Martin Luther (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German monk, former Catholic priest, professor of theology and seminal figure of a reform movement in 16th century Christianity, subsequently known as the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with monetary values. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar, with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the Pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor.
Luther taught that salvation and subsequently eternity in heaven is not earned by good deeds but is received only as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin and subsequently eternity in Hell. His theology challenged the authority of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible (Sola Scriptura) is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge from God and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with these, and all of Luther's wider teachings, were called Lutherans even though Luther insisted on Christian as the only acceptable name for individuals who professed Christ.
His translation of the Bible into the vernacular (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, which had a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the writing of an English translation, the King James Bible. His hymns influenced the development of singing in churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant priests to marry.
In his later years, in deteriorating health, Luther became increasingly antagonistic toward Jews, writing that Jewish synagogues and homes should be destroyed, their money confiscated, and liberty curtailed. These statements and their influence on antisemitism have contributed to his controversial status. During the Second World War, Hitler's persecution of the German Jews (the holocaust) may have been influenced by Martin Luther's antagonistic attitude against the Jewish German community.
An extremely important and revealing look at the life of the first Protestant. This video covers how Martin Luther, the first recognizable Protestant and the progenitor of all non-Catholic denominations, "discovered" and invented his doctrines by the day. It shows how he still claimed to be a Catholic at the very time that most Protestants believed he began the Protestant "reformation." It explains how he came upon his beliefs later than you might think. It covers Indulgences, and more. It shows how all Protestants are following Martin Luther's man-created religion. Part 2 is here:
An extremely important and revealing look at the life of the first Protestant. This video covers how Martin Luther, the first recognizable Protestant and the progenitor of all non-Catholic denominations, "discovered" and invented his doctrines by the day. It shows how he still claimed to be a Catholic at the very time that most Protestants believed he began the Protestant "reformation." It explains how he came upon his beliefs later than you might think. It covers Indulgences, and more. It shows how all Protestants are following Martin Luther's man-created religion. Part 2 is here:
Martin Luther, one of the most notable theologians in Christian history, is responsible for initiating the Protestant Reformation. To some sixteenth century Christians he was hailed as a pioneering defender of truth and religious freedoms, to others he was charged as a heretic leader of a religious revolt. Today most Christians would agree that he influenced the shape of Protestant Christianity more than any other person. The Lutheran denomination was named after Martin Luther.
Martin Luther's Young Life
Married Life
Aging But Active
Martin Luther's Final Days
Martin Luther's Young Life
Martin Luther was born into Roman Catholicism in the small town of Eisleben, near modern Berlin in Germany. His parents were Hans and Margarethe Luther, middle-class peasant laborers. His father, a miner, worked hard to ensure a proper education for his son, and by age 21 Martin Luther held a Master of Arts degree from the University of Erfurt. Following Hans' dream for his son to become a lawyer, in 1505 Martin began to study law. But later that year, while traveling through a terrible thunderstorm, Martin had an experience that would change the course of his future. Fearing for his life when a lightening strike narrowly missed him, Martin cried out a vow to God. If he survived he promised to live as a monk. And so he did! To the strong disappointment of his parents, Luther entered the Augustinian Order at Erfurt in less than a month's time, becoming an Augustinian friar.
Some speculate that Luther's decision to pursue a life of religious devotion was not as sudden as history suggests, but that his spiritual quest had been in development for some time, for he entered the monastic life with great fervor. He was driven by fears of hell, God's wrath, and a need to gain the assurance of his own salvation. Even after his ordination in 1507 he was haunted with insecurity over his eternal fate, and disillusioned by the immorality and corruption he witnessed among the Catholic priests he had visited in Rome. In an effort to shift his focus from the spiritual state of his troubled soul, in 1511 Luther moved to Wittenburg to earn his Doctorate of Theology.
Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Thesis
Martin Luther's Great Accomplishments
Some speculate that Luther's decision to pursue a life of religious devotion was not as sudden as history suggests, but that his spiritual quest had been in development for some time, for he entered the monastic life with great fervor. He was driven by fears of hell, God's wrath, and a need to gain the assurance of his own salvation. Even after his ordination in 1507 he was haunted with insecurity over his eternal fate, and disillusioned by the immorality and corruption he witnessed among the Catholic priests he had visited in Rome. In an effort to shift his focus from the spiritual state of his troubled soul, in 1511 Luther moved to Wittenburg to earn his Doctorate of Theology.
The Birth of the Reformation
As Martin Luther immersed himself deeply in the study of Scripture, especially the letters written by the Apostle Paul, God's truth broke through and Luther came to the overwhelming knowledge that he was "saved by grace through faith" alone (Ephesians 2:8). When he began to teach as a professor of biblical theology at the University of Wittenburg, his new found enthusiasm began to spill over into his lectures and discussions with staff and faculty. He spoke passionately about Christ's role as the only mediator between God and man, and that by grace and not through works, are men justified and forgiven of sin. Salvation, Luther now felt with all assurance, was God's free gift. It didn't take long for his radical ideas to get noticed. For not only did these revelations of God's truth change Luther's life, they would forever change the direction of church history.
In 1514 Luther began to serve as a priest for Wittenburg's Castle Church, and people flocked to hear God's Word preached like never before. During this time Luther learned of the Catholic Church's unbiblical practice of selling indulgences. The Pope, according to his discretion from the "treasury of merits from the saints," sold religious merits in exchange for building funds. Those who purchased these indulgence documents were promised a reduced punishment for their sins, for the sins of departed loved ones, and in some cases, total forgiveness from all sin. Luther publicly objected to this dishonest practice and abuse of church power.
On October 31, 1517 Luther nailed his famous 95-Thesis to the University's bulletin board—the Castle Church door, formally challenging church leaders on the practice of selling indulgences and outlining the biblical doctrine of justification by grace alone. This act of nailing his Thesis to the church door has become a defining moment in Christian history, symbolic of the birth of the Protestant Reformation.
Luther's vocal criticisms of the church were seen as a threat to papal authority, and he was warned by the Cardinals of Rome to recant his position. But Luther refused to change his stand unless someone could point him to scriptural evidence for any other attitude.
On October 31, 1517 Luther nailed his famous 95-Thesis to the University's bulletin board—the Castle Church door, formally challenging church leaders on the practice of selling indulgences and outlining the biblical doctrine of justification by grace alone. This act of nailing his Thesis to the church door has become a defining moment in Christian history, symbolic of the birth of the Protestant Reformation.
Luther's vocal criticisms of the church were seen as a threat to papal authority, and he was warned by the Cardinals of Rome to recant his position. But Luther refused to change his stand unless someone could point him to scriptural evidence for any other attitude.
Martin Luther's Excommunication and Diet of Worms
In January of 1521, Luther was officially excommunicated by the Pope. Two months later, he was ordered to appear before Emperor Charles V in Worms, Germany for a general assembly of the Holy Roman Empire, a convention known as the "Diet of Worms" (pronounced "dee-it of Vorms"). On trial before the highest Roman officials of the Church and State, again Martin Luther was asked to renounce his views. And just as before, with no one able to refute the truth of God's Word, Luther stood his ground. As a result, Martin Luther was issued the Edict of Worms, banning his writings and declaring him a "convicted heretic." Luther escaped in a planned "kidnapping" to Wartburg Castle where he was kept protected by friends for almost a year.
Translating the Truth
During his seclusion, Luther translated the New Testament into the German language, giving ordinary lay people the opportunity to read God's Word for themselves and distribute Bibles among the German people for the first time ever. Although one of the brightest moments in Bible history, this was a dark time of depression in Luther's life. He is reported to have been deeply troubled by evil spirits and demons as he penned the Bible into German. Perhaps this explains Luther's statement at the time, that he had "driven the devil away with ink."
Martin Luther's Great Accomplishments
Under the threat of arrest and death, Luther courageously returned to Wittenburg's Castle Church and began to preach and teach there and in the surrounding areas. His message was a bold one of salvation in Jesus by faith alone (Sola Fide), and freedom from religious error and papal authority. Miraculously avoiding capture, Luther was able to organize Christian schools, write instructions for pastors and teachers (Larger and Smaller Catechism), compose hymns (including the well-known "A Mighty Fortress is Our God"), put together numerous leaflets, and even publish a hymnbook during this time.
Married Life
Shocking both friends and supporters, Luther was married on June 13, 1525 to Katherine von Bora, a nun who had abandoned the convent and had taken refuge in Wittenburg. Together they had three boys and three girls and led a happily married life in the Augustinian monastery.
Aging But Active
As Luther aged, he suffered from many illnesses including arthritis, heart problems and digestive disorders. Yet he never quit lecturing at the University, writing against the abuses of the church, and fighting for religious reforms.
In 1530 the famous Augsburg Confession (the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church) was published, which Luther helped to write. And in 1534 he completed translation of the Old Testament in German. His theological writings are considerably extensive. Some of his later works contained violent writings with crude and offensive language, creating enemies amongst his fellow reformers, Jews and of course, Popes and leaders in the Catholic Church.
In 1530 the famous Augsburg Confession (the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church) was published, which Luther helped to write. And in 1534 he completed translation of the Old Testament in German. His theological writings are considerably extensive. Some of his later works contained violent writings with crude and offensive language, creating enemies amongst his fellow reformers, Jews and of course, Popes and leaders in the Catholic Church.
Martin Luther's Final Days
During an exhausting trip to his hometown of Eisleben, on a mission of reconciliation to settle an inheritance dispute between the princes of Mansfeld, Luther succumbed to death on February 18, 1546. Two of his sons and three close friends were at his side. His body was taken back to Wittenburg for his funeral and burial at Castle Church. His grave is located directly in front of the pulpit where he preached and can still be seen today.
More than any other church reformer in Christian history, the impact and influence of Luther's contributions are hard to adequately describe. His legacy, though highly controversial, has marched on through a parade of equally zealous reformers who modeled Luther's passion for letting God's Word be known and understood personally by every man. It's no exaggeration to say that almost every branch of modern Protestant Christianity owes some portion of its spiritual heritage to Martin Luther, a man of radical faith.
In 1521,some remnant of Luther's Catholic formation inspired these words he addressed to Spalatino, another member of his Augustinian Order:
"Good God! Do the people of Wittenberg want to see even friars marry? But they will not succeed in imposing a woman on me. ... Take care and do not marry so you will not fall prey to the tribulations of the flesh." (1)
As the years passed, however, his new doctrines shattered that good intention. In 1525 the news broke that Luther, age 44. had married Catherine Bora, an apostate nun from the Cistereian Order. What happened? The reformer suddenly decided to marry to stop the evil gossip. (2)
There was good reason, however, for that gossip.
In 1525, in a letter to Ruhel, councilman of Mansfield, the heresiarch affirmed: "Despite the Devil, if I can, I will marry my Catherine before I die." (3) That marriage made a bad impression on his contemporaries and followers. Luther perceived this, affirming: "Because of my marriage I became so despicable that the Angels had to laugh and the Devils to cry. Only in me does the world deride this work of God as impious and diabolical." (4)
Actually, the scandalous life of Luther started long before his marriage, as we can deduce from this letter in 1522 to his friend Spalatino: "Further, what you write me about why I should marry neither surprises nor convinces me, since I am [as you say] already a famous lover." ...
Since you ask me for an example, here you this powerful one:
"Although I have three wives at the same time. I have loved them so strongly that I would give up two so that they might be taken by other husbands. ... You see how the one you called a lover would make a terrible husband." (5)
In a letter to Camerarius, Melanchthon confided:
"Luther was an extremely frivolous man. The nuns whom he released from the convents would cleverly set traps to seduce him. His frequent dealings with them would make even a stronger and more noble-minded man effeminate and rouse the passions." (6)
He left Worms and went to Warburg where the Elector Prince offered him asylum. Far from repenting, the unfortunate friar surrendered himself to idleness and sin. On July 13, 1521, he wrote to Melanchthon:
"Here am I, reckless and hardened in inactivity, oh sorrow! I stopped praying and caring for the Church of God, because my flesh burns indomitably with an overpowering fire, In short, my spirit should burn, but instead my flesh burns with libido, laziness, inactivity and indolence." (7)
Rarely a licentious life is not accompanied by excesses of his table. In Luther the fever of carnal concupiscence was stimulated by drunkenness and intemperance at the table. He would enter and win any drinking competition. He wrote to Catherine in 1540.
"I am eating like a bohemian and drinking like a German, God be praised!" (8)
On July 25, 1534, he wrote to her:
"Yesterday I drank too much, and then was obliged to sing. I drank too much and I regret it. I realize I should have imbibed less when I think in the good wine and beer I have at home, as well as a beautiful woman... You would do well to send me as often as possible some of my wine and your beer." (9)
From Warburg he wrote on May 14, 1544:
"Here I spend my whole day in sloth and drunkenness." (10) When he arrived at Erfurt (October 19, 1522), the reformer did nothing but "drink and shout, as customary." wrote Melanchthon, who was present there as witness, (11) these excesses harmed his health. On January 15, 1531 he wrote to Link: "The headache I got in Coburg caused by an old wine has not been cured yet by the beer of Wittenberg." (12)
A friend, Jerome Weller, asked his advised on how to deal with temptations of the Devil. On November 6, 1530, Luther answered him:
"When the Devil torments you with these thoughts, seek the company of friend at once, or drink more liberally, jest and play some prank or find something to amuse you. At times we need to drink more liberally, amuse and divert ourselves - or even commit some sins as an expression of hatred and contempt of the Devil, so as to leave him no room for raising scruples in our conscience about trifling matters." ...
"Accordingly, if the Devil says to you, Do not drink! you must reply, Just because you forbid it, I will drink more in the name of Jesus Christ. In this manner you must always do the contrary of what the Devil forbids. Why do you think that I drink my wine unmixed, prattle on with unconcern, and eat more abundantly except to scorn and spite the Devil, who wants to scorn and spite me?... We must wipe the whole Decalouge from our eyes and hearts, we who are assailed and tormented by the Devil." (13)
He carried out these counsels so well that the meetings of the new reformer to decide about the highest questions of doctrine and morals would take place amid liberal drinking and eating.
The morning after Luther died he was found on the floor with his stomach swollen from "excessive food and drink. The previous night the reformer had risen from a table piled high with foreign wines and exotic food." (14)
ROMANS 16:18 “For they that are such, serve not Christ our Lord, but their own belly; and by pleasing speeches and good words, seduce the hearts of the innocent.”
Thus, the apostate who pretended to be a reformer of Christianity ended his life as a glutton and vulgar libertine. And following the hierarchy of the rebellious angels, so also Luther despite what his friends pretend occupies the lowest place, closes to the mire and filth. (15)
In the Book of Revelation - the warning was very clear - no one is to add nor remove any part of the Holy Bible. If it was easy to remove the 7 Books then it would also be just as easy to add heretical teachings into the Bible. Anything added that are not inspired by the Holy Spirit will surely be with errors.
GOD is not concerned with anyone's personal opinion, but only for those who speak His doctrinal truth.
Some says they were prophesied in the bible as messengers of god. But no one has a valid and verifiable witness except themselves. Divine messengers of God will never be abandoned by the Holy Spirit without witnesses. Only false messengers have no witnesses because they are self-proclaimed.
His ending, and that of his followers is not pretty to say the least.
Some examples are... Sola Scriptura: They will use 2 Timothy 3:16-17 to try to justify it, but taken in context, those two verses portray an entirely different meaning.
There are several things which must be taken into consideration when interpreting Holy Scripture, and many of them are ignored by Protestants.
1. The Senses of Scripture. Should the passage be taken literally, allegorically, as a parable, etc?Most Protestants will take the whole Bible literally, except for John chapter 6, of which they say it is symbolic.
Gaining knowledge in any field, including Theology is a continuous process (John 16:13), where one lays the foundation and others build upon it therein (1 Corinthians 3:10). Mistakes are made along the way but conscientious followers profit from those mistakes and knowledge increases. Protestantism however, being severely handicapped by the ball and chain of Sola Scriptura, makes no use of those "giants" who went before them for the first fifteen hundred years of Christianity. Theological progress and past mistakes and errors are ignored as if they did not even exist.
To be successful in any endeavor, historical successes and historical failures and errors are not to be ignored, for that is how knowledge progresses.
Those who fail to profit from the errors of others who went before them are doomed to repeat those same errors again, and in so doing take steps backward instead of forward.
Those who fail to profit from historical successes are doomed to re-invent the wheel again and again.
One of the most famous converts to the Catholic Church from Protestantism, Cardinal John Henry Newman, wrote in his introduction to his "Development of Doctrine" treatise, "To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant". Newman set out to "prove" from historical documents that Anglicanism was the "true" church, the Church which Jesus Christ founded. What he found by extensive researching of genuine historical documents was that it was not the Anglican church which Jesus Christ founded, but the Catholic Church. From the overwhelming evidence which he found, he immediately converted to the "true Church", the Catholic Church.
Ignorance of the Catholic Church is ignorance of Christ, since the Catholic Church is His body.
Doesn't she have it backwards? We must search for the one Church which has objective truth, not one
conforming to our individual subjective truth. We must conform to the will of GOD and not to our own personal beliefs and opinions.
That person fell right into that "If it feels good for me, it must be okay" mentality.
How many times have you heard someone say they "feel" nothing in that other church but have an "emotional high" in the one they attend, so therefore it must be the correct one? Nowhere in Holy Scripture does it say that the Church which Jesus Christ founded is based on feelings and emotions. His Church is based on truth and faith, and not on hype that stirs the emotions.
Many sects deliberately design their services to do just that, to arouse the feelings in order to gain an emotional high. After all, they think that they must have to do something 'different' in order to separate themselves from the 'pack' of tens of thousands of other sects, in order to attract a larger audience. You see, a larger audience means more funds in the collection basket.
The mind set of so many people today, regardless of truth is:
Protestants of today now calumnize and degrade her by claiming:
They fail to see that GOD's laws which bind us, do NOT bind Him as well.
Are you saying that GOD, who created everything out of nothing, and who sustains all things by the power of His will, could not do these things?
What would any good son or daughter say to those who would dare to degrade his or her mother?
Why then do Protestants, who claim to follow Scripture to the letter, fail miserably when it comes to honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary?
Can they do less than the Lord Jesus Christ did for His mother?
Aren't they supposed to follow in His footsteps in the same way as Catholics do (Matthew 16:24)?
Well they failed miserably because they had to "invent" charges that simply were not true.
"And he said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the harlot is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire.""
Since the "harlot" is Jerusalem, as I have shown in the Luther link, then the "beast", who hates Jerusalem and destroys her with fire, can only mean the evil Roman Empire which did hate the Jews and Jerusalem, and did destroy her with fire in 70 A.D..
Now if the beast were the Pope, why would he hate the Harlot, his own institution? Why would he destroy himself? Does Satan destroy Satan? In Luke 11:18, Jesus said, "And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Be-el'zebul."
Why then, do Protestants who claim to follow the Bible, make this judgment upon Catholics?
I would suggest that those who make these false charges, to please open their Bibles and read Revelation 21:27.
God Bless you all and may your find what you are looking for. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is God the Way, the Truth and the Life.
More than any other church reformer in Christian history, the impact and influence of Luther's contributions are hard to adequately describe. His legacy, though highly controversial, has marched on through a parade of equally zealous reformers who modeled Luther's passion for letting God's Word be known and understood personally by every man. It's no exaggeration to say that almost every branch of modern Protestant Christianity owes some portion of its spiritual heritage to Martin Luther, a man of radical faith.
This is a movie about: Martin Luther:Heretic
In one of the blog forums, I came across
this post which I would like to share here:
Originally Posted by Adam C
I'm a Protestant who is learning a
lot about Catholicism, and is slowly falling in love with God's true Church.
Now I know that the majority of Catholics are able to see the goodness that
comes from a lot of Protestant Christians, despite not accepting the Church's
authority for what it is, instead of the hurtful rumors that are all too
common. What I mean to say is, that there are many people out there who are not
Catholic but who accept Jesus as Lord, and are doing their best, despite their
crippled denominations, to do the Lord's work. They fully and honestly love
God, and work to serve Him, despite their ignorance. I've seen it many times,
and I know many very good non-Catholic Christians. My father, for instance, is
a very generous and believing man.
This brings me to Martin Luther. Surely he wasn't aware that what he was doing was wrong. He simply reacted unfavorably, and according to his misinterpretations and misconceptions of scripture, and the Church. From Luther's point of view, he was serving God the best he could. He simply wanted to be the best Christian he could be, didn't he? He didn't go out of his way to destroy the Church, or to bring people away from the faith, he was trying to do what he thought was best.
Of course there's something to be said for the saying "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions," but I can't believe that God would outright condemn Luther based on his poor judgment. So, I have to ask, what is the position of the Church? Do Catholics believe that Martin Luther went to Hell?
This brings me to Martin Luther. Surely he wasn't aware that what he was doing was wrong. He simply reacted unfavorably, and according to his misinterpretations and misconceptions of scripture, and the Church. From Luther's point of view, he was serving God the best he could. He simply wanted to be the best Christian he could be, didn't he? He didn't go out of his way to destroy the Church, or to bring people away from the faith, he was trying to do what he thought was best.
Of course there's something to be said for the saying "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions," but I can't believe that God would outright condemn Luther based on his poor judgment. So, I have to ask, what is the position of the Church? Do Catholics believe that Martin Luther went to Hell?
As a Catholic: That is not something we can answer, since no man knows the state of Luther's soul at the moment of his death.
Hidden Life of Martin Luther
(Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, and Drunkenness)
"Good God! Do the people of Wittenberg want to see even friars marry? But they will not succeed in imposing a woman on me. ... Take care and do not marry so you will not fall prey to the tribulations of the flesh." (1)
There was good reason, however, for that gossip.
"Although I have three wives at the same time. I have loved them so strongly that I would give up two so that they might be taken by other husbands. ... You see how the one you called a lover would make a terrible husband." (5)
"Luther was an extremely frivolous man. The nuns whom he released from the convents would cleverly set traps to seduce him. His frequent dealings with them would make even a stronger and more noble-minded man effeminate and rouse the passions." (6)
"Here am I, reckless and hardened in inactivity, oh sorrow! I stopped praying and caring for the Church of God, because my flesh burns indomitably with an overpowering fire, In short, my spirit should burn, but instead my flesh burns with libido, laziness, inactivity and indolence." (7)
Drunkenness and Gluttony of Luther
"I am eating like a bohemian and drinking like a German, God be praised!" (8)
"Yesterday I drank too much, and then was obliged to sing. I drank too much and I regret it. I realize I should have imbibed less when I think in the good wine and beer I have at home, as well as a beautiful woman... You would do well to send me as often as possible some of my wine and your beer." (9)
"Here I spend my whole day in sloth and drunkenness." (10) When he arrived at Erfurt (October 19, 1522), the reformer did nothing but "drink and shout, as customary." wrote Melanchthon, who was present there as witness, (11) these excesses harmed his health. On January 15, 1531 he wrote to Link: "The headache I got in Coburg caused by an old wine has not been cured yet by the beer of Wittenberg." (12)
"When the Devil torments you with these thoughts, seek the company of friend at once, or drink more liberally, jest and play some prank or find something to amuse you. At times we need to drink more liberally, amuse and divert ourselves - or even commit some sins as an expression of hatred and contempt of the Devil, so as to leave him no room for raising scruples in our conscience about trifling matters." ...
ROMANS 16:18 “For they that are such, serve not Christ our Lord, but their own belly; and by pleasing speeches and good words, seduce the hearts of the innocent.”
Did Martin Luther Really
Reformed the Catholic Church?
After reading an FB posting by one of the St. Paul Street Evangelists, I decided to post his article here hoping it may shade light to anyone who are still trying to understand or seek the truth on what really happened in the 16th Century at the time the then Catholic Apostate Monk Martin Luther started Apostasy and Protestantism by deciding on his own to remove the 7 books of the Old Testament which did not conform to his needs and understanding.
As Jesus said: "...Not even the gates of hell will not prevail" and so Martin Luther can never reform the Catholic Church but he was able to give birth to Protestantism on the account of his protest which led to his excommunication from the Catholic Church which Jesus founded 2,000 years ago.
Martin Luther did not right away realized he was about to start the advent of Protestantism even after he was already excommunicated from the Catholic Church. Thus, anyone who do not conform with the Catholic Church is a protestant.
St. Paul Street Evangelization (click Title)
A Southern Baptist was stunned to learn the true reason why Protestant bibles are missing 7 books while Catholic Bibles have all 73 books. Jeff asked this Protestant: “So why do you think Martin Luther removed those books?”
Did Martin Luther Really
Reformed the Catholic Church?
After reading an FB posting by one of the St. Paul Street Evangelists, I decided to post his article here hoping it may shade light to anyone who are still trying to understand or seek the truth on what really happened in the 16th Century at the time the then Catholic Apostate Monk Martin Luther started Apostasy and Protestantism by deciding on his own to remove the 7 books of the Old Testament which did not conform to his needs and understanding.
As Jesus said: "...Not even the gates of hell will not prevail" and so Martin Luther can never reform the Catholic Church but he was able to give birth to Protestantism on the account of his protest which led to his excommunication from the Catholic Church which Jesus founded 2,000 years ago.
St. Paul Street Evangelization (click Title)
With much enthusiasm, Jeff, one of the Street Evangelists replied, “BINGO!” Jeff then briefly explained the history of the Bible, specifically how the Catholic Church was responsible for collecting these 73 inspired writings and preserving them. The early Christians knew that only the Popes and Councils had the authority to settle questions about the Bible, such as what books belonged in it, and that individual Christians were never allowed to just throw out books they personally didn't like.
Jeff then shared some of the doctrines taught in these books that Protestants reject. Surprisingly, the Baptist concluded: “I guess I need to seriously study this. It sounds like the Catholic Church holds the authority of scripture. I guess I don’t know if my church is even teaching the right things without those missing books… I’m going to have to do a lot of praying and research.”
**********
In the next issuing blogs (the postings are numbered for easy reference)
we will discuss insights into these heretical error-filled teachings.
Those who do not confess to the Holy Trinity, the divinity of Jesus Christ and are just believers in God the Father has surely tinted the truth about Jesus and therefore have added falsehood to the spiritual teachings in the Bible.
1 JOHN 4:2-3.
[2] "By this is the spirit of God known. Every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God:"
[3] "And every spirit that dissolveth Jesus, is not of God: and this is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he cometh, and he is now already in the world."
1 JOHN 4:2-3.
[2] "By this is the spirit of God known. Every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God:"
[3] "And every spirit that dissolveth Jesus, is not of God: and this is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he cometh, and he is now already in the world."
Anyone who denies the Divinity of Jesus is an Antichrist and of the devil.
For the sake of brevity,
anyone who calls himself or herself "Christian", and who is not
Catholic or Orthodox, I have grouped all of the existing tens of thousands* of
individual non-Catholic sects under the single title of "Protestant"
in this writing. I realize that many would prefer not to call themselves
Protestant, but any Christian who is not active in the Catholic Church is
making a protest against the only Church which Jesus Christ founded whether
they care to admit it or not.
The word protest comprises
the first seven letters of Protestant.
I am acutely aware that
not all Protestant sects fit the mold of all of what I have listed here, but
with tens of thousands of different sects, it is impossible for me, or anyone
else, to tailor each topic to each individual sect, while simultaneously
keeping the document to a reasonable length.
*World Christianity
Encyclopedia, April 2008, a Protestant publication, lists 39,000 non-Catholic
sects with several more being added each and every week. In the year 2000 the same
encyclopedia listed 33,700, so an additional 5,300 have been added in only
eight years.
1. The Protestant Personal Opinion
Error:
Why are there now at least
39,000 different Protestant sects in the world today?
The answer to that
question can be found in Holy Scripture:
"You shall not do as
we are now doing; here, everyone does what seems right to himself..." Deuteronomy 12:8, a verse
ignored by Protestants since they do these things.
"In those days there
was no king in Israel; everyone did what he thought best." Judges 17:6, 21:25, verses
accepted by Protestants.
"Understanding this
first: That no prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation. For
prophecy came not by the will of man at any time: but holy men of God spoke,
inspired by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21, ignored by
Protestants.
"They came and said
to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not
concerned with anyone's opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach
the way of God in accordance with the truth..." Matthew 22:16, Mark 12:14,
ignored by Protestants.
(13) And Jesus came
into the quarters of Cesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom
do men say that the Son of man is?
(14) But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
(15) Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am?
(16) Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.
(17) And Jesus answering said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.
(18) And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
(19) And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." Matthew 16:13-19 Ignored by Protestants notably SDA & INC
(14) But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
(15) Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am?
(16) Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.
(17) And Jesus answering said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.
(18) And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
(19) And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." Matthew 16:13-19 Ignored by Protestants notably SDA & INC
The above verses are prime examples of personal opinions contrasted with doctrinal truth.
Simon Peter was the only
one to receive this revelation from GOD, and in so doing he was the only one to
express the truth, by GOD given authority. Since GOD never changes, who would
have the audacity to be so bold as to deny that GOD does the same today as He
did then, by giving His one representative of authority on earth the fullness
of doctrinal truth?
"For GOD is true, and
every man is a liar..." Romans 3:4
Now that we know what Holy
Scripture has said, what do Protestants, who claim to follow Holy Scripture, do
about these verses? All of Protestantism is based solely on personal opinions
of men and women, and not on doctrinal truth. "If it feels good for me,
then that is all that matters", so they say. So where does an attitude
like this lead them, but to differences of opinion, squabbling, and finally
endless splitting of the Body of Christ. Go back and re-read those verses
above.
Why do you think there are over 39,000 different Protestant Churches? What is behind this phenomenon?
Why do you think there are over 39,000 different Protestant Churches? What is behind this phenomenon?
GOD is not concerned with anyone's personal opinion, but only for those who speak His doctrinal truth.
Protestants attack the
Catholic Church by saying there is no need of a Pope. Well, they should look in
their own back yard first, because each Protestant acts as his or her own pope.
There are millions of "popes" in Protestantism, and all of them are
running around claiming that their personal opinion regarding the
interpretation of Scripture is the truth. Are there really millions of truths?
I thought Holy Scripture said there was only one truth.
Martin Luther, the founder
of Protestantism, lamented as he said these things after he had seen the damage
that individual interpretation of Holy Scripture had done to his movement, "This one will not
hear of Baptism, and that one denies the sacrament, another puts a world
between this and the last day: some teach that Christ is not God, some say
this, some say that: there are as many sects and creeds as there are heads. No
yokel is so rude but when he has dreams and fancies, he thinks himself inspired
by the Holy Ghost and must be a prophet."
De Wette III, 61. quoted
in O'Hare, THE FACTS ABOUT LUTHER, 208. "Noblemen, townsmen,
peasants, all classes understand the Evangelium better than I or St. Paul; they
are now wise and think themselves more learned than all the ministers."
So what are they to do? Scripture has very loudly
and explicitly told them what to do and what not to do:
- Stop "doing your own thing".
- Stop the "If it feels good for me it must be true" mentality.
- Stop the incessant and destructive individual interpretation of Holy Scripture which is forbidden by Holy Scripture itself.
- Be obedient to what Scripture has admonished you to do.
So how do they get back to
doctrinal truth as GOD demands from all of us? Truth is one and it is a
person. There is only one truth. To have only one truth you
have to have only one authority, the same one authority which was given to
Simon Peter alone. Is the Holy Spirit really
prompting millions of Protestants, all of whom are interpreting Scripture for
themselves on an individual basis, and with so many opposing viewpoints? This question leads us to
the next topic, that of "The Holy Spirit Told Me".
2. The "Holy Spirit Told Me" Error:
There are three
"Spirits" from whom we may receive prompting. They are:
1. The Holy Spirit, the
Spirit of truth. 1 John 4:6
2. The human spirit within
each one of us. 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12
3. The evil or Demonic
spirit which comes from Satan, the spirit of error. 1 John 4:6
All of Holy Scripture was
written by people who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. This being so, the
Bible is inerrant. It has to be, as it came to us under the inspiration of GOD.
Psalms 127:1 is Holy
Spirit inspired and it says that there is only one Church, the one founded by
GOD Himself, and that in all others, the members labor in vain. Isn't it
interesting that teachings of the Old Testament are stressed anew in the New
Testament? Ephesians 4:1-6 repeats what is said in Psalms with a list of many
"ONES" including only ONE faith in verse 5. These verses have clearly
said that the Holy Spirit guides only the one Church which GOD founded, and
none other.
John 16:13, "When
the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will
not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he
will declare to you the things that are to come."
There are hundreds of
millions of Protestants, all interpreting Scripture individually by mere
personal opinion, and with all of them claiming "The Holy Spirit Told
Me".
How can this possibly be,
when every doctrine taught by one sect is denied by another, except for the
existence of GOD? One claims the "spirit" told them to worship on
Saturday, another makes the same claim except they were told Sunday. One says
the "spirit" told them not to baptize infants. Yet another makes the
same claim from the "spirit", but insists they were told just the
opposite, they must baptize infants.
One claims they were
"told" to have communion once a week, yet another was
"told" once a month, and yet a third was "told" quarterly.
You can readily see that I could go on and on down through the whole list of
beliefs and find one which teaches one way and another to the contrary.
Some says they were prophesied in the bible as messengers of god. But no one has a valid and verifiable witness except themselves. Divine messengers of God will never be abandoned by the Holy Spirit without witnesses. Only false messengers have no witnesses because they are self-proclaimed.
Since GOD is one, with
only one truth and with only one Holy Spirit, how could that one Spirit of
truth be prompting those who have contradicting viewpoints? Again, we look to
Holy Scripture for the answer. "And we are witnesses
to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey
him." Acts 5:32. See Acts 15:8 also.
Aha, so the Holy Spirit is
given only to those who obey GOD. And who are they? In what I have shown so
far, how can any of those sects with opposing viewpoints, be in obedience to
the one truth of GOD?
Was Martin Luther in
obedience to his superiors (Hebrews 13:17) when he started the Protestant
revolt all the while blaspheming his superiors at the same time?
Just who do you suppose is
creating all of this confusion between the Protestant sects? The answer is that the
Holy Spirit cannot, and will not, for GOD cannot deceive us, Isaiah 53:9,
Hebrews 6:18, 1 Peter 2:22, and He certainly cannot contradict Himself, 2 Timothy 2:13.
Since truth is one, GOD
cannot lie, Titus 1:2. There cannot be opposing viewpoints with each claiming
to be of the truth. Common sense tells us that in at least half of the opposing
viewpoints the truth has to be compromised.
So now, just who is the
liar and the Father of Lies? See John 8:44 for the answer. 1 Corinthians 14:33,
"For God is not the author of confusion..." If GOD is not the author
of confusion, then who is?
Fast forward to 1914
Many claimed they were inspired by the
Holy Spirit and later started own church?
Holy Spirit and later started own church?
Over 39,000 plus protestant
churches did
and the bible prostitution began.
First Martin Luther tried to reform the Catholic Church as if he has the authority to do so only to be excommunicated then established his own Lutheran Reformation movement. John
Calvin did the same and over 39,000 more followed....
One very good example of this type of mindset (establish your own if you don't like your church), in 1914, a church was established by a Felix Manalo (link), an apostate Catholic and then an apostate Seventh Day Adventist, just for this reason, he claimed the other protestant churches he previously was a member weren't doing their job to save mankind and what they were supposed to do and that because of that failure those churches were sinning, so he had to
do it himself and established his own church that will not commit the sin of omission from their failure to provide salvation to mankind.
And yet just like the other 39,000 plus non-Catholic churches,
he taught the same doctrines based on the same bible versions that all the other 39,000
plus churches had been using ever since. And he added more bible versions. But did he really paved a way for the salvation of mankind? The answer is the same thing - NO! All he did was to add more confusion to already confused state of the reformist churches by declaring himself as the Ravenous Bird (link) or 5th Angel Messenger, Worm Jacob and as Jesus Christ by merely sighting some bible verses. He did this to
prevent schism inside his church and avoiding losing members.
Was he successful in convincing his people - the answer is YES. But other churches also sprouted from his church by protesting against his teachings. To solidify his church, he continued relentlessly to this days through his well trained and career-oriented ministers and deacons with the strict policy of total obedience to the church's administration. Not in total obedience of the commandments of God but to the church's administration office. And anyone found disobeying this rule will be subjected to the extreme penalty of expulsion thereby losing the chance of salvation. This church claimed that outside their congregation no one will be saved including all Catholics, Protestant denominations, Islams and other religion. (link)
Sometime decades earlier, after his death, the church tried so hard to hide the being Jesus Christ claim as they can't prove its authenticity. This fact has been hidden from its membership to lessen further embarrassment to the church (please click on this link).
Also to avoid further schism and possible apostasy within his church, the church instituted a very strict “Total Obedience” rule for everyone to follow. The church borrowed this idea from the Islam religion of "Total Submission to Allah" to discourage members from living and to avoid or prevent members from expulsion and ultimately not getting save from hell or eternal
damnation - the scare tactic.
So did this 1914 church really set out to save mankind as Jesus Christ's Catholic Church aimed to do? The answer is no. This 1914 church, just like the rest of the other 39,000 plus protestant churches, ended just saving his own church members only, as they claimed, so that everyone
outside their church are automatically and already pre-condemned to hell. But one thing very noticeable from their hierarchy is their propensity to attack and insult other churches mainly the Catholic Church or their fiercest apostate rival.
Are they in obedience to Jesus teachings on humility, being charitable, being loving and compassionate? Many of the apostate catholics that joined the church are, otherwise the answer is far from what Jesus has taught us.
I would suggest that you
re-read Psalms 127:1 and Ephesians 4:1-6 again, for of the three choices of
"spirits who told me", we have eliminated the first one. There are
only two choices left. Which one of those
remaining two is prompting Protestantism? This leads us into the
next topic, that of authority.
3. The Protestant Rejection of Authority Error:
"He who hears you,
hears me; and he who rejects you, rejects me; and he who rejects me, rejects
him who sent me." Luke 10:16 That is authority!
Powerful words from the
mouth of Jesus Christ to his disciples, the leaders of His Church. Those who hear His Church,
hear him, is what Jesus Christ said in that verse. Conversely, those who do
not hear his Church, do not hear him. If you are interested to know what will be
the fate of those who reject His Church, then read the context in Luke 10:1-15.
Holy Scripture has a lot
to say about authority, as to just who has it and who does not, and how
important a central authority is to the understanding of truth. However, Protestants have
consistently rejected all authority. They simply rejected what they never could
have had from the onset of their revolt. However, rejection of authority is
anti-Christian and anti-Bible. Since they have rejected his Church, haven't
they rejected Jesus Christ and the Father as well? Luke 10:16 has clearly told
us that they have.
"Let every person be
subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from
God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists
the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur
judgment." Romans 13:1-2
"Obey your prelates
and be subject to them. For they watch as being to render an account of your
souls: that they may do this with joy and not with grief. For this is not
expedient for you." Hebrews 13:17
Was Martin Luther and the
other leaders of the Protestant revolt obedient as this verse demands?
"If your brother sins
against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he
listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take
one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the
evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to
the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you
as a Gentile and a tax collector." Matthew 18:15-17
So what does this verse
tell us as to where the final authority is to be found? What is the name of
that Church, since it is still with us? To what Church would you go in order to
obey the command of Jesus Christ in those verses if you lived in 110 AD, or 450 AD,
or 1025 AD, or 1490 AD? Can you name it?
There are many verses
which warn against forsaking GOD given authority regarding His Assembly (O.T.)
or Church (N.T.) which He bestowed upon prophets such as Moses' Exodus 3-40, and on the
Apostles John 20:21-23, and to their successors, Hebrews 13:7-8, 13:17.
Read of Mariam and Aaron
as they complained against the authority of Moses in Numbers 12:1-15, (3)
"Is it through Moses alone that the Lord speaks? Does he not speak through
us also?"
GOD became angry with this
remark, since He had previously chosen to speak through his one and only father
figure, His "vicar" on earth, Moses. Consequently he turned Mariam
into a leper.
Read of the rebellion of
Korah against the GOD given authority of Moses in Numbers 16, and pay especial
attention to what happened to Korah, and to his followers in Numbers 16:31-35.
His ending, and that of his followers is not pretty to say the least.
Which person in any of the
now 39,000 Protestant sects has any authority at all? Who has the overall
authority to separate truth in teaching from the pitfall of error?
The rejection of authority
is merely a Protestant defense mechanism. Since they obviously knew that they
had no authority to begin with, they simply elected to reject all authority.
However, their rejection of authority is highly anti-Christian and
anti-Biblical, as I have shown. For those who claim to
follow the Bible only, how is it that they cannot see this? This then leads us into
the next topic.
4. The Bible Only Error:
Protestants who claim to
follow Holy Scripture literally, practice a false man-made doctrine which they
have labeled Sola Scriptura or "Bible Only", a term virtually unknown
before the Protestant revolt of the early sixteenth century. In other words,
they say that the Bible is all they need or want because they claim it contains
everything necessary for salvation. Anything outside of the Bible is immaterial
and should simply be ignored or discarded. By taking such a narrow view of
salvation history, they have boxed themselves into a limited knowledge of
Christianity. This grave limitation exposes them to increased and compounded
error, because for them to believe in anything, therefore, they must be able to
find it in the Bible. However, the very doctrine of Sola Scriptura itself, is
not to be found anywhere in Holy Scripture, as I have documented in the above
two links. That being the case, how could anyone practice it and not be accused
of hypocrisy?
"The Lord says,
"These people worship me with their mouths and honor me with their lips.
But their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is based on rules
made by humans." Isaiah 29:13
"Jesus told them,
"Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites in Scripture:
'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their
worship of me is pointless, because their teachings are rules made by humans.'
" Mark 7:6-7
The fact that the man-made
"rule" of Sola Scriptura cannot be found in Scripture proves it to be
a "rule made by humans", and this makes it diametrically opposed to
Holy Scripture and the words of Jesus Christ.
Since Scripture is not
self authenticating, and is not self teaching*, and does not specify which
books within it are inspired, how can the Protestant know that the book to
which he holds is inspired at all? *Acts 8:30-31, 2 Peter 3:16 "As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction."
Sola Scriptura has failed
this most basic test. It is not Biblical. It is certainly not historical before
the Protestant revolt. It could not possibly have worked before the invention
of the printing press when Bibles became plentiful. It could not possibly have
worked when 95% of the masses were illiterate. From the evidence I have
presented in this essay, it simply could not, and does not, and never will
work. Protestantism fabricated this false man-made doctrine of Sola Scriptura
simply because they have nothing else to work with.
5. The Protestant Never Ending Splitting of the Body of Christ Error:
The errors of "rule
by personal opinion", the "Holy Spirit told me", "Sola
Scriptura", and "rejection of authority", all lead to chaos,
confusion, and to divisions of the one Body of Christ.
Where there is rule by
personal opinion among millions of people, you will have millions of differing
personal opinions which leads to utter chaos.
Where everyone thinks he
or she is right because the "Holy Spirit told me", there is bound to
be all three spirits involved. Who is right and who is wrong when all think
they are right?
When everyone is
practicing Sola Scriptura, they limit themselves to Scripture only, and again
personal opinions enter into the picture, so whose opinion do we accept?
Where there is no GOD
given authority, and a dispute between factions cannot be settled amicably, the
factions of personal opinion split, creating yet more factions. This is
precisely why Jesus Christ founded His one teaching Church and gave it the
authority (Matthew 18:17-18) to settle disputes of which Scripture tells us
were inevitable to arise (1 Corinthians 11:19).
Where there is GOD given
authority, a dispute is settled by that authoritative body. Where there is no GOD
given authority, a dispute is not settled. The opposing parties simply split
and form new sects, and thus is revealed the main reason why there are 39,000
splits of the Body of Christ in Protestantism. "Has Christ been divided?",
1 Corinthians 1:13.
When Martin Luther came
along and broke from the Church which Jesus Christ founded, which had already
existed for almost fifteen hundred years, and which was on its 218th in a line
of Popes going all the way back to St. Peter, he created the first Protestant
church. It was 1521. He was not alone in doing this but almost immediately he
and Thomas Munzer had a "difference of opinion" and Munzer broke from
Luther and formed the second Protestant church, also in 1521. The splits in Protestantism
had begun and continue at a feverish pace to this very day. In 1600 there were
100 splits. In 1900 there were over 1000. Today there are at least 39,000
splits in the Body of Christ in Protestantism with new ones being added every
week, and the end is not in sight.
"Has Christ been
divided up?" 1 Corinthians 1:13, yet another verse ignored by Protestants.
This is the legacy one
receives as a "reward" for 'rule by opinion' which is forbidden by
scripture, insisting that 'the Holy Spirit told me' when He did not, 'Sola
Scriptura' which is not scriptural, and 'rejection of an authoritative
governing body', which is against the commands of Scripture (Matthew 18:17, Hebrews
13:17).
"He who is not with
me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters." Matthew 12:30, Luke 11:23
With, 39,000 different
non-Catholic sects in the world today, just who is doing the scattering? It is obvious from the
verses listed that 'he who scatters' is against the gatherer, Jesus Christ.
6. The Error of Bringing GOD Down to Our Mere Human Level:
1) The Blessed Virgin Mary
could have not been immaculately conceived.
2) She could not have been
ever virgin.
3) She could not have been
assumed into Heaven.
4) There was no miracle of
the loaves and fishes, as each of the 5000 had a sandwich in his pocket.
This rejection of a
genuine Biblical miracle leads to another related rejection:
5) "This is My
Body" could not possibly be His real body, for it would be used up in no
time in millions of communions, so it has to be a symbolic gesture.
These and many more
denials of Catholic teaching come from Protestant scoffers and doubters as they
attempt to transpose Divine miraculous happenings into mere human undertaking. What these scoffers and
doubters are really saying, is that, 'He who has created the universe and
everything in it out of nothing, and sustains it all by virtue of His will,
found it to be impossible do these things'. In their denial of the
examples which I have listed, Protestants have done nothing other than to
impose limits upon an unlimited GOD.
The scoffers and doubters
with their narrow and limited insights, ignore these words of GOD, "For my thoughts are
not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my
thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9
7. The Protestant Out of Context Error:
Protestants have a bad
habit of taking Holy Scripture out of context when they try to make a point.
CONTEXT: The part of a
text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage AND DETERMINES
ITS MEANING.
Protestants invariably
will choose a verse or two from Scripture in a vain attempt to
"prove" a point. They are oblivious to the surrounding text which
gives a different, or usually opposite meaning to their chosen verse or phrase.
They will also omit key information and in so doing slant the truth.
Some examples are... Sola Scriptura: They will use 2 Timothy 3:16-17 to try to justify it, but taken in context, those two verses portray an entirely different meaning.
There is no justification
for Sola Scriptura whatsoever in those two verses. One Mediator: They use
1Timothy 2:5 to "prove" this, but taken in context, 1Timothy 2:1,
indicates many intercessors. The Blessed Virgin Mary is an intercessor." Call no man your Father,
taken out of context. The "brothers and
sisters" of the Lord, taken out of context. A text without a context
is simply a pretext and nothing more.
8. The Mis-interpretation of Holy Scripture Error:
There are several things which must be taken into consideration when interpreting Holy Scripture, and many of them are ignored by Protestants.
1. The Senses of Scripture. Should the passage be taken literally, allegorically, as a parable, etc?Most Protestants will take the whole Bible literally, except for John chapter 6, of which they say it is symbolic.
2. The meaning of the
words used at the time of writing are not necessarily the same meaning of the
words today.
3. History plays a big
role in proper Scriptural interpretation. The nature and customs of those of
which Scripture speaks must be taken into account.
4. The true meanings of
what the authors had in mind are sometimes lost in translation from one
language to another. Words in one language sometimes have no exact counterpart
in another language and a word is chosen by compromise as "closest"
in meaning, that is according to the one who is doing the translating.
Frequently, the ancient Greek and Hebrew texts must be consulted in order to
ascertain the true meanings of the words of Scripture.
5. Many Protestant sects
will attempt to conform Holy Scripture to their false teaching, rather than to
conform their teaching to the truth of Scripture.
Some of the false charges
made by Protestants against the Catholic Church, due to their
mis-interpretation of Holy Scripture. Cases in point:
- Mary had "other children".
- Holding to the Sabbath.
- Peter had no Primacy.
- The Papacy is not scriptural.
- The Catholic Church could not be the Church which Jesus Christ founded, as it does not match what Scripture says regarding the primitive Church.
- The Holy Eucharist is merely a symbol and could not be the Body of Christ. Didn't Jesus Christ say in many verses that it is His Body? Did He say anywhere that it was only a symbolic gesture?
- The seven churches mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3 are said to be various Protestant churches. That is one of the most ridiculous claims of all, with Protestants grasping at straws, and using wishful thinking. To make it simple, by using today's English, those seven Churches were parishes in different cities of the same one Church which Jesus Christ founded. In easy to understand terms, they were all founded by the same Apostles who were all infused with the same truth by the same Holy Spirit at the same time at Pentecost.
They all taught only one truth,
so all of those Churches were in the same one fold, and were not in seven
different opposing Protestant folds.
The seven Churches are
merely an extension of Acts 1:8 where Jesus said this to the Apostles:
"But you shall
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my
witnesses in Jerusalem (local) and in all Judea and Sama'ria (expanding to
surrounding areas) and to the end of the earth (expanding over the whole
earth)."
How could this ever be
accomplished except by establishing Churches in all areas of the world?
9. The Protestant Acceptance and Rejection of Holy Scripture Error:
This is known as
Smorgasbord or Cafeteria Christianity. I have already presented several verses
which are rejected or ignored by Protestants. "I will accept this
verse because it feels good (again) for me, and I will reject that verse
because it does not fit in with what I believe", so they say. I have
already presented many verses of Scripture that are completely ignored by
Protestants. By their actions, rather than by their words, they contradict
their claim to follow Scripture to the letter.
Here is just a sampling of
several more verses which Protestants either reject or ignore in addition to
those already mentioned:
Matthew 16:18, Jesus said
He would found "A" Church. He did not say churches did He?
Matthew 18:15-18, It is
the Church which is the final authority. Why do Protestants say it
is the Bible which is their final authority? Where does the Bible say
that it is the final authority?
John 10:16 And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Jesus was clear he wanted the gentiles and the non-believers to believe in him and become one with him. But he didn't say there he needs many churches 36,000+ folds in order to accomplish this. He showed St. Peter and the Apostles how to apostolate and baptism everyone in the name of his Father, in his name and in the name of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:48 "For behold,
henceforth all generations will call me blessed; " 'Henceforth' means from the moment she said it and 'all generations' is all of
humanity from the time she said it until the end of time. The word 'will' is a command and not a mere suggestion.
In all of my stack of
correspondence from Protestants regarding the Mother of GOD, from many years
ago to the date of this writing, not a single Protestant has ever called her
blessed. I must point out a second time that this verse is not a suggestion,
but a command, and it is a command from GOD. The Archangel Gabriel called her
blessed in Luke 1:28. Angels speak for GOD. Elizabeth called her blessed in
Luke 1:42, and those words of hers came from being filled with the Holy Spirit
in the previous verse. GOD called her blessed more than once, so what possible
excuse can Protestants, who claim to faithfully follow Holy Scripture to the
letter, have to not call her blessed as well?
Dear Protestant; Do you
call her blessed? No? Then why are disobedient to Holy Scripture?
John 6:53, So Jesus said
to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son
of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;"
Did He say to eat and
drink a symbol of His flesh and blood? What does the "Truly, Truly, I say
to you" mean to you? We have already established that truth is a person.
That person is Jesus Christ. When "Truth" Himself said
"truly", twice in that verse, is that indicative of being a symbolic
statement, or of a reality?
Do you "truly
truly" believe what "Truth" Himself said here?
John 6:66 And he said: Therefore did I say to you, that no man can come to me, unless it be given him by my Father.
Or perhaps, are you one of
those in John 6:66 who refused to believe Him and walked away from Him,
abandoning His truth? Did you notice the 666 connection in that verse?
[67] After this many of his disciples went back; and walked no more with him. [68] Then Jesus said to the twelve: Will you also go away? [69] And Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. [70] And we have believed and have known, that thou art the Christ, the Son of God. John 6:67-70
Jesus knows those who can't see the truth will walk away just as what protestants do even today. Because they don't use their heart only their minds, many have disagreements among themselves so they walk away and start their own churches. Only the Catholics believe and so they stay with Jesus Church from the beginning and through the 2000 years that passed.
It is too bad that
Protestants do not see the typological connections between the Old and New
Testaments. Did the Hebrews and Jews "symbolically" sacrifice
animals, or did they, in fact, sacrifice real animals? Read the book of
Leviticus and find out for yourself.
1Corinthians 10:16,
"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the
blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the
body of Christ?"
Where is the symbolism
found in this verse or anywhere in the context?
1Corinthians 11:29,
"...he who eats and drinks unworthily, without distinguishing the body
eats and drinks judgment to himself." How could a mere symbolism be a
cause of judgment?
Malachi 1:11, all day in
every place there is offered sacrifice, and there is offered in my name a clean
oblation. How many Protestants sects offer sacrifice at all, let alone every
day? Non...Nada!
Matthew 28:19-20 says that
Jesus Christ will be with His Church every day in every century until the end
of time. This theme is repeated in Ephesians 3:21 and in John 14:16. Why then
do Protestants insist that the Church which Jesus Christ founded apostatized at
some unspecified time after the last Apostle died? By saying this, aren't they
calling Jesus Christ a liar?
"He who does not
believe the Son, makes Him a liar." 1John 5:10
There are over 50 verses
in the Bible in which hell is mentioned. Matthew 23:33, Mark 9:43, and Luke
10:15, are but three examples. Yet in some Protestant sects the existence of
hell is denied. Imagine how much space in the Holy Bible those 50 plus verses
and the related verses cover, and you can readily see that a large segment of
Holy Scripture is denied by them.
1 Corinthians 11:22 warns
not to despise the church of GOD, "What! Do you not have houses to eat and
drink in? Or do you despise the Church of GOD and humiliate those who have
nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will
not." Later in this essay, I
will show you how some Protestant sects do indeed despise the "Church of
GOD" by calumnizing it and spreading lies about it.
Here is another ignored
verse along those same lines, "Do not be a
stumbling-block to Jews and Greeks and to the Church of GOD." 1 Corinthians 10:32
Throughout this document,
I have listed many more verses which are ignored by Protestants.
10. The Protestant "Once Saved Always Saved" Error:
Are you saved? This is
what some Protestants will ask you. Anyone who thinks they are automatically
"saved" simply by declaring that Jesus Christ is their personal Lord
and Savior is grossly mistranslating Holy Scripture, and is committing a sin of
presumption. It is GOD alone who knows who is "saved" and who is not.
No human creature can declare themselves as being "saved". That false
doctrine is a fabrication of Protestantism and cannot be found written anywhere
before the Protestant revolt. Salvation is an on-going process throughout our
entire lives as Holy Scripture clearly has told us. Read 1 Corinthians chapter
13, as it tells us that we must have faith, hope, and charity (13). If we are
automatically "saved", then what is the purpose of hope?
Sola Fides, or "saved
by faith only" is taught by many Protestants. However, that false man-made
Protestant doctrine cannot be found anywhere in the Bible. In fact, the only
place in the entire Bible where the words "faith" and
"only" are found together is in James 2:24, where it says, "You see that by
works a man is justified, and NOT by faith only."
That verse was a thorn in
Martin Luther's side. He called the book of James a "straw epistle",
which meant it was worthy of burning, and he wanted to remove it from
Scripture. It must have been an embarrassment to him since he had added the
word "alone" to Romans 3:28, in his German translation of the Bible,
in order to have it support his false "justified by faith alone"
doctrine. James 2:24 is still ignored or rejected altogether by many
Protestants.
"You are my friends
if you do what I command you." John 15:14 "...work out your
salvation with fear and trembling." Philippians 2:12 For those who think they
are "saved" by faith only, how could they ever ignore those verses? Both say very clearly that
works are needed, and without works you are no friend of Jesus.
They also ignore a large
part of Matthew 25 regarding the Last Judgment. Read verses 31-46 very carefully,
as Jesus spoke of judging two groups, the sheep and the goats.
[31] And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. [32] And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: [33]And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. [34] Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. [35] For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in: [36] Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. [37]Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? [38] And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? [39] Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? [40] And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. [41] Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. [42] For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. [43] I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. [44] Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? [45] Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me. [46] And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting. Matthew 25:31-46
Notice that both groups
believed, but only one group worked, and they were the sheep, and it was the
sheep who were to be saved.
Be sure and do not
overlook verses 41-46, as you will find therein where the goats were going to
spend their eternity since they also believed, but did no work?
The goats believed, but
were they saved by believing only, and without works? Those who practice
"once saved always saved" would have us believe that they were.
11. The Historical Black Hole Error:
Sir Isaac Newton was once
asked how he managed to amass such great knowledge of his field in his
lifetime. He replied, "Because I stood on the shoulders of giants".
Gaining knowledge in any field, including Theology is a continuous process (John 16:13), where one lays the foundation and others build upon it therein (1 Corinthians 3:10). Mistakes are made along the way but conscientious followers profit from those mistakes and knowledge increases. Protestantism however, being severely handicapped by the ball and chain of Sola Scriptura, makes no use of those "giants" who went before them for the first fifteen hundred years of Christianity. Theological progress and past mistakes and errors are ignored as if they did not even exist.
Protestants are saddled
with an historical fifteen hundred year Black Hole. So what is the end result?
The errors of the past are
repeated and progress in truth is hindered and stifled.
To be successful in any endeavor, historical successes and historical failures and errors are not to be ignored, for that is how knowledge progresses.
Those who fail to profit from the errors of others who went before them are doomed to repeat those same errors again, and in so doing take steps backward instead of forward.
Those who fail to profit from historical successes are doomed to re-invent the wheel again and again.
"All things are full
of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor
the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been
done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a
thing of which it is said, "See, this is new"? It has been already,
in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there
be any remembrance of later things yet to happen among those who come
after."
Ecclesiastes 1:8-11
Protestants are afraid to
read authentic historical documents written before their revolt in the 16th
century, because they fear what they may find written therein.
One of the most famous converts to the Catholic Church from Protestantism, Cardinal John Henry Newman, wrote in his introduction to his "Development of Doctrine" treatise, "To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant". Newman set out to "prove" from historical documents that Anglicanism was the "true" church, the Church which Jesus Christ founded. What he found by extensive researching of genuine historical documents was that it was not the Anglican church which Jesus Christ founded, but the Catholic Church. From the overwhelming evidence which he found, he immediately converted to the "true Church", the Catholic Church.
What happened to the
Christian Church after Acts 28:30? Aren't you the least bit interested? Did
historical progress of the Christian Church end abruptly there and then?
Absolutely not!
Show me a period in Church
history where the events of the time were not recorded by historians and
scribes?
I challenge all
Protestants to read what has been recorded regarding the history of
Christianity, and to start with genuine historical writings beginning in the
first and second centuries. These are available for free on the Internet, and I
have provided two URL's for them in this link, so those who have no funds do
not have an excuse not to read them.
Aren't you the least bit
interested in your Christian heritage, the struggles and martyrdoms of your
Christian ancestors who led us to where we are today? If you call yourself a
Christian, you certainly should be. Put yourself in John 16:12-13 and note that
the verses use future tense, which means coming revealed truths by the Holy
Spirit. It is the development of Scriptural doctrine over many centuries. These
century by century incremental steps are recorded in many authentic historical
documents and are available for all to see. Read for yourself the progress of
knowledge of the original primitive Christian Church down through the centuries.
I must add that if you
refuse to read the history of Christianity, then you must have a closed mind, a
subject of which I will deal later in this document.
12. The Protestant Failure to go to the Source Error, Keeps Them in Error:
When discussing the
teachings of the Catholic Church, Protestants will invariably espouse what they
have heard from other Protestants, while at the same time failing to go to the
source of Catholic teaching, the Catholic Church itself, in order to find the
truth of what it really teaches.
If you were going to buy a
Ford, would you go to a Chevrolet dealer to ask his advice about the Ford? What
would he tell you? No, an intelligent person would go to the source, the Ford
dealer.
Why then, do Protestants
not go to the Catholic Church to find the truth of Catholic teaching?
Ignorance of the Catholic Church is ignorance of Christ, since the Catholic Church is His body.
13. The Protestant Shopping for a Church Error:
In my daily newspaper,
there appeared an article about a woman who had spent a lot of time searching
for a church which fit "her" beliefs. Uhh, excuse me!!! Her
beliefs?
Doesn't she have it backwards? We must search for the one Church which has objective truth, not one
conforming to our individual subjective truth. We must conform to the will of GOD and not to our own personal beliefs and opinions.
That person fell right into that "If it feels good for me, it must be okay" mentality.
Protestants choose
churches for all of the wrong reasons and here are some of them.
1. This one has better
child care while I attend the services.
Yes but Jesus requested that the little
children to come to Him, Matthew 19:13-15.
How can they when they are kept away from
the services?
2. I like the singing in
this one better. Yes but you cannot sing your way into heaven.
3. Mine has a better
Sunday school. Yes but only if they teach the truth.
4. I like the preacher in
mine. Yes but there are many likable preachers all over the place.
5. I enjoy the fellowship.
Yes but GODship comes before fellowship.
6. I feel more comfortable
with their beliefs because they fit better with my beliefs.
Need I say more?
7. The distasteful things
like the existence of hell and other subjects are not mentioned.
Sometimes the truth hurts, but regardless of
that, truth cannot be suppressed, Romans 1:18.
8. It is not
authoritarian, and rigidly structured. Yes but the absence of authority breeds
chaos, as we have already seen in Protestantism.
9. Believe it or not, I
have heard, "I like mine because it has a parking lot which is easier to
exit". How is that for an excuse?
10. Then there is the
error of the heresy of indifferentism, a false belief that all religions are of
equal validity. Therefore, it does not matter to which one I shall go, so I
will pick the nearest one.
The only valid reason to
search for a Church is to find the true and only Church, the one which the Lord
GOD, Jesus Christ founded. We must not labor in vain in those churches which
were not founded by GOD, but were founded by mere men or women, as Psalms 127:1
so clearly cautions.
14. The Protestant Error of Joining a Church Based on Feelings Alone:
[Feelings: Opinions based
more on emotion than reason.]
GOD desires just the
opposite, truth based on reason rather than emotion.
From "reason" we
can find truth. From "emotion" we can fall into error.
How many times have you heard someone say they "feel" nothing in that other church but have an "emotional high" in the one they attend, so therefore it must be the correct one? Nowhere in Holy Scripture does it say that the Church which Jesus Christ founded is based on feelings and emotions. His Church is based on truth and faith, and not on hype that stirs the emotions.
Many sects deliberately design their services to do just that, to arouse the feelings in order to gain an emotional high. After all, they think that they must have to do something 'different' in order to separate themselves from the 'pack' of tens of thousands of other sects, in order to attract a larger audience. You see, a larger audience means more funds in the collection basket.
The mind set of so many people today, regardless of truth is:
"If it feels good for
me, then that must be the way to go."
This is the heresy of
modernist enlightenment.
"In those days there
was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes."
Judges 21:25.
This is not GOD's way, for
GOD cares not for the opinions of men (Mark 12:14).
15. The Error of Scorn for and Degradation of the Mother of GOD:
Up until the time of the
Protestant deformation, the Blessed Virgin Mary was honored by Christians
beginning in the first century. Even the original reformers loved and honored
her. Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and others did, but look what has happened to
Protestantism since then? The Protestants of today do not even teach what their
founders taught in many ways regarding the Mother of Jesus Christ.
Protestants of today now calumnize and degrade her by claiming:
1. She could not be perpetually
virgin, for she had "other children". Well, let us see how
others are affected by that false charge?
2. She could not have been
Immaculately Conceived. Why couldn't she?
3. She could not have been
Assumed into Heaven body and soul. To the contrary, Scripture does not agree with this Protestant assertion, for she was seen in Heaven with both body and
soul.
4. She could not be the
Mother of GOD.
5. She is a sinner like
the rest of us because the Bible says "all have sinned".
Sadly, Protestants consistently
try to bring GOD down to our human level in a feeble attempt to explain away
these things by mere human terms, as I touched upon in a previous topic.
They fail to see that GOD's laws which bind us, do NOT bind Him as well.
I have one all encompassing
answer for Protestants for every one of the above false charges which they make
against the Mother of GOD.
Are you saying that GOD, who created everything out of nothing, and who sustains all things by the power of His will, could not do these things?
When we all meet our maker
at death, I would much rather have Him say to me, "Welcome, for My mother
has spoken of you often", instead of what He might say to those who
calumnized and degraded her, "Why did you do these things to My
mother?"
What would any good son or daughter say to those who would dare to degrade his or her mother?
Jesus honors His mother.
After all He did write the ten commandments, including "Thou shalt honor
thy father and thy mother", did He not? Don't you think He obeyed His own
commandments and honored His own mother and set an example for us to follow?
Didn't He obey her motherly commands for at least 30 years (Luke 2:51)? Name
another woman who was gifted with the ability to tell the creator of the
universe what to do, and have Him obey her?
Why then do Protestants, who claim to follow Scripture to the letter, fail miserably when it comes to honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary?
Can they do less than the Lord Jesus Christ did for His mother?
Aren't they supposed to follow in His footsteps in the same way as Catholics do (Matthew 16:24)?
What do they think they
will gain by degrading and calumnizing the mother of Jesus Christ?
16. The
Error of the Calumnizing of Catholics and of the Catholic Church:
In the Protestant revolt
of the 16th century, the perpetrators lost all authority given by GOD to His
one and only Church as explained earlier. Since they had no authority
whatsoever, they could not claim Apostolic Tradition either as shown in
2 Thessalonians 2:15, so they rejected it as well. So there they were, stripped
of all authority and fifteen hundred years of tradition, isolated with no way
to trace their heritage all the way back to Jesus Christ. What could they do to
try and justify what they had done? Since they had separated themselves from
the true Church, they resorted to calumnizing and demonizing it along with
faithful Catholics as well. If they could show that the Catholic Church was of
Satan, then possibly they would find justification for their actions.
Well they failed miserably because they had to "invent" charges that simply were not true.
They never have learned
that you can proof a truth but only the gullible and uninformed will buy the
lie. Here are a few Protestant anti-Catholic "inventions", all of
which failed miserably...
1. The Pope or papacy is
the "Whore of Babylon"of Revelation 17-18.
This lie was first
espoused by Martin Luther in his diatribe against the Catholic Church.
This is a total
fabrication as I have shown from Holy Scripture in the Luther link above.
Scripture tells us that the "Whore of Babylon" is a "Great
City" and that city is not Rome, but Jerusalem.
2. The Pope is the
"Beast of Revelation", and the "Harlot (whore)" is the
Roman Catholic Church. I know the inventors of these demonizing remarks
neglected to pay attention to what Holy Scripture has said.
See Revelation 17:15-16,
"And he said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the harlot is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire.""
Since the "harlot" is Jerusalem, as I have shown in the Luther link, then the "beast", who hates Jerusalem and destroys her with fire, can only mean the evil Roman Empire which did hate the Jews and Jerusalem, and did destroy her with fire in 70 A.D..
Now if the beast were the Pope, why would he hate the Harlot, his own institution? Why would he destroy himself? Does Satan destroy Satan? In Luke 11:18, Jesus said, "And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Be-el'zebul."
3. The Catholic Church was
founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. This charge is absolutely
untrue. Constantine founded no Church, but merely allowed Christianity to exist
without Roman persecution, as his "Edict of Milan" very clearly said. No Protestant can produce
a single authentic historical document to "prove" this false charge.
4. The Catholic Church is
an outgrowth of Paganism. This is yet another false
charge, as every Church on earth has a founder with a name, and no Protestant
can produce the name of the founder of the Catholic Church, unless of course,
they wish to admit the truth that it was founded by Jesus Christ Himself.
What better way was there
to be obedient to the command of Jesus Christ to convert the world (Matthew
28:19-20 and Acts 1:8), than for the Church to seat itself in Rome, the very
center of Paganism? And just what did happened a few hundred years later? >>>The evil Roman Empire
collapsed, and pagan Rome was converted to Christianity. This is an undeniable
historical fact.<<<
5. Catholics are going to
hell. Well, to begin with, here
are several verses ignored by those who make that charge, Matthew 7:1, "Judge
not, that you may not be judged."
Luke 6:37, "Judge
not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned;
forgive, and you will be forgiven;"
Romans 14:13, "Let us
not therefore judge one another any more. But judge this rather, that you put
not a stumbling block or a scandal in your brother's way."
James 4:11, "Do not
speak evil against one another, brethren. He that speaks evil against a brother
or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if
you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. "
How does anyone know who
goes to hell? Do they, who make this false charge, think they can read the mind
of GOD? Only GOD knows who goes to hell and He does not tell us.
Why then, do Protestants who claim to follow the Bible, make this judgment upon Catholics?
Why is it that those who
spread lies and calumny about the Catholic Church never have any authentic
historical documents to "prove" their false charges? Why is it that
Catholics can provide authentic historical documents, which Protestants refuse
to read, and yet Protestants in turn, cannot provide any authentic historical
documents that Catholics ask of them? In the years I have asked for proof from
scores of those who make these false charges, I have never even once received
documented "proof" of what they charge.
The reason for their lack
of "evidence" is most certainly that the lie cannot be
"proven".
I would suggest that those who make these false charges, to please open their Bibles and read Revelation 21:27.
Those who persecute the
Catholic Church, persecute Jesus Christ Himself, since the Catholic Church is
His Body (Ephesians 1:22-23), whether Protestants choose to believe it or not.
In Acts 7:54 to 8:1-3,
Saul had been persecuting the Church which Jesus Christ founded (8:3) and in
Acts 9:4, Jesus Christ said, "Saul, Saul, why dost
thou persecute me?" Why didn't Jesus Christ
say instead, 'why dost thou persecute my Church'?
"But these men, as
irrational beasts, naturally tending to the snare and to destruction,
blaspheming those things which they know not, shall perish in their
corruption:" 2 Peter 2:12. This is yet another verse
ignored by those Protestants who calumnize Catholicism.
"Fear not, for I am
with thee: turn not aside, for I am your GOD. I have strengthened thee, and
have helped thee, and the right hand of My Just One hath upheld thee (almost
2000 years now). Behold all that fight against thee (Protestantism) shall be
confounded (split into 36,000+ pieces) and ashamed, they shall be as nothing
(Psalms 127:1...again!), and the men shall perish that strive against thee
(heretics, calumnizers and liars, past, present, and future)." Isaiah 41:10-11
17. The Protestant Error of Sensationalism of Apparent Catholic Setbacks:
When I say
"apparent", I mean just that. Practically every
newsworthy item that appears to show the Catholic Church in a bad light is
blown all out of proportion by "I told you so" Protestants. Cases in
point:
1) The finding of an
apparent Biblical ossuary which has an inscription which says "James, Son
of Joseph, Brother of Jesus": Protestants are rejoicing
in the streets shouting, "We told you so that Mary had other
children"! If Protestants would only read the Bible which they claim that
they read, they would see that there is nothing new here as far as "the
brother of Jesus" is concerned. "But I saw none of
the other apostles except James the Lord's brother." Galatians 1:19
That verse has been in
Holy Scripture for well over 1900 years, so why all the hype over the ossuary
if not for yet another Protestant attack with false charges against the
Catholic Church?
Did you notice that the
"James" mentioned in that verse is also an Apostle? There are two
Apostles named James, and Holy Scripture gives us the names of the parents of
both of them, and neither of the mothers is the Blessed Virgin Mary. However,
there is something at odds with Scripture in that inscription, and that is the
"James" mentioned on the ossuary had a father named Joseph. Too bad
that Holy Scripture tells us that neither father of the two Apostles called
"James" was named Joseph, but were named Zebedee and Cleophas.
Did any Protestant bother
to check the facts before making yet more false charges against the Catholic
Church, and then go about rejoicing over the lie that I have shown that it is? Why didn't they first use
their invented Sola Scriptura as I did, to find themselves to be without
foundation in accusing the Catholic Church yet again that "Mary had other
children"?
This is a prime example of
how the false doctrine of Sola Scriptura can be used as a tool to the advantage
of Catholics as well, and to the disadvantage of Protestants, in proving from
Scripture alone, the fact that the ossuary inscription has nothing to do with
Jesus Christ, the two Apostles named James, the Blessed Virgin Mary, or Saint
Joseph.
Now why didn't Bible
believing Protestants find it first? Is it because they did not want to find
the truth but preferred to believe the lie?
2) Sexual scandals in the
Catholic Priesthood: To hear Protestants talk,
you would think that every Catholic priest is a pedophile. If only they would
take the time to check the facts, then they would find that the number amounts
to about 1.8% of Catholic Priests who have been accused of any sexual
misconduct at all, and out of that figure less than half have been accused of
pedophilia. It is to be noted that to be accused of something is not indicative
that the person is guilty. It would seem, however, that if it is a priest who
is being accused, that he is automatically deemed guilty until proven innocent.
It has been proven that many priests have been accused falsely by unscrupulous
people who are simply looking for large cash awards, and their false charges
have been dismissed. Not only that, but those figures go back 30 years or more
and many of the accused priests have since passed away. "And He said to His
disciples, "It is impossible that scandals should not come; but woe to him
through whom they come." Luke 17:1
Didn't Jesus say,
"Let him who is without sin cast the first stone..."? John 8:7 Now if Protestants would
just look in their own back yards, they would find that the percentages of
their own clergy accused to be even higher for the same crimes than for
Catholic priests . You do not hear much about those cases however, because the
liberal media has always set a higher priority for bashing the Catholic Church
whenever the opportunity arises. However, we do recall the
huge scandals perpetrated by Jimmy Swaggart, James Baker, Jim Jones, and Jesse
Jackson, just to name a few Protestant figures. Have you ever noticed that
when you point your finger at someone else, you have three of them pointing at
yourself? Try it and see?
18. The Protestant Error of Deriding What They Do Not Understand:
It would seem that normal
human curiosity would prompt all of us to search for the truth. Even if we
refuse to search for it of our own free will, Holy Scripture demands it of us
(Romans 1:18,2:8).
Some Protestant sects,
however, constantly deride and blaspheme Catholic teaching without ever
bothering to find out whether what they deride is true or not. Looking at their
actions from a Catholic point of view, they appear to display a hatred for the
Catholic Church which is greater than their love for GOD. Anyone who loves GOD,
searches for Him, since He is truth personified.
"But these men, as
irrational beasts, naturally tending to the snare and to destruction,
blaspheming those things which they know not, shall perish in their
corruption." 2Peter 2:12
"But these men revile
whatever they do not understand, and by those things that they know by instinct
as irrational animals do, they are destroyed." Jude 1:10
I have just presented four
more verses in this lone topic which are not recognized by Protestants. A companion to this topic
follows next...
19. The Error of Not Accepting the Truth When it is Presented to Them:
The false charges made by
Protestants against the Catholic Church are easily proven false by many
different channels. However the Protestant mind-set is such that they
automatically discard proofs of their errors without even investigating them
for themselves. Scripture has many verses which condemn those who refuse to
accept the truth. It is a triple self condemnation on their part, first for
even making the false charge, next for ignoring those verses, and lastly for
their failure to even read and study the evidence of their being in error
presented to them.
1. The charges that Peter
was not the first Pope, that Peter was never in Rome, are proven false by
scores of authentic historical writings which date in every century all the way
back to the first century. However, Sola Scriptura believers reject all written
history before the Protestant revolt, just as if history had come to a
standstill for fifteen hundred years, except if they can twist it to support
their false beliefs.
"The coming of the
lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended
signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish,
because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends
upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all
may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in
unrighteousness." 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
"For the time is
coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they
will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will
turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths." 2 Timothy 4:3-4
"But if you have
bitter jealousy and contentions in your hearts, go not glory and be liars
against the truth."
James 3:14
"But because I speak
the truth you do not believe me. Which of you can convict me of sin? If I speak
the truth, why do you not believe me?" John 8:46-47
"And if anyone will
not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as
you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable
on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that
town." Matthew 10:14-15
I am forced to conclude
that Protestants are not interested in finding the truth, but are interested only in
their own agendas.
Closed minds are closed to
truth. Closed to truth is closed to Him who is Truth, and to His Word. This observation leads us
to the next topic.
20. The Protestant Closed Mind Error:
The hardest thing in the
world to open is a closed mind. People with closed minds have their heads in
the sand, seemingly believing that they wallow in the truth and are safely
hidden and protected from outside influence. They are comfortable where they
are, and they do not want to change because change requires effort. Also they are
afraid that they might have to admit that they were in error if they were shown
to be wrong. That would put them in a struggle with pride, which is the root of
all sin. They are victims of what is commonly called "subjective
certitude".
They are, "...ever
learning yet never attaining knowledge of the truth (2Timothy 3:7)."
Objective certitude means
that the mind conforms to objective truth. The person with objective certitude
is certain of the truth because it is the truth. The person with subjective
certitude is motivated by their feelings whether they are of truth or not.
Those who are locked into subjective certitude are only fooling themselves into
thinking that they are right simply because they are sincere in their beliefs.
However, sincerity is a two edged sword and can be misleading, simply because a
person can be sincerely wrong as well.
"Therefore let anyone
who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." 1Corinthians 10:12
People with open minds, at
least will listen to other viewpoints, and through research, study, and prayer,
will make careful decisions as to which viewpoint has objective truth, which in
itself will lead them to objective certitude. "Finally, brethren,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there
is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8
What does Holy Scripture
say about keeping a closed mind?
"With them indeed is
fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: 'You shall indeed hear but never
understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive. For this people's
heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they
have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their
ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.' But
blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly, I say
to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not
see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." Matthew 13:14-17
"For the wrath of God
is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by
their wickedness suppress the truth." Romans 1:18
"...but for those who
are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be
wrath and fury." Romans 2:8
Well, there you have it.
How are those with subjective certitude, resulting in closed minds, ever going
to be able to even find the truth?
The answer to that one is
that they will not ever find the truth unless they open their minds.
Scripture, as I have
shown, commands us to have open minds so we can explore all avenues presented
to us in our search for the truth.
Protestants claim, that
they follow Scripture ONLY.
I have noticed that they
tend to do so only when it agrees with their personal opinions, each with their
own individual "subjective certitude".
However, Holy Scripture
has clearly said that we must search for the truth, and no one can do that while
harboring a closed mind.
21. The Protestant Error of Arrogance:
Arrogance:
1. Having overbearing
pride, haughtiness, contempt of others.
2. Having a superior
attitude over who they perceive to be inferior to themselves.
3. Displaying a rebellious
and disobedient attitude towards authority.
This behavior is commonly
displayed among many, but not all Protestant sects. The opposite of pride is
humility. The opposite of disobedience is obedience. Please show me the
Scripture verses where Jesus Christ taught us to be arrogant and not humble.
Please show me where He taught disobedience instead of obedience? He was both
humble and obedient throughout the Gospels. Aren't we supposed to imitate Him?
He was obedient and displayed humility to His mother and foster father after He
was found in the temple (Luke 2:51), and to His mother at Cana (John 2:3-10).
Just imagine, here is the creator of the universe, in humble obedience to a
mere creature whom He had created. He was obedient to Pilate, to Herod, to
Roman rule (Mark 12:17), even to His death on the cross.
"He who is greatest
among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and
whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12
"Likewise you that are
younger be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, ALL OF YOU, with humility
toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt
you."
1Peter 5:5-6, more verses
ignored by Protestants.
For those Protestants who
exalt themselves due to unmitigated arrogance, how can you possibly justify
your actions in the face of what Jesus Christ has set for us as an example to
follow?
Where is humility in Protestantism
instead of arrogance?
Where is obedience instead
of disobedience? Was Martin Luther obedient? Was he humble?
22. The Wearing of Protestant Glasses with Blinders Error:
In order to arrive at the
truth, we must look through the lenses of the eyes of Jesus Christ who is truth
(John 14:6). Protestants consistently look at issues through biased Protestant
glasses with blinders on both sides and are seemingly oblivious to what is
available outside of their narrow field of view. They read only Protestant
material and books, and when asked for genuine historical documents to
"prove" what they say, they will invariably quote from some other
Protestant novel. These quotes are not genuine historical documents and offer
no "proof" of anything whatsoever, but are merely the opinions of the
writer.
An intelligent, thinking
person, using his GOD given common sense, will explore all avenues available
regardless of who wrote it, in order to arrive at the truth. One prime example
of what I have said here, is their refusal to read the multitudinous writings
of scores of Christians who lived before the Protestant revolt.
Saint Augustine's (354-430
A.D.) "Confessions" is the second most widely read book of all time
right behind the Holy Bible, and it is very applicable to our lives of today,
yet Protestants will ignore this priceless treasure of lessons regarding our
relationship with GOD.
There are thousands of
writings by scores of brilliant writers in every century of which Protestants
have consistently and willingly ignored. Protestants make due with
only a part of written material available, mainly writings after the early 16th
century. At the same time they will ignore the great bulk, an enormous
collection of genuine historical writings for the first fifteen centuries of
Christianity. This material is easily found on the Internet for free, and in
bookstores, and libraries.
I sense that they are
afraid to read early Church writings, and even secular writings, such as
non-biased history books, and even Encyclopedias, for fear of what they will
find therein. If a person wanted to find
out who founded what Church, just have them consult a secular Encyclopedia and
it will have the answer.
23. The Protestant Error of Not Heeding Anything but Their Own Agenda:
It have been seen many
times when detailed answers were given to their anti-Catholic charges which
proves from Scripture that their charges are baseless, they will just return
with the same false charges, not even reading what I have sent them. This tells
us that their hatred for the Catholic Church is greater than their love for GOD
and for the truth, and that all they are really interested in is their own
agenda.
"A fool takes no
pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion."
24. The Protestant Lack of Reasoning Power Error:
Everything having to do
with GOD and His Church is so simple that any thinking person should be able to
reason it out for themselves. We have the truth in the Words of Jesus Christ,
and the power of reasoning and basic logic in order to discern those Words
properly.
Anything that contradicts
even one of the verses listed above is not from GOD, but from the author of
division and confusion.
35,000 plus Protestant
"folds" is a violation by all sects of several verses in (There is
only one fold):
And other sheep I have,
that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my
voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.
And I say to thee: That
thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it.
With all of them teaching contradicting
doctrines, they violate:
Jesus saith to him: I am
the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. John 14:6 Sanctify them in truth.
Thy word is truth.
With none of them having any authority, they
violate:
[15] But if thy brother
shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he
shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother. [16] And if he will not hear
thee, take with thee one or two more: that in the mouth of two or three
witnesses every word may stand. [17] And if he will not hear them: tell the
church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen
and publican. [18] Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth,
shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall
be loosed also in heaven.
[21] He said therefore to
them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. [22]
When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the
Holy Ghost. [23] Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and
whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.
They all certainly violate
with their practice of "individual interpretation" of Holy Scripture.
[14] Wherefore, dearly
beloved, waiting for these things, be diligent that you may be found before him
unspotted and blameless in peace. [15] And account the longsuffering of our
Lord, salvation; as also our most dear brother Paul, according to the wisdom given
him, hath written to you: [16] As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of
these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the
unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their
own destruction. [17] You therefore, brethren, knowing these things before,
take heed, lest being led aside by the error of the unwise, you fall from your
own steadfastness.
[30] And Philip running
thither, heard him reading the prophet Isaias. And he said: Thinkest thou that
thou understandest what thou readest? [31] Who said: And how can I, unless some
man shew me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. [32]
And the place of the scripture which he was reading was this: He was led as a
sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb without voice before his shearer, so
openeth he not his mouth. [33] In humility his judgment was taken away. His
generation who shall declare, for his life shall be taken from the earth? [34]
And the eunuch answering Philip, said: I beseech thee, of whom doth the prophet
speak this? of himself, or of some other man?
Why is it so hard to
reason that to have only one truth, you must have only one authority? It is
that simple, but Protestants simply cannot understand it, and their tens of
thousands of sects prove it. After all, by simple
reasoning and common sense, it is easy to see that GOD would not have given us
one inerrant book without first giving us one infallible interpreter for it.
25. The Protestant Error of the Rejection of
Most of the Sacraments:
Most Protestant sects have
only two sacraments (Matrimony and Baptism). I will not detail all of those which they reject, but I
will mention the sacrament of matrimony. The union of a man and a woman
in marriage is a sacred vow. Scripture is clear that this union is not to be
broken by the whims and wiles of man. However, Protestant sects in condoning
divorce have ignored yet more of Holy Scripture.
By divorce, why do
Protestants try to divide one flesh? After all, it is anti-GOD and anti-Bible.
A valid marriage in the
eyes of GOD is indivisible.
"And Pharisees came
up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife
for any cause?" He answered, "Have
you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and
female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and
be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no
longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man
put asunder." Matthew 19:3-6
In taking the literal
translation of Holy Scripture with the mind set of Protestantism that is all
they would get. However, in the eyes of GOD, the two are still married until
death do they part.
26. The Inconsistency of Protestant Teaching Error:
Since GOD never changes,
and therefore His Word never changes, why then do Protestants change their
teaching according to which way the wind is blowing? Their teachings fall more
and more along secular pressure lines rather than what they taught originally.
1. Their teaching
regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary. Protestant reformation founders loved the
Mother of GOD, and yet their heirs scorn her and love her not.
2. All Christian churches
once banned abortion. Now many Protestant sects accept it.
Did GOD change His mind
about abortion? Is GOD now Pro-Choice? Many Protestants are.
3. All Christian sects
once banned female ministers. Now there are female ministers and deacons in many Protestant
sects, Anglican, Methodist and Episcopalian, just to name a few. Their
"reward" for doing this, has resulted in that all of those listed are
experiencing a declining membership.
4. Contraception and the
Lambeth Conference. Before 1930, all of the mainline Protestant churches were
in agreement with the Catholic Church regarding the sin of contraception.
However, in 1930 the Anglican Church called the Lambeth conference and decreed
that contraception was acceptable under certain conditions. Since then, the
conditions were softened again and again until they disappeared altogether, and
now just about all of Protestantism openly supports contraception.
Isn't this a clear result
of secular pressure for, "We want contraception unconditionally"?
Today, the Catholic Church
stands almost alone on this subject...............ALMOST!
GOD stands behind and
beside His Catholic Church.
But if it be of God, you
cannot overthrow it, lest perhaps you be found even to fight against God. And
they consented to him.
What shall we then say to
these things? If God be for us, who is against us? Romans 8:31
Because the husband is the
head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. He is the saviour of his
body.
Here is yet another verse
which was clearly abandoned by Protestants for this subject, but which is
clearly followed by the, "unbending to secular pressure", Catholic
Church:
"But Peter and the
apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men'."
27. The Protestant Similarities to Islam
Error:
In Islam it is the Koran
only and in Protestantism it is the Bible only.
In Islam there is the extreme
right which teaches that the Koran does not espouse violence, while the extreme
left say just the opposite that the Koran does espouse Jihad, or Holy war. In
Protestantism, there are striking similarities between right and left just as
in Islam. While one side interprets Scripture to read one way, the other side
will invariably interpret Scripture to read just the opposite.
Islamism and Protestantism
have similar patterns. You would see a scattering of personal opinions, right,
left, conservative, liberal, etc. However, who would be at the center, or hub
of each pattern? Name the person? You cannot, as neither Protestantism nor
Islam has any central authority to make the final definitive decision regarding
the truth of any of their perceived doctrines.
The answer to "what
is the root of the problem here", is that neither Protestantism nor Islam
has any central authority.
28. The Protestant Christless Cross Error:
Protestants appear to
honor Saint Paul more than they do Saint Peter, so why do they neglect to
follow his teaching regarding the cross?
The Crucifix is denied by
Protestants. However, Saint Paul taught:
But we preach Christ
crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles
foolishness:
How can anyone preach a
crucified Christ with an empty or Christ-less cross?
For I judged not myself to
know anything among you, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
O senseless Galatians, who
hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus
Christ hath been set forth, crucified among you?
Catholics can relate to
the crucifix since we all carry our crosses.
Then Jesus said to his
disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow me.
There is no Christless
cross, just as there is no crossless Christ.
29. The Protestant Error of Hypocrisy:
Protestants will deny
Purgatory because they cannot find the word in the Bible even though the
doctrine itself is in the Bible.
Why then do most of them
believe in the Trinity when that word is not in the Bible either? Hypocrisy?
Why do many Protestants
believe in something called "the rapture", when strangely, I cannot
find the word "rapture' in the Bible either. Hypocrisy?
Protestants say if it is
not in the Bible they will not believe it, deja-vu Sola Scriptura. Simply by trying to use
Sola Scriptura, neither I, nor they, nor anyone else, can find the words or the
doctrine of Sola Scriptura anywhere in the Bible.
With what they have been
taught about it, how can any Protestant ever believe it if they cannot find it
in Scripture? Isn't that being
hypocritical, especially on that subject?
Protestants claim that the
Catholic Church is corrupted, yet they also claim that the Bible is infallible.
However, it is a foregone conclusion, proven by historical fact, that the Bible
did indeed come from the Catholic Church. So are they willing to admit that a
corrupted Church had to have given them a corrupted Bible that they use? Or, on
the other side of the coin, are they willing to admit that it had to have been
an infallible Church which gave them an inerrant Bible? So which way is it, a corrupted
Church and a corrupted Bible, or an infallible Church and an inerrant Bible? Hypocrisy?
Why do Protestants accept
the infallible decisions made by Bishops in Catholic Church councils for the
canon of the New Testament, while at the same time they deny the decisions made
by those same councils and Bishops in establishing the canon of the Old
Testament? Hypocrisy?
Why do Protestants
constantly split and form new sects when there is no verse in Holy Scripture
which authorizes them to do so? Scripture has a lot to say about oneness in
Christianity, and scorns those who are divisive (1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 1Timothy
6:3-5). Isn't having over 35,000 Protestant sects being divisive? Aren't these never ending
splits hypocritical for supposed Bible believers?
Why do some Protestant
sects deny that the Catholic Church is mentioned in the Bible and then turn
around and say it is mentioned in the Bible as the "Whore of Babylon"
and the beast of 666?
Funny thing, but by
capitalizing on using their belief in Sola Scriptura, and by putting it into
practice, I simply cannot find those connections to the Catholic Church in
Scripture, but then it does not surprise me, for since they made up the story,
neither can they.
Ah yes, Sola Scriptura,
the false man-made invention of Protestantism that works against them far more
often than they think that it works for them. Doesn't this prove that
they are being hypocritical?
Why do supposed Bible
believing Protestants chastise Catholics and the Catholic Church with never
ending false charges and hatred, when Holy Scripture clearly says to love your
neighbor as yourself? Hypocritical maybe?
"Teacher, which is
the great commandment in the law?" And he said to him, "You shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with
all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like
it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend
all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:36-40
Where does Scripture say
anywhere, that you must love your neighbor except if he be Catholic?
Ministers in some
Protestant sects actually preach hatred of the Catholic Church from the pulpit.
What kind of ministers are
they who preach hatred of others instead of "Love thy neighbor"?
I wish to thank all of
those Protestants who persecute Catholics and the Catholic Church, because all
that you are accomplishing is to help all Catholics to a greater reward in
Heaven. Hear Ye!
"Blessed are you when
men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you
falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven,
for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:11-12
30. The Protestant Error of Democratic Rule:
Jesus Christ clearly
founded a Church ruled by theocracy and governed by a hierarchy. It is a
Kingdom, the Kingdom of GOD. It is the king who holds absolute authoritarian
rule over his kingdom.
[22] And he hath subjected
all things under his feet, and hath made him head over all the church, [23]
Which is his body, and the fullness of him who is filled all in all.
Jesus Christ, the King, is
the head of His Church and the Church is His body. In a theocracy, the head
always tells the body what do.
Therefore as the church is
subject to Christ, so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things.
When has the body ever
told the head what to do? That is exactly how many Protestant sects operate.
That rule is called democracy, or government by the people.
How many issues in
Protestantism are decided by a vote of the people? Just a few years back, a
large mainline Protestant denomination decided to split yet again, by a vote of
its membership.
That form of government
was not instituted by GOD for His Church.
31. Anti-Biblical Errors to Which
Protestants Hold:
Part of this is a
summation of what have previously presented but with some additions.
How do Protestants explain
the following?
1. The man made concept of Sola Scriptura is
anti-biblical. Where are the words "Sola Scriptura" and the verses
describing it? I have searched for years, and no Protestant has been able to
show me the verse(s) either. Hebrews
13:9
2. Private interpretation of Holy Scripture is
anti-biblical. 2 Peter 1:20
3. Support of abortion is anti-biblical. Exodus 20:13
4. Support of contraception is anti-biblical. Gen 38:9-10
5. The division of the Body of Christ is
anti-biblical. John 10:16
6. Personal opinion rule is anti-biblical. Mark 12:14
7. Calumnizing another human person is
anti-biblical. John 15:12
8. Calumnizing the Church which Jesus Christ
founded is anti-biblical. 1 Corinthians
15:9
9. Insulting and degrading the Mother of GOD
is anti-biblical. Luke 1:48
10. Judging another person
is anti-biblical. Luke 6:37
11. Failing to abide by
the meaning of one is anti-biblical. Ephesians
4:1-6
12. Having female
ministers is anti-biblical. John 15:16
13. Abiding by the
opinions of men instead of the will of GOD is anti-biblical. Acts 5:29
14. Failing to accept the
truth when presented to them is anti-biblical. Romans 1:18, 2:8
15. Failing to search for
the truth is anti-biblical. Romans 2:8
16. Lying in false attacks
against the Catholic Church is anti-biblical. Ex 20:16, Rev 21:27
17. Holding to the Sabbath
as some Protestant sects do is anti-biblical. Colossians 2:16
18. The failure to be
consistent in teaching is anti-biblical. Truth does not change. John 14:6
19. The rejection of parts
of Holy Scripture is anti-biblical. James 2:10
20. Once saved always
saved is anti-biblical. Philippians 2:12
21. Saved by faith alone
is anti-biblical. James 2:24
22. Saved by grace alone
is anti-biblical. James 2:24
23. Having a closed mind
is anti-biblical. Romans 2:8
24. Rejection of authority
is anti-biblical. Hebrews 13:17
25. Having no authority is
anti-biblical. Matthew 18:15-18, Hebrews
13:17
26. Twisting Scripture to
suit false teaching is anti-biblical. 2 Peter
3:16
27. Adding to or
subtracting from Scripture as some do is anti-biblical. Deut 4:2, Rev 22:18-19
28. Following the false
prophet as some sects do is anti-biblical. Matthew
7:15
29. The Protestant revolt
was anti-biblical. Hebrews 13:17
30. Bending to secular
pressures is anti-biblical. Truth can never be compromised. Acts 5:29
32. The Error of Unbiblical Inventions by Protestantism:
1) The Rapture: Funny
thing, but I cannot find the word "rapture" in the Bible. Did Sola
Scriptura fail yet again? This false belief was first espoused by John Nelson
Darby in 1827. It was later promoted by Cyrus Scofield in a footnote in his
1909 Scofield Reference Bible.
2) Denominationalism:
Where can this widely practiced Protestant error be found in Scripture?
3) The "invisible
church", yet another ploy to downgrade the Catholic Church.
Scripture is clear that
the Church which Jesus Christ founded is highly visible, Matthew 5:14-16.
4) The "total depravity
of man". It is unbiblical also.
5) Predestination, an
invention of Calvinist Protestantism. It is unbiblical.
33. The Error of the Protestant Lie:
"But as for the
cowardly and unbelieving, and abominable and murderers, and fornicators and
sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their portion shall be in the pool
that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Revelation
21:8, ignored by all liars. There shall not enter into it any thing defiled, or that worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they that are written in the book of life of the Lamb.Rev 21:27
It is a foregone
conclusion that Jesus Christ founded only one Church.
1) Why then, do
Protestants ignore this fact and continue to splinter the Body of Christ?
2) There is no Protestant
who can trace his or her church back any farther than the Protestant revolt of
the early 16th century. Where is the verse which
authorized them to break from the true Church in the first place?
3) No Protestant can show
that their church was founded by Jesus Christ, yet Scripture says there is only
one Church, the one founded by GOD (Psalms 127:1, Matthew 16:18).
4) They deny that the
Catholic Church is the Church which Jesus Christ founded, yet they cannot name
the Church which He did found in its stead. Isn't it strange that Scripture has
said that GOD's Church will last forever (Isaiah 2:2,59:21, Matthew 28:20,
Ephesians 3:21), and yet Protestants refuse to name it? If Scripture can be
believed at all, why then do they refuse to name GOD's one and only Church?
5) They cannot name the
person who founded the Catholic Church while at the same time they deny that it
was Jesus Christ. That is strange also, since every Church on earth was founded
by a person with a name. Every single one of the tens of thousands of
Protestant sects can be traced back to a human person with a name, as its
founder. Why is it that Protestants refuse to name the founder of the Catholic
Church?
Isn't that the epitome of
arrogance as I touched upon in a previous segment?
6) Why do Protestants
spread the lie that the Catholic Church apostatized soon after the last Apostle
died, and therefore the Church of today is not the one that Jesus Christ
founded?
This lie flies in the face
of Matthew 16:18, as Protestants must then have to admit that the 'gates of
hell' did indeed prevail, that the Bible was in error, and that all of the
verses I have previously listed that promise the perpetuity of Christ's Church
must be in error as well. This so-called "great apostasy" lie is then
magnified a hundredfold since no Protestant can produce genuine historical
documents which record such a "monumental, universe shaking event".
Every writer who was alive at the time had to have witnessed that supposed
"profound event", and those who have lived ever since (up until the
time that the lie was invented by Protestantism), did not write about it
either. What with the "greatest event since the crucifixion" at hand,
why didn't they? It is because it never happened, that's why. Simply put,
"No lie is of the truth", 1 John 2:21, so therefore no lie can be
proven.
Scripture does say that
people within Christ's Church will apostatize, but not the Church itself. For
you see, it is impossible, since Christ is the Head, and the Church is His
Body. How could the Body of
Christ rebel against, and leave His Head? They are inseparable forever. "Wives, be subject to
your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ
is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior." Ephesians
5:22-23
Okay Protestants, explain
those verses? Is Christ really the Savior of His Body, or did He desert it as
Protestantism would have us believe? Is Holy Scripture in error yet again
according to Protestant false charges?
Are we to believe the
Protestant lie, or the truth of the Word of GOD?
[24] Another parable he proposed to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seeds in his field. [25] But while men were asleep, his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat and went his way. [26] And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle.[27] And the servants of the goodman of the house coming said to him: Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it cockle? [28] And he said to them: An enemy hath done this. And the servants said to him: Wilt thou that we go and gather it up? [29] And he said: No, lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it. [30] Suffer both to grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn. Matthew
13:24-30
"For, in the first
place, when you assemble as a church, I hear that there are divisions among
you; and I partly believe it, for there must be factions among you in order
that those who are genuine among you may be recognized." 1 Corinthians
11:18-19.
From those two verses we
have a perfect example of the apostasy of individuals within the Church, those
who cause divisions and factions. Now from what I have shown in many places in
this writing, just who is the cause of divisions and factions? It is none other
than Protestantism. Protestantism has already created over 39,000 divisions and
factions, and which number is still increasing unceasingly every week to this
very day.
Who are the 'genuine among
you'?
They are the faithful of
the one and only Church that Jesus Christ founded and which is still with us
after almost 2000 years of persecution. Read Acts 5:38-39 for the reason why
this longevity.
For those who continue to
spread the lie of the so-called, and non-existent, "great apostasy",
please re-read Revelation 21:8, and endeavor to explain Ephesians 5:23-24?
7) How many verses have I
shown in this writing that Protestants ignore? Isn't it a lie to say that you
follow Scripture literally to the word, and yet ignore so many Scriptural
verses?
8) Why do Protestants take
the whole Bible literally except for John chapter 6, which they call symbolic?
One chapter in the whole Bible is symbolic? How can that be true?
9) How can Protestants say
that Sola Scriptura has been in use from day one, when for over 1400 years
almost no one had a Bible, and even if they did, the great majority of the
masses were illiterate anyhow?
10) Since Protestants
believe that "all Scripture is inspired (2Tim 3:16)", then why aren't
the gospels of Peter, Philip, Nicodemus, Bartholomew, Andrew, Thomas, etc, in
their Bible?
11) Where in Holy
Scripture did Jesus give instructions that the Christian faith is to be solely
based on a book? How about the same question except for using the Apostles
instead of Jesus?
12) Why do Protestants say
it is the Bible which is the pillar and foundation of truth when the Bible
clearly says it is the Church (1 Tim 3:15)? Please give me the name of that
Church?
13) Why do Protestants
reject Apostolic Tradition when the Bible clearly says, "So then,
brethren, stand firm and hold the teachings that you have learned, whether by
word or by letter of ours."
2 Thessalonians 2:15, yet
another verse ignored, and taught against by Protestantism.
14) Why do Protestants
deny that the Bible came from the Catholic Church when they cannot name a
truthful and provable alternate source, and where there are literally hundreds
of genuine historical documents which prove them to be wrong in their denial?
15) Protestants deny that
Peter was given primacy in Matthew 16:18. Nothing in Scripture is done without
a purpose. For what purpose then, did Jesus change Simon's name to Peter?
16) Why do Protestants
deny that the Papacy is Scriptural, when in fact, it is very Scriptural?
17) Why is it that
Protestants can never supply genuine historical documents to "prove"
their false charges? Is it because the lie can never be proven, but the truth
can be?
It is simple, if you have
no truth, then you have no proof.
Catholics can, and do,
supply genuine historical documents to prove what they teach.
Why then do Protestants
refuse to read them? Romans 1:18, 2:8
18) Why do Protestants
deny the unbroken line of succession of Popes down through the centuries from
St. Peter to the present Pope, when the Catholic Church has given free access
for anyone to research genuine historical documents to prove it to be true, but
Protestants refuse to read them? Anyone can go to a secular encyclopedia and
see the same succession of Popes.
19) Why do Protestants
deny that the Catholic Church has existed from the first century, when hundreds
of genuine historical documents, written by scores of Holy men and women, are
freely available to prove them wrong in their denial? However, Protestants
simply refuse to read them. As explained earlier, Protestants teach that
history ended with Acts 28:30 and did not begin again until Luther came along. Another church who wants to stand on their own teaches that history began again in 1914 and also refused to read the truth about Jesus Christ's continued presence in the Blessed Sacrament throughout those 2000 years.
"But there is nothing
concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made
known."
Luke 12:2
"Just as the weeds
are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The
Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all
causes of sin and all evildoers (includes those who lie and reject the truth),
and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their
teeth. Then the righteous (those who follow the teaching of Christ through His
one Church) will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has
ears, let him hear." Matthew 13:40-43
"Do all things
without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation, among whom
you shine as lights in the world." Philippians 2:14-15
"Truth has always
bothered people and is never comfortable."
Cardinal Ratzinger (now
Pope Benedict XVI), October 9, 2000
<><><><><><><>
However, He who has
refused to acknowledge
the truth in life will be forced to confront
it in death.
<><><><><><><>
But by then it is too late
isn't it?
Because at that point in
time the GOD of Mercy
has suddenly become the
GOD of Justice.
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In the path of justice is life: but the by-way leadeth to death. Proverbs 12:28
Am I then become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? Galatians 4:16
LAST NOTES TO PONDER:
1. Do you in your heart believed that Martin Luther is now with the Lord in heaven? Or is he somewhere else?
2. When Judas denied betrayed Jesus and led Him to be crucified, did he go to heaven? Or is he somewhere else?
3. When you deny Jesus' Divinity and treat Him as just a created man, will you go to heaven? Or are you going somewhere else?
4. Will you rather listen to a man, or your church founder, your pastor, your minister or will you listen to Jesus Christ, His Apostles and the Church Fathers?
2. When Judas denied betrayed Jesus and led Him to be crucified, did he go to heaven? Or is he somewhere else?
3. When you deny Jesus' Divinity and treat Him as just a created man, will you go to heaven? Or are you going somewhere else?
4. Will you rather listen to a man, or your church founder, your pastor, your minister or will you listen to Jesus Christ, His Apostles and the Church Fathers?
God Bless you all and may your find what you are looking for. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is God the Way, the Truth and the Life.
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