by Jenna Pope

Created on: May 29, 2011

Non-Catholics are often given inaccurate information about the Catholic Church’s dogmas and doctrines. Apologetics in the Catholic Church are defenses of the Catholic faith. Catholics who have studied apologetics can explain and help undo erroneous teachings about the Catholic Church. Examples of a few of these inaccurate teachings are listed below. Apologetics are given to clarify that what the Catholic Church actually teaches is often far removed from what people THINK it teaches.

Point of Contention - Confessing to a Priest:

The reason that Catholics confess to a priest is because nowhere in the Bible does it teach that we are to confess to God only.  James 5:15 tells us to “confess our sins one to another.” 

In Matthew 9:6, Jesus explains that he was given authority to forgive sins on earth.  But he doesn’t stop there.  In verse 8, he explains that this authority was given to “men.” 

In John 20:21-23, Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.”  That statement is followed with, “And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, THEY ARE FORGIVEN; if you retain the sins of any, THEY ARE RETAINED.’”

God forgives our sins through a priest.  It is the power of God exercised through the priest's ministry.  It doesn’t get much clearer than that.

Jesus’ Flesh is Real Food and His Blood is Real Drink: 

In the Bible, Jesus says of the bread: “This is my body.”  Then he says that the wine is “my blood.”  The Jews took Jesus literally in John 6:52. The disciples took Jesus literally in verse 60.  In verses 67 – 69, the apostles took him literally.  Why then, after 2,000 years, do the Protestants take Jesus figuratively?  Did Jesus give his figurative flesh and blood for the sins of the world?  (I think you know the answer to that question.) 

The Case for Purgatory: 

There are many verses in the Bible that describe the process of Purgatory. 

King David desired the wife of Uriah.  So David sent Uriah to the front lines of war so that Uriah’s wife would be alone and he could then sleep with her.  When David revealed to Nathan in 2 Samuel 12:13-18, that he had sinned, Nathan then told David that the Lord had “put away” (forgiven)

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