(This new book is now available on Amazon in e-book for 99 cents. Later to be published in paperback also.)
Pam says:
While I was in college in the 1970's, my college friend, Connie Jo, and I would often talk about things of God.
Connie Jo asked me, "Where is that in the Bible?"
I responded, "I don't know where it is in the Bible, but I'm sure it is there because we were taught about this in the Catholic church."
We had been taught that Mary was taken into heaven much as Jesus was taken into heaven as told in the following scripture.
Acts 1:9. And when HE (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they beheld, HE was taken up; and a cloud received HIM out of their sight.
However, when I looked in the Bible for an account of Mary being "assumed" into heaven, I couldn't find any mention of this.
Surely I was just overlooking it! (I thought.)
At that time I was still attending Catholic church.
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. HE shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto HIM the throne of HIS father David: And HE shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of HIS kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Exodus 20:1-6 And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before ME. And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love ME, and keep MY commandments.
Colossians 1:18 And HE (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church: WHO is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things HE might have the preeminence.
In the Catholic church it is taught that the pope is the head of the Catholic church.
***
When I went to my parents' home one weekend, I looked this up in their Catholic Books of Knowledge, a 3-book set of encyclopedias which told about Catholic doctrine.
I was shocked to read that Mary being assumed into heaven was not in the Bible!
It was explained in these books of Catholic doctrine, that the report of this event had been passed down from generation to generation but was not in the Bible.
This is the first time I saw that a doctrine taught in the Catholic church wasn't in the Bible, and it was quite puzzling to me.
***
As I continued reading in the Bible, and as Connie Jo and I talked, other Catholic doctrines came to light which were either not in the Bible or conflicted with what I read in the Bible.
I started a list of these things.
Although I no longer have that list, I recall some of the things that were jarring to me as I read the Bible during that time, for it didn't line up with that which had been taught in the Catholic church.
(There was a difference between Bible and the Catholic doctrine!)
***
* I Timothy 4:1-3 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
* The Catholic church forbids their religious leaders (priests, nuns, bishops, cardinals, pope) to marry.
We see in the Bible that the apostle Peter was married and had multiple children for Peter was an elder and as such was required to have his children under control. So by this we know Peter had a wife and children.
Matthew 8:14-15 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, HE saw his (Peter's) wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. And HE touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
I Peter 5:1 Peter says: The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
I Tim. 3:2-5 A bishop (also called elder) then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity. (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
***
* And in the Catholic church we were taught that we could not eat meat on Fridays, but we could eat fish.
Doctrines of devils:
I Tim. 4:3-4 ... and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
In the Bible there is no scripture telling us that we cannot eat meat on a specific day of the week. We are free to eat meat any day of the week.
And also in Bible, "fish" is called "meat".
John 21:5-6 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And HE said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
(Practicing Catholics eat fish on Fridays. But fish is a meat.)
Devils twist doctrines to the point it takes some effort to separate truth from the lies. And when they make up their own doctrines, you will find it to be very twisted when you try to sort through and get the real truth.
John 8:44 Jesus says: Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
***
* Luke 20:46 Beware of the scribes (religious leaders), which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;
- This reminded me strongly of the religious leaders in the Catholic church walking about in long robes. (And I saw many "lay people" stand in awe of them.)
In the New Testament Church, there are no "religious garments" showing a person to be a minister of Jesus. By the Spirit dwelling in that person and by the spiritual gifts of God coming through that person, we recognize the calling of Jesus that is on that person.
From heaven, Jesus calls HIS ministers today, and places HIS ministers into the offices of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, according to HIS will.
Ephesians 4:8, 11-12 Wherefore HE (Jesus) saith, When HE ascended up on high, HE led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men ... And HE gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Also a minister can have multiple offices.
Paul was an apostle, teacher, and preacher.
Paul says to Timothy:
2 Timothy 1:11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
***
Concerning prayer:
* Matthew 6:7-8 Jesus says: But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask HIM.
- In the Catholic church we were taught to memorize prayers, which we said over and over.
During various rituals, such as "Mass", the same prayers are recited, sometimes multiple times.
(And no where in the Bible are we told of anything called a "Mass".)
Another example of repetitious prayers is "saying a rosary" in which prayers are recited over and over, using a string of beads called a "rosary" to keep track of how many times the prayer has been said.
The primary prayer we were taught to say in the rosary is a prayer to Mary:
" Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen "
The Catholic church blasphemed Mary rather than honoring Mary as she should be honored.
The Catholic church taught lies about Mary and taught their people lies in telling them to pray to Mary.
Mary is a dead person. She cannot hear the living when they pray to her. She has no power to answer prayer. It is God who has power to answer prayer.
Mary is to be honored by that which she did when the Holy Ghost spoke to her as follows:
Luke 1:26-38
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. HE shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto HIM the throne of HIS father David: And HE shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of HIS kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
The greatness of Mary is that she yielded to the Word of God and accepted that word and suffered the shame that often comes from the Word.
***
Also regarding prayer ...
- The Catholic church teaches you to pray to Mary and to other dead people whom the Catholic church have designated as "saints". Yet no where in the Bible are we told to pray to Mary or any other dead person.
Dead people cannot hear you for the dead are asleep.
John 11:11-14 These things said HE (Jesus): and after that HE saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
12 Then said HIS disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that HE had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
12 Then said HIS disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that HE had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
***
Concerning prayer:
We are told in the Bible to pray to God.
Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
***
Who are "saints"?
In the Catholic church, they appoint certain dead people as saints and tell you to pray to these dead "saints" for different things.
(Dead people have no power. Dead people are asleep. Those dead people who are in Christ will be raised from the dead when Jesus returns through the clouds to gather the elect of God to meet HIM in the air.)
I Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede/go before) them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede/go before) them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
***
In the Bible, "saints" are all who have been born again by the Spirit of God, the elect of God, chosen by God. No human designates who is a "saint".
In his epistles the apostle Paul often addressed the church as "saints."
Romans 15:26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.
Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
2 Cor. 13:13 All the saints salute you. (All the church greets you.)
***
* 1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
- In the Catholic church we were taught that in order for our sins to be forgiven, we needed to confess our sins to a priest, "go to confession", that the priest would assign penance for us to do (often penance would be to recite a certain number of prayers), and that the priest had power to forgive our sins.
(To do penance for sins is to replace the grace of God through faith that Jesus paid for our sins.)
In the New Testament we are not instructed to go to a priest to confess our sins. We confess our sins to God.
And there is nothing we can do to pay for our sins. Neither does a priest have power to forgive our sins. Our sins are paid for only by the blood of Jesus.
- Our salvation is not through a priest, bishop, cardinal, or pope. Our salvation is not through doing various rituals, saying memorized prayers over and over, or following traditions and rules set up by man. Our salvation is not in a priest coming to pray over us before we die.
We are saved only through Jesus Christ.
In the New Testament we are not instructed to go to a priest to confess our sins. We confess our sins to God.
And there is nothing we can do to pay for our sins. Neither does a priest have power to forgive our sins. Our sins are paid for only by the blood of Jesus.
- Our salvation is not through a priest, bishop, cardinal, or pope. Our salvation is not through doing various rituals, saying memorized prayers over and over, or following traditions and rules set up by man. Our salvation is not in a priest coming to pray over us before we die.
We are saved only through Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 Jesus says: I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by ME. (Jesus, The Word)
***
It was especially shocking when I read that we are not to make graven images, and we are not to bow down to graven images.
Each Catholic church I have ever been in had statues and people knelt down and prayed before these statues.
Exodus 20:1-6 And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before ME.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate ME;
***
Colossians 1:18 And HE (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church: WHO is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things HE might have the preeminence.
In the Catholic church it is taught that the pope is the head of the Catholic church.
(The word "pope" is not in the Bible, not in Old Testament, not in New Testament.)
Jesus is the head of the church, the body of Christ, not a man called "pope".
Jesus is the head of the church, the body of Christ, not a man called "pope".
***
Seeing these things was so puzzling to me, for we had been taught that the Catholic church is the only true church.
How could they teach doctrines that didn't line up with the Bible?
Yet I had a list of things that didn't line up with the Bible.
That the Catholic church taught wrong things seemed impossible to me, and I didn't want to believe this.
Was I not understanding correctly?
***
Although the college I attended was a state university, a nun was taking some classes there. She was easily recognized by the garments she wore.
I asked if I could talk with her and we set a time to meet.
When we met I had with me the list of things I had collected, things in which the Catholic church teachings did not seem to line up with the Bible.
I asked about the first thing on my list.
The nun turned completely white, as though all the blood had drained from her face. She was obviously quite shaken.
She said "This is why lay people should not read the Bible."
She went on to say that she couldn't answer questions such as this, that I would need to talk with a priest or a brother.
Seeing this nun's strong reaction was used by God to completely break through my believing that the Catholic church is the one true church and this caused me not to resist seeing the wrong that they were professing in the Catholic church doctrines.
I saw clearly that it was not a matter of my misunderstanding.
Those Catholic church doctrines did not line up with the Bible.
I left the Catholic church.
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