Let him be anathema!

St. Augustine:

"All who affirm that young children receive everlasting life albeit they be not by sacrament of grace or baptism renewed, and will not that young children which are newly born from their mothers womb should baptised, taking away original sin, that they are accursed" (Council of Mela in Numidia, 414AD.)  

The Catholic church has long stated that heretics should be killed (Catholic Encyclopaedia, Vol. VII, pg. 260.)  

For too many years now, Roman Catholicism has harshly and non-biblically decreed 125 curses on anybody who does not agree with them whole-heartedly when Scripture, many times to the contrary, does not agree with their Roman man-made doctrines.  

Prof. R.C. Sproul:

"When Rome condemned the Protestant declaration of Justification by faith alone, I believe Rome was, when placing an anathema on Sola Fida, was placing the anathema of God on themselves."  

Sproul's statement is most serious. But what he says is not only Biblical, but should also be repeated by other leading Bible teachers today. Rome should once and for all clarify such dangerous decrees, amend them, or withdraw them.  

Interestingly, in their 1994 official catechism, the whole subject of anathemas/curses isn't mentioned once. Yet in their pre-Vatican II council (which didn't replace other councils), they had plenty to say of those that opposed them on doctrinal issues:  

"Neither St. Paul nor the Church of God ever wished a soul to be damned. In pronouncing anathema against wilful heretics the Church does but declare that they are excluded from her communion, and that they must, if they continue obstinate, perish eternally" (A Catholic Dictionary, St. John's Seminary, Wonersh, 1960.)  

This would refer to every former Catholic (like myself) that has left this superstitious religion, written against it, and tried to win friends and family out of it, so as to present them with the true Gospel of Faith Alone in Christ. This statement would also have followed the Reformers to their graves, but thank God, they stood firm in their resolve, and never looked back to that Babylonian Church.  

Please also note, many Popes have placed anathemas on one another; some died in mortal sin; others reversed anathemas, only to reinstate them later. With such inconsistency, the true child of God should rest firm on the never ending and never changing word of God (Mal. 3:6.) 

James G. Battell, April 2004

Updated, September 2006 

(All Rights Reserved)