A Case Study in Idolatry: Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism

In Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, the clerical and laity worship Jesus’ mother Mary. They also worship certain dead people, whom they designate as “Saints”. We know from Scripture that all believers in Christ are saints.

Their veneration of the saints and hyper-veneration of Mary constitute a clear case of idolatry.

Christ alone is the sole mediator between God the Father and mankind.

Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox bow before statues of Mary, weep and kiss icons of her, pray to her (the rosary), and carry dolls of her around in elaborate processions. They also mention Mary in their liturgies.

The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox denominations do not follow Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone). In Reformed churches, Scripture is our highest authority and the only infallible authority. Contrast this with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches which have tradition on equal footing with Scripture. Further, the Roman Catholic magisterium (teaching authority) is considered to be on the same level as Scripture, and the Roman Catholic church teaches that their magisterium is infallible.

Some “Saints” in Roman Catholicism, such as Alphonsus Liguori, wrote devotional and worship books about Mary. The authors explicitly assert that salvation is predicated on Mary. They actually say the path to Christ, only comes through Mary. Further, they assert Mary can save sinners from hell. This is Christ’s role, not Mary’s.

We see that without the principle of Sola Scriptura operating, all types of heresies will gain acceptance.

Let us pray that the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox will repent and stop their veneration of “Saints” and Mary. They need to accept Reformed theology.