Why We Resist The Doctrines Of The Church of Rome 

RITUALISM

The great dependence of the Romanist on ritual and ceremony is a tragic departure from the Gospel. When modern Romanists are asked “when were you born again?” the usual answer, even from those who claim to be charismatic is, “when I was baptized”. This is quite untrue, for our salvation rests not on the ritual of infant, or other, baptism but on Christ alone, in an experience of repentance and personal faith in Him alone. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, who convicts of sin, of righteousness and judgment to come. It is with the heart that we believe to the saving of the soul. The very faith by which we thus believe is the gift of God. It is evident that even in the matter of personal standing with God, the Romanist is taught that it is by ritual, a ceremony of the Church, that they are saved.

THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS DEPENDENT ON RITUAL

The most important service of the Roman Church is that of the Mass, and it is essentially one requiring ritual and complicated ceremonial; an altar, often highly decorated; the small cupboard (the tabernacle) for the reservation of the wafers; altar lights; candles; the sacring bell or gong; the censer for the incense and much else; the priest vested in elaborate vestments and attended by vested assistants. Every possible opportunity is taken to use colours, lights and music together with elaborate processions. In spite of constant appeals for money the Vatican is a place of fabulous wealth. It is all far from the evident poverty of our Lord and His Apostles, for He said that He had not where to lay his head. The remark of John Wycliffe is still true, “If the Pope be the chief follower of St. Peter, he should be able to say silver and gold have I none”.
The worship the of saints and predominantly that of the Virgin Mart has encouraged an increasing amount of ritual. This is even seen in the Anglo-Catholic Church of England at Walsingham, at Lourdes, Fatima and other places of the veneration of the Virgin.

THE WORSHIP OF IMAGES

This practice is in direct disobedience to the sacred commandment, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, … Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.”
(Exodus 20:4-5). Romanist generally deny that they worship images. They excuse themselves by the same argument used by heather idolaters, that they worship the spiritual being the idol represents. This worship of images became an important issue after the conversion of the Emperor Constantine the Great. He made the Roman Church a state church. Large numbers of pagan priests professed conversion to Christianity. For many it was not an experience of the new birth but just a change from one formal religion to another. They introduced their pagan gods under the names of the Apostles and other personalities of both the Old and the New Testament, in some cases even using the pagan idols, often in prominent churches such as the Pantheon (which had been, as its name implies, the temple of all the gods). They were worshipped and prayers said to them. At first, it was only those who had been martyred under pagan emperors. Later the Virgin Mary and other saints were brought in. In pagan times the heroes of the pagan religion were venerated. In the temples were the figures of these mystical persons; they were made to represent Christian heroes. The very practice of praying to the saints is contrary to Scripture and the practice of the early church.
Representing them as idols was a grave departure from the faith. This practice among Romanists is supported by the fact that the prohibition to make idols in the second commandment is generally cut out of the Ten Commandments in their catechisms. To make this possible the tenth is cut into two, separating the command not to covet a neighbour’s wife from the rest of the commandment.

THE USE OF THE CRUCIFIX AND THE ROSARY

In the early church the cross was not venerated. It was treated as an emblem of shame. Today throughout Christendom it is widely revered, yet in the catacombs of Rome it cannot be traced until after the third century. Further it depicts, if in the form of the crucifix, a dead Christ. Among the monastic orders and the priests it is worn round the neck or dangling from the side, on a belt or Rosary. The telling of beads as a means of prayer is not Christian in origin. It is used in the heathen religions of the East and in Islam and was introduced from pagan practice.
The Rosary consists of a string of beads. It provides, in the longer form, for 15 Paternosters (The Lord’s Prayer, addressed to God the Father), 15 Glorias and 150 Hail Marys addressed to the Virgin Mary. In the shorter form, which is much more common, the beads are divided into five sections each consisting of one large bead and ten small ones. Holding the large bead of each section in turn, the person says the Our Father and holding the small ones the Hail Mary for each separate bead. Between each section the Gloria is said; (Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end . Amen).
Sometimes the Apostles’ Creed is also repeated, with the Rosary. Now it is at once evident that it is clearly in disobedience to our Lord’s instructions in prayer. “but when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think they shall be heard for their much speaking”(Matthew 5:7).

OTHER DEVOTIONS

It is only possible, in a short article, to give some idea of the way in which in the Roman Church the use of ceremony has smothered the real Biblical knowledge of the content of the faith. These elaborate performances prevent the teaching of the Gospel. In the place of the dignified, intelligent, worship of the doctrine God is intruded the false worship of the Virgin Mary and saints, accompanied with much that is evidently superstitious. This is seen in the ordinary regular worship as well as in the great services in such places at St. Peter’s in Rome or Westminster Cathedral. How can Bible believing evangelical Christians in any way co-operate with such a system?

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