How do I know that Catholicism is wrong? I could give a multitude of answers to that question; however, one way that especially stands out to me is that the Pope, who is supposed to be the head of the church on earth and infallible, has been wrong in his analysis of the scriptures.
Have you ever known Peter to teach false doctrine? I know Peter was a flawed man just like the rest of us; however, I am not asking about the life of Peter, but rather, I’m asking about what he taught. Is there any record in the Bible of Peter teaching something wrong that had to be corrected? The obvious answer is no!
I bring this up because Catholics teach that Peter was the first Pope and all the Popes since have succeeded him. Yet, this present Pope did something that Peter never did, and, in fact, something he was incapable of doing while being led by the Spirit of God, he taught false doctrine.
Several years back, the Pope surprised many Catholics and non-Catholics alike when he said, “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone…Even the atheist. Everyone!”
This is a false doctrine of the highest degree. While Jesus died for all, only those who obey the gospel are redeemed. Redemption takes place in Christ according to Paul. Paul wrote, “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Atheists are not in Christ and therefore have not been redeemed. The Pope, if he was the head of the church on earth, would know this? The truth is the Pope is not the head of the church on earth, nor is he inspired by God. He is just a man, and a man, I might add, that is the leader of a man-made church that the true Head, Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:18), has no association with whatsoever.
To make this fiasco worse, the Vatican had to come out the next day to attempt to correct the Pope’s mistake. It was obviously damage control. A Vatican spokesman, Thomas Rosica, came out and reminded the world that the Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly teaches that people who reject the teachings of Jesus Christ cannot attain salvation. One would think that a man set forth as the predecessor of Peter, and an inspired apostle of Christ, would know this.
When will Catholicism give up this charade? Certainly, individuals who are holding on to the lie that Catholicism is of God and that the Catholic church is the church Jesus built, should begin to see that they are putting their hope in something blatantly false. If the Pope is not the infallible replacement of Peter, Catholicism collapses. The successional doctrine of Catholicism regarding all previous Popes is the foundation of their church and its authority. Yet, a man who publicly teaches false doctrine, and must be corrected by those who are supposed to be his subordinates, surely cannot be infallible. Again, when did Peter ever teach false doctrine? When did Paul or one of the other inspired apostles ever teach something that later had to be corrected? The answer is never because when they taught, they were moved by the Spirit of God (2 Peter 1:19-21).
The church only has one head, and that Head is Jesus (Ephesians 1:22-23). He does not need a co-head, and He has never had one. Peter was not the head of the church of earth, nor was Paul or anyone else. Every Pope that has ever lived has presided over a church that is man-made in every respect. I am not writing this because I do not like those caught in the web of Catholicism; I am writing this because I love them and want to see them set free from their spiritual and religious shackles. If you are a Catholic, it is time to open up your eyes. Your Pope is not infallible. If ever this was to be demonstrated, it was when he showed that he does not even know who the redeemed are. Will you still follow such a man? If so, the consequences will be yours alone to bear.