Self-justification is a mental disorder caused by pride. Minds disordered by pride seek no higher truth than self-justification. Protestantism, pride, and self-justification are often deadly disorders.
How deadly?
He Who Fulfilled the Prophecies gave one instruction to “life” more than any other. His clear call to Catholic Communion, “If you do not eat My Body and drink My Blood you do not have life in you.” has separated the living from the dead since He emphatically repeated it eighteen times.
When the proud hear that, they recoil. “No! If I am a Catholic, I would have to follow rules!” Pride leads them to prefer: ‘I believe in Jesus and The Bible so I am saved.’
Minds partially paralyzed by Pride use self-justifications such as “I am not a Catholic because the word ‘Catholic’ does not appear in the Bible!”
When we ask, “The name ‘Chicago’ does not appear in The Bible. Is Chicago there?”, the silliness of such self-serving shallowness becomes apparent.
When we explain “The word ‘Catholic’ is found in writing as early as 107 A.D. It was a spoken word before it was written. The word ‘Catholic’ was used almost two thousand years ago! Isn’t it Pride that prompts you to avoid The Only Church Jesus Founded?”
Then, we may be told of another self-justification for Protestantism, pride, and self-justification. “The Apostles traveled from Spain to India and founded many, many new churches.”
We reply, “All those Churches were Catholic! We know they were Catholic because they sent Catholic representatives to Catholic Councils for centuries after they were founded. Sadly, some were taken over by groups too proud to recognize the Primacy of the successors to the only man to whom Jesus said:
‘Verily, verily I say unto you thou art Peter and on this rock I build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I give you the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven.'”
It’s a start.
