Top misconceptions Non-Catholic Christians have of Catholics

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I’ve been sitting on www.catholictruths.com for over a year now and am moved to get some good content on it. It will never be the awesome site that we have here, but I want to start with some good material on the most common misconceptions Protestants have of Catholics.

What, from your experience, are the top misconceptions Protestants have of Catholics and/or Catholicism.

Thanks, all!
 
It’s interesting to note that many Protestants may refer to us as being “cannibals” because of the way they misconstrue their understanding of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.
 
One that has been emphasized now that we are awaiting the election of a new pope: that the pope can simply make up or change doctrine. Sadly, there appear to be many Catholics under this misconception as well.
 
I’ve been involved with apologetics for almost 20 years and I hear the same misinformed objections over and over. The top ten:
  1. Catholics think you can work your way to heaven.
  2. Purgatory is unbiblical
  3. The Rosary is “vain” repetition
  4. Praying to saints is unbiblical.
  5. Some Catholic practices and beliefs bear superficial resemblance to some pagan practices, ergo, Catholicism is pagan
  6. Celibacy is unbiblical
  7. Catholics shouldn’t call priests father.
  8. The Eucharist is just a symbol
  9. The Catholic Church is just one “denomination” among many
  10. Catholics worship Mary
    -Mary had other children
    -Mary was not immaculately concieved
    -Mary, Mary, Mary…
Even though these charges have been answered over and over and over and over and over again, non-Catholic Christians continue to bring them up again and again and again and again.
ALL of them are answered on this very website and scores of other places, but the people who bring these up act as if no one has ever thought of it before! :banghead: If half the people who come to this forum being ignorant of Catholic teaching would go to the Home page first and check out the Answers tracts on the left hand side of the page (hint, hint), there might not be nearly as much misinformed posts.

(End of rant. Thank you)
 
To Fidelis’ excellent list, I would add:

Confession is unbiblical

There is no biblical distinction between mortal and venial sin

Catholics believe the Pope cannot sin
 
Here are some more:

The Catholic Church was started by Constantine and therefore is a man-made organization.

The Pope has no authority over anyone. He was not the first pope and there is no biblical evidence for the position of the Pope.

The Catholic Church is a corrupt organization only out for her own benefit - politically and monetarily, therefore there is no evidence that the Holy Spirit leads it.

The Catholic Church is the wealthiest organization in the world.
 
Many misconceptions. I used to share most of them. Including everything in the lists from fidelis and mercygate. Although for a while I wouldn’t have agreed with no. 9 - that would have been far too charitable a view!

Someone on the Dake Bible message board has just referred me to a chapter of Dake’s book God’s Plan For Man which contains all the “pagan” history and origins of everything in the catholic church and has a section entitled “40 heresies”. That chapter seems to have all the common misconceptions in one convenient place.

Serves me right for defending, very biblically, the practice of calling someone father even though Mt23:9 seems to say we shouldn’t. I could answer reasonably well, knowing the arguments but must confess to getting some help from catholic answers for the scripture references and some of the phrasing got borrowed.

Can I be bothered with a full answer, or even a short answer? I don’t know that it would do anyone any good. Whatever I said would be rejected out of hand. Have I got the time or energy? Have I got the wisdom? (the answer to both of those questions is probably no).
 
Just plagerize everything off of CatholicOutlook.com :whistle:

I’m kidding by the way, I don’t condone plagerizing someone else’s work. But seriously, Gary Hoge (the guy who runs that site) covers all the common misconceptions. Check it out to get ideas
 
I am not a Protestant, I was raised Catholic- but I have many questions regarding the RC Church.

It seems that the Church believes that Christ died on the cross to give us the “opportunity” to go to heaven.

Catholics have to partake in the sacraments and do good works to even hope of getting into purgatory.

Seems against the scripture and it makes insufficient our Lord’s sacrifice.
 
Also

The Catholic Apostazied and when asked to give us dates, they say it was over a period of time.

The Catholic Church has been lying for 2000 years.

Catholics sacrifice Christ over and over again when saying Mass.

Catholics believe only good works will get you to heaven.

There is a large symbol of the sun at the Vatican, and thus Catholic worship is pagan.

There is a statue in South American that depicts Mary as being crucified instead of Christ and Catholics worship it.

Catholics are jerks for believeing that a sinful man (priest) can forgive sins.

just a few of them… gotta run.
 
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GodSoldier:
I am not a Protestant, I was raised Catholic- but I have many questions regarding the RC Church.

It seems that the Church believes that Christ died on the cross to give us the “opportunity” to go to heaven.

Catholics have to partake in the sacraments and do good works to even hope of getting into purgatory.

Seems against the scripture and it makes insufficient our Lord’s sacrifice.
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You were very poorly taught. Please take the time to correctly learn the Catholic Faith and what it teaches.

There are basically three ways you can be a christian; as a Catholic, as an Orthodox, or as a Protestant. If you follow the teachings of the 16th century “reformers”, then you are a protestant even if you don’t want to admit it.

May the Lord bless and keep you.
 
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stevem1:
It’s interesting to note that many Protestants may refer to us as being “cannibals” because of the way they misconstrue their understanding of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.
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Oh my word! You’ve got to be kidding me!!!:eek: That’s too crazy!
 
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mercygate:
Peter was never in Rome.
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Huh? :ehh: If that’s the case, then why is Peter known for the first pope by Catholics then?:confused: Am I missing something?
 
mercygate
Peter was never in Rome.
…

Paris Blues

Huh? :ehh: If that’s the case, then why is Peter known for the first pope by Catholics then?:confused: Am I missing something?
…
Peter didn’t have to go to Rome to be appointed Pope. He was made the first Pope - the head of the Church on Earth - by Christ Himself. “You are Peter, and on this Rock I will build My Church.”
It was hundreds of years later that the administration of the Church was first located in Rome.
 
Paris Blues:
Huh? :ehh: If that’s the case, then why is Peter known for the first pope by Catholics then?:confused: Am I missing something?
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Paris, his thread is asking what the top MISCONCEPTIONS non-Catholic Christians have about the Church. That Peter was never in Rome is a common allegation.
 
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stevem1:
It’s interesting to note that many Protestants may refer to us as being “cannibals” because of the way they misconstrue their understanding of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.
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we should be honoured then; that’s the common accusation to early Christians by the Romans and other pagans – often used as a reason to throw them to the lions. :rolleyes:
 
Paris Blues:
Oh my word! You’ve got to be kidding me!!!:eek: That’s too crazy!
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No not really; they are just mis understanding the Holy Eucharist like Romans and the pagans in the early Church did … :rolleyes:
 
Paris Blues:
Huh? :ehh: If that’s the case, then why is Peter known for the first pope by Catholics then?:confused: Am I missing something?
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“Peter was never in Rome” is a misconception. The truth is he was in Rome.
 
  1. Not Biblical (we follow a man, not the Word of God).
  2. Infallibility of the pope.
  3. Mary/idol worship.
  4. Justification through faith versus works.
  5. Reapeating Christ’s sacrifice at Mass.

    Sadly, too many Catholics strengthen these misconceptions with their comments and behaviors.
Jim
 
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