Why is Catholicism So Popular?
by David J. Stewart
"He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." —Mark 7:6-9
The Catholic religion is composed of traditions which are NOT based upon the Word of God. Matthew 23:9 warns us not to reverence any man as "Father." Yet, this is exactly what the Catholic religion practices. 1st Timothy 4:1-3 warns us about the Catholic religion...
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." —1st Timothy 4:1-3
What religion teaches it's members not to eat meat (such as during Lent)? Catholicism!!! What religion forbids its priests from getting married? Catholicism!!! It has always been disturbing to me that ANYONE would be so gullible to join the Catholic religion in light of such irrefutable Scriptures. What's so ironic is that the Catholic Bible contains the exact verses I just gave you. The problem is that Catholic people are not encouraged to read their Bibles by the Vatican, so they don't. Catholics listen to the "holy father" in Rome, the local priest, and their catechisms instead of studying the Word of God for themselves. The traditions of the Catholic religion are "doctrines of devils." How do I know this? Simply because the teachings of the Catholic religion are CONTRARY to the Holy Word of God.
The reason why the Catholic religion is so popular is because people are looking for someone to STRUCTURE their life. The Catholic church offers a package deal from the cradle to the casket, from infant baptism to have your last rites read over your dying body. By nature, we don't like to do anything by faith. I like to see exactly where I'm going to land before I leap. The Catholic religion lays it all out for people to see, a systematic plan...baptism, confirmation, holy Eucharist, the rosary, marriage, confession, last rites...and much more. It seems like a great way to go, somebody to tell me exactly what to do make God happy. The PROBLEM is that most of the teachings of the Catholic religion are merely traditions, doctrines of devils, NOT found anywhere in the Bible. According to the Bible, there were also foolish religious people in Jesus' day...
"...This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" —Mark 7:6-7
Did you reads that?..."in vain do they worship me!" Did you know that the world is filled with religious heathens? The Bible teaches this! Jesus said, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking" (Matthew 6:7). The Catholic religion is a HEATHEN religion, based upon damnable heresies and NOT upon the preserved, inerrant, inspired, precious Word of God. Catholics "think" that they are going to heaven, but they are NOT. I realize that this seems cruel and unkind, but it is certainly NOT intended to be. I am warning you about the phony and heathen Catholic religion, it is of the devil. Why Criticize Religion?
We are commanded in James 5:16 to "Confess your faults one to another..." The Bible does NOT tell us to confess our "sins" to one another, there is a BIG difference. We should never confess our sins to anyone but Jesus Christ, since He is the One Who died upon the cross for us and paid for our sins. ONLY God can forgive sin, "...who can forgive sins but God only?" (Mark 2:7). Jesus Christ is Almighty God and did forgive sin in the Bible..."When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee" (Mark 2:5). The Pope cannot forgive anyone. The priest cannot forgive anyone. The Catholic church cannot forgive anyone. ONLY through Jesus Christ can we have peace with God, and the Catholic church is NOT Jesus!
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." —Romans 5:1
There is nothing taught in the Bible about Last Rites. And why do Catholics bow down to Mary? You know, they all say the same thing..."We don't worship Mary, we just worship God through Mary." Listen my Catholic friend, you had better go back and read the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter twenty because the Bible clearly forbids even BOWING to any image...
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them..." —Exodus 20:4,5
The Pope is a heathen who is guilty of IDOLATRY as the photo above clearly shows. Don't be fooled any longer friend, you can still be saved and go to heaven if you'll simply forsake your false religion and turn to Jesus Christ alone for salvation. How to be born-again.
have you ever heard the Pope speak about being "born-again?" No! Well, the catholic Bible has all the same verses as the King James Bible. "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3). If you don't become a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, you will burn in hell for all eternity. So why doesn't the Pope warn anyone? The answer is because the Pope is a liar bound for hell-fire if he doesn't repent of his unbelief and turn to Christ for forgiveness. You heard Jesus in the above Scripture...
"Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" —Mark 7:7
Do you know what Jesus meant by "in vain?" Jesus was telling those people that they were wasting their time because you CANNOT worship God in heresy. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24). If you try to worship God in a false religion, you are just wasting your time. Also, notice the correlation God makes between worship and doctrine. This is very interesting...and important!
You can't truly worship God unless you worship Him in TRUTH. Most of the people in the world who "think" they are worshipping God are in reality living a lie, worshipping in vain, wasting their time. The Islamic Moslems claim to love God and are known worldwide for their intense worship of Allah (god).
Unfortunately, Moslems worship Allah in VAIN because they do not worship the True God, Jesus Christ. Likewise, every Catholic who tries to worship or pray to God THROUGH is doing so in VAIN. You are wasting your time, God is not part of your worship. If you don't worship God in TRUTH, then you are just practicing false religion.
The Catholic religion is the unrepentant sinners religion. You can still live like the Devil and feel comfortable in a Catholic church. Most of the Catholics I have known over the years cursed in God's name, indulged in pornography, had contempt for true Christians, went to strip joints, never shared their faith with anyone, and had an arrogant attitude about the fact that they were "Catholic." You won't feel comfortable living like this in a genuine New Testament church. This is another reason why the Catholic religion is so popular...you are not required to live right. There is NO call to holiness. Instead, you are taught by the Catholic priests to go into a confessional booth to make everything right (a license to sin). It's sickening! The Catholic religion does not require you to carry your cross, but Jesus does. Read, Carrying Your Cross.
The catholic religion is perfect for the heathen who doesn't want to become born-again, but does want religion. The Catholic religion is perfect for the heathen who wants to continue living and sin and never be told to repent and get right with God. You can remain an unsaved, unrepentant sinner and feel at home by being a Catholic. But be warned, you will burn in hell when your time comes.
The Christian life is a life of FAITH, not ceremonial religion or organized formalism. We read in Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Many people refuse to live by faith; instead, they prefer to see, hear, touch, smell, and taste religion. Catholicism eliminates faith. When a Christian prays, they do NOT need to pray through a statue of Mary. Rather, the Christian prays to God from within the heart.
Jesus said, "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). The kingdom of God is within your heart only if you have been born-again through the blood-atoning work of Jesus Christ. No religion can save you, not even the Baptists. ONLY Jesus can save you (John 14:6).
The Catholic religion offers all the external manifestations of religion, but their hearts are FAR FROM GOD because for doctrines they teach the commandments and traditions of men. The "Immaculate conception of Mary" is NOT taught in the Bible. The "Seven Sacraments" are NOT taught in the Bible. The "rosary" is NOT taught in the Bible. The little wafer on a pole that the Catholic masses worship is NOT Jesus, and this evil religious practice is certainly NOT taught in the Bible. Think for yourself!
Don't forget friend, the road to destruction is often paved with good intentions...
"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." —Proverb 14:12
