In this article, we continue to disprove the slander and the erroneous claims of Calvinist John MacArthur about the Catholic Church. In Part 1, we discussed his claims on the Catholic Church being heretical and not the true church. We also examined his non-factual and erroneous claim that Catholics worship Mary more than God. We will continue to refute more of his false claims in Part 2 of this series.
Point#3: Catholics desire to sacrifice Jesus again and again during every Mass
John MacArthur claims that Catholics twist the sacrament of the Mass and attempt to re-sacrifice Jesus again and again. Most Protestants do not say this. Anti-Catholics say this! Catholic haters say this! They say that we will sacrifice Jesus again every day – thousands of times over. This is the furthest thing from the truth.
How many times do I have to say this? Clearly, John MacArthur has never read a single Catholic document. I mean, there are people out there who try to read things just to prove their point, and there are others who make their point without actually reading the documents for themselves. And he seems to have that problem as well because the Catholic Church does not teach this.
This is heresy. We do not teach that Jesus dies again. Jesus died once and for all, as it says in Hebrews 9, and he cannot die again. He is not sacrificed again at the Mass. He is not killed again at the Mass. Everything John MacArthur says about the Catholic Church in this regard, and in most regards, is a lie from hell! It is not from God because God is a God of truth. John MacArthur is so antagonistic against the Church that he does not even allow himself to fairly present what the Catholic Church teaches and then have a serious discussion about it. And for the record, we invited him for a formal debate and heard nothing back from him.
I will not be rehashing the same points I have repeated in numerous videos and articles. However, for those who are unfamiliar, there is a common misconception that Catholics actually sacrifice Jesus. Those that hold that view do not understand our teachings.
Point#4: The Catholic Church invented purgatory as a money-making scheme
John MacArthur claims that the Catholic Church invented purgatory as a money-making scheme so that they could buy their dead relatives out of there in order to make money. Wow! 1Corinthians (6, 9 and 10) talk about how certain groups of people will not get to heaven, including homosexuals, adulterers, and murderers. On par with them are slanderers. People who engage in slander against the Catholic Church, like John MacArthur is doing, also include R.C. Sproul and Ray Comfort. Biblically, this act is equated with serious offenses like murder and adultery. The Bible explicitly states that those who commit such acts will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. It is crucial for people to know and see how grave and seriously wrong this is.
If you side with MacArthur, you are siding with a slanderer, a liar, and someone who is not presenting the truth about the Catholic Church. First of all, he does not give any facts. We are just supposed to take his opinion for it that the Catholic Church did this for a money-making scheme.
Okay, what is your proof? Where is your proof? What documents do you have to back yourself up with? What sources can you cite to prove that? This is just your opinion, and I am not taking it.
Second, before accepting claims like MacArthur’s about the Catholic Church inventing purgatory, it is crucial to question when exactly this supposedly happened and demand factual evidence. Most people say it was around the year 1200. Sometimes, they say earlier. However, the belief in purgatory goes back to the earliest Christians. St. Augustine taught it, as we have quoted in many other articles, in the 5th century. So, how could it be a Middle Ages thing that purgatory was invented by the Catholic Church to make money? Not to mention, isn’t this calling the kettle black? Mr. MacArthur is making millions by preaching the gospel. Millions! I mean, if you look online, some websites say that he is worth $14 million (PopularNetWorth.com). Yes, $14 million! And he is talking about the Catholic Church making money?!
He is capitalizing on the ignorance of many in his congregation, particularly former Catholics who may not be well informed about their own faith, by propagating these assertions without expecting anyone to fact check them.
Of course, when people do research it, they leave his church and come back to Catholicism because they realize he is preaching wrong things. Even many Protestants who join his church end up leaving and becoming Catholic because they realize what he is teaching is bunk.
There are websites online that hold him at 20 million or even 75 million in all of his assets. And he is talking about other people making millions of dollars. Really? How can he, with a straight face, criticize when someone else makes money when he himself is making a ton of money in the work that he does.
Charging for a Mass card, a common practice for having prayer said for the dead, amounts to $5 with some variations up to $20. While this may cover costs or compensate the priest’s time, it hardly seems like a lucrative money-making scheme. In contrast, many influencers, health and wealth preachers, and Protestant pastors accumulate millions. They own yachts and multiple houses. This is a lifestyle that does not align with the simplicity of New Testament Christianity.
They are the first to point the finger at how rich the Vatican is and how rich the pope is. They ignore that the Vatican and the pope are the ones who are giving more money to poor people around the world than anyone else, and they provide more social services than anyone on the planet. The Church feeds more people, clothes more people, founds more hospitals, orphanages and runaway shelters than any other organization. It also combats human trafficking and accomplishes countless more things across the face of the earth than John MacArthur could even dream of.
He could not even dream of it. He is a small man who is doing nothing compared to the Catholic Church with what she has done over 2,000 years. The amount of social services and charity that the Catholic Church does with her money is monstrous. It is immense! While John MacArthur is sitting there with his yachts and enjoying his luxury, the Catholic Church is serving people personally around the world. Pope Francis personally serves people. He goes and visits poor people. He holds dinners for poor people in the Vatican. I mean, that is what it is there for.
He actually has hundreds of homeless people from around Rome come there and have the most glorious dinner they have ever had in their entire lives. They receive showers, get a shave, and get to clean up in a way worthy of the dignity of a human being. They treat them with the worth of an angel. They treat these people with the utmost dignity. They love them, help them, and feed them.
When was the last time, Mr. MacArthur, that you invited poor people into your house to throw an extravagant dinner in order to love and help them? When was the last time you did this? When did you get down on your knees and wash their feet? You are pointing the finger, and yet the mirror is pointing it right back at you.
And now, we are just scratching the tip of the iceberg of his errors. John MacArthur actually keeps referring to a “true church” that rejects Catholicism. This “true church” rejects Roman Catholicism and has always resisted this system. The “true church” has resisted the pope. The true church is the true church. He says it a hundred times, and yet he cannot name this true church.
What true church is this, Mr. MacArthur? You are literally contradicting yourself, and you are literally just proving yourself wrong. I do not even need to do this job because you are doing it for me. The simple reason is that most people in the world are not Calvinists like John MacArthur is.
John MacArthur believes that Jesus went to hell. Literal hellfire for three days. He went to eternal hell for three days and burned there for our sins. There is no other Christian on the planet who believes that. John Calvin believed it, and hardcore Calvinists believe it. Although many Calvinists do not believe it, John MacArthur believes it. So pray tell, Mr. MacArthur, which Christians are the true Christians? The ones who believe that Jesus went to hell for three days, or all the other Christians in Christianity across the board (including Protestants) who reject that? You are trying to represent all of Protestantism, but it is a false representation.
Mr. MacArthur is trying to pretend that there is some unity across the board. He claims all non-Catholic Christians just believe the same things, and Roman Catholicism has perverted the true message. The reality is that even Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and others could not agree on what the gospel was. They could not even agree on how to be saved.
So, how can you honestly claim that these were true Christians when they did not even agree with each other? Which is the true Christian? Lutheran, Calvinist, or Zwingli? Presbyterian, Baptist, Pentecostal, Anglican or Methodist? I mean, which one? Which one is the true Christian?
Mr. MacArthur’s repeated assertions to his audience about the supposed unity of “true Christians” can be seen as a form of subtle, persistent influence that does not necessarily make the claims more accurate. Later, we will delve deeper into this issue to unveil the substantial divisions among early reformers. They not only attacked the Catholic Church, but also turned on each other with accusations of being the Antichrist and questioning each other’s status as “true” Christians.
Moreover, Martin Luther said that Zwingli did not even have the spirit of Christ. Zwingli was another Christian. He was another reformer, and he was not even of Christ? Zwingli said the same thing about Luther. Literally, they condemned each other to hell. How could that be true Christianity? How can anybody take that seriously?
Even when atheists look at Christianity, they say, “You guys cannot even get it straight among yourselves. When you all figure it out, then I will consider becoming a Christian.” And I say, “You have a good point, but it was not always that way. There was pretty much one church for 1,500 years until the Protestant revolt, the Protestant anarchy.”
Following the Protestant Reformation, a multitude of new denominations emerged. Just from Luther alone, by the time he died, there were over 240 new religions. Today, there are thousands. This diversity can be confusing. And it is not from Christ because Christ said “I pray…so that they may all be one…as we are one,” (John 17:20-22).
Additionally, the epistles of Paul emphasize the idea of one faith, one hope, one baptism and one doctrine. Anything that departs from that doctrine is called schism. It is seriously condemned in the Bible. Are you in a schism? Have you left the Catholic Church without researching it first? I almost left the Catholic Church. I was scared that I was in a false church when people told me things, but I researched them first.
People were telling me about things in the Bible and showing me where Catholicism was wrong in the Bible and saying this and saying that. It left me confused and uncertain. Instead of succumbing to fear and abandoning my faith or joining other religions, as some suggested, I went and researched it first. I did some deep research, and I found that the Catholic Church actually has really good answers for believing what she says in the Bible.
It can be backed up by history and Tradition. This kind of evidence is something the Protestants don’t have. They just go by their own personal interpretations of the Bible and their personal opinions.
So if you are someone who has left the Church, if you are struggling, or if you have questions, that is why we are here. For those grappling with doubts or questioning their faith journey, we are here to help. Our mission at “Catholic Truth” is to provide thoughtful responses to your inquiries and alleviate uncertainties. Week after week, many individuals share their return to the Church or their journey toward Catholicism, and we are grateful to play a small role in that.
If you have left the Church or are searching, reach out to us. Explore our videos, podcasts, and recommended readings that include the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other books on Catholic beliefs. The truth, as emphasized by Jesus in John 8, has the power to set you free.
