…….according to Martin Luther…………and me!
by John Ceccon
Those of you who know me have probably heard me describe myself as a recovering Catholic. I still do. I do this unapologetically too. If you don’t know me then some prerequisite reading might be in order. So, please check out My Soul According to Sister Simeon, or, Priests, Nuns, and Little Bambinos, and don’t forget Sister Isabella’s Gas Chamber for another dose of Child Endanger Felonies brought to you by the Catholic church. I haven’t engaged in a therapeutic session of cynical Catholic bashing for a while. So, here we go! I just read Martin Luther’s 95 Thesis and I learned that some of the same things that annoyed Martin Luther about the Catholic church, also bug me. We’re like two peas in a pod.
- Confession. If you look up the word confession in the dictionary you might be surprised at what Mr. Webster tells you, especially if you are Catholic. The definition has nothing to do with some guy in a booth, appointed by the Catholic church, who will sit there and listen to you go through a list of your sins. I used to make a few up, just so I could feel a “part of.” Next, he will tell you to go engage in another Catholic ritual called penance. Apparently, this guy has the power and authority to absolve sins through your penance because the crucifixion of Jesus wasn’t enough. Sorry Catholics, it doesn’t work that way and this form of confession has no Biblical foundation. James 5:16 details how confession works. James 5:16 – Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
- Martin Luther maintained that there are two kinds of confession. One is a confession to God alone which should be an ongoing practice. There is also the confession of sins one Christian makes to another. Christians are to confess their sins to one another and forgive one another openly and publicly without hesitation which is what James 5:16 suggests. No confessional is necessary. If you have sinned against your neighbor, go confess to them. If you have sinned against God, go confess to Him. See – it’s easy. Now, you try it.
- Purgatory. If you didn’t know any better, you would think Purgatory was something straight outta Scientology. According to Catholic tradition, purgatory is this place or state of mind that Catholics go to after they die to get spiritually cleansed before they can be admitted into heaven. However, some entry-level Bible study will reveal that because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are already cleansed, forgiven, redeemed, and sanctified. Purgatory is not needed. This is another dogmatic practice that is rooted in a misunderstanding of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Even as a child sitting in catechism at Cathedral Grammer School, I thought the idea of a waiting room for heaven filled with suffering beings was questionable. It was one of the early red flags that went up for me that something was amiss with Catholocism. Not only is the concept of purgatory not found in the Bible, but it was actually put forth by a mortal, Jacques Le Goff, in the 12th century and adopted by the church shortly after that. God had nothing to do with it.
- Martin Luther argued that “purgatory is not only unbiblical but undermines the doctrine of salvation” going on to say that “it is the greatest falsehood because it is based on ungodliness and unbelief.” Martin Luther is my hero.
- Venial amd mortal sins. The belief in mortal and venial sins is pure Roman Catholic and presents an unbiblical picture of how God views sin. The Bible does not state that some sins are worthy of eternal death whereas others are not. All sins are mortal sins in that even one sin makes the offender worthy of eternal separation from God. Romans 3:32 reminds us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This is why Jesus died for our sins. Despite this, the Catholic church even has a list of all these sins and has even gone so far as to add a few more to the list. I’m pretty sure God didn’t sign off on the addition. You can spend ten minutes on Google and you will find that the concepts of mortal and venial sin are not biblical and should be rejected. If you are committing any of these sins, see my rant on confession above my rant on Purgatory.
- Baptizing Babies. Catholics baptize babies to wash away the sin created by Adam and Eve in an event referred to as The Fall, they call it Original Sin, a term you will only find in Catholicism. We are all tainted with this sin and baptism cannot wash it away. Only the blood of Christ through faith can. The usefulness of this borderline pagan practice is easy to debunk. The apostles, as well as John the Baptist, encouraged people to be baptized. They didn’t say “get baptized, or we will make you”. Being baptized is a willful act that one engages in when they have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It’s a proclamation based on faith in Christ, not a forced act. Babies can’t proclaim anything other than their hunger or that their diaper is wet, and they’re good at it too. If you ask a baby if they have accepted Christ, they won’t answer – they can’t talk, you silly goose. They barely know they’re alive. I challenge you to find one single verse in the Bible that instructs us to baptize babies. You won’t find it because it ain’t there.
- Of infant baptism, Martin Luther said “Now if we can not prove that infants believe for themselves and have faith, then my honest judgment and advice is straightway to cease, the sooner the better, and nevermore baptize an infant, that we may not mock and blaspheme the high majesty of God with such foolish and fraudulent work which would be nothing but empty show.” Empty show? WOW!
I know this diatribe sounds like a whole lot o’ Catholic-bashing. Well………. it is, but not for the reasons you think. I don’t hate the Catholic church even though I have every right to. What I hate is their misrepresentation of God and the Bible. I think I’ll go after the Pope next!
Copyright John Ceccon 2022. All rights reserver.
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