Why Catholics leave the church
I have been looking back through old cuttings and have picked
one out from the Christchurch Press, 29 October 1985.
"Asked why he left the Catholic Church, one man complained
about "being condemned to hell for minor infractions of the rules."
Another objected to too much ceremony, other too little
Bible, too strict a stand on birth control, too much rejection after divorce.
Still others accused the Church of disowning or rejecting
them, rather than the other way round.
Quite a few views could be summed up with one man's
comment: "I just quit going. OK, I'm lazy, I guess."...
One-third of all Americans are "unchurched", attending
church or synagogue less than twice a year, not counting special holidays....
Catholic officials certainly would quarrel with the first man's
allegations that the Church preaches damnation for trivial offences. Leaders
might well disagree with contentions lying behind other stated reasons for
leaving. But many of the responses seem instructive as well as striking.
Here are some samples:
"The Catholic Church is more like ceremony than belief."
"The study of the Bible taught me different doctrines that
they don't teach."
"Disagreement with some of their teachings -– they have
too strong a belief that you are not going into the hereafter if you are not a
Catholic...
"It's terrible -– they're materialistic -– no worship
-– they don't even sing properly"...
Declines in the number of priests have left the clergy less
time to give parishioners personal attention or seek out people to join -– or
rejoin -– the Church..." End Quote.
I feel that it is true that the older one becomes the
more gentle one will become if that person claims to be a born again Christian.
Many years ago I discovered something that shocked me, and
that was that the Catholic Church teaches a way of salvation which is thoroughly
unbiblical. Not only that, their continuous use of the crucifix with a body
continually hanging on a cross used to worry me but I wasn't quite sure of the
reason. Now I am.
About the year 1986 I wrote a book called Second Warning.
On page 114 we have a quote from a book called This is the Catholic Church
by the Rev John F. Whealon, Archbishop of Hartford. We quote in part from his
statement.
"What makes the mass the most exalted of all sacrifices is
the nature of the victim, Christ Himself. For the mass is the continuation of
Christ's sacrifice which he offered through His life and death... The mass is
thus the same as the sacrifice of the cross. No matter how many times it is
offered not in how many places at one time, it is the same sacrifice of Christ. Christ
is forever offering Himself in the Mass."
In order to prove what we are saying is Catholic Doctrine
we turn to an article taken from the Council of Trent.
Passed in Session XXII. CAP. II.
No. 4, "If any one shall say that a blasphemy is ascribed
to the most Holy sacrifice of Christ performed on the cross by the sacrifice of
the mass -– let him be accursed." End Quote.
Many years ago we were having meeting in a town in New
Zealand called Tokoroa.
At the conclusion of the meeting many folk who belonged to
the Catholic Church stayed on for a chat about this particular subject. We
showed them Scripture after Scripture from the book of Hebrews 9 where it was
pointed out very strongly by God that Jesus' sacrifice was not perpetual but
once and for all. In that particular passage we saw the words once then once
offered, then one sacrifice for sins forever sat down, then by
one offering he hath perfected forever and finally said "It is
finished".
It is my desire that the priests of that church would
pick up a Bible, seek God for help and then begin to read the book of Hebrews
over and over and over until they understand it. At that point, they also would
leave the church that has the audacity to put our Saviour back on the cross when
he has already come off it and is now seated at the right hand of the God, a
Prince and a Saviour.
Going on and on about doctrine does not really impress me and
I'm sure it does not impress very many others either. Therefore if we can just
settle this one point, we have enough reason therein to find a church that
preaches the true gospel of salvation. Jesus Christ invites us to receive Him
and have our sins forgiven, and at the same time receive the gift of eternal
life from his gracious hand.
Praise God for Jesus. Praise God for His precious blood and
praise God also for the Bible which explains all these things to us clearly.
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