South End Church of Christ :: Article: Roman Catholic

South End
Church of Christ
4001 Taylor Blvd
Louisville, KY 40215

Roman Catholic
Aaron Erhardt

Few things were more a part of my life growing up than Roman Catholicism. I attended parochial schools for eight years, my mother was a lector at Mass, priests and nuns were regulars at family holidays, and many of my loved ones were buried in a Catholic cemetery. It introduced me to some of the finest people I have ever known and is a fixture in countless childhood memories.

Though Catholicism will always be a part of my past, it will not be a part of my future. This decision, which was not easy to make, had nothing to do with personal animosity. It had everything to do with truth. The very book that Catholicism claims to have given us contradicts their beliefs and practices.

I would encourage Catholics to look at their own version of the Bible and compare what they read to their beliefs and practices. That’s what I did, and it was an eye-opening experience. Below are just a few examples.

Roman Catholicism	Scripture
Priests called “Father”	Call no man father (Matt. 23:9)
Bishops must be unmarried	Bishops must be married (1 Tim. 3:2)
Mary is "Mediatrix"	Jesus is the only mediator (1 Tim. 2:5)
Baptism is a sprinkling	Baptism is a burial (Rom. 6:3-5)
Repetitious prayers (Rosary)	No repetitious prayers (Matt. 6:7)
Mary was a perpetual virgin	Mary had other children (Matt. 13:55-56)
Select deceased are “saints”	All Christians are “saints” (1 Cor. 1:2)
Clergymen called “Priests”	All Christians are “priests” (Rev. 1:6)
Infants inherit sin (original)	Sin is not inherited (Ezek. 18:20)
Peter was unmarried	Peter had a wife (1 Cor. 9:5)
Pope is “Vicar of Christ”	No mention of Pope
Forbid eating meats	No forbidding meats (1 Tim. 4:1-4)

When I approached the parish priest with these contradictions, he did not have an answer. Nor did the nun that I had a public discussion with last August. They just wanted me to “trust” them and the Church. That I cannot do.

There is one other issue that I would like to mention — the Catholic view of Mary. In the book The Glories of Mary, which is highly regarded and bears the official declarations of the Church, we read this about Mary: “Mary so loved us that she gave her only-begotten son” (p. 17, they substituted Mary’s name in place of God, John 3:16); “No one besides Mary has loved us so much as to give an only-begotten and well-beloved Son for us” (p. 18, what about God the Father?); “That pledge is Mary, whom he has given them as a champion or advocate” (p. 34, Jesus is our advocate, 1 John 2:1); “If Mary is for us, who is against us” (p. 44, they substituted Mary’s name in place of God, Romans 8:31); “Mary is the mother and dispenser of every good” p. 52, they substituted Mary’s name in place of God, James 1:17); “She is the city of refuge, the only hope of sinners” (p. 57, what about Christ?); “She restrains her son’s hand and withholds him from punishing” (p. 59, a mere mortal restraining the hand of God?); “Mary conquered and bound the devil” (p. 72, Jesus destroyed the devil, Hebrews 2:14); “At the name of Mary every knee bows” (p. 74, they substituted Mary’s name in place of Jesus, Philippians 2:10); “Mary’s intercession is necessary for salvation” (p. 78, man’s salvation depends on a mere mortal?); “Mary… no one is saved, except through you” (p. 87, they substituted Mary in place of Jesus, John 14:6); “At the command of Mary, everybody obeys, even God” (p. 95, blasphemy!); “Jesus, who is omnipotent, has also made Mary omnipotent” (p. 96, they have attributed a divine characteristic to Mary). This is not exhaustive.

The above quotes are way over the top. They insert Mary's name in place of God and Jesus, attribute to her divine power, and portray her as an essential component of salvation. That is far more than Scripture permits.

I loved Catholicism. I loved my parish. I loved my school. However, I love truth more. Therefore, I had to leave the Catholic Church. It is both unscriptural and anti-scriptural.