Common Objections
Common Objections
Catholic Outlook
Catholic Outlook
Catholic Outlook
Common Objections
Common Objections
__________ Recent Additions __________
Catholic Outlook
Catholic Outlook
__________ Introduction __________
This section is a collection of responses to common objections to the Catholic faith. Some of the links are to articles that appear only in this section. Other links are to articles in other sections that happen to answer that objection. That way I don’t have to post the same content twice.
__________ The “Apocrypha” __________
“The Catholic Church added the seven books of the Apocrypha to the Old Testament at the Council of Trent.”
“None of these books was written in the Hebrew language, which was alone used by God in the Old Testament.”
“Not one of these books claims to be inspired.”
“These books were never acknowledged as Scriptures by the Jewish Leaders.”
“No canon or council of the Christian Church for the first four centuries recognized the Apocrypha as inspired.”
“These books teach doctrines at variance with the Bible, such as prayers for the dead; they teach immoral practices such as lying, assassination, and magic; they abound in historical and geographical inaccuracies and anachronisms.”
“No apocryphal book is referred to in the New Testament, whereas the Old Testament is referred to hundreds of times.”
“These books lack the distinctive elements that give genuine Scripture their divine character, such as prophetic power and poetic and religious feeling.”
“Many of the great Fathers of the early Church spoke out against the Apocrypha.”
“St. Augustine wrote a book late in his life called “Retractions” in which he renounced his support for the Apocrypha.”
__________ The Bible __________
“For centuries the Catholic Church forbid its members to read the Bible, and now they allow it only reluctantly.”
“The Catholic Church denies that the Bible is the inerrant, inspired Word of God.”
“Jesus condemned tradition (Mark 7:5-13), but Catholics elevate their man-made traditions to the level of equality with Scripture!”
“The Bible condemns the use of tradition as a source of authority.”
“The Bible tells us all we need to know to be saved, so we don’t need tradition.”
Answer
__________ Catholic Customs __________
“Catholics worship statues.”
“The Catholic Church forbids priests to marry, which Paul says is a thing ‘taught by demons’.”
“Catholics are being disobedient when they call their priests ‘father,’ because the Bible plainly says, ‘Call no man on earth father.’”
“Catholics worship false gods. The letters ‘IHS,’ imprinted on the communion wafer stand for the Egyptian gods Isis, Horus, and Seb.”
__________ The Church __________
__________ Faith and Works __________
“The Bible teaches that even the best saint cannot gain merit with God, because ‘all our righteous acts are like filthy rags’ (Isaiah 64:6).”
“To suggest that we can gain merit from our own works takes away from the perfect work of Christ.”
Answer
“Catholics believe that faith and works are necessary for justification before God.”
Answer
“Good works do not contribute in any way to salvation; they are the evidence that salvation has already taken place.”
__________ Mary and the Saints __________
“The Catholic Church claims that Mary was conceived without sin and that she never committed any sin her whole life. But the Bible says that ‘all have sinned’ (Rom. 3:23). And Mary herself called God, ‘my savior’ (Luke 1:46-47), proving that she was a sinner like the rest of us.”
Answer
“The Catholic Church claims that Mary was a virgin for her entire life, but there’s plenty of evidence in the Bible that she had other children after Jesus.”
Answer
“It is blasphemous to worship Mary. To worship anyone other than God is pure idolatry!”
Answer
“It is wrong to pray to Mary and the other dead saints, because the Bible says there is only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.”
“It is wrong to call Mary the ‘Mother of God.’ God is eternal, without beginning, so it is impossible for him to have a mother.”
“In Luke 11:27-28, a woman tried to honor Mary, and Jesus rebuked her.”
__________ The Pope __________
“It’s ridiculous for Catholics to claim that the pope is infallible. Many popes were notorious sinners.”
“Catholics are wrong to say that Peter was the rock upon which Jesus built His Church. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus was referring to Peter’s confession, not to Peter himself.”
“Paul taught that it was wrong to follow Peter (supposedly the first pope) instead of Christ (1 Cor. 1:12-13; 3:22).”
“The word ‘pope’ appears nowhere in the Bible.”
Answer
“The Catholic Church teaches that the pope is without sin.”
Answer
“Catholics believe that whenever the pope speaks, whatever he says is the word of God.”
Answer
“Only God is infallible. Humans are morally flawed, including the pope, and therefore only the Bible can be trusted.”
Answer
“It is blasphemous to call the pope ‘Holy Father.’ In the Bible, only God is given that title.”
Answer
“Catholics claim that Peter is the foundation of the Church, but the Bible says that Jesus is the foundation of the Church. (1 Cor. 3:11).”
Answer
“Peter is supposed to be the first bishop of Rome, but there is no evidence, either biblical or historical, that Peter was ever in Rome.”
Answer
__________ Purgatory __________
“Paul taught that when Christians die they go immediately to be with Christ (2 Cor. 5:8). There is no Purgatory.”
“The word ‘Purgatory’ appears nowhere in the Bible.”
“There is no biblical basis for Purgatory.”
“The early Christians did not believe in Purgatory. It is a doctrine that arose long after the time of the apostles.”
“Christ paid the full price for our sins on the cross. We do not need to be punished for our own sins.”
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