“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (Rev. 17:4-5).

Mary Worship (Idolatry & False Teaching)

Catholic teaching: Mary is a mediator between man and God

Bible: Jesus is the only mediator between us and God

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus

Catholic teaching: Mary was ever virgin and had no other children.

Bible: Jesus had brothers and sisters. Joseph knew Mary intimately after Jesus was born.

Matthew 13:55-56 "Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? "And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?"

Mark 6:3 "Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" And they were offended at Him.

Matthew 1:24-25 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

Catholic teaching: Assumption of Mary's body into heaven. In 1950, Pope Pius XII declared that Mary was taken up into heaven before her death in anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians.

Bible: There is no mention of Mary's body rising into heaven after her death in the Bible or other writings of the early church.

Catholic teaching: Adoration and Worship of Mary. The Catholic Church states that the Blessed Virgin is an intrinsic part of Christian worship.

Bible: The Bible does not mention that Mary should be worshiped.

Luke 11: 27-28 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore

 You, and the breasts which nursed You!"But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

Worship of Statues & Images (Saints & Mary)

Catholic: Enter many Catholic churches and you will find statues of Mary and the saints on the altar. Often the statue of Mary will be larger than Christ's and will be at the center of the altar.

Bible: Images of the Saints and Mary or of anything in heaven should not be made or worshiped.

Comment: Most Catholics do not worship Mary or the saints. They pray to them to intervene on their behalf with God assuming that they are in heaven. Many of the saints that are prayed to may not even be in heaven as the backgrounds of many Catholic-made saints are suspect. They must have been born again. Only God knows if someone is born again.

There is only one mediator between man and God. Only God should be prayed to.

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus

Exodus 20:4-5 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Romans 1:22-23 Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man -and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

http://home.elp.rr.com/endtimeprophecy/catholic1.htm 

False Doctrine of Roman Catholic Apostolic Succession including:  Apostolic Authority, Apostolic Succession, Catholic Successors, The Only Succession, Inheritors Of Authority?, Catholic Mistranslation, New Testament Bishops, Present Day Hierarchy, Call None "Father", Can Priests Forgive Sin?, Confession to priests?, Clerical Dress, The Catholic Priesthood, Obedience To Priests, All Christians are priests! 

Mary Worship (Idolatry)

The arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear.
-- Isaiah 2:17-18

"Roman Catholicism vs. historical, biblical Christianity: "We have different authorities, we believe different gospels, we worship different Christs, we are led by different spirits and we are on different paths to eternity. Compare this with the unity the apostle Paul described with those who are in one body and one ......Spirit, with one hope; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, on God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all (Eph 4:4-6)...

...According to many Reformers, Satan's crown jewel is the Roman Catholic religion. It is his most seductive and deceptive form of counterfeit Christianity in the world. Granted, there are many other apostate churches, but none compare in the size, power, influence and wealth to the apostate church headquartered in Rome. The problem most Catholics have is they have been indoctrinated from birth with the lie that they belong to the one true Church. By believing this lie, they have no incentive to read God's word and therefore they cannot discern truth from error. I pray you will ask God to reveal His truth to you as you abide in His Word (Proclaiming the Gospel, Vol 18 no. 4)."

One true church?

"...[L]et’s examine the Roman Catholic claim that it is the “first church.” Nowhere in the New Testament will you find the “one true church” doing any of the following: praying to Mary, praying to the saints, venerating Mary, submitting to a pope, having a select priesthood, baptizing an infant, observing the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper as sacraments, or passing on apostolic authority to successors of the apostles. All of these are core elements of the Roman Catholic faith. If most of the core elements of the Roman Catholic Church were not practiced by the New Testament Church (the first church and one true church), how then can the Roman Catholic Church be the first church?" Full text:  What was the first / original church? Is the original / first church the true church?

"My witnesses are even infallible. They are none other than the Roman Catholic theologians themselves, approved by infallible Popes!

But how shall I relate my surprise when I discovered that, in order to accept the principles of the theologians which my Church gave me for guides I had to put away all principles of truth, of justice, of honour and holiness! What long and painful efforts it cost me to extinguish, one by one, the lights of truth and of reason kindled by the hand of my merciful God in my intelligence. For to study theology in the Church of Rome signifies to learn to speak falsely, to deceive, to commit robbery, to perjure one's self! It means how to commit sins without shame, it means to plunge the soul into every kind of iniquity and turpitude without remorse!

I know that Roman Catholics will bravely and squarely deny what I now say. I am aware also that a great many Protestants, too easily deceived by the fine whitewashing of the exterior walls of Rome, will refuse to believe me.""  Fifty Years in the Church of Rome by Charles Chiniquy

Justification by faith?

"It's an infallible dogma of the church--that if you believe you are justified by faith alone then you are condemned--you are anathema...

They don't believe that Jesus finished the work of redemption. When Jesus bowed his said and said 'It is finished' and gave up his spirit--Catholics believe he really meant to say it must now continue.  Because what they do through the beck and call of the priest they call Jesus back down from heaven every day 200,000 times a day through the miracle of transubstantiation.  They transform the inner substance of wafers into the physical body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ; the priest will lift up the wafer for Catholics to worship this as their true savior.  He's laid on the alter to be represented as a sacrificial offering. It is another offering denying again the scriptures that say Jesus offered himself once for all time and for all sin..."  Vid. Catholicism vs Christianity by Mike Gendron

Is Jesus the only way to heaven?

“The Catholic Jesus is not the only way to heaven. John Paul II has declared that Catholics are not the only ones that are saved--that even the Muslims are part of God’s plan of salvation--the very people that deny the deity of Christ; they deny he died for the sins of the world—they are said to be part of God’s plan of salvation…”  Vid. Catholicism vs Christianity by Mike Gendron

Different Bibles

“For 1600 years we shared the same bible. We have the 66 books inspired by God inerrant in its original transcripts. But in the 16th century at the counter reformation--the Council of Trent—when the Roman Catholic Church declared that tradition was equal in authority to the scriptures there was a debate that went on as to the issue of Purgatory and indulgences. And so the Roman Catholics were challenged to find scripture that verified that Purgatory and indulgences were indeed of God. Well, the couldn’t find anything in the 66 books but they recognized in 2 Maccebees that during the Maccabean Revolt Judas Maccabeus walked around and he saw his dead soldiers with pagan amulets around their neck. And so he sent alms back to Jerusalem. And so Roman Catholics picked this up and said see there is an afterlife—an intermediate place where you can offer alms for the dead and so they added what’s called the apocrypha to the canon in the 16th century…” Vid. Catholicism vs Christianity by Mike Gendron

Sola Scriptura

"The Bible gives overwhelming evidence as to why Scripture must be always our sole authority for faith. The Word of God is pure, perfect, inerrant, infallible, living, truth, light, holy, eternal, and forever settled in heaven. It illuminates, cleanses, saves, frees, guides, converts, heals, quickens, judges, and sanctifies. It also brings conviction, gives knowledge, gives wisdom, produces faith, refutes error, searches the heart, equips for every good work, and is used as a weapon. The Word of God is even exalted even above the very name of God. Have you read Psalm 138:2?

Compare this with tradition ... Jesus told the religious leaders of his day that their tradition was nullifying the very word of God. Yet the religious leaders of today continue to do the same and deceive their followers. Because of this we must take the exhortation of Peter seriously ... that is we ought to obey God rather than men.


For Christians, the Scriptures provide the only objective basis for authority while the indwelling Holy Spirit provides illumination, conviction and discernment. This dual authority, the Spirit of God working with the Word of God, is sufficient in all matters of faith and Christian living. Catholics, on the other hand, submit to a dual authority of tradition and Scripture, under the subjective interpretation of their church. The pope, speaking for the church, is said to be infallible in matters pertaining to faith and morals. You ask, "Where does it say that Scripture alone should be the authority for faith?" Is "Sola Scriptura," the battle cry of the Reformers, found in the Bible? There are at least nine biblical justifications for the authority of Scripture alone.

All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and useful for reproof and correction of error (2 Timothy 3:16). Since Scripture is used to correct and reproof then it must be the authoritative standard by which everything else is judged for its truthfulness.

Jesus said, "Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:34). The character of God is on the line. "God is not a man that He should lie ... and hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good (Numbers 23:19). Submitting to the authority of God's revealed word will guide us in His perfect will.

Christ used the authority of Scripture to rebuke Satan's attempt to deceive Him (Matthew 4:1-11). He gave prepositional statements to accurately convey the truth that Satan attempted to distort. Jesus was our perfect model for rebuking deception.

Jesus used the authority of Scriptures to rebuke false teachers (Matthew 22:29). The only way false teachers can be confronted and exposed is in the power of God's Word.

Repented sinners are saved by hearing and believing the Word (Ephesians 1:13-14). The integrity of the Gospel must be maintained and proclaimed for true conversions.

Jesus prayed for Christians to be sanctified (set apart) by the truth of His Word (John 17:17). Christians must separate themselves from apostate churches and false teachers. God uses division to show those in His approval (1 Cor. 11:19).

One must continually submit to the authority of Scripture to be a disciple of Christ (John 8:31). Those who follow the traditions and teachings of men are often led astray.

Christ rebuked the religious leaders for nullifying the Word of God with their tradition (Mark 7:13). Any tradition that nullifies the Scriptures must be exposed and renounced so others will not be deceived.

The Scriptures were written to all Christians, not to popes and Magisterium to be interpreted for lay people. Anytime we allow others to interpret God's word for us, we leave ourselves open to deception..." Full text: Sola Scriptura  

[From: Scripture, Tradition, and Rome, Part 2 by John MacArthur]: "...[I]t is not hard to understand why in recent years Catholic apologists have attacked sola Scriptura with a vengeance. If they can topple this one doctrine, all the Reformers' other points fall with it. For under the Catholic system, whatever the Church says must be the standard by which to interpret all Scripture. Tradition is the "true" Scripture, written in the heart of the Church. The Church--not Scripture written in "documents and records"--defines the truth about justification by faith, veneration of saints, transubstantiation, and a host of other issues that divided the Reformers from Rome.

To put it another way, if we accept the voice of the Church as infallibly correct, then what Scripture says about these questions is ultimately irrelevant. And in practice this is precisely what happens. To cite but one example, Scripture very plainly says, "There is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5). Nonetheless, the Catholic Church insists that Mary is her Son's "co-mediatrix." And in the eyes of millions of Catholics, what the Church says is seen as the final and authoritative Word of God. First Timothy 2:5 is thus nullified by Church tradition.

If Rome can prove her case against sola Scriptura, she overturns all the arguments for the Reformation in one fell swoop. If she can establish her tradition as an infallible authority, no mere biblical argument would have any effect against the dictates of the Church..." Scripture, Tradition, and Rome, Part 2 by John MacArthur http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/A245_Scripture-Tradition-and-Rome-Part-2?q=Scripture++Tradition++and+Rome++Part+2

Catholicism's Attitude Toward the Bible

There are several examples that punctuate this utter disrespect. The Roman Catholic religion claims that the Bible does not contain all the truths which a Christian is bound to believe (The Faith of Our Fathers, p. 72). Catholicism also says the Bible does not contain everything God taught about salvation (A Catechism for Adults, p. 52); is not clear and intelligible (The Faith of Our Fathers, pgs. 70, 152); is a dead book (Question Box, p. 67); and does more harm than good (Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, p. 274). These and many other comments against the Bible, reveal that Catholicism is not a loyal friend of the Bible but a forceful enemy that needs to be confronted. Roman Catholicism constantly seeks to undermine, weaken, oppose and nullify the Bible from its God-ordained place of authority.

IIn contrast to the above, we emphatically affirms that the Bible is a safe and sufficient guide to eternal life. It is within the reach of every truth seeker and it does indeed contain all the truths God taught about salvation. From God's Word we read: "You have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:15:16). The question of the hour is: Who shall we believe, God or man? "Let God be true but every man a liar " (Rom. 4:3)." Full text: Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries Newsletter Vol. 17 No. 4

Can Born-Again Christians Remain in the Roman Catholic Church?

[Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries Newsletter Vol 20 No. 4] "This is a question that comes up often as we minister to people in the Catholic religion. Our first response is to ask, "Why would anyone want to stay in a religion that deceives people about where they will spend eternity?" When a Roman Catholic hears the true Gospel revealed in Scripture, he/she must repent (change their mind) concerning the false gospel that they were embracing in order to believe the truth. So there must be a recognition that the Catholic religion was leading them down the broad road to destruction. They must change their faith to get on the narrow road that leads to eternal life.

Secondly, born-again Christians must recognize that they are accursed by the Roman Catholic Church by its many anathemas. "If anyone says that baptism is ...not necessary for salvation, let them be anathema" (Council of Trent, Session 7). Another one states, "If any one says, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened to him; let him be anathema" (Council of Trent, Session 6).

Still another anathema states, "If anyone denies that in the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist, the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really and substantially contained...let them be anathema (Council of Trent, Session 12). Regarding the Mass, "If anyone says that the sacrifice of the Mass... is not a propitiatory sacrifice...offered for the living and the dead, for sins, punishments, satisfaction and other necessities, let them be anathema" (Trent, Session 12). Why would anyone want to remain in a church that curses him or her?

Born-again Christians are called to walk according to the truth and worship God in Spirit and Truth. This is impossible to do in the Roman Catholic religion. Christians must turn away from every falsehood and embrace the doctrines of Christ. No one can honor God by remaining in fellowship with a religion that embraces so many false doctrines..." Full text: Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries Newsletter Vol 20 No. 4

Vid:  Mike Gendron Tells Catholics The Truth