I have
recently encountered (mainly on facebook groups I lurk) an on-going debate
between Latter-day Saints and Roman Catholics vis-a-vis the Great Apostasy and
Rome's claims to be the one true Church. Beyond the realm of biblical
proof-texting (not that I do not think such is important), let us boil down why
Rome is a false Church and is apostate (not that "Mormonism" is
true--that is a different issue).
(1):
According to Roman Catholicism, her dogmas are apostolic in origin, preserved in the written word (the Bible) and/or oral teachings from Jesus and/or the apostles themselves ("apostolic [oral] tradition"):
That Revelation was given in its entirety to
Our Lord and His Apostles. After the death of the last of the twelve it could
receive no increment. It was, as the Church calls it, a deposit — "the
faith once delivered to the saints" (Jude, 2) — for which the Church was
to "contend" but to which she could add nothing. Thus, whenever there
has been question of defining a doctrine, whether at Nicæa, at Trent, or at the
Vatican, the sole point of debate has been as to whether the doctrine is found
in Scripture or in Apostolic tradition. (Catholic
Encyclopedia, "Revelation")
(2): If Rome
were to proclaim, as dogma, something that was not apostolic in origin, it is
not preaching the truth as it destroys her claim to infallibility.
(3) If Rome
were to be guilty of no. 2, it is not the true Church, even by her own claims.
Are there
beliefs, proclaimed as dogmas that are not apostolic in origin? Yes. Here are
two:
To put it succinctly:
(1)
According to Rome, as they are defined dogmas, proclaimed as such by the infallible teaching authority of the Church, the Immaculate Conception of Mary (dogmatically defined in
1854) and the veneration of images (defined at Second Nicea [787]) are apostolic traditions
(2) However,
the Immaculate Conception of Mary and the veneration of images are not
apostolic in origin, but man-made traditions (see the articles above)
(3) The
conclusion drawn is Rome is false and apostate, as she has proclaimed beliefs
to be de fide dogmas which are, in reality, false, man-man traditions, thus also showing her claims to infallibility is false.
Any Catholic
apologist who takes exception to this is more than welcome to show me the
apostolic witness of the Immaculate Conception and/or veneration of images.
Until then, one is, in terms of the Great Apostasy debate, justified in rejecting
Roman Catholic truth claims.