Roman Catholic Beliefs

By Steve Rowe

April 27, 2002

 

        I.      A brief history of the Church (not complete)

a.       Apostolic Age:  33-64 AD – Pentecost, first churches formed, Paul begins missionary journeys.

b.       Persecution:  64-313 AD – Nero blames Christians for burning Rome in AD 64 and begins systematically hunting them down.  Last persecution was under Diocletian and it was the worst.  Despite persecution, Church grows quickly.

c.       Centralizing the church:  313-476 AD – Emperor Constantine had a vision of a flaming cross with the words “By this sign thou shalt conquer.”  He began to fight under the banner of Christianity.  He called the churches to come together.  Bishops granted status of government officials.  Leo I (440-461) is the first Bishop of Rome to claim that the Roman Bishop was Peter’s successor and had primacy over other Bishops.  Thus the Pope was created.  In 476, Rome falls.

d.       Power to the Pope:  476-1517 AD – Also known as the Dark Ages.  With the fall of Rome, the Pope steps into the political vacuum. 

e.       Pope crowns the king:  800 AD – Pope Leo III placed a crown upon the head of Charlemange, King of the Franks.

f.        Eastern Orthodox Church splits from Rome:  1054 AD.

g.       First Crusade:  1095 AD – Pope Urban II calls for first crusade to Holy Land.

h.       Inquisition:  1198-1700 AD – Instituted by Pope Innocent III.  Established a church court for trying and punishing heretics.

i.         Bible translated to English:  Tyndale New Testament in 1525; Rheims-Douay Bible in 1582; King James in 1611.

j.         Protestant Reformation:  1517 AD – Sola Fida (Scripture Alone).  A return to scripture began massive defection from the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church.

k.       Counter Reformation:  1542 AD– Roman Inquisition controlled by the Papacy

l.         Council of Trent:  1545-1563 AD – Adoption of the Apocrypha, Tithing, etc.  Codification of most major beliefs about Salvation.

     II.      The Catholic Bible

a.       Official English version was the Rheims-Douay until 1960.  It is now the New American Bible.  Both are fairly accurate but take a pro-Catholic Bent (especially Rheims-Douay in verses talking about Mary).

b.       Apocrypha

                                                               i.      Added to Catholic bible in 1546 at Council of Trent in response to Reformation.

                                                             ii.      Contains 7 new books and 5 additional passages covering 400 years between OT and NT.  New additions are:  Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, Letter of Jeremiah (Baruch chapter 6), 107-verse expansion of Esther, Prayer of Azariah (Daniel 3:24-90), Susanna (Daniel 13), and Bel and the Dragon (Daniel 14).

                                                            iii.      Adopted because the Reformation rejected them and because the teachings could help Rome against people like Luther.  For example, Tobit 12:9 supports the sale of indulgences.

                                                           iv.      Should be rejected

1.       Does not present itself as inspired.

2.       Jews of Palestine never accepted it as part of the Scripture.

3.       Jesus and the New Testament writers never quoted it.

4.       Early church never accepted it.

5.       Roman Catholic Church didn’t officially endorse it until 16th century (~2000 years after writing).

   III.      Mass and the Eucharist (Communion)

a.       Roman Catholic beliefs

                                                               i.      Christ instituted the Mass at the Last Supper.

                                                             ii.      If possible, should partake of it every day.

                                                            iii.      The bread and win literally become the body and blood of Christ.  This is called transubstantiation.  There is no change to the outward appearance (accident) but the inner essence (substance) is changed.

                                                           iv.      Every crumb/drop is sacred and contains the entire body and blood of Christ.

                                                             v.      The Eucharist continue to be Christ as long as they remain uncorrupted.  After a service, leftovers are placed in a small safe called a tabernacle.

                                                           vi.      Contains actual grace (can help you not to sin).

                                                          vii.      Must acknowledge transubstantiation to partake.

                                                        viii.      The Eucharist is sacred and is worshiped.  There is a festival called the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament to honor it.  There are even orders of men and women dedicated to the continuous adoration of the consecrated bread and wine.

b.       Biblical truth

                                                               i.      Blood and Body were merely symbols.

                                                             ii.      Empirical evidence proves that there is no change to the wine and bread.

                                                            iii.      There is no Biblical precedence to invisible miracles.  Miracles are to undeniably declare the power of God. 

                                                           iv.      Jews will not drink blood but the disciples didn’t balk at the Last Supper.  Surely they would have if it had been thought it was real blood.

                                                             v.      In other places, Christ calls himself living water, a temple, light, a door, a vine, etc.  He calls his disciples salt and the teachings of the Pharisees leaven.  These are obviously not to be taken literally.

                                                           vi.      John 16:25 confirms the figurative language:  “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language;  an hour is coming when I will speak no more to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father.”

                                                          vii.      Exodus 20:4 says “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.”  This seems to clearly indicate we are not to worship things like wafers of unleavened bread.

  IV.      Mary

a.       Roman Catholic beliefs

                                                               i.      Devotion to Mary began in earnest in 1830 with her “appearance” in Paris, France.

                                                             ii.      Her immaculate conception was defined in 1854 and her assumption in 1950.

                                                            iii.      Mary is honored as the Mother of God.

                                                           iv.      Mary is said to be immaculately conceived.  She had no original sin.

                                                             v.      She was a perpetual virgin—even after the birth of Christ.

                                                           vi.      Her body did not decay but was taken to heaven upon her death (Assumption of Mary)

                                                          vii.      Through her pain at the cross, Mary became a co-redeemer of humanity

                                                        viii.      She is the dispenser of grace and mediator for the whole world.  Prayer should be directed to Mary and she will bring it to Christ.

                                                           ix.      The Rosary is a string of beads in groups of 11.  There are large beads, which remind you to pray the Lord’s Prayer and 10 smaller beads upon which is said the Hail Mary.  (see p. 206 for wording).

b.       Biblical truth

                                                               i.      In the Bible, Mary is called the Mother of Jesus (John 2:1) but never the mother of God.  God has no mother.

                                                             ii.      Mary was not a perpetual virgin.  The Church makes its claim based upon logic:  “If she was a virgin at Christ’s birth, Joseph would never have violated her.”  Unfortunately, the Bible indicates strongly that she went on to have other children (John 2:12, Matthew 12:46, Mark 6:3-4, John 7:5, Acts 1:14, Galatians 1:14).

                                                            iii.      Roman Catholic claims of Mary’s sinlessness stem from logic and from incorrect interpretation of Luke 1:28.  Rheims-Douay says “favored above women” whereas a more accurate translation would say “favored among women.”  The Bible teaches that only Christ was sinless (Luke 18:19, 1 John 3:5).  Mary herself admits that she needs a savior  in Luke 1:46-47.

                                                           iv.      Christ offered himself to God (Heb 9:14).  Mary didn’t offer him.

                                                             v.      Romans 5:10 says we are reconciled to God through the death of Christ.  Mary’s suffering isn’t mentioned.

                                                           vi.      1 Timothy 2:5 makes it clear that there is one mediator between God and men and that is Christ, not Mary.

                                                          vii.      No claim of perpetual virginity, sinlessness, assumption, or mediation is made or can be substantiated in the Bible.

                                                        viii.      Worshipping and praying to Mary seems to violate the decree to have no Gods before God.

     V.      Popes and Tradition

a.       Political Structure

                                                               i.      945 million Roman Catholics in the world today.  That is 18% of the world’s population.  60% of Roman Catholics live in 10 countries (Brazil, Mexico, United States, Italy, the Philippines, France, Spain, Poland, Columbia, and Germany).

                                                             ii.      Neighborhood churches serve districts called parishes

                                                            iii.      Parishes are grouped into 2000 regions called dioceses or sees (from Latin for seat).  Each is governed by a Bishop.

                                                           iv.      Dioceses are grouped into 500 jurisdictions called provinces.

                                                             v.      The principle diocese in a province is called the archdiocese.

                                                           vi.      Rome is the principle archdiocese.  It is called the Apostolic See because, according to the Church, Peter was Rome’s first Bishop.

                                                          vii.      14 million Catholics are part of the Eastern Rite which follows a different liturgy but the doctrine is the same.  They still submit to Rome.  This is different than the Eastern Orthodox who believe differently and do not submit to Rome’s authority.

b.       The Pope

                                                               i.      Roman Catholic beliefs

1.       Peter was the first Pope and was Rome’s first Bishop

2.       The Pope is the vicar (representative) of Christ on Earth.

3.       The First Vatican Council (1869-1870) declared the Pope to be infallible when speaking ex cathedra (from the throne).

                                                             ii.      Biblical truth

1.       Peter was not the head of the Apostolic Church.  Peter was a leader but not the head or only leader.  James made the final decision about circumcision.  Paul disagreed with him on the treatment of the Gentiles. 

2.       There is no evidence that Peter ever ruled in Rome.  In fact, Paul’s writings from Rome fail to mention Peter.

3.       The Pope’s origin cannot be traced to Peter.  There is no agreed line of successors for the first 500 years.  There is a 39-year period in the 14th century called the Great Schism in which there were multiple people vying for the papacy.

4.       The Apostles asked people to test what they and others said against the scriptures (Galatians 1:8-9, 1 John 4:1, Acts 17:11).  They did not claim to be infallible.

5.       The Holy Spirit, not the Pope and the Bishops, is the living, teaching authority of the Word (John 16:13-15)

c.       Basis for Doctrine

                                                               i.      Roman Catholic beliefs

1.       The Bible and Tradition are put on equal footing.

2.       Tradition does not mean the ways things have always been done but rather a sense of what the people believe.  To be part of tradition, something doesn’t have to have been believed by the early church.  Beliefs such as the Assumption of Mary come from Tradition despite their lack of support in Scripture or among early church fathers.

                                                             ii.      Biblical truth

1.       The Jewish Pharisees were much like the modern Roman Catholic Church.  They followed the law of God but also added their own laws to it.  Christ rebuked them for doing so and refused to acknowledge their rules as authoritative.

2.       See Mark 7:1-13.  Specifically 5-8.

 

 

 

Books:

The Gospel According to Rome, James G. McCarthy, 1995.  A former Roman Catholic uses the newly published Catechism of the Catholic Church to explain the beliefs of the Catholic Church and compare it to what the Bible really has to say.