Question:
Dear
Greg,
I’m from the
Philippines
and like most Filipinos, I am Catholic. However,
I’ve had questions about the Catholic Church since my college days when I
started reading the Bible. Now, at 42, I have received Christ as Lord and
Savior. I am compelled, more than
ever, to come out of the Catholic Church.
Most of its teachings and practices are not biblical and I don’t
sense the Spirit of God moving among its leaders—from the priests up to the
Pope. If the Roman Catholic
Church is not the whore of
God bless,
Vic
Answer:
Dear
Vic,
The fact that I do not believe that the Catholic Church is the whore of
The issues which compelled the Protestant Reformation remain issues
today—almost 500 years later.
I believe that there are Christians who are Catholics, but I also
believe that there is much unbiblical practice with the Catholic Church.
The church maintains the essential core doctrinal teachings of historic
Christianity. But church practice
includes much extra-biblical practice, penance, confession, Mary worship, etc.
The major issues of the Protestant Reformation remain the primary
reasons why Protestants had to separate themselves from a church that had
become corrupt. Sola Scriptura
was (and is) one: the Bible is the sole authority for faith and practice,
versus the Catholic practice of elevating the traditions of the church and the
human authority of the church to equal status with the Bible.
Another was (and is) Sola Fide—the biblical teaching that salvation
is by grace through faith, not of works lest any human should boast, versus
the Catholic teaching that salvation is based upon what Christ has done for us
plus what we do (how well we follow the rules and regulations and rituals of
the church).
The Catholic Church, along with some Protestant churches, also believes
that it is the one true church and all other churches are at the very best,
spin-offs, slightly inferior, etc. At
worst, they do not recognize other churches’ claim of being part of the body
of Christ.
These issues, plus many others, mean that I could not recommend that a
Christian become a member of the Catholic Church.
However, that is not to say that there are no Christians who are
Catholic.
As for the verse about which you ask—the book of Revelation’s
reference to the whore of
1.
former
members of the Catholic church who have now escaped from the
2.
former
members of the Catholic church who were at very best nominal
3.
some
Protestants who hate and demonize the Catholic Church.
The
book of Revelation is not identifying one incorporated entity, but rather
speaking about any and all religious endeavors that deceive, pervert and
corrupt the gospel of Jesus Christ. The
imagery of a whore is used because of the seductive nature of religion, which
tells us that we have a part in our salvation and that we can either become
saved or remain saved by our efforts. The
gospel of Jesus Christ insists that nothing we do has anything to do with our
salvation—our salvation is all about Jesus.
Our salvation has nothing to do with what we do, how much we do it,
what church we are members of, etc., etc.
It is this primary foundation that religion hates and wars against.
That is what the book of Revelation is talking about when it speaks of
May God bless you, Vic, as you come to know Jesus—to whom all praise
and honor and glory belongs.
In Christ,