Why I Left the Roman Catholic Church
Why I Left the Roman Catholic Church
This hub is an explanation of contradictions I noticed between the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the Bible, which led me to ultimately leave the Catholic Church.
The Authority of the Pope
One of Pope’s titles is "Holy Father". That is a title belonging to God alone (John 17:11)! The Pope also claims to have the prerogative to forgive people for their sins. In turn, he has granted that authority to Catholic priests. However, Mark 2:7 says that it is blasphemy for a man to claim he has the right to forgive others for their sins, for only God has that authority. Moreover, the Pope claims to be the head of the church; but Ephesians 5:23 says "Christ is the head of the church."
The Catholic Priesthood
Catholic priests not being able to marry is another issue. The Bible says nothing about it being mandatory for priests not to marry. It says a word or two about choosing to be celibate; but the Catholic Church takes it a step further and mandates celibacy for priests. This has led to many scandals among the Catholic priesthood, from child molestation to fornication, adultery and even alcoholism, I suppose. In Poland, where I now live, Catholic priests have notorious drinking problems. I would probably turn to the bottle too if I could never have sex.
Only One Mediator
Mary worship and praying to the saints is a violation of the second commandment of the Decalogue, which says not to commit idolatry (Exodus 20:3, 4). We are not to worship anyone or anything but God. Even when John the Revelator attempted to worship an angel, the angel said to him, "See that thou do it not, for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them that keep the sayings of this book. Worship God!" Revelation 22:9. Not to mention, the Bible tells us that there is only one mediator between us and God: "the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5).
In addition, praying to Mary and the saints is really spiritualism—belief in communication with spirits of the dead, which the Bible denounces (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). That is because these spirits are really demons in disguise. Second Corinthians 11:14 says that Satan can even transform himself into an angel of light. Matthew 24:24 intimates that he will go so far as to impersonate Jesus on earth near the very end of time.
Biblical Baptism
Infant baptism and baptism by sprinkling is next on the agenda. There is no instance of infant baptism in the Bible. What’s more, the whole concept of infant baptism is unbiblical. Baptism is a decision believers make to declare their faith in Jesus (Romans 6:3-7). No infant has the understanding to make such a decision. Also, whenever someone got baptized in the Bible, it was by immersion. Take Jesus, for example. Matthew 3:16 says that when He was baptized, He came up "out of the water." If we are to follow the example of Jesus, that is how we will get baptized too.
When I got baptized after accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I told my Catholic family about my decision. My mother asked, "But why? You were already baptized as an infant." I said, "I don’t even remember that. It doesn’t count."
Have the practices of the Catholic Church ever made you question it?
You did What?
The Catholic Church has fiddled with Scripture. The fourth commandment says that the Sabbath is “the seventh day" of the week (Exodus 20:8-11), which is Saturday. With this knowledge, I asked a Catholic minister, "Why do we keep Sunday holy as the Sabbath when the Bible says it is Saturday?" The reply I got was, "Because the Roman Catholic Church changed it, that’s why." I questioned, "Why?" I got the answer, "Out of convenience."
That did not sit with me well at all! Deuteronomy 4:2 was ringing in my ears: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." How dare men suppose that they can change the word of God! I thought. That was the last straw for me. After that I left the Catholic Church, never to return.
After reading the Bible, I found that the Roman Catholic Church was not for me. The Pope claims prerogatives that belong to God alone, the priesthood has been scandalized as a result of being forced to conform to rigid celebacy guidelines, mediation through avenues other than Jesus are offered, and unbiblical practices abound.
All Scripture references are from the 21st Century KJV Bible.
More Christian Hubs by Greg Sereda
My response to a massively viral You Tube poem by Jefferson Bethke explaining that Jesus came to abolish religion. Rather, Jesus came to establish the religion of Christianity! Read the hub to learn more!
I have some Catholic friends with a habit of praying to the cross in the name of Jesus. This is the same thing that the Israelites did in the wilderness with the golden calf. The only difference is, now believers are using a cross instead. Does God accept such worship? Read the hub to find out!
"I don't see any evidence of God's existence; and I have everything I want out of life: a job, a home, a family. What do I need God for?" I was confronted with similar arguments. Find out how I responded to them by reading this hub!
