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What concerns me now is the 26-point list of purported Catholic doctrinal inventions. In my opinion, it is intentionally misleading and designed to bear false witness against God's Holy Catholic Church. I have seen this list before, posted at the CARM bulletin board by a regular anti-Catholic poster. The following is the beginning of what I hope will eventually be a total exposure of the (in my opinion) deliberately misleading propaganda in these 26-points. Please refer to the 26-point list at The Truth About Roman Catholicism. [Right click to open in another browser window] No Need to Re-Invent the Wheel Since begining this page, I discovered several links which deal with this and similar "lists" of supposed Catholic inventions. The lists appear to come from a list in Loraine Boettner's anti-Catholic work, Roman Catholicism. Boettner's book appears to be the source for much of modern anti-Catholic Protestant propaganda. The Anti-Catholic Bible A Catholic Answers tract giving an overview of Boettner's book. Catholic "Inventions" A Catholic Answers tract begining to deal with some of the items on the "list". More Catholic "Inventions" Another Catholic Answers tract dealing with more items on the "list". Development of Roman Catholic Errors -- Part 1 By Larry Nolte of Beggar King. Larry tackles the "list" as part of his anti-Catholicism section, Answer to an Anti-Catholic Development of Roman Catholic Errors -- Part 2 Larry continues to tackle the "list". A Response to Catholic "Inventions" - Case Study in Catholic Bashing By Phil Porvaznik of FidoNet RCatholic Apologetics Page. Here Phil tackles that "list". Are Catholic Traditions Unbiblical? An Examination By Matt1618. Here Matt tackles a similar list. Make sure you look at the rest of the wonderful material in the above sites! Since most of the work has already been done with regard to that "list", I will merely add my insights from time to time below. Note that such a laundry "list" encompasses virtually all of anti-Catholicism and the Catholic Faith. Probably the best way to refute this "list" is with all of the wonderful Catholic Apologetics sites listed above and on my Apologetics Sites page. Interesting Observations Before diving into the list, a few general observations. Item 1 (Prayer for the Dead, 300 AD) concedes that the Catholic Church exists by the year 300 AD. Item 1 (Prayer for the Dead, 300 AD) and item 2 (Making the Sign of the Cross, 300 AD) are both conceded to be older than the Council of Nicea I (325 AD). Does this group then conclude that these practices are older than the Trinity doctrine? What is it about making the sign of the cross that merits being placed on this sinister list? Omissions from the 26-point list [Please see outside link General Councils of the Church for reference] What this 26-point list omits perhaps best exposes its intentionally misleading and propagandistic nature.
If a Jehova Witness were to create such a list, the above would be entries for certain. The Council of Nicea, in condemning Arianism, was probably one of the most important councils of the Catholic Church. Why were these entries omitted from this particular list? They were omitted because this Protestant group accepts these beliefs. This is certainly the case with the Holy Trinity, as seen by their Doctrinal Statement page. Since this anti-Catholic group accepts belief in the Holy Trinity, it isn't about to state or suggest that the Trinity was first invented at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, or that something is wrong or sinister if the Trinity doctrine was further developed at Nicea I. It is highly likely that this group also observes Easter & Christmas, as does most of Protestantism - even most Baptists/Fundamentalists. Apparently, this group is not suggesting that observance of Easter & Christmas is sinister. Yet that is exactly what this anti-Catholic group does with the items on the 26-point list. The list states, implies or suggests that the listed beliefs (or practices) began or were first invented on the dates listed and that their dates are sinister. Other noteworthy omissions are the following Councils dealing with the nature of Christ:
The Fundamental Evangelistic Association probably omitted these councils from their 26-point list because they also accept these beliefs on the nature of Christ. Tackling the 26-point list We'll now attempt to expose the fallacies of the 26 items, in no particular order.
The fallacy here is two-fold. First, it suggests that transubstantiation was first invented in 1215 AD. Yet, what about the Eastern Orthodox, in schism since 1054 AD but who have the same belief? (See my Common Ground page.) Second, it leaves the impression with the uninformed (and being uninformed is what this group is counting on!) that prior to 1215 AD the Church denied the "Real Presence" in the Eucharist, holding instead to the mere symbolic view of Baptists & Fundamentalists. A major theme of this and similar lists is the suggestion that, prior to the date of each item, the opposite was believed, practiced or taught.
The Catholic Church didn't add the deuterocanonicals to the Bible in 1546...they were already part of the canon at the time of the Reformation. It was Luther and the Reformers who removed the deuterocanonicals from the Bible. In fact, Luther wanted to remove several New Testament books: James (which he called a mere "Epistle of straw"), Revelations and (to my recollection) Hebrews. If the Church only "added" the deuterocanonicals in 1546 then Luther couldn't possibly have had a problem with the canon prior to 1546. Yet the 1546 AD date refers to the Council of Trent, which met in response to the full-blown Protestant heresy. All Trent did was confirm that the deuterocanonicals were part of the canon, in opposition to the Protestant removal of books. The main thing to notice, however, is that the 26-point list gives no date when the Protestant bible was supposedly accepted or compiled. Just exactly where, on the time-line, would this group place compilation of the Protestant canon? The fact is, placing the Protestant canon anywhere on a time-line is fatal to the Protestant heresy of sola scriptura. That's probably why Protestants make the intentional misrepresentation that the Catholic Church added the deuterocanonicals in 1546 AD, but give no date when their real Bible was compiled.
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