When studying Roman Catholicism, one finds that the stock and trade is deceit. There are many books that have been claimed to have been originals that never were heard of even in the mother language. They are most universally accepted as forgeries. Of the early centuries, a work called the apostles Creed most Protestants accept. It is recited as reverently as if it had really been given by one of the apostles. The myths surrounding it would have us to believe that one apostle wrote one part and another apostle wrote a different part, when it is really a product of fourth century writing; according to the Catholic Encyclopedia: volume 1 page 629 and 630. It is said to be legend and unhistorical, even by them. It is a curious fact that it is very difficult to put your finger on anything a Catholic writers affirm to be an infallible utterance of a Pope!, yet they spend most of their time representing things that are not. Another writing called the Epistle of Barnabas is one of the earliest forgeries they use which figures prominently in Catholic writings and even in their works it is called pseudo-Barnabas. Writing from a literary point of view, they state: “this epistle of Barnabas has no merit; the style is tediously poor in expression, deficient and vague in elegance and incorrectness. The author’s logic is weak and his subject matter is not under his control.” From this fact arise numerous expressions from other works. Another of this type is the shepherd of Hermes. Acknowledgment that this is a forgery is expressed as follows: “the writer wished to be thought to belong to the preceding generation.” Again, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia number seven page 270. We could go on and on listing more works like the “Apostolic Church Ordinances.” One of the strangest forgeries is that which was not until the Middle Ages ever heard of and its true origin was forgotten, even by the most learned of that time. These apocryphal stories began to enter largely in the sacred legends and miracle plays, then in Christian art and poetry, and finally were accepted as established doctrine
Roman Catholics now glibly tell you that Mary’s mother and father were named Jochin and Anna. The Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception has to do more with Mary’s mystical mother Anna than with Mary. One lie just necessitates another, doesn’t it? Nobody is born with original sin!! To do so Mary’s mother would be born without original sin, so that Christ could be born without original sin. The names of Jochin can and Anna rest on clumsy forgery and the doctrine called “Original Sin” rest on the doctrine of damnation. It is told that Mary was donated to the temple worship at the age of three and stayed there till her womanhood. The birth, education, and marriage of the Blessed Virgin are described in great extreme. The truth of this was never and could never be verified and absolutely a figment of somebody’s fertile imagination.
The Rosary, wherein you say Hail Mary and Our Father between one of them is something that came into existence in the middle 1300’s. It supposedly was brought into existence and published by a St. Dominique. This is affirmed when as late as 1883 Pope Leo the 13th affirmed its doctrinal and biblical existence. “Hail Mary seems to have some mythical miraculous way to solve problems, even for birds. It is said that a bird was setting on a limb and a young boy was throwing a rock at it and the bird cried out “Hail Mary” and the rock fell short, right in front of the bird and the bird was not harmed!
Imagine an infallible, holy church perpetrating thousands of frauds for centuries and to add insult to injury, they continue to encourage the worship of these things because they enrich the Catholic Church!, while at the same time, they even admit them to be spurious. No wonder the Scriptures speak of them as having “their conscience seared with a hot iron.” First Timothy 4:1-3
Then, there’s the “doctrine of mental reservation.” Mental reservation is where if Catholicism was to be harmed you can mentally reserve to tell a lie and it not be a sin. It is a general law permitting Catholics to live if by so doing they can further the Roman Catholic Church. Being asked if he is a Roman Catholic, he can deny that he is. They can even deny their faith if such answer is a fitting reply to an impertinent question. There is a difference, so they teach, between religious and legal oaths; they can even make an oath without intention of keeping it!!
Then, there is the story of the three wise men which we will discuss next week!
