Lies of the Catholic Church

The Scriptures of the Holy Bible prove that Catholics have been lied to by the Catholic Church and its so-called “Magisterium” of Bishops and Popes in particular, who for centuries have kept them in bondage to a false gospel of rites, rituals, and works of man that have no basis whatsoever in the New Testament Gospel preached by the Lord Jesus or His apostles. The dogmas below, quoted from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (“[CCC]”) and other official sources, are plainly disproven and shown by the Bible to be idolatrous:

LIE NO. 1:  That Christians Must Suffer In Purgatory For “Purification” (When Jesus Already Perfected and Purified Them at the Cross!)

Purgatory is an ancient Babylonian doctrine that was not adopted by the Catholic church until 1274 AD., imported from the pagan religions of Greece and Rome. Not only is It NOT taught anywhere in Scripture, but is also diametrically opposed to the Gospel of Christ’s completed sacrifice at the Cross!  

The Catholic Church says: “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven . . . The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect… [CCC 1030-1031] 

This is a blasphemous denunciation of the all-sufficiency of Christ’s complete atonement for our sin! The apostle John said 1 John 1:7 that, “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”  That word “all” means ALL – the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from ALL sin. The Bible further says that by Christ’s one-time sacrifice he has perfected forever those who come to Him by faith and receive Him as Savior and Lord:

Hebrews 10:11-14 – …this man [Jesus], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God . . . For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.  Hebrews 9:12 – … by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

These verses say what every Catholic needs to hear; that (1) Christ’s sacrifice for sin was a ONE-TIME event, not to be repeated over and over as is promoted in the Catholic mass; and (2) we have received eternal redemption – meaning ALL our sin has been done away with, past present and future!  We have ALREADY been purified and perfected to enter the joys of heaven!  There is no sin left for us to pay for ourselves in purgatory – which is why the Lord Jesus Himself said in John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

This is also why the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that “to be absent from the body” means “to be present with the Lord.” – meaning without suffering in Purgatory! The Catholic claim that Purgatory is taught 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 is a gross misinterpretation of a text that clearly, in context, only applies to the teachings of leaders in the church.

LIE NO. 2:  That Only the Catholic “Magisterium” Can interpret Scripture

As stated by the Catholic Church: “The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.” [CCC 100].  To the contrary: the Bible says we should all study and to verify for ourselves, from the Scriptures what is being taught in the church:

Acts 17:10-11 – And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.  11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

LIE NO. 3:  That Papal Decrees and Traditions of the Catholic Church are of Equal Authority to God’s Word the BIBLE

The Catholic Church says: “…the Church…does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.”  [CCC 82]

To the contrary Jude wrote in v. 3 of his New testament epistle that we are to, “…earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints…” – meaning that the New Testament gospel was completed and delivered to the New Testament Church in the first century and is not to be added to through the centuries, as the Catholic Church has done multiple times – almost totally replacing Christ’s doctrine with pagan rites and practices that have no place in the true Christian faith. The Bible declares in multiple places that it is God’s complete revelation to man, and that it is not to be added to or taken away from:  

Proverbs 30:5-6 – Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6  Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Deuteronomy 4:2 – Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Paul the Apostle wrote to Timothy while he was pastoring the Church at Ephesus:

2 Timothy 3:15-17 – And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

That says the Scriptures alone provide all that is necessary to be “wise unto salvation”– that the Bible alone provides everything we need to know about God and about how we can be saved from our sins, which Paul says here is through faith – not through sacraments.

The huge problem the Catholic Church has always had is that its “traditions” are always directly refuted and condemned by the Holy Scriptures; which is why for many centuries the Catholic church kept the Bible hidden in the ancient Latin language of Rome, and outlawed the common people from owning copies or translating it into their own language, on pain of death. Pope Pius IV decreed in the 16^th century that it is, “manifest by experience” that if those outside the Catholic clergy are allowed to read the Bible in their own language, “…more evil than good arises…” Therefore he decreed, “whosoever shall presume to read these Bibles, or have them in possession…shall not be capable of receiving absolution of their sins, unless they have first given up their Bibles.” This fear of the Bible is why the great William Tyndale was burned at the stake – for translating the Bible into the English language.

LIE NO. 4:  That Mary the Mother of Jesus Remained an Eternal Virgin and is to be Worshipped and Prayed To

In order to politically unite the failing Roman empire in the 4^th and 5^th centuries, the Catholic (universal) church blended Christianity with the pagan religions of Greece and Rome. This includes its official approval at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD of replacing pagan Rome’s worship of its virgin goddess Venus (Ashtoreth), with introduction of the idolatrous worship of Mary, Christ’s mother. Among other Marian dogmas, this includes the claim that Mary remained a perpetual virgin, designating her as Aeiparthenos, the “Ever-virgin” [CCC-499].  

To the contrary, the God’s Word the BIBLE says clearly that although the Lord Jesus (called Mary’s firstborn son in Matt. 1 and Luke 2 (!)), was indeed conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of a virgin; after giving birth to the Lord Jesus, Mary and Joseph together had a normal marriage and had several other children. First we read In Matthew chapter 12:

46  While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.  47  Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

Then in the next chapter his brethren – his half-brothers in fact, are even named for us:

Matthew 13:54-58 – And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?  55  Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?  56  And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?  57  And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.”

Paul tells us plainly also that the apostle James, who pastored the early Jerusalem church, was the Lord’s brother (or half-brother in fact, being fathered instead by Joseph):  Galatians 1:18-19 – Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.

So Mary the mother of Jesus most assuredly did NOT remain a virgin, nor was she herself immaculately conceived or without sin. We read in Luke ch. 1 that she herself knew that she was a sinner who needed a Savior, and we also know that one fault of hers and Joseph’s was in failing to raise their other children to know who Jesus truly was; which is why the Apostle John records in John 7:5 – “For neither did his brethren believe in him.”

Furthermore – the Lord Jesus Himself also flatly condemned prayers to anyone but God, especially the type of repetitive pagan prayer offered to Mary in the idolatrous Rosary:

Matthew 6:6-7 – But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Mary IS to be honored and blessed among women as the angel said in Luke chapter 1, but is not to be blessed above women; and she is most certainly not to be called a “Mediatrix” or prayed to as a mediator, since that role can ONLY belong to the Lord Jesus: 

1 Timothy 2:5-6 – For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;  6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

LIE NO. 5: That the “Church” Was Authorized To Have Christians Who Followed the Scriptures Instead of the Popes Tortured and Massacred

The Catholic Church tries to bury and erase this aspect of its history, but the historical record is clear – as any Catholic church member can see via many sources, that the Roman Catholic Papacy has, throughout its history, been Satan’s greatest tool and weapon of attack against the true Christian faith – not only in replacing the doctrines of Christ with idolatrous pagan doctrines, but also in launching, from the 6th through the 16th centuries, and based upon a most un-Christian doctrine of war authored by the so-called “Saint” Augustine of  Hippo, the most severe and cruel inquisitions, military crusades, murders and massacres of literally millions of the true people of God, including the Paulicians, Novatians, Waldenses, Albigenses and many other Christian groups of Europe who refused to submit to the Papacy’s heresies, and that were slandered, hunted down, murdered and massacred, most of whom after suffering the most cruel tortures imaginable in order to extract “confessions” of “heresy.”

For more details and documentation, we challenge every Roman Catholic to look up an article posted online by ex-Catholics titled, “The Catholic Inquisition: “A Medieval Holocaust!”  Its history alone should open every Roman Catholic’s eyes to see that the Catholic church is indeed Satan the Devil’s counterfeit church.

LIE NO. 6:  That Salvation from Sin is Gained Through the Catholic Sacraments, plus Good Works and the Keeping of the Law

As stated by the Catholic Church:

“The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation. ‘Sacramental grace’ is the grace of the Holy Spirit, given by Christ and proper to each sacrament” [CCC-1129]. “[A]ll men may attain salvation through faith, Baptism and the observance of the Commandments” [CCC-2068]. “From the most ancient times in the Church good works were also offered to God for the salvation of sinners…” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, pp. 78,79).  “This sacrament of Penance is necessary for salvation for those who have fallen after Baptism, just as Baptism is necessary for salvation ”  [CCC-980]

God’s word the Bible refutes and condemns all the above statements! Nowhere in the Bible is there any hint or concept of “sacramental grace” – or of God’s saving grace being imparted and dispensed through sacraments (i.e., via rites and rituals), or through keeping the law or Ten Commandments. To the contrary: The Bible says over and over that saving grace is imparted through faith alone, without good works or the keeping of the Law:

Ephesians 2:8-9 – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Romans 3:21-28 – But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;  (22)  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe… (24)  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:  (25)  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood … (27)  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. (28)  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Because salvation is by faith alone, not by baptism or sacraments, we read in Acts ch. 8:

Acts 8:36-38 – …and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37  And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  38  …and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Water baptism was always an ordinance that followed true salvation, and was never required to enable or bring it; for if it was, the Apostle Paul would never have written these words:

1 Corinthians 1:17 – For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

There are many more lies and idolatrous practices of the Catholic church that we have outlined on the “Lies of the Catholic Church” page on our website, including the abominable creation and empowerment of the Papacy itself – but this should suffice to show that the Catholic church is “Christian” in name only.  There is in fact almost nothing about the Roman Catholic’s body of doctrine that is of true Christian origin or that can be said to have been taught by the Lord Jesus or His apostles. The Inquisitions and “crusades” and massacres of millions of true Christians, all aside – by far the worst thing about the Catholic church is its false gospel that has doomed billions of its own duped followers to an eternal hell – from which there is no indulgence, absolution or exit. To know how you can by truly saved from your sins and know for sure that you have eternal life, please contact us for more information:

                                                                
Independence Baptist Church
Ocala, Florida  ■   Sam Adams, Pastor  ■  (352) 238-2655