Is
Catholicism Christian?
Chapter 2
Doctrines of the Catholic church
The Catholic church
departs from Christianity in that many of it’s doctrines are opposed to the
Word of God, the Bible. It would take several volumes to list all the rules,
regulations and doctrines of Catholicism. They many rules and
regulations on how to handle certain objects and relics, how to eat, what to
eat, thousands of rules with many variations on prayer and indulgences, the list
is endless. I
will therefore just outline and examine some of them, those that depart
from Christianity.
One word I must
insert here, is for those who read this and say "I'm a Catholic and I don't
believe these things". You are then by definition of the Catholic church,
not a Catholic, because you do not submit to it's divinely instituted bishops
and their teachings, read on.
The Magisterium.
First
and foremost, I will discuss the Magisterium, because it would be best to start
where their teaching and doctrine comes from, not from God’s Word, but the
magisterium. “What is a magisterium?” I hear some Catholics saying, and what
does it have to do with their religion?. Well the Magisterium by definition is
the teaching arm of the Catholic church, the ‘divinely appointed bishops’
who speak for Christ in all matters pertaining to church doctrine and biblical
interpretation. All faithful Catholics are to submit to their teachings. I quote
here from the Second Vatican Council’s “Dogmatic Constitution on the
Church” No. 20
…the
Bishops have by divine institution taken the place of the Apostles as pastors of
the church, in such wise that whoever listens to them is listening to Christ and
whoever despises them despises Christ and him who sent Christ.
And also the Second Vatican
Council’ “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church” No. 25
…the
faithful, for their part, are obliged to submit to their bishops’ decision,
made in the name of Christ, in matters of faith and morals, and to adhere to it
with a ready and respectful allegiance of mind.
The Catechism of the
Catholic
church says:
"For,
of course, all that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is
ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church which exercises the divinely
conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of
God." (Pg. 34, #119)
So
putting it plainly, whatever the bishops’ teach or say is to be believed and
submitted to, because they are ‘divinely appointed’ and they speak for
Christ. This authority even extends to determining what he scriptures say. Catholics cannot read and interpret the scriptures for themselves, they have to
take the magisterium’s opinion for what the Bible says, no matter how
contradictory it appears. In fact, the magisterium is more important than the Bible according to Fr. Matthias Premm in his book “Dogmatic theology for the
Laity”:
…the
teaching office of the church is more important than the Bible: only an
infallible church can tell us what books belong to Scripture, and only an
infallible church can interpret the true meaning of Sacred Scripture; no one can
do this for himself. Thus the Catholic can read only one Bible, the Bible which
is published by the church. In other words: The immediate and highest rule of
faith is the living office of the church. (Dogmatic theology for the
Laity)
Note
the first sentence there?, "the
teaching office of the church is more important than the Bible".
Straight away we see the Catholic church exalts it's teaching office above
Scripture.
Also
in the quotes from the Catholic church above, are the terms “Divine
institution” and “Infallible”. These terms lend weight to their
arguments as the former means in plain English that they are appointed or
commissioned by God, and the latter means are incapable of making a mistake or
error. If this was true and taken at face value, then certainly the Catholic
church would be the one true church. But I think we should listen for the
warnings in Scripture of the Apostle Paul:
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,
after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after
Christ.
(Colossians 2:8)
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because,
when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the
word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh
also in you that believe. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
In God's Word 1Corinthians chapter 4 verse 6 Paul exhorts a church
which is "going off the rails a bit" to stick to the Word of God, and
not to allow men to put themselves above the Word of God:
And these things, brethren, I have in a
figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might
learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of
you be puffed up for one against another. 1Corinthians 4:6
Men do not interpret the Word of God for us, that is the
work of the Holy Spirit. We can read the Scriptures, understand what it is
saying on a worldly level, but without the Spirit of God to open our eyes to the
spiritual aspect and application of Scripture, it remains just paper and ink.
God's Word says in 1 Corinthians 2:10-14
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the
Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For
what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?
even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now
we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which
things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which
the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned. 1Corinthians 2:10-14
We cannot discern God's thoughts unless the Spirit of God is in us, we cannot
understand fully the Scriptures or spiritual things, they are foolishness to us
unless we have the Holy Spirit. Men without the Spirit of God cannot teach
spiritual truth, they don't compare spiritual with spiritual, but follow
tradition, and try to force it's meaning into Scripture. This is how they have
come up with some of their absurd doctrines. Christians say "Let Scripture interpret
Scripture", the Magisterium says "Let us interpret scripture in the
light of tradition".
In
all these and many other verses of Scripture, we are warned or encouraged to
listen, receive and learn the Word of God, not the teachings of men. Men may
have good intentions or ideas, they can sound and appear to be good and wise,
but ultimately the Word of God shows these things to be hollow and empty
philosophy that depends on the thinking of unspiritual and darkened minds. The
picture of
the blind leading the blind comes to mind here, how can men who do not know what
the Scriptures say, who don't trust every word in the Bible, who believe they
are to be interpreted in the light of corrupt history, how can they spiritually
teach and lead others?.
Maybe
you are shocked by the above statements, but they are true. I am aware of, and
have met many ex-priests who have explained their seminary education. They have
all told me they opened their Bible once, and that was briefly on the first day
of college.
The following 7 or so years were all spent studying philosophy (Meister
Eckheart,
humanism, morality etc), Latin, French, catechism, Suma Theologica,
constitutions of the Catholic church, cannon law, rites and a false church history that makes the
Catholic church out to be the only true church and
all others of the devil. They do not study the Bible, and the things of God.
Next
Chapter
Cult
Encyclopedia
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