The fundamental dividing line between Biblical Christianity and the cults is the authority of the Bible. The world's largest, oldest, wealthiest, best organized, and most dangerous cult is Roman Catholicism.

For Romanism to preserve its membership in the face of aggressive evangelism on behalf of fundamentalist Christians (like us), she must convince her followers that her dogmas are rooted in Scripture. She has even been sly enough to convince liberal theologians and backslidden evangelicals that she is "biblically correct", and thereby enhance her attractiveness to those who value peace over truth in the ecumenical movement.

How does a Catholic theologian handle the difficulties inherent in convincing a rational adult human being that his religion, which is the antithesis of true Christianity, is Christian? And how does he make his church's pagan beliefs and practices appear to be Biblical (which is like asking how one goes about making an outhouse resemble the White House)?

One Catholic leader, Patrick Kaler, C.S.S.R., showed us how it's done in a booklet entitled Which Came First: Church or Bible? The title alone tells you where he's coming from and where he will try to force the reader to go. Kaler, with the blessing of Monsignor Edward O'Donnell (Vicar General, Archdiocese of St. Louis), has already tipped his hand that he will try to convince you that the Roman Catholic institution (which, to the soul, is more of an institution than Alcatraz ever was) existed before the Bible was completed, and therefore has authority superseding that of Scripture. On that basis, the "church" gives itself carte Blanche to use its traditions to override the direct written commands of God. Of course, he will never make so bold and honest a statement in so many words, but when you break through the husk, that's the meat of the coconut.

Let's evaluate some of Kaler's statements in the light of Scripture.

The Catholic lie: "The latest books in the Old Testament, II Maccabees and Wisdom, were composed about 100 B.C."

The Bible truth: Neither Jesus nor any other bible author, nor anyone ever quoted in the Bible, ever quoted from, used, accepted, promoted, or approved of these two writings, nor any other of the books of the Apocrypha. The Jews never accepted them as being Scripture. They are not "books in the Old Testament". Period.
 
The Catholic lie: "As far as we know, Jesus never wrote a word. Nor did he tell his disciples to write anything. Rather, just before his Ascension he commissioned his followers to go out to the whole world and preach the Good News. How they would carry this vital work he pretty much left to them -- although he promised that his Spirit would always be at their side to guide them and protect them from error.

The Bible truth: (1) It seems as though Kaler is here implying that if the disciples' primary duty was to do rather than write, then their deeds (as recorded, of course, by the medium of tradition) are more credible than their writings. This is a subtle attempt to place tradition on a higher plane than the New Testament. Actually, certain disciples were commissioned by the Holy Spirit to write their portions of the New Testament. "For the prophecy came not old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." {II Peter 2:21} In fact, Peter referred to Paul's writings as "scriptures" (II Peter 3:16). (2) Jesus would never leave the details of His work "Pretty much left to them". He had personally trained them for over 3 years, and to make sure they would not forget their instructions on how to build New Testament churches, He had the rules "faxed" to Paul via the Holy Spirit. The Vatican claims it received a garbled transmission. We believe it has been preserved in the King James Bible.

(3) Kaler closes out this remarkable paragraph claiming that the actions of the disciples were guided by the Holy Spirit, the implication being that those actions were passed on to us by tradition, which the Catholic "fathers" will gladly interpret for us. You slowly begin to see how self-serving pious Catholic language truly is!

The Catholic lie: "The latest books in the old Testament, II Maccabees and Wisdom, were composed about 100 B.C."

The Bible truth: Neither Jesus nor any other Bible author, nor anyone ever quoted in the Bible, ever quoted from, used, accepted, promoted, or approved of these two writings, nor any other of the books of the Apocrypha. The Jews never accepted them as being Scripture. They are not "books in the Old Testament". Period.

We cite a work written after Vatican II by the Redemptorists of Ligouri, Missouri(1966). It is an official Roman Catholic publication aimed at Roman Catholics. It bears the imprimatur of Edmund Langton, C.S.S.R., and John N. Wurm, Vicar General of St. Louis. This is not a Baptist publication. According to this official Roman Catholic publication:

1. Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven and you are to pray to her as "Hail, Holy Queen, mother of mercy...Holy Mother of God." To hear the prayers of 400 million Roman Catholics, this "queen" would have to be omnipresent and fill the universe as well as the earth.

2. God never forbad anyone from making a graven image or from bowing down to one. Here, the "Ten Commandments" are given with no second commandment listed. Instead, some Bible perverting "queen" has split the last commandment (which, by the way, takes up only ONE verse!) into 2 commandments not to "covet".

3. If you die "in the love of God, but possess any stains of sin, such stains are cleansed in a purifying process called purgatory". This doctrine of purgatory, "REFLECTED in the Scripture" (dig that one, ba-by!)" and developed in TRADITION was clearly EXPRESSED in the Second Council of Lyon" (1274 A.D.). Note: Doctrines established in 1274 are binding after Vatican II (1960).4.) "In every Mass His death becomes a present reality, offered as OUR sacrifice to God in the UN-BLOODY and sacramental manner. As often as the sacrifice of the CROSS "(un-bloody?!)" is celebrated (he said "offered" the first time) "on the altar the work of our redemption is carried on." Note the double-tongued, double-clutching, two-faced shifting of gears. The Bible believer has ONE sacrifice that Jesus offered HIMSELF, and this completed the believer's REDEMPTION in the past tense (Hebrews 10:8-12).

5. "Through symbolic immersion" (Catholics are not IMMERSED) "in the waters of Baptism you are plunged into the paschal mystery of Christ. In a mysterious way you die with him...you are an adopted brother or sister of Jesus Christ...both original sin and personal sins are cleansed away in the waters of baptism. Your indelible baptism into Christ was the beginning of a unique lifelong VOCATION. Through your baptism you share with others a sacramental bond linking all who have been REBORN by means of it. Your baptism binds you to God forever."
 
Your sacramental bond is with Adolph Hitler, Mussolini, Al Capone, Boss Pendergast, Bloody Mary, Dr. Mengle, Martin Bormann, Rudolph Hess, Hermann Goering, Heinrich Himmler, Fidel Castro, Lucky Luciano, Boss Genovese, Tom O'Bannion, Jack Legs Diamond, Dominic (founder of the Inquisition), Torquemada (executor of the Inquisition), Frank Sinatra, Lorenzo DeMedici, Napolean Bonaparte, et al.

6. "Together, Tradition and the Scripture form one sacred deposit of the Word of God which is committed to the Roman Catholic Church... According to the canon of scripture the Bible contains 73 books: 46 books of the Old Testament were written approximately between the years of 900 B.C. and 160 B.C." What?! Moses wrote Genesis to Deuteronomy 500 years after he was dead? What?! Someone wrote the Old Testament books after the Jews CLOSED the canon with Malachi in 369 B.C.?

The oracles of God were given to the JEW (Romans 3:102), not the Roman Catholic church. Who didn't know that?

7. "The Church constituted and organized in the world as a society subsists in THE CATHOLIC CHURCH... The Church's SACRAMENTAL INFALLIBILITY" (note that infallibility is not confined to "ex-cathedral utterances" of popes on matters of faith and morals, as slanderously reported by Catholic apologist) "is preserved by its key instrument of infallibility: THE POPE. The infallibility which THE WHOLE CHURCH has belongs to the Pope in a special way. The Spirit of "Truth GUARANTEES that when the Pope declares that he is teaching infallibly as Christ's representative and visible head of the church on basic matters of faith or morals, he cannot lead the church into error. This GIFT OF THE SPIRIT" (let's see you find THAT gift in the gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12!)" is called 'papal infallibility'."

THAT is what a modern 20th century Catholic believes AFTER "Vatican II".

1. It is an infallible truth that water sprinkling guarantees the New Birth.
2. It is an infallible truth that there are 73 books in the canon of scripture.
3. It is an infallible truth that an un-bloody mass is a SACRIFICE that matches Christ's sacrifice at Calvary.
4. It is an infallible truth that Mary lived a sinless life and is now a queen who can hear 400 million people AT THE SAME TIME. 

That is what your Catholic mother, father, brother, sister, cousin, son, daughter, or neighbor believes. If they don't believe those 4 things they are NOT Roman Catholic according to the official teaching of the Roman Catholic church they were raised in.

Be not deceived. The Council of Trent (The Tridentine Confession) is considered to be binding today upon every pope, cardinal, archbishop, bishop, priest, and nun in the Catholic hierarchy. Vatican II didn't change ONE WORD of it when it came to what Catholics really believe. They really believe 4 of the grossest pagan LIES that ever came out of hell. There are no mistakes or "errors" in interpretation. They are 4 great big, WHOPPING LIES -- and you couldn't believe them unless you either had an affinity for falsehood, or else you deliberately rejected the Holy Bible on the grounds that it didn't agree with what you had been "taught". Someone conned you into thinking that they were infallible and therefore could pass judgment on an infallible BOOK . They were not only fallible, they were as crooked as a dog's hind leg. This crookedness is official, innate, universal, ingrained, deep-dyed, deep-stained, and part of the "warp and wool" of the Catholic nature.

The Roman Catholic church has always been crooked and it always will be. Its theologians and defendants have always been double-tongued and always will be. Displays of gracious popes putting children on the head and prattling about "unity" and "peace" can never cover up 1500 years of bloody killing, lying, extortion, blackmail, embezzlement, fraud, and Bible perversion -- a godless, depraved, hellish operation that never hesitates to make a liar out of the Holy Spirit as quickly as mentioning the name of Christ.

It was the Third Person of the Trinity who said Mary had children (Psalm 69:8-9); who said that only one sacrifice was effectual and it was completed almost 2000 years ago (Hebrews 10:8-12). It was the Third Person of the Godhead who told you the queen of heaven was a pagan sex goddess who destroyed the children of Israel (Jeremiah 44). It was the blessed Holy Spirit Himself who recorded that Mary was a sinner who needed salvation (Luke 1-2). And it was the same Spirit of Truth who refused to cite one apocryphal book ANYWHERE in 27 New Testament books. It is the infallible Holy Spirit of God who told you to call no man on earth "Father" (Matthew 23:9), and it was the same Holy Spirit that told you not to make graven images or to bow down to them (Exodus 20).

A 20th century Catholic has no more use for the Holy Spirit than he does for the Book He wrote -- that is, according to the official Handbook for Today's Catholic. Don't get mad; get right.