Things that are not the part of Catholic teaching

Many People misunderstood the teachings of the Catholic Church. Here is the list of things that are not the part of Catholic teaching.

1. Worship the Bible or Bibliolatry
2. Worship Mary or Mariolatry
3. Worship statues, relics, icons or iconolatry
4. Works can lead you to heaven
5. Indulgence can forgive your sins
6. Purgatory is second chance
7. There are three Gods
8. Church creates saints
9. Pope is impeccable
10. Celibacy is a doctrine
11. Mary ascended into Heaven
12. Sins are inherited, and many more.

For nos. 1-3, the Catholic Church teaches that God alone must be worshipped. And since Christ is the truly present body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Blessed Sacrament, we can worship Christ under the appearances of bread and wine.

No. 4 is wrong. Works are necessary for salvation. But no amount of good works can lead us to heaven. We are saved by Grace through faith working in love.

For no. 5, let’s make this clear that indulgence is the remission of temporary punishments already forgiven. Thus, it can’t forgive sins.

No. 6 is another misconception. Purgatory is not a second chance. When we die, our final destination is either heaven or hell. Those who are assured of their way to Heaven but imperfectly purified will undergo final purification. That is done in purgatory.

For no. 7, Trinity is a monotheistic view. It is one God in three persons. A triune God is not three gods.

No. 8 is wrong too. Church simply canonizes a particular person. For example, Mother Theresa in her earthly life was regarded as a living saint. A person became a saint by himself/herself. What the Church did to Mother Theresa is just a confirmation by listing her name on the canon of saints. Needless to say, canon means list.

For no. 9, Pope is infallible, not impeccable. The Pope can commit sins. In fact, there are bad Popes in the unbroken line of Popes. But the Pope is infallible when he speaks ex-cathedra. He can’t err in declaring doctrines on matters of faith and moral. Outside his full authority of the papacy, he is prone to error. That means if he speaks in his own capacity.

No. 10 talks about Celibacy. This is not a doctrine of the Church but simply a discipline. Christ is a celibate. And He is our eternal High Priest. St. Paul who ministered as a priest to the Gentiles is a celibate too. He even reminded us to follow his example as he follows the example of Christ.

No. 11 is another misconception. The assumption is different from Ascension. Jesus ascended into Heaven. On the other hand, the Virgin Mary was assumed into Heaven. The assumption is a work of God. Mary assumed into Heaven through the power of God.

No. 12 is the most controversial one. Sins are not inherited. The Church does not say that we inherited the sin of Adam and Eve. The original sin we inherited is not the sin committed by Adam and Eve rather the “effect” of that sin. One of which is death. Thus, babies must be baptized to remove the stains of original sin in order to have the eternal life again.