Is Roman Catholicism A False Religious System?

On page 223, item #841 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, revised in accordance with the official Latin text promulgated by Pope John Paul II, we discover the following incredible statement. It’s under the subtitle, The church’s relationship with the Muslims. 

The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place among whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.

So, according to the official Catechism of the Catholic Church, Muslims are not only included in the plan of salvation, but are, “in the first place” together with “us” (Roman Catholics) because “they adore the one, merciful God.…”

In other words, the God of Roman Catholicism is the same God the Muslims “adore.” And the Muslims are said to be in first place by virtue of the claim that they, “… hold the faith of Abraham.”

Whoa! First of all, the Bible teaches that it is only by faith in Jesus Christ as God the Son that one is saved (John 3:16, 8:24, 14:6, Acts 4:12, Phil. 2:10-11, 1 John 2:23-24, 2 John 9).

Secondly, the God that Abraham believed in is known as the God of Israel—the father of the Lord Jesus Christ, second person of the holy Trinity. He is also known as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Allah is definitely not the God of Israel. Islam does not even recognize Israel’s right to exist, nor is the word Israel found even once in the Koran. That is because the Koran claims Ishmael, not Isaac, was the rightful heir to the Holy Land. So, according to the Koran, the land belongs to them and Israel has no right to even exist!

In the third place, Muslims do not “adore” Allah. This idea is nowhere found in Islam. Muslims fear Allah, they do not “adore” Him. They have no assurance of acceptance by him unless they murder an “infidel.” Jesus taught us to love our enemies and Mohammed says to murder them. Christians are not perfect, but Jesus was. Not all Muslims are murderers, but Mohammed was.

Here is the latest from Pope Francis To Followers: “Koran And Holy Bible Are The Same” WashingtonPost

Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Jehovah, Allah. These are all names employed to describe an entity that is distinctly the same across the world. For centuries, blood has been needlessly shed because of the desire to segregate our faiths. This, however, should be the very concept which unites us as people, as nations, and as a world bound by faith. Together, we can bring about an unprecedented age of peace, all we need to achieve such a state is respect each other’s beliefs, for we are all children of God regardless of the name we choose to address him by. We can accomplish miraculous things in the world by merging our faiths, and the time for such a movement is now. No longer shall we slaughter our neighbors over differences in reference to their God.

Keep reading and you will discover how far Catholic dogma really is from the teachings of Jesus and the God of the Bible. This is only the tip of the iceberg! In John 10:30 Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”

In Islam, teaching, believing, or even saying that Jesus is the son of God is blasphemy. Yet the deity of Christ is the essential teaching of Christianity. In John 8:24, Jesus said,

Unless you believe that I Am you will die in your sin.

I Am, is the name that God revealed of Himself when speaking to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:15.

And what is the punishment for blasphemy in Islam, the new soulmate of the Roman Catholics? Death by beheading! Their position is, if you believe in the deity of Christ you are damned as a polytheist.

In Islam there is no God but Allah and Jesus was only a man. Islam teaches that Jesus did not die on the cross but ascended into heaven without dying at all. But Jesus said; that dying on the cross was the very purpose for which He came to Earth! His sacrifice paid for the sin of the world. That is how God can forgive sinners without compromising His justice! His death purchased our salvation!

QUESTIONS FOR THE ROMAN CATHOLIC

1. Were you aware that the Vatican says salvation is to the Muslim first?
2. Do you think that Muslims would agree that Catholics are saved?
3. Do you as a Roman Catholic worship the god of the Koran known as Allah?
4. Are you aware that the Koran says anyone who believes that Jesus is the son of God is an infidel and must die and burn in hell?
5. Do you for one moment understand the implications of this Islamic doctrine in light of the teachings of Jesus?
6. Are you also aware of what the official position of the Vatican is concerning anyone who disagrees with its official Cannons and Decrees (such as this one)? That if you do not agree they curse your soul to hell? (This is documented in the article below titled, “What is anathema?”)
7. You may say, “I’ve never heard this at Mass, so, they don’t teach that anymore.” Ask your priest if he is obligated by the Vatican to agree with these decrees. If he says, “No,” ask him if he would say that in front of the Bishop!

I ask you again, do you believe that this doctrine of Catholics worshipping the same God the Muslims do is correct? Are you aware that Rome’s position is, if you do not agree with their cannons and decrees they curse your soul to hell? In the same spirit as Islam, Rome damns all heretics to hell!

WHAT IS “ANATHEMA”? CAN THEY REALLY DO THAT?

One of the most outrageous, arrogant and, frankly, blasphemous doctrines held by Roman Catholicism is the idea that they, the Roman Catholic hierarchy, actually have the authority and the power to curse your soul to the everlasting flames of hell if you do not agree with and obey every jot and tittle of their more than 100 cannons and decrees.

Speaking to the Pharisees in Matt 15:7, Jesus said:

Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”

Many of the cannons and decrees of Catholicism contradict each other, and most of them read like extremely complex legal documents. They are very difficult to understand. Incidentally, not one of these cannons and decrees is found in the Bible.

Before we look at these cannons and decrees, we should address the issue of just exactly who has jurisdiction to cast your soul into hell. Does man, any man have that authority? Here is what the Lord Jesus Christ had to say about it in Matthew 10:28;

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Jesus is saying that man can only kill your body but there is nothing more he can do to you after that. God alone, by virtue of the fact that He is the Creator, and Supreme Commander of the Universe, has the sole authority to cast someone into hell.

 WHAT DOES ANATHEMA MEAN?

The Greek word anathema is used only 5 times from Genesis to Revelation and the Apostle Paul was the only writer to use it. These five are the only anathemas that apply to us today. They are found in Rom. 9:3; 1 Cor. 12:3; 1 Cor.16:22; Gal. 1:8 and Gal. 1:9.

The first time the word is used we discover Paul’s willingness to exchange his own soul (be damned) if it would mean the salvation of the Jews. He was willing to be eternally condemned or cursed if it would mean salvation for Israel:

For I could wish that I myself were cursed (anathema) and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race (Rom. 9:3).

The next instance states that no one who is speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit can say Jesus be cursed (anathema):

Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3).

The third time anathema was used is in 1 Cor. 16:22, where we read,

If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema.

Paul is saying what God has been saying all along in the Scriptures, that Jesus is the way to eternal life.

The last two times the word is used is in Gal. 1:8-9, where Paul teaches that those who preach a false gospel are anathema. The word is used twice in this passage:

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned (anathema)! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

These five anathemas taken from the Bible provide the definitive teaching on what this word means and under what circumstances it applies. The principles of damnation are the same yesterday and today.

The last three pronouncements were based on not loving Jesus Christ, and the condemnation of preaching a false Gospel. Not in any of the five instances where this word is used does Paul claim that He (or any other man) has the authority to cast a soul into hell.

Speaking theologically, knowing the Word of God as he does, Paul knows that if you preach a false Gospel, or you do not love Jesus, God Himself will pronounce the sentence.

Please do not accept any patronizing nonsense from some article on the internet that claims this word means that it is simply excommunication from the church. Here is the official position defining the term, as used by Rome,

In the 1914 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia has an article titled “Anathema.” It describes an anathema that the Fourth Council of Toledo (633 A.D.) said that any person who disagreed with a decision that the Council had made was to be “stricken” with an anathema that included being “damned at the coming of the Lord.” And it gave another anathema formula declaring that the anathematized person (or people) are “condemned to eternal fire with Satan and his angels.”

Mark Ward of Anweiler was anathematized by Pope Innocent III who ruled from 1198 to 1216. The statement of anathematization began with these words: “We excommunicate, anathematize, curse and damn him.”

The Council of Trent hurled 125 anathemas at anybody who disagreed with even one small point of the doctrines defined by it. You can read some of them at the link below.

https://www.biblebc.com/Roman%20Catholicism/summary_of_trent.

Lest you think that this is no longer the official position of Roman Catholicism, here is the truth from the pope himself:

When Pope John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council (1962), he made a Declaration of Faith. He said that he accepted everything declared by the Council of Trent. He specifically said that he anathematized everything that contradicted it.” You can read his statement at the following link.

https://www.angelfire.com/ky/dodone/J23.

John Hus was a Catholic priest who believed the Bible and was burned at the stake for “heresy” in the 15th century. Before he was burned, his priestly garments were torn off of him, one piece at a time. With each piece that was torn off, a solemn curse was pronounced over him. Then a miter like a bishop’s miter was put on his head. It was painted with hell fire and demons. Seven bishops were involved in the ritual of condemnation, which ended with the pronouncement,

We commit your soul to the devil.

Hus was then burned at the stake. The Roman Catholic hierarchy did everything it could to try to consign Hus to hell.

No other group—not even Satanists try to consign people to hell. Only Roman Catholicism and Islam do that. And it is done at the highest level—popes, cardinals, and bishops. Some Satanists and voodoo practitioners try to persuade people to make pacts with the devil. If the people decide to make a pact with the devil, it is voluntary. It is their decision—not something forced on them by other people.

Do people really want to be a member of a so-called church that, for centuries, has tried to damn people to hell? A church whose leaders signed a document in 1962 saying that they were in agreement with the anathemas of the Council of Trent?” ¹

Adapted from an excellent article by Mary Ann Collins at: https://www.catholicconcerns.com

TRANSUBSTANTIATION

Now let’s look at some more of these cannons and decrees. The first is the doctrine of Transubstantiation. The word literally means:

1. Conversion of one substance into another.
2. In Roman Catholicism, the doctrine holding that the bread and wine of the Eucharist are literally transformed into the body and blood of Jesus.

As the Second Vatican Council commenced in 1963, Pope John XXIII declared,

I do accept entirely all that has been decided and declared at the Council of Trent.

What did the Council of Trent decide and declare about Transubstantiation?

Canon I:  If any one shall deny that the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore entire Christ, are truly, really, and substantially contained in the sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist; and shall say that He is only in it as a sign, or in a figure, let him be accursed!

Canon II:  If any one shall say that the substance of the bread and wine remains in the sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist, together with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ … let him be accursed!

Canon III:  If any one shall say that Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is not to be adored in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, even with the open worship of Latria, and therefore not to be venerated with any peculiar festal celebrity, nor to be solemnly carried about in processions according to the praiseworthy and universal rites and customs of the Holy Church, and that He is not to be publicly set before the people to be adored, and that His adorers are idolaters—let him be accursed!

Here Is A Profound Quote From The Late Cardinal Spellman

“The Sacrifice of the Mass forms a pivot upon which all else turns. If it is what Catholics believe it is, then here is the greatest external manifestation of the love of God for man and the most magnificent testimonial to the validity of Catholicism; but if it be false, it is the worse farce and blasphemy ever perpetrated upon God or man, and the Catholic faith collapses into nothingness.”

Do you believe that if the elements of the Eucharist were examined by the FBI crime laboratory before and after the priest says the blessing over it that they would conclude that what was once bread and wine had miraculously turned into human flesh and blood? Do you think anyone has ever done that before? Someone did. It was the late Dr. Walter Martin, author of the book, Kingdom of the Cults. The FBI’s crime lab report stated that the elements were bread and wine. What would you expect it to say?

In other words, they are decreeing that if you even say the words (let alone actually disbelieve it) that the wafer of bread (made from wheat) and the cup of wine (pressed from grapes) does not, after the priest says the blessing over it, actually become the literal, physical body, blood, and soul of Jesus Christ, but is only a symbol of Christ, they have the authority, the power, and the will to place a curse on you which will insure that your soul is damned to hell forever! And this is from an institution which claims that the Pope speaks without error and is incapable of deceiving or being deceived on matters of faith and morals?

NO HUMAN BEING HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DAMN YOUR SOUL TO HELL. ONLY GOD CAN DO THAT!

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt 10:28-29).

QUESTIONS FOR THE CATHOLIC

1. Do you believe in Transubstantiation as defined by Rome?
2. Do you think Rome can damn your soul to hell for even questioning it?
3. Didn’t the Apostle Paul commend the Berean’s for examining the scriptures to see if what they, the Apostles, were teaching was correct?
4. Is that what Jesus taught about Communion when He first instituted the Lord’s Supper it in the upper room?
5. Does this sound reasonable, and rational to you?
6. Do these Popes, Bishops, and Cardinals, who damn you to hell if you even question this doctrine appear to you to be gracious, merciful, tolerant, loving, and most importantly, true and correct on this doctrine?
7. Do you believe you are damned if you disagree with this bizarre teaching?

CONFESSION

From the Council of Trent: Fourteenth Session, Canons Concerning The Most Holy Sacrament of Penance, Canon VI:

If any one denieth, either that sacramental confession was instituted, or is necessary to salvation, of divine right; or saith, that the manner of confessing secretly to a priest alone, which the Church hath ever observed from the beginning, and doth observe, is alien from the institution and command of Christ, and is a human invention; let him be anathema.

If you do not believe that sacramentally (a holy act instituted by Christ imparting grace to the soul) confessing your sins to a Catholic Priest alone is necessary for salvation, or, if you deny this is a divine institution and merely the doctrine of men, and not of God, then Roman Catholicism pronounces you anathema!

Do you honestly believe that a Catholic priest has the power to forgive your sins? Do you realize the implications of this doctrine? Rome holds your salvation in the palm of their hands! Do you believe that? If you don’t, Roman Catholicism pronounces you damned forever!

In the last ten years in the U.S. alone, more than 1,500 Catholic priests have been charged with sexually abusing children and there has been no word of eternally condemning them to hell. Now here is an anathema we can agree with. In Luke 12:4-5 Jesus said,

It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Nowhere is Scripture are we told to confess our sins to any man in order to receive forgiveness and salvation. In 1 John 1:6-9 the Bible says,

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Clearly, the context in 1 John is telling us to confess our sins to the faithful and righteous One−Jesus Christ!

THE OFFICIAL DECREE ON PURGATORY

Whereas the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has, from the sacred writings and the ancient tradition of the Fathers, taught, in sacred councils, and very recently in this ecumenical Synod, that there is a Purgatory, and that the souls there detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable sacrifice of the altar; the holy Synod enjoins on bishops that they diligently endeavor that the sound doctrine concerning Purgatory, transmitted by the holy Fathers and sacred councils, be believed, maintained, taught, and everywhere proclaimed by the faithful of Christ.

For those who claim Rome does not teach purgatory anymore, here is the official catechism.

But let the more difficult and subtle questions, and which tend not to edification, and from which for the most part there is no increase of piety, be excluded from popular discourses before the uneducated multitude. In like manner, such things as are uncertain, or which labor under an appearance of error, let them not allow to be made public. While those things which tend to a certain kind of curiosity or superstition, or which savor of filthy lucre, let them prohibit as scandals and stumbling-blocks of the faithful.

Here is what the Word of God says,

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many (Heb.9:27-28).

When Jesus died on the cross for the sin of the world he said,

It is finished.

That literally means, “Paid in full.”

Once the sacrifice is dead, the price of redemption (the penalty for sin) has been paid in full.

When Jesus breathed His last, the Bible says that the veil that separated the Holy place from the most holy place (the Holy of Holies) in the Temple was torn from top to bottom. This means that the place that was once reserved for the high priest to make atonement for the people, and then only once a year, access to God was now open to everyone through Christ. We can all approach the throne of God with confidence!  We no longer need a priest, or an animal sacrifice; Jesus is the Lamb of God.

On the other hand, the Council of Trent and its canons on justification contends,

If anyone saith, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened (to him); let him be anathema (Canon XXX).

What?! 1 John 1:9 says,

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

How about this from Ps. 103:12,

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

And this is from the man Rome claims to be the first pope,

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit (1 Peter 3:18).

Let’s be honest. If your doctor, lawyer, stock broker, banker, pharmacist, auto repairman etc., were as far off in their fields as Rome is on spiritual and eternal matters, would you continue to employ their services, or would you find someone who knew what they were doing?

Speaking the truth in love, the doctrine of purgatory was (is) the greatest fund–raiser in history. It is also one of the most damnable heresies ever presented to the mind of man. Jesus paid it all. There is no debt left outstanding except for us to love one another!

Would you like to know where Rome claims they get the doctrine of purgatory from? It’s found in 1 Cor. 3:12-15. This is how it reads,

Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.

This verse is talking about the day of judgment when what we did in life on earth will be tested to determine what, if any, rewards we will receive in eternity. It has absolutely nothing to do with purifying your soul so you can get into heaven.

MARIOLOGY OR MARIOLATRY?

Mariology is the legitimate study of Mary. Mariolatry is the illegitimate and idolatrous practice of worshiping Mary. Does Roman Catholicism really teach that Mary is to be worshipped? Absolutely−keep reading!

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 15, pg. 459, during the first centuries of the church there was no emphasis of Mary whatsoever. It was not until A.D. 600 that Rome instituted prayer to Mary. Praying the rosary began in 1090. Furthermore, it was not until 1547 that the doctrine of “Immaculate Conception” was introduced and Mary was alleged to have been born without sin! That is blasphemy. Christ alone was born sinless.

Is it Biblical to pray to anyone other than God? There are over 500 references to prayer in the Bible and there is not one example of God’s people being instructed to pray to anyone or anything other than God Himself. When Jesus taught the disciples to pray in Matthew 6:6-9, He said,

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. 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. Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him. Pray, then, in this way: “Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.”

Yet, contrary to the clear teaching of Jesus to pray to your Father in heaven and not to use vain repetitions as the Gentiles do, Catholics are taught to pray the rosary which is a repetition containing ten “Hail Mary’s” to one “Our father!”

In 1854 Pope Pius declared:

Since she

[Mary] has been appointed by God to be the queen of Heaven and earth … and even stands at the right hand of her only begotten Son, she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner. What she asks she obtains.

First of all, nowhere in Scripture are we told that Mary has been declared the “Queen of heaven”, and nowhere are we told that she presents our petitions to Jesus. The implications of the words, “She presents our petitions to her only begotten son” are obvious, Pope Pius is instructing us to pray to Mary! Notice the phrase, “Queen of heaven.”  That phrase is found five times in the Bible.

Also note the phrase, “Only begotten son?” The term “only begotten” means totally unique. It is used only six times in the Bible and all six references are to Jesus as the “Only begotten Son of God,” never the only begotten son of Mary. Jesus was fully God and fully man. Mary was the mother of the baby Jesus— the Son of Man, not Jesus the Son of God! Jesus existed eternally before Mary was born. Nowhere in Scripture will you find Mary referred to as the Mother of God. And Jesus is never quoted in the Bible calling Mary His mother. The reason for that is so no one would be confused on this issue. But the Pope informs us that, “What she asks she obtains!”

Our prayers are answered when we ask according to God’s will, not Mary’s will. In order to actually hear and comprehend the prayers of millions of people simultaneously, one would need the attribute of omniscience. Mary was a human being. She is not now, nor has she ever been, nor will she ever be omniscient.

The Bible says God, and God alone, is the sovereign and supreme commander of the universe. In I John 5:14 we read,

And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

In Biblical theology, idolatry is spiritual adultery, it’s rival worship. Idolatry is blasphemy, an abomination to the one true living God. Mary is a human being. Yes, she was highly favored by God; yes, she was chosen for a high calling; yes, she is blessed and highly favored among women not above women, and that is where it ends. Jesus said, there was no one under heaven greater than John the Baptist. John was chosen to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. In Matt. 11:11 Jesus said of John,

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Both John and Mary were human beings—that is where the buck stops. Neither of them were sinless, which means both of them needed the salvation Jesus provided on the cross, just like everybody else!

There are many Catholic’s who claim they do not worship Mary, and that may be true for some individual Catholics, but that is not the official position of the organization they enable to continue by supporting it. Pope Leo XIII declared:

That because people are fearful of the justice of God, an advocate is needed where none will be refused: Mary is such a one, Mary worthy of all praise, she is powerful, Mother of the all-powerful God … All that is ours we should entrust to her.

Mary is worthy of all praise? Mary is powerful, the Mother of the all-powerful God? Mary is our advocate? All that is ours we should entrust to Mary? Does that include my salvation too? In 1 Timothy 2:5-6 the Bible emphatically states:

For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time.

Mary called God her Savior,

My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant (Luke 1:46-48).

In the official Catechism of the Catholic Church, promulgated (which means to put a law into effect by publishing it) by the Vatican, on page 253 it says,

The Church’s devotion to the blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.

If you look up the word devotion it refers to religious worship and the word intrinsic is defined as absolutely essential or necessary. There you have it. Do we have need of any more witnesses? This is the official position of Rome on the idolatrous worship of Mary. That is blasphemy! In Luke 4:8 the Word of God says,

And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

The word translated “only” is the Greek monos and means sole, single, only, alone, exclusive.  The Bible could not be any clearer on this issue. No-one is to be worshipped but God alone. In Exodus chapter 20, God gave us the Ten Commandments. The first and second [the second is omitted in Catholic bibles] are absolute,

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving-kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

According to Dave Hunt, an expert on world religions, “The most authoritative book on Catholicism’s ‘Virgin Mary,’ is Cardinal and Saint Alphonsus de Liguori’s book entitled, The Glories of Mary. This book is a virtual encyclopedia of what Catholics have said about Mary through the centuries.” Here are some excerpts,

“Sinners receive pardon by … Mary alone. He falls and is lost who has not recourse to Mary. Mary is called … the gate of heaven because no one can enter that blessed kingdom without passing through her.”

“The way of salvation is open to none otherwise than through Mary. The salvation of all depends on their being favored and protected by Mary. He who is protected by Mary will be saved; he who is not will be lost … our salvation depends on thee … God will not save us without the intercession of Mary.”

Now Mary, not Jesus is our savior? Apparently, Jesus did not get the memo. He said,

I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes unto the Father but by Me (John 14:6).

You will search the Bible in vain to find anyone in Heaven interceding for you other than Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groaning’s too deep for words (Rom. 8:26).

In 1993, at World Youth Day in Denver, Colorado, Pope John Paul II performed the sacrifice of the mass before 375,000 people. Listen to the words of the world’s foremost leading authority on Roman Catholic doctrine had to say about Mary,

With my heart full of praise for the queen of Heaven, the sign of hope and the source of comfort on our pilgrimage of faith to the heavenly Jerusalem, I greet all of you who are present at this solemn liturgy … This liturgy presents you, Mary, as the woman clothed with the sun …. 0 woman clothed with the sun, the youth of the world greet you with so much love … In Mary the final victory of life over death is already a reality … help us to increase in holiness by conquering sin.

Is this not worshiping Mary? In Isa. 42:8 the Bible says:

I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images.

The Pope said Mary is the sign of our hope? In John 8:12 Jesus Christ said,

I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Mary, is the source of comfort on our pilgrimage of faith to the heavenly Jerusalem? In Matt. 11:28-29 Jesus said,

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.

The Pope said,

“The youth of the world greet you (Mary) with so much love.”

Is the greatest commandment in the Bible to love Mary with all your heart?

Jesus said,

If you love father or mother more than Me you are not worthy of Me!

Pope John Paul said,

Mary is the final victory of life over death and is already a reality!

In Revelation 1:17-18, Jesus speaks to the Apostle John,

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

And in John 11:25 we read,

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.”

After that address to the crowd, the Pope, the man who Rome claims to speak without error on matters of spirituality and morality, prayed to Mary and said,

“Help us to increase in holiness by conquering sin.”

I’m sorry. But that can never happen. Matt. 1:21 says,

And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.

And in Col. 2:13-15 the Bible says it is Jesus who delivers us from sin,

And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT “IMMACULATE CONCEPTION” REALLY MEANS?

Many if not most Catholics today would be hard pressed to explain what this means. The official position of Rome (which has not nor ever will change) says that Immaculate Conception means that Mary was born without sin! How would they know that? Where is that found in the Bible?

There is only one person in all of history who was born without sin and that person is none other than our great God and Savoir, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In John 1:29 and 1:36, Jesus is called the Lamb of God. In 1 Peter 1:18-19 we read,

Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

This speaks of the sinless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Christ and Christ alone was born without sin. Romans 3:23 is absolute,

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

This includes Mary. Listen to what Mary says about herself in Luke 1:46-48,

And Mary said, My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

The Greek word translated “savior” in our English Bible is #4990 in Strong’s Concordance. It’s the word soter (so-tare). It literally means a deliverer. It is derived from: the word sozo (sode’-zo); which means, to save. The question here is; what does Mary need to be saved from? In Matthew 1:21 we are told what Jesus came to earth for,

And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.

Rome bases the doctrine of Immaculate Conception on the following verse taken completely out of context,

Behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

It’s not, “… call me to get blessed,” it’s “call me blessed.” Look again in context,

And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

Far from referring to herself as, “The Queen of Heaven” and the immaculately conceived “Mother of God,” Mary refers to herself as a “bond-slave.” The word in Greek is (doulay) : a female slave.

Here is what Rome teaches about the encounter between Mary and the angel Gabriel when he revealed God’s plan to her,

#973 By pronouncing her “Fiat” and giving her consent to the incarnation, Mary was already collaborating with the whole work her son was to accomplish.” “Fiat” is an authoritative command or decree given by one in authority.  Since when are female bondslaves in authority?

As if that is not enough, listen to what Mary actually said in Luke 1:26-34,

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Hall, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God…. And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

This falls short of Mary making an authoritative “Fiat” on the redemption of man. The text says Mary was “greatly troubled” and “afraid.” She kept pondering in her heart what this might mean. At this point, Mary had no idea what was going on here!

So, Mary referred to God as her Savior and to herself as a bondslave! This is a far cry from:

Alas, by the virtue of the authority vested in me as the sinless Mother of God, the Co-Redemtrix of the universe, and the Queen of Heaven, so let it be written, so let it be done according to my will!

Continuing on, the Catholic Catechism instructs all Catholics to remove their hats, bow and kiss the feet of Mary’s statue! But Deut. 5:7-9 is clear,

You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself any carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.

From Genesis to Revelation the prophets, the Apostles, and the angels refused to worship anyone but God alone. Listen to the man Rome claims to be the first pope, from Acts 10:25-26,

And when it came about that Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am Just a man.”

I missed the part where Peter told Cornelius to bow and kiss his ring? The Rosary teaches Catholic’s to pray 10 “Hail Mary’s” to one “Our Father.” Is Mary 10 times more worthy than our Father who art in heaven is? That is the clear implication of the Rosary.

IS THE POPE REALLY INFALLIBLE ON MATTERS OF FAITH AND MORALS AS THE VATICAN DOGMATICALLY CLAIMS?

Rome calls “The Holy Father,” the “Supreme Pontiff,” and the “Vicar of Christ.” The phrase “Holy Father” is found only once in the Bible and it is in the prayer of Jesus in John 17. Jesus lifted His eyes to Heaven and said, “… Holy Father…” How a mere man can accept a title which the Lord Jesus Christ gave to God alone is a frightening concept.

The pope is also called “Pontiff.” This word goes all the way back to Constantine in the 4^th century. “Pontiff” was a title carried by the pagan high priest at Rome. Later, popes began to use it and occasionally other bishops, but now used exclusively by the pope. Constantine was not only emperor of Rome, but also the head of the pagan priesthood. He was known as “Pontifex Maximus.”

The pope is also referred to as the “Vicar of Christ.” Vicar literally means a substitute or the person who acts in the place of another.

According to Roman Catholic dogma when the pope speaks on matters of faith and morals he is incapable of error, his decrees are infallible. In other words, he is incapable of deceiving or being deceived and is immune from error.

The pope also has authority over 3,250 bishops. According to the Catholic Catechism the bishops also,

“… are assured freedom from error provided they are in union with the bishop of Rome … this includes not only revealed truths, but on any teaching, even historical facts, principles of philosophy, or norms of the natural law that are in any way connected with divine revelation.”

That is very interesting in light of the fact that Rome clearly teaches that there is no contradiction between Evolution and special creation!

Vatican II’s “Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation” approved by the council and signed by the pope on Nov. 18, 1965 states:

“The duty of interpreting God’s word … has been entrusted exclusively to the teaching office of the church. This teaching office is exercised by the pope and the bishops … for all interpretation of scripture.”

One of the reasons this is such an outrageous claim is, first of all, what the Bible itself says in 2 Pet. 1:19-21,

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, it is common knowledge that Catholic seminaries put little or no emphasis on the study of hermeneutics (the art and science of biblical interpretation) nor on learning Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek (the original languages of the Bible) and thus are poorly equipped to interpret God’s Word. The emphasis is on studying Roman Catholic doctrine and its history!

How can men who have little or no knowledge of the literal, grammatical, or historical context of the Bible, be entrusted with the duty of interpreting and teaching Scripture? This is exactly what Jesus was referring to in Matt. 15:7-9 when he said this to the Pharisees,

You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.” But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.

In the book, Dogmatic Theology for the Laity” we read:

The teaching office of the church is more important than the Bible; only an infallible church can interpret the true meaning of sacred scripture; no one can do this for himself.

Here again, this is completely contrary to what God’s Word says. In Acts 17:1 we read,

Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, (to see) whether these things were so.

The Apostles commended the Berean’s for checking to see if what the Apostles were teaching lined up with Scripture. Yet the Roman Catholic position is that we (the laity) are incapable of interpreting the Bible for ourselves and therefore should not attempt to.

In Psalm 1 we read,

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.

Josh. 1:8 says,

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

And in 2 Tim. 2:15 the Apostle Paul in writing to Timothy, who was taught the Scriptures as a child, was admonished to…

Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly interpreting the word of truth. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

In Matt. 4:4 the Lord Jesus Christ said,

It is written, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

It was Martin Luther, who stated,

The simplest layman armed with scripture is greater than the mightiest pope without it.

ARE THE POPES INFALLIBLE IN MATTERS OF MORALS?

The historical record is a matter of fact. A study of the history of the Catholic Church is utterly shocking! Are you familiar with “The Inquisition?” The dictionary defined it this way:

A court appointed by the Roman Catholic Church to discover heresy, and to punish heretics.

To punish heretics is putting it mildly. The inquisition lasted for 300 years. It extended throughout Europe, Africa, and the Americas. The violence was so brutal that even Catholic historians had to admit that many of the popes were guilty of the worst kind of atrocities.

Professor Dollinger, a Roman Catholic Church historian and professor at Munich wrote a book entitled, The Pope and the Council, published in the late 19th century,

“…the initiation and the carrying out of this new principle (speaking of the inquisition), must be ascribed to the popes alone … it was the popes who compelled the bishops and the priests to condemn the heterodox to torture, confiscation of their goods, imprisonment and death.”

From 1,200 to 1,500 the long series of Papal ordinances on the Inquisition, ever-increasing in severity and cruelty … runs on without a break… by the absolute dictation of the popes, and the notion of their infallibility. The inquisition contradicted the simplest principles of Christian Justice and would have been rejected with universal horror by the first century church.

Jesuit priest Peter de Rosa in his book Vicars of Christ, documented that “many of the popes down throughout history engaged in wide-spread corruption including murder, rape, and extortion on a grand scale.”

DeRosa went on to say that Pope John Paul II,

Knows the church was responsible for persecuting the Jews, for the inquisition, for slaughtering heretics, and for reintroducing torture into Europe as part of the judicial process. But he has to be careful. The doctrines responsible for those terrible things still underpin his positions.

Only Catholic historians are quoted in this article. The Protestant’s revealed the details of the torture are far too gruesome to go into detail here. Early Protestant creeds unanimously referred to the pope as the Antichrist not only because of Rome’s heresies, but because the blatant immorality of pope after pope was common knowledge.

Catholic doctrine teaches that the popes speak without error on matters of morals. And that these men who were responsible for the some of the worst atrocities in the history of the human race are to this day referred to in Roman Catholic circles as “Vicars of Christ,” and successors to the Apostles.

Dave Hunt writes: “Even if the popes had all been paragons of virtue, it would still be a mockery to claim that they represent an unbroken chain of “apostolic succession” back to Peter. It was long the custom for the popes to be voted in by the populace of Rome, which had its own selfish reasons to choose one over another. Such a vote could hardly be called “apostolic succession.’”

“Some popes were deposed by angry mobs protesting their unbearable evil. Others were installed and or deposed by kings and emperors. Political expediency along with the wealth and influence of the candidate as often as not determined who would be pope”

THE SHOCKING TRUTH ABOUT THE POPE AND THE GREAT CATHOLIC COVER-UP

It is a matter of record that Pope Benedict (formerly Cardinal Ratzinger) systematically covered up thousands of Catholic child abuse cases. He will live in the Vatican after he resigns, providing him immunity from all attempts to prosecute him.

“The Pope played a leading role in a systematic cover-up of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests. This is well documented and common knowledge to those who follow this ongoing problem. This was also reported in a shocking documentary produced by the BBC.

“In 2001, while he was a cardinal, he issued a secret Vatican edict to Catholic bishops all over the world, instructing them to put the Church’s interests ahead of child safety.

“The document recommended that rather than reporting sexual abuse to the relevant legal authorities, bishops should encourage the victim, witnesses and perpetrator not to talk about it. And, to keep victims quiet, it threatened that if they repeat the allegations they would be excommunicated.

“The program also accuses the Catholic Church (and specifically Cardinal Ratzinger) of knowingly harboring pedophile clergymen.

 A notorious 1962 Vatican document titled Crimen Sollicitationis came with instructions that bishops had to keep it (the document) locked in a safe at all times.

It reveals that priests accused of child abuse are generally not struck off or arrested but simply moved to another parish, often to reoffend. It gives examples of hush-funds being used to silence the victims.

Before being elected as Pope Benedict XVI in April of 2005, the pontiff was Cardinal Thomas Ratzinger who had, for 24 years, been the head of the powerful Congregation of the Doctrine of The Faith, the department of the Roman Catholic Church charged with promoting Catholic teachings on morals and matters of faith.

Article from, The London Evening Standard 30 September 2006,

The monies that have been paid to victims of literally thousands of former sexually abused children by Catholic priests world-wide has been estimated to be as high as 3 billion dollars.

Part of the reason for this phenomenon among Roman Catholic priests is its clearly unbiblical teaching that priests are forbidden to marry. It is common knowledge that Roman Catholic seminaries are hotbeds of homosexuality.

This article is only the tip of the iceberg concerning the problems of the Roman Catholic counterfeit of the true church.  We have not discussed the torture and violence that characterized the Crusades which lasted nearly 300 years.

See the following website for documentation on these horrific crimes and their cover up by the Vatican:  https://www.vaticancrimes.us/

ROME vs JERUSALEM

In Genesis, God promises a blessing to those who bless Israel and a curse to those who curse Israel (Gen. 12:1-3).

To this day, more than 65 years after the UN recognized Israel as a sovereign nation in one of the greatest fulfillments of Biblical prophecy ever, the Vatican has never conceded Israel’s right to exist and wants Jerusalem to be not under Jewish hands but under international control!

Ironic in light of the fact that it was part of God’s covenant to give the land to them in the first place. More frightening is that fact that Pope John Paul II was without question the world’s foremost proponent of the unprecedented move to unite all religions.

On Oct. 27^th, 1987, in a meeting at Assisi, representatives of almost every major religion in the world gathered at the pope’s invitation for a “Day of prayer for peace.” In his opening remarks the pope declared to the world: “the challenge of peace, as it is presently posed to every human conscience, transcends religious differences.”

That comment from a man who supposedly is incapable of making an error when it comes to matters of spirituality apparently missed the fact that in Matt. 10:34 Jesus said,

Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

While it is true that Jesus prayed for unity in John 17, He never meant unity at the cost of truth. When Pope John Paul II went to Calcutta and New Delhi India, he said he had,

…come to learn of the great spiritual heritage of India.

The great spiritual heritage of India? Anyone who has been to India can tell you that the great spiritual heritage of Hinduism has left India one of the poorest, most pitiful, and spiritually bankrupt countries on the face of the Earth!

Hindu priests are slaughtering Christians by the thousands in northern India. To the Hindu, Jesus Christ is a minor god among their 330 million others. Yet the pope told the Hindus that we are all filled with the same Holy Spirit? Indeed!

And what of Islam? The pope told the Muslim world that we are all worshipping the same god! Yet to the Muslim, there is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet; God cannot beget and Jesus did not die on the cross for our sins!

The Bible says love your enemies and the Koran says the surest way to paradise is to kill an infidel, i.e. a Jew or a Christian! This is the man who is infallible on matters of faith and morals?

According to the official Catholic Catechism:

“An obedient adherence must be given to their definitions of faith.”

According to the second Vatican council, the bishops,

“…have by divine institution taken the place of the apostles… and whoever listens to them is listening to Christ and whoever despises them despises Christ and Him who sent Christ.”

So, what the Vatican is saying is, if you disagree with a Bishop of the Roman Catholic “church” you disagree with God Himself! Have you ever heard of Bishop Bernard Law? Literally thousands of articles have appeared in newspapers all across the United Sates concerning this man. This is NOT an isolated incident.

Sexually abusing children has been epidemic in Roman Catholicism for centuries! In the last 10 years alone more than 1,500 Roman Catholic priests have been charged with sexually abusing young men and boys. This is just one example of the thousands that are typical of the Catholic “church.” It is also common knowledge to those who research this nightmare, that Catholic seminaries are filled with homosexuals.

In 1 Cor. 6:9 the Word of God says…

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

The Apostles were men that were handpicked by the Lord Jesus Christ and were empowered to raise the dead, heal disease, and cast out demons. In 2 Cor. 11:3-15 the Bible says,

But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity (of devotion) to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.

Does the pope speak infallibly? A thousand times, no! Christ alone is perfect, Christ alone is infallible! Ultimately, the Roman Catholic Church claims that salvation is exclusive to those who submit to the authority of the pope. In 1302 in his papal bull Unam Sanctam, Pope Boniface VIII infallibly declared:

Extra ecclesiam nulla salus (outside the church there is no salvation!) He meant Roman Catholicism! Some 1,300 years before the pope made his “infallible decree” the Spirit of God, speaking of Jesus said:

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.

One of the pre-eminent cries in the church today is for unity. That was the same thing Rome used in its attempt to stop the Reformation headed by Martin Luther.

When Jesus said,  “You will know them by their fruit,” that fruit includes sound doctrine.

SALVATION ACCORDING TO ROME

This is the most important section in this chapter. Here is where we will discuss the doctrine of redemption/salvation. You can be wrong about a lot of things but if you are wrong about God’s plan of redemption, you are wrong enough to spend eternity in hell. This is the one doctrine that the enemy of your soul does not want you to understand. That is why Jesus warned us to beware of false prophets, false teachers, false brethren, tares among the wheat, and wolves in sheep’s clothing!

The Bible says that the Gospel is simple. But Rome makes it a very complicated issue by including:

1. Infant baptism.
2. Confession of sins to a priest.
3. Acts of penance.
4. Agree with every word and obey the hundreds of Canons and Decrees .
5. Go to Mass regularly.
6. Go to Purgatory for hundreds, or even hundreds of thousands of years.
7. Receive your final merits at the Treasury of the Communion of the Saints.

Is Catholicism a false religious system? The one thing that all cults have in common is that they deny the deity of Christ and his all-sufficient sacrifice to pay for sin once and for all and give their doctrines equal or greater authority than the Scriptures.

But some still say, “The Catholics don’t do that!” Ah, but they do. The Jesus that died on the cross according to Rome was not sufficient to pay for sin.

According to Rome, Purgatory and the Treasury of the Communion of the Saints are necessary for salvation. That is a different Jesus. Paying lip service to His deity and then denying His perfect and complete sacrifice to atone for sin. That is definitely not the Jesus of the Bible! It’s a counterfeit Jesus!

And then we see that Rome gives their Catholic Catechism equal or greater authority than the Scriptures.

Listen to the Holy Spirit’s frightful warning in 2 Cor. 11:3-4,

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted — you may well put up with it!

And in Gal. 1:6-9,

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

The last words of the Bible contain a warning stating that eternal damnation awaits anyone adding to or taking away anything from God’s Word. This frightful warning is found in the end of God’s book. Rev. 22:18-19 states,

For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

There is one part of the Bible that God wrote without the hand pf the prophets or the Apostles. Ex. 31:18 tells us that God wrote the Ten Commandments personally!

Incredibly, Rome completely removed the second of the Ten Commandments and divided the tenth commandment in to 9 and 10. Here is the second commandment omitted by their Bible and violated by their practices from Ex. 20:4-6. It is the second “Thou shalt not” in the chapter,

You shall not make for yourself a carved image — any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.

When you consider this FACT in light of the final warning of Jesus Christ in Rev. 22:18-19, the people who are responsible for this are doomed.

For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

C.D. COLE SUMS IT UP FOR US

 Romanism is a complicated system of salvation by works. It offers salvation on the installment plan, then sees to it that the poor sinner is always behind in his payments, so that when he dies there is a large unpaid balance, and he must continue his payments by suffering in purgatory, or until the debt is paid by the prayers, alms, and sufferings of his living relatives and friends. The whole system and plan calls for merit and money from the cradle to the grave and even beyond. Surely the wisdom that drew such a plan of salvation is not from above.

More false doctrines of Roman Catholicism

“Do not hold aloof from the Church; for nothing is stronger than the Church. The Church is thy hope, thy salvation, thy refuge.” St. John Chrysostom, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I, Vol. IX, Introduction to the Two Homilies on Eutropius, Homily II.

“The Saviour Himself is the door of the sheepfold: ‘I am the door of the sheep.’ Into this fold of Jesus Christ, no man may enter unless he be led by the Sovereign Pontiff; and only if they be united to him can men be saved, for the Roman Pontiff is the Vicar of Christ and His personal representative on earth.” (Pope John XXIII in his homily to the Bishops and faithful assisting at his coronation on November 4, 1958).

Pope Leo XIII

“This is our last lesson to you: receive it, engrave it in your minds, all of you: by God’s commandment salvation is to be found nowhere but in the Church; the strong and effective instrument of salvation is none other than the Roman Pontificate.” (Pope Leo XIII, Allocution for the 25th anniversary of his election, February 20, 1903; Papal Teachings: The Church, Benedictine Monks of Solesmes, St. Paul Editions, Boston, 1962, par. 653).

Pope Eugene IV

“The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatic’s, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgiving, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church.” (Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441.)

Pope Pelagius II (A.D. 578 – 590)

“Consider the fact that whoever has not been in the peace and unity of the Church cannot have the Lord. …Although given over to flames and fires, they burn, or, thrown to wild beasts, they lay down their lives, there will not be (for them) that crown of faith but the punishment of faithlessness. …Such a one can be slain, he cannot be crowned. …[If] slain outside the Church, he cannot attain the rewards of the Church.” (Denzinger 246-247)

Pope Saint Gregory the Great (A.D. 590 – 604)

“Now the holy Church universal proclaims that God cannot be truly worshipped saving within herself, asserting that all they that are without her shall never be saved.” (Moralia)

Pope Innocent III (A.D. 1198 – 1216)

“Indeed, there is but one universal Church of the faithful outside of which no one at all is saved.” (Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215; Denz. 151)

“With our hearts we believe and with our lips we confess but one Church, not that of the heretics, but the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church, outside which we believe that no one is saved.” (Denzinger 423)

Pope Boniface VIII in his Bull Unam Sanctam issued in 1302:

“We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” (Denz. 469) [note: This definition (de fide definita) seems unanswerable, but the liberals boldly claim that this is not a definition intended for the universal Church, but only a pronouncement meant to deal with the local problem of Philip the Fair. But when Philip demanded of Pope Clement V, the first Avignon Pope, that he withdraw Unam Sanctam, Pope Clement did not do so, but issued the Brief Meruit February 1, 1306, which despite its extremely conciliatory tone, clearly states that Unam Sanctam contains a “definition”:] “That is why we do not wish or intend that any prejudice be engendered for that king and kingdom by the definition and declaration of our predecessor Pope Boniface VIII of happy memory, which began by the words Unam Sanctam.” (51 Corpus Juris Canonici, (Extravag. commun., lib. V, tit. VII, cap. 2) ed. Freiburg, Vol. II, p. 1300.)

Pope Leo X reaffirmed the teaching of Boniface VIII: (1512-1517)

“Where the necessity of salvation is concerned all the faithful of Christ must be subject to the Roman Pontiff, as we are taught by Holy Scripture, the testimony of the holy fathers, and by that constitution of our predecessor of happy memory, Boniface VIII, which begins Unam Sanctam.” (Pope Leo X, Fifth Lateran Council (1512-1517) Conciliorum Oecumenicorum Decreta, Edidit Centro di Documentazione, Instituto per Science Religiose, Herder, Bologna, 1962, no. 40, pp. 619, 620.)

Pope Leo XII (A.D. 1823 – 1829)

“We profess that there is no salvation outside the Church. …For the Church is the pillar and ground of the truth. With reference to those words Augustine says: `If any man be outside the Church he will be excluded from the number of sons, and will not have God for Father since he has not the Church for mother.’” (Encyclical, Ubi Primum)

Pope Pius IX (A.D. 1846 – 1878)

“It must be held by faith that outside the Apostolic Roman Church, no one can be saved; that this is the only ark of salvation; that he who shall not have entered therein will perish in the flood.” (Denzinger 1647)

Pope Leo XIII: (A.D. 1878 – 1903)

“By the ministry of this Church so gloriously founded by Him, He willed to perpetuate the mission which He had Himself received from the Father; and on the one hand, having put within her all the means necessary for man’s salvation, on the other hand, He formally enjoined upon men the duty of obeying His Church as Himself, and religiously taking her as a guide of their whole lives. “He that heareth you, heareth Me; he that despiseth you, despiseth me.” (Luke 10:16) Therefore, it is from the Church alone that the law of Christ must be asked: and, consequently, if for man Christ is the way, the Church, too, is the way, the former of Himself and by His nature, the latter by delegation and communication of power. Consequently, all who wish to reach salvation outside the Church, are mistaken as to the way and are engaged in a vain effort.” (Pope Leo XIII, Encyclical, Tametsi, November 1, 1900; Papal Teachings: The Church, Benedictine Monks of Solesmes, St. Paul Editions, Boston, 1962, par. 647.)

“This is our last lesson to you: receive it, engrave it in your minds, all of you: by God’s commandment salvation is to be found nowhere but in the Church; the strong and effective instrument of salvation is none other than the Roman Pontificate.” (Pope Leo XIII, Allocution for the 25th anniversary of his election, February 20, 1903; Papal Teachings: The Church, Benedictine Monks of Solesmes, St. Paul Editions, Boston, 1962, par. 653.Encyclical, Annum Ingressi Sumus)

“He scatters and gathers not who gathers not with the Church and with Jesus Christ, and all who fight not jointly with Him and with the Church are in very truth contending against God.” (Pope Leo XIII, Encyclical, Sapientiae Christianae)

Pope St. Pius X: A.D. 1903 – 1914)

“Strong in this faith, unshakably established on this Peter, We turn the eyes of Our soul both to the heavy obligations of this holy primacy and at the same time to the strength divinely imparted to Our heart. In peace We wait for those to be silent who are loudly proclaiming that the Catholic Church has had her day, that her teaching is hopelessly reactionary, that she will soon be reduced either to conformity with the data of science and a civilization without God, or to withdrawal from the society of men. And while We wait, it is Our duty to recall to everyone, great and small, as the Holy Pontiff Gregory did in ages past, the absolute necessity which is ours to have recourse to this Church to effect our eternal salvation, to obtain peace, and even prosperity in our life here below. “That is why, to use the words of the Holy Pontiff, we say: “Make firm the progress of your souls, as you have begun to do, with the firmness of this rock: on it, as you know, Our Redeemer founded the Church throughout the world, so that sincere hearts, guiding their steps by her, would not stray on to the wrong road.” (Pope St. Pius X, Encyclical, Jucunda sane, March 12, 1904, Papal Teachings: The Church, Benedictine Monks of Solesmes, St. Paul Editions, Boston, 1962, par. 668.)

Pope Pius XI:

“Furthermore, in this one Church of Christ no man can be or remain who does not accept, recognize and obey the authority and supremacy of Peter and his legitimate successors. Did not the ancestors of those who are now entangled in the errors of Photius and the reformers, obey the Bishop of Rome, the chief shepherd of souls? Alas their children left the home of their fathers, but it did not fall to the ground and perish for ever, for it was supported by God. Let them therefore return to their common Father, who, forgetting the insults previously heaped on the Apostolic See, will receive them in the most loving fashion. For if, as they continually state, they long to be united with Us and ours, why do they not hasten to enter the Church, ‘the Mother and mistress of all Christ’s faithful?’ Let them hear Lactantius crying out: ‘The Catholic Church is alone in keeping the true worship. This is the fount of truth, this is the house of Faith, this is the temple of God: if any man enter not here, or if any man go forth from it, he is a stranger to the hope of life and salvation. Let none delude himself with obstinate wrangling. For life and salvation are here concerned, which will be lost and entirely destroyed, unless their interests are carefully and assiduously kept in mind.’” (Pope Pius XI, Encyclical, Mortalium animos, January 6, 1928, The Papal Encyclicals, Claudia Carlen, I.H.M., McGrath Publishing Co., 1981, pp. 317, 318.)

Pope Pius XII: (A.D. 1939 – 1958)

“Nor against this may one argue that the primacy of jurisdiction established in the Church gives such a Mystical Body two heads. For Peter in virtue of his primacy is only Christ’s Vicar; so that there is only one chief Head of this Body, namely Christ, Who never ceases Himself to guide the Church invisible, though at the same time He rules it visibly, through him who is His representative on earth, after His glorious Ascension into heaven this Church rested not on Him alone, but on Peter too, its visible foundation stone. That Christ and His Vicar constitute one only Head is the solemn teaching of Our predecessor of immortal memory Boniface VIII in the Apostolic Letter Unam Sanctam; and his successors have never ceased to repeat the same. “They, therefore, walk in the path of dangerous errors who believe that they can accept Christ as the head of the Church, while not adhering loyally to His Vicar on earth. They have taken away the visible bonds of unity and left the Mystical Body of the Redeemer so obscured and so maimed, that those who are seeking the haven of eternal salvation can neither see it nor find it.” (Pope Pius XII, encyclical Mystici Corporis which appeared in 1943; The Papal Encyclicals 1939-1958, Claudia Carlen, I.H.M., McGrath Publishing Co., 1981, p. 45.)

“By divine mandate the interpreter and guardian of the Scriptures, and the depository of Sacred Tradition living within her, the Church alone is the entrance to salvation: She alone, by herself, and under the protection and guidance of the Holy Spirit, is the source of truth.” (Pope Pius XII, Allocution to the Gregorian, October 17, 1953)

“O Mary Mother of Mercy and Refuge of Sinners! We beseech thee to look with pitying eyes on poor heretics and schismatic’s. Do thou, who art the Seat of Wisdom, enlighten the minds wretchedly enfolded in the darkness of ignorance and sin, that they may clearly recognize the Holy, Catholic, Roman Church to be the only true Church of Jesus Christ, outside of which neither sanctity nor salvation can be found. Call them to the unity of the one fold, granting them the grace to believe every truth of our holy faith and to submit themselves to the Supreme Roman Pontiff, the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, that, thus being united with us by the sweet chains of charity, there may soon be but one fold under one and the same Shepherd; and may we all thus, O Glorious Virgin, exultantly sing forever: ‘Rejoice, O Virgin Mary! Thou alone hast destroyed all heresies in the whole world!’ Amen.” (Pope Pius XII, The Raccolta, Benzinger Brothers, Boston, 1957, No. 626.)

Pope Gregory XVI (A.D. 1831 – 1846):

“It is not possible to worship God truly except in Her; all who are outside Her will not be saved.” (Encyclical, Summo Jugiter)

Pope Benedict XV (A.D. 1914 – 1922):

“Such is the nature of the Catholic faith that it does not admit of more or less, but must be held as a whole, or as a whole rejected: This is the Catholic faith, which unless a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.” (Encyclical, Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum)

Pope John XXIII:

“The Saviour Himself is the door of the sheepfold: ‘I am the door of the sheep.’ Into this fold of Jesus Christ, no man may enter unless he be led by the Sovereign Pontiff; and only if they be united to him can men be saved, for the Roman Pontiff is the Vicar of Christ and His personal representative on earth.” (Pope John XXIII, homily to the Bishops assisting at his coronation on November 4, 1958Papal Teachings: The Church, Benedictine Monks of Solesmes, Boston, St. Paul Editions, 1962, par. 1556.)

“And you, venerable brothers, will not fail, in your teaching, to recall to the flocks entrusted to you these grand and salutary truths; we cannot render to God the devotion that is due Him and that is pleasing to Him nor is it possible to be united to Him except through Jesus Christ; and it is not possible to be united to Jesus Christ except in the Church and through the Church, His Mystical Body, and, finally, it is not possible to belong to the Church except through the bishops, successors of the Apostles, united to the Supreme Pastor, the successor of Peter.” (Pope John XXIII, Address on the creation of three new dioceses on Taiwan, L’Osseratore Romano, June 29, 1961.)

Pope John Paul I:

“According to the words of St. Augustine, who takes up an image dear to the ancient Fathers, the ship of the Church must not fear, because it is guided by Christ and by His Vicar. ‘Although the ship is tossed about, it is still a ship. It alone carries the disciples and receives Christ. Yes, it is tossed on the sea, but, without it, one would immediately perish.” (Sermon, 75,3; PL 28, 475) Only in the Church is salvation. ‘Without it one perishes.’ (Pope John Paul I, First Allocution, August 27, 1978, L’Osservatore Romano, August 28,29, 1978.)

“It is difficult to accept some truths, because the truths of faith are of two kinds: some pleasant, others unpalatable to our spirit. For example, it is pleasant to hear that God has so much tenderness for us, even more tenderness than a mother for her children. Other truths, on the contrary, are hard to accept. God must punish if I resist. That is not agreeable, but it is clear that Jesus and the Church are the same thing: indissoluble, inseparable. Christ and the Church are only one thing. It is not possible to say: ‘I believe in Jesus, I accept Jesus, but I do not accept the Church.’ When the poor Pope, when the bishops, the priests, propose the doctrine, they are merely helping Christ. It is not our doctrine; it is Christ’s: we must merely guard it and present it.” (General Audience, September 13, 1978; Quoted in The Message of John Paul I, Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, 1978, pp. 106,107.)

Pope John Paul II:

“The mystery of salvation is revealed to us and is continued and accomplished in the Church…and from this genuine and single source, like ‘humble, useful, precious and chaste’ water, it reaches the whole world. Dear young people and members of the faithful, like Brother Francis we have to be conscious and absorb this fundamental and revealed truth, consecrated by tradition: ‘There is no salvation outside the Church.’ From her alone there flows surely and fully the life-giving force destined in Christ and in His Spirit, to renew the whole of humanity, and therefore directing every human being to become a part of the Mystical Body of Christ.” (Pope John Paul II, Radio Message for Franciscan Vigil in St. Peter’s and Assisi, October 3, 1981, L’Osservatore Romano, October 12, 1981.)

Pope Eugene IV: The Council of Florence

“The holy Roman Church believes, professes, and preaches that no one remaining outside the Catholic Church, not just pagans, but also Jews or heretics or schismatic’s, can become partakers of eternal life; but they will go to the ‘everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels’ (Matt. 25:41), unless before the end of life they are joined to the Church. For the union with the body of the Church is of such importance that the sacraments of the Church are helpful to salvation only for those remaining in it; and fasts, almsgiving, other works of piety, and the exercise of Christian warfare bear eternal rewards for them alone. And no one can be saved, no matter how much alms he has given, even if he sheds his blood for the name of Christ, unless he remains in the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church.” (Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, 1438-45, From the Bull “Cantate Domino”, February 4, 1441 (Florentine style) Decree for the Jacobites, Denz. 165.)

Our thanks to the late Dave Hunt and T. A. McMahon from the Berean Call for their research on Roman Catholicism. Much of this chapter was adapted from various issues of, The Berean Call Newsletter, and used by permission. https://www.thebereancall.org/