I Was Sent An Article Trying To Show That Cathlics are Cultish (is this true?)
Now, I’m not 100% Catholic because I like to hide behind CS Lewis’s mere understanding of certain things before diving headlong. Plus, the more I post about engaging my faith, the more I lose subscribers on here — so that’s fun.
The format for this will be the pasted article followed by my reply.
Here is the article:
https://www.gotquestions.org/catholicism.html
The most crucial problem with the Roman Catholic Church is its belief that faith alone in Christ is not sufficient for salvation. The Bible clearly and consistently states that receiving Jesus Christ as Savior, by grace through faith, grants salvation (John 1:12; 3:16,18,36; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10,13; Ephesians 2:8-9). The Roman Catholic Church rejects this. The official position of the Roman Catholic Church is that a person must believe in Jesus Christ AND be baptized AND receive the Eucharist along with the other sacraments AND obey the decrees of the Roman Catholic Church AND perform meritorious works AND not die with any mortal sins AND etc., etc., etc. Catholic divergence from the Bible on this most crucial of issues, salvation, means that yes, Catholicism is a false religion. If a person believes what the Catholic Church officially teaches, he/she will not be saved. Any claim that works or rituals must be added to faith in order for salvation to be achieved is a claim that Jesus’ death was not sufficient to fully purchase our salvation.
While salvation by faith is the most crucial issue, in comparing Roman Catholicism with the Word of God, there are many other differences and contradictions as well. The Roman Catholic Church teaches many doctrines that are in disagreement with what the Bible declares. These include apostolic succession, worship of saints or Mary, prayer to saints or Mary, the pope / papacy, infant baptism, transubstantiation, plenary indulgences, the sacramental system, and purgatory. While Catholics claim Scriptural support for these concepts, none of these teachings have any solid foundation in the clear teaching of Scripture. These concepts are based on Catholic tradition, not the Word of God. In fact, they all clearly contradict Biblical principles.
In regards to the question “Are Catholics saved?”, this is a more difficult question to answer. It is impossible to give a universal statement on the salvation of all members of any denomination of Christianity. Not ALL Baptists are saved. Not ALL Presbyterians are saved. Not ALL Lutherans are saved. Salvation is determined by personal faith in Jesus alone for salvation, not by titles or denominational identification. Despite the unbiblical beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, there are genuine believers who attend Roman Catholic churches. There are many Roman Catholics who have genuinely placed their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. However, these Catholic Christians are believers despite what the Catholic Church teaches, not because of what it teaches. To varying degrees, the Catholic Church teaches from the Bible and points people to Jesus Christ as the Savior. As a result, people are sometimes saved in Catholic churches. The Bible has an impact whenever it is proclaimed (Isaiah 55:11). Catholic Christians remain in the Catholic Church out of ignorance of what the Catholic Church truly stands for, out of family tradition and peer pressure, or out of a desire to reach other Catholics for Christ.
At the same time, the Catholic Church also leads many people away from a genuine faith relationship with Christ. The unbiblical beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church have often given the enemies of Christ the opportunity to blaspheme. The Roman Catholic Church is not the church that Jesus Christ established. It is not a church that is based on the teachings of the Apostles (as described in the Book of Acts and the New Testament epistles). While Jesus’ words in Mark 7:9 were directed towards the Pharisees, they accurately describe the Roman Catholic Church, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!”
Ryan’s Reply
Faith and Works: The article claims that the Catholic Church teaches salvation through faith, baptism, Eucharist, obeying decrees, performing works, and avoiding mortal sins. While it is true that the Catholic Church emphasizes the importance of these aspects, it does not teach salvation through works alone. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches that salvation is a gift from God received through faith and works done in love (CCC 2010). This is in line with the biblical teachings that faith without works is dead (James 2:24;26) “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
To put it really plainly: You are justified by faith alone, yet if you do not live out that faith through the works (commands of Christ) then your faith is dead (thereby you’re not justified). It’s really not hard to grasp. You LIVE OUT WHAT YOU ACTUALLY BELIEVE.
Note: The sacraments, the works in love, the charity are things a believer does to grow closer to Christ and fullness in faith. You know “do as I do”? Finding fullness of our faith should be an aim.Biblical Support: The article asserts that Catholic teachings such as apostolic succession, veneration of saints, papacy, infant baptism, transubstantiation, and purgatory have no solid foundation in Scripture. However, these teachings are rooted in the early Christian tradition and find support in the Bible. For example, the primacy of Peter and his role among the apostles (Matthew 16:18-19, John 21:15-17) provide a basis for the papacy. Similarly, the practice of praying for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:46) supports the concept of purgatory.
For a better example of each tidbit, the dogma says “it is permissible” to invoke saints to pray for us, it does not say that it’s required by any stretch of the imagination. Veneration of the saints is an Old Testament foundational temple practice, but this specifically can be found within the Early Church specifically:
(Veneration)
Letter to the Corinthians (1 Clement): Written around AD 96 by Clement I, this letter demonstrates early Christian veneration of saints. Clement refers to the examples of saints and martyrs as models of faith and endurance: "Let us set before our eyes the illustrious apostles. Peter, through unrighteous envy, endured not one or two, but numerous labors and when he had at length suffered martyrdom, departed to the place of glory due to him" (1 Clement 5:1-4).Martyrdom of Polycarp: This account of the martyrdom of Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, in the mid-2nd century, describes the veneration of Polycarp's remains by the early Christians: "We took up his bones, which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and laid them in a suitable place, where the Lord will permit us to gather ourselves together, as we are able, in gladness and joy and to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom" (Martyrdom of Polycarp 18:2-3).
So, when we fix our eyes on the Saints in the Cathedral it is not them worshipping them, but rather recognizing and remembering what they did for the faith and for Christ.
Ps. You’ll wear a jersey for a sports hero and scream and cry over what they do in a sport but when it comes to thanking the Fathers of our Faith it’s wrong?
(Infant Baptism)
You will circumcise your baby which is an Old Testament covenant sign of the faith and dedicate your child to the Lord but you won’t baptize them in the name of the Triune God? (Col. 2:11–12)
(Apostolic Succession)
Irenaeus of Lyons (late 2nd century): In his work "Against Heresies," Irenaeus emphasizes the importance of apostolic succession as a guarantee of the true teaching of the Church. He writes, "It is necessary to obey those who are the presbyters in the Church, those who, as we have shown, have succession from the apostles; those who have received, with the succession of the episcopate, the sure charism of truth according to the good pleasure of the Father" (Against Heresies, 4:26:2).
Cyprian of Carthage (mid-3rd century): Cyprian, in his "Letter to Magnus," speaks of the importance of the bishop's role in apostolic succession and the unity of the Church: "The Lord says to Peter: 'I say to you,' He says, 'that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. And to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven...’ [Matt. 16:18–19]. ... On him, He builds the Church, and to him, He gives the command to feed the sheep [John 21:17], and although He assigns a like power to all the apostles, He founded a single chair [cathedra], and He established by His own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were also what Peter was, but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair" (Letter to Magnus 2 [A.D. 250]).
And let us not forget that Apostolic Succession started when Judas rid himself of the earth and they had to fill his position. Acts, Chapter 1, verses 15-26.
And before the “well that’s not scripture” comes out of anyone's mouth. No, but these are the disciples of the apostles and the reason we have church today, you’d have to suggest the apostles immediately got it wrong and handed down falsehoods. Plus, both reference Scripture in defense of it.
(Transubstantiation)
Paul’s Eucharistic teaching in 1 Corinthians leaves us in no doubt. “For this is what I received from the Lord and in turn passed on to you: That on the same night as he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it, and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ In the same way he took the cup after supper and said, ‘This cup is a new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death. And so anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be behaving unworthily toward the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone is to recollect himself before eating this bread and drinking this cup because a person who eats and drinks without recognizing the body is eating and drinking his own condemnation” (1 Cor. 11:23-29).In the previous chapter, the apostle wrote, “The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ, and the bread that we break is communion with the body of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:16). Paul clearly sees this as communing with the BODY OF CHRIST.
Salvation of Catholics: The article acknowledges that there are genuine believers within the Catholic Church who have placed their faith in Christ alone for salvation. This contradicts the claim that Catholicism is a false religion and that its teachings lead people away from a genuine faith relationship with Christ. The Catholic Church, like other Christian denominations, has believers who are saved by their faith in Christ.
The people's argument is really bad, on both ends.
”Catholics just do the works so they feel saved!”
Okay? That’s wrong.
”Protestants don’t take God’s sacraments seriously!”
Okay? That’s wrong.
Both have pedophiles, problems, issues, and sinners. Don’t make the people's argument.Tradition vs. Scripture: The article criticizes Catholic teachings as being based on tradition rather than the Word of God. However, the Catholic Church holds that both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are sources of divine revelation, with the Church serving as the authoritative interpreter of both (CCC 80-82). This understanding is consistent with the early Church Fathers, who recognized the authority of both Scripture and Tradition in matters of faith and practice.
I’ll ask this question to make my point:
We have 12(13) Apostles and we have the writings of about 3 of them outside the Gospels themselves. Are you suggesting that the other 9 didn’t write?
If so, they must have taught orally. If they did, we don’t have their writings but their disciples clearly learned from what they were handed down. Again, Ignatius of Antioch is a must read because he was ordained by Peter into office…and a disciple of the Apostle John. You’d have to argue that Peter and John lost their way and taught Ignatius and Polycarp incorrectly.History is simply not on the side of the modern church. That is why I’m facing the giant that is my own faith and where I worship the Lord, I could write many more essays on this, but for now, this little article is a glimpse.