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3 Myths about the Catholic Church and the Bible

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October 19, 2021

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3 Myths about the Catholic Church and the Bible

A few things to remember before we begin:

The Church is so old it saw different eras in history, so the criticism that the Catholic Church prevented people from owning a bible is ahistorical and untrue. The Church went through times when owning the Bible was so expensive because each had to be copied by hand!

She saw through this and the fact most people were uneducated and could not read. At the time, the Church would lock copies to prevent theft but kept sharing the knowledge of Scripture with all. So now that people can own bibles thanks to the invention of print, they’re using present times to judge things that happened centuries ago. Here are the common myths:

Myth 1: Chained bibles:

People started spreading the lie that the Church chained bibles to keep them from people. The truth is, those bibles were so expensive like we said above, they were being protected from theft. They were highly sought-after items that many people wanted to steal and sell them. Just as the Church locks the tabernacle today to prevent theft of precious items used in worship.

Myth 2: Church discouraged Bible reading:

Another similar claim was that the Church discouraged personal bible readings to keep people from knowing the truth. The assumption of this was, the Catholic Church was lying to many. Isn’t this claim the stupidest thing you’ve heard today? But, yes, people actually believe this and spread this lie. The question is: What exactly has happened in the Church since everyone started owning bibles? Granted there have been a few people who have left the Church but many more have converted because of the Scriptures. Intellectuals like Scott Hahn, whose study of scripture brought him closer and closer with each passing chapter, is proof that this claim is meaningless. If any organization wanted to keep something secret and went through great lengths to do it, it NEEDS to be something so explosive it would rock the very foundations of said organization. For instance, if the Pope were secretly married with children. This would be incredibly scandalous, right? And the Church would be rocked to its core if such a matter was true and became public knowledge. So, after reading the bible cover to cover, what is the big secret? The truth that Jesus is the Son of God? or that Peter was appointed Prince of the Apostles? That God gave the Apostles power to forgive sins? So? What’s new?

Myth 3: The Church banned translations of the Bible:

Another lie is that the Church banned several early translations of the Bible because they exposed “the truth”. This claim always makes me laugh and remember the tone of conspiracy theorists. The Church did ban some translations, again, not because they contained truths but because of many errors contained therein. Many of these publications steered far away from original copies of Scripture and even carried translators’ personal beliefs. Bring the Bible of Jehova’s witnesses today and see John Chapter 1, changed entirely to mean Jesus is not God but “a god.”

Conclusion:

It is very easy to come up with a conspiracy theory, so easy to play on the weakness of people. Many people have a problem believing that any big organization or country or the likes have anything good as a goal. So many people believe that anything that big is necessarily evil and treat them with hostility or suspicion. However, when you look closer to see if there’s any evidence behind popular theories, you don’t find any rational basis for those lies. The Church, over the years, has encouraged the reading of Scripture. Many Saints and Church Fathers have written extensively on the subject.

We have picked out a few below:

“Flee to the Church, and be brought up in her bosom, and be nourished with the Lord’s Scriptures.”

-Irenaeus, 2nd Century.” Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ”

-St. Jerome, 5th Century.

“The church of believers is great, and its bosom most ample; it embraces the fullness of the two Testaments.”

-Ephraem, 4th Century.

“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.”

-St. Augustine, 4th Century.

“Holy Scripture is a stream in which the elephant may swim and the lamb may wade.”

-Pope St. Gregory, 6th Century.

“Easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for all the Christian faithful.”

–Vatican II, Dei Verbum, 20th Century.

3 Myths about the Catholic Church and the Bible

Answer:

Yes, the Particular and the Final Judgement.

The Particular Judgement is what happens immediately after someone dies. Immediately the soul is sent to either hell or heaven or passes through the purifying fires of purgatory before going to heaven. This judgment is private, particular.

The Final Judgement will happen at the close of age; at the end of the world when Christ “come(s) again in glory to judge the living and the dead,” he will establish his kingdom on earth and renew the face of creation. This is a public judgment. Then, the dead will resurrect and reunite with their bodies, transformed and new. This is what the Church teaches.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church

I. THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT

1021 Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soul–a destiny which can be different for some and for others.

1022 Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven-through a purification594 or immediately, — or immediate and everlasting damnation.596

At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love.

Does the Church teach we will be judged twice?

THE LAST JUDGMENT

1038 The resurrection of all the dead, “of both the just and the unjust,”623 will precede the Last Judgment. This will be “the hour when all who are in the tombs will hear [the Son of man’s] voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.”624 Then Christ will come “in his glory, and all the angels with him. . . . Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. . . . And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

All that the wicked do is recorded, and they do not know. When “our God comes, he does not keep silence.”. . . he will turn towards those at his left hand: . . . “I placed my poor little ones on earth for you. I as their head was seated in heaven at the right hand of my Father – but on earth my members were suffering, my members on earth were in need. If you gave anything to my members, what you gave would reach their Head. Would that you had known that my little ones were in need when I placed them on earth for you and appointed them your stewards to bring your good works into my treasury. But you have placed nothing in their hands; therefore you have found nothing in my presence.”

1040 The Last Judgment will come when Christ returns in glory. Only the Father knows the day and the hour; only he determines the moment of its coming. Then through his Son Jesus Christ he will pronounce the final word on all history. We shall know the ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and of the entire economy of salvation and understand the marvelous ways by which his Providence led everything towards its final end. The Last Judgment will reveal that God’s justice triumphs over all the injustices committed by his creatures and that God’s love is stronger than death.

1041 The message of the Last Judgment calls men to conversion while God is still giving them “the acceptable time, . . . the day of salvation.” It inspires a holy fear of God and commits them to the justice of the Kingdom of God. It proclaims the “blessed hope” of the Lord’s return, when he will come “to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all who have believed.”

Does the Church teach we will be judged twice?

Question 1:

If I pray the Rosary with four other people, am I saying five Rosaries?

Answer:

No. Each person praying in this group is saying one Rosary. Prayer doesn’t work that way; there is still a personal dimension to even group prayers. Each person’s rosary intentions differ; their concentration and the efficacy of that prayer before God also vary from person to person. So when you want to say an entire rosary (All the mysteries), you have to say all of them, not just join three or four other people. However, there is power in praying in a group which I will discuss in brief later.

Question 2:

If I promised two different people, I would say five rosaries for them. Do I have to say them separately, or can I pray for them together?

Answer:

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to this, so I will give my personal opinion. If I promise people Rosaries, I do pray for them together. I have never promised any particular numbers, but just that I’d pray the Rosary for someone. Cardinal Francis Arinze was once asked this question, and he seemed to think you should pray the number of rosaries promised to each separately. Even though he didn’t expressly say it this way, but I am inferring from his response. But I would advise against making promises you cannot keep. Just say, “I will INCLUDE you in my prayers.” Finally, God doesn’t judge you based on these since you mean well and make efforts. Praying for other people is a beautiful gesture of charity, and God rewards you for your efforts.

The value of group prayers?

Quick answer:

Group prayers present excellent chances to gain a plenary indulgence and are a great way of joining forces to penetrate heaven.

Group and personal prayers are powerful but not equally. God is a community of persons and wills that every individual is part of a community as well. If you think about it, in a sense, there’s technically nothing like a real private prayer. Every prayer you make, even in the secret recesses of your heart, joins with the Saints’, the Church’s, and that of your Guardian Angel to heaven. You can pray alone, but when you do, other people’s voices help you gain access to God’s many riches. If praying alone could be beautifully powerful this way, imagine where many people are gathered.

Remember God’s word? “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matt. 18:20. You are joining forces with the Saints, the Blessed Mother, MANY Guardian Angels, each person’s

What an Indulgence is NOT:

It is important to note that an indulgence is not permission to sin or pardon for future misdeeds. NO one can grant anyone this. People misunderstand indulgences, but we must remember that indulgence isn’t the same as forgiveness of guilt; that’s what absolution is. Indulgence supposes that the sin has already been forgiven and that the penitent is willing to make amends and grow in virtue, and is also willing to make restitution for their sins, like returning a stolen item, etc. That is why there are conditions for obtaining them.

What is an Indulgence?

The Catechism says:

“An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.” “An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.”82 Indulgences may be applied to the living or the dead.
CCC 1471

The Rosary said in common.

“One of the “longer” of these seventy declarations has to do with the Rosary. After giving the accurate notion of this devotion as described in the liturgy, that is, that the complete Rosary embraces “all” the Christian Mysteries (the Incarnation, Passion, and Exaltation of Christ), it is clearly stated that for “concessional” purposes a third part of the Rosary suffices. Thus five decades with a meditation on the series of the Joyful, the Sorrowful, or the Glorious Mysteries are noted. The Rosary’s communally structured nature is accentuated by the concession of the daily plenary indulgence (mentioned just above) for the Rosary said in common (“in church, in the family, in a religious institute, in a pious group”) ”
THE NEW ENCHIRIDION INDULGENTIARUM Fr. T. M. Sparks, O.P.

CONCLUSION:

Follow those links to read more about each of the titles. I was excited to learn of the efficacy of group prayers, never knew the value the Church placed on this beautiful exercise. I used to prefer praying alone, but now, I need to join in more communal prayers.

The REAL power in group rosaries?

Answer:

I do not think there’s anything wrong with believing in the protection that God and his saints offer by using some sacramental. However, if you believe that by merely carrying a rosary in your person and not using it, that the Rosary itself will protect you, then it is superstitious; however, if you believe that by carrying it and praying it, that God, our Lady, and the Saints will protect and come to your aid. Not just for physical protection but for spiritual advancement and protection, then that is okay. The Rosary itself doesn’t protect you, God protects us, and his Saints help us by praying to him for us and by protecting us also by the power of God in them.

We use sacramental to get closer to God and his Saints, seek their aid and intercession and be protected from darkness and sin. So it is safe to say that using these items presupposes faith and a willingness to struggle against darkness and evil.

I hope this answers your question. God bless and protect you.

When is it superstitious or wrong to carry a Rosary?

Answer:

The Church has no law about how a priest should handle latecomers in his parish. Many priests indeed get frustrated to see many of their parishioners’ laxity and nonchalance about coming to Mass on time. The truth is, shutting the door entirely is rather too harsh a way to punish people. This is because there may be one or two people who are late for legitimate reasons. Also, it won’t be good to hinder parishioners from fulfilling their Sunday obligations (which, BTW, precludes arriving early at Mass). Maybe a more humane path would be better in resolving this problem. If such a priest insists on doing this after being advised by parishioners, he could be reported to higher authorities to stop doing this.

When are you late for Mass?

When you arrive later than the procession, have this in mind to participate more fully. The Mass begins with the procession, not the Sign of the Cross.

Is it okay for a priest to lock latecomers out of the Church during mass?

Answer:

In my opinion, what you should consider more is a habit. Why did you or are you falling asleep during night prayers? If you do not do this on purpose, do not position yourself for the sleep and anticipate it; if you try to fight it off when it comes, then it is not a sin. It is not okay, but not a sin. However, if you are lax in prayer, are looking forward to sleep (rarely the case for many), and are ALWAYS willing to blow off your chance to communicate with God for a few minutes at night, then this could be at least an imperfection or a venial sin. It is doubtful that a practicing catholic wouldn’t be able to make out at least five minutes at night to say a quick “hello” to our Heavenly Father.

We need to look at God as a Father. Prayer is a dialogue with a father who loves and forgives our minor weaknesses. So we needn’t beat ourselves up so much. If you work so hard all day, come back to screaming kids, and have a ton of chores to complete before night prayers and bed, then I am sure God will understand. A little caveat, though: DO NOT LET THIS BECOME HABITUAL. Habitually falling asleep during night prayers is not a good thing. Occasionally doing this might be understandable but not habitually.

SOLUTION?

Consider changing your time of prayer. Once you return from work, from 6 or 7 pm before you become weakened by sleep, try and complete your night prayers. I like to do this so that when I finally lie on my bed, I can sleep off with Hail Mary on my lips. We must watch out; we are in constant battle with the Enemy. He could base his temptations on natural human weaknesses and make us go overboard with laziness.

In conclusion:

While it is not necessarily sinful to fall asleep during prayers, it is not good and shouldn’t be encouraged in our lives. We must do all we can to get a clear-head-time with God before sleep comes. However, we needn’t feel too guilty about momentary lapses arising from extraordinary occasions.

Is it okay to fall asleep during night prayers or is it sinful?

Quick answer:

Strictly speaking, No. In the loosest sense, maybe.

It depends on what you mean by “Cast out demons.” Casting out demons means exorcism, and this is reserved only to an ordained priest. There are two kinds of exorcisms:

Minor Exorcism:

The one that a priest carries out during the Baptism of a catechumen or an infant. The Rite of Baptism in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite has the following prayer:

I cast you out, unclean spirit, in the name of the Father, + and of the Son, + and of the Holy + Spirit. Depart and stay far away from this servant of God, N., For it is the Lord Himself who commands you, accursed and doomed spirit, He who walked on the sea and reached out His hand to Peter as he was sinking. So then, foul fiend, recall the curse that decided your fate once for all. Indeed, pay homage to the living and true God, pay homage to Jesus Christ, His Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Keep far from this servant of God, N., for Jesus Christ, our Lord and God has freely called him to His holy grace and blessed way and to the waters of Baptism.

Solemn Exorcism:

I am almost certain you may have seen a movie, a picture, or heard a story about a demoniac being exorcised. This is usually colorful and dramatic. Whilst such movies might exaggerate things or even depart entirely from reality, sometimes they could be close to what a priest who performs solemn exorcism experiences. Exorcisms are very dangerous and could go wrong, so it is not something to be taken lightly.

Only a priest, with special training and the express authority from his local bishop, can solemn exorcism. Solemn exorcisms are very rare and are a very long process. Some cases take a month to a year. And there must be exhaustive medical evaluations to make sure there’s no chance the suspected demoniac isn’t simply suffering some medical problems.

There have been cases where people with mental illnesses have been branded “possessed,” and this has caused many people pain, suffering, and even death. This is why the rule on exorcism is so strict that many dioceses in the world don’t even perform any in years.

“When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms, and from him, the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing. In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism. The solemn exorcism, called “a major exorcism,” can be performed only by a priest and with the bishop’s permission. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.”

“In 1999, the Catholic Church carried out its first major update to the rules surrounding exorcism since 1614 and distinguished between demonic possession and physical or psychological illness.

As a result, Father Thomas (an exorcist) works with a team of doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists – all practicing Catholics – to rule out any other cause for a person’s suffering before diagnosing demonic possession.” BBC

Conclusion:

No, you do not have the power to cast out demons if you’re talking about the above. However, you could cast out demons by praying to God for protection from their influence or by saying simple prayers asking God to free your home from the onslaught of evil. In this loose sense, yes, any Catholic can “cast out demons”. But not in a solemn or strict sense. Only an ordained priest has the faculties to conduct the rite of exorcism.

Do I as a lay faithful have the power to cast out demons?

The issue:

An unborn baby: miscarried, aborted etc., and even an unbaptized infant who dies before being baptized. Where do they go? Since Baptism is necessary for entering heaven, where do all these babies go then?

Ancient Fathers taught about “Limbo”, a place of rest and peace in-between heaven and hell. This place or “state” was thought to be where our OT Fathers went, including Abraham.

As a matter of fact, when Jesus was teaching, he alluded to this place when, speaking of Lazarus, said he died and “went to the bosom of Abraham”, and the Rich man communicated from hell with Abraham and asked him to “send” someone to his family on earth. The point is that Abraham was the highest person in this ‘place,’ where every other unbaptized soul went.

After Christ’s resurrection, these souls could rise too and enter heaven after the Son of Man.

So now, Abraham and the rest of the OT Saints are no longer in Limbo because there’s no more “Limbo of the Fathers” or “Patristic Limbo.” However, people kept believing that the “Limbo of infants” still existed, where unbaptized babies go.

What I believe:

I have never believed that unbaptized infants who are not guilty of any personal/actual sins will be refused admittance to heaven. I believe that Jesus, who loves kids so much, would make way for them to be cleansed of all original sin and be admitted to paradise. Christ has completed the objective salvation of all the world so that everyone can be saved. If we believe that adults who died before Christ and obviously were not baptized in his name could be saved, how much more these innocents without any personal faults?

The Church:

“The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation. He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them. Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament. God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments“
CCC 1257

“As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus’ tenderness toward children which caused him to say: “Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,” allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without baptism”
CCC 1261

Pope Benedict XVI:

Cardinal William Levada, then president of Vatican’s Theological Commission, presented the then Pope Benedict XVI with a 41-page report in 2007 titled “The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized,” which presented the Pope with studies that said there were “serious” grounds that these souls could be saved.

Excepts from the Document:

“There is greater theological awareness today that God is merciful and wants all human beings to be saved. Grace has priority over sin, and the exclusion of innocent babies from heaven does not seem to reflect Christ’s special love for the little ones,”

“Within the hope that the Church bears for the whole of humanity and wants to proclaim afresh to the world of today, is there a hope for the salvation of infants who die without Baptism? We have carefully re-considered this complex question, with gratitude and respect for the responses that have been given through the history of the Church, but also with an awareness that it falls to us to give a coherent response for today.

Reflecting within the one tradition of faith that unites the Church through the ages, and relying utterly on the guidance of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised would lead his followers “into all the truth” (Jn 16:13), we have sought to read the signs of the times and to interpret them in the light of the Gospel. Our conclusion is that the many factors that we have considered above give serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptised infants who die will be saved and enjoy the Beatific Vision.

We emphasize that these are reasons for prayerful hope, rather than grounds for sure knowledge. There is much that simply has not been revealed to us (cf. Jn 16:12). We live by faith and hope in the God of mercy and love who has been revealed to us in Christ, and the Spirit moves us to pray in constant thankfulness and joy (cf. 1 Thess 5:18).”

Limbo or Heaven: Where do the souls of unborn infants go?

Here is a prayer to him for intercession:

St. Raphael, loving patron of those seeking a marriage partner, help me in this supreme decision of my life. Find for me as a helpmate in life the person whose character may reflect some of the traits of Jesus and Mary. May he (she) be upright, loyal, pure, sincere and noble, so that with united efforts and with chaste and unselfish love we both may strive to perfect ourselves in soul and body, as well as the children it may please God to entrust to our care.
St. Raphael, angel of chaste courtship, bless our friendship and our love that sin may have no part in it. May our mutual love bind us so closely that our future home may ever be most like the home of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Offer your prayers to God for the both of us and obtain the blessing of God upon our marriage, as you were the herald of blessing for the marriage of Tobiah and Sarah.
St. Raphael, friend of the young, be my friend, for I shall always be yours. I desire ever to invoke you in my needs.
To your special care I entrust the decision I am to make as to my future husband (wife). Direct me to the person with whom I can best cooperate in doing God’s Holy Will, with whom I can live in peace, love and harmony in this life, and attain to eternal joy in the next. Amen.
In honor of St. Raphael pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

If you’re looking for a life partner, try this powerful prayer to St Raphael

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A few things to remember before we begin:

Myth 1: Chained bibles:

Myth 2: Church discouraged Bible reading:

Myth 3: The Church banned translations of the Bible:

Conclusion:

We have picked out a few below:

Read More

Answer:

I. THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT

THE LAST JUDGMENT

Read More

Question 1:

Answer:

Question 2:

Answer:

The value of group prayers?

Quick answer:

What an Indulgence is NOT:

What is an Indulgence?

The Rosary said in common.

CONCLUSION:

Read More

Answer:

Read More

Answer:

When are you late for Mass?

Read More

Answer:

SOLUTION?

In conclusion:

Read More

Question:

Canon Law

Therefore the Canon Law says:

But, in Practice

Conclave:

Prayer for the Pope

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Quick answer:

Minor Exorcism:

Solemn Exorcism:

Conclusion:

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The issue:

What I believe:

The Church:

Pope Benedict XVI:

Excepts from the Document:

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Here is a prayer to him for intercession:

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