Thousands of objections to Catholicism have been posted on Catholic Fundamentalism’s Facebook site. In the course of replying to all of them, y’r. ob’t. s’vt. has discovered: Questions Protestants can’t answer. By understanding, we may help those around us to grow closer to God.
In Matthew, Chapter 16: verses 18 to 20, Jesus said to the first Pope,
18.
That passage has a set of numbers are easy to remember. I memorized it by repeating a few times, “Matthew 16, 18, 20.” “Matthew 16, 18, 20”. “Matthew 16, 18, 20.”
Matthew makes it clear that Jesus picked one man, Peter, on whom to build His Church. The first Pope of His Church was given the Keys to Heaven. He was given the authority to forgive sins and to decide whose sins would be forgiven.
Professional Protestants pontificate perennially over such passages, perplexing about punctilious points as insignificant as “There are different words for ‘rock’ in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. And, different declensions!” The more pompous Protestants will go on and on and on about such mindless trivia, ignoring the clear meaning of the passage from which their perpetual peregrinations take them ever farther.
Before they get on a roll, changing the subject frequently, it’s important to mention, “All Christians know that it is ridiculous for Christianity to be divided into over 40,000 identifiable groups.” Even Professional Protestants, who make a living out by being in some schism or another, are generally honest enough to admit: “Yes, there are too many divisions.”
It is impolite to ask, “Then, why don’t you leave your schism and rejoin the One Church that Jesus founded by saying to Peter the words of Matthew 16: 18-20?” They generally don’t move that quickly.
A Catholic discussing such issues holds the high ground, and must not let the subject be changed. As the conversation goes back and forth, we always want to find out if we’re missing something about the authority of their schism’s founder. We ask, “Was the founder of your group doing Jesus’ will by starting another new division? Or, do you think he may have been deluded by visions of theological grandeur? Did he control the budget?”
Often, the only thing necessary to ask is, “Did Jesus appear to the founder of your schism, and say what Jesus said to the first Pope in Matthew 16: 18-20? “Thou art ______ and on this rock, I build My Church?”
Follow up: “Did Jesus personally, in front of witnesses so faithful they ended up being martyred for The Church, give the founder of your denomination the keys to Heaven?”
We must ask God for the courage to ask: Questions Protestants can’t answer.
