Understanding Roman Catholicism

It also makes me wonder, why the Lord chose me to escape their clutches out of all of my relatives that are still stuck in that idolatrous system?? I've tried for decades to get other family members to see the light but the indoctrination and brainwashing of that religion has so blinded them to the truth and have made them lazy to search the scriptures for the truth. Still working on them though; I still have two feet on this earth, this side of the Rapture.
100%

All my family and relatives are the same, all we can do is pray for them.
 
God’s Plea



Hopefully, you have just asked Jesus to come into your heart and have been born again scripturally. If so, according to the Bible, one of your first acts should be to come out of the Catholic church:

"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4

Many Roman Catholics claim to be born again Christians yet contend that God wants them to remain in the Catholic church. However, Scripture declares that God does not want His children worshipping Him in a false, idolatrous religion. On the contrary, He says come out and stay out:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1

Many other verses teach us the same lesson:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14

Should you worship with those who deny God's Word?

"And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.” 2 Thessalonians 3:14

Many Catholics give various excuses for remaining in the Catholic church, but good intentions do not impress God when they cause you to disobey His Word.

More than anything, God wants obedience:

"Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the LORD thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes...” Deuteronomy 27:10

"Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God..” Jeremiah 42:6


Obedience or sacrifice?

Sometimes Catholics remain in the church, insisting that they are sacrificing their personal desires for the good of others. But God would rather have obedience than sacrifice:

“... Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice..." 1 Samuel 15:22




Why won't people come out?


Despite God's clear instructions in His Word, some people still refuse to leave the Catholic church. There are two possible reasons why:

1. They are saved but honestly don’t know that God wants them to leave the church.

2. They think they are saved but aren’t, because in their heart their hope for salvation is still in the Catholic church, and they are afraid to leave.

Only you can tell which category you fit in because no one else knows your heart.


Was he really converted?

I remember talking with a Catholic young man who willingly admitted his lost condition and his need to trust Christ as Savior. He prayed and asked Jesus to come into his heart. He had no problem with that.

Then I told him he needed to leave the Catholic church. He recoiled and blurted out, “Oh, I could never leave the Catholic church!”

“Why not?’ I asked.

He explained that he had been born and raised in the Catholic church and that the church was necessary for salvation. Whether this young man understood it or not, his hope for eternal life was in the Catholic church, not in Jesus Christ.

Like him, many Catholics today claim to be born again, yet refuse to obey God
. Certainly, no one can judge another man’s salvation, but the Bible does reveal that those who trust in traditions of men will be bitterly disappointed on Judgment Day:

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the LORD.” Jeremiah l"7:5

If you are a Catholic who refuses to come out of Catholicism, you are, at best, a Christian living in disobedience to God, and, at worst, an unsaved person deceived into thinking you are a Christian:

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Ephesians 5:11

If you really want to please God, you must obey Him and leave this system that denies His truths.


No fear

Another reason people don’t leave the Catholic church is fear. The church has instilled in them the belief that salvation is available only through the Catholic church! I remember being taught as a child that it was a mortal sin to attend any other religious service while it was in progress.

However, God's Word assures those who have been born again that they need not fear:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

You need not fear leaving the Roman Catholic church. Jesus Christ will take good care of you.


No more idols

To help you be set free from the power of this false church, it is important that you remove from your home anything associated with it, like statues, rosary beads, Catechisms, prayer books, etc. These are all idolatrous items, and God hates idolatry:

"Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry." 1 Corinthians 10:14

The Apostle Paul plainly states that those who practice idolatry will not go to heaven. (See Galatians 5:19-21.)

The best way to dispose of these idolatrous items is to burn them (see Acts 19:19).



"I'll reach them from within”

Another excuse people use to avoid leaving the Catholic church is that they want to win those still in the church from within
.

But the truth is, the best way to win others is to obey God so you can have His power in your life. It doesn't make sense to disobey God to do His work better. If God instructs you to come out of the Catholic church, then you should obey Him.


A converted priest

Several years ago, a Catholic priest who learned that his church was in error asked Jesus to come into his heart and save him.

In obedience to God, he left the Catholic church.

But every Sunday morning he drove back to his old church and sat in his car in the parking lot. After Mass, as former parishioners walked by and recognized him, they’d say something like, “Hey, Father, we heard you left the church. What happened to you?”

He"d reply, “Yes, I did leave because something exciting happened. Hop in the car and I’ll tell you all about it.” Using that method, he led over half his former congregation to true salvation in Jesus Christ.


Conclusion

So, my friend, the choice is yours. If you are now a true Christian, you know what God wants you to do. The question is, “Will you obey Him?”

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” 2 Corinthians 6:17
 
Liberty or Bondage?


One theme has run throughout each chapter of this book. It is the major difference between Catholicism and true Christianity:

Catholicism brings people into bondage.

Jesus Christ sets people free.

You may have noticed that every doctrine of Catholicism brings members into bondage to the Catholic church. You need the church to be saved. You need the church to receive forgiveness for your sins. You need the church for everything!

By design, you are in bondage to the Catholic church from shortly after birth at baptism until the moment of your death when you receive the Last Rites.

But the Bible declares that Jesus died to set you free from that bondage:

Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God,” Romans 8:21

Paul preached:

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Romans 8:15

Christ sets people free. Religion brings them into bondage:

“... because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage" Galatians 2:4


Don’t be deceived!

Religion promises liberty, but always delivers bondage:

"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” 2 Peter 2:19

God s Word urges true Christians to stand fast in the liberty that only Christ can provide:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1

The Apostle Paul knew about this liberty, and warned fellow Christians not to misuse it:

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13

God doesn’t want you toiling in bondage to a religion. He wants you to enjoy real liberty:

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ” 2 Corinthians 3:17

And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.” Psalm 119:45



Set free

As a former Roman Catholic, I know what this bondage is all about
. Throughout my youth, I was taught Catholic rules and regulations, and I lived in fear of what would happen if I didn’t obey them.

One of the greatest joys I experienced when I asked Jesus into my heart was the liberty I found in Christ. The chains of bondage were broken off. Its power over me was lifted and I was set free.


Which will it be for you?

You can be delivered from the bondage of the Catholic church and experience this same liberty. Jesus already did the work to set you free:

And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.״ Hebrews 2:15

Paul discusses the same subject again:

"Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son... To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons..." Galatians 4:3-5



Love or hate?

Paul follows these remarks with this statement:

"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” Galatians 4:16


In closing, I ask you the same question. Am I your enemy because I have told you the truth? Some will certainly suggest that I am against Catholics. I am not!

On the contrary, I have presented here the one and only message that can spare Catholics (and all people) from an eternity in the lake of fire. That s not hate, that's love. I want all Catholics to receive the gift of eternal life. I want you to be set free from a religion that enslaves you. That's not hate, that's love.

I want you to experience the joy and peace that only Jesus Christ can give
. That s not being an enemy... that’s being a friend.


Your real enemy

You do have an enemy, though. His name is Satan. He hates you and wants you to burn in hell forever:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8

The devil knows that to devour you he must keep you from obeying God’s Word.

Here’s his plan:

First, he creates a religion, complete with all the religious trappings to make it appear authentic.

Next, he formulates unbiblical doctrines that members must perform. People become so busy obeying these rules they never find Christ.

Another earmark of Satan’s religions is the denigrating of Jesus Christ. The devil hates Jesus and knows that He is the only way to heaven (John 14:6). Therefore, Satan will do everything He can to keep people's eyes off Christ.

Unfortunately, this plan has been working for centuries. Don’t underestimate Satan. He is a master deceiver.
(See Revelation 12:9.)

Please don’t let the devil deceive you any longer. He is your real enemy and he is using a religion to keep you away from Jesus Christ. Please don’t let him keep you away any longer.

Turn to Jesus today. He is waiting to set you tree. God bless you as you experience true salvation in Jesus Christ:

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
 
You're welcome. I'll get the last of the posts up today. It is shocking the stuff that we used to be a part of and had no idea of how horribly wrong all their teachings are. The trust that I used to put into the young sisters at the Catholic grade school that I attended, plus all of the parish priests that I thought were guiding us correctly. They were and are just as duped as we were as kids! That is all that they were taught in order to become nuns and priests; learn and be trusting in the hierarchy of Roman Catholicism and shun Biblical truths. I did learn that the one nun that I did like as a kid, left the convent and got married - hopefully she is a believer in Christ now and has abandoned all the false Roman doctrines.

It also makes me wonder, why the Lord chose me to escape their clutches out of all of my relatives that are still stuck in that idolatrous system?? I've tried for decades to get other family members to see the light but the indoctrination and brainwashing of that religion has so blinded them to the truth and have made them lazy to search the scriptures for the truth. Still working on them though; I still have two feet on this earth, this side of the Rapture.
SkyRider, I also went to Catholic grade and high schools. The RCC has created a very effective system to perpetuate their false dogmas that makes it difficult for them to see the real truth. They are all decent people on the wrong path. It just kills me inside to see family members and friends still stuck in this quagmire of false beliefs!

I too wonder how I was able to free myself from this cult. We always talk about planting seeds and allowing God to do the actual saving. I'm not a Calvinist, but to some degree I can see why they believe in predestination. The Scripture tells us that Biblical truths are spiritually discerned and the natural man cannot understand them. However, I still believe we all have free will. Nobody is forcing them to stay in that system, it is their choice. At the end of the day all we can do is pray that God opens their eyes so that they can see the light!!!
 
. Nobody is forcing them to stay in that system, it is their choice. At the end of the day all we can do is pray that God opens their eyes so that they can see the light!!!
it is the default mode of how they were brought up. Just like the old blinking “12:00” on the old VCRs, some people opted not to mess with it because they didn't know how to correct it or were just too lazy to read the instructions for themselves. Same with Catholicism for most people: my parents were Catholic, their parents were Catholics, so why do I need to mess with it and read up on my own to see whether or not what they are preaching is correct.The devil is counting on that mindset and has been very successful in keeping people blinded to the simple truth of the gospel.
 
You aren't wrong. Human beings are creatures of habit and once ingrained are difficult to break. My entire family is Catholic with the exception of a few who saw the light. The family connection is very effective at maintaining the system. My mother-in-law was a Protestant and "forced" to become Catholic when she married my father-in-law. Why would our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. mislead us? In this day and age with all of the Bible resources available there is no excuse not to read the Bible (the RCC despises those who actually read the Bible). It's really sad.
 
I'm just continuously amazed how many requirements for salvation there are in Catholicism. "Oh, this is the sole requirement to get to heaven. But you need this! But if you can't, that's ok, you can do this instead. If you do nothing else, though, do this thing. But don't forget this thing." So which is it? Is it one, any, or all? Like, it was mentioned that infant baptism is a guaranteed way to ensure someone's salvation, but at the same time, if you don't follow all these other rules, then there's no guarantee. So which is it? It's clear that the Catholic "church" doesn't actually believe these things because otherwise it wouldn't be so contradictory.
 
You can never have assurance of salvation in their system. They have the sin of presumption that states otherwise and levels an anathema at the person if they claim that they know they are saved. That makes each follower totally beholden to the Church for any slim hopes of salvation. It is all convoluted but a clever scheme by Satan to entrap one into a no-win situation.
 
You can never have assurance of salvation in their system. They have the sin of presumption that states otherwise and levels an anathema at the person if they claim that they know they are saved. That makes each follower totally beholden to the Church for any slim hopes of salvation. It is all convoluted but a clever scheme by Satan to entrap one into a no-win situation.
That's not totally true per se. If you buy an "indulgence" from the RCC you can get a "ticket" to heaven. As you know the RCC never refuted this point at the Council of Trent. As you know the Pope has full authority to forgive your sins and get you into heaven. Money can buy you all sorts of things!
 
Shortly after I was saved in 1975 I got this idea in my mind that of all these churches and denominations that one church had to be the true church. I ended up taking instructions in the catholic church and ended up joining. Biggest mistake I ever made! Satan can so easily mislead. In March 1995 the Lord lead back to my beliefs that my salvation was eternally finished because of the saving finished work of Christ at Calvary; that I was saved back in 1975, but I had been misled into the wrong beliefs of the RCC. Catholicism is a legalistic nightmare that I was in for about 19 years. They believe that forgiveness still has to be appropriated when you sin as this endless process of confession and forgiveness from a priest. It's all about salvation by faith/works which is false teaching. I came to my senses in March 1995 and returned to my faith that I was saved just by what Christ did on the cross. He is no longer on the cross, as the RCC depicts Christ still on the cross. He has completely taken away all my sins and yours. He is risen and ascended. Don't be lured into the RCC and warn others to keep away from its false teachings. Since March of 1995 I have been rejoicing in my eternal redemption and eternal life in Christ Jesus!
The only thing about "understanding Catholicism" is its false, enslaving teachings.
 
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One of the other forum members (UntilTheWholeWorldHears) likes to say that the RCC is "Satan's Masterpiece." If you were going to design a "religion" that looks "Christian" and does everything it can to take the focus off of Christ's finished work on the Cross then this one is it. Their sordid past of killing anyone who opposed their apostasy is just another clue as to who they really represent.
 
Jay, I think that if this forum were somehow in the middle ages in Europe, the RCC magistrates will have us all in chains waiting for our turns to burn at the stake. Our equivalent 600 years ago, we would be called Antibaptists heretics who were bitterly persecuted by so called "true church" the RCC. Just read the Fox Book of Martyrs and the long trail of blood shed by the inquisition. I think John in Revelation mentions "the synagogue of Satan." I wonder to whom he was referring?
There is no doubt that what you say is absolutely true. If we were in the Middle Ages they would torture, then kill us for our "heresy" against the "true church" As was discussed in this thread the Revelation talks about the RCC.

Rev 17: 3-6:
"And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

Purple and scarlet are worn by the cardinals and bishops of the RCC. How many people were killed by the RCC during the Inquisition, the Thirty Years War, etc.. I would say the RCC is "drunk with the blood of saints" as they have eliminated anyone who opposes their dogma!
 
I have no doubt the RCC will play a prominent role in the Tribulation. They have a lot of experience eliminating by whatever means possible anyone who opposes their version of the truth.

You can bet that the papal Inquisitions will be implemented again during the Trib period, only this time on a worldwide scale. We can see in Revelation 17 that the religious whore is drunk on the blood of the saints, which took place for roughly 600 years during the Middle Ages, when the pontiffs sent out their murderous goons to destroy the Bible believing Christians. If a pope turns out to be the False Prophet and he is working alongside the Beast to destroy those who refuse the Mark, it only stands to reason that a global murderous campaign like the papal Inquisitions would again be underway and used.
 
Thank you for posting this information. Although I have not ever had affiliation with the Catholic church, a relative and friends have.

Praying for those who are misled by this false doctrine, that God will open their eyes to the truth and that they will flee the lies of false religion and embrace salvation in Christ alone.

In Jesus' name, amen.
 
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