I grew up in the Catholic Church. I even studied in the seminary to become a priest. But after studying the Bible. I had to leave the church. There were too many things in the Bible that contradicted what the Church was teaching. Let me know your thoughts.
The Catholic church represents the human characteristic to want to put God in a box so that he can be managed. One gets the impression that this is what happened with the scribes and Pharisees at the time of Jesus.
Christianity was supposed to be about relationships (us with God and each other). Humans want to turn things into organizational systems and administer them.
When looking at the Catholic Church through a strictly biblical lens, I believe church tradition has superseded or contradicted the text of the Bible.
The Catholic Church places “Sacred Tradition” and the rulings of the Magisterium (the Pope and bishops) on equal footing with the Bible. I believe in sola scriptura (Scripture alone), asserting that the Bible is the final, supreme authority.
This very thing is even in the Bible. Mark 7:13, where Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for “making void the word of God by your tradition,” or 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which states that Scripture is sufficient to equip a believer for every good work.
The Catholic practices of praying to saints, venerating relics, and dogmas like the Immaculate Conception (that Mary was born without original sin) or her Bodily Assumption into heaven lack a biblical foundation.1 Timothy 2:5,
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Treating Mary or the saints as intercessors or co-redeemers detracts from Christ’s unique role. The concept of the Pope as the supreme head of the global Church, possessing papal infallibility when speaking ex cathedra on faith and morals, is a later historical development rather than a biblical command. While Catholicism traces the papacy back to Peter in Matthew 16:18 “on this rock I will build my church”, the context refers either to Peter’s confession of faith or to Christ Himself as the rock. The New Testament describes early church leadership as a plural oversight of elders and bishops rather than a centralized, monarchical hierarchy. Not to mention Jesus said this.
“But Jesus called them to him and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. '” Matthew 20:25
There are many more. Can you be saved? Of course. Do they have a lot, right? Of course. But they also have a lot wrong. This new Pope is blatantly going directly against the Word. Other religions are good and equal. Sin is ok. ETC. This is most dangerous.
Peter
tthew 23:9 **9 “**Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven” I grew up thinking the Pope was infallible. Calling every priest father. I believe they could absolve me in my sins. I taught the catechism. I prayed for the dead. I believed it was the only true religion, that everyone else was going to hell. Because that is what I was taught. I was taught that Mary was born without sin and she was a perpetual virgin. I was taught that priests and bishops were from the direct lineage of the apostles. I was taught that infant baptism guaranteed that you were going to heaven. After studying the Bible for many years. All these things are false.Matthew 6:7-8 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. **8 **So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him”. This makes the rosary a total pagan concept. When I tried to bring these things up in the seminary. I remember the priest that was teaching me. Standing there at his desk, holding on to the chair, White knuckled. Being so angry. But I was right. My mother was a devout Catholic. President of the Altar Rosary Society. She went over to Ireland and brought kids back for the summers. Out of the war zone in the 70s. Protestants and Catholics. To show them what life was like. With freedom. It was called Project Children. There’s a documentary. She’s in it. I know my mother’s in heaven. She loved Jesus. I pray every day that someday I will be there with her.
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To me it’s works based.
It is no surprise, then, that the Reformers found themselves at odds with the Roman Catholic Church. At the heart of the disagreement was the question of authority and how Scripture is to be interpreted. The Reformers insisted that the meaning of Scripture is to be derived from the text itself through sound exegesis, rather than by appealing to additional sources of authority or subjective interpretations.
J.
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Amen. This is why we are told to test the spirits.
Amen again!. If it ain’t in here (Holding up the Bible), it is a lie. Either intentional or not, it is still a lie.
Peter
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I’m not impressed with their last two popes.