Why would Catholics want to defeat the Bible as the only authority? The answer is: it is their way of trying to justify their own traditions. How else would they justify them? Furthermore, the reason Catholics try to discredit the Bible as the sole authority is that it plainly and forcefully condemns their doctrines. For example, to cite only a few:<\/p>\n
(1)\u00a0It condemns clerical dress.<\/strong>\u00a0Matthew 23:4-5 says, “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.<\/em>“<\/p>\n (2)\u00a0It teaches against the adoration of Mary<\/strong>. Luke 11:27-28 says, “And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!’ But He said, ‘More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!’<\/em>“<\/p>\n (3)\u00a0It shows that all Christians are priests.<\/strong>\u00a0I Peter 2:5,9 says, “…You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…<\/em>“<\/p>\n (4)\u00a0It condemns the observance of special days.<\/strong>\u00a0Galatians 4:9-11 says, “But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.<\/em>“<\/p>\n (5)\u00a0It teaches that all Christians are saints.<\/strong>\u00a0I Corinthians 1:2 says, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours…<\/em>“<\/p>\n (6)\u00a0It teaches that baptism is immersion instead of pouring.<\/strong>\u00a0Romans 6:4 says; “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.<\/em>” Colossians 2:12 says, “Buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.<\/em>“<\/p>\n (7)\u00a0It forbids us to address religious leaders as “father.”<\/strong>\u00a0Matthew 23:9 says, “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.<\/em>“<\/p>\n (8)\u00a0It opposes unmarried bishops.<\/strong>\u00a0I Timothy 3:2-5 says, “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)…<\/em>“<\/p>\n (9)\u00a0It addresses only God Himself as the “Holy Father.”<\/strong>\u00a0John 17:11 says, “Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.<\/em>“<\/p>\n (10)\u00a0It shows that the great apostasy would forbid marriage.<\/strong>\u00a0I Timothy 4:1-3 says, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.<\/em>“<\/p>\n (11)\u00a0It reveals that the great apostasy would have one who claimed to take the place of God.<\/strong>\u00a0II Thessalonians 2:3-4 says, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.<\/em>“<\/p>\n After reading the above passages, it is abundantly clear why Catholics endeavor to destroy the Bible as the only authority in religion today.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by David J. Riggs from\u00a0Catholic Teaching Examined Why would Catholics want to defeat the Bible as the only authority? The answer is: it is their way of trying to justify their own traditions. How else would they justify them? Furthermore, the reason Catholics try to discredit the Bible as the sole authority is that it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[1599],"class_list":["post-55194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-roman-catholic-church"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19441,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/could-the-roman-catholics-early-list-of-popes-be-accurate\/","url_meta":{"origin":55194,"position":0},"title":"Could the Roman Catholic’s early list of popes be accurate?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 13, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The Catholics base their entire religion on the belief of ''Sacred Tradition'' and ''Apostolic Supremacy.'' Catholics claimed that a man named Linus was the second pope and succeeded Peter in 67 A.D. And they believe him to be the same Linus mention in II Timothy 4:21.\u00a0 They even have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24589,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-the-mother-church-interpret-the-bible-for-catholics\/","url_meta":{"origin":55194,"position":1},"title":"Does the mother church interpret the Bible for Catholics?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 20, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am Catholic and was asked why Catholics need the Mother Church as the guardian and interpreter of the Bible. So the church interprets the Bible for you, right? How would one best respond to this? Answer: That is what Roman Catholicism teaches. See: \"Roman Catholic Quotes Regarding the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39146,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-you-know-the-roman-catholics-changed-worship-from-the-sabbath-to-sunday\/","url_meta":{"origin":55194,"position":2},"title":"Did you know the Roman Catholics changed worship from the Sabbath to Sunday?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, Did you know that the sabbath is Saturday, the seventh day of the week? Sunday is the first day of the week. Did you know that the Papal system takes credit for changing the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday? Father God establishes his dominion and his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87366,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-i-left-the-catholic-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":55194,"position":3},"title":"Why I Left the Catholic Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by David Weaks Twenty-One Years a Catholic I grew up a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Most of my mother's side of the family had been Catholic for generations. However, in February of 1985, I found I was no longer content to be part of the Catholic Church just\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42466,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/you-need-to-really-study-the-catholic-church-before-making-incorrect-statements-on-your-website\/","url_meta":{"origin":55194,"position":4},"title":"You need to really study the Catholic Church before making incorrect statements on your website","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 29, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I converted from the church of Christ over 40 years ago and have been a member of the Catholic Church since then. Your online article is totally incorrect in almost all areas. Examples are you say we worship statues and idols. Totally incorrect! They are only there for reminders\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23668,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-dont-think-you-were-fair-in-your-analysis-of-the-roman-catholic-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":55194,"position":5},"title":"I don’t think you were fair in your analysis of the Roman Catholic Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 3, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I do not\u00a0believe that your answer to the question \"What is wrong with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church?\" is fair nor factually accurate. First off, you started with the statement, \"Catholicism has its roots in Christianity, but it has long\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55194\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}