Roman Catholic Claims and Contradictions Series Introduction

Hello and welcome to the Reform Rookie video series on Roman Catholicism.

This series is going to be almost entirely based on the teaching of William Webster in his book Roman Catholic Tradition Claims and Contradictions. I'm using it with his permission and I'm very grateful that he allowed me to do this as I think it will be a great help in witnessing to our Roman Catholic friends and family and also learning exactly what Roman Catholicism teaches.

I urge you strongly to get this book at www .christiantruth .com and use it as a witness to your Roman Catholic friends. Again, all credit goes to William Webster and I'm very grateful for him allowing me to do this.

The Introduction to Roman Catholic Claims and Contradictions

But before we start going through the first chapter, I want to go through the introduction. Over the next several sessions, we will survey and compare the teachings and claims of the Roman Catholic Church and its tradition with the teaching of Scripture and the facts of history.

These teachings cover two issues of authority and salvation under the topics of Scripture, the Canon, Tradition, Infallible Interpretation, the Papacy, Mary, the Sacraments, Indulgences, Purgatory, Salvation and the Roman Catholic Church, Justification and Repentance and Faith.

We are dealing with the issue of truth, both biblical and historical. The Roman Catholic Church makes certain claims which it says can be validated by Scripture and history. It claims that it alone is the one true Church and has faithfully preserved the apostolic teaching of the Gospel which was received from Jesus.

Furthermore, it places under an anathema, that is, it condemns to hell, unless there is repentance, all who disagree with its teachings. The Catholic Encyclopedia gives us the following background and definition for the term anathema.

To understand the word anathema, we should first go back to the real meaning of harem. Harem comes from the word haram, to cut off, to separate, to curse, and indicates that which is cursed and condemned to be cut off and exterminated.

In the New Testament, anathema no longer entails death, but the loss of goods or exclusion from the society of the faithful. But he who is separated from God is united unto the devil, which explains why St. Paul, instead of anathematizing, sometimes delivers a person over to Satan, as in 1 Timothy 1 .20 and 1 Corinthians 5 .5.

Anathema remains a major excommunication, which is to be promulgated with great solemnity. In passing this sentence, the pontiff takes his seat in front of the altar or in some other suitable place and pronounces the formula of anathema, which ends with these words,.

Wherefore, in the name of God the All-Powerful, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, of the blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and of all the Saints, in virtue of the power which has been given to us of binding and loosing in heaven and on earth, we deprive himself and all his accomplices and all his abettors of the communion of the body and blood of our Lord.

We separate him from the society of all Christians. We exclude him from the bosom of our Holy Mother, the Church, in heaven and on earth. We declare him excommunicated and anathematized, and we judge him condemned to eternal fire with Satan and his angels, and all the reprobate.

So long as he will not burst the fetters of the demon, do penance and satisfy the Church, we deliver him to Satan to mortify his body, that his soul may be saved on the day of judgment. Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 1, pages 455 and 456.

So again, the Roman Catholic Church makes certain claims which it says can be validated by Scripture and history. It claims that it is alone the one true Church and has faithfully preserved the apostolic teaching of the Gospel which was received from Jesus.

But are these claims true? Can they in fact be validated by Scripture and history? The following survey of the biblical and historical facts will reveal with certainty that the answer to that question must be no.

Thanks again for joining us in this new series on Roman Catholicism. William Webster has done a great service to the Body of Christ with this work and I'm looking forward to going through it with you.

The Next Session: The Authority of Scripture and the Protestant Reformation

In the next session we will address the authority of Scripture which was the formal cause of the Protestant Reformation. If you liked this video, please hit like and share it with someone else who may benefit from it.

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