As promised, here is the new theology introduced by the Catholic Church and how it is in error vis a vis the Word of God. This post is long but there were no shortcuts I could take. Though, I have written a lot less briefly than I really wanted to. I’ve provided a list of links at the end for those who want to know more.
First Council of Nicaea
The date for the celebration of Resurrection Day was set to a Sunday before the Equinox. This was because some Christians believed that the Jewish computation of the calendar was wrong or had gone wrong. Thus, Easter was separated from Passover and was fixed for “the first Sunday after the first Full Moon occurring on or after the March equinox.”
Error: The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ were not random. Yeshua was crucified on the eve of Passover and as He predicted, He came back to life on the third day from that date of the crucifixion. He was meant to be sacrificed at the exact right time–prior to a festival that has such life-saving significance. The Passover Lamb was to be slain and the blood was to be put on the doorpost so that death would not touch that household. Exactly what Christ’s death on the cross was to accomplish–salvation from eternal death. There was significance, and there was a connection in the choice of the time of His crucifixion. By separating this event from the very festival whose plan Christ was supposed to fulfill, the Roman Catholic Church took things into their own hands. The Jews may or may not have erred in the calculation of their calendar, but the date chosen by the Roman Catholic Church for celebrating Resurrection is not only lacking in any significance but is also, again, not the right date. What did the Church achieve by this? Nothing.
Council of Constantinople
The Trinity as a concept and belief is officially accepted.
Error: As I have mentioned in the last few posts, the concept of Trinity is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. As is clear from the record of events of the various Ecumenical Councils, this concept was adopted much later on and seems to be based on the pagan/esoteric beliefs of the people who introduced it. It has nothing to do with Christianity. A friend’s fiance, surprisingly Roman Catholic himself, explained the relationship of Yahowah, Yeshua, and Holy Spirit in a very simple manner. If we place a cube of ice on a table at room temperature what do you observe? The ice melts slowly, leaving a puddle of water on the table. Simultaneously, we see vapour rising out of the cube. So, we see water in three forms at the same time–solid ice, water, and vapour. They all have the same formula–H2O. But we see them in 3 different forms, each having a different state and name. That is the connection and reality of Yahowah, Yeshua, and the Holy Spirit. There is no Trinity. It is One God–Yahowah Echad.
The First Council of Ephesus
Virgin Mary was to be called Theotokos (God-bearer or the one who gave birth to God.)
Error: Mary was chosen among the Jewish women of that age to give birth to Yeshua. Christ needed to come in the human form in order to:
- Be sacrificed: No one could even see the face of the Holy Ancient of Days, Yahowah, let alone touch Him. He is indestructible, Alpha and Omega, having no beginning and no end. An indestructible God cannot be sacrificed. And yet, the law required the shedding of pure blood for the forgiveness of sin and for salvation. The only way God could do this for His people was to take on a body that could be destroyed. From the Old Testament we see that while God could not be seen in His glorious form by even Moshe, he did appear in another one when speaking to His people–as the Angel of God. So, this was not some blasphemous concept invented by Christianity.
- Shed blood: According to the ordinances, shedding of pure and innocent blood was required for the forgiveness of sins. This worked along substitutional lines–some innocent being’s life in exchange for yours. God’s states that “every soul that sins, dies.” That is non-negotiable. But His mercy did negotiate an arrangement wherein our sins would be transferred onto someone sinless and their sinlessness would be transferred to us through sacrifice. It was a testimony of how advanced humans were as sinners that the only ones sinless and pure among us were animals. And yet our lives were more precious in God’s eyes because we have souls that are eternal, whereas animals do not. Sacrificing of innocent animals was supposed to bring about a sense of remorse and repentance in us, triggering a change of heart. But human beings became so hard-hearted that instead of being saddened by our ways that took someone else’s life, we started taking that sacrifice for granted. It lost its purpose: life-changing repentance, softening of the heart, the invoking of a sense of justice. Which is why the plan called Yeshua. Once, and for all.
The big thing was always Yeshua. Mary was just a chosen vehicle to bring Him into the world. Admittedly she was very righteous and she would be a very good role model for Jewish and Christian women to study and emulate, but she did not have an “immaculate conception” herself. Nor was she ever raised from her grave. To put her on a pedestal like Roman Catholicism does is actually the adoption of a favorite pagan concept of a Mother Goddess or the Female Power. More specifically, the ancient female deity who went by different names different regions–Ashtoreth in Canaan, Ishtar of Babylon, Dushara of Phoenicia, and Allat and Lato of Greece and Rome.
Second Council of Nicea
Byzantine Iconoclasm, which opposed all use of religious images and icons for worship, was rejected at the council. The Council decreed that altars must have a relic.
Error: It is amazing that a concept that was in line with Judeo-Christian faith was rejected by the council! The second of the 10 commandments states that we should not make any images of anything or anyone and bow before them or pray to them. And then here we see the council denouncing Byzantine Iconoclasm for obeying that commandment! How messed is that? Judaism as well as Christianity, do not allow the creation, use, or worship of any relics, graven images, crosses, photographs, body parts, pieces of clothing and personal objects of saints. It is strictly forbidden.
First Council of Lateran
Clerical celibacy – The requirement that some or all members of the clergy in certain religions be unmarried. Celibacy of the clergy was ordered by Canon Law issued by the First Council of the Lateran.
Error: Marriage is the most natural requirement laid down by God. That is why God made Eve out of Adam. So he’d have a companion, a helper, a confidante through good and bad times. Marriage was supposed to build and increase the human race, also spread the seed so it was numerous in line with God’s plan. None of the Old Testament patriarchs were celibate because it went against God’s plan. In the New Testament, Yeshua was celibate, but His life had a different plan that did not include creating a line of descendants. In Matthew 19, He did talk about marriage and divorce, but to His disciples’ statement that it was better to not marry, He goes on to say that singlehood is not for everyone, only those who can accept it are called to it. To make it mandatory goes against the freedom that God and His Christ have given us. The pervasive sex abuse perpetrated by Roman Catholic clergy is proof that this particular mandate has proved to be anti-nature, anti-God’s plan, devastating to the victims and all-round harmful for the Christian faith.
Fourth Council of Lateran
Transubstantiation – The doctrine that, in the Eucharist, the substance of wheat bread and grape wine changes into the substance of the Body and the Blood of Jesus. Literally. The Fourth Council of the Lateran defined this doctrine.
Error: It is just bread and wine. It is supposed to be allegorical, not literal. And it is supposed to be done in remembrance of Yeshua’s sacrifice every time believers meet. Every time. Not only on Sundays, as is currently in vogue for convenience reasons! Neither Christ nor the New Testament mentions the concept of Transubstantiation.
Papal primacy – Ecclesiastical doctrine concerning the respect and authority that is due to the Bishop of Rome from other bishops and their sees. The Fourth Council of the Lateran declared this doctrine.
Error: Based on this principle, Peter should have been the first Pope. However, he was not. He was an apostle like every other apostle. And he took decisions in consultation with the other apostles. Not only that, when Paul set up various churches in far-flung regions of Asia Minor, each had it’s own head and autonomy in day-to-day operations. The use of the Church and religion for administrative purposes was a terrible invention of the Roman Catholic Church.
Confession – Acknowledgment of sin (or one’s sinfulness) or wrongs. The Fourth Council of the Lateran declared that every Christian must perform confession at least once a year.
Error: God has never set a specific day or time for confessions of sins. The minute you become aware of having sinned, confess it, repent, and put in all your effort into not repeating it. It can be before others, but that’s not necessary. It certainly does not have to be only to a man sitting in a wooden cubicle in a church.
Communion – Christian sacrament or ordinance. The Fourth Council of the Lateran declared that every Christian must take communion at least once a year.
Error: Christ told His disciples to ‘take this wine and bread in my remembrance whenever you meet.’ Not just once a week, not just once a year, but whenever people meet. Protestants, as well as Catholics, err when they relegate breaking bread and having wine to only certain days.
Fifth Council of Lateran
Immortality_of_the_soul – Souls temporarily stay in purgatory to be purified for heaven.
Error: Purgatory is a common, and heartening, pagan concept. However, it is simply not true. We have one life–the one we live on Earth. This is the testing ground, this is the decision-making period, this is where you have a chance. Most importantly, here is where you attain salvation through belief in Christ’s sacrifice, and that will determine whether or not your soul survives the second death and goes on to live eternally. Purgatory is just a happy ending story made up by men to excuse the terrible way they live their lives, and for grieving relatives to feel comforted that they can help their loved one get an assured place in heaven, where they can all be united. However, the concept and practice have no validation in the Bible.
Council of Trent
Protestantism – One of the major groupings within Christianity. It has been defined as “any of several church denominations denying the universal authority of the Pope and affirming the Reformation principles of justification by faith alone, the priesthood of all believers, and the primacy of the Bible as the only source of revealed truth” and, more broadly, to mean Christianity outside “of a Catholic or Eastern church”. This set of beliefs was condemned by the Council of Trent.
Error: So basically, give primacy to the Catholic or Eastern Church over God, doesn’t matter if they are in error, doesn’t matter how corrupt they are, doesn’t matter that they are blatantly breaking His given laws, doesn’t matter that they have mixed paganism with His pure faith. A church that cannot manage its own ministers and priests from sexually abusing little children. Christianity and Judaism have always been about following God’s Word through His book. In fact, in Corinthians 14, Paul mentions that when people gathered for worship, a few prophets should speak as inspired by the Holy Spirit and the rest of the congregation should weigh carefully what is said. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, to weigh means “to carefully consider, especially by comparing facts or possibilities, in order to make a decision.” Clearly, Paul is saying that the congregation has the responsibility to gauge if what is spoken is right by the word of God. To place the pope, priests, elders, and ministers in churches above God’s Word is just wrong.
Indulgences – Indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The Council of Trent curtailed and restricted how they are issued. But they were not demolished.
Error: I don’t even know what to say about this.
Sola Fide – Protestant doctrine of “faith alone.” The Council of Trent rejected this doctrine as “vain confid ence.”
Error: In Catholicism, Canon4 says: If any one faith saith, that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary unto salvation, but superfluous; and that, without them, or without the desire thereof, men obtain of God, through faith alone, the grace of justification-though all sacraments are not indeed necessary for every individual; let him be anathema. The 7 sacraments are baptism, eucharist, confirmation, reconciliation, anointing of the sick, marriage, and holy orders. “The (catholic) Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation.” (Source: Wikipedia). Anyone notice that faith in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is NOT one of the 7 sacraments? The most important thing, upon which the entire New Testament is based, is not one of the sacraments that are “necessary for salvation.” Just, wow! No wonder, the Catholic Church is against Sola Fide. The power to save lives is taken away from the works of man and is placed back in Christ’s saving work on the cross.
Canon of Trent – It was confirmed that the deuterocanonical books were on a par with the other books of the canon; ended debate on the Antilegomena; coordinated church tradition with the Scriptures as a rule of faith. It also affirmed Jerome’s Latin translation, the Vulgate, to be authoritative for the text of Scripture.
Error: Deuterocanonical books were given the same importance as the canonical ones, including the ones of the Old Testament, which is the Jewish Tanach.
Sacraments – Sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance; the Council of Trent reaffirmed seven sacraments.
Error: Canon 4 says: If any one saith, that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary unto salvation, but superfluous; and that, without them, or without the desire thereof, men obtain of God, through faith alone, the grace of justification;-though all (the sacraments) are not indeed necessary for every individual; let him be anathema. Only belief in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is necessary for salvation, an inward acceptance that has to be sealed by the outward ritual of Baptism by immersion, after which Christians should consume the bread and wine in remembrance of Yeshua. That’s all.
Purgatory – The condition of purification or temporary punishment by which those who die in a state of grace are believed to be made ready for Heaven. The Council of Trent affirmed this doctrine.
I have already written about this earlier.
First Council of the Vatican
Papal infallibility – Dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, by action of the Holy Spirit, the Pope is preserved from even the possibility of error when in his official capacity he solemnly declares or promulgates to the universal Church a dogmatic teaching on faith or morals.
Error: Protestants do not even have this joke of a concept, but even by Catholic standards, Pope Leo X who “gave indulgences in return for donations to build a basilica” was in error. So much for Papal infallibility.
Dei Filius – Teaching of “the holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church” on God, revelation and faith.
Error: Even the apostles, the men who knew Christ and were personally chosen by Him, who performed miracles and wonders like Him, did not dare to exalt themselves to the place of Vicar, meaning representative of Christ on Earth, the title that was assumed by the Pope. Christ was very clear about Who He would send in His place after He ascended. John 14:26 declares, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:16-18 proclaims, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” The Holy Spirit is Christ’s “replacement” on the earth. The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, Teacher (John 14:26), and guide into all truth (John 16:13). (Source: GotQuestons.org)
The Roman Catholic church openly admits to the practice of Inculturation in order to create a smooth transition for people of an indigenous culture to Christianity. This involves incorporating some elements of the indigenous culture into Christianity in order to make it more palatable and acceptable to the people of the land. That is probably how pagan practices were added to Christianity and given the outer accouterments of Christianity and justified as “any means to get as many to Christ as possible.” But Christ never asked them to do this. In fact, Christians are not even supposed to pull out all stops in their attempts to convert people to Christianity. That, however, is another post.
The Roman Catholic Church has adulterated the teachings of the original church, bringing in pagan concepts, creating its own traditions that did not match the rules laid down by Christ and Yahowah. They are the tares planted by the enemy in that parable Christ narrated. They are here now and He has allowed them to remain till the final day when their works will be tested by fire.
They are by no means the face of Christianity, neither are their beliefs and practices those of all Christians.
In the next post, and in conclusion of this series, we will briefly look at the Church fathers and the basic school of belief that they operated from.
Shalome.
Shamar 