1/9, 11:16pm
“Why did many got the wrong impression that the Catholic church is pagan or non-Christian?”
Answer: Many got the wrong impression that the Catholic church is pagan or non-Christian because of false belief that the Bible is the final authority of Christianity.
Even some Catholics also thought that the Bible is the final authority. If you regard the Bible as the Final Authority, then you’ll face a great dilemma, i.e. if something isn’t written word for word in the Bible, then it’s a lie or not worthy of belief.
The Catholic church is being accused of paganism because of some teachings that aren’t explicitly stated in the Bible, i.e. written word for word. But the truth is that no single verse in the Bible that says that everything we believe about God must be written “letra por letra” in the Bible. There is no such thing. It’s worth to note that doctrines need not be explicitly stated in the Bible to be true. Rather, they must not contradict the Bible so as not to be false. Some Christian doctrines aren’t explicitly stated in the Bible but considered biblical for the thoughts they express are implied or crystallized in a particular verse, e.g. Trinity(cf. Matt. 28:19), Purgatory(cf. Rev. 21:27).
What we need is careful investigation before making any judgement. Yes, we need to carefully investigate everything just like what St. Luke did(cf. Luke 1:3). Those who carefully investigated everything realized that the Final Authority is not the Bible but the Church(cf. Matt. 18:17)— which St. Paul himself described as the Pillar and Bulwark of Truth(cf. 1Tim. 3:15). And that there are things not written in the Bible(cf. John 20:30). That’s why St. Paul reminded us to hold fast the Traditions learned and maintain them(cf. 2Thess. 2:15, 1Cor. 11:2).
If your mind was conditioned already that “Bible alone suffice”, then you’re treading on dangerous grounds. Because “Sola Scriptura” is a big lie. That is inexistent in the Bible.
Cicero, a great philosopher, said that History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquities. History tells us that before the Bible came into existence, the Church has existed already for 300 years. And the Bible came from the one true Church of Christ, the Holy Catholic Church.
By the way, if your mindset is like those Bible alone believers, then you would be required to believe that those believers that were born before the existence of Bible are not Christian? That’s a total no-no. Because they are the true witnesses of Christ. Though they don’t have a Bible but they have the “first hand information about Christ”. In fact, they have more right to be called Christian compared to those who regard themselves as Bible alone believers.
There is a big difference between Bible alone believers and Christ believers. Christianity is not Bible-based but Christ-based. The True Word of God is not a book but a Divine person, our Lord Jesus Christ(cf. John 1:1, Rev. 19:13) .
There is no other church that is Christ-based because all other churches came into existence after the Bible. In fact, the founders of these man-made churches chose a specific term in the Bible to name their churches, so that their churches would appear to be biblical. But there is only one Church that has existed already for 300 years before the Bible came into existence. That is the Catholic church— the only Christ-based Church. Christ-based because it is founded by the True Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. To say the least, our Lord founded a Church not a book(cf. Matt. 16:18).
We, Catholics, are Christians because we belong to the Catholic church— the sole Christ-based Church. We are Christians because we are followers of Christ. We are Christians because we believe and confess the right Faith about our Lord Jesus Christ, i.e we believe faithfully the Incarnation of Christ(cf 2John 7). And last but not the least, we are Christians because we proclaim and profess that our Lord founded a Church to be the sacrament or means of salvation(cf. Acts 2:47).
Pro Deo et Ecclesia!