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I can hear many
of your objections already. You’re wondering what Roman
Catholicism is doing listed as a false (aberrant) religion. You think we’ve
gone over the edge in profiling another Christian
denomination as a cult. You’re about ready to chuck
your modem out the window, and the only reason you’ve read
this far is out of a morbid curiosity. Well, let me
take a moment to address your concerns.
I will grant you that the Catholic Church shares
a large number of Biblical beliefs with evangelical
Christianity: the inerrancy of the Bible, the Trinitarian
nature of God, the virgin birth and deity of Jesus Christ, as
well as His crucifixion and resurrection. In fact, we
have no doubt that there are a number of born-again
Christians within the Catholic Church. These Christians
properly understand the biblical doctrine of salvation, and
have developed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. However, many
of the official doctrines of the Roman Catholic
Church are either un-Biblical or extra-Biblical.
In fact, the Catholics use a different Bible
than Protestants.
Their Bible has
more books within it, which accounts for some of the
differences in Catholic doctrines. Furthermore,
the Catholic Church has traditionally held that salvation can
be attained only through observance of their sacraments.
Therefore, they have set themselves apart as the only true
church, and we must contend for the faith.
You ask, “Many different denominations share different
interpretations of scripture. So aren’t you just
splitting hairs here?” The answer is “no”, and
here’s why. The differences here are not based on
whether one should be baptized by immersion or by sprinkling,
and they are more important than whether there will be a
pre-tribulation rapture or a post-tribulation rapture.
The differences here have to do with the most fundamental and
foundational Christian doctrine – salvation. Within
Catholicism, the definitions related to salvation are
different, and salvation is based on works. Because of
this, Catholics do not believe that anyone can be assured of
their salvation. This is incredibly sad and
distressing!!
Our brief overview of Roman Catholic beliefs is presented for two
reasons – to educate non-Catholics about the beliefs and
doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, and to show Catholics
that one can indeed be assured of salvation. Our
ministry exists to contend for the truth, and to do so with
love. If we shied away from addressing the doctrines of
Catholicism, simply because we may not be popular for doing
so, we would be failing to carry out the Great Commission.
With that commission in mind, let us now take a look at the
beliefs of Roman Catholicism.
 Correspondence
from Catholics
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2002 - 2005 - Contender Ministries
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