Bible Questions and Answers

A visitor writes,

"What is false in Catholic doctrine?"

Carolynn.starr@yahoo.com  What is false in Catholic doctrine?

Catholic Core Beliefs and Creeds

• The Trinity: Belief in one God who is three divine persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

This makes no sense.

A father and son cannot consist in one entity.

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord.

• Jesus Christ: Belief that Jesus is the Son of God, who became human, died on a cross to save people from sin, and rose from the dead.

The Spirit of God is not a person, it is the power of God by which the earth was created and is sustained.

This makes no sense

That which is immortal cannot become mortal and die.

Jesus Christ existed only in the plan of God before he was born.

Matthew 1:20…fear not to take unto thee thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins.

The Father is superior to the Son.

Mark 13:32 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels which in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father

• The Creeds: Acceptance of ancient statements of faith like the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed that summarize Christian beliefs.

The creeds are man-made and cannot take precedence over the plain teaching of Scripture.

The Sacraments

• Seven Rituals: Participation in Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist (Holy Communion), Reconciliation (Confession), Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.

Infant sprinkling is not baptism, baptism requires total immersion in water following belief of the Gospel and repentance.

Acts 8:36… the eunuch said, “See here is water; what hinders me from being baptised?” 37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may

‘Confirmation’ has no scriptural support.

Holy orders are man-made without scriptural support.

Confession to a ‘priest’ is not supported by scripture.

• Grace: Belief that these sacraments are outward signs instituted by Christ to give inner grace and spiritual life to believers.

This is more nonsense, there is no such thing as ‘inner grace’. Grace is an act of God in overlooking our sin. ‘Spiritual life’ is the conscious act of living by the commandments of Christ found in Scripture.

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock

• Transubstantiation: The teaching that the bread and wine used during Mass truly become the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Transubstantiation is nonsense. The bread and wine symbolise Jesus’ way of thinking demonstrated in his life and sacrifice. If we are not trying to emulate this in our lives then we fail to understand what the eating and drinking represent.

1 Corinthians 11:27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

Authority and Tradition

• Scripture and Tradition: Belief that God's truth comes from both the Bible and the living tradition of the Church passed down from the early apostles.

The history of the Catholic Church demonstrates that it’s tradition is devoid of God’s truth. The Church is depicted as a harlot in Revelation 17.

• The Magisterium: The teaching authority of the Pope and the bishops to safely interpret and guard the faith.

The succession of Popes is predicted as the ‘man of sin’.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

• The Virgin Mary: Honor given to Mary as the Mother of God, who was assumed body and soul into heaven.

The false teaching that man has a ‘soul’ or ‘spirit’ which ascends to God at death is not taught in scripture. It is pagan in origin. In death we cease to exist. The hope of the Gospel is that of resurrection to life again at the return of Christ. The euphemism used in scripture is that of ‘sleeping’ (KJV) with our fathers, unconscious in the grave.

1 Kings 2:10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.

2 Peter 3:4… “Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.

Mary was not ‘the mother of God’, she was a natural descendant of David and the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. She is currently dead awaiting the return of her Son.

I hope you find this helpful.

God bless,

Glenn