You state that most Catholic rituals are not contained in the Bible. I would agree. However I do know that confession and the Lord’s Supper are mentioned in scripture. Which rituals did you have in mind?
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Confession of sin is in the Bible, but never mentions that is to be to a priest. We don’t need a middleman. I have access to confess to the throne through my high priest Jesus. To use a surrogate, in my opinion, cheapens the sacrifice of the cross. We can also confess our sins directly to those we sinned against.
Communion. Jesus tells us to do this in remembrance of him and we should. Nowhere does it say it must be administered by proxy. You can break bread and give thanks for his sacrifice on your own.
The catholic church has appointed itself the link between God and man. Baptism, communion, forgiveness and repentance must come through the catholic church. The catholic teaching implies the path to God was not through Christ alone but through Christ by way of the catholic church; demeaning to Christ, arrogant, ignorant, and foolish.
Except Christ wanted a different way.
… So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained." John 20-21:23
Here, Christ established the Sacrament of Confession. Note, this is the only other place in Scripture where God breathed on Man. A very significant event. And you wouldn't know what sin to forgive or retain unless you heard it!
Josh, I disagree that the believer can just confess his sins to God and have his sins forgiven. See Lev 5:14-26 shows public confession with animal sacrifice. See also Num 5:6-7 (confess and make restitution); Matt 3:6 (”baptized by him [John the Baptist] as they acknowledged their sins”); Acts 19:18 (”Many of those who had become believers came forward and openly acknowledged their former practices.); James 5:16 (”confess your sins to one another.”); Mark 1:5. Public confession was the practice of the early church. It is my understanding based on my reading of Tertullian that a priest under the authority of the Bishop, was present during the public confessions. Many thought that when the Catholic church to priests only it was being wimpy, too soft. But the idea that confession directly to God would have been abhorrent to the early Church. They knew that no sin is purely private. Each one damages the church. Jesus gave the power of forgiving sins to his Apostles. He said if they do not forgive a sin it is not forgiven. Jesus thought it would be a good idea to have middlemen so why do you believe you don’t. But hey, if you want to publicly confess your sins before the congregation, go to it!
You state: “The catholic church has appointed itself the link between God and man.” Well, no, Christ created his church as his bride. He appointed its first Bishops and told them to celebrate the Eucharist in his memory. He did not state that laymen or laywomen may celebrate the Eucharist. He told them they have the power to forgive sins. this is all in the Bible