Catholic anti-Priest teachings

Introduction

Christ as our high priest in Heaven. After the Ascension, Jesus Christ took an intercessory role as our high priest in Heaven (Hebrews 4:14-16). This role, together with all aspects of Christ's redemptive work in the plan of salvation, have anti (or replacement) components in Catholic teaching and practice.

Adventist unique perspective. Seventh-day Adventists believe the high priestly role by Jesus in Heaven has a dual, "daily" (holy place) and "yearly" (most holy place), function. "At His ascension, He was inaugurated as our great High Priest and, began His intercessory ministry, which was typified by the work of the high priest in the holy place of the earthly sanctuary. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry, which was typified by the work of the high priest in the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary" (Belief #24: Christ's Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary).

Catholic priesthood. Unlike the Protestant doctrine of the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 1:6; 5:10; 20:6), the Catholic Church have a distinct and separate ministerial priesthood consisting of the Pope, bishops, priests and deacons. The Pope has supreme (or extraordinary) power over all matters of faith (doctrine), morals (conduct), discipline, all adjudication of life in the Church. Bishops have an "ordinary" power. A bishop's jurisdiction is called a diocese which is sub-divided into parishes, each staffed by one or more priests. Catholic deacons aid priests in their parish duties: to assist at the altar, baptize, witness and bless marriages, preside at funeral liturgies, visit the sick and other duties.

Catholic priest - another Christ. Catholic priests are referred to as in persona Christi Capitis (#1548, "in the person of Christ the head") or alter Christus ("another Christ").

Seven sacraments. Catholic priests conduct seven (7) sacraments. Of these, the first three—Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist—together constitute the "sacraments of Christian initiation."

1. Baptism. Discussed under anti-Baptism.
2. Confirmation. Consists of the renewal of baptismal promises and the laying on of hands and anointing with the oil of Chrism (i.e. scented olive oil).
3. Eucharist. Discussed under anti-Communion.
4. Penance.
5. Holy Anointing (Unction). Also referred to as Extreme Unction which is offered to the dying.
6. Holy Orders. Sacrament of ordination for priests. The sacrament can never be repeated or recinded (i.e. revoked).
7. Holy Matrimony.

Holy Orders. In this sacrament priests are given a "sacred power" (sacra potestas) to act in persona Christi in order confect the Eucharist (i.e. to convert the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ); to forgive sins through the Sacrament of Penance; to baptize; to preside during the sacrament of Holy Matrimony; to offer Holy Anointing (Unction) to the dying; to preach; and to otherwise teach, guide, and sanctify the faithful. Requirements for a priest are that he be a baptized, healthy male, at least 25 years of age, intelligent, moral, and committed to living a celibate life. Once this sacrament is validly received, it cannot be repeated and cannot be revoked; once a priest, always a priest (#1582). This has become an issue in modern times when priests have been charged with immoral behavior, yet the Catholic Church is unable or has been unwilling to defrock them (def. deprive of ecclesiastical status in holy orders).

Celibacy. A Catholic priest makes a vow to celibacy. The underlying historical reason for the enforcement of celibacy was to impoverish the local priests, since in ancient times priests gained and passed down wealth and power to their progeny. In order for the Catholic Church itself to retain power, it could not have wealthy, influential local priests.

• "the question at the time was who is the final power—the king or the church. If [the church] could control a person's sex life, it could control their money, their employment, their benefice." —A.W. Richard Sipe, a former priest and author of Sex, Priests and Power: The Anatomy of Crisis (1995).

Topics

Category	Topic	Protestant*	anti-Topic	Catholic (replacement theology)
Sacerdotal (Priest) - anti-Salvific
	Salvation	Faith	anti-Salvation	Faith + Works
	Baptism	Symbol	anti-Baptism	Sacrament - Necessary for Salvation
	Communion	Memorial	anti-Communion	Literal Sacrifice
	Sabbath	Saturday	anti-Sabbath	Sunday
	Cross	Emblem	anti-Cross	Crucifix - Victim Worship
	Death	Mortal	anti-Death	Immortal Soul

anti-Salvation

Salvation in the Catholic Church is a tedious, works based system.

Salvation is a process. Catholics teach that a person must have faith, participate in the sacraments, take the Eucharist, keep the commandments, perform penance, and do indulgences in order to attain, maintain, and regain his salvation as well as reduce the punishment due to him for the sins of which he has already been forgiven.

After belief (in the Church), the person must be baptized, which is necessary for salvation (#1257). After baptism, he is saved. But, to maintain his salvation, it is necessary for him to perform good works (#2010, #2068) and participate in the sacraments ((#1129) which provide the grace that is “proper to each sacrament” (#1129, #2003). This is necessary in order to maintain infused grace (#987, #1468). However, grace can be lessened by venial sins or completely lost by mortal sins.

Venial sins. A venial sin is a lesser sin that does not result in a complete separation from God and eternal damnation as an unrepented mortal sin would.

Venial sins and salvation. Venial sins (#1862) remove part of the infused grace but not the saving grace known as sanctifying grace (#1863). To remedy the problem of venial sins, the Catholic is to take the Eucharist which the Church teaches forgives venial sins (#1416). He must also perform various penance which must be done in concert with perfect contrition (#1452). But there is a problem. Sins require punishment. Even though sins are absolved by a priest (#1463, #1495) the punishment due to a person because of his sin can remain. To deal with that remaining punishment, indulgences are administered to deal with the punishment due to the guilt of the sins already forgiven (#1471, #1498). These indulgences draw upon the “good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary” (#1477) and “of Christ and the saints” so as to obtain “the remission of the temporal punishment due for their sins” (#1478). Furthermore, indulgences can be applied to themselves or the dead (#1471) who are in purgatory (#1498).

The doctrine of venials sins is in contrast to Romans 1:18, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." See also Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:4.

Mortal sin and salvation. In case the Catholic has committed a mortal sin, then all his infused grace is lost. To regain this grace, he must partake of special penance (#980) since it helps restore grace that was lost (#1468, #1496).

Purgatory. Because venial sins do not cause damnation, then you need a place like purgatory, where sins are purged by fire.

Indulgences. Once you are in purgatory, you need to get out, but how? Answer: Indulgences. With indulgences, your time of punishment is reduced. Indulgences are still sold by the Catholic Church. They are called "Mass Offerings" (and sold in the form of "Mass Cards") in which a believer can purchase a "Mass Card" for a Catholic priest to offer a Mass (or a Mass each day for a consecutive number of days) for any intention or need. The purchase can be in the form of a Single/Individual (1 Mass), Triduum (3 Masses), Novena (9 Masses) or Gregorian (30 Masses for the deceased). Prices vary depending on the country and church offering them. For more information on Mass Offerings, see What is a Mass offering properly called and why is the practice acceptable in the Catholic Church? The Catholic Church "condemns with anathema those who maintain the uselessness of indulgences or deny the power of the Church to grant them." (Second Vatican Council, Sacred Indulgences, Chapter 4).

Merit system. "And, for this cause, life eternal is to be proposed to those working well unto the end, and hoping in God, both as a grace mercifully promised to the sons of God through Jesus Christ, and as a reward which is according to the promise of God Himself, to be faithfully rendered to their good works and merits" (Council of Trent, 6th Session, Chapter XVI, AD 1547).

No assurance of salvation. A Catholic has no assurance of salvation, but must constantly dependent upon the Church and the services of the priest. However, if a person does have assurance of salvation (as Protestants believe) he does not need a priest and does not need the help of the Virgin Mary, or the communion of saints.

Universality of salvation. Catholics preach universality of salvation. This means that those not having an opportunity to know or accept the gospel revelation because of social and cultural conditions or because they have been brought up in other religious traditions; for such people salvation is accessible by virtue of a special "secret grace" coming from Christ (Redemptoris Missio, pp. 7-8, encyclical by Pope John Paul II, December 7, 1990). Also see Redemptoris Missio 10: Salvation in Christ Is Offered to All.

anti-Baptism

Protestant view baptism as a symbol that doesn't actually do anything, whereas Catholics view baptism as the first sacrament necessary for salvation that gives access to the other sacraments (#1257). One is "Justified by faith in Baptism" (#1271). It is the gateway to the Church and to Heaven. It is the act that forgives sins, grants spiritual rebirth, and the means by which one receives the Holy Spirit (#1213). "By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin" (#1263). Catholic baptism is "a journey and initiation in several stages." Required are "proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing conversion, profession of faith, Baptism itself, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to Eucharistic communion" (#1229). Catholics also practice infant baptism (#1250, #1282).

The Protestant counterpoints on the Catholic view of baptism are:

• Baptism is not what gives us salvation. Salvation is the gift of God—by mercy and grace, and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).
• One is justified by the faith of Christ, not by (the work of) baptism (Galatians 2:16).
• Baptism does not forgive anything. It is a symbol.
• Baptism follows a person’s faith; it is not a prerequisite or condition of faith.
• Infant baptism is not taught in the Bible.

anti-Communion

The Communion service is also known as the Lord's Supper or the Eucharist. Catholics will typically celebrate the Eucharist in a liturgical service called a Mass. To Catholics the Eucharist is a sacrifice, not a service in remembrace of Christ's Last Supper. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states it this way,

• "The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: 'The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different.' 'And since in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner. . . this sacrifice is truly propitiatory.'" [#1367]

Eucharist bread. Also called Sacramental bread, Communion bread/wafer, the Lamb or simply the host. This bread is used in the Eucharist. Catholics teach that this bread substance is changed into the Body of Christ (transubstantiation) when the priest prays over it, otherwise it is not salvific.

• "When the priest pronounces the tremendous words of consecration, he reaches up into the heavens, brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon our altar to be offered up again as the Victim for the sins of man. It is a power greater than that of monarchs and emperors: it is greater than that of saints and angels, greater than that of Seraphim and Cherubim. Indeed it is greater even than the power of the Virgin Mary. While the Blessed Virgin was the human agency by which Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from heaven, and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal Victim for the sins of man—not once but a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ, the eternal and omnipotent God, bows His head in humble obedience to the priest’s command." —Rev. John A. O’Brien, The Faith of Millions, revised ed. (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1974) 255–56. [Referenced at Are We Called to Literally Eat Christ’s Flesh and Drink His Blood?]

anti-Sabbath

The change of worship from the 7th day (Saturday) to the first day (Sunday) occurred centuries after the apostolic era. "During the first three hundred years of the Common Era Christian worship did take place on Sunday, but there is no evidence that Sunday was seen as a Sabbath or a day of rest. As far as the process of officially transforming Sunday into a day of rest, the first evidence is found in Constantine’s decree of 321" (How did the Jewish Sabbath become the Christian Sunday?).

anti-Cross

The cross is the renowned symbol (or emblem) of Christianity. During the first three centuries of the Christian era the cross was "a symbol of minor importance" when compared to the prominence given to it later. The cross is related to the crucifix which is a cross with an image of Jesus on it (the corpus). The crucifix emphasizes Jesus' sacrifice—his death by crucifixion. The crucifx is not known to have been used until the 6th century AD. However, examples of the cross itself (without the corpus) are known to have been used as early as the 2nd century.

Crucifix worship. Catholics see the crucifix as a fulfillment of the brazen serpent created by Moses in Numbers 21:8-9, called the Nehushtan. And, as the Nehushtan became an object of worship—later destroyed by King Hezekiah's reforms (2 Kings 18:4) for this very reason—so the crucifix has become an object of worship. The crucifix can be found inside churches where prayers are done in front of it. There are altar crosses and processional crosses. Church services in the Catholic Church (Roman Rite) require a crucifix to be on the altar or near it. A crucifix is considered one of the most effective means of averting or opposing demons and for protection from evil, which is why many wear crucifix necklaces.

Sign of the cross. Making the sign of the cross (Latin: signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by Catholics. The gesture is accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of the trinitarian formula (Matthew 28:19) : "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen." This sacramental practice is used on many occasions. Attendees of a Mass will usually cross themselves at the beginning and end of the service.

Historic Christian symbols. Other Christian symbols include the fish. Fish is ichthys in Greek and has five letters ("I-Ch-Th-Y-S") where each of the five letters represented a word associated with Jesus (i.e. I=Jesus, C=Christ, Th=God's, Y=Son, S=Savior). The story of the fish as a symbol of identification fell into oblivion over time and the cross became the true religious symbol of Christians. Only in the second half of the 20th century did the fish experience a revival as a Christian symbol. The other symbol of note is the XP monogram of Christ. The monogram of Christ consists of the letters X (Chi) and P (Rho) nested together and stands for the first two letters of the Greek name of Christ. In the 2nd century AD, the first Christian communities used the "Chi-Rho" as a symbol of recognition. Therefore, the monogram of Christ has a longer tradition than the cross, which is better known today.

anti-Death

Catholics believe in the natural immortality of the soul and eternal torment of the wicked in hell.

• GC 58.2: The advancing centuries witnessed a constant increase of error in the doctrines put forth from Rome. Even before the establishment of the papacy the teachings of heathen philosophers had received attention and exerted an influence in the church. Many who professed conversion still clung to the tenets of their pagan philosophy, and not only continued its study themselves, but urged it upon others as a means of extending their influence among the heathen. Serious errors were thus introduced into the Christian faith. Prominent among these was the belief in man's natural immortality and his consciousness in death. This doctrine laid the foundation upon which Rome established the invocation of saints and the adoration of the Virgin Mary. From this sprang also the heresy of eternal torment for the finally impenitent, which was early incorporated into the papal faith.

Foundation of other false teachings. A string of other Catholic teachings follow from this one foundational teaching. They include:

1. Purgatory.
2. Indulgences.
3. Prayer, alms, and Masses for the dead.
4. Eternal torment in hell.
5. Human intermediaries in Heaven - Mary and the saints are venerated.

Bible teachings rendered superfluous. This teaching makes the following Biblical teachings superfluous given that all souls are already either in Heaven, Purgatory or Hell.

1. Second Coming (parousia).
2. Resurrection. The two resurrections—the righteous at the 2nd Coming and the wicked at the 3rd Coming—have little to no meaning in Catholic eschatology.
3. Judgment at the end of time.

False view of God. With this teaching God is viewed as:

1. Untrustworthy. Given that He told Adam that he would die if he ate of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 2:17) when, in fact, he would not die since his soul is immortal, suggests that God was not telling the truth.
2. Uncompassionate. Given that the wicked will burn in hell forever, the saints will have to watch the pain and suffering of their loved ones forever, without being able to intervene.
3. Unjust. The punishment in hell forever seems unjust given that the wicked sinned only a few years.

References

• Summary of process of salvation in Roman Catholicism.
• Immortality?