SOME CLAIMS OF CATHOLICISM

• Catholics claim that on any matter of doctrine the teaching of the church is final. The seat of authority for the Catholic Church is the pope.
  
  The New Testament teaches that Christ has all authority (Matt. 28.18-20). The authority of Christ is now vested in the Scriptures, not in any church (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 John 9, Ephesians 3:4, Rev. 20:12).
  
  
• Catholics teach that Peter was the first Pope and head of the church.
  
  The New Testament teaches in regard to Matthew 16:18 that upon Peter's confession, as a rock, Christ would build His Church. Jesus is always pictured in the New Testament as the foundation of the Church (1 Corinthians 3:11), not Peter. Peter was married (Maithew 8:14). This certainly doesn't fit with what is taught today in regard to celibacy. Paul wrote a letter to Rome without ever hinting that Peter was there ruling as universal pope over the church.
  
  
• Catholicism teaches seven sacraments: (1) baptism, (2) confirmation, (3) holy Eucharist, (4) penance, (5) ordination, (6) extreme unction, and (7) marriage.
  
  
• Concerning baptism, Catholics teach that it can be done by sprinkling, pouring, or immersion and is to be administered to all, infants included, to get rid of original, Adamic sin.
  
  The New Testament teaches that baptism is a burial (Romans 6:3-5). No infant is capable of meeting these New Testament conditions for accepting Christ: (a) the ability to hear and learn (John 6.44-45), (b) to believe (Mark 16:15-16), (c) to repent (Acts 2:38), and to confess Him (Matthew 10:32-33). The New Testament does not teach original sin (Ezekiel 18:19-23), but rather teaches that sin is something each responsible person commits (1 John 3:4).
  
  
• Concerning confirmation, Catholics teach that at about seven years of age a child should be confirmed and in this act the Holy Ghost imparts gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
  
  There is not One instance in the New Testament of the sacrament of confirmation being given to ANY ONE, children included. Confirmation is a good word and used in the scriptures in the sense of brethren encouraging other brethren (Acts 15.32).
  
  
• There are four dogmas connected with the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist: (1) The dogma of the real presence which holds that the body and blood of Christ are actually present in the supper. (2) The question arises as to how and when this happens and Catholics have developed the doctrine of transubstantiation as an explanation, saying that when the priest consecrates the emblem, the change occurs (3) Sacrifice of the mass is the consecration of the bread and wine into the body and blood of God, by the priest (4) In communion under one kind, they teach that Christ is contained whole and entire in each element and that it is only necessary to partake of the bread to partake of the whole Saviour.
  
  We simply ask, "Where does the New Testament teach any of this???" The answer is "NOWHERE!!!" The Lord's Supper is a memorial of the suffering and second coming of Christ (I Corinthians 11.26). The elements are the unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine. These elements, when eaten and drunk intelligently, bring to the Christian's mind the blessing that comes from obedience to the Lord.
  
  
• Catholics attempt to provide for the forgiveness of sins committed after Baptism through the sacrament of penance which includes: (1) contrition, (2) confession, (3) satisfaction, and (4) absolution. Contrition is defined correctly to mean "godly sorrow," but confession is to be made to a Catholic priest. Catholics teach that there is a temporal penalty that must be paid after the sin has been forgiven by the priest and this is the practice that gave rise to the selling of indulgences.
  
  The New Testament clearly shows that redemption cannot be bought with silver or gold (I Peter 1:18). God's plan of pardon for the child of God that sins is that he repent and pray God that the thought of his heart may be forgiven him (Acts 8:22). In addition, he must be willing to confess his wrong doing to God (I John 1.9) and to one another (James 5:16).
  
  
• The sacrament of ordination is the sacrament by which means men become a part of the priesthood in the Catholic Church. Many Catholics admit that their hierarchical system is not described in the New Testament and that it borrowed from Old Testament and pagan practices.
  
  The New Testament teaches that each local congregation is overseen by men called elders (I Timothy 3:1-7, Philippians 1:1). The New Testament also teaches that every member of the church is a priest (1 Peter 2:5,9, Revelation 1:6) who can approach God directly for himself through the great high priest, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 3:1).
  
  
• Extreme unction is a sacrament in which the sick, by the anointing with holy oil and the prayers of the priest, are supposed to receive spiritual succor and even corporal strength when such is conducive to salvation. The unction is called "extreme" because it is the last of the unction's administered by the Catholic Church.
  
  The passage used by them in support of this is James 5:14-15. But James says in this passage that what was done by these New Testament elders (not priests) was to heal the sick (not the dying) during the time in the New Testament Church when some who were miraculously endowed could indeed bring about healings.
  
  
• In order to control the marriage union, the Catholic Church has made marriage a sacrament.
  
  While marriage is ordained by God (Genesis 2:24), it existed long before the church and is not a sacrament. Catholics are also in error when they teach that there is never any reason for remarriage. Jesus said in Matthew 19:9 that in the case of fornication that the innocent party could remarry.

CONCLUSION