2 Corinthians 6:16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?
Posted on 09/27/2013 1:26:05 AM PDT by jodyel
There are about seven principle signs that identify a cult. Now when one hears the word "cult," the first connotation is that of some strange obscure religious group. But for our discussion the word cult is simply a word that describes organized heresy. In other words, any religious group that systematically teaches false doctrine. Knowing some of these signs is key to preventing people from following these cults.
The sign we will focus on here is the teaching of exclusivity. Cults will declare that they are the only way to heaven. Apart from them there is no salvation. They alone are the repositories of truth and all must join them to be saved. Here one might say, "yea, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Mormons." But to infer, let alone say, that Catholicism is in this class, is to be condemned as a hate monger or Catholic basher.
To demonstrate that Roman Catholicism bears the mark of a cult is quite easy indeed. If we were left to our opinions and personal interpretations, it might be difficult, but Rome has supplied a mass (no pun intended) of evidence to use. For example:
1) "WE BELIEVE THE CHURCH IS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION BECAUSE CHRIST, WHO IS THE SOLE MEDIATOR AND EXCLUSIVE WAY OF SALVATION, RENDERS HIMSELF PRESENT FOR US IN HIS BODY WHICH IS THE CHURCH. WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER THE UNITY OF THE MYSTICAL BODY, WITHOUT WHICH THERE CAN BE NO SALVATION, IS OPEN TO NO ONE OUTSIDE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH." Pope Paul VI
2) "THE HOLY UNIVERSAL CHURCH PROCLAIMS THAT GOD CANNOT TRULY BE WORSHIPPED SAVE WITHIN HERSELF, AND ASSERTS THAT ALL THEY WHO ARE WITHOUT HER PALE SHALL NEVER BE SAVED." Pope Gregory the Great (Now how is that for ecumenism!)
3) "THE CHURCH IS LIKE THE ARK OF NOAH, OUTSIDE OF WHICH NOBODY CAN BE SAVED." Thomas Aquinas.
4) "THAT THERE IS ONE HOLY CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH WE ARE COMPELLED TO BELIEVE AND TO HOLD, PROMPTED BY DIVINE FAITH, AND WE DO BELIEVE THIS FIRMLY AND CONFESS IT SIMPLY, OUTSIDE OF WHICH THERE CAN BE NO SALVATION, OR REMISSION OF SINS…." Pope Boniface VIII
5) "IT IS A SIN TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS SALVATION OUTSIDE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH." Pope Pius IX
6) "FOR IT IS THROUGH CHRIST’S CATHOLIC CHURCH ALONE, WHICH IS THE UNIVERSAL HELP TOWARDS SALVATION, THAT THE FULNESS OF THE MEANS OF SALVATION CAN BE OBTAINED." Vatican II
Now we have just cited six infallible sources of the Catholic Church to prove without reservations that they believe that they are the only way to heaven. Understand that they are saying that only Roman Catholics have a chance at going to heaven. This is classic cult mentality. The organization becomes the focus and the savior. Allow us to clearly illustrate this fact. In a recent debate with a Jesuit theologian, we were able to ask a very simple yet extremely important question. The question was "what do we have to do to go to heaven?" The answer that followed was very revealing. It clearly proved that Roman Catholicism teaches that every Baptist is going to hell, in addition to every Presbyterian, Methodist, etc. The Jesuit theologian said to go to heaven we must "do" several things. Firstly, believe the entire Bible. (Sounds like a fundamentalist.) Secondly, we must be baptized in water. Thirdly, we must keep the commandments. Fourthly, we must eat His flesh and drink His blood literally (in the sacrament of the mass). He mentioned a couple of others, but these four should suffice.
The Scripture clearly reveals to one and all that salvation comes from believing in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. (Cf. Acts 16:30-31; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) The entire book of Galatians was written to demonstrate the futility of believing that the Law justifies or saves anyone. But the "eating" and "drinking" the literal flesh and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ says it all. For according to Roman Catholic theology, this can only be done after a "priest"—and only a priest—says the words of consecration over the bread and wine. Hence, no Catholic Church, no priest. No priest, no Mass or transubstantiation. No transubstantiation, no eating His flesh or drinking His blood. No eating and drinking of Jesus literally, NO SALVATION!
We commend to your reading Hebrews 7, 8, 9 and 10. The mysticism is clearly not biblical and certainly not necessary for anyone to be saved. Their insistence on such heresies places them at the top of the list of religious cults. That statement may seem a bit harsh, but it is nonetheless true. Catholicism does not differ from any of the cults where our first sign is concerned. A closer look at the other signs of a cult further confirm the fact that Catholicism, while large in number, humanitarian in practice, is still unbiblical and perhaps the mother of all "Christian" cults.
“not of works, lest any man should boast” or something like that.
Give the names of documents. If you don’t give the name of the document in which these statements were supposedly made, these out-of-context snippets are meaningless.
And I suggest that the quotation from “Paul VI” is non-existent.
At any rate, the Catholic Church does not teach, and has never taught, that every person who is a not registered in a Catholic parish as a full-fledged, formal member of the Catholic Church is going to hell.
The quotation from Vatican II does not support your argument at all. To say that the “fullness” of helps to salvation are found in the Catholic Church in no way implies that no non-Catholic can be saved.
Galatians 1: ...3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
2 Corinthians 6:16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?
Of course, to label the Catholic Church as a “cult,” one must simply ignore the lives of the saints—people who have exhibited heroic virtue—often to a degree that is in itself manifestly miraculous. Singing hymns while being roasted alive—stuff like that. Then there are the prodigious works of charity in the lives of the saints—the invention of the hospital by Catholics, and the foundation of tens of thousands of hospitals and the self-giving of millions of lives (mostly women religious in service to the sick and the poor). And the out-and-out miracles—prodigious healings of illness, lost limbs, lost eyes, etc.
Cf. the life Saint Pius—Padre Pio.
22. Recognizing also the existence, outside the organism of the Church of Christ, of numerous elements of truth and sanctification which belong to her as her own and tend to Catholic unity, and believing in the action of the Holy Spirit who stirs up in the heart of the disciples of Christ love of this unity, we entertain the hope that the Christians who are not yet in the full communion of the one only Church will one day be reunited in one flock with one only shepherd.
23. We believe that the Church is necessary for salvation, because Christ, who is the sole mediator and way of salvation, renders Himself present for us in His body which is the Church. But the divine design of salvation embraces all men; and those who without fault on their part do not know the Gospel of Christ and His Church, but seek God sincerely, and under the influence of grace endeavor to do His will as recognized through the promptings of their conscience, they, in a number known only to God, can obtain salvation.
Of course in context it shows the author of the article to be a bit of a liar... and that whole "sole mediator and way of salvation" bit should have driven the anti-Catholic author into having a brain hemorrhage.
Never argue with a fool. Didn’t God say that?
Now that’s interesting! The “quote” from Paul VI really was fake. And the real quote says exactly the opposite of the fake “quote.”
Now why would anyone do that?
Here’s the entire “Credo of the People of God,” from the Vatican website. I am reasonably sure that they have the correct text of what Paul VI said.
Of course, NOT to label the Catholic Church as a “cult,” one must simply ignore the Scriptures! Satan can perform miracles. Satan can certainly deceive! We see it in the massive display of wealth in Rome, where those riches are taken as a sign of Godliness or Holiness. They will burn and those that follow in those footsteps must answer to Him!
You can pray to dead people, but, like Joshua, "...as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." You can pray to Mary until the sun goes down, but" she's dead, Jim!: and so are they!!!
Joshua 24: Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”
“can obtain salvation.”
How do they then obtain salvation?
Shouldn't you be examining your own souls? Attacking other Christians is wasteful and ignorant when the whole world is under desperate siege by Islamist and atheists.
You really should spend more time learning what Christianity really is..
Through “Christ, who is the sole mediator and way of salvation,” but as to how this is accomplished outside of the Church:
We.
Don’t.
Know.
It’s up to God.
But let’s address the proof texting in the article you posted. Aren’t you even a little disturbed that the citation I chose to examine is a little um... misleading?
Remember the “sin against the Holy Spirit”?
You remember what it was?
It was attributing a healing to Satan that had been done by the Lord.
By sincerely following the dictates of their conscience.
Thomas Jefferson - “I Have Sworn Upon the Altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”
“I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”
Just another layer of bureaucracy.
Human Beings do not need keepers - only the animals.
You condemn praying to “dead people.”
But ARE those who have died, physically, really “dead.”
Or was Jesus wrong when He said that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all alive, because “I am not the God of the dead, but of the living”?
It’s interesting that Jesus told the parable of the Rich Man who dies and then carries on a conversation with Abraham. If Jesus wanted to PROMOTE the idea that the dead are not really dead, that would be an excellent way to do it!
Teacher Atheist says, every time a bell rings Christians fight with each other, an angel get’s his wings atheist laughs his butt off.
Think about it for a moment then go back to attacking and arguing with each other. Carry on!
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