Roman Catholicism – The World’s Largest Cult

The Unbiblical Beliefs Of The Roman Catholic Cult

They believe Purgatory is a place where a person is purified of sins – even popes supposedly go there. The Bible says, when a person dies their eternal home is sealed – heaven or hell – there is no place in between like Purgatory (Hebrews 9:27). The word “purgatory” and its concept is not found in the Bible, yet the Catholic Church has managed to convince their followers that an obscure passage in the apochryphal book of 2 Maccabees is adequate justification for their Purgatory invention. More about that can be found here: Purgatory and 2 Maccabees 12:39-45

They believe in worshipping images of Mary, crucifix, saints, angels, etc. The Bibles speaks out against this (Exodus 20:4-5). Catholics are convinced by their Church that they are not committing idolatry and that their idols are not idols but rather “sacred objects” and their acts or worship are not acts of worship, but rather veneration, which they define as less than the worship of God.

They believe in repetitious prayer to Mary, saints and angels. The complete Rosary involves repeating the Hail Mary 53 times, the Lord’s prayer 6 times, 5 Mysteries, 5 Meditations on the Mysteries, 5 Glory Be’s, and the Apostles’ Creed. The Rosary did not come into general use until after the beginning of the thirteenth century, and not officially sanctioned until after the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century. The concept of praying to Mary, saints, and angels is not found in the Bible; on the contrary, we are directed to pray to our Father (Matthew 6:9-13). In the Rosary, Mary is prayed to almost 9 times for every prayer directed to God. The Bible speaks out very clearly against praying in vain repetitions as the heathens do.

In “The Holy Father’s Prayer for the Marian Year [1987],” John Paul II asks Mary to do what only God can do – comfort, guide, strengthen, and protect “the whole of humanity …” His prayer ends: “Sustain us, O Virgin Mary, on our journey of faith and obtain for us the grace of eternal salvation.” (4/97, Berean Call).

In preparing for an expected earthquake in December, 1990, in the Saint Louis area, parishioners at St. Agatha RC church turned to St. Agatha, “the patron saint of protection from the devastation of volcanoes, earthquakes, fire, and all kinds of violence.” The church reported in the St. Louis Southwest City Journal of 10/21/90 that a novena was to be held, including a recitation of the rosary, a prayer to St. Agatha, and a closing benediction (Reported in the November/December 1990, Foundation).

A Roman Catholic ritual for selling a home: Put a statue of St. Joseph in a bottle or mason jar and bury it in the front yard (head first), thereby guaranteeing a quick sale of the home. After the sale, the seller is to dig up St. Joseph, put him in a prominent place in the new residence, and pray to him (Mother Angelica, EWTN Catholic TV, 10/95).

Take note in the following two prayers how Mary is magnified above Jesus…

“Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
Why is Mary being prayed to this way, is she God? The Bible never directs us to pray to Mary.

“Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! Our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping, in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.”
Roman Catholicism should be renamed “Mary Worship”, because that is really what it is; it places her on a high pedestal, equal with God. Mary was the mother of Jesus, nothing more, and she is not the advocate as mentioned in the Bible (I John 2:1).

They forbid their priests marry, when God specifically set up marriage for all, even priests. (I Timothy 3:2) To impose the burden of celibacy upon a priest is to put a man-made burden that is not necessary on them and not mandated by God, it is a clear case of putting human tradition ahead of the Bible. Many Roman Catholics believe that Peter was not married, the Bible says otherwise (Matthew 8:14-15; Mark 1:30-31; Luke 4:38-39). It is interesting to note that priests of pagan Rome were also made to take a vow of celibacy as were the priests of Babylon.

They believe one way of attaining salvation from the punishment of one’s sins is through indulgences, which can be purchased with money or through acts of penitence, acts of charity, or other pietistic means. The idea of indulgences is based on good works meriting God’s grace. Since they believe Christ’s sacrifice was insufficient for the full payment of the penalty of sin, acts of piety and gifts to the Roman Catholic church may be used as partial payment for one’s sins. The adequacy of an indulgence depends upon the merit attributed to it by the Roman Catholic church. The Bible says we are saved by faith and nothing else! Once you die, it’s judgment time! (Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 9:27)

They believe in confessing one’s sins to a priest. Jesus is the only mediator we need; we do not need the pope, priests, Mary or the saints (Matthew 6:9, 12; I John 1:9, 2:1; I Timothy 2:5).

They believe it is necessary for salvation to partake in the Sacrament of the Eucharist (communion). They believe they actually eat and drink the body and blood of Christ through a process called transubstantiation, whereby a priest prays over the wafer and wine and it is supernaturally turned into Christ’s body. They will quote scripture (John 6:53-58; Matthew 26:26-28) out of context to support their viewpoint. Jesus was alive when the last supper took place and by interpreting this scripture literally instead of figuratively (symbolizing his body and blood), it creates numerous problems. Jesus referred to himself as a “door,” “vine,” and “rock” and these descriptions are recognized as figurative (John 10:9, 15:5; I Corinthians 10:4). Therefore Jesus is crucified afresh everyday by priests all over the world, who are putting him to open shame. The Bible says that Jesus was physically offered up once (died for our sins), never to be repeated again. (Hebrews 9:1-28, 10:12-18) He sits on the right hand of God and does not reappear in the Mass as a mass of blood and flesh. It is very important to note that Jesus told us to take the bread (which symbolized his body) and wine (which symbolized his blood); but he did so while he was here on earth and alive. Roman Catholicism makes Jesus and his disciples into cannibals, because he and his disciples were eating his body that was alive (I Corinthians 11:23-26).

They believe there are oral traditions and teachings by Jesus that are not mentioned in the Bible; furthermore, the Roman Catholic religion has somehow been able to get this spoken word from somewhere, we’re just not told how it was done. This means whoever sits on the papal chair in Rome is considered more authoritative than the Bible itself (Matthew 15:3,6-7; Mark 7:5-9,13). The cry of the Reformation was sola scriptura – the insistence that the Bible alone is the ultimate authority for all believers. The Holy Spirit’s enlightenment is a safeguard against religious tyranny.

They believe that Mary never had anymore children after giving birth to Jesus and that she remained a perpetual virgin until she died. Why are we to believe that Joseph and Mary never had sexual intercourse? What husband and wife live and die together without consummating their marriage? These are speculative questions, but is is obvious Mary could not have remained a virgin if she had other children as recorded in the Bible (Matthew 13:55-56; Mark 6:3).

They believe that the church is founded upon the apostle Peter, that he was the first pope. The true Church of Jesus Christ was not founded upon Peter, but upon Peter’s confession of Christ’s deity as recorded in Matthew 16:16: “…Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The Bible says that Jesus is the foundation of the church (Matthew 21:42; I Corinthians 3:11). Peter was not the first pope, nor is there any Biblical justification whatever for such an office. Peter’s own inspired testimony as to his position and ministry is given in I Peter 5:1-4. He then identifies himself in II Peter 1:1 as “a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ….” Peter was a man like you and me. When Cornelius tried to worship Peter, Peter responded, “Stand up; I myself also am a man.” (Acts 10:25-26). The pope needs to remember this when men are bowing to him and kissing his hand like he is worthy of worship. Furthermore, history confirms the fact that there were no popes in the early church, not even in the Roman Catholic church during the first centuries of its existence.

They believe the pope is the Holy Father, a title only given to God. The pope is a man who takes upon himself honor which belongs to no human being. Even the very name by which he allows himself to be called (Holy Father) is highly presumptuous and blasphemous (John 17:11

They pray to and worship Mary – an 1854 papal decree (Pope Pius IX) on the Immaculate Conception of Mary that has never been revoked, states, “Let all the children of the Catholic Church … continue to venerate, invoke, and pray to the most blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God, conceived without original sin.” Praying to Mary is something that is not spoken of in the Bible and would make her an equal with God, thus she has become a deity to Roman Catholics. Mary, according to the Roman Catholics has become the queen of heaven. When the queen of heaven is referred to in the Bible, she is spoken of negatively (Jeremiah 7:17-19). Mary needed a savior as much as anyone else and acknowledged this in Luke 1:47.

They believe that Mary is a co-redeemer with Jesus. In 1923, Pope Pius XI sanctioned Pope Benedict XV’s (1914-1922) pronouncement that Mary suffered with Christ, and that with Him, she redeemed the human race. Pope Pius XI officially designated Mary the “Queen of Heaven” and “Queen of the World.” The Bible specifically states that Jesus is the only way to get to heaven. Nowhere in the Bible does it state that Mary is a co-redeemer (John 14:6). God speaks out very clearly against the “Queen of Heaven” (Jeremiah 7:17-19).

They believe a baby can be “born again” through baptism by sprinkling, furthermore, they believe that baptism is necessary for salvation. The issue of infant baptism is not mentioned in the Bible, nor does it mention anything about babies and salvation. We are all born with sin and that alone disqualifies us from getting to heaven (Romans 3:23). The act of baptism in the Bible does not guarantee you a place in heaven or make you born again, rather it is an outward act of obedience to God after you have been saved.

They believe that Jesus merely made the way open for salvation. In order to enter into that salvation, one must live in obedience to the authority of the papacy. In addition, Jesus’ provision for salvation not being complete, the Roman Catholic church offers other means to assure one’s salvation. The Roman Catholic church says it alone can grant this essential blessing for full salvation. This supersedes the Bible in which God guarantees our salvation (John 10:27-29; Romans 10:9-17). Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you a mechanic.

They believe that we are saved in part by good works and that good works are necessary for salvation. The Bible says we are saved by grace through faith, not works. Good works come as a result of being saved (Romans 3:24-28; Ephesians 2:8-9).

They believe there are different levels of sin; mortal (deadly) sins in which you are in danger of losing your salvation and venial (minor) sins which are not as serious. Mankind has placed different distinctions on sin (i.e. someone caught lying is not punished as severely as a person who is a murderer). However, in God’s eyes, sin is sin, there is no distinction (Romans 3:23).

Summary

Roman Catholicism makes salvation a long, complicated process with no assurance of eternal life and forgiveness of all sin. Baptism, Mass, Confession, prayers to Mary and the Saints, good works, and purgatory are all added to faith in Christ. By contrast, the Bible teaches salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone. Bible salvation is God’s free gift to any sinner who believes that Christ died for their sins and rose again for their defense. Bible salvation gives immediate assurance of eternal life. No church ever saved anyone, but Christ can and will save everyone who will come and trust Him as their Saviour. Membership or faith in a church does not secure salvation for anyone, but trust Christ and Him alone and you will be saved for all eternity!

SOURCE: https://sites.google.com/site/seraph595/catholic-revelation-connection/roman-catholics—the-worlds-largest-cult