Thematic Study: Ten Common Questions/Objections about Catholicism

Note: The following are notes used during a presentation of Common Questions about Catholicism for the San Jose Bible Study and Apologetics Group. All scriptural passages are from the Revised Standard Version. Please note disclaimer at end of document.

1. I heard the "Da Vinci Code" claims that Catholicism was an invention of the Emperor Constantine and that no one even believed that Jesus was God until then.

The Council of Nicaea, which was convened by Emperor Constantine in 325, was not meant to determine whether Jesus was divine, but instead how His divinity was to be understood in light of His human nature. In other words, was Jesus fully divine, and as such equal to Father, or was He a "lesser god". This council was a direct response to the heresy of Arianism which stated that Jesus was less than divine. The Council of Nicaea affirmed the fully divine nature of Jesus and later, the Council of Constantinople in 381, affirmed the fully divine nature of the Holy Spirit.

Also, scriptural support for the divinity of Jesus is over-whelming. Given that all the books of the New Testament were written over 200 years before the Council, should illustrate a belief in Christ's divinity from the beginning of the Church. Also, we have many writings from the early Church Fathers. As an example, we have the Letters of St. Ignatious of Antioch. In his letter to the Ephesians, he states the following:

"There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and not made; God existing in flesh; true life in death; both of Mary and of God; first possible and then impossible, even Jesus Christ our Lord." (Letter to the Ephesians, ch. 7).

2. Why do Catholics make such a big deal about Mary and the Saints? Scripture says that Jesus is the only Mediator between man and God, so aren't you worshipping Mary and the Saints when you pray to them, thus committing idolatry?

(a) The Church honors and venerates Mary and the Saints. We never worship them. Therefore, since we don not worship them, it is impossible to make too "big a deall" of them. (b) Scripture does provide examples of other mediators between man and God. For example:

"And Israel saw the great work which the LORD did against the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses." (Ex 14:31)

Here Moses is acting as a mediator between God and man in that Moses is the instrument used by God to perform His mighty works. This is similar to the Catholic view of Mary. Mary has only what God has given her, no more, no less. What God has given her is an abundance of grace, and through this grace she can do many great works, as the instrument of God. Please see the Thematic Study on Mary in Scripture for a more in-depth explanation of Mary as Ark of the New Covenant.

3. How can Catholics believe that Mary remained a virgin when the Bible says that Jesus had brothers and sisters?

The passage often used in reference to this question is the following:

53: And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54: and coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55: Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56: And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?" 57: And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." (Matt 13:53-57)

There are several other examples of "the brethren of the Lord" in the New Testament. Among them:

Matt. 12:46; Mark 3:31–34; Mark 6:3; Luke 8:19–20; John 2:12, 7:3, 5, 10; Acts 1:14; 1 Cor. 9:5

However, the Greek word for brother (adelpho) is not used solely to define a full brother in the Bible. It is also used to define almost any male relative to whom you are not descended. Also of note, there was no Hebrew or Aramaic (the commong languages at the time of Christ) for cousin. The same word was used to denote full brother, half-brother, of cousin.

The repetitious prayer to which Jesus referred were prayers to pagan idols:

7: "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. (Matt 6:7)

This statement is directed at empty prayers, devoid of meaning. This would obvioulsy apply to any prayers to pagan idols. However, we see in other places in Scripture where those in Heaven offer repetitious prayers:

8: And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" 9: And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, 10: the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, 11: "Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created." (Rev 4:8-11)

Note that even though these prayers are repetitious, they are not condemned because give glory and honor to God.

It is true that the Bible says not to be drunkards:

9: Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, 10: nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor 6:9-10)

However, being a drunkard and drinking wine are not necessarily the same thing, just as eating food and being a glutton are not necessarily the same thing. One can drink wine, or any other alcohol for that matter, and not be a drunkard. In fact, Scripture tells us to drink wine for our betterment:

23: No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. (1 Tim 5:23)

Also Christ's first miracle, or Sign as stated by John, was to turn water into wine:

1: On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2: Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. 3: When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 4: And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come." 5: His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6: Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7: Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8: He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast." So they took it. 9: When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom 10: and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." 11: This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:1-11)

The cup from the Last Supper also had wine, that Jesus then turned into His Blood to share with His disciples. Finally, Jesus Himself answers the charge of being a drunkard:

18: For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, `He has a demon'; 19: the Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds." (Matt 11:18-19)

Why would Jesus need to answer this charge unless He Himself also partook of wine.

God also gave the Apostles the power to forgive sins:

21: Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22: And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23: If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (John 20:21-23)

Since we as Catholics believe in Apostolic sucession, that is that the power and authority given to the first Apostles is still held by the Pope and the Magisterium, thus we believe that our priests can forgive sins.

The verse in question may be found in the Gospel of Matthew:

2: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; 3: so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. 4: They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. 5: They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6: and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, 7: and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men. 8: But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. 9: And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. (Matt 23:2-9)

If we examine the context of this passage, we see the Jesus is referring to those who "love the place of honor" not those who act as fathers. We obviously refer to our male biological parent as father, and yet we see no outcry for the use of the term in this context. Also, we see other instances in the New Testament where the Apostles still use the term father, in fact, sometimes in referring to themselves:

2: And Stephen said: "Brethren and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopota'mia, before he lived in Haran, 3: and said to him, `Depart from your land and from your kindred and go into the land which I will show you.' (Acts 7:2-3)

14: I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15: For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16: I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 17: Therefore I sent to you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. (1 Cor 4:14-17)

13: She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark. (1 Pet 5:13)

There are many more examples throughout the New Testament, but these should suffice to show that Jesus was not being literal.

The Pope, and by extension the Magisterium, are the stewards of the teachings of Jesus Christ. The reason that we need a Pope is because Jesus knew we would:

13: Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" 14: And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15: He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16: Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17: And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18: And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. 19: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matt 16:13-19)

Also, the early Church Fathers recognized that the bishop of Rome had a special authority:

"Ignatius . . . to the church also which holds the presidency, in the location of the country of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of blessing, worthy of praise, worthy of success, worthy of sanctification, and, because you hold the presidency in love, named after Christ and named after the Father" (Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans 1:1 [A.D. 110]).

"Therefore shall you [Hermas] write two little books and send one to Clement [Bishop of Rome] and one to Grapte. Clement shall then send it to the cities abroad, because that is his duty" (Hermas, The Shepherd 2:4:3 [A.D. 80]).

"The bishop of Constantinople shall have the primacy of honor after the bishop of Rome, because his city is New Rome" (Council of Constantinople, canon 3 [A.D. 381]).

Because a term is not found in the Bible does not mean it is untrue. For example, no where in the Bible will you find the word "Trinity". However, this is an accepted doctrine for most Christian denominations.

For Catholics, salvation is an on-going process, not a one time event. Most Protestants who use the term "saved" subscribe to the "once saved, always saved" view of salvation. Basically, this viewpoint holds that if someone earnestly accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior, then no further sin can overcome the abundant saving grace of Christ. Catholics on the other believe that just as we can accept Jesus into our lives, we can also reject Him. Note the following scriptural passage from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans:

13: Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14: in order to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15: For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16: If the dough offered as first fruits is holy, so is the whole lump; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17: But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the richness of the olive tree, 18: do not boast over the branches. If you do boast, remember it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you. 19: You will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." 20: That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. 21: For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22: Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off. 23: And even the others, if they do not persist in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24: For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree. (Rom 11:13-24)

Paul is warning us that even though they are now part of the Body of Christ (the olive tree), God will cut us off if we falter in our faith. However, we should also note that God will "graft" us back in should we return to Him.

Resources:

[1] "Cracking the Anti-Catholic Code", Envoy Magazine.

[2] The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC).

[3] "Brethren of the Lord", Catholic Answers.

[4] "Why go to Confession?, by Fr. Saunders

[5] "Call No Man Father", Catholic Answers

Disclaimer: I do not wish to present myself as an expert in either theology, history, or scriptural interpretation. I am merely someone who is attempting to answer the call of Christ. The ultimate authority and interpreter of scripture is our Holy Catholic Church. If at any point I deviate from the teachings of the Church, please correct me, alfredo@nevarez.net, as this is my shortcoming and in no way meant to be an expression of my views superceding those of the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

San Jose Bible Study
Alfredo Nevarez
512-916-4755 (Evening)
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alfredo@nevarez.net
http://www.nevarez.net/alf/catholic/bible_study/