Revised: 11/3/10, jd
ARE CATHOLICS EVEN SAVED?
There are a lot of misunderstandings & subtleties about the Roman Catholic Church & that's make it difficult to explain their truth to non Catholics. To those who don't want to believe, no proof is sufficient. To those who want to believe, no criticism is proof.
But, when all is said and done, the orthodox Catholics are not :
v Protestants, pagans or nature worshipers.
v Idol worshipers, in the sense that they don’t sacrifice our children to the statues in the church nor do we bring grain and meat offerings to them. They represent our friends in Heaven, not a Jehovah-competing god or demon.
v Murderers. They don’t even make the host & wine out of Gentiles or Jews, don’t laugh, because in the past it was said of the early church that they were atheists and cannibals.
v Blind followers of a cult-like Pope leader who might tell them to commit mass suicide or mass murder all of the Protestants, Muslims, Hindus, Atheists or Jews in the world on his orders. Most of them would try to depose that Pope. He’s doesn’t have the power of a dictator, there are other Bishops that share his power & they think for themselves.
v Gnostics or magical wizards that believe secret doctrine, magic rituals and secret salvation formulas/incantations that will guarantee them entrance into Heaven & great wealth and power on earth.
v A solid voting block. About half of them, mostly the “lapsed” or no longer attending Catholics, they don’t always vote according to their beliefs.
v Saved only through the church, sacraments, saints & works of mercy. Their salvation is also based on Jesus Christ the Savior renewing their minds and creating within them a clean heart. His sacrifice makes them holy in God’s sight but, then they have to add spiritual works of obedience, worship and love to their faith.
v Only passive thinkers of their beliefs. No, they touch the body and blood of Jesus and eat and drink it, as he commanded. We see the cross, crucifix and statues of Jesus and the saints and it makes their religion more real, just as we look at photo albums to remember those past events and people that are only memories. They move, stand, sit and kneel to God, who is in their church and if they had golden crowns they would throw them to the ground, in front of the crucifix, Jesus, the consecrated Bread of Life or lift them up to Heaven to show who they love. They see Jesus in the Priest; they practice on him, “Hello Father, thank you for blessing us again. Thank you …God bless you also.”
DO CATHOLICS HAVE SOME EXTRA-BIBLICAL BELIEFS?
Yes, maybe:
Infallibility of the Pope, when speaking on faith and morals or whenever seems arrogant or an exaggeration of St. Peter’s actions or commands in the early church. His brother (Step-brother or cousin) James acted more like the Pope of Jerusalem, but Peter still had the Keys of the Kingdom & moved to Rome. This doctrine is not forcefully spelled out in the Bible, but it is in the same spirit as Jesus being the ruler of Heaven and Jesus is represented on earth through one person who is the gentle and loving ruler of the earthly Kingdom of God. Jesus taught by example and never yelled at, coerced, whipped the disciples or forced them to follow his example.
Mary, the virgin mother of God or Theotokos (God-bearer)? Well Jesus was fully God and fully man, Jesus came through the birth canal of Mary didn’t He & God still was fully present in Jesus (Dual nature of Christ)? Mary isn’t God or equal to God, but she did give birth to Jesus the Son of God & so she is worthy of honor, like a parent.
The Immaculate Conception of Mary doctrine says that she was born without the original sin of Adam and Eve. They can’t prove that she was or wasn’t, but the Popes insist it is true and Catholics must believe it. That’s not to say that she couldn’t chose to sin or she remained sinless until she gave birth to Jesus. Sometimes we speculate more into it than we have a right to, but if the Holy Spirit is leading His Church & Bishops & the Pope then they are correct. The Bible does not teach this doctrine in an obvious way and maybe it does damage to the doctrines of Jesus being the sole sinless man.
If Jesus took the place of Adam, the fallen first human, then Jesus must be born with original sin. Jesus succeeded in resisting sin until death. He bore our sins for us so we could be resurrected. Hebrew 9:28. Adam could have remained sinless but he failed and so did Eve. Who is Eve's replacement? Mary is her replacement or maybe she doesn't need one. Jesus died for all of us even Eve. Mary the blessed mother of Jesus stood by him from the beginning of is life in a stable or cave, fleeing into Egypt with Joseph to protect him, watched his turbulent ministry and then followed him and stood near the cross with John. She resisted the impulse to fight for her son while evil and ignorant people hurled abuse at her Son the Messiah. She never said a word in her defense or his defense. If words are like a sword, then surely her heart was pierced as it was prophesied. Jesus called Mary “woman” at the wedding of Cana and at the Cross of Calvary. “Woman” see Genesis 3 especially 3:15. The “woman” didn’t get the name “Eve” until she sinned…but that is speculation as to whether that means that Mary is the second Eve.
“All have sinned [Romans 3:23]…Did Jesus or Melchizedek sin? No. All mortal & ordinary men have sinned would be a better way of saying it. Paul was preaching to ordinary men and women. Did Mary sin? Most Protestants believe she did & was born with original sin and so was Jesus, but Catholics don't believe that. Most Christian believes that Jesus was sinless, that is that he never sinned, and he proclaims that about himself [John 8:46].
Purgatory is a place where Christians are cleansed from any residual sins after death, in their spirits (Souls if you prefer). Maybe it’s like an extended Individual Judgment Day and we all can agree on that. You know the verse about our works of hay, wood and stubble being burned up in Heaven, but the silver gold and precious stones being purified [1Cor.3;12]? Purgatory means purifying & purging. Look up all the verses for purge & purify in a concordance. [Rev. 7:14-17; Isa 27:9; John 15:2; 1John 3:3]. Catholics still teach this, but it is taught as something that happens, somehow, in the mysterious realms of spirit and Heaven. We can’t imagine what God has in store for us, but Scripture gives us approximations for our finite minds [I Cor. 2:7-16].
“Absent with the body present with the Lord” doesn’t always mean we go right to Heaven. We can say, “Absent from Heaven present with the Lord on earth” and they are both true. God is always present, even inside of us is the Holy Spirit. We can also say at death we enter into the gates of Heaven, but do we go directly to the Throne of God without even an orientation or baptism into the River of Life? Are there different parts of Heaven, as the Temple in Jerusalem was said to represent? [I Corinthians 5:3, 2Cor. 5:6-8, Rev 2:7]
Prayer for the Dead. First of all the Jews did and some still pray for the dead and so Catholics pray for the dead also. Jesus was a Jew and he probably did it and so do they.
OFF THE CUFF QUESTIONS & ANSWERS,
VERIFY THEM ON THE CATHOLIC WEBSITES
OR THE BIBLE OR PROTESTANT WEB-SITES
Does the Bible say that priests or bishops, deacons, apostles, evangalists, nuns, Mother Superiors or anyone can't marry?
No.
So why do the last few Popes insist on it?
I don't know ask them.
Is salvation only in Jesus Christ or in the Roman Catholic Church?
The Roman Catholics believe they are, through the Church, the administrators or gateway to Christ, which is partially Biblical, but not really.
Is the priesthood Biblical?
No, the laity is the priesthood, in the New Testament.
In the movie "The Song of Bernadette" the bishop or whoever angrily exclaims (paraphrase),
"We have no priests. Pagans have priests, we have religious."
That is correct that pagan priests sacrificed children, virgins & enemies to their gods. It is also true the the Jewish Temple priests continued to sacrifice animals until it was outlawed & the Temple was completely destroyed later in 70 A.D.
What need is there for a priest since Jesus died once for our sins and the Communion Service is not a blood sacrifice?
I don't know, it's a Catholic idea.
Is the Bible supreme or the Pope or Magesterium or evangalists supreme?
It isn't the Bible, so it is the Holy Spirit speaking through the Pope, Magesterium and the people are supreme interpreters of the Bible & the will of God.
Are some Roman Catholics saved? Yes, of course & some Hindus, Indians, Muslims, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Pygmies, pagans, Amish & maybe even a few Christian Scientists (Just kidding, everyone can be saved, if Jesus wills it). Some Protestants and non church goers, some: politicians, lawyers, Liberals, Conservatives and New Age people will even be saved. I think the best bet is to become a Christian, but not everyone will have that opportunity to see the light.
"After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb". Revelation 7:9-10, KJV
STOP PICKING ON ME!!
[PERSECUTION]
Jesus said, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my name sake.” Matthew 5:11.
Whenever you have the truth, speak the truth and live that truth the ignorant, the sinners, other groups who are competing for your pew-warmers, minds, bodies and souls, will try to steal them. There will be friendly advice and hostile comments and even smear campaigns against you. This is true in business, education and politics, so why shouldn’t it be true in religion? [Mat. 12:25-31]
Church leaders, board members & people in the church are all still sinners, even if they are mostly obedient in the spirit. When the Protestants tell the Catholics that they have a false religion and the Catholics tell the Protestants they are immature, divisive and rebellious, the devil dances a jig and the Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists and Agnostics: laugh and feel more secure in their own beliefs. No matter how many times you present these facts some Christians will tell you in public or in a public blog that you are not a real Christian or you’re a hateful person. Christians say if you stay in the Catholic/Protestant Church & you will lose your salvation. We never learn and never graduate to the meat of the Gospel, we are still milk drinkers at our churches' breasts—little babies.
PROTESTANT PERSECUTION/EVANGELIZING OF CATHOLICS
Prayer: “Thank you Jesus, for letting the Protestants rebuke, teach and evangelize me by telling me that your Church is false, ineffective for salvation and blocks the Holy Spirits’ power to save me. It hurt my feelings at first and makes me once again question my faith. It tempts me to fear and hate the Protestants who would criticize the relationship with Jesus that I have hidden in my heart. Then I remembered that you were criticized, condemned and accused of blasphemy and being a devil for criticizing the interpretation of the Jewish Bible that the religious leaders taught. I’m glad to be on the same team as you Jesus.
YEAH!! I was persecuted for my faith and great will be my reward in Heaven!!!”
LIBERAL CATHOLIC/PROTESTANT PERSECUTION/EVANGELIZING OF
JESUS CHRIST IS GOD CHRISTIANS
Prayer: “Thank you Lord for letting me be criticized by the rational intellectual leaders, teachers and followers of the Liberal, unorthodox Christianity. They made me feel that I was intellectually inferior to them. I started to feel that it was I, who was following cleverly devised myths. It took me years to take Jesus’ words as the truth for today and not a fable or exaggeration. It took me years to believe that Jesus was not talking down to his audience and speaking lies, but that he really believed in all stories in the Hebrew Bible. I now believe, through your grace that Jesus really has the power to resurrect us after he has taken away the guilt, sickness and death from our bodies and spirits. You put them on your own sinless body/spirit and you are Salvation/God". AMEN!
NEW AGE & EASTERN RELIGIONS PERSECUTION/EVANGELIZING OF CATHOLICS
Thank you Lord that the believers in “One World Religion”, “Many Paths To God”, “All Religions are Equal” have condemned me and my orthodox Christianity as evil. They told me that I had hatred against Protestants, Jews, Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, Witches, Homosexuals, Lesbians, Nature Worshipers, Women, Unitarians, Abortionists, Liberals and anyone different than me. They told me that my preaching of my religion was arrogance. It was hateful for me to say that everyone will go to Hell that doesn’t believe in Jesus the way that I do, even though I said, “Sincere lovers of God can be rescued from any religion, through Jesus’ decision”. I told them that I must teach others, because Jesus commanded it. I told them I did it also out of love, so they might know Jesus and teach others. They just got angrier and spitting mad. They refused to admit they were hating and condemning me & my religion and my right to teach it. They are so blind to their disrespect, hostility and persecution, because they were projecting their hatred onto Christians. Rejoice, hallelujah, because the same thing happened to Jesus!
MUSLIM PERSECUTION/EVANGELIZING/MURDER OF CATHOLICS
Muslims as individuals are very nice as long as you don’t speak about your religion to them, unless you have their permission. You generally don’t have the right or the freedom to speak of Jesus in their home or country, especially if you are making it sound superior to Islam. If they are the majority in a country & they have a strict Sharia Law they will treat most non Muslims as second class citizens and they won’t let you preach to them. So what can I do? What did Jesus do? There were no Muslims at the time. I say, “I shake the dust off of my sandals”, so to speak. If I am in their country, I will not preach to them. If they are in my country I will preach to them, but not in their houses. In this world of mass media, they can find out about Jesus if they want to. If Muslims take over the U.S.A. I will move out to a country that has freedom of religion or suffer persecution here as a martyr and rejoice, sing and pray to Jesus--out loud. Many Moslems are God-fearing and Jesus will rescue them, just as He will find his sheep in any religion or place on earth.
ATHEIST/AGNOSTIC/ATHEISTIC SCIENTISTS PERSECUTION
Atheists have the power in Christian, formerly Christian & atheistic countries to spew out their great twisted wisdom and their intellect polluted by sin and rebellion against God. They openly mock, debate and sneer at Christians and most religious beliefs. They go on sinning and hating and vilifying those who represent: decency, kindness and truth and they call us deceived, fools and liars. They find every crack and widen it, they find every blemish and encircle it, they accuse us without even having to back it up. This is their time, but soon it will be an eternity with God and His followers and the taunts and lies of the others will be long forgotten. I try to help them, but its like trying to tame a rattlesnake it’s usually not worth the price. But Jesus paid the price, not me so many atheists will turn back to God.
FAMILY PERSECUTION/EVANGELIZING OF CHRISTIANITY
When I’m home I like to tell about my problems with others or my joys and struggles in Christianity and I’m treated like a foolish enemy who is causing his own troubles, because of his fanatical belief in Jesus Christ. I never stop to think I’m talking to blind people, because they’re my own family that I love and depend upon who see life mostly in humanistic, realistic, & practical ways. Religion for them is a few prayers at night, no church attendance & almost no Bible reading. It’s something they have tucked away safely in the corner of their minds, but don’t use in this life to control their thoughts, actions or beliefs. I rejoice that I’m the only fanatical Christian in my house. It’s a privilege to be rejected and suffer so much pain from my own family members who also reject church attendance, evangelizing and renewing their minds in Jesus’ image. Rejoice, rejoice, for great will be my reward!
REFERENCES
Catechism Of The Catholic Church, An Image Book, Doubleday, 1540 Broadway, New York, 10036, 1995.
Catholicism, The Meaning of Catholicism: The Organic Unity of the Christian Experience—Its Religious, Moral, Intellectual and Social Values—and Its Realization Within The Structure of the Catholic Church. Edited by George Brantl. Publisher: George Braziller, Inc, One Park Ave NY 10016, © 1961 by George Brantl. NY, Nihil Obstat…Imprimatur…
Review: This goes to the heart of what the Catholic Church teaches with long quotes from: the Church Fathers, great writers, Popes, and many Bible quotes. What is a soul, evolution, and Catholic philosophy? You will find many deep thoughts here.
Catholicism And Fundamentalism, The Attack on “Romanism” by “Bible Christians”, by Karl Keating, © 1988 Ignatius Press, San Francisco, ISBN: 0-89870-177-5 (SB.).
Catholics and The New Age, Servant Publications, MI, 1992.
Review: A book showing what the New Age philosophy and religion is.
Papal Sin, Structures of Deceit, © 2000 by Gary Wills, Doubleday, NY.
Review: This book has been devastating to my already shaky Roman Catholicism. If you want to hang on to your Roman Catholicism I suggest skipping this book.
The Philosophy of Jesus, by Peter Kreeft, St. Augustine Press, South Bend, Indiana, www.StAugustine.net, © 2007 by Peter Kreeft.
Review: Contents: Intros 1, 2, 3; Chapter 1: Jesus’ Metaphysics; 2: Jesus’ Epistemology; 3: Jesus’ Anthropology; 4: Jesus’ Ethics; Conclusion; Index. Chapter 4 is a thorough teaching of true Christianity.
The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence, © 1982 Whitaker House.
Review: A thin book that will inspire anyone. This is a classic.
Understanding Catholicism, the Complete Idiot’s Guide to, pp.376+, © 2000 by Bob O’Gorman & Mary Faulkner, Alpha Books, Macmillan USA, Inc. 201 West 103rd St. Indianapolis, IN 46290, A Pearson Education Co.
Review: This is packed with the history & practices of the Universal Church which is no represented by the Roman Catholic Church. It talks about the good the bad and the holy and it is a balanced & easy to read book.
Vatican Council 2, The Conciliar & Post Conciliar Documents, General Editor Austin Flannery, O.P., © 1975 by Costello Pub. Co., Inc. & Tec. Austin Flannery, O.P.
Why Be Catholic, by William J. O’Malley, S.J.
WEBSITES
http://www.catholic.com/library/sr_chick_tracts_p3.asp
CATHOLIC LINKS
www.ChristianAnswers.net
www.scotthahn.com
PAMPHLETS
“WHY BE CATHOLIC”, by William J. O’Malley, S.J., Catholic Update C0194, © 1993. St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1615 Republic St. Cincinnati, OH 45210, 1-800-488-0488
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Any thing by: George Weigel, Pope Paul 2, Pope Benedict 16
GOOD LUCK IN YOUR SPIRITUAL AND RELIGIOUS LIFE.
FAITH THAT CANNOT PASS THE TEST MUST BE REWORKED WITH COURAGE THROUGH GOD'S GRACES.
