Well I finally got here and am able to post. Thanks for the link Buzzardhut.
Buzzardhut, it is obvious that you are extremely knowledgeable and also have a lot more free time on your hands than I do. But I prefer to take a simpler approach. Rather than to list every nuance of Catholicism that is even slightly in error and show volumes of text to support that point I like to point out just a few FATAL FLAWS beyond which further argument is not logically possible.
I believe cults and false religions should be treated the same as prophets are treated in the bible. To be a true prophet or a true religion you must be 100% accurate in your prophecy and have no false doctrines in your religion. If these standards cannot be met you are not a prophet or a true religion.
So with that said, let me present my case against Catholicism.
One only has to look at two of the rituals of the Catholic church to completely discredit it as a salvation through the shed blood of Christ religion.
1 - CONFESSION - By this ritual you are absolved of your sins by telling them to a priest and then saying or doing the pennance he gives you. Not only is this totally against the biblical principle of salvation through Jesus alone but it leads Catholics away from the need to accept Jesus as their personal saviour because they can achieve salvation through the rituals of the church. By the rites of confession and pennance Catholics are being taught that they need to re-establish their salvation every time they commit a sin. But a person who follows the bible and truly accepts Jesus into their heart is washed in the blood for all time and has no need of confession and pennance to "maintain" their salvation.
2 - LAST RITES - The belief that a person who is dying or has just died needs to be given the "last rites" of the Catholic church in order to avoid purgatory or hell is another example of a deeply embedded article of faith of the catholic church that gives man the power to administer salvation instead of Jesus. But a Cathoilc who dies without having accepted the gift of grace of Jesus dying for our sins for all time is going to go to hell and suffer for eternity just like any other person who has not accepted Jesus' gift for any other reason.
I could go on but these two will suffice. Just as a prophet must be 100% accurate or he is not a true prophet; the Catholic church, or any other church, sect, or cult for that matter, must have zero denials of the principle of salvation taught by Jesus Himself in their salvation teachings and principles or they are leading their flock to a very bad end. Yet the Catholic church is all about rituals that deny the principle of salvation through the shed blood of Christ as the only way to gain access to heaven.
The Catholic church teaches that there are many ways to salvation with a variety of results from hell through an indeterminant time in purgatory to cleanse the soul of the deceased to entry straight into heaven and finally the ultimate goal, sainthood.
But Jesus taught that we are all unworthy of salvation on our own which is the reason he suffered on the cross and died for us to wash away all our sins for all time in one clean stroke and all we have to do is openly accept that gift, nothing more and nothing less is neccessary.
Once it has been established that a religion is false then to stay in that faith and worship alongside others who are still deluded is to lend credibility to it that will do little to lead people of that faith to the truth. It would be better to leave the faith entirely yet still try to teach the truth to your former church members through loving discourse.
Buzzardhut, it is obvious that you are extremely knowledgeable and also have a lot more free time on your hands than I do. But I prefer to take a simpler approach. Rather than to list every nuance of Catholicism that is even slightly in error and show volumes of text to support that point I like to point out just a few FATAL FLAWS beyond which further argument is not logically possible.
I believe cults and false religions should be treated the same as prophets are treated in the bible. To be a true prophet or a true religion you must be 100% accurate in your prophecy and have no false doctrines in your religion. If these standards cannot be met you are not a prophet or a true religion.
So with that said, let me present my case against Catholicism.
One only has to look at two of the rituals of the Catholic church to completely discredit it as a salvation through the shed blood of Christ religion.
1 - CONFESSION - By this ritual you are absolved of your sins by telling them to a priest and then saying or doing the pennance he gives you. Not only is this totally against the biblical principle of salvation through Jesus alone but it leads Catholics away from the need to accept Jesus as their personal saviour because they can achieve salvation through the rituals of the church. By the rites of confession and pennance Catholics are being taught that they need to re-establish their salvation every time they commit a sin. But a person who follows the bible and truly accepts Jesus into their heart is washed in the blood for all time and has no need of confession and pennance to "maintain" their salvation.
2 - LAST RITES - The belief that a person who is dying or has just died needs to be given the "last rites" of the Catholic church in order to avoid purgatory or hell is another example of a deeply embedded article of faith of the catholic church that gives man the power to administer salvation instead of Jesus. But a Cathoilc who dies without having accepted the gift of grace of Jesus dying for our sins for all time is going to go to hell and suffer for eternity just like any other person who has not accepted Jesus' gift for any other reason.
I could go on but these two will suffice. Just as a prophet must be 100% accurate or he is not a true prophet; the Catholic church, or any other church, sect, or cult for that matter, must have zero denials of the principle of salvation taught by Jesus Himself in their salvation teachings and principles or they are leading their flock to a very bad end. Yet the Catholic church is all about rituals that deny the principle of salvation through the shed blood of Christ as the only way to gain access to heaven.
The Catholic church teaches that there are many ways to salvation with a variety of results from hell through an indeterminant time in purgatory to cleanse the soul of the deceased to entry straight into heaven and finally the ultimate goal, sainthood.
But Jesus taught that we are all unworthy of salvation on our own which is the reason he suffered on the cross and died for us to wash away all our sins for all time in one clean stroke and all we have to do is openly accept that gift, nothing more and nothing less is neccessary.
Once it has been established that a religion is false then to stay in that faith and worship alongside others who are still deluded is to lend credibility to it that will do little to lead people of that faith to the truth. It would be better to leave the faith entirely yet still try to teach the truth to your former church members through loving discourse.