Recently, the Vatican indicated that its latest census counted one billion Catholics world-wide, Some are very dedicated in their faith and others are Catholics in name only. Most are probably somewhere in between. Few, however, are aware of the vast irreconcilable differences that exist between what the Bible teaches and what the Vatican teaches. This leads us to the central theme of this book, When Catholics Die: What happens?
If the Bible is right and the Vatican wrong, then the potential outlook for Catholics is eternal damnation!
Strong and scary words, yes! But I can assure the reader of four things:
First, if you undertake your own thorough investigation, you will discover that the Bible is the Holy Spirit-inspired Word of God. The Catholic Church confirms this in the new (1994) Catechism.
Second, and in direct contradiction to the above, the majority of what modern Catholicism teaches is the creation of mortal men, not inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Vatican calls it "Catholic Tradition."
Third, you will realize that the Bible is the completed counsel of God, i.e., nothing is to be added or subtracted from it (Revelation 22:18-19).
Fourth, once you recognize that truth, it must follow that Catholic Tradition deceives its followers because it is an addendum to Scripture; virtually all of it is un-biblical.
In referring to the eternal disposition of Catholics, I have throughout this text carefully inserted the word "potential" because there is still time for each Catholic to determine the truth on his or her own. And therein lies the objective of this book.
I have invested a large portion of my time during the past 17 years doing what I am asking you to do: Initiate your own unbiased research. If you do, this book may be the best place to start.
Allow me to provide a flying start toward answering the question, "Have we been deceived by Catholic Tradition?"
My goal is to convince you of a profound truth: You need only the sufficiency contained in God's Word to be saved. Suffering under the bondage of Catholic Tradition and certain other Catholic doctrine contributes nothing toward our salvation.
You may become incredulous when reading the new (1994) Catechism of the Catholic Church. The portions pertaining to the validity of Holy Scripture justify what Protestant Reformers such as Luther, Calvin, Knox, Wesley, et al., tried to establish. Because of their beliefs, which are now similar to portions of the Catechism, they were anathematized or cursed by Vatican Councils.
"The Council of Trent pronounced the anathema more than 100 times upon those who accepted the beliefs of the Reformers; Vatican II reconfirmed those anathemas and added one of its own; and this Roman Catholicism damns to eternal hell all evangelical Christians today."
History relates that multitudes of Christians have been killed under the direct orders of popes because of their purely biblical, non-Catholic beliefs. Thus, we should be overwhelmed when pondering the Vatican's endorsement of scriptural inerrancy because the doctrine of scriptural inerrancy lays waste to virtually all Catholic Tradition and most other Catholic doctrine. These conflicting declarations by the church of Rome confuse us all. Accordingly, the first chapter of this book establishes the Vatican's endorsement of the inerrancy of Holy Scripture, the Bible.
This confusion demands that a large portion of this book illustrate how Catholic Tradition conflicts with its own Catechism's teaching of scriptural inerrancy, Another, but shorter section of this book will describe the sordid history of the Church of Rome. By looking at its past, we can get a good grip on the character of its current condition.
Little has changed in recent years except the Vatican's need for modern public relations, imaging, and communications.
Obviously, some parts of this book may be quite difficult for Catholics to digest. Had I read it myself during my many years as a faithful and zealous Catholic, it would have deeply upset me. You may even sympathize with my own need to admit that I had been deceived for such a long time.
Catholic readers will make their own decisions as to the validity of their church's doctrine. Some may recognize a certain and perhaps unique advantage of reading a book about Catholic beliefs that is not authored by a theologian. Rather, it is written by a longtime Catholic layman who has strong empathy for the Catholic reader.
I discovered during my long and arduous search for the truth that I was dealing with an issue requiring a lot of common sense. If you apply a large measure of that ingredient to your analysis of my arguments, you will assuredly discern the truth. Like me, you, my Catholic bother or sister, may have been deceived.
