Free World Religions in a Nutshell by Ray Comfort Page A

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:53,54). Though this might sound like cannibalism, if you read the entire passage in context, the meaning becomes clear. Jesus went on to tell us that He was speaking spiritually: “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
     
    Jesus was explaining that spiritually , not physically, all life comes through faith in Him, not through eating His physical body. He is speaking of the new birth (see John 3:1–5) when a sinner believes on Him, and it is then that he tastes of the Lord and Christ dwells in him by faith—“Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
     
    This is extremely important because a sinner is saved not by taking the Eucharist, but only by repentance and faith in Christ.
     
    Praying to Saints: The Catholic church believes in praying to those, who, because of their good works, have been exulted to sainthood after their death:
     
    “ The witnesses who have preceded us into the kingdom, especially those whom the Church recognizes as saints, share in the living tradition of prayer by the example of their lives...They contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth...Their intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.” (Catechism, par. 2683)
     
    But according to the Bible, everyone who is born again by faith alone in Jesus Christ is a saint. For example, in Romans 1:7, the apostle Paul wrote to all the “saints” (Christians) in Rome, and he called himself a “saint” (Ephesians 3:8). In numerous passages throughout Scripture, living Christians are referred to as “saints.” 20
     
    Also, nowhere in Scripture is there any admonition for Christians to pray to someone who has died. Instead, Jesus Himself taught us to pray directly to the Father (Matthew 6:6–9).
     
    Confession to a Priest: The Roman Catholic church says that the priest is the only one who can forgive sins in the name of Christ. 21 However, the good news of the gospel is that any sinner can go directly to God and have his sins washed away by the blood of Christ. The Bible tells us that Peter told sinners to go straight to God (not to a man) for forgiveness (see Acts 8:18–22).
     
    Worship of Mary: The Roman Catholic church believes that Mary was “conceived immaculate” (born without original sin) and that she was “kept free from every personal sin her whole life long. She is the one who is ‘full of grace’ (Luke 1:28), ‘the all holy. ’” 22 In addition, they believe she remained a virgin after giving birth to Jesus, despite the fact that Scripture says she had other children after she bore Jesus (see Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3; Galatians 1:19.) Because Mary was supposedly free from sin and its wages (death), they believe that she was taken up to Heaven without experiencing death, in what they call her “Assumption” (Catechism, par. 966).
     
    The Roman Catholic church refers to Mary as “the Mother of God” and the “Queen of Heaven.” Even more alarming, the Catholic Catechism teaches that Mary offers salvation:
     
    “ ...Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation...Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix. ” (Catechism, par. 969)
     
    “ Mary had only one Son, Jesus, but in him her spiritual motherhood extends to all whom he came to save. Obediently standing at the side of the new Adam, Jesus Christ, the Virgin is the new Eve , the true mother of all the living, who with a mother’s love cooperates in their birth and their formation in the order of