The Roman Catholic Church meets all the criteria of a religious cult. It is a religion (not a faith) that mandates (1) the veneration of its pontiffs; (2) the unfailing adherence and devotion to its sacraments, rituals and traditions as necessary for salvation and (3) the eternal condemnation of all those who reject its tenets.
Like all cults, the Catholic Church maintains itself by fear. According to Vatican II: "Whosoever, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or remain in it could not be saved." (Lumen Gentium)
Like all cults, the Catholic Church claims to be the sole authority and guardian of God's truth. Thus, according to the Roman Church, the Bible contains only some of God's truth, while the Catholic Church possesses all of it.
Therefore, according to the Roman Church, all non-Catholic churches are incomplete in God's truth and thus incapable of leading people to salvation in Christ.
The Catholic Church also claims that Jesus Christ established the Roman Church upon the apostle Peter, even though Christ clearly established His church upon Himself and not upon Peter or any apostle, a fact that is corroborated by Old Testament prophecy. (Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 19:4, Isaiah 26:4)
And like all cults, the Catholic Church seeks to control the minds of its members and denies freedom and material property to its clergy.
Its ironclad mandate that demands the celibacy of its clergy is as unbiblical as it is unnatural and unholy. Nowhere does the Bible deny Christ's servants the right to marry. And nowhere does the Bible deny Christ's servants the right to acquire and own property.
Where did these rules come from? The Catholic Church made them up.
Rome's celibacy rule has been the main contributing cause for the myriad of sexual scandals involving pedophile priests that have plagued the church for decades. Those scandals have cost the church millions of dollars in settlements--money that wouldn't have been paid had Rome's clergy been allowed to marry.
And yet, Rome's worst scandal is its false gospel that has sent millions of people to hell. The Catholic Church teaches that salvation is a lifelong process that begins at birth and doesn't end until after death when the soul must be purged of all sin by fire in a place called Purgatory.
Is that biblical? No, it isn't. The Catholic Church made that up.
What does the Bible teach? That salvation can only be obtained by faith in the Son of God Jesus Christ who died for our sins on Calvary's cross and rose from the dead three days later. The apostle Paul wrote: But what does it (God's word) say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:8-13)
In conclusion, the Roman Catholic Church is a cult that simply cannot be considered Christian under any circumstances. She does not belong to Jesus Christ and she never did.
And well-meaning but biblically-illiterate Christians need to stop compromising their faith by joining hands with the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church will never recognize the Bible as the sole and supreme authority of God's revealed truth.
Not now and not ever.
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