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  • Writer's pictureBible Brian

Honest outreach: Why you shouldn't share this "Catholic" image


Behold, proof that the Roman Catholic Church worships Mary! Here, we see an image of Mary with a slashed heart, and holes in her hands, as though she was the one on the cross! What greater proof can you ask for that the Catholic Church teaches Mary worship?


Without giving any credibility to the Catholic view of Mary, this is actually not the case. This image is widely circulated on a number of anti-Catholic ministries, and it makes frequent appearances on Christian forums, but to this day, I have not found one Catholic source that supports it. It is not in any church or cathedral, it is not in any Catholic writing, it is not on any Catholic website. The only Catholic sources I was able to find involving this image were concerned Catholics asking "hey, is this really from our church?" Basically, if this image was originally painted by a Catholic, that Catholic has been buried very deep below the number of Christians covering it.

It is, therefore, dishonest (unless you, yourself, have been able to verify its alleged Catholic origins) to use this image as an argument against Catholicism. That doesn't mean that Catholicism is in some way justified, of course. It is no secret that this ministry is about as "anti-Catholic" as you can get without flat out saying it is impossible to be saved if you identify as Catholic. But there is a right way and a wrong way to go about reaching out to Catholics.

The wrong way is to lie. Truth has an incredible ability to defend itself. Truth is self affirming. Facts defend facts. In other words, there is no reason to bring a lie in defence of the truth. In fact, this can have the opposite effect. If truth is defended by lies, truth begins to look like a lie. If you say something to a Catholic that they find out is a lie, they will start to question everything you have ever said.


Christianity is inherently opposed to lying. God Himself cannot lie, and if we are going to imitate Him, we also should never lie. On top of God's own inability to lie, we have explicit commands not to lie, and the assurance that liars will not inherit eternal life. It is far better to criticise Catholicism for what it is, based on official sources, such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or at the very least widely distributed sources, rather than relying on what may or may not have originated from a Catholic.

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