[Faith-talk] alleged unbiblical rituals in the Roman Church

[Stefan Slucki]

Hi Beth and list members,

hmmm, my first post and I'm getting into controversial territory.

Beth, you asked why folks see rituals within the Roman Church as unbiblical. 
By the way, I use the word "Roman" not to be abusive or rude in any way but 
because the word "Catholic"  means universal or world-wide, a term which I 
believe embraces all genuine followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Roman" refers to the particular assertion that members of the particular 
denomination acknowledge the Bishop of Rome as the visible head of the 
church on earth and order their discipleship, accordingly.

I could write a screed on church rituals--most denominations have them.

I guess central to the Roman system is the 'sacrifice of the mass' offered 
by the class of persons known as priests.

Now before anything else is said, the Roman Church clearly states that it is 
not limited to the Bible as its authority and so the 'traditions' handed 
down (usually through the Bishop of Rome) and the consensus of the Sacred 
Magisterium are equally important to the Roman system.

When I left the Roman Church, the letter to the Hebrews, in particular 
chapter 10 v11-18, (but various other Scriptures as well) was central as 
this section points to the once-forever-Sacrifice (capital S) of Jesus. No 
longer is there a need for priests to offer sacrifices--unless they are 
sacrifices of prayer and testimony to the Grace of God [Heb 13:15-16, 1 
Pet.2:9-10, Rev.1:5-6].

The problems I had and have with the mass (whether in the Tridentine or 
post-Vatican 2 rite) begin with the statements about the bread and wine 
being "offered" "the work of human hands" "as a sacrifice of praise".

If Hebrews 10 is heeded, Jesus Has Offered the once-forever and only valid 
Sacrifice; no priest's sacrifice (including under the former Covenant) could 
cleanse the conscience like Jesus' Sacrifice!

Bread and wine are just as much God's Gifts as are all other resources we 
humans use. The phrasing to me speaks of the self-propelled sacrifice which 
Cain offered [Genesis 4:1-8] which God Rejected.

I know that the mass is said to be the entering-in of believers into the one 
true Sacrifice of Christ in an "unbloody way" but this is a literalism 
(along with the Teaching of Jesus in John's Gospel ch6 35-61 that Jesus 
Himself Declared was not meant to be taken literally but Spiritually.

Obviously, there will never be total agreement about these things in the 
professing church.

There are many other rituals such as the Rosary, personal confession to the 
priest etc etc which those who esteem the Bible as their only authority find 
unacceptable.

I trust this is not taken as an offensive post and if it's been too 
doctrinaire then our Moderator will step in.

I sincerely you, Beth, and others find this a fair statement of both the 
Roman and Evangelical positions.

Stefan Slucki.