What is Catholic? Are Catholics saved? Why do Catholics worship or pray in front of idols if it's against one of God's commandments? Is the Roman Catholic church the church of Jesus? Why do the Pope and others in the Catholic church do not marry and multiply like God commanded? Why do Catholics worship Mary more then God, when Mary is just the mother of God and just an angel?
Former Roman Catholic.
They'll say that the word "catholic" means "universal" so it's THE Universal Church that Jesus founded. Not true!
Statues can be considered as "banners" and remind us what to pray ABOUT but the first century Church never had those nor did they ask dead (previously living on earth) "saints" to pray for them. That's not how Jesus taught to pray.
Mary was only a SIGN. A prophecy for the coming Messiah. RCCs will argue, "HOW CAN a PERFECT BEING (Jesus) come from an IMPERFECT womb?" The answer: God. HE can do ALL THINGS. RCC people look at it from the flesh point-of-view and not God's.
Peter married. I've never met a married RCC priest. Though, through the debate about homosexual marriages, the RCC is trying to have other denominations join THEM. Those denominations have allowed their pastors to marry. The RCC is willing to change their "rules" and allow them to join them AND still be married.
The RCC has had a history of changing their rules in order to grow their own numbers (prayer beads and rosary, statues and paintings of Mary and a VERY young Jesus and a Pagan "goddess", statues and whosoever had them in their places of worship.)
It's NOT about joining a denomination, it's about Jesus! That's why there are denominations.
RCC people will say they VENERATE Mary and not WORSHIP. She's treated like a Goddess (able to hear prayers of more than one person at a time, able to "be" at more than one place at a time, etc). I say, WHY take your focus off of Jesus?
They will say that Mary points to Jesus. If so, then they'll NEVER have to look in "her" direction ever again. But they do.
Just because Jesus held up a piece of bread and said "this is my body", they think that their priests can turn a wafer into THE ACTUAL "body" of Jesus. Yet, Jesus ALSO said that HE was a gate and a vine. I didn't see ANY gates nor vines when I was a part of the RCC. (they pick-and-choose)
I can go on and on but if there's just a LITTLE bit of leaven in the bread, don't eat ANY part of the batch. It's no good.