Part 8. Catholicism Mistakenly Called Christianity (article is divided into three sections)

  Section(1)
   Jesus Christ died an awful death to free us from the sin that began with Adam, Eve, and that snake of a serpent. We are called to remember that death through communion:
 

  1 Corinthians 11:24-26

     24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, " This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

    25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

    26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

  In response to three major points that Catholicism defends, I am going to point out the truths of which have been twisted in the Catholic belief. As I have tried to state before, this is in no way  a personal attack on someone who is a Catholic. I am after the belief itself, not the people. 

   In ancient times there was a time where Catholicism shown the light of Jesus, until the belief slowly became corrupted (I encourage you to read and study on the full history of Catholicism). Later on from it came a group (or groups) of people who broke off from it. They were called Protestants. Now, the Catholic belief has mellowed out, but it still professes things that are not Biblically sound. Three of them are 1}the reason why the crucifix is shown 2} the reason why prayer to the saints is taught 3} the reason for why Catholicism is mistakenly called Christianity. 

  The crucifix is used in Catholicism as a reminder of how we are to pick up our cross and follow Christ. Yes, Christ did say that we must pick up our cross and follow Him.

    Mark 8: 34-38

  34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them,"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 

  35"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.

  36"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

  37"For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

  38"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

  In the verse above, it talks about denying oneself, picking up his own cross and following Jesus. This is a personal thing that will look different in every single individual life that follows Jesus. The crucifix in the Catholic belief may have a representation of Christ's death, but that is not what is supposed to remind us of His death. The communion is what serves as that reminder in 1 Corinthians 11:24-26. As to the denying of ourselves, we do not need an object to remind us of that. The Holy Spirit reminds us of that and convicts us about it. As followers of Christ we must deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow Him.

  The cross in the Bible stands as the symbol of the Gospel. The cross that it speaks of is one where Christ was on it, but then is no longer there. The empty cross is the symbol of the fact that Christ died and rose again. Why is a crucifix always being shown in Catholicism when Christ had left an empty cross? In showing the crucifix all the time, is Catholicism missing the point of the Gospel? It seems that way, because in the Bible it does not portray a crucifix all the time; only when it speaks of Christ's crucifixion does it show it. In Christianity the cross is empty because Christ left it that way. He never left it with Himself still hanging on the cross. Is it right, according to the Bible, then to portray the crucifix like it is presented in Catholicism? The Bible does not teach this.