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The Papacy -

The Pope is the leader of the Catholic Church and all Catholics. He is seen as the successor of Saint Peter, the Bishop of Rome. According to Matthew 16:18-19, Christ made Peter the leader of the church and gave him the "keys of the kingdom," but the papacy as an institution is not mentioned in the Bible. 

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Confession to a priest -

In Catholic tradition, confessions of sin are made to a priest, however, the Bible tells us that confessions of sin should be made to God. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9).

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Purgatory -

The concept of purgatory, a place where sinful souls wait to be purified before they can ascend to heaven, is covered in the 'Catechism of the Catholic Church.' There is, however, no mention of it in the Bible. 

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Calling priests "father" -

Catholics refer to their priests as "fathers," but Matthew 23:9 clearly opposes the concept. It reads "And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven."

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Celibacy -

Celibacy is mentioned in the Bible, but there is no mention that priests should be celibate. In fact, 1 Timothy 3:2-5 mentions that "overseers" should be married and have children. 

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The rosary -

Praying with beads can be traced back to pagan traditions. The rosary, as both an object and a set of prayers, is not mentioned in the Bible. 

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Worship of saints -

The veneration of saints is not in the Bible. In fact, this can be interpreted as idolatry. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." (Exodus 20:4)

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Worship of saints -

It's common for images of saints and Jesus himself to be found in Catholic churches, but the Bible doesn't really advocate the worship of idols. "The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk." (Revelation 9:20).

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Worship of saints -

Also, saints are dead, and according to Deuteronomy 18:10-11, communicating with the dead is strictly forbidden. 

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Mary -

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is worshiped in Catholicism and it's believed she was assumed into heaven. But does the Bible say Mary should be worshiped and prayed to? Luke 11:27-28 describes an episode in which a woman praised Jesus' mother, saying "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you." To which Jesus replied: "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

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Mary -

The Bible further says that, "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5). Therefore praying to God through Mary is not in the Bible. 

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Praying in repetition -

It's common for Catholics to say prayers such as Hail Mary and the Lord's Prayer repeatedly. In Matthew 6:7, however, Jesus says, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." 

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Infant baptism -

Baptism is one of the sacraments of Catholicism. It's all about accepting Jesus Christ as one's Savior. Mark 16:16 reads "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned." So, the argument is that an infant cannot really consciously believe. 

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Sprinkling water in baptism -

The baptism of Jesus involved a full immersion in the Jordan River, not being sprinkled with water. 

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Indulgences -

Indulgences meant that people could literally pay the Church for the remission of temporal punishment for their sins. The practice was loosely based on an interpretation of Matthew 16:19, but selling indulgences is nowhere to be found in the Bible. 

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Indulgencies -

The mentioned passage reads: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

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Not all Christians are saints -

Catholic saints must be formally canonized, but the Bible actually says that all Christians are saints. 

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Not all Christians are saints -

For instance, all members of the church in Corinth were called saints (1 Corinthians 1:2). More examples can be found in Ephesians 1:1, Philippians 1:1, and Romans 1:7, which reads "to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

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Not all Christians are priests -

Priesthood is a title granted to Church leaders, but according to the Bible, Jesus made all Christians priests. This is mentioned in 1 Peter 2:5,9 and Revelation 1:6; 5:10.

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Salvation through religious works -

Catholicism claims that salvation is achieved through religious works, but the Bible says that salvation depends on faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 reads, "or it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."

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Salvation through religious works -

The concept is further mentioned in Galatians 3:10-11: "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”  Titus 3:5 also says "he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." The concept is further stressed in Ephesians 2:8-9  and Romans 3:19-24.

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Sunday mass -

Worshipping on Sunday is an ancient Christian tradition. It has its roots in the Jewish Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-10) which is the 7th day of the week, i.e. Saturday. However, attending mass on Sunday is a Church law and not a biblical law. 

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Holy orders -

The "Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons" is mentioned in 1 Timothy 3:1-13, but the specific ordained ministries of bishop, priest, and deacon are not. 

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Transubstantiation -

Catholic doctrine believes in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. So much so that bread and wine symbolize the body and blood of Christ during mass. The biblical account mentions it as a memorial gesture, not the actual consumption of the body and blood, which may be interpreted as a "re-sacrifice" of Jesus for our sins.

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Confirmation as a separate sacrament -

Confirmation is part of the catholic sacraments, but while the Bible mentions the "laying of hands" to receive the Holy Spirit, there is no clear distinction from baptism.  

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The liturgical year -

The seasons of the liturgical year (e.g. Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, etc.) are rooted in the Church and not in the Bible. 

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Church authority -

The scope of the Church's authority should be limited to the religious and moral realms. The Bible does not mention that this authority should be exercised in the political and governing realms. 

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The Biblical canon -

The Bible Catholics read was selected in accordance with Catholic canon law. So if the canon of scripture was curated by the Church, it certainly begs the question: is the table of contents what God intended it to be? 

Sources: (The Interactive Bible) (Catholic.com) (Got Questions Ministries) (Arthur Licursi) (Bible Gateway) (St. Anthony's Church) (Critical Financial) 

See also: Could these be the lost books of the Bible?

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