Catholicism
Truth overview: The history of the Catholic Church is one filled with torture, murder, lies, molestation, and fornication. In years past, the Catholic Church would hide the truth by torturing and burning true Christians at the stake , today, it hides the truth by mishandling and/or simply disregarding God's word. In short, Catholicism replaces God's word with worthless man-made traditions and vain repetitions, and it has deceived millions. It is what the book of Revelation refers to as the Great Whore of Babylon.
LIE #1: "THERE IS NO SALVATION OUTSIDE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH"
You must choose between the Bible and Catholicism. They are not the same. You must choose to believe the words of Christ or the words of sinful men such as the Pope. The Bible says:
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…”
Gal. 6:14 “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
Yet, Catholicism teaches you need to be a part of the Catholic Church to be saved.
“There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” (Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215.)
“We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” (Pope Boniface VIII, the Bull Unam Sanctam, 1302.)
Catholicism is a cult that has led and is leading millions of people astray. I Timothy 4 teaches there two specific signs of a "doctrine of the devil" and they are forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats. Is it just coincidence that millions of nuns and priests have gone unmarried, and that thousands of Catholics go without meat during Lent?
1 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.”
LIE #2: "IT'S OK TO HAVE AND WORSHIP IDOLS"
Exodus 20:4 “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” [Note: this verse was purposefully removed from the Catholic Bible]
Gal. 5:19-21 "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
Lev. 26:1 "Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God."
Deut. 16:22 "Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth."
I Thess. 1:9 "For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;"
LIE #3: "YOU CAN PRAY TO MARY AND OTHER SAINTS"
I Tim. 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”
Note: The Old Testament references pagan civilizations praying to pagan gods, but nowhere in the Bible is there an instance of a Christian praying to anyone other than God, nor is there a reference to a Christian asking a deceased Christian to pray for something.
LIE #4: "MARY WAS SINLESS AND A PERPETUAL VIRGIN"
Luke 11:27-28 “And it came to pass, as he [Jesus] spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yeah rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”
Like the woman mentioned in the verse above, Catholicism is religion that has lost sight of what is truly important—the word of God. Today, all of the answers are still found in the Bible—if only Catholics would read it. Mary was a sinner and she knew she needed a savior as the verse below tells us.
Luke 1:46-47 “And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”
The Bible also clearly shows us that Mary had other children. Thus, when the Catholic Church calls her the "Blessed Virgin" it is wrong on two fronts. She was a sinner and she definitely did not remain a virgin after Christ's birth.
Mark 6:3-4 "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house."
Multiple passages state that Jesus had brothers and sisters. Catholics will feebly argue that the term "brother" when related to Jesus simply means a brother in the faith, however, the following passages, and the context above, do a good job of showing that Jesus had actual half-brothers. The verses below list Jesus' brethren and his disciples as two separate groups.
John 2:12 "After this he [Jesus] went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days."
Acts 1:13-14 "And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."
And, in the verse below Jesus gives us another distinction between his actual siblings and his fellow believers. Not only does the context prove that Christ had a real mother and real brethren, it also teaches us that putting Mary (the "Blessed Mother") on a special pedestal is not at all scriptural.
Matt. 12:46-50 "While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."
LIE #5: "PURGATORY EXISTS"
Purgatory is a fairy tale. It was concocted as a money making scheme and it is coupled with two other manmade doctrines in indulgences and mass. The Bible teaches that as soon as a person dies they immediately go to either heaven or hell.
Heb. 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"
Luke 16:22b-23 "...the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments..."
II Cor. 5:8 "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."
LIE #6: "BAPTIZING INFANTS IS SCRIPTURAL"
Nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to baptize infants, and nowhere in the Bible does it say that water baptism does anything to affect a person's eternal destination. Baptism is simply an expression of what a person believes. Catholic baptisms (especially of infants and children) does nothing but create a false sense of security. Salvation is by faith in Christ and not by works or a baptismal pool.
Baptism is only for those who believe.
Acts 2:41 "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized"
Acts 8:36-37 "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
And the Bible teaches that Baptism is by emersion--not sprinkling.
Acts 8:39 "And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him."
Mark 1:10 "And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:"
Nowhere in the Bible were infants baptized, and nowhere does it command or suggest that infants be baptized.
LIE #7: "YOU SHOULD CONFESS YOUR SINS TO A PRIEST"
This belief is both unscriptural and illogical. Priests are sinners like everyone else and are incapable of forgiving or interceding. Priests should not even be referred to as "father" according to the Bible.
Matt. 23:9 "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."
The only one we need to confess to is God.
It is true that Christians should be open about "faults" with one another as it says in James 5:16, but this, as judged by the context and the rest of the Bible, has nothing to do with the confessing of sin.
LIE #8: "WE SHOULD RECITE CREDES AND PRAYERS OVER AND OVER AGAIN"
Matt. 6:7 "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."
Mark 7:13 "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye."
And many, many more...
Read More: Roman Catholic Church: The Whore of Babylon (PDF)