For many years the Catholic priests did not allow their parishes to even read the Bible, they wanted to keep the laity from knowing what was written therein claiming only they could understand it.   Catholics don’t do that any more, but that was one of the reasons for the reformation. Today neo-evangelicals do it. That’s what so called Greek Scholars do today by producing modern versions of the Bible and then telling the laity they need to know Greek to understand the Word of God. 

The Catholic church and the Orthodox Greek Church argue about who was first, each claiming to be the first church dating back to the Apostles. In fact both churches started in the early second century under Constantine. He decided Christianity was right and therefore he would make the whole world Christian by government decree.  Most of the letters (books) of the New Testament were to churches established long before the Catholic church came into existence.  Catholics claim Peter was the first pope because Jesus said in Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Jesus did not tell Peter that heaven was obtainable though him personally, otherwise everyone in Acts would have been going to Peter for salvation. They key to heaven was the gospel, Jesus is the door.  Certainly there is no indication that Peter was a pope either, he had no authority over the churches in the New Testament.  There are seven reasons why Peter could not have been the first pope:

1. He was married (Matthew 8:14).
2. Jews and Gentiles started the church in Rome, not Peter (Acts 2:10).
3. Peter likely never went to Rome or Paul would have mentioned him in his commendation in Romans 16.
4. Paul would not have sought fruit there in Rome as he mentioned if Peter or another Apostle had been there (compare Romans 1:13-15 with Romans 15:20-21).
5. Peter was the Apostle to the Jews, not the Gentiles.
6. Jesus was not talking about Peter when He said, upon this “rock” I will build my church (Matthew 16:18). Peter is “petros” meaning a little piece of the rock, pebble. The rock referred to in this verse is “petra” meaning cliff.  Jesus is that rock (I Corinthians 10:4).
7. Peter had no authority over the other Apostles.  He was rebuked by Jesus in Matthew 16:23 and by Paul in Galatians 2:11.

Catholicism teaches there are three kinds of sin, mortal, venial, and original.  The Bible on the other hand does not reinforce this, it says ALL have sinned (Romans 3:23) and all sins deserve the same punishment (Romans 3:10; Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8).

Catholics are taught that the priest has the ability to literally transform the cracker to the body of Christ and the wine into the blood of Christ in the Eucarist, the holy communion.  The Scriptures teach that Christ died once for all time, the mass is a perversion of the Scriptures.  Hebrews 9:25-26; 10:10. 

The worship of Mary as the co-redeemer originated in the Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431. There are several problems with this.  Mary was not sinless, Psalms 51:5; Luke 1:30; 1:46-47; Romans 3:10; 5:12; I John 1:7.  Mary had children other than Jesus, she is not a perpetual virgin.  According to Matthew 13:55 she also bore James, Joses, Simon, and Judas (not Iscariot) and sisters of Jesus (Mark 6:3). Mary regarded herself to be of low estate (Luke 1;48), not worthy of being the mother of Jesus. Jesus never called her “mother.” (Matthew 12:48-50; John 19:26-27)

Catholicism teaches that the pope speaks ex-cathedra (out of his mind) and infallibly (without error). That is blasphemous and puts the pope on the same level as God Himself.  The Scriptures say we are to live by the words God spoke (Matthew 4:4). The pope’s title “Pontamus Maximus” means “high priest.” There was only one ‘high priest” and Jesus is our High Priest. (Hebrews 3:1; 4:14; Revelation 22:19.

Catholicism teaches there are seven sacraments you that you must keep to earn your way to heaven.  Jesus paid for our sins, there is no more sacrifice for sin according to Hebrews 10:26. Salvation cannot be bought or dealt out by a church (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).  Christ instituted only two ordinances for the church (they are not sacraments), baptism after salvation and communion. You must be born again or you cannot go to heaven (John 3:3-7).

Confessing of sins to a priest was instituted under Pope Innocent, III in A.D. 1215. The Scriptures teach that we are only to confess sin to God directly (I Timothy 2:5). The Pope is a sinner and so is every priest (Isaiah  53:6; Luke 7:48; 15:21; I John 1:8-10). Calling the priests “Father” is wrong, Jesus condemned it in Matthew 23:9.

There is no such place as purgatory for venial sins, the Bible say Jesus purged our sins. Hebrews 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 2 Peter 1:9  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. There is no such place as purgatory in the Scriptures. The Bible teaches that it is appointed unto men once to die, and then the judgment whether to heaven or hell (Hebrews 9:27). The Bible teaches the saints are no longer under condemnation, no purging is needed (John 5:24; Romans 8:1; I John 1:7-9; 2:1-2).

The Bible teaches that if a religion disagrees with the Scripture then it is a false religion, a cult faith (Galatians 1:8; I Timothy 4:1-3; I John 4:1).  I Timothy 4:3 in particular addresses the heresies of the Catholic church.  Any religion that denies the sufficiency of the blood of Christ to erase all sin by adding sacrements, indulgences, rosery beads (the counting of prayers was condemned by Christ in Matthew 6:5-13), or puts a man or institution between man and God (I Timothy 2:5) is anti-Christ (II Peter 2:1; I John 4:1; II John 9-11). The Pope’s title “Vicarivs Filii Dei” is the number of the beast of Revelation 13 (Satan).  (V=5, i=1, c=100, i=1, v=5, i=1, l=50, i=1, i=1, d=500, i=1, =666). The colors of the harlot church of Revelation 17:4, the spiritual babylon are those of the Catholic church (See “The Two Babylons,” by Alexander Hissop). Revelation 17:6 describes events similar to the Spanish Inquisition where millions were killed for rejecting the Catholic church’s authority.  Rome is a city on seven hills (Revelation 17:9) the capital of Italy is Rome (Revelation 17:18).  The ten horns represent the ten nations that came out of the Roman empire (Revelation 18:4). For these reasons historically many have believed the Pope will be the anti-Christ and the Catholic church the harlot church of Revelation 17.  I personally do not believe that, but there is much evidence supporting that theory so I list it here for your consideration.

 Most Catholic church members do not know about the majority of these things because the church keeps them in the dark about their core beliefs.  This cult is all about money and control. For more information on Catholicism go to http://www.cephasministry.com/index_catholic_files.html