Are We Really Catholic Bashing?

reachingcatholics.org ^ | Unknown | Mike Gendron

[jodyel]

Are We Really Catholic Bashing? Mike Gendron

Throughout the last 13 years we have made the Roman Catholic Church our primary mission field. It has been our heart’s desire to see Roman Catholics embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as their all-sufficient Savior and enjoy the salvation He sovereignly secured for all who trust Him alone. Needless to say, we have received thousands of letters, e-mails and phone calls from disgruntled, irate, annoyed, threatening or confused Catholics who tell us we are Catholic bashers and do not know anything about their religion. Some are zealous for God, but without biblical knowledge. Others have an unbending loyalty to the Pope and his teachings. We recently received a letter which covers many issues that are usually brought forth when Catholics are confronted with the biblical Gospel. Following is the letter and my response.

Dear Mr. Gendron,

I hope you can open your heart enough to truly hear what I’m about to tell you. First, you were not a "hard-core" Catholic. You are like a lot of people who were raised Catholic, who really did not know or understand their faith. I was like you at one time. I was raised Catholic, but did not practice my faith for years. But thanks to the grace of God, the Holy Spirit, and my devout wife, I rediscovered my Catholic faith as an adult. I love my faith and its glorious tradition handed down from Peter and Paul and the Apostles.

Regarding your belief in the Bible alone, who do you believe compiled the Bible? Before the Protestant Reformation, Catholics wrote the only Bibles in existence. The King James Bible and all Protestant Bibles are based on the Catholic Bible, but many words were changed to justify Protestant beliefs. You see, Catholicism was the only game in town for over a thousand years until the Eastern Orthodox Church split with Rome and the Protestant Reformation further splintered Christians. The doctrines of Catholic faith have not significantly changed in 2000 years! Yet Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:2 those who "hold fast to traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter". In 2 Thessalonians 3:6 Paul says "Shun any brother who conducts himself not according to tradition they received from us." The Gospel of John 21:25 states that not everything Jesus said was recorded in scripture.

Does being born-again mean that it is open season on Catholics? Is Catholic bashing a requirement for being born-again? Why the constant attacks on Catholicism, an attack on those who receive Christ in the Eucharist on a weekly, or in my case, a daily basis? Do you really believe that if you’re Catholic you’re going to hell? When it was written that early Christians needed to be "born-again", the target audience was those who were not already baptized. Taken in that context, the need to be born-again does not apply to Catholics since Catholics have already been baptized, and are thus reborn.

Sincerely,

A Devout Catholic

Dear Devout Catholic,

I would like to address each one of your points. First, the Catholic Church was not even around to compile the Hebrews Scriptures. The Old Testament was closed 400 years before Christ’s life, death and resurrection. Furthermore, it was the apostles and the eyewitnesses to the events of Christ’s first coming who wrote the New Testament, not Catholics. The Roman Catholic Church did not exist in the first century. It can not be the one true church founded by Christ because it does not profess the faith of the apostles. Its teachings and traditions prove, beyond a doubt, that it has departed from the apostolic faith.

Jude warned the early church to contend for the faith against apostates. In verse 4 of his epistle, he wrote, "For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only sovereign and Lord." Jude identifies the apostates by certain characteristics that resemble the Roman Catholic Church. Catholics deny Jesus as the only sovereign and Lord by supplanting His authority with an authority of their own. They have turned the grace of God into a commodity that can be bought, bartered or merited through indulgences and sacraments. They have perverted the Gospel of grace into a gospel of faith plus works. They have denied the supremacy and sovereignty of Christ and given His divine attributes and titles to Mary and the Pope. They have denied the sufficiency of the word and work of Christ. These are just some of the characteristics that would convict the Catholic Church of being apostate not apostolic.

The Roman Catholic Church declares itself to be the church that Jesus started 2000 years ago. It further pronounces that the church never changes its dogmatic teachings. With this in mind we, once again, can examine the teachings of the Catholic Church today and prove they do not resemble the first century church. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see:

• Priests offering sacrifices for sins • Indulgences remitting punishment for sins • Prayers for souls in purgatory • Church leaders forbidden to marry • Infallible men • Salvation dispensed through sacraments • Rosaries, scapulars, holy water, crucifixes & statues

You said "the King James Bible and all Protestant Bibles are based on the Catholic Bible, but many words were changed to justify Protestant beliefs." You are incorrect. The King James Bible was translated from the original languages of Scripture (Hebrew and Greek) while the first Roman Catholic Bible, known as the Douay-Rheims Bible was translated from Latin in the 16th century. Needless to say, a translation from the original languages would be much more accurate than a translation from a translation. Furthermore, it is not the King James Bible that departed from the original canon but the Roman Catholic Bible. In 1546 the Council of Trent added the Apocryphal books to the canon in an attempt to justify the doctrine of Purgatory. Jerome rejected them when he was translating the Bible into Latin in 450 because they were never part of the Hebrew canon. The texts include Judith, the Wisdom of Solomon, Tobit, Sirach, Baruch, Maccabees I & II, Esdras I & II, additions to the Book of Esther, the Book of Daniel, and the Prayer of Manasseh.

Have you considered the references to tradition in the New Testament appear mostly as warnings against using them to nullify the word of God or to hold people captive (Mark 7:7-13; Col. 2:8-9). Only three times is tradition used in a positive sense. The few references you cited are exhortation for Christians to follow apostolic traditions. Please note the tense. Each reference is given in the past tense, i.e. the tradition which you were taught, (2 Thes. 2:15); which you have heard (2 Tim. 2:2); and, as I [Paul] delivered them to you (1 Cor. 11:2) Man’s tradition, which crept into the church after the apostles, is what we are to earnestly contend against (Jude 3). Followers of Jesus Christ are exhorted to earnestly contend for the faith which was delivered to the saints at the time the last apostle went to glory. "The faith" is made up of the Word of God and the traditions which "were taught" by the apostles. We must contend against other traditions because religious leaders and institutions can become corrupt (Mat. 23). The only assurance to genuine faith is from the objective, infallible Word of God (John 17:17).

You noted that the Gospel of John 21:25 states that not everything Jesus said was recorded in scripture. Do you know why John included what he did in his Gospel? He tells us. "These [things] have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:30-31). Have you believed what John wrote? Unfortunately many Roman Catholics would have been indoctrinated to trust their clergy rather than what is written in the divinely inspired Scriptures. Consider what John has written about the Lord Jesus Christ:

• He saves sinners from condemnation (John 3:18, 5:24). • He came to give life to those who are spiritually dead in sin (John 14:6). • He showed the world the only way to the Father because sinners are lost (John 14:6). • He is the personification of truth. To avoid deception we must trust Him (John 14:6). • He testifies to the truth. Those who seek the truth listen to Him (John 18:37).

John also answers your questions on being born-again. He wrote: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13). Please note that those who are born-again "believe in His name." Is it possible for a 7-day old infant to believe or have faith in anything? Please also note that those who are born-again are born of God not of any human initiative. You can not be born-again because you were born into a Christian family, or because of self-will or because of your parents’ decision to baptize you. It is God who calls and draws those He has chosen (Eph. 1:4; John 6:44; Rom. 8:30). The Bible teaches that anyone (Catholic or non-Catholic) who has not been born-again will not enter the kingdom of God, but instead suffer everlasting torment in the eternal lake of fire.

I do not know why Catholics so often refer to us as Catholic bashers. If we really wanted to bash Catholics we would ignore them and let them march proudly towards an eternity without Christ. It is our love for Catholics and for our Lord that motivates us to be faithful to the great commission. It is our compassion for Catholics that persuades us to proclaim that Jesus Christ is sufficient to save sinners completely and forever, a doctrine that most Catholics deny. And finally it is our desire to exalt our Lord by exposing any teaching or tradition that robs Him of the glory, honor and praise that He alone deserves. It is my prayer that you will come to Jesus with empty hands of faith, bringing nothing but your sins to the cross! Only then will you know the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.

In God’s Grace, Mike Gendron

[Salvation]

**This thread is predicated on non Catholics telling Catholics they are damned to hell for being Catholic.**

That’s exactly what I’m getting out of it too, from the very first time she said it.

[Salvation]

Oops

divisiveness!

[mlizzy]

Yeah, I could tell that from your plea to the RM. Evidently, your group can't stand the truth.

I included the RM because I wanted to know how far Free Republic wishes to go regarding being rude; it's rude to tell someone to go away, right after putting up a post bashing their faith, that they wish to defend. If fact, that would be a double-rude. Would you do that to your child, your spouse, your friend? So I got my answer by pinging the RM, and must now adhere to the rules of this forum, or "go away."

As far as not being able to stand the truth, I already know what's True to me. 10,000+ saints back up the faith as well; all very good honest, remarkable people [in Christ].

Saints in heaven, please pray for us.

[mlizzy]

I will go my way.....the Lord's Way of the Cross.

Ha! Very good, Salvation... ♥

[NKP_Vet]

If the Catholic faith was not the ONE, TRUE, FAITH, there is no way in 40 hells it would still be standing 2,000 years after it was formed. Have a nice day.

[CynicalBear]

It’s most comical to watch the double standard.

[smvoice]

Isn't it though!

"Who us? Not US! We would NEVER! uh...well, MOST of us would never..." ...."

[smvoice]

Uh huh. That’s what the muslims say. and the Buddhists. and the wiccans. and so on. and so on...

[Iscool]

So what, then, is the purpose of posting this article in the first place? It’s not to bring Protestants and Catholics closer together. It’s not for God’s glory. It’s not to have a discussion.

I would disagree with that...No one on this side has said, 'come to my church or come to my denomination'...Our message is come to Jesus...And coming to Jesus DOES bring Catholics and Protestants together...

We post scripture inspired of God and welcome dialog on those scriptures...You guys rarely if ever respond to scripture...It is you guys who are not interested in dialog...

[Iscool]

I suspect that my Protestant brothers and sisters will have less need for Purgatory: those 1-hour sermons are punishment enough...

It's not bad as long as you wake up before it's over...

[Owl558]

keep reading

[CynicalBear]

>> If the Catholic faith was not the ONE, TRUE, FAITH, there is no way in 40 hells it would still be standing 2,000 years after it was formed. Have a nice day.<<

You don’t give the RCC nearly enough credit. Many of it’s beliefs and rituals go back to the days of Nimrod. The hats worn by Catholic priests go back to the priests of Dagon. My goodness, give the RCC credit where credit is due.

[NKP_Vet]

I am talking about Christians. None have been around for 2,000 years but the Catholics. Without the Catholic Church there would be no Western Civilization. There would be no Bible. There would be no universities. There would be no hospitals. There would be nothing.

http://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Church-Built-Western-Civilization/dp/1596983280

[CynicalBear]

>>Our message is come to Jesus...And coming to Jesus DOES bring Catholics and Protestants together...<<

Spot on! As long as that Jesus is the Jesus of scripture.

[smvoice]

You’re very wrong, NKP_Vet. But you’ll never be convinced. So I won’t waste your time. God keeps the tally sheet, not me.

[CynicalBear]

Arrogance doesn’t even begin to describe that attitude.

[WVKayaker]

Saints in heaven, please pray for us.

You make my case. Your group is not the chosen one!. The saints cannot pray for you, and your idolatry is duly noted.

Exodus 20: ...4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. ...

Ephesians 1: 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. ...

Ephesians 2: ...19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

[Iscool]

A quote from Pope Francis: Since many of you do not belong to the Catholic Church and others are non-believers, from the bottom of my heart I give this silent blessing to each and every one of you, respecting the conscience of each one of you but knowing that each one of you is a child of God.

I don't see where your pope or any man has the power to bless anyone...

While God is the creator of everyone, as I read the scriptures I see that unbelievers are the child of the devil and condemned to hell...

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

[Iscool]

I will go my way.....the Lord's Way of the Cross.

You volunteering for a crucifixion???

[Iscool]

If the Catholic faith was not the ONE, TRUE, FAITH, there is no way in 40 hells it would still be standing 2,000 years after it was formed. Have a nice day.

Now that's silly...The earth is the domain of Satan...His religion(s) and phony ministers will be here right up to the time of the 2nd Coming of Jesus...