Do Roman Catholics and Born Again Christians Just "Pray the Same Prayer"?
The same prayer? I would like to really and politely point out why I disagree with that one:
- The Roman Catholic prayers are mostly vain repetitions. The Rosary looks like that it could just be a tape recorder prayer. You are praying like a broken record or a looped song. There was even a joke that you could just say "the same" until the prayer is finished. The prayers after the confessional are just vain repetitions too.
- The Roman Catholic doctrine doesn't really encourage direct dialing to God. Back in Colosse, the Gnostics were involved in angel worship. They thought they were superior for that reason. Today, you've got Roman Catholics who think that they've become better than those they deem as "Protestants" because they are praying to saints and angels. However, nowhere in the Bible are people told to pray to saints and angels. Praying to dead people is necromancy. Jesus invited people directly to Himself. If you've got direct dialing then Jesus is the only operator who will directly connect you to God the Father with speed faster than the most powerful Digital Subscriber Line (DSL).
- The idea of devotion to Mary is just plain idolatry. Nowhere in the Scriptures am I told that Mary is a co-mediator. 1 Timothy 2:5 says that there is only one Mediator between man and God and that is Jesus. Mary was last seen praying with the apostles and not being prayed to by them. Jesus' connection is infinitely more powerful than anything God-given science can do because He with the Father and the Holy Spirit created the laws of science. Mary was never tasked to serve as another mediator at all! If Mary gave one command, it was in John 2:5 which Mary told people to just do whatever Jesus tells us to do. Jesus never told us we needed to pass by His earthly mother. Mary would simply tell people to go to Him. Obviously, Mary wants us to understand that she can't mediate between us and her Son.
- Why can't we just confess our sins directly to God? 1 John 1:9 says that we are to confess our sins to God directly. There is nowhere there that says you must go to a priest. James 5:16 says to confess your sins one to another not just to the priest. It means to acknowledge what you've done wrong and all wrongdoing is sin.
- Meanwhile, Christians practice biblical prayer. They know that they can approach the Father through Jesus the Son. All direct dialing to God the Father goes through God the Son. Jesus never said to ask anything in Mary's name. Rather, Jesus said to plead in His name. All petitions for the glory of God is made through Jesus.
The same deception is still playing through. The Roman Catholic institution is known for being inconsistent. Vatican I Council declared whom they deemed Protestants to be heretics. Vatican II Council declared that whom they deemed Protestants to be separated brethren. John Paul II even called Billy Graham his brother in Christ. Pope Francis has been seen working with Rick Warren known for his book The Purpose Driven Life. The Evangelicals and Catholics Together Movement was also meant to bring "peace and unity". But can there be any true unity? Is it just a matter of interpretation? If you've got the wrong interpretation then everything goes wrong! Scripture must be interpreted with the Scripture and not with manmade tradition!
The doctrine of salvation is a huge diving line between Roman Catholics and Evangelicals. Roman Catholicism declares in its Canon Law 11-12, 24, 30, and 32 that you can't be sure you're truly saved. It is always an issue of faith plus works. However, the Biblical doctrine is that you get saved by grace and you get good works as a result of it. Such belief is also condemned in Canon 32. The born again Christian faith chooses to follow the Bible, get saved by faith, and a true living faith performs good works. Roman Catholicism's popularity is rooted in the fact that it appeals to man's pride and born-again Christian's lack of popularity with the world is because it doesn't.