The Roman Catholic Church v. Baptist

Most Catholics have never studied the official teachings of the Church of Rome—at most they have only studied the Bible and think there is no conflict. Roman Catholic Contentions Contention I: Salvation A. Excluding those from salvation- At the very beginning of the 14th century, Pope Boniface VIII issued the famous Papal Bull, Unam Sanctam, which says in part: "So, when the Greeks and others say that they were not committed to the care of Peter and his successors, they must confess that they are not of Christ's sheep, even as the Lord says in John, ‘There is one fold and one shepherd. '"-Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam Catholic Catechism, par. 870 "The sole Church of Christ which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, . . . subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter [i. e. , the pope] and by the bishops in communion with him(LG 8). B. Works- Catholic doctrine teaches that works, e. g. , participation in the sacraments are necessary for salvation. Catholic Catechism, par. 1477 'This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission the Father entrusted to them. In this way they attained their own salvation and at the same time cooperated in saving their brothers in the unity of the Mystical Body. ' [Indulgentiarum doctrina, 5. ] Catholic doctrine teaches that we can earn salvation for ourselves and others by works. C. Baptism- Infant Baptism in stead of adult baptism? Why do not adults need further baptism? Contention II: Justification and Sacraments A. False History- Clearly, the Council of Trent is claiming that the early church had always practiced private confession to a priest. However, as scholars of both backgrounds have pointed out, this simply is not true. This is one of the best examples of an ecumenical council committing an historical error. "If any one denieth, either that sacramental confession was instituted, or is necessary to salvation, of divine right; or saith, that the manner of confessing secretly to a priest alone, which the Church hath ever observed from the beginning, and doth observe, is alien from the institution and command of Christ, and is a human invention; let him be anathema. "-Council of Trent, session 14, canon 6 B. Christ is not Justification- Catholic doctrine teaches that Christ's work on the Cross was not sufficient to fully pay for our sins. Catholic Catechism, par. 1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification [burning in Purgatory, perhaps for millions of years], so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. C. Mass- Around 1000 A. D. , attendance at Catholic Mass was made mandatory under penalty of mortal sin. In other words, -- according to the Roman Catholic Church -- if anyone misses just one CATHOLIC Mass (each Sunday and "holy days of obligation" such as Christmas) and does not have that sin forgiven by a Catholic Priest, that person (which includes all Protestants, Eastern Orthodox and Messianic Jews) will spend forever in Hell. Contention III: Doctrine not following the scripture A. Non-Inspired Books-"It has thought it proper, moreover, to insert in this decree a list of the sacred, lest a doubt might arise in the mind of someone as to which are the books received by this council. They are the following: of the Old Testament…Tobias, Judith…Ecclesiasticus…with Baruch…two books of Machabees, the first and second…If anyone does not accept as sacred and canonical the aforesaid books in their entirety and with all their parts…let him be anathema. "-Council of Trent, Session 4. The Council of Trent officially canonized what Protestants would call the Apocryphal books (i. e. non-inspired books). B. You only need the church- Catholic Catechism, par. 846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? [Cf. Cyprian, Ep. 73.21: PL 3, 1169; De unit. : PL 4, 509-536. ] Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body: Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. 1) "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 540-604 A. D. 2) "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 1235-1303 A. D. , became Pope in 1294 C. Idolatry- CATHOLIC IDOLATRY ABOUT MARY and Saints "The foundation of all our confidence is found in the Blessed Virgin Mary. God has committed to her the treasury of all good things, in order that everyone may know that through her are obtained every hope, every grace, and all salvation. For this is His will: That we obtain everything through Mary. " Pope Pius IX Contention IV: Contraditions A. Infallibility of Church and Pope- The Fourth Lateran Council vs. Vatican II- These two ecumenical councils (which are infallible according to Roman Catholic dogma) are at complete odds with one another. -Fourth Lateran Council, Constitution 3, Paragraph 1 -Guy Stair Sainty, The Teutonic Order of Holy Mary in Jerusalem -Vatican II, Dignitatis Humanae, parts 2, 4, and 10 Catholic doctrine demands that believers must worship the Eucharist. Catholic Catechism, par. 1378 Worship of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. 'The Catholic Church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside of it, reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession. ' [Paul VI, MF 56. ] B. Muslims- Catholic Catechism, par. 841 The Church's relationship with the Muslims. 'The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day. ' [LG 16; cf. NA 3. ] C. Hell- Catholic Catechism, par. 1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, 'eternal fire. ' [Cf. DS 76; 409; 411; 801; 858; 1002; 1351; 1575; Paul VI, CPG # 12. ] . http://www.baptistcatholic.com... . http://catholic.org... . http://www.overcomeproblems.com... . http://www.vatican.va... . http://lightshinesindarkness.com... . http://oce.catholic.com...