How should we consider Roman Catholics?

A false church that teaches a false
Gospel.

How can you consider people who hold
To works salvation as in Christ?

 

The Church of Rome is not entirely comparable to Mormons and JWs because it is at least Trinitarian.
I believe that whoever believes that Jesus is the Lord and trusts in Him alone for salvation will be saved regardless of denomination. However, Romanism encourages one to trust in baptism, in the Church of Rome, in the mass, in auricular confession, in good works, the the prayers of Mary and/or the saints for salvation as well as in Christ. That is why we must certainly be kind to Roman Catholics but we cannot cannot unite with them in any way at all.

 

I was a Catholic for 2 years after an undeniable rebirth.

Yes it was a struggle but eventually I separated from the Church of Rome.

In my journey I met other Catholics whose trust was in Christ over all the RCC had to offer.

So, seek those who show forth the fruit of the Spirit (it can't be faked) and at least have a one-on-one fellowship apart from a church venue.

 

Another Jesus in the teaching of transubstantiation.

 

I lived in Japan for 33 years (minus furloughs), and over and over saw idolatry in the raw: people bowing and praying to images of Buddha made with human hands.

Catholics also bow and pray to images made by hand of Mary and others. How in the world someone could think of such an idolatrous religion as being like our Biblical faith is beyond me. Catholics who pray to images break the first two of the 10 Commandments, which is an evil, evil act.

Not too long ago I found myself listening to a Catholic radio program. The priest said, "Let's pray," and I thought, "That's nice." And then he prayed to Joseph. How is that not wicked idolatry?

 

Yes its true. After my salvation I stayed for a while in the Catholic Church but I knew better than to pray or kneel to anyone but a member of the Trinity.
God kept me from the sin of idolatry.

 

What is even worse IMO is that the RCC teaches transubstantiation (Communion) - when the priest says certain Latin words (English now) the bread and wine turn into the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ and is called the Eucharist and it can be worshiped and adored as God.

Although I received the "Eucharist" a few times I never believed the doctrine of transubstantiation.

This dogma was one of my turning points with the RCC along with the worship of Mary, the saints and angels.
The RCC calls it "veneration" not true worship when it comes to created beings.

However when I was a young child and taught by nuns in Catholic School no distinction was made between prayers to Jesus and prayers to Mary, the saints or angels.

I was taught to pray in the same manner kneeling before the crucifix or the statue of Jesus, Mary, saints, angels.or Eucharist.

Yes in my memory even after salvation and remaining in the RCC in my ignorance, I approached committing sins of idolatry but had perfect peace after my departure from the RCC acknowledging my sins to God alone.

I did benefit from my stay in the Church of Rome in that I was forced into the scriptures and then to obey the word of God

1 Corinthians 6
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

 

Praise the Lord for that!

 

Thanks for this good testimony. Concerning the Eucharist and transubstantiation, have you ever read 50 Years in the Church of Rome, by Chiniquy? His moment of realization came when he was taking the Eucharist to someone, and stopped at an outhouse only to drop it in accidentally. He thought, "I've dropped God," and then realized how ridiculous that was.

 

I tend to see this as being 2 separate issues, as while there are saved Catholics within the Church of Rome, their Church itself teaches another Gospel, and holds to errors and heresy itself concerning just how a lost sinner is now justified before God!

 

There are some saved within Rome, but saved by the grace of god, despite Rome's false theology, and they should come out from among them now!

 

We can be united in Christ with saved ones, but they really need to come out of that church and start to understand to what the Bible actually teaches, and get grounded into "sound doctrines"

 

I have only ever heard or read excerpts of his book and testimonies from nuns.

My thinking was that the RCC uses deception and doublethink in their justification of their outright lies to the laity.

e.g. On the one hand the Church of Rome says that the consecrated wine is the actual blood of Jesus Christ, on the other hand they say that the mass is a bloodless sacrifice.

They both can't be true. Yet we (at the time) had to believe both upon pain of excommunication.

I am sure they have some Orwellian apologetic to smokescreen their deception in this matter but a simple truthful evaluation shows its source as the father of lies.

Another sore point for me was that the pope being infallible under ex cathedra speaking of matters known but to God - for decades my grandmother (and countless other widows and widowers) paid for masses for the dead year after year to grant an indulgence of release from purgatory yet none could tell my grandmother (or anyone else) if he was released so just keep paying and praying.

When I left I was verbally chastised by a priest for trusting the Bible without the guidance of the church.

A church with hands stained by the blood of Christians.

By their fruits shall ye know them.

 

Rome practices double talk, as on one hand can point to the agreement between them and Lutheryns on being saved by Grace and faith, but on the other hand, fail to disclose do not hold to grace alone/faith alone, but grace as in the Sacraments still!!

 

One of the worst things about Christendom in Britain today is the Churches Together movement. This is an organization that exists in just about every town in Britain where all the churches-- Romanist, liberal, 'evangelical,' Quaker, Uncle Tom Cobbley and all-- get together to do outreach, hold joint services and Bible studies as if there were no difference between them. Just about every other church in my town of Exmouth is signed up to it (including the two Baptist Union churches), and the fact that we aren't makes us appear unfriendly, extreme and cultic.

And of course, whatever outreaches these churches may do is fatally compromised because there is no consensus on what the Gospel is, so it isn't preached.

 

Jesus will have a totally different criteria to sort out the tares from the harvest of wheat.

 

Typical in Collage Dictionaries is the definition of "Holy Father." The Pope.

". . . Holy Father . . ." -- John 17:11.

". . . and all ye are brethren. [ And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. . . ." -- Matthew 23:8-9.

 

I think that Catholicism is Christian. However, I think that the Roman Catholic Church is greatly watered down with custom and tradition.

 

Catholics who are saved have a mountain of error and heresy to deal with but with God all things are possible.