Is Roman Catholicism a Cult?

You know when you're on You Tube and you click on a video, and then You Tube feeds you a whole list of videos on the right hand side that might interest you? So the other day I was googling a random Roman Catholic Mass song, and when I clicked on the You Tube link you'll never guess what caught my eye from the right hand column... 

Is Roman Catholicism a cult? - Ravi Zacharias at Texas A&M's Veritas Forum

Holy Cannoli you guys... I can't make this stuff up! I can only assume that the Holy Spirit places these things in my path so that in my own little way I can respond. The actual question a young man asked was "Is Roman Catholicism another example of how unity does not equal uniformity OR is it at it's core a derivative from true Christianity?" I will be honest, I was disappointed with Ravi's response. Actually, I was kinda "flipping tables” angry, and I may have even said a bad word.

 I don't know much about Ravi Zacharias, but I do know that he is a Christian Apologist who is held in high esteem by many. And what comes with being held in high esteem by followers of Christ? Great responsibility. Unfortunately, his answer without a doubt further perpetuates the ideology that Roman Catholics are not Christians. 

In this video, he defines a Christian as "one who confesses with his mouth and believes in his heart that Jesus Christ is Lord and has risen from the dead." He defines a cult as "anything that deviates from the historic person and work of Jesus Christ or adds to His teaching and is generally at the instruction of one individual who dictates that belief." He goes on to say that "some" Catholics are Christians because they don't subscribe to what the Catholic Church teaches, which really grinds my gears but I'll let that one slide for today.

I want to address his definition of a cult, as he's implying it's relation to the Roman Catholic Church. The problem is that the answer is so multi-faceted and too much information for a non-theologian to explain in a blog post. The quick version would be to say that the Roman Catholic church does NOT "deviate from the historic person and work of Jesus Christ" and we are NOT at the "instruction of one individual who dictates Christian belief." Everything the Roman Catholic Church teaches is based in Sacred Scripture and on Capital T Tradition. Tradition passed down from the apostles. Tradition from the same people who gave us the physical form of the Bible. It's important to remember that there were no physical Bibles in the early Church and Christ's teachings and historical events were passed down through generations by the spoken word. So, in addition to Sacred Scripture, we rely on the information that the early Church has passed down to us.

I have learned over the years not to blindly assume that Protestant beliefs are based on misinterpreted Scripture and I think it's fair to ask the same courtesy in return. We must approach each other with a spirit of gentleness and bear with one another in love. We must view the other with benevolent Good Will, aiming to learn from one another with an openness to the Holy Spirit. When we are seeking Truth, there is no reason to be afraid.

And now, to answer the question of the hour, Is Roman Catholicism a Cult? 

The answer is unequivocally no! Roman Catholics believe that Jesus is the Son of God, he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the Cross for us and for our Salvation. He rose again on the third day, thus conquering death! He is the only Way and His Grace is sufficient. We do not worship the Pope, we do not worship the Saints, we do not worship Mary. You can trace all of the Roman Catholic popes through history back to St. Peter himself, but we are not “followers of the Pope” for Pete’s sake. (No pun intended haha) We are followers of Christ! This is not just "what Katie believes," this is what the Roman Catholic Church teaches and has always taught. People grossly misunderstand the Church's teaching on the pope and the ignorance is truly damaging. I invite you to listen here to learn what the Roman Catholic Church really believes about the Pope and Papal Infallibility. This video isn't meant to convert you to the Catholic way of thinking, I share so that you may better understand that Catholic teaching is based in Scripture. We can agree to disagree, but we can't claim that the other is not in the Word and/or not a Christian. Also, don't be deterred by the length of the video. I find that a great time to listen is in your car, and if you can't find time for the whole video, the first 20 min will at least give you some information on Catholic teaching.

Peace be with you!

"There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be."

Fulton J. Sheen

Ecumenism 101

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."  
~St. Paul (Ephesians 4:2-6)

Hello everyone! I can't believe it has been 5 years since I last wrote on the blog! Since then we moved, had a baby, and changed jobs, but we still attend St. Mark Catholic Church and Port City Community Church on Sundays. Due to all the children in our immediate circle of friends, our interfaith Small Group has temporarily disbanded, but there are many play dates in it's place! It has been on my heart to write for you again, and I hope to continue to write more regularly in the future.

Ecumenism: the principle or aim of promoting unity 
among the world's Christian Churches.

In July of 2014 the world suffered a sad loss when Anglican Bishop Tony Palmer passed away in a tragic motorcycle accident. He was well known as a dear friend of Pope Francis and an advocate for unity between Christian churches. In addition to preaching that the protest is over, Bishop Palmer taught that it is "our sin that we don't allow our unity in Christ to be visible to those around us. The Cross unites, but spiritual racism divides. It is our common passion that we share that we want to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ every day, and live it in a Modern world." I am blessed to see this common passion lived true among my immediate circle of Catholic and Non-Catholic Christian friends.

What did Bishop Palmer mean by "the protest is over"? I believe he meant that many of the issues that Luther initially took with the Catholic Church are no longer relevant. In 1999, the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. We can't say that all the differences in regards to the topic of justification have been resolved, but the signing of this Declaration was a major step in history. The two denominations took a respectful step towards each other in love, working to understand the other's position and heal the pain of the past. Some people will argue that the protest isn't over. There are still other Christian churches who are "protesting" Catholics and the Catholic Church, and now many Catholics turn their noses up at our non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters and treat them with disrespect and indifference. Just because this is true, doesn't make it right. How can we expect anything to change, if we ourselves do not change?  

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Ghandi

I want to see a world where non-Catholic Christians and Catholic Christians treat each other and non-Christians with respect and the love of Christ. With humility and patience, bearing with one another in love. There is always a time and a place for discussions of theology and doctrine, but maybe we should get to know one another first? I propose non-Catholic Christians stop assuming Catholic teaching is not based on Scripture, and I propose Catholics stop assuming our non-Catholic Christian brethren make Scripture say whatever they want it to. Obviously there is a lot more to our differences, but my point is that we should see the benevolent goodwill in our brothers and sisters instead of assuming the worst.

"Difference of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open." ~Albus Dumbledore

Awhile back Matt's pastor, Pastor Mike Ashcraft, gave a great sermon that got me thinking. He preached a series on the book of Revelation and one particular sermon was on the letters sent the seven churches in Asia. The first letter, out of the seven, is the letter to the Church in Ephesus. The letter begins, "I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first."  (Revelation 2:2-5)  The Church in Ephesus is being praised for their solid doctrine, but are being reprimanded for their lack of love towards others.

Pastor Mike preached that "when we become intolerant of people who don't think like us, it pulls us away from our mission to be the Salt and the Light. God is calling all of us to remember and repent. Remember our own brokenness and Salvation, and repent from sinning against each other."  

It is no secret that we, as Catholics, believe the Catholic Church holds the fullness of faith, as passed down by the Apostles and through the Scriptures. Matt knows that this is what I believe, just as I know that he believes that the Catholic Church does not hold the fullness of faith and has been misguided on certain things over the years. But we can't sit around all day arguing about who's right.  "Right-ness" creates separation. There have been many conversations about the differences between the churches for over 500 years. I don't think Matt and I are suddenly going to be able to "fix" all the differences that trained theologians can't agree on. What we can do, is focus on who we are in Christ.  We can approach each other with humility, and ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our hearts and reveal His Truth to us. What is needed is a spirit of humility, and one of love.

The protest is over. Church leaders around the world are meeting with one another to encourage unity. Shouldn't we be following their lead?

May the peace of Christ be with you!

If you are interested in listening to a Protestant vs. Catholic dialogue on Justification, please view the links below.
Hahn vs. Bowman Part 1
Hahn vs. Bowman Part 2
Hahn vs. Bowman Part 3