Heresy
Satan’s
Invasion of the Church
"For
the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having
itching ears
they
will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and
will
turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths."
(2 Tim. 4:3-4)
In the history of the Church, false
teachings, or heresies, were always a
part of the Enemy’s armamentarium. Satanic
Heresies exist in all ages with the aim of attempting to bring down
Christianity---always attacking the
Message and the Divinity of Jesus Christ. From the Circumcisers of the time of the Apostles, to present-day Atheism under the guises of Relativism, Positivism and Hedonism---all heresies substitute corrupt theological formulas and philosophies
for what God, the Holy Spirit, has revealed to man in Sacred Scripture and
Sacred Tradition.
Heresy:
1. Heresy is a false belief pronounced by an
authentic member of the Universal Christian Church of Jesus Christ; Catholic or
Protestant. Heresy is not supported by Sacred Scripture or the Magisterium
of the Roman Catholic Church. Heresy offends the Truth and all authentic
Christians. Heresy offends Jesus Christ and Mary, His Mother.
2.
Heresy is also the utterance of a false belief or cult philosophy that
threatens the faith of Christian believers. The modern media is saturated with
heresies of all formulas.
Atheism:
Initially, it is proper to present the
ultimate and ever-present heresy: Atheism, which is refusal to believe in God.
Atheism has a first cousin by the name of Agnosticism. Following is the treatment of both of these
heresies by the Catechism of the Catholic
Church:
No.
2126 Atheism is often based on a false conception of human autonomy,
exaggerated to the point of refusing any dependence on God. Yet, "to
acknowledge God is in no way to oppose the dignity of man, since such dignity
is grounded and brought to perfection
in God. ….. "For the Church knows full well that her message is in harmony
with the most secret desires of the human heart.”
No.
2127 Agnosticism assumes a number of forms. In certain cases the
agnostic refrains from denying God; instead he postulates the existence of a
transcendent being which is incapable of revealing itself, and about which
nothing can be said. In other cases, the agnostic makes no judgment about God's
existence, declaring it impossible to prove, or even to affirm or deny.
No.
2128 Agnosticism can sometimes include
a certain search for God, but it can equally express indifferentism, a flight
from the ultimate question of existence, and a sluggish moral conscience. Agnosticism is all too often equivalent to
practical atheism. (Catechism
of the Catholic Church)
~Modern heresies are
formulated from past heresies~
Past Heresies:
Hedonism (400 B.C.)
“The name
given to the group of ethical systems that hold, with various modifications, that
feelings of pleasure or happiness are the highest and final aim of conduct;
that, consequently those actions which increase the sum of pleasure are thereby
constituted right, and, conversely, what increases pain is wrong. The father of
Hedonism was Aristippus of Cyrene (400 B.C.). He taught that pleasure is the
universal and ultimate object or endeavour.” (The Catholic Encyclopedia)
Circumcision (1st Century)
The Circumcision heresy is related from
the pages of Sacred Scripture itself:
"But
some men came down from
St. Peter’s discourse on the worthiness
of Gentiles as Christian converts sets the record straight:
“’Truly
I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears
him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the word which he sent to Israel,
preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), the word
which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the
baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed
by the devil, for God was with him. And
we are witnesses to all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in
Gnosticism (1st and 2nd Centuries)
Gnostics
were "people who knew", and their knowledge at once constituted them
a superior class of beings, whose present and future status was essentially
different from that of those who, for whatever reason, did not know. Whereas
Judaism and Christianity,
and almost all pagan systems, hold that the soul attains its proper
end by obedience of mind and will to the Supreme Power, i.e. by faith and
works, it is markedly peculiar to Gnosticism that it places the salvation of the soul merely in the possession of a
quasi-intuitive knowledge of the mysteries of the universe and of magic
formulae indicative of that knowledge.
(The Catholic Encyclopedia)
Gnosticism is always just outside the door
of the Church. It has created heresies by the bushel-basket-full---throughout
Catholic history. It was the driving force behind the “Age of Enlightenment”
(c. 1675-1750). Anticlericalism was the principal
threat to the Catholic religion in the seventeen hundreds. Permanent,
institutionalized anticlericalism’ had existed before the Enlightenment, often
comparative in theme and popular in style, and it was by no means incompatible
with the false piety of displayed in the late sixteen hundreds, or, half a
century later, (1750) Deists were few in
number in the early seventeen hundreds in England, but the range and depth of
the anticlericalism challenge extended to more than a century later. Gnosticism
and Deism were utilized as popular, clandestine philosophies by Freemasonry in
the late seventeen and early eighteen hundreds.
Gnosticism
is the mark of man superimposed over God. It can be said that it is the mark of
the Beast: 666;---as 333 is the mark of the Holy Trinity. (Cf.
The
most recent Gnostic work to date is The
Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown.
Montanism (Late 2nd Century)
Montanus was a recent convert when he
first began to prophesy in the
Our response: The proponents of the
heresy are obviously demon-possessed; imitating God, Himself.
Arianism (4th Century)
Besides Atheism and Agnosticism, the greatest
heresy the Church has ever fought was Arianism. (In its various forms,
especially as the “Historical Jesus”,
the Church is still fighting Arianism today.)
Arius was a monk in the
After creating a major schism (a division
based on doctrine or authority) in the Church, Arianism was solemnly condemned
in 325 A.D. at the First Council of
Nestorianism (5th Century)
Nestorian
heretic theology:
One person, two hypostases (one-time evolutions), two persons: Christ evolved
separately as one divine person (the Eternal Word) and one human person (Jesus
Christ), thus possessing two natures in two persons.
Catholic
Church theology:
One person, one hypostasis (one-time only evolution), two persons: Upon
conception, Christ was instantly fused into One Person by the Holy Spirit and
the Eternal Word of the Holy Trinity: instantly becoming Jesus Christ, the
Eternal Word, who possesses two natures; human and divine. All of the
Eternal Word is Christ and all of Christ is the Eternal Word.
Nestorius was a Syrian monk who was
consecrated bishop in 428 A.D. He was a popular homilist who followed after the
style of St. John Chrysostom. He won the
favor of the emperor, Theodosius II, who appointed him Archbishop of
Constantinople. Nestorius fought against the Arian heresy of the day and even
convinced the Emperor to seize apostate Churches. His popularity got the best
of him and he considered himself more intelligent than the sensus fidelium of the Church, which endorsed Mary, Mother of God
as “Theotokos” (Qeotokos),
meaning
“God-bearer”. Nestorius was only willing to call Mary, Mother of Christ---not
Mother of God, which would mean that Mary did not give birth to Christ as a
divine Person; but only as a human person.
The truth about Christ’s Incarnation is
that, from the first moment of His conception by the Holy Spirit (the Lk1:35
doctrine of the Virgin Conception/Birth of Jesus Christ), Jesus only had God as
Father, and was concurrently assumed into the Eternal Word, the Second Person
of the Most Holy Trinity. This divine
action of the Holy Spirit (Lk1:35) resulted in the One Person, Jesus
Christ, the Eternal Word of the Father.
The Church reacted to Nestorius in 431 A.D. with the Council of Ephesus, defining
that Mary can be properly referred to as the Mother of God; thus endorsing the
Greek term “Theotokos” (Qeotokos),
meaning
“God-bearer”. (Cf.
The Catholic Encyclopedia)
Pelagianism (5th Century)
Augustine, Orosius, Prosper, and Marius
Mercator, are quite explicit in assigning
About the heresy of Pelagianism, the Catholic Encyclopedia says: R.(responses
ours)
A. “Even if Adam had not sinned, he would
have died.”
R.
(The Church teaches that Adam’s physical death was caused by his original sin.)
B. “Adam's sin harmed only himself, not
the human race.”
R.
(The Church teaches, that, in the Plan of God, we inherit Adam’s sin at birth.)
C. “Children just born are in the same
state as Adam before his fall.”
R.
(The Church teaches that children are born with Original Sin; requiring Baptism.)
D. “The whole human race neither dies
through Adam's sin or death, nor rises again through the resurrection of
Christ.”
R.
(The Church teaches that death came through the first Adam and resurrection and
life come through the Second Adam, Jesus Christ. (1Cor15:22)
E. “The (Mosaic Law is as good a guide to
heaven as the Gospel.”
R.
(The Church teaches that the Mosaic Law is valid only for Jews of the Old
Covenant. God the Father revealed His intentions for our salvation completely the New Covenant of the Blood
of His Son, Jesus Christ.)
F. “Even before the advent of Christ
there were men who were without sin.”
R.
(The Church teaches that only Jesus and His Mother, Mary, were born without
original sin after Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were born without sin, but committed the Original Sin with
which all humans other than Jesus and Mary are born with.)
Pelagius’
elemental orientation was the “unlimited energy of nature” and he was thus
probably the first “new age” heretic. He also connected sin to social action,
thus not connecting a sinful act with the violation of one’s intimacy or
conscience.
There was held on
Monophysitism (5th Century)
Monophysite (Greek: mono = one; physis = nature) theology:
One person, one hypostasis, one nature. This says that God changed the divine nature
of the Eternal Word of the Holy Trinity and the human nature of Jesus Christ
and fused them into one person.
Catholic
Church theology:
One person, one hypostasis, two natures: Upon conception, Christ was instantly
fused as One Person by the Holy Spirit and the Eternal Word of the Trinity:
instantly becoming Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word, who possesses two
natures; human and divine. All of the Eternal Word is Christ and all of Christ
is the Eternal Word.
(Cf. The Catholic Encyclopedia)
In other words, God could not change the
divine nature of the Eternal Word because, as God, He cannot change Himself. He
did not change the human nature of Jesus Christ because He would have created a
new type of human being. God did not do both of these things because He could
not, and did not, change His nature and the way He created humans. In the
Incarnation, God made One Divine Person out of the Complete and Divine Eternal
Word Person (His Son by Perfect Image and Likeness) and the complete and human
Jesus Christ person. God did this in an instant by the Power of the Holy Spirit
and the Eternal Word. He called the new
Divine Person His Son: Jesus Christ, the
Eternal Word.
The
identity of the originator of Monophysitism is not clarified, but off and on
the heresy had many followers in the Church. Many say Eutyches was not the
originator the Monophysite heresy, and he was repudiated and condemned by many
of the Monophysites. Eutyches in 448 was seventy years of age, and had been for
thirty years archimandrite of a monastery outside the walls of
Iconoclasm (7th and 8th Centuries)
This
heresy came from people known as
iconoclasts ("icon smashers").
They claimed that it was sinful to make any image of Christ and the
saints. However, in the Bible, God had commanded the making of religious
statues (Ex. 25:18-21; Ex26:31; 1 Chr. 28:18-19; 1Kings6:23-32; 1Ki8:7),
including symbolic representations (cf. Num. 21:8-9 with John
Catharism
(11th Century)
Usually
referenced as having preceded Albigensianism; embracing the same heresy.
Albigensianism (12th and 13th
Centuries)
The Albigenses asserted the co-existence
of two mutually opposed principles, one good, the other evil. The former is the
creator of the spiritual, the latter of the material world. The bad principle
is the source of all evil; natural phenomena, either ordinary like the growth
of plants, or extraordinary as earthquakes, likewise moral disorders (war),
must be attributed to him. (The
Catholic Encyclopedia)
The dualism of the Albigenses was also
the basis of their moral teaching. Man, they taught, is a living contradiction.
Hence, the liberation of the soul from its captivity in the body is the true
end of our being. To attain this, suicide is commendable; it was customary
among them in the form of the endura (starvation). The extinction of
bodily life on the largest scale consistent with human existence is also a
perfect aim. As generation propagates the slavery of the soul to the body, perpetual
chastity should be practiced. Matrimonial intercourse is unlawful; concubinage,
being of a less permanent nature, is preferable to marriage. (The Catholic Encyclopedia)
Our response: The heresy is pagan and defies elemental
reasoning. A good God cannot create a
bad universe. That a bad god created the universe apart from a good God would
say that there are two gods. No real God would permit two gods. God is the One
omnipotent, infinite, merciful and just God of all creation; He created the
spiritual aspect of creation and the physical aspect of creation---and they are
both good. The heretics also completely ignored the revelation of God, the
Bible, in constructing their theology and morality.
Jansenism
(17th Century)
“Cornelius
Jansen, Bishop of Ypres, France, (Cornelius Jansenius Yprensis), from
whom Jansenism derives its origin and name, must not be confounded with another
writer and bishop of the same name Cornelius Jansenius Gandavensis (1510-1576),
of whom we possess several books on Scripture and a valuable ‘Concordia
Evangelica.’"
The
heresy states: “As a result of Adam's sin, our nature stripped of elements
essential to its integrity, is radically corrupt and depraved. Mastered by
concupiscence, which in each of us properly constitutes original sin, the will
is powerless to resist; it has become purely passive. It cannot escape the
attraction of evil except it be aided by a movement of grace superior to and
triumphant over the force of concupiscence. Our soul, henceforth obedient to no
motive save that of pleasure, is at the mercy of the delectation, earthly or
heavenly, which for the time being attracts it with the greatest strength. At
once inevitable and irresistible, this delectation, if it come from heaven or
from grace, leads man to virtue; if it come from nature or concupiscence, it
determines him to sin. In the one case as in the other, the will is fatally
swept on by the preponderant impulse.”
Our
response to the statement describing Jansenism: The heresy denies God’s gift of
man’s free will. The heresy denies that God gives grace to those who choose
against sin. The heresy states that we are helpless in our moral life and
therefore predestined to heaven or to
hell, depending upon what ‘heaven’ or ‘hell’ sends to us.
In
actuality, salvation is achievable to man through love of God and neighbor. By
incorporating the revelation of God, Sacred Scripture, into his heart and
participating in the Universal Church of Jesus Christ (either directly or by
desire in the unknowing), salvation is achievable by man.
Jansenius
initiated this heresy with a paper he wrote on Augustine, which redefined the
doctrine of grace. Among other doctrines, his followers denied that Christ died
for all men, but claimed that he died only for those who will be finally saved
(the elect). This and other Jansenist errors were officially condemned by Pope Innocent X in 1653.
Sola
Fide (16th Century)
Some
Protestant groups display a wide variety of different doctrines, and some claim
to believe in the principle of sola fide
("by faith alone")— the idea that we achieve salvation by faith
alone. In its most extreme form, the heresy declares that works of charity are
not necessary for salvation.
Our
response: “What good is it, my brothers,
if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one
of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you
do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have
works, is dead.” (James
2:14-17)
“ For just as a
body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (James
2:26)
Sola
Scriptura
(16th
Century) The theological doctrine of sola scriptura ("by scripture
alone")—is the idea that we must use only the Bible when forming our
theology and morality.
Our
response: The doctrine denies Sacred Tradition, inspired by the Holy
Spirit. Elements of tradition exist in
many Protestant denominations---indeed---since the Reformation---over 400 years
ago.
Sacred
Tradition in the Catholic Church goes back 2000 years, as
“I praise you
because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions, just as
I handed them on to you.” (1Cor11:2)
“Therefore,
brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught,
either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.”(2Thess2:15)
The
diversity of Protestant doctrine stems from their belief in private judgment of
scripture; which really doesn’t exclusively exist in all Protestant denominations.
Try telling the pastor how to
preach his Sunday sermon because you believe it should be preached another
way! The doctrine claims that each
individual is to interpret Sacred Scripture for himself. St. Peter has another
perspective:
"First of
all you must understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of
one's own interpretation." (2
Peter 1:20)
A
significant feature of this doctrine denies that the Roman Catholic Magisterium
has any authority to teach and interpret Scripture. From
“But if I tarry
long, that thou mayest know how thou ought to behave thyself in the house of
God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the
truth.” (1 Tim.
3:15)
From
the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
"Sacred
Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom
it was written. (
1. Be
especially attentive "to the content and unity of the whole
Scripture."
2. Read
the Scripture within "the living Tradition of the whole Church."
3. Be
attentive to the analogy of faith. By "analogy of faith" we mean the
coherence of the truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of
Revelation. According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish
between two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual, the latter
being subdivided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses. The profound concordance of the four
senses guarantees all its richness to the living reading of Scripture in the
Church.
The two
senses with which Sacred Scripture should be read:
1. The
literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered
by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation. "All other
senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal."
2. The
spiritual sense. Thanks to the unity of God's plan, not only the text of
Scripture but also the realities and events about which it speaks can be signs.
a. The
allegorical sense. We can acquire a more profound understanding of events by
recognizing their significance in Christ; thus the crossing of the
b. The
moral sense. The events reported in Scripture ought to lead us to act justly.
As
c. The
anagogical sense (Greek: anagoge, "leading"). We can view realities
and events in terms of their eternal significance, leading us toward our true
homeland: thus the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly
It is the
task of exegetes to work, according to these rules, toward a better
understanding and explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture in order that
their research may help the Church to form a firmer judgment. For, of course, all that has been
said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the
judgment of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and
ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God."
“But I
would not believe in the Gospel, had not the authority of the Catholic Church
already moved me.” (
(Cf.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 109-119)
The
doctrine of private judgment has resulted in a large number of different
Protestant denominations, with hundreds in the
“Then after three
years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas (Peter) , and remained with him
fifteen days. Other of the Apostles saw I none, save James, the Lord's
brother" (Gal. 1:18,19)
"And when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and
Cephas (Peter) and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and
Barnabas the right hand of fellowship.” (Gal. 2:9)
*(See
Church Central Authority on this Website)
Protestantism,
however, contains many elements of salvation.
They are certain to be part of the Catholic or Universal Church of Jesus
Christ. Protestants are the brothers and sisters of other Christians. The
Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
"Many
elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the visible
confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of
grace; faith, hope, and charity, with other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit,
as well as visible elements." (CCC:819;
LG 8-2,Vatican II)
"All
who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they
therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are
accepted as brothers and sisters in the Lord by the children of the Catholic
Church." (CCC: 818; UR3-1, Pope Paul VI)
Deism
(17th Century)
Deism
evolved in England during the 17th Century. It flourished with the
rise of European Freemasonry. Deists say that revelation (the Bible) does not
play a part in assigning an understanding of the existence of God. They say
that the notion of God evolved in the human mind from natural influences and
reason. Therefore, God is impersonal and passive. This heresy gives free reign
to decide to enslave oneself to sin.
Our
response: God is a Personal God and has revealed Himself completely in the Bible.
As Pope John Paul said:
“Indeed,
the deepest truth about God is made clear to us in Christ.” (Redemptoris Mater)
Positivism
(19th Century)
“Positivism
is a system of philosophical and religious doctrines elaborated by Auguste
Comte. (around 1825) As a philosophical
system or method, Positivism denies the validity of metaphysical speculations,
and maintains that the data of sense
experience are the only object and the supreme criterion of human knowledge. As a religious system, it denies the existence
of a personal God and takes humanity,
"the great being", as the object of its veneration and cult.” (The Catholic Encyclopedia)
Our
response: Positivism denies the existence of the spiritual realm. Therefore it
denies the existence of God. Essentially, it is Atheistic.
Relavatism
(19th Century)
“Any
doctrine which denies, universally
or in regard to some restricted sphere of being, the existence of absolute values, may be termed Relativism. Thus,
one form of Relativism asserts that we are conscious only of differences or
changes. Another asserts that truth is relative, because:
1.
Judgments are held to have no meaning of themselves and are subject to indefinite modification
before they can become embodied in the one coherent system of ideal truth.
2.
Because truth is conceived as a peculiar
property of ideas whereby they enable us to deal with our environment more
or less successfully (Pragmatists)”. (Cf.
The Catholic Encyclopedia)
Our
response: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.” (Heb13:8) All the arguments for the establishment
of traditional Christian morality apply.
Conclusion
Heresies
have been with us from the Church's beginning. They have even been started by Church leaders who were then condemned by
councils and popes. Fortunately, we have Christ's promise that heresies
will never prevail against the Church, for he told Peter:
"You are
Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not
prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18)
The
Church is truly, in St. Paul's words, "the pillar and foundation of the truth." (1 Tim. 3:15)
References
: http://www.catholic.com/library/Great_Heresies.asp (Catholic Answers)
www.newadvent.org
(The Catholic Encyclopedia)
http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/paper/aston.html
(Institute of Historical Research)