Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit, was a fascinating albeit controversial read. This book, written by Gary Wills, went through and highlighted various doctrines of the Catholic church that were either unbiblical, heretical, or flat-out lies. I’ve always been fascinated with the doctrine of the Roman Catholic church, not because I believe it (or most of it), but because I’ve heard in various sermons that in the end times this church will be prominent in establishing a global religion. If you’ve ever read the Left Behind series you, like me, would find this to be a very frightening concept. However, God has not given us a Spirit of fear, therefore it is wise to know your facts and to not take anyone’s word for granted.
Deceitful Doctrine
The book, Papal Sin, establishes many Roman Catholic doctrines and published works as not only deceitful, but contrary to biblical truth. It talks about how the Pope, in previous years, has claimed to be infallible and even Jesus Christ, himself. While many bishops are fighting some of the untruths told by the Popes they find themselves bound to previous statements made by power-hungry leaders in the church. Gary examines the doctrine of abstinence in the papacy and priesthood as well as the condemnatory ban on contraceptives that has been a long-held belief in the Roman Catholic denomination.
Will Truth Breakthrough?
According to the author’s research many church positions are becoming increasingly difficult to fill because of the strain and demands placed on those in the priesthood and sisterhood (nuns). What I find most astonishing is that few people actually believe all of the Roman Catholic doctrine but many still claim to be Catholic. I’ve talked about this in a few other postings but the last thing I want to do is alienate Roman Catholics. Christians come from all walks of life and we know that the only prerequisite to salvation is belief in one’s heart that Jesus is the Christ and was raised from the dead, and confession with one’s mouth that He is Lord.
My Mistake
To my discredit, I only got about three-quarters of the way through the book. I found it incredibly depressing and unhelpful to read about lying people in the ministry. While it is good to expose the lies set forth by religious leaders, I can only stand to read so much before the distaste is too much to bear. Recently, I’ve been reading a couple other books with a more positive subject matter. However, I don’t mean to bash the book because the author certainly did his homework in its writing and it was interesting. In some parts, the book discusses Christian holidays and their pagan symbols and even origin (in some). I think that every Christian should practice what God teaches before what men teach and should always examine the doctrine they believe in and make sure it is biblically derived.
Recommendations
I recommend this book to Catholics and Protestants alike. It’s always good to know what the beliefs are of the church you claim to belong to. I hope that your beliefs are handed down from Christ and not from wolves in sheep’s clothing (false prophets) that claim to be Christ (but aren’t).
