

Carol Voitila often used the phrase "Totus tuus ego sum maria." Which means, "I am totally yours, Mary." When he died, he had a large 'M' put on the casket, which stands for 'Mary'.

"I do not know when the moment [of my death] will come, but like everything else, I place it too in the hands of the Mother of my Master: Totus Tuus. In the same maternal Hands I leave everything and everyone with whom my life and vocation have linked me. In these Hands I leave, above all, the Church, as well as my Nation and all humanity."
-Pope John Paul II, Last Will and Testament, originally dated March 6, 1979; See also Origins, National Catholic News Service, 2004, Vol 34, Issue 25-47

Voitila left his soul, his church, and the whole world in the hands of Mary. He continues later to say:

"Today I wish to add only this: that each of us must bear in mind the prospect of death... I too continually take this into consideration, entrusting that decisive moment to the Mother of Christ and of the Church - to the Mother of my hope."
-Pope John Paul II, Last Will and Testament, originally dated March 6, 1979; See also Vincent N. Paul, Persistence Works, Xulon Press, 2005, p. 193, ISBN: 9781597815680

That's pagan mysticism. That would sicken Mary if she knew about it, but she doesn't. She never heard a prayer from anyone.

"The history of Christian piety teaches that Mary is the way which leads to Christ..."
-Pope John Paul II, Devotion to Mary is Based on Jesus' Will, L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition, May 14, 1997, p. 11; See also Bill McCarthy & James Tibbets, Mary in the Chruch Today: Official Catholic Teaching on the Mother of God Since Vatican II, St Andrews Productions, 2000, p. 374, ISBN: 9781891903229

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
-John 14:6

Jesus Christ Himself said that He is the way. Yet, the pope writes his book, "John Paul II's Book of Mary," and in it he says: "For all Catholics who seek a deeper relationship with Jesus and his Mother,"
(See John Paul II's Book of Mary, 1996, front page under the cover, ISBN: 0-87973-578-3)

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
-Matthew 11:28

In his book, under the table of contents, he lists Mary under many names. Here are few:

Queen of All Saints
Mother of the Church
Pillar of Faith
Mediatrix of All Graces
Seat of Wisdom
Mother of Mercy
Gate of Heaven
Mirror of Perfection

(See John Paul II's Book of Mary, 1996, p. 7, ISBN: 0-87973-578-3)

The pope, and the Catholic churches of the world, put Mary in the place of Christ. Though a Catholic would never admit this, the teaching of the church, and of the pope, is here for us to clearly read for ourselves.

"Mary shares our human condition but in complete openness to the grace of God. Not having known sin, she is able to have compassion on every kind of weakness. She understands sinful man and loves him with a mother�s love."
-John Paul II's Book of Mary, 1996, p. 18, ISBN: 0-87973-578-3

Not having known sin? They're putting her up on a pedestal along side (and in many cases above) Christ. If she never knew sin, why did she call God her Savior?

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
-Luke 1:46-47

"Precisely with her faith as Spouse and Mother she wishes to act upon all those who entrust themselves to her as her children. And it is well known that the more her children persevere and progress in this attitude, the nearer Mary leads them to the 'unsearchable riches of Christ.'"
-Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater #46; Also quoted in John Paul II's Book of Mary, 1996, front page under the cover, ISBN: 0-87973-578-3

This false doctrine teaches that Christ himself is not in a postion (or unable) to understand and love like Mary does. It also teaches the false idea that you must develop a relationship with Mary, and that will lead you to hidden knowledge. That's exactly the philosophy of the pagan religions! The Catholic doctrine gives divine power to Mary over that of Jesus Christ.

Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
-Ephesians 3:7-9

Here's how it works according to the Catholic Church: You try to get to Christ, but Christ is a tough guy and hard to appease. So you pray to His mother, and he supposedly can't resist his mother, and she nags him about you, and you get in.
That is completely ludicrous. Why are all these people, including their pope, trying to find a weakness in Christ with which to tempt him? Christ rebuked Satan for doing that same thing.

Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
-Matthew 4:7

Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God,
-Deuteronomy 6:16

And here the pope, in his book, is calling Mary the "Mediatrix of All Graces," yet the Bible clearly teaches us that there is no other mediator, but Christ alone.

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant,
-Hebrews 12:24

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
-1 Timothy 2:5

The Pope

"The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth."
[he's declaring himself to be God]
-Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Chapter XXVII, p. 218, "Cities Petrus Bertanous."

The Catholic Church's "proof" verse for the claim of priest/bishop/pope, with the ability to forgive sin, comes from Christ's Words in the book John:

Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
-John 20:23

First of all, this passage says nothing of the power to forgive sin. That belongs to Christ, and Christ alone, as we have seen in other verses mentioned earlier. Here, Christ is giving us the power over our own sin by and through Him, by telling us, "Whatever sins you keep are kept, and which ones you send are sent." This has nothing to do with power to forgive sin.

Yet the Catholic Church teaches that their priests have the power to do what only God has the power to do, and the people who follow the church blindly think they are receiving God's forgiveness with false doctrine. This is why it is so dangerous to make an entire doctrine out of one verse. Because of this false seat, more false doctrines have arisen:

"[Pope declares the following a fact:] the followers of other religions can receive God's grace and be saved by Christ apart from the ordinary means which he has established..."
-Pope John Paul II, "Letter to the Bishops of Asia," Jan 23, 1990, Sect 4; See also Lee Penn, False Dawn: The United Religions Initiative, published Sophia Perennis, 2004, p. 233, ISBN: 9781597310000

"The universality of salvation means that it is granted not only to those who explicitly believe in Christ..."
-Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio; See also Duncan Reid & Mark W. Worthing, Sin and Salvation, ATF Press, 2003, p. 215, ISBN: 9781920691042

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
-Matthew 16:18

Catholics will jump on this verse in Matthew, and claim that Peter was the first pope and was given authority over the church. This is completely incorrect. First, there is no evidence, in any documentation, that Peter was ever the authority over the church. Stop and think about it: If Peter were the head of the church, and he was the rock of foundation, why would Paul have corrected Peter in Galatians 2, and why did Peter submit to that correction?

The head of the church is clearly spelled out in Ephesians:

Which he wrought in Christ... and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
-Ephesians 1:20-23

Here, the Catholic church clearly contradicts the Scripture. If Peter is the head of the church, why does Paul still say that Christ is the head of the church?

In addition, the popes throughout history have done and said many things that defy the Holy Word of God, and denounce the authority and power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Catholic Church recognizes the true and holy aspects in all false religions [p. 46]
Hinduism is another means of taking refuge in God [p. 46]
Buddhism is a relgion of Salvation [p. 48]
Islam worships the One True God [p. 52]
The Holy Spirit is present in every religion [p. 47]

(See Pope John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, 1994, ISBN: 0-679-76561-1)

The Catholic Church's acceptance of multiple religions shows why it was so easy for the pope to accept evolutionism into their church:

"The Church's magisterium is directly concerned with the question of evolution, for it involves the conception of man."
-Address of Pope John Paul II, to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Oct 22, 1996

If you ask, "How could the Catholic Church draw these conclusions out of Scripture?" The answer is obvious: It doesn't come out of Scripture. Their own documents admit this:

"Thus it comes about that the Church does not draw her certainty about all revealed truths from the Holy Scriptures alone. Hence, both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal feelings of devotion and reverence..."
-Austin Flannery, Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, 1988, p. 755, ISBN: 9780918344151; See also Jean M. Hiesberger, The Catholic Bible, Personal Study Edition, 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 21, ISBN: 9780195289268

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8

I don't, for any reason, see that Christ would come to this earth to worship in a mosque, tell the Muslims there that they're worshiping the same god, and then kiss the Qur'an. But the pope sure did. I think we should beware, lest we are spoiled by this vain deceit.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
-Matthew 24:4

The Pope is helping to bring about the prophecied One World Religion of Revelation, as documented in this short video clip. This is obvious heresy, but the world is slowly beginning to accept it, just as was prophisied.

These practices and beliefs defile the Church of Christ. This man, the pope, and all before and after him, are not, have never been, nor ever will be, the head of the Church of Jesus Christ, and have no Scriptural authority to claim it. Yet, the Catholic Church states:

"If anyone says that the Roman Pontiff [The Pope] has merely an office of supervision and guidance, and not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole Church, and this not only in matters of faith and morals, but also in those which concern the discipline and government of the Church dispersed throughout the whole world; or that he has only the principal part, but not the absolute fullness, of this supreme power; or that this power of his is not ordinary and immediate both over all and each of the Churches and over all and each of the pastors and faithful: let him be anathema."
-Norman P. Tanner, Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils: Trent to Vatican II, Sheed & Ward, 1990, First Vatican Council: 1869-1870, p. 186, ISBN: 9780878404902; See also Richard P. McBrien, The Chruch: The Evolution of Catholicism, Harper Collins, 2009, p. 113, ISBN: 9780061245251

Final Thoughts and Additional Reading

I highly encourage reading Corruptions of Christianity: Woman Rides the Beast along with this article to get more details on the prophecy of Revelation concerning this issue. This topic is such a monstrous undertaking, it could fill many novels, and to attempting to sum it up in one article is almost impossible. The above linked article will help in the understanding of many of the points that will be made in this section.

The Roman Empire has always sought to ecumenically (universally) put everyone under its control. The prophecies of Daniel and Revelation both fortell the return of that 4th Beast (The Roman Empire).
(See Corruptions of Christianity: Woman Rides the Beast here at creationliberty.com for more details)

The words of the popes in modern days are obvious and clear to this ecumenical push, or world religion, if you will. For example, Pope John Paul II used the phrase "Universal Salvation" hundreds of times, and has all but directly said that he believes everyone will get to heaven eventually. Evidence of this belief is shown in his "softening" of the idea of hell by raising doubts about its existance, which contradict the clear teaching of Scripture:

"Eternal damnation remains a real possibility, but we are not granted, without special divine revelation, the knowledge of whether or which human beings are effectively involved in it. The thought of hell... must not create anxiety or despair,"
-Pope John Paul II, Speech given to a general audience, July 28, 1999; See also The Pope Speaks, Our Sunday Visitor Inc, 2000, Vol 45, p. 36; See also Jack Mulder, Kierkegaard and the Catholic Tradition: Conflict and Dialogue, Indiana University Press, 2010, p. 248-249, ISBN: 9780253222367

Wouldn't the devil want to make the despair of hell go away, so it doesn't seem so bad?

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
-Psalm 16:10

Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
-Isaiah 14:15

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
-Matthew 10:28

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
-Revelation 6:8

We are all destined to burn in hell for eternity because of our sins, OR, Jesus Christ can pay the penalty for us, and bring us to heaven to be with God the Father. However, the Catholic Church, via the pope, is teaching that all can come to Christ by many different methods, which is preventing those would seek the truth from finding it, and is preventing those would know Christ from being Saved.

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
-Matthew 23:13

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

One more time:
"The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth."
-Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Chapter XXVII, p. 218, "Cities Petrus Bertanous."

The pope is declaring himself (first from Constantine in 326 AD, to today) to be the "Vicar of Christ," or Vicarius Christi, which means he is "another Christ" acting in the place of Christ. When translated into Greek, however, Vicarius Christi literally means Antichrist.
(See Dave Hunt, A Woman Rides the Beast, 1994, ISBN: 1-56507-199-9)

John told us that there would be many antichrists before the final one:

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
-1 John 2:18

Martin Luther, a famous protestant reformer, was a former Catholic that narrowly escaped martydom after leaving the Catholic Church to keep obedience to the Scriptures. He wrote and spoke vigorously on the truths of the Scriptures and the Roman Catholic Church:

"We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist... personally I declare that I owe the Pope no other obedience than that to Antichrist."
-Martin Luther, Aug 18, 1520, quoted in The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, LeRoy Froom, Vol. 2, p. 121

"This teaching shows forcefully that the Pope is the very Antichrist, who has exalted himself above, and opposed himself against Christ because he will not permit Christians to be saved without his power, which, nevertheless, is nothing, and is neither ordained nor commanded by God. This is, properly speaking to exalt himself above all that is called God as Paul says, 2 Thess. 2, 4... The Pope prohibits... faith, saying that to be saved a person must obey him. This we are unwilling to do, even though on this account we must die in God's name... Therefore, just as little as we can worship the devil himself as Lord and God, we can endure his apostle, the Pope, or Antichrist, in his rule as head or lord."
-Martin Luther, The Smalcald Articles, Part II - Article IV: Of the Papacy

-Martin Luther, quoted in The Table Talk of Martin Luther, William Hazlitt, p. 234

The Catholic Church, during the Dark Ages, long sought to prevent the reading of God's Word. I've taken testimonies from former Catholics, turned Protestant, that in Catholic school, they were not allowed to read the Bible. Discoveries have also been made to find that the Catholic church, during the Dark Ages, banned the reading of the Bible!
(Read "Why I Use a King James Bible - History of Bible Versions" here at creationliberty.com for more details)

This, though shocking to some, is not surprising when you view the history of the Catholic Church. For example, as soon as Queen Mary I (aka "Bloody Mary") took the throne (Oct 1, 1553), and re-established the pope's ruling authority, all Bibles were removed from churches, and all Bible printing was prohibited by law.
(See Christopher Haigh, English Reformations: Religion, Politics, and Society Under the Tudors, Clarendon Press, 1993, ISBN: 9780198221623)

"Some persons think us too severe and censorious when we call the Roman pontiff [the pope] Antichrist. But those who are of this opinion do not consider that they bring the same charge of presumption against Paul himself, after whom we speak and whose language we adopt... I shall briefly show that (Paul's words in II Thess. 2) are not capable of any other interpretation than that which applies them to the Papacy."

-John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, published H. Howe, 1816, Vol. 3, p. 149

John Knox wrote about "that tyranny which the pope himself has for so many ages exercised over the church." He also concluded that the Pope is "the very antichrist, and son of perdition, of whom Paul speaks."

-John Knox, quoted by John Hunter & Hastings Robinson, The Zurich Letters, University Press, 1842, p. 199

"Whereof it followeth Rome to be the seat of antichrist, and the pope to be very antichrist himself. I could prove the same by many other scriptures, old writers, and strong reasons."

-Thomas Cranmer & John Edmund Cox, The Works of Thomas Cranmer, University Press, 1846, Vol. 16, p. 63

"There is no other head of the church but the Lord Jesus Christ: nor can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God."

-James Stark, Westminster Confession, published Roberts & Green, 1863, p. 289

"The oracles of God foretold the rising of an Antichrist in the Christian Church: and in the Pope of Rome, all the characteristics of that Antichrist are so marvelously answered that if any who read the Scriptures do not see it, there is a marvelous blindness upon them."

-Cotton Mather, The Fall of Babylon, quoted by LeRoy E. Froom, The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, Vol. 3, p. 113

"Of all the dreams that ever deluded men, and probably of all blasphemies that ever were uttered, there has never been one which is more absurd and which is more fruitful in all manner of mischief than the idea that the Bishop of Rome can be the head of the Church of Jesus Christ! No, these popes die, and are not! And how could the Church live if its head were dead? The true Head ever lives and the Church ever lives in Him!"

-Charles Spurgeon, quoted by Tom Carter, Spurgeon at His Best: Over 2200 Sriking Quotations, Baker Book House, 1988, p. 140, ISBN: 9780801082870

-Charles Spurgeon, quoted in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermons Preached by Spurgeon in 1875, p. 413

And many, though I provide a logical and referenced path, still do not believe what I'm showing them:

And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
-John 8:45

The rejection of the concepts I've brought to light here are not remitted due to any logical merit, but rather they're rejected because it seems impossible that this many people could be decieved. However, the Bible tells us:

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:
-Revelation 12:9

The Bible tells us that in the last days, Satan will deceive the entire world. In light of this Scriptural evidence, we can see a clearer interpretation of Christ's teaching:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
-Matthew 7:13-15

When Christ tells us to beware of false prophets, I don't think we take it literally enough. When he says they will "come to you in sheep's clothing," that means they will come to us with all manner of kindness and charity. They will seem to be morally correct. They will seem to have the Salvation of Christ in their hearts. Even though the Pharisees seemed morally correct and loved the Lord God, Christ still scolded them for their deception.

I would bet the Pharisees were probably kind and giving men, and did their best to be morally viturous. However, they were still wrong in what they were doing. When Christ pointed out what they were doing that was wrong, they began to despise him, just as Christians today are despised for revealing the truth. Kindness and giving does not determine Biblical truth, nor does it create a path to heaven.

I am deeply concerned for the souls of the people involved in the Catholic Church. Out of that concern, I beg of you, if you are a Catholic, and practice Catholicism on a regular basis, to please read the following verse slowly and ponder it carefully.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
-Matthew 7:21-23

There can be only one truth. There can't be multiple truths. Somebody's wrong. Our very souls are at stake in this battle for the truth, and we had better be ABSOLUTELY certain we know it.

Jump to Index

For those of you who seek deeper knowledge on this topic, here is some suggested reading material:

Answers To My Catholic Friends, Thomas F. Heinze
Chick Publications, 1996, ISBN: 9780937958520

A Woman Rides the Beast, Dave Hunt
Harvest House Publishers, 1994, ISBN: 9781565071995