The Day I Realized My Religion Got It Wrong

275 Comments

1. I have recently been learning about how some holidays are really traditions of man and where merged with pagan holidays. Also, the Catholic church has alot of idol worship. I am focusing on the Bible and traditions of God (found only in the Bible). Listening to rules that men made up is not what we are called to do. As Christians, we are to follow the God of the Bible and His word only. God bless.

   1. Actually, Angel, the Catholic church doesn’t worship idols at all. (whew!) I’m actually addressing that very thing in next week’s post about misconceptions on the Catholic church–I really hope you’ll check back! There’s no pressure to become Catholic by any means (I’M not catholic). My purpose is only to share some new learning that you can do with what you will. And who can argue with a little more learning, right? 🙂

   2. May I know what idols your are talking about? Maybe I could shed some light on your misconception.

   3. Where in the Bible does it say to only follow the Bible?

      I think when people come to recognize that Sacred Scripture was recorded and preserved by the early Church and the canon chosen by the Fathers of the Catholic Church, it throws people off. It’s hard to lay down personal preferences and consider the fact that for over 1,400 years, we all had the same Scriptures and same practices of worship – as was decided upon by the Catholic Church. As Brittany said, it wasn’t until Luther, Calvin and others came around that Scripture was changed to fit the beliefs of those men and still it does not say to follow Scripture only. Even those from Sola Scriptura based confessions don’t really believe Scripture only as the founders and leaders of those groups developed their own guidebooks, prayer books, and books of interpretation to supplement the Bible and their practices.

      Idol worship? That’s strictly prohibited by the Ten Commandments which all Catholics follow as all Christians are obligated to as well. There is not idol worship in Catholicism. There was a wise man named Archbishop Fulton Sheen who said, “There are probably only 5 people in the world who hate the Catholic Church for what She actually stands for, but millions of people who hate her for what they think She is.” I would hate a church offering idol worship too but it’s a mistake to blindly believe such misconceptions and pass them on without having taken time to learn the Truth.

      God be with you on your journey, Brittany. I will keep you in my prayers and pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten you with wisdom and knowledge.

   4. Hi, Angel, just wanted to make sure you saw the post I published that address Catholics and idol worship. Hopefully it will ease your mind a little bit! https://equippinggodlywomen.com/faith/what-do-catholics-really-believe-about-mary-saints-and-statues/

2. Hi, Brittany! Kudos to you for digging deep in your Christian faith!

   In your post you ask, “BUT, what gave Martin Luther the right to pick the beliefs he wanted to pick and to abandon the rest? Who was he to get to say what was Scriptural or not?” To answer your question, I would gently suggest that GOD gave him the right (Acts 17:11, John 5:39). Christ-followers are supposed to examine the Scriptures and determine by the leading of the Holy Spirit what measures up and what does not. How are you so certain this is not precisely what Martin Luther did? Unless perhaps you can point to one or more of his theses which are clearly against the teachings of the Bible?

   I’m in agreement that you shouldn’t base your faith on the teachings of a man. I’m confident that Martin Luther would agree with you, as well. As he would with your assertion that “we’re called to repair, not divide.” His goal was for reformation in the Catholic church. He wasn’t seeking a following. In fact, the introduction to the theses states that they were written “out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light.” Thesis #92 states: “Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, ‘Peace, peace,’ and there is no peace!” He wasn’t urging church members to leave the church; he was bringing sin to light, and urging the laity to get rid of the wicked church leadership. Sounds like reparation to me! 🙂

   1. Agreed! At least initially. I still have more research to do on Martin Luther, but from what I’ve heard and read so far, he wasn’t *trying* to start a new religion, but to fix where the Catholic church had gone astray. That is great!

      BUT… the problem was that, while he did address some serious problems in the Catholic church at that time, he also created just as many new ones of his own… And for more on that, you’ll definitely want to check back over the next couple of weeks when I dive further into that! I’d love to hear what you have to say 🙂

      1. I wouldn’t say that Martin Luther created as many problems as he addressed, have problems grown out of his movement? Yes, absolutely. Any institution in which man is involved is going to at times get it wrong. Over time those mistakes pile up. The Catholic Church at that time was incredibly currupt, going as far as restrictions on the commoner from making scriptural interpretation and therefore dictating doctrine from the pulpit to control the masses, and selling salvation as if it could be sold. Was this all through the church? No. But it was prevalent enough to be frightening.

      2. Someone definitely needed to stand up to what was going on–I’ll give you that! But now I’m wondering if Protestants have gone so far in the other direction that they are just as much off the mark? (Rhetorical question bc there really isn’t an answer to that lol)

   2. Actually, Jennifer, if you would read his 95 thesis, you would find that they were about as Catholic as one could be. In his day there were many really great holy men and women, and also many priests and monks that lived the good life. Doesn’t is sound somewhat like what we see every where today.
      The question we must ask is this:
      Was the Catholic Church teaching things that were erroneous, or was it that many of the people were not living up to her teaching? There is an enormous difference here.

      1. That is a very good point. From what I’ve heard–it wasn’t everyone by any means. Just a few that caused a WHOLE big scandal!

      2. I think in those days it was a bit more than just a few; corruption and sexual sinfulness was a way of life for more than should be in some areas. They had made vows and were breaking them. They were not living what they taught.
         One event, which took place some 350 years before, was with St Francis of Assisi. This had a profound impact on me.

         After his conversion and drastic change of life, people thought Francis had gone nuts, but as time passed they were touched by him and began to hold him as a saintly man. A priest at a local village was living with a woman; broken vows, fornication, etc. The villagers harassed Francis to go and chastise the priest. Finally one day, Francis caved in to the requests and went.

         Knocked on the door and the priest opens. Francis dropped to his knees and grabbing the hands of the priest kisses them and says: “These are the hands that bring me Jesus.”

         Without the priest there is not Mass, and without Mass there is no Eucharist. This was a humbling moment for me where I learned to differentiate the sinner from the office of priesthood.

      3. I love that story!

      4. Thanks. Be sure to stick around to find out how it ends 🙂 (I still don’t know!)

3. I am so glad you are sharing this soul searching and fact finding adventure. I grew up with many church influences from Methodist to Presbyterian. I have seen an influx of people starting full gospel and non denominational churches that have become more like country clubs. Members often don’t understand the basis of their faith and won’t question what they are being taught. Where I live in MS, we have churches and gas stations every 3 miles. The gas stations are full and the churches are empty. It looks like religion and not faith is being heavily pushed everywhere I look. Your post comes at a time when I too am questioning my beliefs and digging into the church’s past. I’m very excited 🙂

   1. I’m glad that this series will be so timely for you! I definitely have a TON of information to share, and hopefully it will inspire you and encourage you as you head on a journey of your own. 🙂

   2. Have you had a chance to follow along with the series? I just posted the conclusion (with a giveaway!) this week, and there’s been a ton of information in between! I’d love to answer any further questions you may have!

4. I am a cradle Catholic. I did fall away a bit, never to another religion, but just plain away. I married a man with no denomination and a few years and a few kids later he wanted to become Catholic. At the time his reason was to be the same as his children, since I was baptizing them Catholic. One or so years later, he met a group of faithful traditional Catholic men. He began to spiritual grouping and learning more than I even knew. Since then, we have become very much involved in our faith. We have 9 children. I do go to confession. I even joked with my husbands non-Catholic cousin that it’s harder for me to sin because if I am making the decision to sin or not, I tell myself “do I really want to confess this out loud”. Lol. Deters me, most of the time. Haha anyway, good luck and many prayers in your journey to find the One True Church. J. M. J.

   1. Hey, whatever keeps you on the straight and narrow! lol. That sounds like a great strategy to me! Thanks for sharing 🙂

5. I too, and non-denominational(I’ll explain why later) grew up in the Catholic Church and Parochial School, and drifted away after I graduated high school. At the age of 20, a young man approached me for a date. Our first date was a state fair in September. Our second was a Bible Study. By November I had recognized my need for a Saviour, and dove headfirst into the Word of God…not man. The more I studied, the more the Holy Spirit showed me that much of what I had been engrained with all my life did not line up with what God actually says in His Word.
   Scriptures that state that
   “forbidding to marry and abstaining from meat are doctrines of devils”,
   Another that clearly states that talking to the dead(praying to/through already dead people) is called necromancy and is forbidden by God.
   Canonizing of saints when scripture calls ALL true believers saints.
   Calling priests “Father” so & so when God says you shall call no one Father but your Father in Heaven.
   That there is a gulf between heaven and hell that no man may pass, therefore there can be no “purgatory”.
   Worshipping Mary(which btw is a doctrine Martin Luther still held onto) as a sinless and perpetual virgin when she herself declared her need for a Saviour and Joseph clearly had other children.
   Worshipping Mary as Queen of Heaven ( again she would need to be sinless), yet when John on Patmos describes the Throne room of Heaven, she is no where to be found.
   There are so many more…but the one verse that really set my back to the Catholic Church, was a verse I had heard about. 2 Peter 1:19. I wanted to see for myself, and I didn’t have a computer yet(20 years ago) so I asked my husband’s cousin to search it out for me. It took her weeks to get back to me, as she said her dial up had been so slow and it took forever too find that verse in the Roman Latin Vulgate( the Bible of the Vatican). When she brought me the print out, I nodded my head and said, “Thank you Father for showing me Truth.” The verse in the “protestant” Bible states, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy: whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your heart.” – 2 Peter 1:19. We, as Christians, understand the daystar to be Jesus.
   I don’t know much Latin, but the word for daystar in the Roman Latin Vulgate was unmistakable….it is “en Lucifer oriator cordibus”… and Lucifer arise in your heart.
   That my friends, is either a gross misinterpretation of scripture, or they knew exactly what they were writing.
   After that I went to prayer. Deep prayer. Asking Father to show me how to spread the Truth to the Catholic Church, many of which were my family. Suddenly, out of no where, people were giving me bags of books they were gong to throw away, from which i found several expose’s of the history of the Catholic Church. One very interesting and eye opening book by an ex Vatican priest and another called “50 Years in the Church of Rome” by Father Chiniquy. Also, right at that time, a gentleman was on the radio(never heard him since) who totally exposed the wicked organization within the Catholic Church, called The Jesuits, who have even murdered popes.
   I had relatives who were a priest and two nuns. The priest is no longer a priest, he couldn’t live under the forbidding to marry or as god calls it, “doctrine of devils”. The nuns of course would not listen as they had been so engrained with the lie that only ordained priests can understand the scriptures and told me I shouldn’t be reading the scriptures without “their” interpretations.
   I am NOT trying to be critical or cause bad feelings to Catholics. After all, if there is one thing that I realized is that 99.9% of Catholics do not know their history, and I was one of them, so i speak with compassion and absolutely NO malice.
   Now that you are searching, I would ask you to earnestly pray and ask ONLY Father to show you the Truth, as I did.
   I leave you with what I believe to be the most important and life changing verse in scripture, Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you have never known before.” Who does God say to go to???? HIM! and He will show you great and mighty things which you HAVE NEVER KNOWN BEFORE!!! This means He wants to take you by the hand and teach you things no man has ever or could ever!!!!
   But! You MUST have ears to hear and a heart that is willing. Just be ready for the most amazing journey you have ever had and it will last the rest of your life!
   Shalom(God’s fullest Peace)! and know that I am praying for you! 🙂

   1. Thank you so much for taking the time to write out such a lengthy response! (and to do it in such a polite fashion). It will take me a while to address every one of these concerns (especially the couple I still need to research more) but I WILL look into each of them! I sincerely hope you will not just automatically write off the Catholic church, but will stick around for the series. I’ve been doing a TON of research and I’m going to be addressing many of these things in depth! (and yes, from the Bible!) I think you’ll really enjoy it. And anything that doesn’t make it into the series, I will email you about. Sound good? 🙂

      1. Sounds good! 🙂 I already signed up for the updates 🙂

      2. Yay!! 🙂

   2. So, I found excommunicated (ex-priest) Charles Chiniquy born in 1809 in Kamouraska, Quebec.

      Quoted from site: “By all accounts, he was then very devout in his faith… He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1833. In the following years, Chiniquy was an assistant priest and later a pastor at various parishes in Canada and in the United States. During the 1840s, he led a very successful campaign throughout Quebec against the evils of alcohol and drunkenness. This was unquestionably the high point of his career as a priest.

      In 1851, a Baptist minister named Louis Roussy agreed to participate in a public debate against Chiniquy on the subject the Catholic Church and the Bible. At the time of this debate, Chiniquy was still a Catholic priest, and, in the words of the late Rev. Sydney Smith, “he talks just as a Catholic priest would talk, except for the repulsive egotism and browbeating which is all his own.”

      Roussy was a Swiss immigrant and a leader of a Protestant missionary society. According to the records of this society, “a decisive motivation” of the organization was the conversion of Catholics to Protestantism. Chiniquy, later the same year, published a transcript of the debate. It was distributed widely in Canada in the 1850s.

      The text of this document … is a clever piece of work, and although not very deep, it is nonetheless remarkable for the clearness in which Catholic principles are set forth and defended. Sadly, a few years later, Chiniquy committed a series of acts of immorality and other unfortunate wrongdoing, which ultimately led to his excommunication from the Catholic Church in 1858. The reasons for this excommunication are discussed, in detail, in the essay Pastor Chiniquy (by the same Rev. Sydney Smith, quoted above).

      Not long afterwards, Chiniquy became a member of the Presbyterian church. He was ordained as a minister in 1860. Chiniquy spent the remainder of his life making inflammatory speeches and publishing derogatory books and pamphlets assailing the Catholic Church. He died in 1899.

      Today, very few readers are aware that Chiniquy once debunked the very same allegations which he later made against the Church. In this context, it is worth mentioning that Chiniquy, after he became a Protestant, never, either in English or in French, in lecture or brochure, in any way whatsoever, attempted to refute his own powerful arguments in favor of the Catholic Church.

      Unfortunately, the anti-Catholic books and pamphlets of Charles Chiniquy are still being sold and circulated. Many are available, in full, on the Internet. It is somewhat astonishing that his tirades were not laid to rest with his bones.

      ………………………. (being sued for defamation) We may, too, on the same ground of Chiniquy’s proved untrustworthiness reject all that is to his purpose in what he has to say about the Spink trial in chapters lvi and lviii … the authentic report of this case in the hearing at Urbana, on October 20, 1856 … only the barest entries were made in those days, and the sole record of this particular hearing is “Spink plaintiff, Chiniquy defendant, cause slander.” ”
      ======================
      I guess as a priest he had already gained fame as a slanderer and was being sued. Didn’t learn his lesson, after the Church tried to work with him, and was later excommunicated.

      Once a slanderer always a slanderer? Some people just can’t help that Habitual Sin. As Jesus says, their later state is much worse that before.

      Anyway, here is the site with all the documents.
      https://www.biblicalcatholic.com/apologetics/Charles-Chiniquy-Anti-Catholic.htm

   3. Regarding Lucifer.
      There is a misunderstanding here. Here is the whole verse:
      “…dies inlucescat et lucifer oriatur in cordibus vestris…”
      As it can be seen, it is lucifer, NOT Lucifer. Additionally, it is a Latin word that means light-bearer.

      The biblical origin of Lucifer begins in Isaiah 14:12, “How you are fallen from heaven O Lucifer, son of the morning!” This quote is from the King James, but the Hebrew text says “How you have fallen from heaven O morning star, son of the dawn!” Note that the Hebrew text does not contain the proper name of any god. This means that the King James is using the Latin word in English, as a name (improper translation). While in Heaven, before the rejection, this august angel was the ‘light-bearer’ of God. After the heavenly rebellion, he became the opposite, darkness, and his new name is Satan, devil, demon, etc, but NO LONGER Lucifer.

      When Jesus comes, He becomes the Light of the world; both in message and in person. HE is bringing the light of God into the world; the Real ‘light-bearer’. Anyway, the context is critical for a proper understanding.

      Hope this helps.

      1. Thank you Antonio, for correcting this misunderstanding so clearly

   4. Hi, Robin! Were you able to follow along with the rest of the series? Did it answer your questions about Catholicism, or are there any other questions I can address? I just posted the conclusion (with a giveaway!) this last week, and there’s been a TON of information in between!

6. Wow, thanks for sharing. Very interesting blog post! I became a Christian when I was 16–I have been a part of several denominations in different cities I have lived in (not Catholic though, I honestly don’t know much about the intricacies of Catholic beliefs). There is certainly no perfect church this side of heaven, yet God calls us to be a part of the body and I do believe we grow through being involved with other believers. Looking forward to reading more about your journey! 🙂

   1. Thanks Summer! I’ve church hopped a lot too, though–like you–never knew anything about the Catholic church until very recently. (That kind of happens when you marry into a Catholic family, I guess!) I can’t wait to dive into this series and learn more together!

   2. Hi, Summer! Were you able to follow along with the Protestant/Catholic belief series? Did it answer your questions or are they any more questions I could answer for you? I just posted the conclusion post (with a giveaway!) this week, and there’s just been a TON of information in the weeks before that. Would love to hear any thoughts/questions you may have!

7. Brittany, thank you for being open and sharing your journey with us. Although I am very confident and firm in my faith (as a non-denominational Christian), it will be interesting to follow along in your journey as you share what you are learning. I will be praying that God leads you to His truth and righteousness.

   1. I’ve always been REALLY confident in my beliefs as well. That’s why I was so surprised when I really started studying and reading and found so many things that I’d always believed weren’t actually Scriptural at all! I promise I won’t try to convert you one way or the other–just to share what I’ve learned so you can do with what you will 🙂

8. I am interested to see where you will take this. Definitely a hot button topic! It sounds like there will be a lot of twists and turns down the road. I won’t add to this conversation either way because it seems like both sides have been covered pretty well. I just want to wish you luck on the journey, the research and writing aspect of it. It all sounds very exciting!

   1. It sure is! Feel free to jump in any time though, even if your point of view has already been stated. It helps me see which topics people are concerned about so I can make sure that I cover them. and it helps me see if it deserves it’s own post or if it’s something I should just email the person about individually 🙂 And yes, I am beyond excited too!

9. Brittany,
   This is such a big topic to tackle and I am so impressed that you are tackling it! I was raised protestant and attend a non-denominational church. I am one who believes that your faith, and relationship with God is the most important part of life. What type of church you attend does not matter, only that you love God, seek to serve Him, and believe that through faith, and faith alone, we are saved.
   I look forward to reading more of your post!
   Haley Lillibridge
   Grace, Purpose & Pearls

   1. I also have to say that you are a wonderful writer and that if anyone can dive deep into this subject…its you!

      1. Awww… thanks for the vote of confidence 🙂 I must say, I’m feeling a little (okay, a LOT) underqualified as I continue to research, research, research and read all of the comments on here, but I know it’s not about me, it’s about God, and so I’m just praying that it will go well, and be very enlightening, friendly and accurate. So if you try to talk to God and get a busy signal… that’s definitely probably me holding up the line 🙂

   2. I would have said the EXACT same thing one year ago. Now…. well… you’ll have to keep reading the series!! I hope you do 🙂

   3. I was surprised when I did my research 16+ years ago and learned that the Catholic Church had burnt a bunch of Italian bibles in the 15th(?) century (too long ago to know where I learned it) because the editor had added the word ‘alone’ to Romans, which had never been there. This was the same mentality that Luther used in his German translation of Romans (“for clarity” I believe was his stance). Many Catholic scholars believe that one of the reasons that James wrote his epistle was to correct that interpretation of St Paul’s letter.

   4. Hi, Haley! I’m just going back through old comments and wanted to make sure you saw the post I did on “faith alone” — some good points to consider! Here’s the link: https://equippinggodlywomen.com/faith/faith-alone-enough/

10. Hi Brittany! I don’t claim a denomination either. In fact, the church I belong to is “interdenominational” and we claim the Bible. We are taught by scripture…not traditions. I would encourage you not to be swayed by what religion seems “more appropriate,” but to find a church home where the focus is on God’s word alone. Only the Bible is God-breathed.

    During your search, I hope you’ll check out the series “Know Your Enemy.” It is a very powerful picture of how Satan corrupts and leads us astray. If only just to get your wheels in motion.
    -Alli

    https://youtu.be/HDDGl79x4Pc?list=PLCED9C361662866BD

    If you’re interested, I can send you a podcast link for my pastor’s sermons. We’re very blessed to have found such a wonderful teacher.

    1. I’d love a link to the podcasts! In exchange for you to continue to check out the rest of this series 😉 Even if you are secure in what you believe, my purpose isn’t to “convert” you–just to share a few (okay a lot!) of facts on both side of the debate that most of just simply don’t know! I promise you’ll learn something 🙂

       1. Oh, I’m definitely interested to see where this leads!

       2. Good! Me too 🙂 Because honestly, I still don’t know either!

    2. Hi, Alli! I’m just going back through older comments on the series, and I wanted to make sure you saw the link to the post I did on Scripture vs Traditions. It’s got some really good points worth checking out! Here’s the link: https://equippinggodlywomen.com/faith/who-has-the-ultimate-authority-a-biblical-look-at-sola-scriptura/

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