So many false charges are made against the Catholic Church by people who refuse to go to the source of Catholic teaching, to find out what the Church really teaches. They instead prefer to propagate the lie they are taught by others of the same mind set. If you wanted to buy a Ford, would you go to a Chevy dealer to find the "truth" about Fords? No, you go to the source, the ones who built the Ford. In the same way you will not learn the truth of what the Catholic Church teaches from a non-Catholic source. So if you have not bothered to go to the source for Catholic teaching, then why do you continue to perpetuate the lie? By doing so, you gamble with your eternal salvation.
Here are some of the false charges made against the Catholic Church, and the replies of truth to those charges:
*The Catholic Church is not the Church which Jesus Christ founded.
Okay, then please give me the name of the Church which He did found, since it must still be here, as He did promise that His Church would last forever, did He not? Matthew 28:20. Did Jesus lie?
Also, since every Church on earth was founded by a person with a name, please name the person who did found the Catholic Church if it was not Jesus Christ? Oh, and please do not forget to include the genuine historical document(s) to back up what you say.
*There is no "proof" that Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church.
To the contrary, here are 140 reasons why it is the Catholic Church which He founded and none other. Now you give me just one reason to "prove" that it is your church which He founded and not the Catholic Church?
*The Catholic Church apostatized soon after the last Apostle died, so the Catholic Church of today is not the same Church which Jesus Christ founded.
Please give me the date of this monumental historical event? Show me your genuine historical documents which "prove" what you charge? Of the thousands of genuine historical documents of every century going all the way back to the first century, and which are available for anyone to research, why is there no mention of this so-called earth shaking "great Apostasy" anywhere to be found? Don't you think that a falling away of the Church which Jesus Christ founded would "rock the universe", so to speak, and be the cause of a great chastisement from GOD after what His Son went through in His passion? Look at what happened to the Jews for their disobedience.
Jesus did promise the Holy Spirit would be with, and teach His Church forever in John 14:16-17.
Are you calling Jesus Christ a liar for His promises of perpetuity for His Church?
See 1John 5:10.
*Well it was not any specific date, but was a gradual process over time.
Okay, but that still implies that it did happen at some time, so give me the date, and your genuine historical documents. List for me the "gradual" apostasies of which you refer and the dates of their supposed happenings?
What is the teaching of the Catholic Church on the Holy Trinity? Is that apostasy?
Does the Church teach that Jesus Christ is GOD? Does the Church......well, I could ask you about what the Church teaches regarding a hundred subjects.
Instead of my listing all of the subjects on which the Church teaches, it would be much easier if you would just please tell me the subjects of your charges of apostasy by the Catholic Church, and the dates of each?
*The Eucharist is "obviously" only a symbol.
Please show me the "obvious" Scriptural verses which say that it is only a symbol after you have read and studied the two links in this section?
*The Bible alone is our sole authority. We do not need the Catholic Church.
Oh? What did Jesus Christ found, a teaching Church, or a book? Since the Gospels are the heart of the New Testament, please show me the verse(s) where He commanded anyone to write them?
Please show me where the Bible says that it alone is the sole authority?
*The Catholic Church is always coming up with "new doctrine". I refuse to believe anything if I cannot find it in the Bible.
Oh? Please give me a list of this "new" doctrine of what you speak? Also please give me the verse which you use to "prove" that everything worth believing is in the Bible?
*GOD did not need Mary.
Oh? Did GOD tell you that He did not need her? Or did some human person in your sect tell you? Are you a modern day prophet?
Is your remark that, "GOD did not need Mary", in the Bible? Are you a Sola Scriptura believer?
If so, then you must find that in the Bible for any other SS follower to believe it, right? Show me the verse as 'proof' of what you say?
Well, to the contrary, explain Luke 1:26-38 to me? Why did GOD send the angel Gabriel to her to tell her of the great gift she was about to receive if He did not need her?
*Catholics "worship" Mary.
I have been a Catholic all of my life and I have never heard the Church tell its people that we must worship Mary. For that charge to be true, then please provide the genuine Catholic Church document which states that Catholics are to worship Mary? Did you ever think to go to the source for the answer to this one?
*Mary could not have been immaculately conceived.
Oh? Are you saying that GOD could not have done this?
Did not Jesus say this?
"But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.""
Matthew 19:26
Didn't Adam and Eve, and Jesus Christ come into the world without sin? Then please explain to me, why the Mother of GOD could not?
*Mary gave birth to the human nature of Jesus only.
Mothers do not give birth to natures alone, but to persons who possess a nature. Mary gave birth to the complete person. Now, is Jesus Christ a divine person, or is he a human person?
He could not be both, as that would make Him to be two persons.
*Mary could not be the Mother of GOD.
Well, because you made this statement, you now have only two options. Either Jesus Christ is not GOD, or He had another mother other than Mary. Which option will you choose?
*Mary had "other children".
Show me where Holy Scripture says that, after you have read the link? Suppose you were the brother or sister of GOD. Wouldn't there be a mountain of material written about you and your lives? Isn't it possible that the meaning of words then, are not the same as they are today, especially after they have been translated from language to language? You see, something is always added or lost in a language translation. To prove this, I gave you an example in the 3rd sentence, 'you and your lives'. Do you see it? The word 'you' in English can be singular or plural, but in Greek, different words are used for 'you', sou (singular) and humeis (plural). I do explain the importance of this particular translation problem in greater detail here.
So do not fall into the "brothers-brethren" trap by using today's English meaning only.
Read the link for much more.
*Mary could not have been assumed into Heaven.
Oh? Why not? Were you there? Is this yet something else that GOD could not do?
*It does not matter which church a person belongs to.
To the contrary, it does matter a great deal. Do you wish to gamble with your eternal salvation?
There is only one true Church, the one which Jesus Christ founded.
I would suggest that you read Psalms 127:1.
Now, since everyone has read Psalms 127:1, I wish to ask all non-Catholics who make these false charges against the only Church which Jesus Christ founded, to please show me the verse(s) in Holy Scripture which give authority for any person to found another church other than that one of Matthew 16:18? Notice that Jesus did say "Church", and not churches in that verse.
Okay, but that still implies that it did happen at some time, so give me the date, and your genuine historical documents. List for me the "gradual" apostasies of which you refer and the dates of their supposed happenings?
What is the teaching of the Catholic Church on the Holy Trinity? Is that apostasy?
Does the Church teach that Jesus Christ is GOD? Does the Church......well, I could ask you about what the Church teaches regarding a hundred subjects.
Instead of my listing all of the subjects on which the Church teaches, it would be much easier if you would just please tell me the subjects of your charges of apostasy by the Catholic Church, and the dates of each?
*The Eucharist is "obviously" only a symbol.
Please show me the "obvious" Scriptural verses which say that it is only a symbol after you have read and studied the two links in this section?
*The Bible alone is our sole authority. We do not need the Catholic Church.
Oh? What did Jesus Christ found, a teaching Church, or a book? Since the Gospels are the heart of the New Testament, please show me the verse(s) where He commanded anyone to write them?
Please show me where the Bible says that it alone is the sole authority?
*The Catholic Church is always coming up with "new doctrine". I refuse to believe anything if I cannot find it in the Bible.
Oh? Please give me a list of this "new" doctrine of what you speak? Also please give me the verse which you use to "prove" that everything worth believing is in the Bible?
*GOD did not need Mary.
Oh? Did GOD tell you that He did not need her? Or did some human person in your sect tell you? Are you a modern day prophet?
Is your remark that, "GOD did not need Mary", in the Bible? Are you a Sola Scriptura believer?
If so, then you must find that in the Bible for any other SS follower to believe it, right? Show me the verse as 'proof' of what you say?
Well, to the contrary, explain Luke 1:26-38 to me? Why did GOD send the angel Gabriel to her to tell her of the great gift she was about to receive if He did not need her?
*Catholics "worship" Mary.
I have been a Catholic all of my life and I have never heard the Church tell its people that we must worship Mary. For that charge to be true, then please provide the genuine Catholic Church document which states that Catholics are to worship Mary? Did you ever think to go to the source for the answer to this one?
*Mary could not have been immaculately conceived.
Oh? Are you saying that GOD could not have done this?
Did not Jesus say this?
"But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.""
Matthew 19:26
Didn't Adam and Eve, and Jesus Christ come into the world without sin? Then please explain to me, why the Mother of GOD could not?
*Mary gave birth to the human nature of Jesus only.
Mothers do not give birth to natures alone, but to persons who possess a nature. Mary gave birth to the complete person. Now, is Jesus Christ a divine person, or is he a human person?
He could not be both, as that would make Him to be two persons.
*Mary could not be the Mother of GOD.
Well, because you made this statement, you now have only two options. Either Jesus Christ is not GOD, or He had another mother other than Mary. Which option will you choose?
*Mary had "other children".
Show me where Holy Scripture says that, after you have read the link? Suppose you were the brother or sister of GOD. Wouldn't there be a mountain of material written about you and your lives? Isn't it possible that the meaning of words then, are not the same as they are today, especially after they have been translated from language to language? You see, something is always added or lost in a language translation. To prove this, I gave you an example in the 3rd sentence, 'you and your lives'. Do you see it? The word 'you' in English can be singular or plural, but in Greek, different words are used for 'you', sou (singular) and humeis (plural). I do explain the importance of this particular translation problem in greater detail here.
So do not fall into the "brothers-brethren" trap by using today's English meaning only.
Read the link for much more.
*Mary could not have been assumed into Heaven.
Oh? Why not? Were you there? Is this yet something else that GOD could not do?
*It does not matter which church a person belongs to.
To the contrary, it does matter a great deal. Do you wish to gamble with your eternal salvation?
There is only one true Church, the one which Jesus Christ founded.
I would suggest that you read Psalms 127:1.
Now, since everyone has read Psalms 127:1, I wish to ask all non-Catholics who make these false charges against the only Church which Jesus Christ founded, to please show me the verse(s) in Holy Scripture which give authority for any person to found another church other than that one of Matthew 16:18? Notice that Jesus did say "Church", and not churches in that verse.
For those who make false charges against the Catholic Church without bothering to go to the source to see if the charges are true or not, please read this quote from Saint Irenaeus which was written in 180 A.D.
"CHAP. IV.--THE TRUTH (of what the Catholic Church teaches*) IS TO BE FOUND NOWHERE ELSE BUT IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, THE SOLE DEPOSITORY OF APOSTOLICAL DOCTRINE. HERESIES ARE OF RECENT FORMATION, AND CANNOT TRACE THEIR ORIGIN UP TO THE APOSTLES.
1. Since therefore we have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth: so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life. For she is the entrance to life; all others are thieves and robbers. On this account are we bound to avoid them, but to make choice of the thing pertaining to the Church with the utmost diligence, and to lay hold of the tradition of the truth. For how stands the case? Suppose there arose a dispute relative to some important question among us, should we not have recourse to the most ancient Churches with which the apostles held constant intercourse, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the present question? For how should it be if the apostles themselves had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary, [in that case,] to follow the course of the tradition which they handed down to those to whom they did commit the Churches?"
Saint Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapter 4, Par 1, 180 A.D.. Jurgens 213
*Added by myself and not in the original St. Irenaeus text.
"CHAP. IV.--THE TRUTH (of what the Catholic Church teaches*) IS TO BE FOUND NOWHERE ELSE BUT IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, THE SOLE DEPOSITORY OF APOSTOLICAL DOCTRINE. HERESIES ARE OF RECENT FORMATION, AND CANNOT TRACE THEIR ORIGIN UP TO THE APOSTLES.
1. Since therefore we have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth: so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life. For she is the entrance to life; all others are thieves and robbers. On this account are we bound to avoid them, but to make choice of the thing pertaining to the Church with the utmost diligence, and to lay hold of the tradition of the truth. For how stands the case? Suppose there arose a dispute relative to some important question among us, should we not have recourse to the most ancient Churches with which the apostles held constant intercourse, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the present question? For how should it be if the apostles themselves had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary, [in that case,] to follow the course of the tradition which they handed down to those to whom they did commit the Churches?"
Saint Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapter 4, Par 1, 180 A.D.. Jurgens 213
*Added by myself and not in the original St. Irenaeus text.
STOP!!! Right here and take a deep breath before proceeding, for your eternal salvation may be at risk!
For proof of this, now read on.
"This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
1Timothy 2:3-4It is the will of GOD that we all must come to the truth. No one can come to the truth who has a closed mind, or is prejudiced, or has preconceived ideas. The only way anyone can find the truth is to go to the source with an open mind, and discover it for themselves.
"...but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury."
Romans 2:8
"Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions,factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Galatians 5:19-21"Factious"? The dictionary says, "Factious: (1) relating to internal dissension. (2) Promoting internal dissension." Doesn't this sound like the mindset of the reformers? The Reformation certainly did lead to the "thousands of factions"* which we have in Protestantism today.
The word "factions" leads us to yet another verse,
"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing; and there be no dissensions among you, but that you be perfectly united in one mind and in one judgment."
1Corinthians 1:10
For all of those who refuse to come to the truth, they will be met with the wrath of GOD.*There were 33,820 factions of Protestantism as of April 2001, World Christian Encyclopedia, a Protestant publication. This publication can be purchased from www.amazon.com.
"The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
2Thessalonians 2:9-12For those who do not believe the truth, ALL will be condemned.
What does all of this mean? Let us summarize:
1. We are all bound to search for the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4
2. Those who refuse to search for the truth will be met with the wrath of GOD. Romans 2:8
3. Those who refuse to accept the truth, will be condemned. 2Thessalonians 2:9-12
4. He who has refused to acknowledge the truth in life will be forced to confront it in death. Hebrews 9:27, Revelation 21:27
5. Now who does all of this fit? It certainly does fit all of those who perpetuate false charges against the only Church which Jesus Christ founded, and who continue to do so, by refusing to go to the source for the truth of what the Catholic Church teaches.
6. These are not my rules or ideas. They are the teaching of GOD through Holy Scripture.
"Have I then become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"
Galatians 4:16
Written by Bob Stanley, February 15, 2002
Updated September 19, 2002
Updated March 22, 2008
http://www.thecatholictreasurechest.com/reply.htm
For proof of this, now read on.
"This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
1Timothy 2:3-4It is the will of GOD that we all must come to the truth. No one can come to the truth who has a closed mind, or is prejudiced, or has preconceived ideas. The only way anyone can find the truth is to go to the source with an open mind, and discover it for themselves.
"...but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury."
Romans 2:8
"Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions,factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Galatians 5:19-21"Factious"? The dictionary says, "Factious: (1) relating to internal dissension. (2) Promoting internal dissension." Doesn't this sound like the mindset of the reformers? The Reformation certainly did lead to the "thousands of factions"* which we have in Protestantism today.
The word "factions" leads us to yet another verse,
"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing; and there be no dissensions among you, but that you be perfectly united in one mind and in one judgment."
1Corinthians 1:10
For all of those who refuse to come to the truth, they will be met with the wrath of GOD.*There were 33,820 factions of Protestantism as of April 2001, World Christian Encyclopedia, a Protestant publication. This publication can be purchased from www.amazon.com.
"The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
2Thessalonians 2:9-12For those who do not believe the truth, ALL will be condemned.
What does all of this mean? Let us summarize:
1. We are all bound to search for the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4
2. Those who refuse to search for the truth will be met with the wrath of GOD. Romans 2:8
3. Those who refuse to accept the truth, will be condemned. 2Thessalonians 2:9-12
4. He who has refused to acknowledge the truth in life will be forced to confront it in death. Hebrews 9:27, Revelation 21:27
5. Now who does all of this fit? It certainly does fit all of those who perpetuate false charges against the only Church which Jesus Christ founded, and who continue to do so, by refusing to go to the source for the truth of what the Catholic Church teaches.
6. These are not my rules or ideas. They are the teaching of GOD through Holy Scripture.
"Have I then become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"
Galatians 4:16
Written by Bob Stanley, February 15, 2002
Updated September 19, 2002
Updated March 22, 2008
http://www.thecatholictreasurechest.com/reply.htm
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