2. Catholics place Mary on the same level as Jesus. Closely related to the myth above. The Catholic Church has never taught that Mary is even close to being on the same level as Jesus. The Church will be the first to stop such error as Jesus and Mary being equal. Jesus is God, and therefore the Creator of everything. Mary is a creation of God as we all are. No creation is independent of the One who creates. Mary needed God just as much as we all do. Jesus needed no one because of his divinity. The fact that Mary has a famous prayer does not put her on the same level as Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And it never will.
3. Catholics pray to Mary and the other Saints the same as they would pray to God. The doctrine of the Communion of Saints merely states that those who have gone before us may intercede for us on earth just as someone on earth may pray for a friend. The only difference being that the Saints are in Heaven instead of being physically present. A prayer to Mary or another Saint is only asking them to pray with and for us to God, through Jesus Christ, the one and only mediator. They do not take the place of Jesus-they increase the amount of prayers to God for a certain petition. If you told 10 people to pray for your sick father, then why should it be any different if you ask a Saint to do the same. They have already won the race and are there to cheer us on.
4. Catholics portray statues as idols. Pictures and statues remind Catholics of the holy ones who have lived before us just as a photograph of someone you love reminds you of them. It could not be stated any simpler. Catholics do not use statues as the Israelites used the golden calf while Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments. In that instance, the Israelites worshipped the calf while Catholics merely have pictures and statues as physical reminders of those who share the same faith.
5. Catholics place the Pope on the same level as Jesus. The Pope is the leader of the Catholic faithful on earth and he represents Christ by the authority of Christ. When Jesus made Peter the rock unto which His Chuch would be built, He gave him the authority to forbid and permit. Since the Church and salvation is still very necessary in this world, the successors of Peter retain the authority of Christ to stand in for Christ as a spiritual head on earth. The Church has never claimed that any successor of Peter is in anyway paramount to the divinity of Christ. Once again, God is the Creator and the Pope is a creation.
6. Catholic priests forgive sins. Priests do not forgive sins in themselves, but they are used as an instrument for God's forgiveness. God forgives the sins of the penitent through the representation of the priest. When Christ breathed onto His Apostles, He stated, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whosoever sins you forgive, they are forgiven, and whosoever sins you retain, they are retained."
7. Catholics call priests "fathers" despite the warning from Jesus to not call any man on earth your father. Not to be taken literally, Jesus also condemned the use of the name "teachers." Did we not all have teachers in school and who doesn't call the male leader of their family "father" or "dad?" Priests are our "spiritual fathers" just as Stephen referred to the members of the court as "fathers."
8. Catholics do not condone and consider important the Scriptures. This is ridiculous! If anyone has ever been present at a Mass, they will quickly observe that it doesn't pay to repeat unfounded Protestant beliefs without witnessing it themselves. Before the reading of the Gospel, the priest takes the Scriptures and raises them high into the air. During the moments the Bible is raised, an alter server stands on each side of the priest with candle in hand. One can see that Scripture is highly reveranced by the Catholic Church as the Word of God. Afterall, the New Testament was written by those who held the Catholic Faith and the books of the New Testament were chosen by the Catholic Church.
9. Catholics believe that works can earn a person Heaven and they are likewise saved by their own actions instead of or in addition to the grace of God. I have no idea where this foolishness came from. The Catholic Church has always and always will teach that we are saved only by the grace of God and nothing else. Any opponent to this teaching has obviously not done his or her homework. Works do come into play, but they are responses of love to His genuine grace and goodness. Good works are a gift from God and do not originate with us.
10. The Catholic Church has changed throughout the centuries. Of course the Church has changed in 2000 years! It has changed various customs, practices and disciplines, but has never and never will change anything relating to faith and morals. This is a proven fact. You can research the entire history of the Church and see that the beliefs have remained constant throughout. Common sense tells us that if God wanted us to know Him and belong in His Church, then the beliefs would have to remain the same for all eternity. God does not change, neither does the faith of His Church. It is a proven fact that the Church has changed several times regarding customs, practices and disciplines. Since these areas do not involve faith or morals, they are subject to change.
11. The Immaculate Conception is one in the same as the Virgin Birth. I have found that many Catholics share this same misconception with Protestants. The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that Mary was conceived in her mother's womb free from the stain of original sin. The Virgin Birth is the miraculous intervention of the Holy Spirit to bring about the Incarnation of Christ. These two doctrines are entirely different and have no basis for comparison. How these two have been perceived as being the same thing is astonishing to anyone who is aware of the actual teachings.