by F. Mascariņa
** Forgive the lack of design in these articles-- I really, really do not have the time right now to decorate these pages. When I come back from MP training, then maybe I'll have time to make these pages more appealing. Now, whatever is in quotation marks ( " ") and is italicized is from the original article; whatever is underlined is the focus of my refutation. The verses (in blue) from Scripture that I used in these articles all come from the book Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma by Dr. Ludwig Ott ( a Catholic theologian). If it's not in blue, its most likely from the Scripture Catholic site. I have a major time constraint and Dr. Ott's book was succint and to-the-point and saved me a lot of time in preparing these articles. In my opinion, Dr. Ott deserves all the credit for these articles. The quotes from the ancient Christians come from Coronum Catholic Apologetics.
And that a Catholic should have to correct the "thorough research" of the ADD just goes to show that the ADD are, in reality, very sloppy and irresponsible with much of the things they teach their members. **
Summary of the original article: Jesus Christ is the teacher. All of His teachings were written in the 66-book Bible. There is no need for a Pope; the Pope is not Jesus and therefore not the teacher.
Summary of my article: Jesus Christ is the teacher. Jesus teaches through the Pope. There are 73 books in the Bible. The Lord's teachings are in Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, not Scripture alone.
"Who is that person who can rightfully teach us the will of God? It is necessary that we should first identify him. Otherwise, we might end up obeying somebody else’s will, instead of God’s will. Most of Born Again preachers say, “Jump thrice and the devil will be cast out.” To act as mendicants in the streets and on buses … whose will is that? Is that a will of God? How about making the sign of the cross? Have you, Catholics, asked yourselves, even once, if making the sign of the cross a doctrine of God? We don’t intend to ridicule you. We are just simply asking a question. What is purpose of the signing of the cross for? Is it a doctrine that emanated from God in heaven for the people of this earth to fulfill? The Catholics pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Let us find out then, what is the will of God?"
When they say "We don't intend to ridicule you," or "Please, don't take it against us," and excuses like that, notice that they do so to mask what would otherwise be a rude-sounding question. As concerns the Sign of the Cross there are many variations of it, but popularly and properly it is the large cross which Catholics make at the beginning of their prayers and during different times in the Traditional Latin Mass. "We have positive evidence in the early Fathers that such a practice was familiar to Christians in the second century. "In all our travels and movements", says Tertullian (De cor. Mil., iii), "in all our coming in and going out, in putting of our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupieth us, we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross". On the other hand this must soon have passed into a gesture of benediction, as many quotations from the Fathers in the fourth century would show. Thus St. Cyril of Jerusalem in his "Catecheses" (xiii, 36) remarks: "let us then not be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the cross our seal, made with boldness by our fingers on our brow and in every thing; over the bread we eat and the cups we drink, in our comings and in goings; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we awake; when we are travelling, and when we are at rest (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIII)."
"Again, the question is “Who should teach us the doctrines of God?” ...They have to check on the teacher’s qualifications and field of expertise before they hire him. Otherwise, that will cause the students and the school a very great damage. That may pose danger and confusion. The same thing is true in teaching the doctrines of God. We have to exercise greater caution. We have to check first on the credibility of the teacher for us not to be deceived. Who should teach, then? Who is this teacher that we ought to recognize?"
Who should teach us the doctrines of God? The Catholic Church.
"Let us start in finding out who is this teacher who was tasked to teach the doctrines of our Lord for us to be certain of our salvation ...and among the Catholics, there is the Pope in Rome. One Catholic book stated that the authority of the Pope to teach and promulgate dogmas and other teachings of the Catholic Church. Please, don’t take it against us. This is not an attack to the Catholic church but this is a result of our thorough research on matters pertaining to religion --- that when it comes to faith, they believe that the Pope is error-free --- that the utterances of the Pope are without flaws or errors. This Catholic belief was written in a Catholic book entitled “Siya ang Inyong Pakinggan” (Hear Ye Him). It says that, the Catholic Church is one because she is united by faith. The members abide by specific doctrines. The church is one in leadership. The head of the whole Catholic Church is the Pope in Rome. Therefore, the Catholic Church recognizes and looks up to the authority of the Pope and that when it comes to teachings and doctrines, they take everything that the Pope says. In the same manner that the members of the Iglesia ni Cristo recognize the authority of Mr. Manalo. And this is true of all the other churches."
No, the Pope's authority (as defined in the original article) is not like that of Mr. Manalo's. Infallibility is the impossibility of falling into error. Impeccability is the impossibility of falling into sin. The Vatican Council declared that "The Roman Pontiff when he speaks ex cathedra...is possessed of that infallibility with which the Divine Redeemer willed that His Church should be endowed for defining doctrine regarding Faith or Morals."
And though the Pope is infallible, the gift of impeccability was never promised to him. That's why some Popes were immoral while still being infallible. Immoral...but infallible! St. Peter and the Apostles went "therefore [to] teach all nations" (Matt. 28:19-20), but remember that the Apostles were also men, and all men have sinned. It was good of the Lord to preserve them from (officially) teaching error, as he does with each Pope.
If the Pope proposes a teaching but does not declare it to be "ex cathedra," then he is acting as a private theologian; here Catholics can choose to differ with the Pope's personal opinions provided they have good reason for it. If the Pope (who, in this example, is stepping into the sphere of science) declares that the Earth is flat, Catholics can differ from his personal opinion if they have good reasons for their belief in a spherical Earth.
Also, the totality of Bishops plus the Pope (who is the Head of the Episcopate) possess infallibility; this is another teaching on infallibility, but it is not of concern right now.Christ promised His Apostles the assistance of the Holy Ghost for the fulfilment of their teaching task. John 14:16 seq.: "I will ask the Father: and He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you forever: the Spirit of Truth." Mt. 28:20: "Behod I am with you all days even unto the consummation of the world." Cf. John 14:26; 16:13. Acts 1:8. The perpetual assistance of Christ and of the Holy Ghost guarantees the purity and the integrity of the promulgation of the faith of the Apostles and of their successors. Christ demands unconditional "obedience to the faith" (rom. 1:5), salvation dependent on this: "He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be condemned" (Mk. 16:16). He positively identifies Himself with them" "He that heareth you heareth me: and he that despiseth you despiseth me" (Luke 10:16; cf. Mt. 10:40; John 13:20). This presupposes that the Apostles and their successors in their promulgation of faith removed from the danger of error. St. Paul sees in the Church " the pillar and the ground of truth" (1 Tim. 3:15). The infallibility of the promulgation of faith is a presupposition of the unity and of the indestructibility of the Church.
Notice that if someone quotes from a Catholic book, it does not necessarily mean that he or she understands Catholic doctrine in the way that the Popes themselves understand Catholic doctrine.
"One time, he brought along with Him, when He climbed up a mountain, his three chief apostles: James, Peter, and John. In the early Christian church, these three were called “the three pillars of the Christian faith.” They were authorities of the early Christian church. Remember that, although Christ had 12 apostles, these three were distinguished among them because they became Jesus Christ’s frequent companions wherever He went."
These three were distinguished, alright, but Peter was Prince of the Apostles (i.e. Pope):
"Who could be ignorant of the fact that the holy church is consolidated in the solidity of the prince of the Apostles, whose firmness of character extended to his name so that he should be called Peter after the 'rock', when the voice of the Truth says, 'I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven'. To him again is said "When after a little while thou hast come back to me, it is for thee to be the support of thy brethren."
Gregory the Great Pope,Epistle 40(A.D. 604)
"[B]ut that great man, the disciple of disciples, that master among masters, who wielding the government of the Roman Church possessed the authority in faith and priesthood. Tell us therefore, tell us we beg of you, Peter, prince of the Apostles, tell us how the churches must believe in God."
Cassian John,Contra Nestorium,3:12(A.D. 430)
" '...thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church' ... It is on him that he builds the Church, and to him that he entrusts the sheep to feed. And although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a single Chair, thus establishing by his own authority the source and hallmark of the (Church's) oneness...If a man does not fast to this oneness of Peter, does he still imagine that he still holds the faith. If he deserts the Chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, has he still confidence that he is in the Church?"
Cyprian, De Unitate Ecclesiae(Primacy text),4(A.D. 251)
" Incidentally, from the Father’s pronouncement “HEAR YE HIM” was title of the Catholic book mentioned earlier derived from. It is ironic though that while the Father was telling the 3 Apostles to listen to His Son, that (Catholic) book was telling the members of the Catholic church to listen to the Pope. "
"For if the lineal succession of bishops is to be taken into account, with how much more certainty and benefit to the Church do we reckon back till we reach Peter himself, to whom, as bearing in a figure the whole Church, the Lord said: 'Upon this rock will I build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it !' The successor of Peter was Linus, and his successors in unbroken continuity were these: -- Clement, Anacletus, Evaristus, Alexander, Sixtus, Telesphorus, Iginus, Anicetus, Pius, Soter, Eleutherius, Victor, Zephirinus, Calixtus, Urbanus, Pontianus, Antherus..."
Augustine,To Generosus,Epistle 53:2(A.D. 400),The ancient Christians (aka "ancient Catholics") understood that Peter's office was to be passed down so that even to Peter's last successor (i.e. the last Pope), Our Lord Jesus Christ would be able to speak through him to His flock. So there is no contradiction.
"As I follow no leader save Christ, so I communicate with none but your blessedness, that is with the chair of Peter. For this, I know, is the rock on which the church is built!"
Jerome,To Pope Damasus,Epistle 15(A.D. 375).The last time I checked, Eli Soriano was not Pope. And if you're not Pope and/or you contradict the official teachings of the Popes, it's very unlikely that Jesus is speaking through you.
"He added, Address one another as brethren because you are all brethren. This is why Christians must address one another as such. Do not do what the Catholics do. They call their leader “Father”. That is against the doctrine of God! Let us go over Matthew 23:8 again. “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your master” . How many teachers do we have? And how are we supposed to address each other? Continue. “and all ye are brethren” . This is why Christians call each other as “brothers and sisters”; not Sir, not Boss! "
It is not against the doctrine of God. If Matthew 23:8 is read in context, Jesus says we are not to elevate our earthly fathers to the status of The Heavenly Father. Here are examples of how the apostles used "father" or refered to themselves as "father": 1 John 2:1, 13, 14, 1 Cor. 4:15, Phil. 2:22, Phil. 10.
1 John 2:1 is the sense in which we Catholics call our priests, for they are our "spiritual fathers."
Notice that every priest has a biological father, as in 1 John 2:13. Notice that both the father and his priest-son have One Heavenly Father, as is seen in 1 John 2:14.
Note also that the early Christians understood that the Church would consist of a hierarchy, from the Pope down to the laymen and laywomen:"And before you had received the grace of the episcopate, no one knew you; but after you became one, the laity expected you to bring them food, namely instruction from the Scriptures...For if all were of the same mind as your present advisers, how would you have become a Christian, since there would be no bishops? Or if our successors are to inherit the state of mind, how will the Churches be able to hold together?"
Athanasius,To Dracontius,Epistle 49:2,4(c.A.D. 355)
"Since, according to my opinion, the grades here in the Church, of bishops, presbyters, deacons, are imitations of the angelic glory, and of that economy which, the Scriptures say, awaits those who, following the footsteps of the apostles, have lived in perfection of righteousness according to the Gospel."
Clement of Alexandria,Stromata,6:13(A.D. 202)." When it comes to faith, only one deserves to be called as “Father”. Please, remember that. Others will perhaps ask, “What about my father in flesh, can’t I call him “father”? That’s a different thing. What we are trying to emphasize here is that, when it concerns faith and religion, Christ told us to “call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven … because we are all brethren.” That is the doctrine of Jesus Christ --- the very doctrine that is deliberately violated by the Catholic priests because they allow their members to address them as “father” . The one that heads the Catholic Church is called Pope (Papa). “Papa” is a Latin word, which means, “father”. On that aspect alone, there is already a glaring error being committed by our dear Catholics. In so far as the Bible is concerned, it is wrong to address a priest as “father”."
The "glaring error" is not ours, but yours.
"The Pope, according to them is the Most Holy Father, so what else is left of the Father in Heaven? Nothing!"
Remember that "father" is derived from the sense of "father" in 1 John 2:1 (i.e. "spiritual") and that the word "Pope" comes from the Latin word "papa" which means father. So we are saying that the Pope is the holy spiritual father. But notice a clever twist in the logic of the ADD-- they use the sense of 1 John 2:1 in "... to them is the Most Holy Father..." but use the sense of 1 John 2:14 in "...of the Father in Heaven". A most deceitful switch! They are making it look as if we Catholics say that the Pope is the Holiest Heavenly Father and, thus, have pushed The Heavenly Father out of Heaven.
"That is why, in these last days, we are being told to listen ONLY to His Son for us not to wrong"
Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life. And This Way decided to set up a Church (aka His Bride, as in Eph. 5:25), through which He will speak to His flocks: Isaiah 35:8, 54:13-17, Matt. 10:20; Luke 12:12, Matt. 16:18, Matt. 18:17-18, John 14:26, John 16:13 , Eph. 3:9, 1 Tim. 3:15, Titus 1:5, Acts 20:17,28, 1 Tim. 3:8.
" Where is Jesus Christ now? He has ascended in heaven, and soon He’ll be back on earth again. Grasping at the prayer recited by the Catholics, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” Apparently, the Catholics haven’t realized till now that the kingdom of God has come. And they are to blame the Catholic priests for this ignorance. They have failed to teach them what this kingdom of God is all about."
"What does Luke 17:20 says about the kingdom of God? “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:” Therefore, the statement “kingdom of God” should not be taken literally. The kingdom of God is something that is not really observable; it is something that is not seen by the eye. Luke 17:21 says, “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”The biblical proof of the visibility of the Church springs from the Divine institution of the hierarchy. The teaching office demands from its incumbents the duty of obedience to the faith (Rom. 1:5) and the confession of faith (Mt. 10: 32 et seq.; Rom. 10:10). To the sacerdotal office corresponds, on the part of the faithful, the duty of using the means of grace dispensed by it (John 3:5; 6:54). To the pastoral office corresponds, on the part of those shepherded, the duty of being subject to the Church Authority (Mt. 18:17 et seq.: Luke 10,16)...The Fathers teach that the Church of Christ is easily recognized and distinguished as such from heretical communions...Side by side with the outward visible side, the Church, like her Divine-human Founder, has also an inner, invisible side. The purpose of the Church-- the inner sanctification of mankind-- is invisible. The gifts of Salvation, which the Church communicates, truth and grace, are invisible. The inner life-principle of the Church, the Holy Ghost, and the operation of His grace, are invisible. While the outward social side is an object perceptible to the senses, the inner mystical side is an object of faith. The visible appearance of the Church, therefore, in no wise excludes faith in the Church as the salutary institution founded by God.
The objections raised against the visibility rest mostly on a one-sided emphasis on the inner spiritual side. The words of Jesus, Luke 17:21: "The Kingdom of God is within you" (intra vos), as they were addressed to the Pharisees, do not assert: the Kingdom of God is in your hearts, but [rather]: the Kingdom of God is in your midst. But even in the former [i.e. ADD's] interpretation it does not exclude the visibility." 'And in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of the mountains' The house of the Lord, 'prepared on the top of the mountains,' is the church, according to the declaration of the apostle, 'Know,' he says, 'how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God' Whose foundations are on the holy mountains, for it is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. One also of these mountains was Peter, upon which the rock the Lord promised to build his church."
Basil,Commentary on Isaiah,2:66(A.D. 375)"Now all these [heretics] are of much later date than the bishops to whom the apostles committed the Churches; which fact I have in the third book taken all pains to demonstrate. It follows, then, as a matter of course, that these heretics aforementioned, since they are blind to the truth, and deviate from the [right] way, will walk in various roads; and therefore the footsteps of their doctrine are scattered here and there without agreement or connection. But the path of those belonging to the Church circumscribes the whole world, as possessing the sure tradition from the apostles, and gives unto us to see that the faith of all is one and the same ... And undoubtedly the preaching of the Church is true and stedfast, in which one and the same way of salvation is shown throughout the whole world. For to her is entrusted the light of God; and therefore the "wisdom" of God, by means of which she saves all men, 'is declared in [its] going forth; it uttereth [its voice] faithfully in the streets, is preached on the tops of the walls, and speaks continually in the gates of the city.' For the Church preaches the truth everywhere, and she is the seven-branched candlestick which bears the light of Christ.
Those, therefore, who desert the preaching of the Church, call in question the knowledge of the holy presbyters, not taking into consideration of how much greater consequence is a religious man, even in a private station, than a blasphemous and impudent sophist. Now, such are all the heretics, and those who imagine that they have hit upon something more beyond the truth ... not keeping always to the same opinions with regard to the same things, as blind men are led by the blind, they shall deservedly fall into the ditch of ignorance lying in their path, ever seeking and never finding out the truth. It behoves us, therefore, to avoid their doctrines, and to take careful heed lest we suffer any injury from them; but to flee to the Church, and be brought up in her bosom, and be nourished with the Lord's Scriptures. For the Church has been planted as a garden (paradisus) in this world; therefore says the Spirit of God, 'Thou mayest freely eat from every tree of the garden,' that is, Eat ye from every Scripture of the Lord; but ye shall not eat with an uplifted mind, nor touch any heretical discord."
Irenaeus,Against Heresies,5:20 (A.D. 180)
"I shall at once go on, then, to exhibit the peculiarities of the Christian society, that, as I have refuted the evil charged against it, I may point out its positive good. We are a body knit together as such by a common religious profession, by unity of discipline, and by the bond of a common hope. We meet together as an assembly and congregation, that, offering up prayer to God as with united force, we may wrestle with Him in our supplications. This violence God delights in. We pray, too, for the emperors, for their ministers and for all in authority, for the welfare of the world, for the prevalence of peace, for the delay of the final consummation. We assemble to read our sacred writings, if any peculiarity of the times makes either forewarning or reminiscence needful. However it be in that respect, with the sacred words we nourish our faith, we animate our hope, we make our confidence more stedfast; and no less by inculcations of God's precepts we confirm good habits."
Tertullian,Apology,39:1(A.D. 197)
"To sum up all in one word--what the soul is in the body, that are Christians in the world. The soul is dispersed through all the members of the body, and Christians are scattered through all the cities of the world. The soul dwells in the body, yet is not of the body; and Christians dwell in the world, yet are not of the world. The invisible soul is guarded by the visible body, and Christians are known indeed to be in the world, but their godliness remains invisible."
Letter to Diognetus,6:1(A.D. 200)
" The kingdom of God is something that is not really observable; it is something that is not seen by the eye....The kingdom of God is right in our hearts. So, if one keeps on praying “thy kingdom come”, that is a clear manifestation that God is not in his heart yet. Why keep on praying for the kingdom of God to come when the Bible said it has already come. Do we have a proof that it has indeed come? Christ said, “Seek ye first the kingdom and the righteousness of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Do you think Christ will ask us to seek for something that does not exist? In the first place, the kingdom of God should actually be the very first thing that each of us must seek for. "
How do you know you have the kingdom if you can't see it? You, then, "trust your feelings"? But how do you know the kingdom "feels" that way?
"Now, let us find out what the apostles did with the teachings of Christ. Let us check if they did as they were instructed to do. 1 Corinthians 14:37 says, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.”In other words, the commandments and teachings, which Christ taught His apostles, were not just propagated by word of mouth but they were also put into writing. Because the apostles were fully aware that, eventually, they would die, they made sure that Christ’s doctrines will remain intact and will continually be preached. And it is in the epistles of the apostles and in the prophecies that our hope is founded. What, now, is our basis in holding firm to the belief that everything that the Apostles wrote all came from Christ? In 1 John 1:3, it says, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” How? 1 John 1:4, “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
I just hope that you are still able to follow the course of our discussion. Before we go any farther, let us make a recap of what we have talked about … Our sole teacher is Jesus Christ. Christ taught the Apostles. The Apostles put into writing everything that Christ taught them. This way, the teachings of Christ were not lost, they remain to be intact, because they were written; they were preserved for the people in these last days to be properly guided. So, if a preacher/teacher will teach of things, which were not written in the Bible, those teachings did not at all come from Christ..."Granting, now, that the apostles put into writing the doctrines of God, the question is, “How sure are we of the completeness of what the apostles wrote?” In 1 Corinthians 4:6, St. Paul said, “And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.” Are the doctrines written lacking or insufficient? No! What must be learned should not exceed the things the things that have been written. Therefore, for us to be saved, we need to know wholly and obey wholeheartedly the teachings and doctrines of our Savior, (which were all written by the Apostles). Nowadays, many people go astray because they prefer doing things, which were not written...If we truly want to be saved, all we need to do is obey what God has commanded. Abide by the things that were written and we’ll never go wrong!...This is just to show you how complete the Bible is. Remember that whatever you want to learn from Christ, you’ll get it from the Bible --- complete, exact, and undiluted.According to this, the Bible is the sole rule of faith, the sole source of the doctrines which Christ taught. The term for this heresy is "Sola Scriptura"-- Scripture Alone. It shall be treated in the critique of the Bible article. If I have not finished that article, then I hope you consider that Sacred Scripture was never separated from Sacred Tradition in early Christian thought:
'We are PROVING that THIS view has been TRANSMITTED from FATHER to FATHER, but ye, O modern Jews and disciples of Caiaphas, how many FATHERS CAN YE ASSIGN to your phrases? Not one of the understandings and wise; for all abhor you, but the devil alone; none but he is your father in this apostasy, who both in the beginning sowed you with the seed of this IRRELIGION, and now persuades you to slander the ECUMENICAL Council, for committing to writing, not YOUR doctrines, but that which from the BEGINNING those who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word have handed down to us. For the faith which the COUNCIL has confessed in writing, that is the faith of the Catholic Church; to assert this, the BLESSED FATHERS so expressed themselves while condemning the Arian heresy...' St. Athanasius, De Decretis 27
"I have often then inquired earnestly and attentively of very many men eminent for sanctity and learning, how and by what sure and so to speak universal rule I may be able to distinguish the truth of Catholic faith from the falsehood of heretical pravity; and I have always, and in almost every instance, received an answer to this effect: That whether I or any one else should wish to detect the frauds and avoid the snares of heretics as they rise, and to continue sound and complete in the Catholic faith, we must, the Lord helping, fortify our own belief in two ways; first, by the authority of the Divine Law, and then, by the Tradition of the Catholic Church." Vincent of Lerins,Commonitory,2:4 (c.A.D. 434)
"...Therefore I ask, who is this Manicheus? You will reply, An Apostle of Christ. I do not believe it. Now you are at a loss what to say or do; for you promised to give knowledge of truth, and here you are forcing me to believe what I have no knowledge of. Perhaps you will read the gospel to me, and will attempt to find there a testimony to Manicheus. But should you meet with a person not yet believing in the gospel, how would you reply to him were he to say, I do not believe? For MY PART, I should NOT BELIEVE the gospel except moved by the authority of the Catholic Church. So when those on whose authority I have consented to believe in the gospel tell me not to believe in Manicheus, how can I BUT CONSENT?" St. Augustine, C. Epis Mani 5,6
" The reason why many people go astray is because they ignore what has been written; they prefer doing things, which are not written. For instance, God commanded us not to destroy our bodies but what are the Catholics doing? They deliberately wound their bodies – they flagellate. They allowed themselves to be whipped and be nailed on the cross. Was it ever written that man must play Christ? Do the Scriptures tell us that, for us to be saved, we need to be crucified? More so, is there any part of the Bible that commanded the women to be nailed on the cross? In Capalangan and in Calumpit, there are women who are literally nailed on the cross. "
There is a huge difference between the intentions of the pagans when they impose suffering on themselves and the intentions of the Christians when they suffer. **Note to myself: research stigmata and suffering of Catholic martyrs in comparison to pagan masachistic-religious rites.** I'll have to leave you, reader, with these verses (for now) to get a sense of Catholic suffering: Matt. 10:38, Rom. 5:2-3, Rom. 8:17 , Rom. 8:18 , 2 Cor. 1:5-7, Col. 1:24, 1 Peter 4:1-2.
"I repeat, there are doctrines for everybody --- doctrines that came straight from Jesus Christ, doctrines that Jesus Christ taught the Apostles, doctrines that the Apostles wrote, doctrines that Brother Eli Soriano reads."
In light of the verses and the testimony of the ancient Christians, it is a fact that Brother Soriano is not preaching Christ's doctrines.
" Please, take note. There are three requisites to salvation: read, listen, and fulfill (obey). We need to learn the Doctrines of Christ through reading. The truth is, until now, the Apostles are still preaching, via the Scriptures. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 says, “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.” How? “Whether by word, or our epistles.” In other words, even if the Apostles have died a long time ago, they still are able to impart to each of us the teachings of Christ through their writings. Paul is telling the Christians to hold on to the teachings/doctrines that were taught to us, either through word or through their epistles. "
"By word or through their epistles"-- nice way to summarize Catholic Sacred Tradition ("...by word...") and Catholic Sacred Scripture ("...or through their epistles..."). This will be treated further in the critique of the Bible article. Soriano's screwed-up doctrine of Salvation will be treated in the critique of Salvation article.
The ADD over-emphasize the fact that the Apostles wrote letters to the ancient Churches. But in the passage that they have quoted, Paul is teaching us that Christ's doctrines were passed down orally as well. When was this epistle written? I think it was in the first century (haha-- I'm too lazy to check)? So there should be a body of oral tradition that has existed for about 1900+ years. Who has it? The Catholic Church. Where is it? In Catholic doctrine and discipline. Who is at least 1900 years old? The Catholic Church. You can't say the same for the ADD, nor for any other counterfeit church. They're only a few months to a few hundred years old. Read again what St. Irenaeus had said:"Now all these [heretics] are of much later date than the bishops to whom the apostles committed the Churches; which fact I have in the third book taken all pains to demonstrate. It follows, then, as a matter of course, that these heretics aforementioned, since they are blind to the truth, and deviate from the [right] way, will walk in various roads; and therefore the footsteps of their doctrine are scattered here and there without agreement or connection. But the path of those belonging to the Church circumscribes the whole world, as possessing the sure tradition from the apostles, and gives unto us to see that the faith of all is one and the same ... And undoubtedly the preaching of the Church is true and stedfast, in which one and the same way of salvation is shown throughout the whole world. For to her is entrusted the light of God; and therefore the "wisdom" of God, by means of which she saves all men, 'is declared in [its] going forth; it uttereth [its voice] faithfully in the streets, is preached on the tops of the walls, and speaks continually in the gates of the city.' For the Church preaches the truth everywhere, and she is the seven-branched candlestick which bears the light of Christ.
Those, therefore, who desert the preaching of the Church, call in question the knowledge of the holy presbyters, not taking into consideration of how much greater consequence is a religious man, even in a private station, than a blasphemous and impudent sophist. Now, such are all the heretics, and those who imagine that they have hit upon something more beyond the truth ... not keeping always to the same opinions with regard to the same things, as blind men are led by the blind, they shall deservedly fall into the ditch of ignorance lying in their path, ever seeking and never finding out the truth. It behoves us, therefore, to avoid their doctrines, and to take careful heed lest we suffer any injury from them; but to flee to the Church, and be brought up in her bosom, and be nourished with the Lord's Scriptures. For the Church has been planted as a garden (paradisus) in this world; therefore says the Spirit of God, 'Thou mayest freely eat from every tree of the garden,' that is, Eat ye from every Scripture of the Lord; but ye shall not eat with an uplifted mind, nor touch any heretical discord."
Irenaeus,Against Heresies,5:20 (A.D. 180)Blessings.
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