Sunday, January 3, 2010

ROMAN CATHOLICISM

INTRODUCTION (7 Chapters total)

Around 750 years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah prophesied, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3). Malachi, many years later, prophesied, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple” (Malachi 3:1). Both prophets spoke concerning John the Baptist. The apostle John wrote, “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe” (John 1:7, 7). God sent John the Baptist with a special commission. The commission of John included preparing the way of the Lord Jesus Christ and preparing the material that Christ would use to establish His New Testament church.
John the Baptist completed his mission. He prepared the way of the Lord and prepared the material for the church of the Lord Jesus, the material being saved, baptized individuals. Jesus Christ, being the Lord for whom John prepared a way, took the material that John prepared and began His New Testament church. Christ taught His church that He would endure death and burial before rising again after three days. He taught His church that He would leave them but would send them a Comforter to lead and teach them (John 14:26). Before Christ ascended to the Father He gave His church an important duty. Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19, 20):
In the absence of Jesus, the church would carry on His ministry of leading mankind to salvation. On the Day of Pentecost, God empowered the church that Jesus built. The Holy Spirit came upon the church and gave it power to carry out the important work of spreading the Gospel. Thus the church was a God-ordained institution sent into the world to carry out the laws of the New Testament; Christ being the Head.
After the ascension of Christ, Christianity grew rapidly spreading across the known world. Many New Testament churches arose and continued to carry out the commission of the Lord; however, as Christianity spread throughout the known world, gaining members from different cultures, many problems began to arise. These problems led to the dividing of true New Testament churches. The result of the divisions in the second century of church history was instrumental in the forming of the Roman Catholic religion. The Roman Catholic religion over the past 1700 years, has proved to be evil in its practice, proclamation, and polity. In its history it has compromised truth and converted literally millions of members.
Paul Blanshard wrote in his book, “American Freedom And Catholic Power”, “In two hundred years the Roman Catholic Church in the United States has increased from the smallest to the largest church in the nation, claiming in 1948 the allegiance of some twenty-six million Americans.”[i] Marcus Bach, in his book “Had You Been Born In Another Faith”, concerning Catholics who make the sign of the cross, wrote, “As you make this sign you are assured that there is a community of more than 500,000,000 people throughout the world who understand this salutary act.”[ii] This statistic, a worldwide statistic in 1941, reflects the number of Catholics and others whom Roman Catholicism influenced. Today in the United States statistics show that 63.4 million people in 19,081 parishes profess to be Catholic.[iii] The eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica states, “The Roman Catholic Church is by far the most widespread, numerous and powerful of all the Christian communions. It is the dominant Church in the majority of European states, in South and Central America and in Mexico; it is the largest single religious body in the United States of America”[iv]
Domination and power is the Catholic plan for the world; this plan is the same as that of Constantine and Theodosus; former emperors of Rome who were instrumental in the founding of Roman Catholicism. These men desired a Catholic, universal, religious world. Today the Roman Catholic religion still desires a Roman Catholic world. Paul Blanshard wrote, “In a Catholic world every national government would establish the Roman Catholic Church in a unique position of privilege, and support its teachers and priests out of public revenues. That is what the Holy See has always demanded in every country where it has had the power to support the demand with reasonable strength.”[v]
Catholicism rules the world; this is the desire of Roman Catholicism; a world in total submission to its hierarchy. Blanshard went on to write, “In any Catholic state, schools receiving public funds would be either entirely Catholic or operated under Catholic moral supervision. Vituperative attacks on the clergy would be suppressed, and all books directly attacking the hierarchy or its doctrines would be forbidden.”[vi] This type of rule, reign and quest for power finds its beginning in the great dictatorships of the first ancient empires. The Catholic plan for the world is the same as ancient kings such as Nimrod, Nebuchadnezzar, the Pharos of Egypt, and the Ceasers of Greece and Rome. These men sought for supreme power over all, even so, does Roman Catholicism.

The Problem
The true desire of Roman Catholicism remains a mystery to its members. The citizens of the United States who are members of the Roman religion do not realize that they, being a citizen of a country that stands for freedom and liberty, are servants of a dictator. This dictator is not a citizen of the United States but of Rome. The Roman Catholic churches of the United States answer to the same dictator: He, the Pope, makes the decisions concerning all moral and spiritual matters of the church as well as the members.
Freedom does not exist in Roman Catholicism, only a state of bondage. Loraine Boettner wrote in her book “Roman Catholicism”, “The lesson of history is that Romanism means the loss of religious liberty and the arrest of national progress.”[vii] Paul wrote, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). God, through the blood of Jesus, has called men out of bondage and unto liberty. Children of God must answer to Christ. He is to have the preeminence in all things (Colossians 1:18). He and He alone is the head of the church. No man has the right to lay claims to this position, save Jesus; who purchased the church with His own blood. “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the
church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).
The Purpose
Bible advocates must expose the evils of Roman Catholicism. The Bible and the history of Roman Catholicism prove this religion to be evil and misleading in every form and fashion. Roman Catholicism practices unbiblical principles in the world today. Its practices, proclamations and polity break the great commands of Christ. Those who profess to be Catholic must know what they proclaim. It is sad to know that most Catholics do not know what Catholicism promotes. They walk in the darkness, thus they follow the master of all lies. The Catholic Church has birthed many other false religions. In the 1500s, reformers protested against the church of England, a faction of the Church in Rome. These reformers desired liberty from the hierarchy of the Church. The eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica states, (Protestantism) has survived as embodying for many the conception of liberty, of the right of private judgment, of toleration for every progressive idea in religion, as opposed to the Roman Catholic principles of authority and tradition,”[viii] The Encyclopedia Britannica lists Protestants in America as Methodists, Lutherans, Disciples of Christ, Congregationalists, and Episcopalians.[ix] Protestant religions, though protesting against the Roman Catholic church, today practice and proclaim many of the same doctrines as the church in which they once desired to reform. Many of these have re-pledged allegiance to the church and recognize the Pope as the vicar of Christ.
More people are members of the Roman Catholic Church than any other religion in the world. Refusing to accept the Bible as the sole rule of faith and practice and upholding that the traditions passed down to the Church are equal to “thus sayeth the Lord.” Catholicism leads literally millions astray; even those who once protested against the church. The Bible teaches that all Scripture is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible must be the sole rule of faith and practice for mankind. The Scripture exposes the evil in the principles, practices and polity of Roman Catholicism. Exposing the fallibility of Roman Catholicism, using the Bible, is simple; however, the practicality of exposing Roman Catholicism as an evil religion proves to be almost futile.
Members of Roman Catholicism very seldom convert. Roman Catholic doctrine teaches that to question or doubt the faith of the church is to commit heresy or a sin against the faith. Concerning heresy and doubting, the catechism states, "Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it. Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and Catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of Catholicism subject to him." [x] Roman Catholics must adhere and accept without question or doubt all decrees of the Pope and the church; thus, from fear of committing a sin against the faith, members of Roman Catholicism are hesitant to convert for fear of damnation or even death. The practice, proclamation and polity of Roman Catholicism contradict the Bible. The Bible proves Roman Catholicism to be evil; therefore, in light of the Scriptures Roman Catholicism is evil.


[i] paul blanshard in a catholic world
[ii] Had I been born in another faith pge 148
[iii] 12th edition of denominations in America pge 94 see green note book
[iv] encyclopedia Britanica pg 487 right second paragraph
[v] blanshard pg 270 top of page
[vi] same as above pg 270 middle of page
[vii] boettner pg 13 last paragraph
[viii] volume 22 pge 472 britanica left second paragraph
[ix] Encyclopedia Brit. Pg 826 New Werner Edition New American Supplement The Werner company Akron Ohia 1904
[x] The Great Heresies http://www.catholic.com/library/Great_Heresies.asp

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