Protestant Assumptions about the Assumption
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I. The Catholic Church purports to be the only true Church of Christ.
1. The archaeological evidence for that period shows that all the first Churches practiced the same rites the Catholic Church practices today. They had the baptismal fonts, the altar, the holy water, the incense, the candles, the vessels, the vestments. All the same as the Catholic Church today. None of which any Protestants have today.
2. The evidence of the Early Church is written by Bishops and Priests who held to all the same teachings of the Catholic Church. They taught about the Eucharist, Baptism, the Mass, the Sacraments. The language was different, but the meaning is the same.
3. The Bible Itself points directly to the Catholic Church.
The Church which is infallible (1 Tim 3:15; Eph 3:10).
The Church which is united (Eph 4:5).
The doctrines of the Catholic Church which are distinctive from other churches:
Purgatory (1 Cor 3:15).
Eucharist (1 Cor 11:23-27).
Communion of Saints (Rom 12:12-20).
The Mass and the necessity to attend (Heb 10:25-31).
The Sacrament of Confession (Heb 13:17).
The Sacrament of Holy Orders (1 Tim 4:14).
The Sacrament of Baptism (Titus 3:5).
Justification and salvation by faith and works (Rom 2:1-13).
II. The Catholic Church bans other Christians from receiving the Eucharist.
It is actually for their own good. Protestants don’t believe in the Real Presence. Scripture teaches that those who don't believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist will condemn themselves if they partake.
1 Corinthians 11: 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
Therefore, if you don't believe in the Transubstantiation of the Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord, and you consume the Eucharist, you have eaten and drunken damnation unto yourself.
III. Catholic Priests dress all fancy.
Actually, priests generally wear very humble clothing when they aren't celebrating the rites of the Faith of Christ. But even if their vestments are fancy, priestly garb is consecrated, set aside for the holy purpose of celebrating the rites of the Faith. Just as the buildings and the Priests and certain times are set aside for the worship of God. Scripture tells us that these garments are to be of the finest:
Exodus 28 :1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. 2. And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. 2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. 3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. 4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. 5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. 6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. 7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. 8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen…..
That says Aaron, not all the priests.
All Catholic Priests are like Aaron. Aaron was the High Priest of the Old Testament. Jesus is the High Priest of the New. Catholic Priests walk in “persona Christi”, i.e. the Person of Christ.
1548 In the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock, high priest of the redemptive sacrifice, Teacher of Truth. This is what the Church means by saying that the priest, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, acts in persona Christi Capitis:
It is the same priest, Christ Jesus, whose sacred person his minister truly represents. Now the minister, by reason of the sacerdotal consecration which he has received, is truly made like to the high priest and possesses the authority to act in the power and place of the person of Christ himself (virtute ac persona ipsius Christi).
Christ is the source of all priesthood: the priest of the old law was a figure of Christ, and the priest of the new law acts in the person of Christ.
IV. The Pope is called "Holy Father".
1. Ordinary fathers of ordinary households generally "put the meat on the table" and "feed the family". Our Pastors give us the "Bread of Heaven" and thereby feed the Flock of Christ. Therefore we call them all, "Fathers".
2. We call them "holy" because they are set apart and consecrated to God.
3. We consider our "Bishops" to be "holy Fathers" in a special way, because the Holy Spirit has elected them to rule over Christ's Church.
4. The Pope (Pope means Father) is the Bishop of Rome and holds that title as well. But he is the most famous because he is the sign of the Church.
