Expert: Dr. Robert Ainsworth - 2/9/2012

Question
QUESTION: I have a family member who is converting to the catholics.  what do i need to know or do about this? I don't know anything about what they believe. can you help? or give me some resources?

ANSWER: There really isn't space here to go into the beliefs of Catholicism, but I can say that there should be plenty of resources available on the Internet.

I recommend that you attempt to encourage this person to go to a Bible teaching/believing church as well as reading about Catholicism. Only when you know the Bible and then compare it to the teachings of the Catholic Church, especially as it relates to salvation, will you be able to understand where they are in error; and make no mistake, they are in error!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: ok..this was my general feeling, but after talking with my family member, he seems to understand that the catholics do teach from the Bible.  He says that the people that think the catholics don't believe in the Bible are misinformed or don't have an open mind.  He saids that the catholic church is where the Bible came from.  I don't have good computer access. it is real slow.  do you have a short reply that I can tell him?  I don't know if he's right about the catholic church being there before the Bible.  thank you for your time.

Answer
The fact is, the individual books of the Bible existed before the Catholic Church; take, for example, the Old Testament. The New Testament was compiled by the Catholic Church many years after the individual books were written. I didn't say that the Catholic Church didn't use the Bible but there are many of their core teachings that are extra-biblical. For example:
- The Bible does not say that Mary, the mother of Jesus ascended into heaven, but the Catholic Church teaches that she did. The last book of the Bible was written while she was still living.
- The Bible does not say that Peter was the first pope, but the Catholic Church does.
- The Catholic Church teaches that during communion the priest actually changes the wine and the bread into the literal body and blood of Christ, but the Bible does not teach this.
- The Catholic Church teaches that participation in the sacraments imparts saving grace including getting married or infant baptism, but the Bible does not.
- The Catholic Church teaches that a priest must be celibate and not marry, even though Peter who they claim was the first pope was married, and yet the Bible does not require this.
- The Catholic Church teaches that a person can die and go to purgatory but the Bible does not.
- The Catholic Church teaches that only special believers are Saints but the term saint was commonly used for all Christians in the Bible.
- The Catholic Church teaches that you should pray to a saint or Mary but the Bible specifically teaches that we should pray to God in the Name of Jesus Christ.

The list of aberrant teachings goes on and on. In fact, most born again Christians who were formerly Catholics claim that it is highly unlikely that a person can be a Catholic and be a Christian at the same time because many teachings of the Catholic Church are contrary to the Bible. Just because you hold a Bible, read a Bible, or even use a Bible doesn't make you Biblical. Israel had the Old Testament and yet didn't follow it, that's why God sent them into captivity!