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GUEST
ARTICLE
Why
Return to
Catholicism?
Why have people been returning to Catholicism? For
some they see Catholicism, which they once left, just as
good as the non-Catholic sects they have afterwards experienced. When
all you’ve known is a dead form of false religion,
all would be equal. Sadly, many non-Catholic congregations
are just like this and therefore no better than Catholicism
itself.
Ecumenical
Movement
Probably, the main reason why most return to Catholicism
is because they were adversely affected by the vast Ecumenical
Movement and widespread compromise with Catholic leaders.
After all, with many of the non-Catholic protestant ministers
endorsing Catholicism by praising/honoring their ministers
and religious system, many unwary souls have been stumbled.
Here is what one such person wrote who returned to Catholicism:
I trust that you are sincere in what you believe but you are sorely in
error. I say that to you as a returned Catholic who spent
13 years worshiping and studying the scriptures amongst Protestant
brothers and sisters. Now perhaps I may not be your typical
Catholic but many who are received into the church as
adults come from bible believing traditions, how do you account
for that?
In just 2 weeks thousands of Christians from other denominations and perhaps
even your very own flock will become practicing Roman Catholics, this
happens every year at the Easter Vigil. Among there [sic]
number will be former ordained Protestant Ministers. The
reason for this is that many Christians are tired of egotistical
non-Catholic Christian traditions. They find that the Catholic
Church although not perfect is the closest thing to the
early Church.
Compromise
and Ignorance
He asked a question about people from Bible-believing backgrounds
going into the so-called Church (his concept
of the Roman Catholic Institution) and how this can
be accounted for. The answer, in part, is that such is the
result of so many years of Catholicism being embraced by
non-Catholics as just another Christian sect and general
ignorance of the Scriptures. Especially when compromise comes
from some of the most respected and influential religious
TV and radio people of our day this has taken its lamentable
toll.
Today’s
Poor Leaders
There is no way to know how many have been faltered by the
world famous evangelist Billy Graham alone or Pat Robertson
of the 700 Club or Jack Van Impe. Those three alone might
have influenced millions to embrace Catholicism and maybe
for the first time. (Only God knows for sure.) When people
see Catholic leaders, including the Pope, being treated as
informed Christians or respectfully quoted as one might do
a prophet of God from the past, the ill-informed get deceived. Hank
Hanegraaff, the deceased Walter Martin, Chuck Colson, Bill
Bright, James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Bill McCartney,
the founder of Promise Keepers and an untold number of local
ministers who swap their pulpits with Catholic priests have
certainly added to that number in swaying the vast majority
to accept the traditions and practices of Catholicism as Christian.
One protestant pastor, who has a doctor degree, recently
mentioned that he knew of a born again Catholic Church in
his area. His basis for that statement was merely
that they had a Bible study there. Imagine that! Folks,
the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists
and other such groups also have Bible studies.
Charismatic
Catholics
Among the Pentecostal Protestant groups, the Charismatic
Catholics who supposedly talk in tongues and prophesy
have often been accepted as Spirit-filled brethren, even
though their embraced doctrine is that they were born
again at infant baptism, they should attend Mass, believe
in Purgatory and Mary is their life, sweetness and hope. (Some
even prophesy thus saith Mary!) Charismatic
Catholics say Praise the Lord and Hallelujah, but
that certainly is no endorsement of salvation or of
being Spirit-filled.
Early
Church Fathers?
Another common error projected by some, such as the above
email writer, is that Catholicism is the closest thing
to the early Church. Of course, all sects claiming
to represent the teachings of the Lord Jesus and his apostles
would claim the same, but since Catholicism flatly rejects
the Bible alone as authoritative, their basis for such
a statement has caught many off guard—that is, the so-called church
fathers. The sad thing about such is that even some non-Catholics
have also been magnifying such writings for all church doctrine
and practices over recent years.
Apparently, many don’t know that these so-called church fathers contradicted
themselves, as well as Scripture at times. Some had very
weird beliefs about certain things, such as Origen. Hence,
basic logic declares they are not dependable for doctrine,
as Catholicism and some Protestant groups cite them for.
Suppressed
Pope Facts
Even certain Popes have contradicted and condemned other
Popes and basic Christian practice. For example, Pope
Leo II pronounced Honorius I a heretic. Pope
Innocent III commanded against reading the Bible in the
common language of the people. Pope Clement XI opposed
Bible reading, through a Bull.
In contrast to these, 2 Tim. 3:16,17 says:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man
of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The earliest Christians, the ones mentioned in the New
Testament (NT), reasoned from the Scriptures (Acts
17:2) as a basis for their doctrines and taught that Christian
doctrine is to come from Scripture alone. Hence,
Paul told Timothy to preach the word (2 Tim. 4:2).
Furthermore, doctrinal apostasy started to set
in early, even while the original apostles were
still alive, which is apparent from the books of Galatians
and Jude especially, and certain other sections of the
NT (such as Acts 15; etc.). Hence, the earliest written
record of what Christians taught and practiced, beyond
the NT, can not be fully relied upon. We must stick
to the 27 books of the Bible alone to avoid deception
about the Christian life. When we do this a return
to Catholicism is clearly without justification.
Dan and Cheryl Corner
Evangelical Outreach
PO Box 265, Washington, PA 15301
http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/returntocatholicism.htm
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