4 Awful Things Catholics Supposably Believe
Back in university, I met some people with strong opinions against Catholic beliefs. Around that time, I began to grow in my relationship with Jesus, and I loved talking with people about theology, regardless of their religion. Let me say that even though I cannot remember a day when my family and I deliberately missed mass, I had NO idea why I believed what I believed. I also hadn’t questioned why people had different beliefs; I knew they were different from mine, and that was that.
In college, I was challenged with claims that the Catholic Church was a fraud!! I heard compelling arguments that didn’t align with my experience or research on the church. But they encouraged me to do more research and grow in prayer. Interestingly enough, around that time, I gave in to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and began paying attention during church and using my free time to learn about the faith.
I will share four constantly heard claims and what I learned about being Catholic. Give it a read, and let me know if you’ve experienced these and how you responded!
(Click here to watch the video version of this post!)
The Pope is Infallible.
This is one of the most popular oppositions I’ve heard.
People ask if I would be Catholic if the Pope taught that it was acceptable for homosexuals to get married. At first, I thought it was a silly question: the Pope cannot change Church teachings that contradict the Word of God. The person admitted it’s unlikely, but since Catholics believe he is infallible (or without error), I would need to accept the new teaching if the Pope said so–I was dumbfounded.
I assumed people knew that being Pope or any clergy did NOT mean being holy and perfect. Only God is perfect!!
One hopes that the Pope and clergy execute God’s will and preach with example, but they are still human. And while there are instances where a Pope may teach infallibly, those instances are rare since it has only happened twice in history.
Believing everything the Pope has taught without error would be absurd. It is hard to think that a man would be sinless simply for becoming Bishop of Rome.
Anyway, you should check out this article for more information on Papal Infallibility and this post on “Is the Pope Try to Eat Your Brain?“
Mary is Equal to God
Okay, yes, we love the Virgin Mary, our Savior’s mother, wife of the Holy Spirit, and daughter of the Most High.
How amazing is that? No other human being can say they have that kind of relationship with all three persons of the Trinity!!
Now, it is essential to say that Mary, as amazing as she is, is human and NOT divine. Christians should worship only God. Her willingness to accept God’s will is beyond admirable. God chose her to be the mother of Jesus, and she trusted God, not fully understanding what it entailed. Try to read Luke 1:26-56 and tell me that Mary isn’t someone special.
I’ll make another post to speak more on this, but to put this claim to ease, for now, remember St. Maximillian Kolbe’s words:
Catholics are Idolators!
More often than not, this point follows the Mary accusations. Churches and homes are adorned with statues, most commonly of the Blessed Mother. Exodus 20:3-5 are often the go-to verses when disputing this topic:
You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. You shall not bow down to them or worship them
The Ten Commandments
There is only ONE God, and only He deserves praise. The church wholeheartedly agrees with that. Having a statue of Jesus, Mary, or a saint helps to have a physical reminder of those people who have walked a life of faith! A comparison could be having pictures of your family members, which you most likely do not think of as equals to God, right? So, if you are on the wall, why not put someone who has lived out their faith with honor?
But is God a Hypocrite?
Didn’t God command the Israelites to make”two cherubim (angels) of gold” in Exodus 25:18-22? And didn’t God say to Moses,” Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten when he looks at it, shall live” in Numbers 21:8-9? Why would God suggest healing His people with an idol of a snake?
And no, it is not a contradiction; instead, it shows that a statue also functions to worship God indirectly. The problem is whether people think the statue or idol is better than God or the reason for miracles!
When we see the face of someone, it is easier to remember who they are and what they did. In the case of Mary, she shows us that she was a magnificent vessel for the Word of God, which we can all hope to imitate. The goal of having images and statues of the saints is to encourage us to live our lives as Christ taught. Knowing that others have made an effort to be faithful to God is inspiring.
Catholics Cannot Read the Bible. Ever.
This one makes me laugh the most! It’s a mixture of humor and disappointment because it’s more often than not true!!
Catholics have a terrible reputation when it comes to reading and memorizing scripture. I must say, the way protestants cite verses without a sweat is impressive. That is something that I love about the people I’ve talked to about this topic. But to say that Catholics are discouraged from ever reading their Bibles is insane.
Supposably, priests tell their people to avoid reading scripture because the Bible will open their eyes to the Church’s lies once they read it. That is very interesting because many converts like Steve Ray, Kimberly and Scott Hann, and Lizzie Reezay said that studying scripture helped them stop protesting the Church’s teachings.
I’ve never met anyone advised against Bible reading by clergy members. But I’ve only met two people who have read the Bible cover to cover! Most Catholics are NOT reading their Bibles, and that is something that I pray changes!!
The Bible is a beautiful way of hearing God’s voice.
If you don’t have a good praying schedule or need help praying with the Bible, check out this link for a Free guide and more resources!!
However, if you go to mass and pay attention, you get to hear three different parts of scripture!
How do we expect to do God’s will if we do not take time to hear His voice daily?
Anyway, saying not to read the Bible is irrational. More so if it comes from a Church adorned with passages from the Bible throughout its walls—even an illiterate(as was the case for the majority of the people back in the day) would be able to learn about God’s Word as he/she stepped foot in a church.
At the End of It All
There is so much more that I can write about these topics, but I will leave it for another post. I hope this clarified these common misconceptions or that it sparked some interest to look deeper into it. As always, please do your research on the facts!
The challenge for Today: Meditate over Luke Chapter 1
I am a Catholic and I was horrified reading this. Absolutely every single one of these points was not true. 1) The pope is guided by the Holy Spirit to make decisions in the church following scripture which he CAN NOT change. 2) We do not idolize Mary we simply ask for her intercession or ask for her to pray for us as u would ask a friend to pray for you because we believe she was all holy and without original sin in order to house and carry Out Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 3) Catholics are NOT forbidden to read the Bible and are widely encouraged to do so. I read my Bible every day study it, take notes, and doodle scripture all the time. I even go to Catholic school where we have a Theology class dedicated to learning scripture. 4) Mary is not the equivalent to God and we never claim so; we ask for the saints intercession (prayers) and model our lives after them so we can be holy like them because some of them lived closer to our modern time. We keep images of them to remind us of what they did and to remember to stay holy and focused on our creator. This really upset me that this article was saying all these horrible things about my church that where not even true. I would encourage you to please do your research and next time maybe look into a religion and really try to be more educated about it and understand it before you post about it and mislead others. Thank You, and God Bless.
Hi Grace,
Thank you for taking the time to reply with such fervor to defend the faith! I pray more people are vocal and correct others in their misconceptions about the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ. I wrote the article arguing against what protestants say to me when they find out I am Catholic. I apologize if somewhere in the article it seemed as if I was attacking the church; it most certainly was the opposite of what I intended.
I’d appreciate it if you could read through the whole article once more and let me know what I could change to clarify I was validating four catholic beliefs some people use against the Church when they do not understand our faith.
Let me know if there is any way I can pray for you 🙂
God Bless!
I was raised Catholic. I grew up in the 1960s when our priest told us we could not read the Bible. Later, we were told that we could read the Bible. Then I asked my mother for the family Bible. I started reading it ravenously. Back then I read the extra books the Catholics have. Since, I have read all 66 books of the Bible. Reading the Bible has helped me walk away from the Catholic Church and asking God’s guidance. I am so glad not to be going to a Catholic church. I have grown so strong in the Lord since I have left.
Elizabeth, unfortunately, the Bible has often done more harm than good to people who are questioning their faith and the teachings of the Catholic Church. (Protestantism has been in a perpetual state of demolition from the start because of private interpretation and the presumption of being one’s own pope.) Holy Scripture wasn’t written for individuals to decide for themselves what is definitive revelation from God. The power to “bind and loose” was granted to Peter and the Apostles united with him and thereby to their successors in the Episcopal College in union with the Vicar of Christ. In the time of Jesus, the Jews attended the synagogue to hear the word of God proclaimed in the Torah. The rabbinic scrolls weren’t mass produced and distributed to the entire religious community for individuals to determine for themselves what God had revealed. The teaching and ruling authority in matters of faith and morals rested with the divinely appointed religious teachers. This practice was adopted by the first Christian community in apostolic time. The Scriptures (Old and New Testaments) are the written word of God that have proceeded from Tradition – the unwritten word of God declared by the Holy Spirit who guides the one true Church in all truth (John 16:12-13). The gospel has been preached since the first Pentecost. The written word confirms what has been preached. And, so, the Scriptures must be interpreted in light of sacred Tradition. The authority to interpret the Scriptures doesn’t officially lie with you and me. https://allaboutcatholicism.com/2020/09/11/the-word-of-god/
And count the forbearance of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures.
2 Peter 3:15-16
Someone shouldn`t comment on the Catholic church or what we believe if they don`t know what it is.
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