[Catholicism's Opposition to the Bible by Mike Gendron Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries] 
linger: "In our conversations with hundreds of former Catholics, most of them tell us they were never encouraged to read the Bible. In fact, many of them said their priests actually discouraged them from reading the Bible because it was too difficult to understand. Could it be that the priests were worried that people would interpret the Scriptures correctly and undermine the authority of the Church? Or were the priests worried that those who studied God's Word would realize they were sitting under deceptive teachers and leave the church?
Historically, popes have openly condemned the reading of the Bible and often persecuted those who were caught with the Scriptures in their possession. Many loyal and devoted Catholics still deny the Vatican's fierce opposition to the Bible because they do not know their church's sordid history.
The Council of Toulouse in 1229 A.D, stated: "We prohibit laymen possessing copies of the Old and New Testament ... We forbid them most severely to have them in the popular vernacular."
The Council of Trent in the 16th century placed the Bible on its list of prohibited books. People were forbidden to read the Bible without a license from a Roman Catholic bishop. The council warned: "If any one shall dare to read or keep in his possession that book, without such a license, he shall not receive absolution (from the punishment of sins) till he has given it up to his ordinary (bishop)."
Why would a religion that upholds the name of Jesus Christ forbid its people from reading the Bible? Clearly, it was because those who were reading God's Word were learning the truth, and the truth was setting them free (John 8:31-32). During the Reformation in the 16th century, there was a mass exodus of people leaving the Roman Catholic Church. As they studied God's Word, they were being set free from the religious bondage and deception of an apostate church. People who were once woefully deceived and dead in their sins were being born again through the imperishable seed of God's Word (1 Pet. 1:23). Then they began testing every man's teaching with the infallible Word of God (Acts 17:11).oly:
Scripture awareness among Catholics grew after the Second Vatican Council in the late 1960's when the Sacrifice of the Mass changed from Latin to the common vernacular. Later, the Charismatic movement exposed Catholics to Scripture even more. Some Catholics became interested in studying the Scriptures at protestant churches through the international Bible Study Fellowship program. The Catholic Church responded with its own Little Rock Scripture Study. In 1981, I was responsible for organizing the first Scripture study at a Catholic Church in Dallas.
As more and more Catholics begin reading God's Word, we pray that God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth (2 Tim. 2:24-26). We pray many Catholics will exchange their religion for a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. This is prime time to be pointing Catholics to the infallible Word of God as their authority since they have a pope who continues to make bizarre statements that oppose historic Roman Catholicism and the Bible. Our DVD message Why Should I Believe the Bible? would be an excellent resource to share with your Catholic friends and loved ones." Pro-Gospel.org
linger: "In our conversations with hundreds of former Catholics, most of them tell us they were never encouraged to read the Bible. In fact, many of them said their priests actually discouraged them from reading the Bible because it was too difficult to understand. Could it be that the priests were worried that people would interpret the Scriptures correctly and undermine the authority of the Church? Or were the priests worried that those who studied God's Word would realize they were sitting under deceptive teachers and leave the church?Historically, popes have openly condemned the reading of the Bible and often persecuted those who were caught with the Scriptures in their possession. Many loyal and devoted Catholics still deny the Vatican's fierce opposition to the Bible because they do not know their church's sordid history.
The Council of Toulouse in 1229 A.D, stated: "We prohibit laymen possessing copies of the Old and New Testament ... We forbid them most severely to have them in the popular vernacular."
The Council of Trent in the 16th century placed the Bible on its list of prohibited books. People were forbidden to read the Bible without a license from a Roman Catholic bishop. The council warned: "If any one shall dare to read or keep in his possession that book, without such a license, he shall not receive absolution (from the punishment of sins) till he has given it up to his ordinary (bishop)."
Why would a religion that upholds the name of Jesus Christ forbid its people from reading the Bible? Clearly, it was because those who were reading God's Word were learning the truth, and the truth was setting them free (John 8:31-32). During the Reformation in the 16th century, there was a mass exodus of people leaving the Roman Catholic Church. As they studied God's Word, they were being set free from the religious bondage and deception of an apostate church. People who were once woefully deceived and dead in their sins were being born again through the imperishable seed of God's Word (1 Pet. 1:23). Then they began testing every man's teaching with the infallible Word of God (Acts 17:11).
oly:Scripture awareness among Catholics grew after the Second Vatican Council in the late 1960's when the Sacrifice of the Mass changed from Latin to the common vernacular. Later, the Charismatic movement exposed Catholics to Scripture even more. Some Catholics became interested in studying the Scriptures at protestant churches through the international Bible Study Fellowship program. The Catholic Church responded with its own Little Rock Scripture Study. In 1981, I was responsible for organizing the first Scripture study at a Catholic Church in Dallas.
As more and more Catholics begin reading God's Word, we pray that God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth (2 Tim. 2:24-26). We pray many Catholics will exchange their religion for a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. This is prime time to be pointing Catholics to the infallible Word of God as their authority since they have a pope who continues to make bizarre statements that oppose historic Roman Catholicism and the Bible. Our DVD message Why Should I Believe the Bible? would be an excellent resource to share with your Catholic friends and loved ones." Pro-Gospel.org
