Questions and answers with Pastor Don Miller

Question – I am a gay and love God and Jesus. Why are you calling me a sinner?

Answer – Well, queers and lesbians cannot love God. Let’s begin with homosexuality —

Leviticus 18:22 – Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, (Read More…)

Romans 1:26-28 – For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (Read More…)

Leviticus 20:13 – If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood [shall be] upon them.

1 Corinthians 7:2 – Nevertheless, [to avoid] fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

The Bible is clear that gayness is a sin. Not my words. Those are the words of God.

Romans 1:26-32 –

^“Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.  They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,  slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;  they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”

The Bible states you are his hater. Again, not my words, but the words of God.

Question – I am a Catholic. Why is that bad?

Answer – Easy. You aren’t even a Christian. You are a pagan pretending to love and worship Jesus.

1. Source of Authority. With respect to the Bible, Catholics accept the apocryphal books in addition to the 66 books of the Protestant Bible. They also accept tradition and the teaching of the Catholic Church as authoritative and at least equal to that of the Bible (cf. Mk. 7:8,9,13; Matt. 15:3,6,9; Col. 2:8). With respect to papal infallibility, Catholics believe that ecumenical councils of bishops and the pope are immune from error when speaking ex cathedra about faith and morals (i.e., “from the chair” — by sole virtue of position or the exercise of an office). (And by “infallible,” Catholics mean much more than merely a simple, de facto absence of error — it is positive perfection, ruling out the possibility of error. In actuality, Roman Catholicism places itself above Scripture; i.e., it teaches that the Roman Catholic Church produced the Bible and that the pope is Christ’s vicar on earth. Catholics also maintain the belief in sacerdotalism — that an ordained Catholic priest has the power to forgive sins (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5). This of course is a false teaching because no one can forgive sin other then God Himself (Mark 2:7). The Word of God is the ONLY true source of truth, not church tradition.

2. Jesus Christ. Catholicism teaches that Christ is God, but they, nevertheless, do not believe that Christ’s death paid the full penalty for sin; i.e., they believe that those who qualify for heaven must still spend time in purgatory to atone for sin (cf. John. 19: 30; Hebrews 10:11,12). There is nothing taught in the Bible about purgatory. Catholics diminish Christ’s deity (as do other cults), but in a different manner; instead of bringing Christ low by denying his deity, Catholics elevate Mary high in an attempt to make her equal with Christ, this is heresy.

3. Mary. The Catholic Church gives honor and adoration to Mary that the Scriptures do not; she is readily referred to as “holy,” the “Mother of God,” and has been dubbed the “Co-Redemptrix,” thereby making her an object of idolatrous worship (e.g., the rosary has ten prayers to Mary for each two directed to God). In 1923, Pope Pius XI sanctioned Pope Benedict XV’s (1914-1922) pronouncement that Mary suffered with Christ, and that with Him, she redeemed the human race. And Pope Pius XII officially designated Mary the “Queen of Heaven” and “Queen of the World.” Catholics claim not only that Mary was perfectly sinless from conception, even as Jesus was (doctrine of Immaculate Conception, proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854), but that the reason she never sinned at any time during her life was because she was unable to sin (cf. Luke 1:46,47; Rom. 3:10,23; 5:12; Heb. 4:15; 1 John 1:8,10). Catholics also believe that Mary was a perpetual virgin (cf. Ps. 69:8; Matt. 1:24,25; 13:54-56; Mk. 6:3; John 7:5), and that she was assumed, body and soul, into heaven (doctrine of Assumption of Mary, declared ex cathedra by Pope Pius XII in November of 1950 — that Mary was raised from the dead on the third day after her death, and anyone who refuses to believe this has committed a mortal sin). The consequence of all this veneration of Mary, in effect, establishes her authority above Christ’s — Rome says, “He came to us through Mary and we must go to Him through her.” All this is so obviously idolatrous, one wonders why Catholics take offense when their religious affections are called cultic. Exodus 20:4,5 (the Ten Commandments) strictly forbids bowing down to any likeness of anything in heaven (this includes Mary). It’s the 2nd command, read it for yourself! It’s the same Scripture found in the Catholic Bible, so why do they disobey God?

4. Salvation. Catholics teach that a person is saved through the Roman Catholic Church and its sacraments, especially through baptism; they do not believe that salvation can be obtained by grace through faith in Christ alone, but that baptism is essential to salvation. Catholics believe that no one outside the Catholic Church can be saved (Unum Sanctum) (cf. John 5:24; Ephesians 2: 8,9; Galatians 2:21; Romans 3:22,23). They also believe that one’s own suffering can expiate the sin’s of himself and of others, so that what Christ’s suffering was not able to achieve, one can achieve by his own works and the works of others (Vatican II). These are all lies of the Catholic church! The thief on the cross was never baptized. The Apostle Paul said Jesus had not sent him to baptize, but to preach the gospel (1st Corinthians 1:17). Jesus didn’t baptize (John 4:2).

5. Sacraments. Catholics have seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist (mass), penance/reconciliation (indulgences), extreme unction (last rights), marriage, and orders (ordination). Although not even formally decreed until the Council of Florence in 1439, the Council of Trent later declared all to be anathema whom do not hold Rome’s position that it was Christ Himself who instituted these seven sacraments! (The idea behind the sacraments is that the shedding of Christ’s Blood in His death upon the cross is of no value unless it is somehow dispensed and applied “sacramentally” by the Catholic priesthood.) Although Catholics believe that the first five sacraments are indispensable for salvation (because without any one of them, a mortal sin has been committed), baptism is considered the most important. Catholics believe that a person enters into the spiritual life of the Church through baptism; i.e., baptismal regeneration — that a person can be saved through baptism (actually, ‘on the road to salvation,’ because Catholics never know exactly when they are saved). They practice infant baptism because they believe baptism erases original sin (cf. John 3:18). Titus 3:5 makes clear that we cannot be saved by works, “Not by works of righteousness…” There are NO sacraments taught in the Bible. Nothing is essential for our salvation other than simple child-like faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Saviour to forgive our sins.

6. The Mass. Unknown in the early church, the mass did not become an official doctrine until pronounced by the Lateran Council of 1215 under the direction of Pope Innocent III, and reaffirmed by the Council of Trent. The Church of Rome holds that the mass is a continuation of the sacrifice that Christ made on Calvary — in effect a re-crucifixion of Christ over and over again in an unbloody manner (cf. Hebrews 9:22; 1 John 1:7). They believe that by this means Christ offers Himself again and again as a sacrifice for sin (cf. Hebrews 7:27; 9:12,25,26; 10:10,12,14,18), and that this sacrifice is just as efficacious to take away sin as was the true sacrifice on Calvary. Catholics thus teach the doctrine of transubstantiation (meaning a change of substance) — that the bread and wine (at communion) actually become (by the power of the priest!) the body and blood of Christ, which is then worshiped as God Himself! Indeed, the sacrifice of the mass is the central point of Catholic worship, as evidenced by the fact that those abstaining from attending mass are considered to have committed a mortal sin. Of course, holy communion is not taught in the Bible. The Bible teaches the “Lord’s supper” which was simply an ordinance that Christ initiated for believers to do in remembrance of Him, no more. There is nothing magical about the Lord’s supper. Nothing changes into anything. It is simply a time to remember Christ in an official church manner, Jesus is NOT dying again. The book of Hebrews tells us repeatedly that Jesus died “once” for all.

7. Purgatory. Of pagan origin, the Roman Church proclaimed purgatory as an article of faith in 1439 at the Council of Florence, and it was confirmed by Trent in 1548. The Catholic Church teaches that even those “who die in the state of grace” (i.e., saved and sins forgiven) must still spend an indefinite time being purged/purified (i.e., expiated of sins/cleansed for heaven). Technically, this “purging” can occur in this life rather than in purgatory itself, but as a practical matter, purgatory is the best the average Catholic can hope for. Some Catholics will admit that the doctrine of purgatory is not based on the Bible, but on Catholic tradition (which, by Catholic standards, is equally authoritative) (cf. John 5:24; Luke 23:43; 1 John 1:7,9; Phil. 1:23). (Others teach that it is based upon the interpretation of several Scriptural texts — 1 Corinthians 3:15; 1 Peter 1:7; 3:19; Matt. 12:31.) They teach that those in purgatory can be helped by the prayers and good works of those on earth (which would include the “purchase” of masses and/or other indulgences), but they are not certain how these prayers and works are applied (cf. 2 Peter 1:9; Hebrews 1:3; John 3:18; 19:30; 2 Corinthians 5:6-8).

8. The Church Councils. There have been three major Roman Catholic Councils: Council of Trent (1545-1563), Vatican I (1869-1870), and Vatican II (1962-1965). The last Council, Vatican II, offered no new doctrines nor repudiated any essential teaching of the Roman Church; it referred to Trent dozens and dozens of times, quoted Trent’s proclamations as authority, and reaffirmed Trent on every hand. Even the New Catholic Catechism (1992/1994) cites Trent no less than 99 times! There is not the slightest hint that the proclamations of the Council of Trent have been abrogated by Rome. At the opening of the Second Vatican council, Pope John XXIII stated, “I do accept entirely all that has been decided and declared at the Council of Trent,” and all of the Catholic leaders who attended Vatican II signed a document containing this statement. (The current pope, Pope John Paul II, has even cited the Council of Trent as authority for his blasphemous position on Mary.):

Question – I’m a woman and run my household. Please explain why that’s bad.

Answer – First off, you are a whore and not much of a woman. I feel bad for your God-hating household.

Ephesians 5:23  –For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

1 Timothy 2:11-15  – Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

1 Timothy 3:1-16 –  The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? …

Ephesians 5:22 – Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

So, grab a broom and sweep.