Testimonies from Ex-Roman Catholic Priests and Others

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Catholic nuns - Why do some feel it necessary to give up their religion to follow Christ?

The enlightening personal testimony of a former Roman Catholic Sister of the Order of St. Benedict -- Mary Ann Pakiz (formerly Sister Mary Laurian)

(NOTE: The entire article can be read at this site )


When Mary Ann Pakiz converted to Catholicism she was told to burn her King James Version Bible. She eventually entered the Order of St. Benedict. Despite her devotion, only years later did she become a true follower of Christ. Here is her fascinating story in her own words, explaining what she was taught in the Catholic Church, what was wrong with it, and why she came to the personal conviction that the only way she could truly follow Christ was to leave the Catholic church. She explains why she is now confident and at peace about her final destination, Heaven.


Justification of the believer is instantaneous.

The Catholic system denies that we are justified by that faith which receives and rests on Christ alone for salvation which is freely offered to us by grace. Instead, they teach we are justified, not simply by faith in Christ, but by faith which has become activated by good works.

This faith, as taught in the Catholic system, is said to justify the sinner, not because it rests on the righteousness of Christ, but because it is a righteousness inherent in man, a righteousness which is the product of baptism which makes an individual capable of obedience to the teaching of the Catholic system of divine grace through the sacraments. Justification is not of faith, but of the sacraments.

So, therefore, the justification of the Catholic individual is progressive, being regenerated by baptism, being purified from time to time by confession and penance, growing in grace and holiness through the reception of the other sacraments, so that one day he or she will be holy enough to make it to purgatory!

So, then, the Catholic believes he is accepted by God by his inherent righteousness which has been sacramentally infused at baptism and nourished by the worthy reception of the other sacraments. As the Catholic receives sanctifying grace attached to each sacrament, he or she is taught that he or she actually becomes righteous or holy on the basis of his own intrinsic word without any righteousness imputed.

My Mission Field

The differences between the true Christian faith and the Roman Catholic system were becoming so obvious to me that in 1976, I left the Catholic Church and took my place with Bible-believing Christians.

When I was saved in 1973, I told the Lord that I would be willing to go to the mission field anywhere. He took me at my word, and, in 1994, sent me to my mission field -- dialysis. He permitted my kidney to fail first, and in order to survive, I need dialysis therapy three times a week. I thank and praise God in these circumstances as He has given me the opportunity to share His precious Gospel of Grace with seriously ill patients who need to prepare to meet God!

Retrieved from http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-r010.html

 

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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/07/us/07 ... nted=print

 

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Bart Brewer, our beloved brother in Gospel, went to be with the Lord on September 20. Having left the Catholic priesthood for the sake of Biblical salvation he was the director and founder of “Mission to Catholics International.†For many years he ministered throughout the United States with regular engagements in Europe and the Philippines. I give below a tribute to Bart written by Cecil Andrews. After which I give his testimony in his own words, which I pray will continue bear much fruit in the Lord.
Richard Bennett

Tribute to Bart Brewer
By Cecil Andrews

In 1990 at a conference in London the Lord providentially brought me into contact with Bart Brewer and his wife Ruth and we immediately ‘hit it off’ and became good friends. Bart had for a number of years been a Roman Catholic Carmelite priest and then the Lord graciously saved him and eventually led him to establish ‘Mission to Catholics’ based in San Diego. The story of Bart’s time as a Roman Catholic priest and his subsequent conversion are told in his book ‘Pilgrimage from Rome’.

Bart, accompanied by Ruth, was the joint-first overseas speaker [along with Dave Hunt accompanied by his wife Ruth] that I hosted for meetings here in Northern Ireland back in 1994 and, in partnership, Bart and Dave participated in the first public debate that ‘Take Heed’ organised called ‘Should Protestants and Roman Catholics Worship Together?’ One of the highlights for Margaret and myself was spending a few days in Scotland with Bart and Ruth once the meetings were finished. They were jolly, fun people [can Margaret and I ever forget Ruth livening up her plain white trainers with the aid of a black felt-tip marker pen?] but even on holiday Bart never ceased, as the Lord gave him openings, to witness to those still captive to the Roman Catholic religion – I’m sure the two nuns that he spoke to in the grounds of Culzean Castle were never so graciously witnessed to because that was Bart’s ‘trademark’ – zealous for the truth of the Gospel but ever mindful that whilst the message of the cross will give offence, he the messenger must not.

It was a great joy for Margaret and myself to visit and stay with Bart and Ruth in San Diego in 1996 and I was able to participate as a speaker at the conference he hosted at the ‘Mission to Catholics’ complex on 18th May 1996. In June 2004 whilst ministering in California for several weeks I was again able to spend some days with Bart and Ruth down in San Diego. It was evident that ill health was taking its toll but that twinkle in his eyes never dimmed and his love for his Lord was as strong as ever. During my visit there I met another good friend of Bart and Ruth’s, Tony Pezzotta who, like Bart, had been ordained as a Roman Catholic priest and then the Lord graciously saved him in 1974 and since then, he like Bart, has been seeking to reach Roman Catholics with the truth of the
Gospel. At the close of this tribute is a link that will take you to a photo taken during my time there with Tony on my right hand side and Bart on my left hand side.

It is very true that there are certain people that we meet along the road of life who truly enrich our own lives. Bart Brewer was one of those people as is also, his now widow, Ruth. Just as Paul wrote of the Christians in Philippi “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you†so Margaret and I thank our God, who was also Bart’s God, upon every remembrance of one gracious, gentle, giant of a “good and faithful servantâ€Â, Bart Brewer.

Bart’s earthly ‘Pilgrimage from Rome’ has ended and he has now “entered into the joy of his Lord†but, as his pastor wrote in the email informing me of Bart’s death, Bart’s message to those still deceived by Roman Catholicism, would graciously and in love be, ‘No priest but Christ; no sacrifice but Calvary; no authority but the Word of God; no confession but the Throne of God’s Grace’.

Do please prayerfully remember Bart’s widow, Ruth, and his son, Steve.

Cecil Andrews – ‘Take Heed’ Ministries –
20 September 2005

Pilgrimage From Rome
By Bartholomew F. Brewer

Millions, perhaps the majority, of Roman Catholics are Catholic by name, by culture, or by inertia. Our family, however, was Roman Catholic by conviction. We understood and practised the teachings of our religion. Our Church we believed to be the “one true Church†founded by Jesus Christ. Because of this, we accepted without question everything our priests taught. In those days before Vatican II, the common belief was that “outside the Roman Catholic Church there is no salvation.†This brought us a feeling of security, of being right. We were somehow safe in the arms of “holy mother church.â€Â

From the time my father died (I was almost ten), my mother attended daily Mass, not missing even one day for over twenty-four years. Our family faithfully recited the rosary every evening. We were encouraged to make regular visits to the “blessed sacrament.†In addition to the teaching at home, all of our schooling was Roman Catholic. Monsignor Hubert Cartwright and the other priests at our home parish, the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, used to say that our family was more Catholic than Rome.

It was no wonder that as I approached high school age, I felt called to prepare for the Roman Catholic priesthood. Rather than the secular priesthood, which serves parishes, I chose to apply to the Discalced Carmelites, one of the more strict and ancient monastic orders.

Motivated by Love

From the first day at Holy Hill, Wisconsin, I loved the religious life, and this love was the motivation I needed to get through all the Latin and other studies, which I found very difficult. The dedication and self-sacrifice of the priests who taught our classes was a continual reminder of the value of making any sacrifice to reach the goal of ordination.

The training I received in four years of the high school seminary, two years in the novitiate, three years of philosophy, and four years of theology (the last after ordination) was thorough. I was sincere in practicing the various mortifications and other disciplines and never once doubted my calling nor anything I was taught. Taking the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience represented my lifetime commitment to God. For me, the voice of the church was the voice of God.


Another Christ

My ordination to the Roman Catholic priesthood was at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in Washington, DC, the seventh largest church in the world today. When “His Excellency, the Most Reverend Bishop†John M. McNamara imposed his hands on my head and repeated the words from Psalm 110:4, “...Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.†I was overwhelmed with the belief that I was now a mediator between God and the people. The anointing and binding of my hands with special cloths signified that they were now consecrated to changing bread and wine into the real (literal) flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, to perpetuate the sacrifice of Calvary through the Mass, and to dispense saving grace through the other Roman Catholic sacraments of baptism, confession, confirmation, marriage, and the last rites. At ordination a Roman Catholic priest is said to receive an “indelible†mark: to experience an unending interchange of his personality with that of Christ, that he may perform his priestly duties as “another Christ†(alter Christus) or in the place of Christ. People actually knelt and kissed our newly consecrated hands, so sincere was this belief.

After completing the last year of theology, which was principally a final preparation for preaching and hearing confession (which involved giving absolution or forgiveness of sin), I was granted my long-expressed desire to be a missionary priest in the Philippines.

Finding New Freedom In Missionary Life

The change from a regimented, monastic life to the simplicity and freedom of a missionary life proved a challenge for which I had not been prepared. I loved traveling to some of the eighty or more primitive barrios assigned to our parish and I also cherished teaching my religion class at the Carmelite high school in our small town. Until then my life had been almost exclusively among men. I enjoyed watching the girls as they giggled and flirted with boys. After a while, though, my attention was drawn to one of the more diligent students, who thoroughly captivated my interest. This young lady was mature beyond her years because of the responsibilities that had fallen to her after her mother had
died. She was lovely and shyly responded as we stole moments talking alone after class. This was a new adventure, and I soon interpreted our newly discovered affection as love.

It is not surprising that soon the bishop learned of this, though he was many miles away, and he quickly returned me to the States before any serious relationship could develop. The embarrassment of this discipline was difficult for both of us, but life always moves on.

After the adventure and freedom of the Philippines, I had no motivation to return to monastic living, so the Father Provincial granted permission for me to work as a Discalced Carmelite parish in Arizona. I enjoyed my responsibilities in that parish, but my next assignment was not so fulfilling. Soon I was granted a dispensation from Rome to leave the Carmelite order to serve as a secular (diocesan) priest. While serving a large parish in San Diego, California, I requested and was granted permission to enter the United States Navy as a Roman Catholic Chaplain. There new goals, rank and travel served as an escape from what had gradually become a sterile parochial life of ritualism and sacramentalism.

My religious life broadened quickly as I mixed with non-Catholic chaplains. For the first time, I was living outside my Roman Catholic culture. Amid the ecumenical atmosphere I gradually became neutralized. Then as Vatican II opened the windows of rigid tradition to let in fresh air, I took in a deep and delightfully refreshing breath. Change was in. Some wanted it to be radical; others wanted only a little modernization.

Questioning Rome's Authority

For many, the Roman Catholic faith was failing to give answers to common, modernday problems. Many felt alienated and misunderstood. This was especially true of priests. With all the change, the priesthood was losing its glamour. No longer was the priest's education considered far superior to that of the parishioner. No longer was the priest cultured above the majority of his people. To experience an identity crisis was more common among priests than any were willing to acknowledge, even among the chaplains.

At first I was scandalized to realize that some of the Catholic chaplains were actually dating. I listened with interest as some openly discussed the impractical nature of mandatory celibacy. Soon I also gained the courage to question the authorities of our church who persisted in retaining such traditions, especially when the law of celibacy was the source of so many moral problems among priests. For the first time in my life, I doubted the authority of my religion, not because of intellectual pride, but as a matter of conscience.

As students for the priesthood, we were well informed regarding the ancient tradition that binds the Roman Catholic priest to celibacy. We well knew that the few who are granted permission from the Vatican to marry may never again function as priests. But times were changing. Questions never before voiced were being raised at the Vatican Council in Rome. Many thought that priests with wives could, like the Protestants, bring
greater sensitivity and understanding to marital and family issues. Discussions about such things were commonplace wherever priests got together, even as they visited the apartment that mother and I shared off base.

Mother was not shy in joining the discussions. She was a well-informed and intelligent person, and I greatly valued her opinions. I recall how appalled she was that evolution was being taught in Catholic schools and that Rome had established dialogue with the Communists. She had long been disturbed over some of the conflicts she had observed between principles taught in Scripture and the lack of principles among many of
the religious leaders of our own church. Many years before, Monsignor Cartwright had comforted mother with the reminder that though there were many problems in our church, Jesus promised that “...the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.†Mother always expressed a tremendous respect for the Bible. Though she read it faithfully through the years, she was now becoming an avid student of Scripture. As I observed a liberal trend grow among my colleagues, mother was leaning in another direction. It was a mystery to me. While others discussed a relaxation and loosening of traditional rules and rituals, Mother expressed her desire to see a more Biblical emphasis in the Church - more attention to the spiritual aspects of life and a greater emphasis upon Jesus, even a personal relationship with Him.

Questioning Rome's Beliefs

At first I didn't understand, but gradually I observed a wonderful change in Mother. Her influence helped me realize the importance of the Bible in determining what we believe. We often discussed subjects such as the primacy of Peter, papal infallibility, the priesthood, infant baptism, confession, the Mass, purgatory, the immaculate conception of Mary, and the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven. In time I realized that not only are these beliefs not in the Bible, they are actually contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture. Finally the barrier against having personal convictions was broken. There was no doubt in my mind about the Biblical view on these subjects, but what effect would all this have on
my life as a priest?

I truly believed that God had called me to serve Him. An ethical dilemma was staring me in the face. What was I to do? Yes, there were priests who did not believe all the dogmas of Rome. Yes, there were priests who secretly had wives and families. Yes, I could remain a Catholic Chaplain and continue serving without voicing my disagreements. I could continue receiving the pay and the privileges of military rank. I could continue receiving the allotment and other benefits for my mother. There were many reasons to stay, both professional and material, but to do so would have been hypocritical and unethical. From my youth I always tried to do right, and that is what I chose to do now.

Breaking Ties with Catholicism

Though my bishop had recently granted approval for me to pursue twenty years in the military, I resigned after only four. Mother and I simply and quietly moved near my brother, Paul, and his wife, in the San Francisco Bay area. Shortly before we moved, Mother cut her ties with Roman Catholicism by being baptized in a Seventh-Day Adventist church. I knew she had been studying the Bible with one of their workers, but she did not tell me about the baptism until I had already decided to leave the priesthood.

The decision to leave was anything but easy. Rome's claim that there are not objective reasons for leaving “the one true church†was something to be considered carefully. Traditional Catholics would still brand me a “Judas priest,†to be damned, excommunicated, and avoided. Yes, there were many difficulties involved in leaving the
security of the Roman Catholic fold, but I have found that Jesus never fails.

The Authority of the Bible

After shaking the Roman Catholic dust off my shoes, I faced a momentous issue: Where was ultimate authority to be found? Through a process of elimination, I gradually concluded that the Bible is the only authority that cannot be shaken. Many systems, including Roman atholicism, have attempted without success to undermine its sufficiency, its efficiency, its perfection, even its authorship by holy men of God as hey were moved by the Holy Spirit. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost†(II Peter 1:21).

Oh, happy day when all who name the name of Jesus Christ understand that the Bible is the only source of authority that doesn't change. It is the final authority because of its complete identification with its unchanging Author. God has communicated clearly. It is tragic that Romanism and most of traditional Protestantism, as well as many Pentecostal and other groups, reject Biblical sufficiency. They choose rather to trust questionable traditions, visions, apparitions, or prophecies. Not only are these sources unsubstantiated as being “of God,†but many contradict clear Biblical teaching.

Perhaps the reason that many regard the Bible as insufficient is that they have not thoroughly studied it. My transcripts from thirteen years of formal study in the Discalced Carmelite Order show that I had only twelve semester hours of Bible. This alone is
evidence that Scripture is not the basis of Roman Catholic teaching.

Premature Decision to Join a Church

After leaving Roman Catholicism I wanted to study the Bible. I was a “churchoriented†person, not being opposed to joining another denomination. After investigating some of the Protestant churches, I sadly concluded that in their ecumenical folly they were Rome-ward bound at the expense of Biblical truth. Viewing the smorgasbord of churches can be discouraging and even dangerous for the former Catholic in his search for truth.

Meeting Mother's Adventist friends, however, was a delight. They were enthusiastic about their faith, and their love of the Scriptures echoed my desire to study the Bible. This resulted in a somewhat premature decision to join the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. The pastor who baptized me arranged for the Southern California Conference to send me to seminary at Andrews University for a year.

While making plans for a year of study, I met Ruth. For about a year I had been hoping and praying to find a wife. From the first time Ruth visited our church, I knew she would be my life companion. We were married shortly before leaving for the seminary.
She was a convert to Adventism and like everyone else had assumed that since I wanted to enter the seminary I was a Christian.

Born of the Spirit

Realizing that I never mentioned anything about being “born again,†one day my wife asked me, “Bart, when did you become a Christian?†My unbelievable reply was “I was born a Christian.†In the conversations that followed, she tried to help me understand that man, being born in sin, must at some point recognize the need of a Savior and be born again spiritually by trusting only in Jesus Christ to save him from the consequences of sin. When I responded that I had always believed in God, she observed that according to James 2:19, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.â€Â

In time, because of these conversations and because of classes in Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews, I finally understood that I had been relying on my own righteousness and religious efforts and not upon the completed and sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Roman Catholic religion had never taught me that our own righteousness is fleshly and not
acceptable to God, nor that we need only to trust in His righteousness. He had already done everything that needed to be done on behalf of the believer. Then one day during chapel, the Holy Spirit convicted me of my need to repent and receive the “gift†of God.

During all those years of monastic life I had relied on the sacraments of Rome to give me grace, to save me, but now by God's grace I was born spiritually: I was saved. Being ignorant of God's righteousness, like the Jew of Paul's day, I had gone about establishing my own righteousness, not submitting to the righteousness of God (Romans 10:2-3).

I do not know who you are or what your relationship with God may be, but may I ask you the most important question in life: are you a Biblical Christian? Are you trusting only in the completed sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of all your sin? If not, why not settle it right now? As in the simple wedding ceremony, promise Him your love, your devotion, your trust. Receiving Jesus as Savior is not something you do as a religious ritual, it is a one-time commitment of your life to Him for the forgiveness of all your sin. The very moment you do that, Jesus Christ takes up a vital position in your being, and you receive eternal life. After that, you will change. The Bible says, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ†(Philippians 1:6).

Some . . . Would Pervert the Gospel of Christ

Near the end of my fourth year as an Adventist I was influenced by several church members to attend some charismatic meetings. They said that the Holy Spirit was breaking down denominational barriers in the last days before the return of Christ. Wanting all that God had for me, I went into a prayer room to receive the “gift of tongues.†I was somewhat leery of it all, especially since I didn't experience the feelings that so many described. I did privately practise tongues, but I could not get myself to
recruit others into the movement. It was far more important to me to move people to study the Bible, to bring people to trust Christ, and to live by Scriptural principles. My major interest in the Charismatic Movement was the concern for others that it seemed to inspire. This, along with the spontaneity and zeal, impressed me as exemplifying a Biblical lifestyle, which seemed to be missing in many churches.

Not long after I was ordained as a Seventh-day Adventist minister, the Southern Conference had a special promotion for the writings of Ellen G. White, one of the founders of Adventism and one whom the Adventists believe to be a prophetess. Ruth and I found the series of pastors’ seminars very helpful and informative until the last one. The lecturer was from the General Conference in Washington, DC, and some of his statements were highly disturbing. The one that became a turning point in my life was that the writings of Ellen G. White are “equally inspired as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.†Disturbed, I counseled with a highly respected leader but could in no way reconcile this in my conscience. I had already begun to feel spiritually shackled in Adventism because of its legalism and exclusivism, but this was adding to Scripture. When I chose not to begin the series called the “Testimony Countdown†in our church, several members protested. Within a few days I realized, in conscience, that I could no longer continue as an Adventist minister. Had it not been for the encouragement and help of several non-Adventist ministerial friends the transition would have been much more difficult.

During the next four years I pastored two churches and grew rapidly in the knowledge of the Bible and realized the difficulty of dealing with people not under an authoritarian system. I also had many opportunities to give my testimony. I was convinced that God had “counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,†but not as a pastor.

A Mission to Catholics

Prayerfully and deliberately I decided to return to San Diego, where I had once served as a parish priest. Aware that Vatican II had brought many Roman Catholics confusion and disillusionment, I felt led to begin a ministry to help them in the transition from the Catholic denomination. Before long, the Lord opened doors to speak. People wanted to know the name of the ministry. Our answer was that it was like a mission to Catholics.

As Ruth and I grew spiritually, we were convinced of the ecumenical nature of the Charismatic Movement and left it. About that same time, we met some Biblical Fundamentalists who believed and faithfully practised the principles of the Bible. Though we have many friends in independent Bible churches, we are members of a Fundamental Baptist church, in which I was also ordained.

Mission To Catholics International was incorporated and granted non-profit status. Since that time it has distributed millions of tracts, books, and tapes exposing the contradictions between Roman Catholicism and the Bible and presenting Biblical salvation. A monthly newsletter is available to any contributors requesting it. The Lord has allowed us a bit of radio and television exposure and we are pleased that my autobiography, Pilgrimage From Rome, has been published and is receiving an excellent acceptance in both English and Spanish. We have held meetings and taken literature into many foreign countries, and mail orders are sent out five days a week from our home office in San Diego.

Meetings keep us busy, often for as much as thirteen weeks as we travel throughout the U.S.A. and other countries. A School of Roman Catholic Evangelism provides a week or more of intense training for pastors and key workers who desire to establish specialized ministries for effectively reaching the Roman Catholic community through their churches. Missionries and ex-Catholics are also encouraged to attend (especially ex-priests and exnuns, so that they may be prepared to minister within Biblical Fundamentalism).

At Mission To Catholics we are convinced that it is not love to withhold the truth from those in darkness. Roman Catholics need to be challenged to think about what they believe and to study the Bible, comparing their religion with the truth of Scripture. Only then can they experience the freedom and light of God's truth. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free†(John 8:32).


Retreived from http://www.bereanbeacon.org/Pilgrimage_From_Rome.pdf

 

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From Darkness to Light
A. J. Krause

Few people have ever loved or respected the Catholic Church more than I. As we lived just a stone’s throw from St. Dominic’s Church and school, my sister and I were raised in the church. The Krause family, as far back as granddad could remember, were all good Catholics. We had a proud tradition to follow and the baton had been handed to me. In no way would I let our tradition down. What confidence I had in this awesome religion. Why, I thought, was everyone who claimed to be Christian not a Roman Catholic? This was my heart-felt belief. The following is my personal testimony of salvation.

Born Catholic, Die Catholic

My parents thought it very important that my sister and I receive a good Catholic education, instead of one from a public or private school. So I spent my grammar, middle and high school years being educated by
Nuns and Priests. I was well indoctrinated into the rules and doctrines of Catholicism. I was baptized as an infant, confirmed as a young boy and received my first Holy Communion at my school and church. I started
confessing my sins to Priests at an early age. I had received four of the seven sacred sacraments by the age of 12, and felt my spiritual quest was headed in the right direction. After all, I was following the oldest and most organized religion in the world.

My Catholic school regularly challenged us to consider the possibility of becoming a Priest or Nun. Thoughts of dedicating my life to God in this way danced in my soul. What greater career path could I travel? So I spoke as someone who was interested in the path of serving God. Because of my obvious devotion and love for the Catholic Church, the nuns and Priests gave me special attention, especially because of my vocal desire to become a Catholic Priest. I was taught that the Priesthood is the highest calling for a man. I set out in a devoted path, desiring to do all that I thought pleased the Lord.

All devoted Catholics go to Mass as often as they can and further training taught me that going to Mass everyday would grant me special grace and fewer days in Purgatory (a Catholic doctrine meaning a temporary place after death where the body burns until purged of all smaller sins). I had zeal of God, but the Scripture as the Apostle Paul remarked concerning the devout Jews applied to me, “for I bear them record that they have
a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. (Romans 10:2-3) I was ignorant of God’s righteous. I believed that Catholicism was the way for righteousness, but the Scripture insists, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that
believeth.†(Romans 10: 4) Believing on Christ for righteousness is the key. Without confidence in God, in His fidelity, His truth, His wisdom and His promises you have no security, as the Scripture maintains, “without faith it is impossible to please him.†(Hebrews 11:6) My faith and confidence were however in my beloved religion, which “I thought†to be God’s righteousness.

My Loyalty to the Mass

An absolute requirement of all good Catholics is the participation in the sacrifice of the Mass. The heart of the Mass, and central to the faith of all Catholics, is the Eucharist. (A re-enactment of the last supper in the sacrifice of the Mass.) In my grammar school years, weekday Mass started at 7:00AM. My sister and I considered it a privilege to live so close to the church and to have the opportunity of making Mass with Holy
Communion every day. We also ate a special breakfast at the school, because at that time it was a mortal sin (an offense that would send a person to hell) to receive Communion if you had eaten any food after midnight. Later this mortal sin rule was changed to no food three hours before receiving Communion. We liked the special attention we got from the schoolteachers and our classmates when we ate breakfast at our desk during class. I was committed to attending Mass every school day. I rose an hour earlier than my classmates. This was one of the only ways I thought I could please the Lord. If I had studied the Scriptures, the Word of God would have caused me to question my daily practice. Concerning Christ’s sacrifice and the continuing of it, the Scripture says, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.†(Hebrews 10: 10-12)

This section of Scripture can certainly be applied in reference to the daily Mass. The practice of the Mass according to the Bible should not take place; Christ’s death on the cross for our sins was a onetime event, not to be ministered over and over. However, I, like most Catholics, was knowledgeable of my religion but ignorant of the Bible, and so followed our tradition.

As a Catholic I firmly believed what the Church taught, that the Eucharist (the bread and wine) were the actual body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church teaches that the host is actually Christ’s body
and wine is His real blood. They called this transubstantiation. The Scripture teaches, “I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people…Therefore I said unto
the children of Israel, no soul of you shall eat blood…†(Leviticus 17:10,12) Regarding His Last Supper it is important to read Christ;s own words. His command in the institution of the His Supper did not to initiate a continual sacrifice but declared the institution of a remembrance of His finished work. His words declared, "This cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as
often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.†(1 Corinthians 11:25-26) The purpose is clearly given, to proclaim and publish His death. It is a remembrance of what Christ has done and suffered. In this remembrance, true believers are to declare His death to be their life and the cause of their comfort and hope.

After I received my first Holy Communion I made a vow to God to never miss Mass on Sunday or any holy day of obligation. Catholic doctrine clearly states that missing Mass with out good reason is a damnable
sin. I went a step further, no matter how sick I was, or where I traveled, nothing would prevent me from missing Mass. Some days I would run very high fevers on Sundays, crawling out of bed so I did not miss Mass. I believed this added to my good works, which were necessary for eternal life. I was the talk of the school, making such sacrifices as a young boy. “What a great Priest he could be for the Churchâ€Â, people
whispered. Local Jesuit Priests courted me in my high school years giving me special attention. They enticed me with their private wine cellars in the basement of their rectory, and allowed me to play with their champion
bird dogs. They explained to me how Priests received salaries, retirement programs and ample vacations. They even took me bird hunting on weekends. This looked like a pretty good life to a high schooler
considering a career. Jesus warned the top religious leaders of His day, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him
twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.†(Matthew 23: 15) In my early years I entertained the real possibility of entering the Priesthood when I became old enough.

Our Home and Holy Water

With my parent’s blessings, as a child I gladly took the responsibility of keeping fresh holy water throughout our home. Attached to our bedroom light switches was a cradle that held holy water. It was common practice to dip our hand in this water as we turned on the light switch and by making the sign of the cross. This was a common practice in our home. As head altar boy at my parish I had a good opportunity to obtain holy water. Looking back, this seems like a strange practice but at the time we were taught to put great confidence in this, as protection for our home. In the pages of the Bible there is no such substance as holy
water. The traditions of Catholicism bring into the worship of God “holy waterâ€Â, oil and salt, charcoal and incense, and many other physical objects that dishonor the true worship of God.

Mary, St. Christopher and Medals

The Rosary was another very special part of my life. The Blessed Virgin Mary dominated my prayer life. My prayers to Mary were continuous, day-by-day, and year-by-year. The Rosary alone has 53 exaltations to
Mary, and only 8 to God. A central truth in the Bible taught is, “there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.†(I Timothy 2:5) The way to God is only through Jesus Christ, not Mary. However our home had several statues of Mary that we used as “aids to worshipâ€Â. I always wore my special St. Christopher medal. It had been purchased at our nation’s national Cathedral of the Immaculate
Conception in Washington D.C. and my favorite Parish Priest blessed it. I strongly believed it had supernatural powers until the Pope admitted that there was no evidence that St. Christopher historically ever lived. I continued to wear it because it also had on the reverse side an image of Mary. She, I reasoned, would protect me. What a terrible sin I was ignorantly committing, because of my lack of knowledge of the 2nd
Commandment. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God.†(Exodus 20: 4) I continued to break God’s Second Commandment every day. Ignorance is no excuse in man’s courtroom or in God’s judgment. I am attempting to tell you the truth of God’s law, not the “commandments of menâ€Â. This is one of God’s blessed Commandments. Do not take my word for it, read it for yourself, even in a Catholic Bible.

Steadfastly a Catholic

While many of my close Catholic friends were questioning their faith, concerning the history of the Church and its doctrine…I remained steadfast. Steadfast into my adult years, who was I to doubt or second-guess the teaching of the “Mother Church� However the history, tradition and loyalty of the Saints, humbled me. Even though I studied world history, the Crusades, and the Inquisition (the torturing of Bible believers who spoke against the Church, many being tortured and burned at the stake), I still would not speak against my Church.

In my world a Priest’s word was held in high esteem, especially his opinions and understanding of spiritual maters. I, as all good Catholics, was taught to trust the “Priest†to interpret scripture and the Church doctrines. But the Scripture teaches, “in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men…Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition.†(Mark 7: 7, 13) Mankind loves tradition and superstition. All ancient religions are steeped in delusions and rituals. Carefully I asked the Jesuit Priests about the millions tortured, killed or burned at the stake, by my Church. Their answers were unsettling, but I wrote it off, because my Church admitted she had made errors in the past. I trusted these men’s word. Who was I to ponder or doubt the Church? I believed my Church was started by Christ Himself, Peter being the first Pope.

Was Peter the First Pope?

One of the few verses we were taught to memorize in Catechism was in St Matthew chapter 16. “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto
him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.†(Matthew 16:16-20)

We were taught to believe that Peter was authorized to start the Church by Christ Himself. We were educated that all other Christian churches, religions and denominations were offshoots of Roman Catholicism. This gave Catholics a great superiority over other faiths. No other Christian Church or world religion, in my understanding, could rank with my Church. What pride I had in my religion. Catholic teaching states that Peter was the first Pope. (The word Pope is non Biblical and is a man-made title). The Catholic Church teaches that Peter is the rock in Matthew 16. What does the Bible say about this? This rock is to be
the foundation of our faith, so let Scripture define who it is, Peter or Christ.

In the passage we are taught that the disciples had a distinct knowledge of Christ, expressed by Peter on their behalf. The Lord says that this knowledge, that He was “the Christ†and “the Son of the Living Godâ€Â
was a revelation from His Father in heaven. It is this revelation, the Lord declared, that he would become the rock, or foundation stone, upon which He would build His Church. This was the very concluding subject of
the Lord’s summons to the disciples, “Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.†To hold the view that Peter himself is the rock is to deliberately pervert the plain sense of the Lord’s own words. Then the word “Peter†by definition means pebble, not rock. The Bible again and again calls God “the rock†of His people. For example, “then they remembered that God was their rock.†(Psalms 78:35) “O come, let us sing unto the LORD…the rock of our salvation.†(Psalms 95:1) “There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.†1 Samuel 2:2 “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer.†(2 Samuel 22: 47) The Apostle Paul proclaimed, “for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that rock was Christ.†(1 Corinthians 10:4)

Even the Apostle Peter himself warned of a false “rock of offenseâ€Â, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made
the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.†(1 Peter 2:7-8) There is no doubt that the revelation of Jesus Christ, given by the Father, is “the rock†in Matthew 16, not Peter or any Pope. When faced with the truth, a choice has to be made. I ignorantly chose my religion over the Bible. I believed that Peter was the first Pope and all the infallible teachings of the Popes throughout
history were equal to the Gospel. There have been over 1000 official edicts of Popes. If I were to list some of them you would be in shock with horror. I, ignorantly, had blind faith in this religious church system. My
faith was not in Christ as the way, the truth and the life. My faith was in the Church as the way, the truth and the life.

My parents bought my sister and me a Catholic Bible. This I carried throughout my high school and college years. As most Catholics, we had great respect and fear of this “mystery bookâ€Â. In my years of Catholic schooling I cannot remember one time ever being required to read the Bible. Maybe this is because it raised more questions than answers relating to the Catholic Church. Instead we were taught to trust the Priest
to interpret the Bible for us. This is very interesting; the middle verse in the whole Bible is Psalms 118:8 “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.â€Â

One official Catechism declaration, that we were required to memorize, taught us the Catholic stance as it relates to the Bible and tradition. It states, “The scriptures and tradition are one in the same but when
contradictions arise, tradition is to rule over the Bible.†The Scriptures teach against this position in many places. For example the final commandment of the Bible, in the final book, and the final chapter is, “and let him that heareth say, come and let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.†(Revelation 22:17-19) God uses men to tell other men the good news and the bad news of His Holy Word. I have a responsibility to warn you of these things as I tell you my story.

My Fellowship with Non-Catholics

My college years took a distinctive career path. I got very involved in athletics, and had an active social life, therefore my desire to become a Priest dwindled, but my love and devotion of the Church stayed strong. My first association with Bible believing Christians, or non-Catholics, was when I joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Campus Crusade for Christ at the University of Alabama. It was strange for me to see people carrying Bibles and quoting scripture and having devotions around Bible passages. This was a peculiar lifestyle for someone whose only exposure was the Catholic faith. I could see a zeal for God at these get-togethers where genuine openhearted prayer abounded. It is usual for Catholics to recite from a book of prayers rather than pray from an open heart, directly to God. This new form of worship fascinated me.

I started going regularly to the Christian fellowships but also continued to attend Mass. I can remember many Bible believing Christians asking me why I was Catholic and I jumped at the chance to defend my faith and exalt my Church. Although a few people did make me question my faith in my religion, a few words with a Priest always comforted and lead me back into their fold. The Church teaches that the Priest must interpret Scripture for us. They were the experts and I was taught to trust their interpretation. After all, were they not the vicars of Christ? Many years of schooling and special training convinced me to trust them. After talking to a Priest, his words would reinforce my faith and keep me loyal. Christian speakers on the campus pricked my heart with Bible based messages. My soul longed for what they had; surely I could search and find that kind of faith and peace in the Church. Scripture Verses like; “Christ hath forgiven us all trespasses. The blood of the LORD Jesus Christ has cleansed us from all sin.†and “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God,†impressed me. How could these verses be true? I believed it was necessary to confess sins to a Catholic Priest before someone could be absolved from sin. What about a forgotten sin? Bible based Christians claimed to have forgiveness of ALL sins. They professed to be born-again and to already have salvation. I reflected on the confidence and freedom they seemed to possess. I had to keep record of my sins for confession. After one campus meeting I was bold enough to ask if I could talk with the speaker. I felt compelled to meet him afterwards in his hotel room. He questioned me about my salvation and put me in conviction for a short while. He showed me in the Bible where it says,“for whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.†(James 2:10) I asked, “You mean one small sin is like committing murder or adultery?†“Sin is sin†was his
answer. The Bible does not teach such a thing as mortal or venial sin. This is a man-made concept, created by religion.

A Challenge from a Christian Girl

I started dating a Christian girl who had a zeal and love for the Lord Jesus Christ like none I had ever seen. She questioned my faith and my salvation. “When were you saved?†she asked. “Saved†was a strange
word to me because it was not found in Catholic vocabulary. Even though it is used over 200 times in the Bible. This girl gave me my first Christian Bible. She highlighted key verses, and I challenged myself to read. There is Power in the Word, and I felt the conviction of the Holy Ghost as I read God’s Word. What a testimony she was when she stopped dating me because I was neither a true believer nor a spiritual leader. The Bible teaches, “be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?†(1 Corinthians 6:14) That passage later in my life gloriously guided me to my wife and later to my business partners. I now understand what it means to be equally yoked together with Christ at the helm.

Most Catholics consider themselves spiritual people, as did I, but looking back I was on the outside looking in. I now understand I was imitating the Christian life. Catholics tend to believe their faith is a private thing, not to be examined, but the Bible says: “examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.†(2 Corinthians 13: 5) Now I realize that in my former faith I was a reprobate. When have you examined yourself in the light of God’s Word and not man’s religion? The
Holy Ghost will lead you to only one truth.

I often caught myself in a wrestling match with others trying to convince them I was a good Catholic and that all good Catholic were saved. Bible based Christians continued to doubt my salvation. This greatly troubled me, but I still kept faith in my Church and tradition. Jesus said, “full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition…Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition.
(Mark 7:9,13) Verse 13 has been quoted twice in this testimony for a good reason, for there was where I lived.

A Christian Business Couple lead me to the Bible

My adult years provided me success in private business. I recruited and trained many talented people who marketed health products through the country. One of my most talented managers was a preacher who had a rare zeal and excitement about life and the Bible. As I spent time with him, he questioned me about my salvation. He always seemed to carry a Bible where ever he went. That was strange and uncomfortable for me. After a business meeting, I found myself at his home, with him and his wife. They had been praying for an opportunity to witness to me about my salvation. It was one of the few times someone had taken out a Bible and showed me truth. They took me to Scriptures such as: “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.†(Romans 10:1) It was their desire was for A. J. to be saved! I
had a zeal but not according to Bible knowledge. I had looked for righteousness in a religion and not in the Person of Christ Jesus. “for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.†I was under the law and this verse spoke to my heart. I was under rules and rituals, imposed by a religion, to gain my righteousness. I was keeping the law for my righteousness. My faith and confidence was in Christ and in my keeping the Church law and in living a good life, not solely in the finished work of the Savior at the cross.
Nowhere in the Bible did it teach me to go to Mass or Church in order to have eternal life. It declared the opposite, “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us..†(Titus 2:5) Salvation and eternal life are God’s free gift. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.†(Ephesians 2: 8-9): Boy, I could boast in my supposed good works. I had great pride in my faith. Having a strong faith in the wrong religion will send a man to hell. Consider the faith of Muslims. Only faith in Jesus Christ will save a man.

My Day of Salvation

That Christian couple witnessed to me out of the Scriptures but I quoted a memorized catechism statement. The words of the catechism however could not match the Word of God. Verse after verse revealed that my
religion and faith was not based on the Bible. This totally stripped my faith in my Church. I had always believed my Church was Biblically based, now I saw that this was not so. The choice was clear, either my
salvation was in my religion or my salvation rested on Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. It could not be both. I went home to a lonely house and that night lay in bed looking up at the ceiling. I truly examined
myself, realized I had never had a time in my life where I put ALL my faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone. My confidence was always in my good works, the Sacraments of my Church. I especially had confidence in Holy Communion and in keeping the Commandments. I had hoped to persevere enough grace at my death to obtain heaven. But there before my eyes were the words of the Lord, “verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.†(John 3: 3, 5) At that time four verses stood out in my memory, after I had been shown them in the Scriptures, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.†(1 Corinthians 15:1-4) All of my sins! “Christ died for our sins.†The heart of the Gospel is contained in those five words. Christ died for my sins! I was always worried about having them confessed. Another verse that stood out in my memory from the Scriptures was one of the most quoted verses in the Bible. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.†“Whosoever shall call†did that mean even me? In the privacy of my bed, between God and myself, I called upon the Lord Jesus Christ believing that he would save me. Why, because I had His Word on it, not religion’s word or man's word but God’s Holy Word. January 22nd 1981 was the day I received the salvation God had provided me. God
saved me! “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.†(2 Corinthians. 6:1-2) Nothing did I do but put my faith in what He had done for me. I trusted Christ’s sacrifice as payment for my sins. The Bible teaches there is a day of birth and a day you of death and a day of salvation. Remember the eternal commandment “ye must be born againâ€Â. When was your day of salvation? Please call me or write. My email
address and telephone number are given at the end. Feel comfortable contacting me about your faith.

Seek the Lord and His Peace

The Bible says, “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.†(Philippians 4:7) I now have that peace. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.†(2 Corinthians 5: 17) All things are new now! This is my heart’s desire for you! Why would I take the time to put this in writing? Many of you have a love for God and zeal for God like I did, but maybe not according to Bible knowledge. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh.†(John 1:1, 14) Put your faith in the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, and not in the word of any man. God chose the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ alone and you
shall be saved. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.†(Proverbs 3:5-5) Ask God for the truth! His Word is His promise! That is why His Word, Christ Jesus, became flesh!

When a man desires truth, seeks God for answers and is willing to forsake all, God will lead m into His truth. The Lord said in the Scriptures, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.†(James 1:5) This was my plea, I asked God and He answered my search. A man can know that he has eternal life while living on this side of eternity. The Lord’s word in Scripture says so, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.†(I John 5:13) I had never known with confidence I could have eternal life. Now I know. A personal testimony will be required of all men at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Christ Jesus Himself is my surety! My eternal destiny hangs on my faith in Christ’s perfect sacrifice…only that has made me right with God. Your eternal destiny likewise must rest secure, for “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

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Testimony of Lolly Harding

Callous treatment of a skilled drug-addicted nun-surgeon by her peer group in the Catholic Medical Missionary Order caused me, a dedicated nun, to become disillusioned. Within every person lies a marvelous adventure story of his life. Here is my story and the three torturous, separate paths I took on my journey toward peace and reconciliation with God. My first path was that of religion as a Medical Missionary Nun for thirteen years. Then I searched in vain for fulfillment as a United States Air Force nurse for six and a half years. Finally, on the third path as a married homemaker on a Texas ranch I found “the peace that passeth all understanding†when I received Jesus Christ as my Savior. I can now say with Jeremiah 31:3, “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.â€Â

My First Path: Religion

I was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family of six children in Cascade, Iowa, and entered a Medical Missionary Order at age eighteen. In my idealistic youth, my goal was to help less fortunate people. After two and a half years of strict religious training, I professed vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. After receiving a nursing degree
from prestigious Georgetown University School of Nursing in Washington, DC, I was sent to the mission field in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. My experiences in the convent included working in a hospital for Muslims and a tour attending pregnant girls in a home for unwed mothers in Philadelphia.

In one case Sister Barbara, a skilled surgeon, was literally worked to death by unselfishly attending Muslim women. In Pakistan no male surgeon could touch a Muslim woman to perform needed operations, therefore as the only woman surgeon at her clinic, she worked excessively long shifts to the point of exhaustion. When she began taking Demerol to keep going, her associates looked the other way. Soon she was a confirmed addict. When I met Sister Barbara, she was hopelessly addicted, left to wander about the hospital grounds and was neither given treatment nor sent away from the source of drugs, simply forgotten. After thirteen years, being psychologically unable to adjust to convent life as a nun, I requested and received a dispensation from my vows. At age thirty-two, I left the convent with a nurse’s license, a release from my vows, a new conservative suit and fare home. The main reason for leaving was great disillusionment with the hypocrisy and lack of love among the nuns. I also found it a psychologically sterile, unfulfilling life; the convent rules imposed abnormal emotionally lonely conditions. Lonely, lonely, I wanted to relate to someone and eventually get out.

My Second Path: USAF Nurse Corps

Shortly thereafter, I joined the USAF Nurse Corps as a captain, originally based in California. This pathway in my life was exciting and filled with new worldly vanities. Like an uncorked bottle, I threw myself into these pursuits with the same “gusto†I had as a nun. I learned to drink, have sex, buy luxuries and taste the pleasures that the world offers.

On the surface, my assignments were interesting with a tour of duty at Travis AFB, California, then two years as a flight nurse in Yokota Air Force Base, Japan. This was during the Vietnam War. I served as an Air Evac Nurse attending wounded military men on their evacuation from Vietnam battlefields through Pacific hospital stops to home via Alaska or California. I saw the world and lived a wild life for six and a half years. During all of this I managed to sear my Catholic conscience and justify my lifestyle. I had no inner peace and the void in my soul grew even greater. Religion had offered nothing and the “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life†made for more discontent. I found myself running to confess my many transgressions to a priest with no real repentance.

A Third Path: Marriage

During my last tour as a Major at the air base near Del Rio, Texas, I met and married a retired veterinarian-rancher. I resigned my Air Force commission and began living the third chapter of my life as a ranch housewife thirty-five miles from town. Although I was “living in sinâ€Â, I was a nominal Catholic, continuing to attend Mass, to pray to Mary, and to practice all the rituals of the Church. My husband was a divorced Protestant, so I was not supposed to receive the sacraments (whatever good that does). This supposed transgression was viewed by the Catholic Church as much worse than all the past years of party and sexual perfidy with married men, etc. After all, those sins were absolved by the priests. My soul was not at peace though I led a quiet life on a beautiful Texas ranch. I continued to feel a restlessness in my soul. My marriage was not enough to fill the longing in my spirit.

My Introduction to the Truth

After four years of married life, I attended a family reunion in Iowa. Unknown to me, my older brother had gotten saved. He spent the rest of his life witnessing to our family as well as others who were blinded to the truth by their devout Roman Catholic position. My sisters warned me about my “Bible thumping†brother before I arrived. Due to my Jesuit indoctrination, it was now my duty to straighten him out. My brother gathered the whole family around the dining table with an open King James Bible before him. I shut my mouth, put down my martini glass, and listened to him with astonishment and confusion. He told the family that there is “one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus†(1 Tim 2:5) and that we were all headed for hell.

He said that we were trusting in our Roman Catholic Church, worshiping Mary (a fake substitute for Jesus Christ), celebrating the Mass (a cannibalistic mockery of the death of Jesus Christ), and observing the Catholic sacramental life with its many anti-biblical doctrines such as Purgatory. According to Catholic teaching, Purgatory is the place you go after death to burn until God decides you have suffered enough to enter heaven. What a crock! It is not in the Bible! My brother emphasized that salvation was a free gift, the only thing necessary on man’s part is believing on Jesus Christ as Savior. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.†(Romans 10:9). There is no need for self-righteous works to earn your way to heaven as taught by the Catholic doctrine. This was a shocking concept and I was confused to say the least. The next day my brother again opened the Bible and showed me the fallacy of the Catholic position in almost everything I had held as infallible truth for forty-four years. Psychologically I had such a trust and attachment to Holy Mother Church, I naturally resisted the obvious truth that my brother presented. I returned home to Texas still in a state of confusion. How could the Church which I had loved and trusted completely be so totally anti-biblical and full of lies? I had never dared to question the Church’s claim to be the exclusive way (conduit) to forgiveness of sin and the key to heaven or hell.

My wise brother advised me to read the Gospel of John and the Epistle of Paul to the Romans which states so clearly, “God commendeth his love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us†(Romans 5:8) and “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ†(Romans 5:1). He also quoted Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.â€Â

True Liberty

From deep within my soul, I cried to my Savior to save me from my own self-righteousness. The “peace that passeth all understanding†flooded my being for the first time in my life. The shackles of all those years in bondage to the Catholic Church slowly crumbled and I began to know the true liberty of a child of God. I was a new creature in Christ. This new birth in Christ is the most wonderful of miracles. After studying my King James Bible for years this miracle has become clearer. The gift of salvation which is eternal life is not a process but a one-time birth into the family of God.

An Urgent Plea

My dear Catholic friends, I beg you to do as I did. Come to Jesus Christ as a lost soul and trust His blood atonement at Calvary to pay for your sins. He took your place on the Cross to pay for the sins of the whole world. Receive this gift of eternal life from Him by your acceptance of His complete payment of your sins by His death, burial and resurrection. The Catholic Church has deprived you of the simple plan of salvation and has substituted a tortuous plan of works. There is no need for the pagan sacrifice you make at Mass or the futile confessing of sins to a priest. Jesus Christ awaits you, as He did me, when I was a lost Roman Catholic, to believe on Him for salvation. Once saved, the Lord does not abandon us. There is provision for learning and growth in His Word. –Rightly dividing the Word of truth†is the only protection from the many cults of our day which sound so logical and attractive. The Lord is faithful to provide all we need.

 

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Not The "Catholic Dead Jesus"

I am one of seven kids, all the spouses of us(except mine) became Catholic. Both of my parents families are Catholic, and their parents were Catholic....you get the picture. It was all I knew and yet knew "nothing" at all about Jesus. I always seen him hanging on the cross in every church in every home where I went. I knew he died on the cross and rose from the dead, but not really understanding why. I Went through all the CCD stuff, always dreading it, but I still went, all my life of 44 years. I was fortunate that I didn't have to go to Catholic school like my other siblings. I say that because as of now I am the only one that sees the evil and dangers of the religion. I denouced the Catholic church in 2004 and even though my family still talks to me and loves me they think that I have lost my mind. I am taking a 3 year bible course and absolutely love it!! They just look at me like I have lost my salvation and there is no hope for "me". I try to relay God's word to them even though they claim to believe the bible ...they can not even quote a verse. So showing them in the bible how all the things they believe are true are in direct conflict with God's Word, they just dismiss it like I don't know what I'm talking about Like many other Catholic homes, the bible is just displayed on the table. Until the Lord removes the veil over their eyes I'll just live my joyful new life in their presence and pray for their awakening. Jesus plan for salvation is so wonderfully simple, yet most "religions" think they need to complicate it....like Jesus didn't do enough, we must add to it. My new heart and desires have totally changed without any effort from me. My husband accepted Christ right along with me.....mind you, he was the only member of our family that wasn't Catholic, for 20 years he refused to convert. He was waiting for the "real, true Jesus of the Bible" not the "Catholic dead Jesus".

In Christ -
Laura Lane

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New Creation

I was a typical Catholic from a nice family that attended mass faithfully. One day, I found a dusty little King James Bible in the shed. My mother told me to put the bible back because it wasn't the kind we read. My concept of the gospel was this: I was born condemned because of the "original sin" of Adam. Jesus died on the cross to "get me out of the hole" as it were. All the sins that I actually committed "re-condemned" me in God's sight and I had to atone for them the best I could. In high school, I crossed the line to where I knew that I deserved hell for the way I had been living. For two long years I lived in dread of my ultimate death and judgment. After many months I finally worked up the nerve to go to confession, and returning to my pew I recited the prescribed number of "Hail Marys" and "Our Fathers" that the priest had given me. Not feeling any better, I said double the amount, and finally just said another 1/2 hour's worth. I left feeling just as dirty and condemned but even more despairing because I had done all I knew to do.

I remember drinking with a buddy one night, and telling him, "I know that God loves me, but God is just and must send me to hell for all the things that I've done. But I wonder; if I would turn my life around, I wonder if somehow God would have mercy on me." Very soon, Jehovah's Witnesses came to my place of work and shared bible verses with me which impressed me. Still, something bothered me about them, so I told them something that I have had many people tell me since. I said, "No thanks, I'm Catholic."

Soon thereafter, a distant cousin invited me to church. I don't remember a word the pastor spoke, but I remember HOW he spoke. "As one having authority." I remember watching her worship God for real that morning, and thinking that she had something I needed. As we left, I remember feeling hope for the first time in years, and feeling for the first time in my life that there was something beyond the "one true church" that I'd been raised in. On the drive home, my cousin looked up all the Bible verses on my visitor's card. I couldn't believe that anyone knew where all those references were! That night, I awoke from sleep in a cold sweat. Heart pounding in my chest. I thought, "I've got to go see my cousin. I returned to her house a day or so later, and she wasn't home, but her parents talked to me at length. I told them of my fruitless attempts to find peace in the confessional. They told me that Jesus already knew everything that I had done, and that if I would trust Him he would forgive me. I couldn't believe it was that simple. They gave me a Gospel tract, and simply told me to, "go get right with God." In my pickup I poured my heart out, "God, I believe the Bible is your book, but I don't know what's in it, I believe Jesus died for me, and I've just wasted my life trying to run it myself. I don't care if everyone thinks I'm nuts or if I never have any more fun my whole life. I need forgiveness. Jesus, please forgive my sins." Instantly, I felt a physical weight lift from my shoulders as if I had dropped a heavy pack. Peace flooded into my soul, and all the guilt, pain, fear and shame was gone in an instant. I was crying uncontrollably, but I had never felt so great in my life! I KNEW that I was forgiven and heaven would be my home.

When I was born again, my mother who is a RN and was the administrator of an alcoholic treatment facility was afraid that I was in a cult and told some friends of mine that alcoholics often go through a "religious phase" and after that fails they need treatment. I tried to witness to my mother, who was naturally defensive. She declared that everything I was telling her was the same thing that the priest had been trying to tell me all my life, but that I had simply been too rebellious to hear it. I believe that God opened my mind to respond to her. I told her, "If that is true Mom, then why didn't you recognize it when I got born again? Why didn't you rejoice and say, 'Praise God! My son has been converted! This is what I've been praying for all his life!'? I'll tell you why Mom. It's because you had no idea what had happened to me. You had never heard of it. You'd never seen it. Now; you TELL me it's the same thing." She answered me not a word.

Every year now on my spiritual birthday I will playfully tease her and ask if she thinks my "phase" is almost over, or if I'm really a new creation old things passed away and all things become new like Bible says.

After I had been saved about 6 years, God gave we a wonderful wife who is also a born-again ex- catholic. We have two children, the oldest was born in Peru while we were missionaries there for a year. God has blessed me with a good church where the pastor is not at all ecumenical. Shortly after my conversion, an uncle died. My family was very incensed that I wouldn't attend the mass and rosary. The past few years I have modified my viewpoint somewhat and have taken the opportunity to preach. The first time was at my brother in law's funeral. His wife asked me to say a few words. Next, I preached at my father in law's funeral. I hadn't planned to say anything until the priest grieved me so badly with his speech that I began to feel like Jeremiah that "it's like a fire shut up in my bones." Next was my Grandmother's funeral. I just walked forward at the end of the mass and asked the priest if I could say a few words. He let me have the podium and I preached for maybe 15 minutes about how ever since Adam, God began to teach the people to sacrifice animals to cover their sin and they would do it behind the veil where only the priest could go. Passover Lamb etc.. etc... and how this went on for centuries until one day at the river Jordan John the Baptist turned and saw Jesus coming and declared, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." And how when Jesus died he said, "It is finished." and God supernaturally tore the veil in two from top to bottom to show that we didn't need a priest or a sacrifice to go into the presence of God. At this point I ripped a red towell in half that I had held up earlier to illustrate on a very small scale the temple veil.

I really felt that I had done it with a right motive and all, but most all of my family was absolutely furious about it. One cousin came up later and told me that we knew that a lot of what the Catholic church teaches is a bunch of baloney but why couldn't I just let people believe it anyway. Pretty sad. My sister told me she thought that Gram was in Heaven, and I said, "Then be consistent with your beliefs and don't go to the rosary to get her out of purgatory." Anyway, my family has gotten over it, and we are all getting along famously now, but at least they know where I stand. Open rebuke is better than secret love, the Bible says. I love Catholics enough to risk offending them.

Sincerely, Kevin O. Pulver

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A Jesuit Meets Jesus

"I baptize you, Alfred Ronald Nemec, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." With those fateful words, at the tender age of ten days, I was enrolled on the official roster of the Roman Catholic Church. And, according to Catholic doctrine, I was indelibly marked as a child of God.

As the son of a devout Catholic mother and a Catholic-convert father, my early training and schooling was centered around the church and Catholic schools. Even with a move from New Jersey to Florida my parents scrimped and saved, and were able to keep me in Catholic schools for all but one year. Like many young Catholic boys of my generation, I was fascinated by the pomp and ritual of the Mass, and would play at being a priest, with towels for vestments and candy wafers for the "host". As soon as I could, I became an altar boy. Seeing my eagerness to please and my partiality for the pomp of the Mass, many of the priests for whom I served Mass, suggested that I become a priest after high school. I attended four years at a Jesuit high school, going almost daily to Mass.

After high school, I entered the Society of Jesus‡, the Jesuit religious order. Comradarie, seclusion from the world (no T.V., radio, newspapers, or any real contact with the outside world for the first four years, and limited for the next four), and a full academic schedule kept me busy and happy (so I thought). But even during this time of intense and concentrated training the Holy Spirit was able to plant His own seeds. Part of my training included Scripture reading and Scripture study. As is technically required by the Council of Trent for all Catholics, my classmates and I were given permission to read the Bible in the vernacular. As a personal goal, I determined to read the entire Bible from cover to cover even though this was not a seminary requirement. (Thank you, Holy Spirit). After I had finished that, my first real Biblical trek through God's history book, I went back and re-read the entire New Testament again at least 2 times. All through this odyssey, I experienced one certain question which kept coming back, again and again. But I kept repressing it, refusing to acknowledge its presence.

As I continued on in the required Theology and religion courses, I found that the responses and decrees of the Council of Trent, Vatican I, and Vatican II, and the dogmas of the Church kept tumbling over and over in my mind. As these dogmas and regulations kept agitating my supposed peace of heart, this same question kept rising to the surface: Where are these other books or writings about Jesus, that were written by the Apostles or someone close to Jesus, that justify the current practices of Catholicism? I couldn't find the practices in the Bible, but I was being told that they were instituted by Christ or God. I had started my search.

Four years of college level Theology and Scripture, followed by three years of Philosophy still did not reveal these "missing writings". After eight years of training (and searching) I was forced to the conclusion that I would never find them. I was inescapably awakened to the fact that the current practices of the Catholic Church were not based on ancient writings and witnesses, but on more modern papal decrees and declarations. They were based on practices that were started, in some cases, many years and often many centuries after Christ. The Christ-shaped void, formed in my heart by the Word of God, cried for action on my part. But I didn't know what action. I decided that I needed some time to think so I determined to ask for a leave of absence.

When I asked for that leave of absence, my Superior in the Jesuits refused my request. He gave me the choice of either leaving the Jesuits or staying. But if I remained a Jesuit, there would be no leave of absence. (The hand of God again worked His way in my life.)

Nine months after I left, I married a wonderful Catholic woman whom I met through a mutual friend, a nun. Then, together, we tried a number of Catholic churches, seeking something that we didn't know how to express. The result, instead of being renewed hope, was indifference. In fact we stopped attending church altogether.

After two sons and a move to Colorado, we again renewed our search in the local Catholic churches. We threw ourselves completely into the task. I became a Eucharistic Minister and Reader in the Church and even thought about looking into the lay Diaconate, which was coming into favor at that time. I limited my search to Catholic teachings and amazingly came to the same conclusion I had come to some 13 years earlier. My wife Marie, meanwhile, had found the answer in a non-denominational women's home Bible Study group, but she wasn't sure how to tell me. Through prayer and gentle persuasion, she got me to go with her to a conservative Bible teaching church. At the urging of a friend of Marie's, I joined the church choir. Because the choir sang at both services, I got to hear the sermon twice each Sunday.

On that special Sunday morning in September of 1983, when I stood and said yes to God's word in Romans 10:9, a prophecy of Almighty God was fulfilled. Deut 4:29 reads: "You will find Him, if you search for Him with all your heart and soul." And it was fulfilled for me, in a way that I would never have even imagined. I finally met Jesus, for whom I had been searching for almost 40 years of my life, and I praise Him now for salvation.

When Marie, our sons Kevin and Justin, and I were scripturally baptized in February of 1985, we figuratively burned our last bridge back to Catholicism, for by that very act of being baptized a second time and thus saying that our first baptism was of no value, Catholic dogma said that we were cursed and damned.

"I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen" again changed the course of my life and that of my wife and sons. Only this time it testified to the world of the completed work of the Lamb of God. And by that act we publicly erased our names from the roster of the Roman Catholic Church.

I offer each of you the same challenge that I faced, in my eight years in the Jesuit seminary: Read through the New Testament from cover to cover. Do it now! Do you find the rules, regulations, and current dogmas as taught by modern Catholicism? Or do you find the alive, only-begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, who became man, lived, died, was buried, and was raised from the dead to give us eternal-life with Him? (Romans 10:9-10,13) "...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved: for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."... "For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved."



‡The Society of Jesus is a religious order of the Catholic Church. It was established in 1541, by Ignatius of Loyola with a core group of ten men. The society members, called Jesuits, became papal shock troops, rolling back the progress of the Protestant Reformation in Europe and advancing Catholicism in the new mission lands of Latin America, Asia, and Africa of the late 1500's. There are currently almost 26,000 Jesuits. It is the Catholic Church's largest male religious order and specializes in educational and missionary activities.

Ron Nemec

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Wonderfully Amazing

I thank you for the opportunity to share with you part of my testimony of salvation in Christ! I was born into a Catholic family, my mother was full Irish and my dad was full German. Both were raised in Catholic families as well. My mom was a devoted Catholic, belonged to the Altar and Rosary Society (The Catholic version of a women's prayer group) and my dad belonged to the Knights of Columbus (The Catholic version of a men's prayer group). I went to a Catholic school and was taught from 1st Grade the Catholic Catechism.

I have to admit, I loved being Catholic! Attending Mass was a quiet observance with the traditional communion and responding prayer litanies. In my earlier years, we still responded in Latin, never knew what I was saying, but it sure sounded pretty. My brothers all served as altar boys and I wanted to be a nun when I graduated from high school. Christmas and Easter were quite the festive occasion! We would make Advent wreaths leading up to Christmas and Easter was prepared for by attending services Wednesday thru Good Friday studying the passion of Christ and observance of the Stations of the Cross. I always felt so sad that someone had to die for the sins of the world, but never heard that it was for me and that I could obtain salvation through Christ. Instead, we were taught very much about praying for the dead to get them out of purgatory but I never quite understood how many prayers it took to get someone out. And of course, I always told my mom and dad when I was a young teenager, that if this was the case, that we had to pray people out of purgatory, (and how do we know they are there and not in hell, or if we don't pray them out of purgatory, do they end up going to hell?) then Christ dying on the cross was in vain, it was an empty work and what a fool he was to do something so stupid, especially if we had to keep praying for lost souls already passed on from this life.

Even though I had grown up thru the Catholic Church, I never knew that I needed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. No priest ever taught the plan of salvation. Yes, I knew that Jesus died on the cross for all mankind because we are sinful, but that was only head knowledge. My dad would always tell me I would go to hell if I did not go to confession on Saturdays to confess my sins to the priest before mass on Sunday. And he would tell me I would go to hell if I did not go to Mass on Sundays. So, in trying to keep the Ten Commandments, I would honor my father and mother and go to church for fear of going to hell. So, you can see, at an early age, I was beginning to learn that my way to heaven was by works and church attendance. So sad that during all of this I felt so empty inside. I would pray the rosary and still feel empty. I would pray the Lord's prayer over and over and over, hoping to fill the emptiness within me.

Then in May of 1971, my mom became born again. She had met a woman at a local department store, sitting at the soda counter having a cup of coffee, when this woman engaged in conversation with my mom. Needless to say, my mom desired to have the relationship she thought she had and gave her life to Christ. I remember that entire summer, my mom telling me that Jesus is the only way to heaven and to get there, we must be born again. I was so mad at my mom, she left the Catholic Church, the Altar and Rosary society and all the Catholic traditions we had kept in our family were suddenly uprooted. My dad continued on attending the Catholic Church and told my mom that she must continue on in the church. Well, God had a different plan. My mom became very ill, and she had a peace about her that was so beautiful, that I was in awe of it. She would sing hymns that were soothing to listen to and she would pray so differently than she ever had before, this time, from her heart instead of repetitive prayers. And she witnessed to me in love and reminded me that when I want God in my life, to invite Him in, and that He would take care of me, always!

In February 1973, the Lord took my mom home to be with Him, and I became depressed. I began to drink and smoke pot, still trying to fill that void that was so deep within me. And now missing my mom, I felt truly helpless and alone. Two years later, one of my brothers raped me and I withdrew from everyone that knew me. My family blamed me, saying I had to have done something to bring that on, but the truth be known, he was high on drugs and broke into my bedroom and assaulted me. No one in my family would listen to me and they all blamed me. I would then go to bed and move my dresser up against the door every night. I attempted suicide, but a friend had stopped over and intervened. Seven years later, my dad would suddenly collapse and while in the Emergency Room, he asked me, "Barbara, am I going to hell?" "Does God love me?" I did not know what to tell my dad, and all I could tell him, was this, "Well dad, you went to confession every Saturday and Church every Sunday, so you told me that would keep me out of hell, so you are probably okay!" He responded to me, his last words, "But I want to know for sure that I won't be in purgatory long and that I will be in Heaven."

Then they whisked him away into the OR for emergency surgery, he coded and died. I cried for days, wondering what kind of God would give one parent peace in her last days and one parent agony? I wondered, what kind of God would die on the cross but still require me to keep the laws of the church, both God's and Man's when I was too weak in my humanness to do this? What kind of God would have a purgatory for people to get prayed out of if He was supposed to have paid the price for me, once and for all? Why would Jesus go through all of that trouble if I still had to earn it? I was so angry with God, that I became very bitter.

I blamed Him for allowing my mom to pass away just days after my seventeenth birthday; I was so mad at God for allowing my brother to rape me a year and a half later; and so mad at God that he let my dad die suddenly with questions in his heart and mind!

Much happened in my life over the years that followed, and finally, I began seeking Him. My marriage was falling apart and I desired to kill my husband. Yet, somehow I wanted a way out of all the agony and grief and frustration. Most of all, in my life I wanted peace, I wanted to know that when I died, I would be in Heaven. I did not want a purgatory and did not want to have to go to a man to confess my sins. I just plain wanted to know the truth, and nothing but the truth. So God sent many witnesses into my path and I am so grateful.

I find God so wonderfully amazing, that He directed me to scripture that began to show me that Catholicism was a religion and not the relationship that was required of me if I wanted salvation and eternal life. In Acts 2, I learned that Peter (so I had believed he was the rock on which the church was built) had stood up in the midst of the disciples and called for lots to be cast to replace Judas, one of the chosen. It was Peter that proclaimed who Christ was in Acts 3 and it was Peter in Acts 4 who appeared before the high priest and told him in verse 11 that Christ is the Chief Cornerstone and that salvation comes through no one but Jesus.

The Lord showed me in Colossians 2 beginning in verse 4 that I should not be deceived by men's enticing words, and that no man should judge me in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon or of the Sabbath days and my most favorite verse in Colossians 2 is this, verse 14 that states "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross!" At last I knew I have perfect liberty only in Christ and no other!

The Lord also showed me that very same week I was saved in Ephesians 2:1-20 that I was saved by faith through grace and the Word confirmed again in verse 20 that Jesus Christ himself is the Chief Cornerstone! Alleluia! It was not a man! It was the God Man, the Son of God Himself who paid the price for me! No more having to be prayed out of a nonexistent purgatory, no more did I have to worry about being perfectly good! Ah, but the desire to be good is so internal in me now! And oh yes, I am a new creature, walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh! No more do I grieve over having been raped! No more do I desire to kill my husband! The Lord has restored our marriage to more than I ever could desire! No more do I miss the Catholic Church, but now attend an Independent Baptist Church in order to be as close as possible to the perfect doctrine of Christ! No more do I pray empty prayers to Mary! And no more do I see the Pope as being perfect! I am free, I am free in Christ, my Saviour loves Barbara! He loved her enough to nail my sins to the cross forever, not just my sins in the past, but what I charge today and in the future. Oh, what a Saviour! What a Saviour! And you know what else? I finally realized what the Lord taught in His teaching on prayer! No more 'vain repetitions' as I had done for so many years with the rosary and repeating memorized prayer! No, now I come to Him in the quiet of my heart and talk to Him as though He is face to face. And you know what? He answers me and comforts me.

So I have still many friends from different faiths, but they continue to ask me questions and I continue to share. I was 36 when I received Christ as my Saviour, my husband was 48 and my son was 13. Three miracles in one day! Well, God bless you and all that you endeavor to do in sharing God's perfect love with others so that they too, will come to the knowledge of the truth!

Your sister in Christ!
Barbara Craven

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A Teachers Testimony

I was raised in a Protestant church and joined the Roman Catholic church when I was married in 1966. My husband and I raised our children Catholic, of course. I was a public school teacher for 17 years, then found a teaching position in our Catholic school. After 3 years of teaching there, I started to lose my voice. After several procedures, including 3 surgeries, it was apparent that I would no longer be able to teach. At home, with our children out on their own and some time to myself, the Lord put it upon my heart to read the Bible. Catholics frown on this, but I had always wanted to read what the Bible had to say. I bought an NIV study Bible and started in. When I had finished, I realized that the Catholic Church and the Bible did not match up in many areas. I had read nothing about purgatory, popes, indulgences, sacraments, priests, archbishops, the assumption of Mary, etc., etc. During this time a friend had given me the book, "This is the Faith", a book outlining what it is Catholics actually believe. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Most of what Catholics believe was given to them by Popes in decrees. I began reading anything I could about Christianity. I finally realized I could believe either the Catholic Church, or the Word of God. I chose God's Word. I was baptized by immersion on Christmas Day in a Bible believing Christian church. Our daughter and son have left the Catholic church, and my husband is attending church with me, although he has not yet made a commitment. I have given 2 copies of "Preparing Catholics For Eternity" to Catholic friends, and I keep an extra copy just in case I find someone who needs it. It has been an excellent resource for me.

Carolee Jehlik

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God's Gift of Salvation and Discernment

I was brought up in Catholicism. My dad who had been an altar boy and went to Catholic schools. My mom did not attend church but only once or twice a year and today never attends but has always told me just be a good boy and you will go to heaven. My dad enforced that along with saying "there probably won't be a hell". As I was forced to go to the Catholic Church I never felt any genuine experience and never understood why I could not eat the bread during the mass. Eventually I did first communion and conformation. (Note: Don't believe anyone who tells you conformation is when you receive the Holy Spirit as any blood bought Christian will tell you that is a devilish lie from the pit of Hell!!!!) On the way home from conformation I asked my parents "What was that all about ?" they said "Now when you die its for sure you will go to heaven just be a good person." I said "WHAT?! You mean if I died early in life I would have not gone to heaven" they said "No! but now it's for sure! guaranteed with no doubt." In retrospect, my parents, because of the Catholic Church, had just put me on the broad road to Hell described in Matthew 7:13) not understanding it I just accepted it.

I started to experience the mass which meant nothing to me. In fact I found it funny how somber & serious the priest faces were every time they said "body of Christ" while holding the wafer god (Note: if this truly had become the body of Christ, why then does God call it bread three more times if it had truly been changed to the body ? The answer is no change ever took place then or now. You will find the truth in scriptures, 1 COR 11:24-28.) As life went on I was told a Christian is the same as a Catholic but to be a Catholic Christian is to be superior in God's eyes.

I became involved in professional motorcycle racing and found myself driving to the Catholic Church, parking in front of the statue of Mary. I would spill my guts out talking to a statue thinking God can really hear me now and God likes it when I do this! I figured God would bless my racing endeavors and keep me safe. I even used to write God notes and bury them in front of the statue. Now I figured God and I were really close. But as time went on I became more confused and suffered many injuries and really felt empty and void of comfort. All the while growing up my Catholic dad would curse the Lord almost daily while doing bills, working in the garage, or when he stubbed his toe he would always curse! These including that very serious curse directed at our God in heaven! It can really make a person wonder after 50 years in the Catholic Church. Every Sunday my dad would say to others and others to him "peace be with you." I had to ask where's your peace ? I clearly see now Catholicism offers a false peace, a fickle peace, a profession of peace but not a possession of peace which can ONLY come from God! I now see Satan can mock Christianity but will never be able to give a person true peace! Thank you Jesus!

A month after I turned 30. I had my first bible study with a friend whom during the previous 8 years had always asked me to come to this bible study. But I had my own thoughts about people who studied the bible. They were weird, had no life, and were lost losers. Driving on my way to the bible study I thought well that's me, I am all washed up with no life. I've becoming a loser. In fact the only reason I was going is I really could not do anything else. I had just broke my leg, wrist, back and two toes as a result of being involved in a freak motorcycle accident where my throttle got stuck before a jump.

When I arrived at the bible study it was just my friend Dr. Randy Borresen and myself. We sat down as he opened with a prayer and immediately I felt very comfortable as he showed me through Gods Word. How one is justified and what sanctification is and other points that made Jesus the all mighty God more real to me than ever! After an hour of being in front of Gods Word Randy closed with a prayer as I was just crushed into tears. The most amazing feeling came through my body. I later realized that on the evening of August 8, 1998 I had been reborn by the Holy Spirit of God. I truly can identify with 2 Cor 5:17.

I now see salvation is of God ALONE! Man can never earn it or lose it (John 10:28) and salvation can only be received once you sincerely recognize you're lost on your way to Hell with no ability of your own to save yourself! So you cast yourself on the mercy of Jesus to be saved! That is your only hope of ever becoming one of the few that will see eternal life! The human side of it is this: Nobody will ever go to heaven ever, ever in all of history who does not willfully concisely submit themselves in obedience to God!!

A short time after I was saved I started talking to Catholics every where, including my family and aunt, whom is considered a Presentation Sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary now going on 51 years of being deceived as a Catholic nun. I soon experienced what Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-36. My dad has yelled at the top of his lungs in my face for playing a segment of "why Jesus came" by John MacArthur. My mom absolutely hates any discussion about the bible and says she does not need the bible. She has her own thoughts and God knows she's a good person. My sister says she does not care if we all go to Hell -- all the cool people are going to be there. My cousin is quick to talk about the special revelations only the pope can receive. These revelations have brought an ongoing lie that Satan has produced, that of evolution. And then with great conviction he says the Catholic Church is the one and only true church. As for my uncle he loves to identify himself as a Catholic but when asked about the bible he says, with a loud voice, the bible is a bunch of bull. He believes Jesus was a philosopher, certainly not God, nor did he exist before his birth on earth. Also Noah's Ark is a folklore and what you believe is where you go when you die and all religions can save you. There's no place called Hell. On top of that his twin sister, the nun, has heard him say these things and does not correct him. She keeps her mouth shut after her own brother believes and yells out many of Satan's lies! Relationships are more important to her than the truth. She preaches "the love gospel." She said to me: "oh Eric, God loves all of us so don't worry. We will all go to heaven." She and my whole family are cowards for Christ!! And there is a place for people like them shown very clearly in Revelations 21:8) and I just step back and say WOW! Because of Catholicism this is the spiritual condition of my family!

Other things I have witnessed is a Catholic priest talking during a Saturday evening mass. His topic was he is looking forward to the day when a woman becomes a priest, taking the duty of what only men perform today. It was so sad as I sat watching senior citizens that filled this church not one with a bible. Instead they were all somber faced like robots standing in line to receive the wafer god. Then I saw a lady hugging a statue of Mary then kneeling in front of it then moved to the next statue to repeat her false worship. At the end of mass I confronted the priest and said firmly how can you talk like that when the bible says there can never be a woman pastor. He simply said, "we don't believe the whole bible." On another occasion, at a different Catholic church, I saw a lady with her face pressed against a picture of Mary, Then she bowed in front of it and touched it with her hand. As she turned around I was there to greet her with my bible opened to Exodus 20:45, She read along as I read it to her then she looked at me and said, "I don't care what the bible says what I do is real to me and that's what matters."

I now clearly see that Catholics don't recognize the authority of the bible. I once went to a Catholic bible study where only 20% of the people had bibles. It's disturbing that lately the Catholics I have talked to tell me they have relationships with dead friends and relatives and how they talk to each other and are very close. This activity is clearly in opposition with Gods word to us in Deuteronomy 18:10-12. I have had many many other encounters with Catholics and priests, including talking to a group of people after mass, then while reading them Hebrews 4:12-13, two people started to push and wrestle me.

I just praise God for the gift of discernment he gives to his believers !! As for me I am just one more person God has brought to the light and being in the light I can say with 100% conviction Catholicism is Satanic! It is so far from Christianity! It's a false hope! It's evil! It's dark! Its devilishly deceptive! The Catholic system can not and has not ever saved one soul!!! And if this offends you I personally want to let you know from the very bottom of my heart to the very depths of my soul I don't care. THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS TRUTH!!! For me it's sad to see my family and friends whom I love very much, bound by Satan in this wicked system of works. Yes, I am aware of few truly saved people in the Catholic Church but they are clearly living in sin by identifying with an institution that anathematizes the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In closing, here's the fact that God left us with, in MATTHEW 7:13,14 & LUKE 13:22-25. It's clear, most people will live in Hell with the pangs of a fully informed conscious and a body that's being consumed by worms with burning pain, consumed in darkness, living with the Devil for all eternity. That's not open for discussion, it is a biblical fact. That's the TRUTH!!! This is why salvation is serious business and we are commanded by Holy God to rebuke, correct, and as an act of true love; tell the truth regardless of the outcome! THAT'S LOVE! Being only 1yr. and 3mo. old in the Word, that's the best I can say. As Christians we have a great responsibility that has eternal rewards. If your a Catholic reading this please let yourself be struck down by the WORD and built up by the SPIRIT. Believe Jesus has a much better plan for your life outside the Catholic Church! Truth is found outside of Catholicism. COME OUT! Satan has been defeated says the LORD!!!

We must not be anti Catholic rather we must rebuke and correct Catholic theology and doctrine.

Amen
Eric Sandstrom
Menifee, CA - USA

 

[Solo]

A PERSONAL TESTIMONY - David Holmes

I have been a wicked man. Wicked in the most detestable sense. For many years I believed I was a just and a good man. I thought that my righteousness was something before God. I went to Catholic mass each Sunday, confession every month or so, but the blackness of my sin crucified the Prince of peace and the hypocrisy of my life poured shame upon the Lord of Glory. How deceitful is the heart of man; how dark is his sin. If you will hear my story, dear friend, I will share with you how God brought me from this terrible darkness to His marvelous light.
I was raised in the Roman Catholic church near Portland, Oregon USA. Born in 1955, the fourth of 10 children, twin to a brother. My parents were faithful Catholics and demanded of us the same. We said the rosary in our house during lent many years and were faithful completely to the church. In all this, I must confess how very sad my heart was for many years; I lived in a home that was void of love. How painful it was growing up to experience the bitterness and resentment in my mother and father’s relationship. How desperately I wanted to receive their approval and affection, only to find the cold hurt renewed afresh in my heart. Looking back I see so clearly that they tried the best they could but they could not see that they were the servants of sin, unable to free themselves from the misery of their lives. I too, lived a miserable life in my own pride and stubbornness.

I remember in my earliest years in the Catholic church having great desire to see the miracles which I had heard so much about in church history. My parents acquired water from Lourdes, France to put on my eye which had become partially blind. Water from the blessed Virgin. It was to no avail for no improvement came. I attended a Catholic grade school with my brothers and sisters. Each day we took the Holy Eucharist in mass before school. I spent much time pondering the miraculous history of the church and what I might see or experience. Jeremiah 17:9 says:

“The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?â€Â

All my services in mass as an altar boy could not bring the peace and hope I desired in my life, nor could it set me free from the power of sin. I did not understand the precious promise of the scripture spoken by the angel in Matthew 1:21:

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins.â€Â

Nor could I understand that I was a servant of sin. Man does not so freely and readily come to Christ to be reconciled to God for Psalm 10:4 states:

“The wicked through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God; God is not in all their thoughts.â€Â

We like to think about God enough to believe we are holy, but he is not in all our thoughts.

I do believe the scriptures are true. It says, “Let God be true and every man a liar.â€Â

How empty must a man become to face the true wretchedness of his lost condition. Christ revealed himself through Israel to the world, not because they were righteous and holy, being God’s chosen, but because of His faithfulness to His own character. He revealed Himself to a world dead in trespasses and sins that He might reveal the Holiness and loveliness of His person in laying down His own life for us, who are so wretched and miserable, that we might be adopted as sons and set free from sin. Not just the eternal consequences of hell but the present power of sin which has marred and destroyed our lives.

How merciful God was to me to begin to draw my heart to Him and cause me to see my horrible state.

I was a senior in high school, 17 years old, being assigned a locker partner that was a Christian. He began to show a love and concern for my life that I had never experienced before. I began reading my Bible and heard a gentle voice speaking to me from the scriptures. It was gentle and loving yet with such holiness and righteousness that I began to see the wickedness of my own heart. Oh, the beauty and loveliness of Christ and the darkness and pain of my own life. I heard Jesus calling me:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.†(Matt.11:28-30)

I was battling in my heart, for the scriptures were laying bare my own heart before my eyes. Luke 14:26 says:

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.â€Â

Our hearts are so wicked we are unable to come to God on our own strength or desire. The scripture says:

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.†(Jn.6:44)

And again:

“To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.†(Heb.3:15)

God used the scriptures to continually reveal the true condition of my heart and incomparable wonderment of his ways. Hebrews 4:12 states:

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.â€Â

Coming to Christ is not a decision, it is a birthing process. Jesus said to Nickodemus “you must be born again.†There are great labor pains. The law of sin and death spoken of in Romans has kept us in chains reserved unto darkness and damnation. We have lived in guilt and torment of our own sinful, evil lives in rebellion against God and his ways. We come only as we forsake our lives totally, calling upon the name of the Lord and believing in the redemptive work of Jesus to purchase our salvation by His precious life’s blood. What a wonderful turn in my life when I came to this place. Washed from my sins, reconciled to God and for the first time in my life truly loved by God Himself.

All these struggles and ultimate joy in Christ came in my hours of reading God’s Word. This is not the end of the story but only the beginning. The beginning of a journey that led me from the darkness of pride, rebellion and religious form to the reality of Christ Himself. This journey continues on through my life as I look for that Holy City to come whose builder is God. Please allow me to share the rest of my story.

God is so wise to have preserved the scriptures for us. It was the source of great comfort and often a great pricking of my heart. With forgiveness of my sins came a conviction of how I had wronged others in my family. During that first year of faith in Christ I went to many of my brothers and sisters and parents in tears asking for their forgiveness. No one in my family had ever asked for forgiveness and everyone was quite uneasy to be petitioned for it. Nevertheless I found great peace with God through it all.

That first year I was so timid, I found no strength to speak about Christ. I struggled so, trying to please God and live perfectly before Him. In the Old Testament circumcision is given as the seal or sign of the covenant. This outward sign of the cutting away of the foreskin of the flesh was to prophecy of a day when our blessed Redeemer would pay the price for our sin and cut away the foreskin of our hearts, where we would have the power to live as God’s children with a true heart, not of the sins of the flesh but partakers of the divine nature in Christ. God was circumcising my heart and I found myself in great weakness as I prayed to God and struggled to live pleasing unto Him. After 6 months of faith in Christ my twin brother was converted. He confessed to me that though I spoke not a word to him, he was under so much conviction that he could not stand it. My brother was observing the repentance that God was bringing about in my life and it forced him to face the condition of his own life. Two younger sisters came to Christ within the next year.

You must understand, my friend, that this was not the work of some slick T.V. preacher but an unpredictable working of the Spirit of God in the hearts of men. I spoke almost nothing. One of my sisters, 13 years old, came to me one evening, hanging around my room late at night. I asked her what she wanted and the tears began to roll down her face. She exclaimed, “I want to be a born-again Christian!â€Â

I had not tried to make any of these things happen and there began to be some unpleasant reactions for me. My mother began to take me aside in quite an upset tone, informing me that I was really stirring up trouble in the family, rejecting the faith (Catholicism) and causing my brothers and sisters to do likewise. I was troubled by these confrontations which became more and more frequent. I tried to be very submissive and obedient to my parents, so it hurt deeply to be accused of stirring up rebellion.

As I read more and more of the scriptures, I came under conviction that I could no longer participate in many Catholic practices during mass. I found I could no longer sing the Catholic songs to Mary, “Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above†and others. Nowhere in the scriptures was she exalted to the position of Queen of heaven, mediator, or was she “ever virgin†for the scripture says that Joseph “knew her not TILL she had brought forth her first-born son.†(Matt.1:25)

I quit going to confession for the scripture says “one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.†(1 Tim.2:5)

All the countless times I had confessed my sins in those confessionals had never freed me from the guilt and condemnation of sin. But Christ Himself had.

How the devil has worked to convince mankind that they are in right standing before God. Thank God that He gave the commandments to show us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.†Be glad that your heart is troubled my friend, for you can begin to cry out to God and He is faithful to speak to you through the scriptures for it says in 1 Tim.2:4 that it is God’s will for “all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.â€Â

I found comfort in great measure in reading the Bible. In searching the scriptures and seeing the need of my own weakness I cried out to God to grant me the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome sin. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.†(James 4:6) And also in Isaiah 57:15, it says:

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.â€Â

With every place of great trouble and trial, if we will just turn to him in humility, we find that this High and Holy One is pleased to dwell with us. In all His greatness He is meek and gentle and lowly. God spoke much to me, not because I was holy, but because He is holy and He is faithful. He loves His sheep. I must confess in my first few years of Christian faith I felt that I had failed God so often that perhaps He could not even forgive me. In one of these situations of failure I thought, “How can I turn to God for forgiveness, He must be more tired than I of my sins?†We must understand that before we are Christians we are slaves to sin. Afterwards we have a choice, for God delivers us from he power of sin. We are in a process of overcoming by the grace and power of God. Prov.4:18 states:

“The path of the just is as a shining light which shineth more and more unto the perfect day.â€Â

I wanted instant perfection and was so grieved with my failure that I was ashamed to turn to God in repentance. For three days I lived in this dark hope-less condition of the heart. As I drove to town the third day I was listening to a song on the radio. The song was the story of a man’s childhood experience in his first year of baseball. Before the first game his father told him, “Son, when you step up to the plate and look the pitcher in the eye, he is going to look big and mean like the devil himself, don’t lose heart.†When the game started and he stepped into the batters box, sure enough, that pitcher looked like the biggest, meanest well, like the devil himself. The pitcher just stood there grinning. The young batter was nervous and clutched the bat with sweaty hands. As I listened I found my throat thickening and tears forming in my eyes. How I felt like this young boy, full of fear, lacking confidence and staring the devil right in the eye. The first pitch came with a swing, “Strike one!†called the umpire. Oh, how I began to tremble considering my own failures and my inability to stand faithful in my own strength and ability. The young batter began to tense up for the next pitch. “Strike two!†with a useless swing. My heart began to ache with these words as I considered my ultimate end. But just then the boy’s father stood up in the bleachers, “You can do it, son, come on!†I heard God’s voice through that song. I began to sob. It was so real to me, I cry when I retell it even though it happened 20 years ago. God was there for me, not to destroy me, but to help me overcome. To find His help and strength in my hour of need. Oh, the richness of the love of God. He will revive the spirit of the humble if we will humble ourselves and call upon His name.

All of my life experiences drew me closer to God and to trust in His Holy word and at the same time exposing the dead, shallow religious practices of the church of Rome. The first 5 years of my Christian life I attended mass with my parents, not because I wanted to, but because I lived in my parents home working on the family farm and I knew that while I lived in their house God required me to submit to going to mass with them.

The first 3 years I did not speak to my mother concerning spiritual things. I was called into conference with her at least once a week. She would yell and scream at me, bringing accusations against me concerning stirring up trouble in the family. For 3 years I took it quietly and never answered a word. I always prayed, “Lord, how long till you give an answer in the earth?†How futile it is to defend ourselves and how beautiful it is when the Holy Spirit speaks through a human vessel. Now, after three years, as I sat trembling before my mother and praying to God, I heard the Spirit of God speak to my heart, “Now is the time to give an answer.†By God’s grace I shared with my mother of my lost condition and the true salvation I found in Christ. I shared with her the falsehood and shallowness of the Catholic Church. She began to tremble and weep. She told me that I had totally lost my mind. She left the room trembling and quite beside herself. After 3 years of being afraid of my mother, I found peace as I wept and rejoiced. I heard that gentle voice in my heart speaking, “You don’t have to be afraid anymore, for though you must submit to your parents you are my free man.â€Â

Four years after my conversion my family was attending a Good Friday service. The large crucifix in front of the church was draped in purple cloth. At one point in the mass the priest removed the purple cloth exclaiming, “Behold the wood of the cross! Come let us worship.†The front pews began to empty out and file to the front where one at a time the people began to kneel down and kiss the crucifix. I began to tremble as I heard that precious Holy Spirit speak in my heart, “This is idolatry.†Do you know what God says in the Ten Commandments? Exodus 20:4-5:

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.â€Â

When I got home after mass my heart was pounding. I went to my bedroom and opened my Bible. It fell open to Nahum and I looked upon 1:12-13:

“Thus saith the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.â€Â

My heart was burning as I read these words realizing that God was going to open the doors for me to leave the Catholic church. I soon found out that my twin brother had the same experience in church that night. When he arrived home he opened his Bible to 2 Cor. 6:16-18:

“And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.â€Â

We had a double witness from God at the very same evening of God’s unfolding purposes for our lives. We received no wages for working for our parents and therefore had no money or jobs to support us. We were in partnership with our parents on the family farm but in announcing our departure they refused to liquidate any assets to pay us money we had coming. It was one full year before we were able to leave home with no small trying of my own heart. God knows just how to deal with each one of us to forsake all and that’s where we find the greatest joy, when we love nothing in life but Him.

After many months we were able to move into our own house. At that point we went to mass for the very last time. We were in the choir and at the end of mass I spoke to the choir director (a nun) and said that we had an announcement.

I shared with the choir how it was our last day and we would not be back as we were following Christ and He was leading us out. News of this filtered back to the priest in the rear of the church. He came to the front and was a bit upset at this event in his church. He asked us where in the world we thought we were going as they certainly knew that the Catholic church was the true church. He said we were joining a cult like the Moonies and he mocked and ridiculed us. I said nothing, I only prayed, “Lord how long till you give an answer in the earth for your name sake?â€Â

My heart was aching for the abuse I endured. When I returned home I reached for the comfort of the Bible. I opened and began to read in I Cor. 1:18-20 and 25-19:

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?...Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. â€Â

Tears rolled down my face as I read these words, I sobbed with joy for the comfort of the Holy Spirit in my heart. I am rejected by this world yet I am accepted in Christ Jesus for the glory of God. 2 Cor. 4:3-4 says:

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.â€Â


Retrieved from http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plai ... smar97.htm

 

[stray bullet]

you serving Jesus in this solo? Do you believe that posting 'testimonies' bashing a Church instead of pointing out its flaw is Christian?

You are slinging mud.

"I quit going to confession for the scripture says “one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.†(1 Tim.2:5) "

I don't have all day to respond to it, except to cite one example as more misinformation. When one confesses, they are confessing to God.

His argument is about as absurd as saying there is one mediator between God and man, therefore, don't use scripture, just the Holy Spirit. God works through men, just like He worked through the apostles, He also works through priests. They are not mediators, only servants.

The author, claim to be a priest, is clearly ignorant on what Catholicism teaches. I wouldn't doubt that this, like many of the 'testimonies' are total fakes.

 

[Solo]

you serving Jesus in this solo? Do you believe that posting 'testimonies' bashing a Church instead of pointing out its flaw is Christian?

You are slinging mud.

"I quit going to confession for the scripture says “one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.†(1 Tim.2:5) "

I don't have all day to respond to it, except to cite one example as more misinformation. When one confesses, they are confessing to God.

His argument is about as absurd as saying there is one mediator between God and man, therefore, don't use scripture, just the Holy Spirit. God works through men, just like He worked through the apostles, He also works through priests. They are not mediators, only servants.

The author, claim to be a priest, is clearly ignorant on what Catholicism teaches. I wouldn't doubt that this, like many of the 'testimonies' are total fakes.

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.†2 Corinthians 4:3-4

 

[stray bullet]

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.†2 Corinthians 4:3-4

solo, the trust is indeed hidden from you, for you are blinded by a hatred for the Church for who knows what reason.

I'm trying to understand why you have such a problem with the Church. If the Church teaches in error, then show our error. Mudslinging at the Church doesn't correct issues or convince Catholics what they believe are wrong.

I think your actions are motivated by hatred.

 

[Solo]

solo, the trust is indeed hidden from you, for you are blinded by a hatred for the Church for who knows what reason.

I'm trying to understand why you have such a problem with the Church. If the Church teaches in error, then show our error. Mudslinging at the Church doesn't correct issues or convince Catholics what they believe are wrong.

I think your actions are motivated by hatred.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches false teachings as testified to by these testimonies. You do not have to believe the scriptures. You can continue to believe the Roman Catholic teachings. I am posting these testimonies so that those individuals that recognize the false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church can come to salvation through Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords without the extra baggage that the Roman Catholic Church attaches. I hate false teachings, and I love people, therefore I will continue to yell warning to those who will hear. The blood of those that hear and do not listen will be on them, not on me.

 

[stray bullet]

The Roman Catholic Church teaches false teachings as testified to by these testimonies. You do not have to believe the scriptures. You can continue to believe the Roman Catholic teachings. I am posting these testimonies so that those individuals that recognize the false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church can come to salvation through Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords without the extra baggage that the Roman Catholic Church attaches. I hate false teachings, and I love people, therefore I will continue to yell warning to those who will hear. The blood of those that hear and do not listen will be on them, not on me.

What false teachings?

We do have to believe scripture- for it was the Church that canonized scripture and preserved it. Just as she preserved all teachings. Scripture is the infallible, inspired word of God.

 

[Solo]

A PLAIN STATEMENT OF OBJECTIONAL DOCTRINES HELD BY THE CHURCH OF ROME; AND SEVERAL REASONS FAIRLY ASSIGNED FOR SEPARATION FROM THEIR COMMUNION.
BY JOSEPH REILLY

Late a Roman Catholic Student

[We here at Former Catholics For Christ enjoyed this tract from the 1800's so much, that we felt our readers would benefit from it as well. What a cloud of witnesses before us! We pray that this tract inspires a cloud of witnesses to follow.]

To the Reader.

Having never before had any necessity of appearing before the public, it is with much reluctance that I am, in defiance of my character, now compelled to give a fair and candid statement of the motives that induced me to leave the church of Rome; which I did not do, until I had tried every means to quiet an anxious mind, and troubled conscience; and after many private and public interviews with my pastor; each of which only confirmed my doubts of several of the doctrines of the church of Rome. I found by such interviews that I had nothing from God's word to rely upon; nothing but tradition, and the assertions of interested men, upon which to rest my hope of salvation; and even these, when fairly examined, could not afford me any plausible authority for the articles of religion doubted of. I continued to meet the priest at every time and place he appointed, to remove my doubts of certain doctrines which I conceived were authorized by God's Holy Word, and therefore not taught by our Lord and his apostles; until he candidly told me he was not able to satisfy me; and said he could not blame me for following the dictates of my conscience. I little thought, that after this I should be obliged to vindicate myself from foul aspersion and calumny, resorted to evidently to deter others from pursuing a similar course; that, at the expense of my reputation, they might suppress the general and so much dreaded inquiries of the public mind after truth. I therefore lay before the public, and the candid reader, a plain statement of facts; and let my motives, and the necessity of the case, be my apology.

The Author

Having been intended by my parents to be a clergyman of the church of Rome, I was brought up and educated for that purpose, under the immediate care of my late uncle, the Rev. Edmund Reilly, P.P. of Killesandra, until his decease in 1814; and having finished the studies requisite for admittance to college, I was recommended to the Rev. Dr. Reilly, bishop of Kilmore, for admittance on the establishment of Maynooth. I received for answer, that in consequence of the many applications prior to mine, his lordship could not then procure me a place; but being desirous for that office, I renewed my application for the American mission and obtained an "exeat," and a recommendatory letter, for that purpose; which was as follows:

"Fargalus, Dei Et Apostolicæ sedis gratiâ Kilmoriensis Episcopus in Hiberniâ, &c.

"Testamur per presentes Dominum Josephum Reilly, nostræ prædictæ Diocese alumnum, natum ex legitimo thoro, hactenus ibidem probè et Christianè vixisse, et multa solidæ pietatis specimina dedisse. Cum autem educationis et missionis gratiâ Americam (seu aliò) proficisci decreverit, eundem omnibus et singulis intimè commendamus, &c, &c.

"Datum hoc die decimo-septimo Junii, anno Domini Nostri Jesu Christi millesimo octingentesimo decimo-octavo.

FARGALUS, qui supra."

"Fargalus, by the grace of God, Bishop of the Apostolic See of Kilmore, in Ireland, &c.

"We testify by these Presents, that Mr. Joseph Reilly, of the aforesaid diocese, legitimately born and brought up, has hitherto lived there in an honest and Christian manner, and has given many proofs of solid piety. But having for his learning and mission's sake resolved to proceed to America or elsewhere, we earnestly recommend him to all and everyone of our brethren, &c, &c.

"Dated June 17th, in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1818,

FARGALUS, qui supra."

During my preparation to go on the said mission, I was informed by several clergymen of the church of Rome, who had correspondence with the bishop of New-York, that no person would be received there as a clergyman, unless he was well qualified to preach and defend the gospel; as, in that country, every person has the liberty of objecting to any doctrines unauthorized by the gospel. This led me to apply myself seriously to the study of the Scriptures, in order that I might be capable of vindicating the religion I was about to teach; to whose sacred contents, till then, I was nearly as great a stranger as to the Koran of Mahomet. Why, oh! why should any person, designed to teach the Christian religion, remain so ignorant of the foundation of all true and saving knowledge; as if the knowledge of that which only can make men wise unto salvation, were of minor importance, if not altogether unnecessary!

I had also several conversations with some of my dissenting neighbours, on many of the controverted points of doctrine taught in the church of Rome; which still made me feel more forcibly the necessity of being well versed in Scripture, so as to be able to withstand and confute every objection that might be raised against my creed; which was the sole object of my pursuit thus far. In the course of my reading the Scripture, I was particularly struck with our Lord's last charge to his disciples, as recorded in Matthew XXVIII, 19, 20, "Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always even to the end," &c. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned," Mark xvi, 15, 16. "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem," Luke xxiv, 47, 48. "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preached unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed," Gal. i, 8. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns," &c, Col. iii, 16. "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is PREACHED UNTO YOU THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS: and by him all that believe are justified from all things," Acts xiii, 38. "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance unto Israel, and remission of sins," Acts v, 31, compared with Acts x, 43; Acts x, 35, with Rom. ii, 10. "Glory, honor, and peace to every man that doeth good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. But indignation and wrath upon every soul of every man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; for there is no respect of persons with God." "The Gentiles having not the law, are a law unto themselves: ---their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another."

From all these testimonies of holy writ, I saw with great astonishment, 1. That to the end of time, every preacher sent of Christ, and really belonging to him, must preach diligently to all people, as far as possible, everything that he himself preached, and must not add nor diminish aught, on pain of eternal wrath; and that in the GOSPEL alone are to be found all these things which must be so taught. And, 2. "That repentance and remission of sins" appear to be the essence of the gospel. 3. That the people are to be informed of this, or "that this is to be make known and preached to them." That in order to obtain the blessings of salvation, they must repent, believe in Christ, and earnestly ask them by importunate prayer to God, and to God alone; which if they neglect not to perform, they shall succeed: "for every one that asketh receiveth," Matt. vii, 8 and vi, 12. "Our father, ---forgive us our trespasses," &c. And thus shall they, according to the gospel,---this message from God delivered to them,---"be loosed" by the Holy Ghost, (whom God gives to all who thus obey his gospel,) from all their sins, condemnation, and liability to punishment; and this, through the alone infinite merits and "blood of Christ, which cleanseth from all sin," 1 John i, 7. But that such as will not believe this gospel, this divine message, "must be bound (i.e.) be damned;" and therefore, that it is God himself, and not his servants, who will most assuredly confirm to all believers the message thus delivered by his faithful messengers, and will loose or bind them, forgive or condemn them, severally, according to his gospel;---

and therefore, that in the gospel there is no power to forgive sins, farther than this, given to the servants of God. For through Jeremiah was commissioned of God, "to build and to plant kingdoms and nations, to pull down and to destroy them," Jer. i, 10; xviii, 7-9; yet he never did any such thing in whole or in part, actually, but declaratively only; that is, he delivered his message from God, and according to it was obeyed or rejected, so were those to whom it was sent, planted or destroyed, rewarded or punished. And in this sense were the apostles, by preaching the gospel, to forgive sins, to bind and to loose; and also to remove from the society or church, incorrigible offenders, or to receive them again on their repentance, 1 Cor. v, 1-5; 2 Cor. ii, 7-10. 4th. I saw, that, whereas Christ commanded his gospel to be given and carefully taught to every creature, that it might dwell richly in them; so every creature, therefore, should, above all books and things, have the gospel; and, that, to prevent this in any wise, was not to obey Christ, but contravene his will; which would, of course, be the designation of false and antichristian prophets. To claim, then, an authority from Christ, to prevent even children from hearing, learning, or having the gospel, (for Timothy from a child knew the Scriptures,) is claiming authority from Christ to contradict himself: which is blasphemy.

Contrasting these impressive charges with many of the doctrines of the church of Rome, I found them so incongruous, that it became a matter of serious and anxious inquiry how to reconcile the mighty difficulties. Hearing that the ancient fathers had authorized the doctrine and practices of the church, I had recourse to their writings; and, to my astonishment, found, that they had exalted the authority of the Holy Scriptures, as the only true and unerring guide to eternal happiness.

This led me to inquire into the reason why the present church, which professes to be the only true, infallible, holy, and apostolic guide to heaven, differed so essentially both from Scripture and the ancient church? And why, instead of following the injunctions of our blessed Lord, it teaches many contrary doctrines, to the injury of piously disposed minds, leading them from the essential truths of salvation, and from faith in the anointment alone, to the church authorities lately invented, which cannot profit, and to ceremonies and forms of worship, unknown in the primitive church of Christ? Is not true repentence, which is always accompanied by sorrow for sin, by an utter abhorrence to it, and by forsaking it, attended with a hope in the infinite atonement of Christ? This leads the sinner to plead the merits of his Savior's death, and believing in his all sufficient merit for pardon, asking saving faith from him whose gift it is, and who has promised it to those who ask, he shall receive pardon, and peace, and holiness; and these will be afterwards manifested in his life and actions.

I ask, who will deny that this is the gospel way of salvation from sin? And if it be so, then why should the unwary be led into the labyrinths of useless ceremonies? One cannot but feel deep concern and regret for the delusion of a generous, zealous, and unsuspecting people.

These considerations urge me to make this solemn appeal to a people, whose welfare I shall ever have at heart; and unprincipled is he, and base are his designs, who would impose on such, falsehood for truth. I have experienced many signal favors from them, and know the unbounded confidence they place in the men to whom they entrust their salvation. I cannot but abhor the head and heart of that wretch that could plan deception for this people: my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is, that they may be saved; for I bear them record, they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. To them also were committed the oracles of God, but they preferred the traditions of men, and awfully surrendered their Bible, their only unerring guide, and submitted to learn the doctrines of Jesus Christ, not from his holy word and that of his apostles, but from interested men.

Could I address them, it would be thus: Believe absolutely no teacher that comes in the shape of either man or angel; but try the spirits, consult the word of God, which cannot deceive you; compare the words and actions of men with what you read there, and he who comes nearest to the doctrines of Christ, listen to him: for the apostle Paul has said, "If we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel than that already delivered unto you, let him be accursed."

From the above considerations, as serious impression was made on my mind for years, which was increased bybeing sometimes called upon to defend the doctrine of invocation of saints, purgatory, &c, in all which, I found I had not scriptural or rational arguments to support their authority; but being still strongly prejudiced in favor of the mother church, I thought that her authority was founded by Jesus Christ; and that doubting of her doctrine would be a glaring breach of the faith of our blessed Lord.

Let me now again examine for a moment that which held me so long in suspense; namely, being taught from my infancy to believe, "that to doubt of any article of faith taught by the church, would be dangerous to my salvation." This, I fear, keeps many from following that claim and most necessary direction of the apostle, "examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith: know ye not your ownselves, how that Christ Jesus is in you, except ye be reprobates." It is evident, that those who were in communion with the apostle, had no doubt of their being the true church; yet, it appeared a most necessary duty for the apostle to impress on his flock, to examine themselves, to prove and try whether they were now in the faith or not; whether they enjoyed it, or whether they might not resting in the name, without the power of religion, as taught by him. He knew that the name availeth nothing, without the spirit of genuine religion, affecting both the heart and life of its professor. May this salutary and most necessary command be no longer overlooked; and the mere name "which is but the shadow" vainly substituted in its stead!

I again have recourse to Scripture, tradition, &c, to be able to defend the doctrines of popery, but in every attempt to do so, I was secretly forced to feel my incapacity to withstand the convincing truths of God's word. Here the reader may easily imagine what anxiety of mind I felt, on discovering errors in the mother church, so manifest, that all endeavors to gloss them over with far strained arguments, and make them appear plausible, prove ineffectual, and recoiled with double force on my own conscience.---thus, after various perplexity of mind, I communicated my sentiments to a near relative, (now in college,) whose superior knowledge, I presumed, would be capable of removing my doubts, without any farther exposure of what I then considered so dangerous to entertain.

Oh what infatuation was this! How many blessed religious feelings are thus stifled by bigotry. How preferable was the conduct of the noble Bereans, Acts xvii, 11, who, when they heard Paul and Silas preach the gospel, searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so: and many of them believed. But the fear of man, a false notion of honour, and a reluctance to forsake a system, though evidently erroneous, and supported by custom alone, deter many from yielding to conviction. I must say, my friend equally felt the importance of our inquiry: we spent whole days together, comparing the sacred texts of the Douay and Protestant versions, and to our mutual astonishment, we found no essential difference; ---this, whereof I entertained the most sanguine hopes, proving ineffectual, greatly increased my anxiety of mind, (agrescitque medendo,) which I still strove to appease by every means in my power. The idea of having so many of my relatives connected with the church of Rome from time immemorial, often induced me to imagine my doubts originated in some weakness of mind and want of understanding: it would be endless to describe all the various flutuations of mind I underwent, and the different means resorted to, to quiet them. Tandem atternanti potior hæe sententia visa est, V Æ.

At length, unable to sustain a burdened mind any longer, I went to my clergyman, the Rev. Mr. M'Gouran, for whom I had the highest veneration and esteem, stating plainly to him the situation of my mind, and the particular articles of his creed I doubted of; solemning avowing, that I only sought instruction, if I were in error, as I believed I was; for, after reading the Scriptures, and a great part of the ancient and modern works on the authenticity of the Roman Catholic religion, I could find no proof of the following doctrines, viz. invocation of saints, purgatory, indulgences, transubstantiation, auricular confession, the sacrifice of the mass, and prayers in an unknown tongue, substituted for the preaching of the pure gospel. I therefore humbly appealed to him to satisfy me from any part of God's word, on these articles, declaring to him I wanted to be convinced of the truth of the above doctrines; and if so, I would remain an obedient son of the church; or if not, that I must forsake her; my salvation being dearer to me than life. In this, the Searcher of hearts knows, I had nothing in view more than to rest my hope of salvation on Jesus Christ, and to believe the doctrines contained in his holy word.

In justice to this gentleman, I must say, he tried every possible means with me, at different times and places, but to no purpose. At length, seeing my uneasiness, and feeling for my situation, he requested me to go to his house, and if he could not succeed in removing my doubts, he would allow me to follow the dictates of my conscience. Accordingly I went, and he very patiently heard all my objections to his creed; when he produced various authorities, chiefly from the holy fathers, all inconclusive, and insufficient to maintain the above doctrines. In vain we sought for scriptural authority, finding not so much as even the bare mention of them in any part of the sacred volume: and such were my convictions, that no inferior or after devised authorities could satisfy my inquiry after truth. At the same time, I asked him, how could I be blamed for separating from him, and following the dictates of my conscience? To this he agreed; and so I parted from him with the same candour and friendship that every existed between us, deeply sensible of the extraordinary favour he had conferred on me, by patiently hearing my objections.

My doubts being now confirmed, the situation of my mind cannot be easily conceived. To follow the dictates of conscience I was fully resolved, God being my helper; yet, I could not but foresee the difficulties that lay before me. My parent was a widow, and in a great degree dependent upon me. My friends and acquaintances, who, I knew, did not see or feel as I did, would look on me as mad; and consequently I must consider myself as separated from them for life: I felt all this to its utmost extent. I thought on that saying of our blessed Lord, "He that loveth father or mother, or house or land, more than me, is not worthy of me." I considered my salvation dearer than all the world beside. With these views and reflections I resolved to commit my cause to him who has said, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain thee," and leave the event to him, who has also said, "Fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Thus far, having laid before you, candid reader, and my dear fellow countrymen, whom, as God knoweth, I love,---a true statement of the origin, progress, and confirmation of my doubts of the doctrines I objected to in the church of Rome, together with the various means I had recourse to for instruction and certainty in these matters, till the final interview above mentioned,---I little thought of ever hearing the voice of calumny raised against me, and against the motives that induced me to act as I did:---this being a matter that could be judged only by him who reads the secrets of all hearts. No slanderous insinuations against my person, nor fear s to their consequence, where I am known, could induce me to publish any thing in my own defense; as I defy even malice itself: but I feel it to be a duty which I owe to my merciful God and his holy truth, and to those persons who may be in similar circumstances, to vindicate the propriety of leaving the church of Rome: a church, whose doctrines I saw could not be supported. And many persons I know there are on whose minds the light of truth is beginning to dawn: and if this humble, unadorned, yet true statement, may prove useful to any of them, the object I have in view will be fully attained, and will outweigh all the sneering invectives that may be poured this artless production, by the votaries of envy or prejudice.

The narrow limits of this tract do not allow me to dwell so extensively as I wish, on the above controverted points; I shall therefore only request the seriously inquiring reader to compare all the present doctrines, ceremonies, and practices of the church of Rome with the gospel; and find out their origin in the Scriptures, (to which nothing may be added for ever,) and in the practice of the primitive church, before he passes the rash censure on me, that I left the church of Christ. "Judge not lest ye be judged," is the language of holy writ. I beseech you to read attentively the second and fifteenth chapters of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans; and consider, that the Scripture is the rule to direct the church of Christ; and that no particular church or people has authority to usurp the power of establishing or retaining any thing incongruous with, or contrary to the sacred text.

Any church thus counteracting the authority of God's law, cannot be the church of Christ, but must be antichristian, and should be forsaken by all who are willing to take the counsel of Christ for their guide to eternal life. Is it not the bounden duty of every rational being, to prefer the will of God to his own or any other man's? and to discover error and reprobate sin, in whatever shape they may appear; and let their name and pretensions be what they may?---for a mere name is nothing.

Reader, let not your own nor the will of any man, or any party, be the model of your life and actions; but, not to the counsel of any man who does not in all things comply with, follow, obey, and practice the law of Jesus Christ. I am afraid that deep rooted prejudices, formed and nurtured by undue influence, will prevent many from embracing the plain truths of the gospel. Every Christian reader must allow that our Lord has done all things necessary for our salvation, and expressly ordered his followers neither to add nor diminish. Adding any thing would be superfluous; taking from it, blasphemous. All that the holy Scripture is the fountain of all saving truth, and good morals, written by divinely inspired men, under the immediate instruction of our Lord; as St. Augustine and St. Irenæus testify; and infinitely more authentic than any other writings. If this is believed by all, and at least they say they do believe this, why do some exclaim against it and prohibit its general use; yea, and anathematize any who dare look into its sacred contents? Is it because they know that if the Bible be read, its superior light will dispel all the darkness of superstition and ignorance? If this volume were not prohibited, in vain would they, by any sophistry whatever, attempt to build the invocation of saints, on the message and salutation of the angel Gabriel, mentioned in Luke i, 26 &c. Do they not understand, that our Lord did not then begin his mission; which they might easily learn by reading the New Testament, if they have it. But how can it be expected that they would allow a book to be read, which the learned bishop of Benonia said, "was the cause of all storms and tempests, that almost ruined the Roman Catholic church." I do not wonder that interested men should prohibit and vilify the reading of that book, which contains all that is sublime in doctrine, and holy in tendency, ---all that is consolatory to the human heart,---all that is requisite to make us wise unto salvation,---that militates against all doctrines and inventions of men, and the unedifying and unscriptural ceremonies of masses, and prayers in Latin, so contrary to God's word, 1 Cor. xiv.

Why are they not as zealous to expunge the unauthorized abuses that glow in almost every page of their common prayer books, called the "Key of Paradise," "Poor Man's Manual," &c; a few extracts whereof I shall lay before the reader. I ask, can they meet the approbation of any man that will use his understanding; having at the same time any just views of the atonement of Jesus Christ? Nos cum prole pia benedicat Virgo Maria.---"Virgin Mother, we humbly crave thy blessing, and thy Son's,"---"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, grant us rest, peace, pardon, and glory,"---"Hail, holy queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, our hope, to thee we cry, poor banished sons of Eve, to thee do we send up our sighs, mournings and weepings: turn, thou most gracious advocate, the eyes of mercy towards us, and after this miserable pilgrimage receive us, &c. See the litanies of St. Francis, and the Virgin Mary.

Let me here pause, and ask the reader, does he believe that Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, made a full, free, and sufficient atonement to God for fallen man? Is he now the only Mediator between God and man? Does he need other advocates to procure the pardon of our sins from Almighty God? If he did make full atonement, to attribute the mediatorial office to any created being, is blasphemy; if he did not, then the whole of the Christian religion is destroyed. But he did make a full and ample atonement, therefore the mediatorial office cannot be invaded, or in any wise attributed to any other, without awfully confounding the infinite atonement of the Son of God, with the imaginary atonements of sinful and finite men. It may be said, by way of evasion, not their mediation, but intercession, is solicited by their votaries. But does the above language, "Virgin Mother, we humbly crave thy blessing, and thy Son's,"---and, "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, grant us rest, peace, pardon, and glory,"---imply nothing but intercession? Is it not evident that the name of the adorable Jesus is blasphemously confounded with his creatures, Mary and Joseph? Do we not read above, "Most gracious advocate," &c,---and many such expressions in the "Rosary of the Blessed Virgin," &c? Oh! what narrow views must they have of the infinite mercy of Jesus Christ, who suppose that the interference of angels and of departed saints is necessary to induce him to hear our supplications! They forget what is said in Matt. vi, 6,7: "For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him." But not one sentence of either asking or soliciting the interference or intercession of any saint departed, or any angel, is ever sanctioned and mentioned in holy writ; nor, even when our Lord resided on earth, was it ever known that his respected mother was solicited by any sinner in behalf of his sins; though then it might appear a natural occurrence. Knowing, therefore, that in after times such abuses would arise, he publicly avowed, "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." And as this doctrine of intercession of angels and departed saints, is an addition to the gospel, so, it must be, according to St. Paul, "accursed," Gal. i, 8.

If your prejudice be strong enough to make you believe that the above prayers only intimate intercession, I will prove at once the absurdity and utter impossibility of this man devised system. Do you believe in the omnipresence and omniscience of the holy trinity, and that no other being possesseth these attributes? It must be answered, Yes; for none dare believe otherwise. Therefore, ominipresence (i.e. being every where present at the same instance of time) being the attribute of God alone, no saint, or angel, can hear, at the same time, millions of votaries praying in different places of the earth. Hence the inconsistency, (to say no worse) of such prayers, and of attributing, as it were, ominiscience, that is, knowing the secrets of the hearts of all men at the same time, to any creature whatever. They cannot know the secrets of the heart, and therefore cannot be intercessors for man. How absurd the idea! How fruitless the attempt, to pray for or to solicit their intercession, as it cannot be known but that some of those to whom prayer is made may have died in sin, and in that event they are now damned spirits; devils: then such prayers would be offered to devils!

From all these plain reasons, it is easily seen how slippery is the path they tread in, who do not follow the plain road marked out by our Lord Jesus Christ. How easily is every system, not founded on the Rock of Ages, upset, when opposed to the pure gospel. Let me particularly address myself to Roman Catholic brethren. Have I not laid before you a plain statement of facts, as a sufficient cause, founded on Scripture, reason, and common sense, for my separating from your church? not particularly touching by way of argument, on any but this one point of doctrine, leaving the rest to abler pens? I am sure it will be told you, that I am among the followers of false prophets: but you will allow our Lord to be the best judge of this. Let us hear him. When, in after times, "false prophets arise, that will deceive, if it were possible, even the elect;" he does not leave us in the dark, how to know and assert them. His comprehensive rule is, "By their fruits ye shall know them;" that is, by their lives and doctrine agreeing with what he commanded and taught; or, on the contrary, their adding to, or taking from his word: for he that does so, God declares that "He will add to him all the plagues in his book." See Rev. xxii, 18, 19. And for taking away any of the words of his book, he also declares, that, "he will take away his part out of the book of life."

Now, if none of the aforementioned tenets, to which I object, were ever taught by our Lord or his prophets, (which is easily proved, as no mention whatsoever is made of them in the gospel,) by such additions, or false teachings, the teachers made be easily discovered; and these awful plagues must ensue. And if withholding the Scriptures, which are commanded to be searched, read, and taught, is taking from his words; this may create strong suspicion, that the dreadful curse of "taking away his part out of the book of life," must follow. But if the gospel be God's truth, they who strictly adhere to it, and practice and teach it, must, of course, be true, and cannot be false prophets.

Oh my friends, think of these things.---judge for yourselves; for no man will stand for you in the judgment of the great day. I well know the effects of prejudice in favor of long customs and habits; but this, you are aware, will be no apology in that dread day. I am also aware you have been told, "that I was bribed for turning."---

Believe it not; nay, I am certain you do not, you cannot believe it. You have long known me; and you can now say, if I have ever acted any part that was base, or even gave room for suspicion. No, no; my soul shall never be sold. God forbid. Nothing but conscientious motives, causing any man of character to do as I have done, could ever be thought of by any man of common sense or piety.

Such were my motives, and no other object had I, or now have in view, as the Searcher of hearts knoweth. You see I did not do so from influence, or the impulse of a moment. I examined and tried every matter with the utmost caution and deliberation, and by the best authorities. Seriously reflect and examine for yourselves, before you rashly condemn; and my sincere prayer to God is, that in all things you may be directed agreeably to His will; that at the last we may meet where dissensions and differences are no more heard of for ever.

JOSEPH REILLY.


A LETTER FROM THE REV. JOHN WESLEY TO MR. C., ON A FRIEND EMBRACING POPERY.

I doubt not but both ______, and you are in trouble, because **** has "changed his religion." Nay, he has changed his opinions, and mode of worship: but that is not religion: it is quite another thing. "Has he then," you may ask, "sustained no less by the change?" Yes, unspeakable loss: because his new opinion, and mode of worship, are so unfavorable to religion, that they make it, if not impossible to one that once knew better, yet extremely difficult.

"What then is religion?" It is happiness in God, or in the knowledge and love of God. It is "faith working by love." Producing "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." In other words, it is a heart and life devoted to God: or, communion with God the Father and the Son: or, the mind which was in Christ Jesus, enabling us to walk as he walked. Now, either he has this religion, or he has not: if he was, he will not finally perish, notwithstanding the absurd, unscriptural opinions he has embraced, and the superstitious and idolatrous modes of worship. But these are so many shackles, which will greatly retard him in running the race that is set before him. If he has not this religion, if he has not given God his heart, the case is unspeakably worse: I doubt if he ever will; for his new friends will continually endeavor to hinder him, by putting something else in its place, by encouraging him to rest in the form, notions, or externals, without being born again, without having Christ in him, the hope of glory, without being renewed in the image of him who created him. This is the deadly evil. I have often lamented, that he had not this holiness, without which no man can see the Lord. But though he had it not, yet in his hours of cool reflection, he did not hope to go to heaven without it; but now he is, or will be taught, that let him only have a right faith, (that is, such and such notions,) and add thereunto such and such externals, and he is quite safe. He may indeed roll a few years in purging fire, but he will surely go to heaven at last.

Therefore, you and my dear ****, have great need to weep over him: but have you not also need to weep for yourselves? For have you given God your hearts? Are you holy in heart? Have you the kingdom of God within you? Righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost? The only true religion under heaven! Oh cry unto Him that is mighty to save, for this one thing needful: earnestly and diligently use all the means which God hath put plentifully in your hands! Otherwise, I should not at all wonder, if God permits you also to be given up to a strong delusion: but whether you were or were not;----whether you are Protestant or Papist, -----neither you nor he can ever enter into glory, unless you are now cleansed from all pollutions of flesh and spirit and perfect holiness in the fear of God!

I am, your affectionate,

JOHN WESLEY.

Dundee, May 2nd, 1786.


PUBLISHED BY J. EMORY AND B. WAUGH,

FOR THE TRACT SOCIETY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AT THE CONFERENCE OFFICE, 14 CROSBY-STREET, NEW YORK.


J. Collord, Printer

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.................................I sought the Lord and He heard me.... Psalm 34:4

..........................Testimony of Oliver McAllister [The Truth is in the Bible!]

My childhood home was a happy one. Like many Irish Catholic families, ours was large. There was nine of us: Mum and Dad, my six sisters and myself. We were close to each other and caring. But in 1970 into that happy home came a tragedy that was to change everything, for nothing would ever be the same again. I was only eleven years old and my father, a plumbing and heating engineer, needed wakened in the afternoon to go out on his shift. I ran up the stairs and His door was slightly open and seeing his leg hanging over the edge of the bed I decided to give him a fright - 'Come on, Daddy I shouted, grabbing his leg ‘its time you got up for work.' But his leg was heavy and cold. I knew right away what had happened. It was the day before Christmas, and my dad had died in his sleep.

We were strict Roman Catholics and all around our house were holy pictures and little crucifixes. It was to a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which hung above my bed, that I ran for help. With a broken heart I cried to the picture on the wall, sobbing the prayer that my daddy would come back to life again. I believed that when I would go back into his room and grab him by the leg, everything would be all right. He would jump up shouting, 'What are you at?' but that was not to be. Before I went downstairs to tell my mum and sisters, I paused and looked into my dad's face. I had known from a very early age that inside each one of us is a soul that leaves our bodies when we die. As I stared at his body, I knew with a certainty that my dad's soul had left his body. Where is he now? I wondered. Where is he now? Dad had been a ‘good man’, drink and bad language were not used in our home. His family was everything to him, and he associated with few outside of it. Has he gone to heaven? I asked myself is my dad away to be with God? But then an awful thought struck me what if he wasn't good enough to go to heaven. Where is he then? Could he have gone to hell I thought about hell and the kind of people who went there: murderers and people like that. No, I reasoned, no way would my dad go to hell. My dad was too good for hell.

So where had he gone? All our religious teaching told us the answer to that. Dad had gone to purgatory. We believed it was up to us to get him out of purgatory into heaven. And, because we loved him so much, we did all that we could. We said prayers for my dad. We paid for masses to be said for the good of his soul. And we put money into the chapel for his release. There was no way we wanted our dad to spend years and years in purgatory when our prayers and masses and money could get him out of there. Every now and then mum would give me an envelope to take to the priest, asking him to offer up the next mass for our dad. I took some money of my own when I went to the chapel, I would walk to the front beside the alter putting my money in the box, I would light a candle and pray to the statue of the Virgin Mary, fervent prayers that she would ask her Son to release my dad from purgatory.

A thought ate at my young heart where would I go if I died? Without a shadow of doubt I knew l wasn't ‘good’ enough to go to heaven. But, on the other hand, with all the good works I had done even as a little boy, I felt I wasn't ‘bad’ enough to go to hell. I lived with the knowledge that if I were to die I would go, like my dad, to purgatory. And there I would depend on my family's prayers, their money and their masses for my soul, if l were ever to be released and it was a frightening thought!

Although that troubled me off and on, most of the time l put it to the back of my mind and got on with my life. There were, however, occasions when the thought confronted me violently. If I saw a hearse passing, it brought me up short, and I found myself wondering if the person whose remains it was carrying had gone to heaven or hell or purgatory. Always that question - where would I go if I died? On one occasion, when I saw a boy knocked down and killed, I was tortured with questions. Where was his soul? Fear had a big grip on my life. As a teenager I became an altar boy in the chapel, helping the priest with the mass. l thought if I helped him, went to mass and did good works, God would see the life I was leading and be pleased enough with me that he would take me to heaven. After all, I had been baptised as a baby, made my first communion when I was eight, and was confirmed a year or two after that. Surely, I decided, they were my tickets to heaven. But there was always a niggling doubt. I did my best, at least most of the time, but was my best good enough?

After leaving school I went to work for a Christian man who was not afraid to speak about his faith or his Saviour. He was a business man, and put up with no time wasters. I remember one day he said he'd stand over me till l finished a job of work. And he did, as I worked, from 11am until 4pm, he talked to me about the things of God. His business was important to him but when the Lord's business needed to be done, that took priority. He told me I was a sinner who had come short of the glory of God. I had never heard language like that before. Only bad people were sinners, after all I didn't think I knew anyone who was really bad enough to be called a sinner! Good people who did wrong things were not sinners in my young mind. He told me how the Lord Jesus went to Calvary, there to die for sinners. My boss testified to his own faith and God's faithfulness. 'Oliver,' he concluded, ‘I realised through someone witnessing to me, that I was a sinner before God and that the Lord Jesus stood, with outstretched arms, waiting to forgive me for all my filthy dirty sins and receive me. I cried out from the depths of my heart and told him I was a sinner and that I wanted to be saved.'

This was all new to me. As much as I had gone to mass, to missions, to novenas, l had never heard the like. It seemed so right that I was almost persuaded. But, when I walked away from work that afternoon, it was as if the devil opened up my heart, lifted out the seed that had been sown, and threw it away. It was later, when I was working as a bus driver, that God was to speak to me again. He gave me such a concern for my soul that I went with my daughter, Lorraine, to a shrine at Mountmellery, in the south of Ireland. Thousands of people went there to see a statue of the Virgin Mary moving and to hear the statue speaking. Someone told me that they had seen the face of the Lord Jesus Christ there. It was with yearning of soul that I went. My daughter Lorraine and I stood at the statue on a winter's night in the pouring rain, praying the rosary from the depths of our hearts. I prayed and prayed but nothing happened. I went with one purpose in mind, to see the face of Jesus, but I left disappointed and disillusioned with my tears mingling with the rain on my face.

I used to watch people going to church on Sundays with their Bibles and wondered why I didn't have one, and why people going to the mass didn't need Bibles. Something in me yearned for God's word and I tried to find it in my missal, a little book with a mass for every day of the year but it left me frustrated as there was nothing in it to satisfy my needs.

Once again, I was confronted with the question that plagued me. A poor man who got on to my bus collapsed and died. Nothing could be done to save him. Having run to call an ambulance I came back and knelt down beside his body. Putting my mouth to his ear, I whispered, 'O my God, I'm very sorry for having sinned against thee because thou art good. With the help of grace I'll never sin again. ‘I prayed that God would hear that prayer as if it came from the dead man's lips. Where was his soul? I asked myself, after the ambulance men had taken his body away. Had God heard that prayer? And the old question came back again to haunt me. Where would I go if I died? That very afternoon a toddler in a buggy on my bus choked on a sweet. Hearing her mum's screams I looked in the mirror and saw the child’s purple face and terrified eyes. I dashed to the back of the bus, upturned the buggy, and slapped the wee thing on the back to dislodge the sweet. I was never so glad to hear a child cry in all my life. But that day left me deeply shaken, what was happening to me? I had come face to face with eternity twice in one day. And the question came back yet again. Where would I go if I died?

A short time latter I was with Trevor Holmes, a fellow bus driver He had lost his only son in an accident some time before. 'Trevor, tell me this,' I asked him...how did you ever get over the death of your boy?' 'The Lord helped me,' he replied.’ And I knew from the way he said it that here was a man who knew God. I had religion, but Trevor had relationship. I depended on rituals while he depended on the Lord Jesus Christ. That night, and every night for the following week, I traveled home on Trevor's bus and we talked. 'Oliver, have you got a Bible?' he asked one evening. I felt embarrassed and ashamed. ‘Sure I've got a Bible,' but I had lied.

When I got off his bus that night, it was as though the Holy Spirit spoke right to me, telling me to get myself a Bible. As soon as I could the next day I went to a shop that sold ‘holy’ things. There were pictures of all the saints and statues of the Virgin Mary. Hanging on the walls were crucifixes on which was the figure of our Lord, with a trickle of blood painted on his hands, feet and side. I took a £10 note from my pocket and ask the woman in the shop 'Can I have a Bible, please?' 'I'm sorry,' she replied. 'We don't sell them!' You could have knocked me down with a feather. She gave me directions to a shop that would have one, and when I got there it was almost as if the Bible was reaching off the shelf to meet me. I went from the shop to pick up my bus and start my shift. Before my first run I sat in the driver's seat reading my Bible, my very own Bible. I remember my thoughts I'll read it as fast as I can and I'll get as much out of it as I'm able to and now I'm going to find out the truth!.

Sitting there on the bus l read the first five chapters of Genesis. Then I came to verse 3 of chapter 6. "My Spirit shall not always strive with man". The Holy Spirit used that to make me stop and think. It was only then that I realised that my bus was half full. People had given me money and I'd given them all sorts of tickets. l don't know how much change I gave them or if they got any at all. They must have wondered about me, thinking that I was so deep in the Bible that I could neither see nor hear what was going on round about me. God was speaking to me, telling me to watch myself, reminding me that he wasn't playing a game, and that I shouldn't play a game with my soul either, for I might lose. Putting the bus into gear I raced through my route to give me time at the other end to read some more. If the police had caught me that day I think I would have lost my license. I wasn't very long into my reading when I started to get lost. I couldn't wait to get on to Trevor's bus that night. (I've an apology to make to you,' I told him 'Remember you asked me if I bad a Bible and I said I had? Well I hadn't but I was ashamed to admit it, and I didn't want you to be one up on me. When I got off your bus it was as though God told me to go and get one.’

Trevor's eyes filled up and I thought he was going to cry. 'That's amazing,' he said 'Last night when l went home I told Myrtle my wife about your conversation. Then I got down on my knees and prayed that God would show me what to say to you.' I told him what I'd been reading, and he pointed me to other verses about calling an God when he is near. [My heart was moved]

The devil had dragged me down over the previous months, and I let him do it as I smoked, drank nearly every night and had Iost a fortune on bets. So bad did my drinking become that my wife, Deirdre, sat in the car waiting for me to get off the bus, just to stop me going to the pub. That night, when I got off Trevor's bus with my Bible, she looked at me hard. What’s that she said, it's a Bible I replied. I told her I had bought it and I remember her reaction well. "Oliver, listen till I tell you something. You know what they say about people who read Bibles? They crack up and you're going to crack up, as if you're not bad enough the way you are just now". Things did change. The desire to go to the pub left me. I wanted to stay at home reading my Bible to and to find out the truth. Eventually I came to the part in John's Gospel where Nicodemus, a man much more religious than I ever was, asked the Lord Jesus just what I wanted to know. The Answer from Jesus, that we need to be born again. I didn't Know what he meant, but the Lord went on to explain it. That I had been born of the flesh and I knew fine well, and I knew too that I had not been born of the Spirit. I read on and in John 6:37 I found Jesus' words, "..him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" and again in John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life : no man cometh unto the Father, but by me". What about all the prayers I've prayed to the saints? I asked myself and I concluded that either I was right and this Bible was wrong, or I was wrong and this Bible was right. And I was going to find out which was right!

Then one night, as I read in John's gospel of the Lord's crucifixion while Deirdre watched the television, tears started to run down my face, and I went upstairs and thought of his agony. Guilt overwhelmed me and I cried out to God for mercy. And right there and then the Lord saved me. That day, 3rd October 1989, l went to confession to the priest, the Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus. I cried sore and I prayed hard. 1 knew what Deirdrie’s reaction would be, and l was right. When I told her I was saved she looked at me as though I had two heads. Didn't I tell you if you started reading that Bible you' d crack up?' she shouted.

The devil gave us a hard time for the next year and a half and he did everything in his power to prevent household salvation. Then one day Deirdre came to me when I arrived home from work with the Bible in her hand.' What does this mean?' she asked. ‘And what does that mean?' I told her that it was God's word and that I believed it. That very day my wife had a desire to go to a meeting at church, and while she was there she came to the Lord. It was not easy for her as her mother had threatened to disown her if that ever happened. But God overruled that situation and instead of disowning her, she accepted that Deirdre had made up her mind and that it couldn't be changed. And then came the best of aIl birthday presents when our daughter, Lorraine, was converted on my birthday on our way home from a meeting we had attended together What the devil had fought against the Lord did.

Retrieved from http://www.bereanbeacon.org/oliver.htm

 

[D46]

What false teachings?

We do have to believe scripture- for it was the Church that canonized scripture and preserved it. Just as she preserved all teachings. Scripture is the infallible, inspired word of God.

The New Testament canon, exactly like the Old, was accepted and recognized by a consensus of the believers as it was being written is clear from historic evidence. Further proof comes from the testimony of Peter:

2 Peter 3:15-16 (KJV) And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Catholicism not only teaches that the Church hierarchy alone can interpret the Bible, but that no one can believe it without the Church attesting to its authenticity. Keating suggests that the gospel itself has no power without this endorsement. He quotes St. Augustine: "I would not believe in the Gospel if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so."(23) If that is true, then no one prior to the Third Council of Carthage in A.D. 397 could have believed or preach the gospel!

Yet, the gospel was preached from the very beginning. Paul turned the world upside down with the gospel (Acts 17:6). Within the first two centuries about 10 percent of the Roman Empire became Christians and studied, meditated upon, believed, and were led by both the Old and New Testament Scriptures exactly as we have them today. If they could know what books were inspired and could be guided by them without the authenticating stamp of the Roman Catholic Church (which didn't yet exist), then so can we today.

Peter acknowledges Paul's writings to be Scripture. So has, apparently, the entire of body of believers at this time. "The other Scriptures" by that time would have included most of the remainder of the New Testament. Furthermore, these books were so readily available and well-known by common consensus already at this early date (about A.D.66) that Peter didn't even need to name them. Christians knew what writings were inspired of God in the same way a native in the jungle knows that the gospel is true: by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.

Christ and His disciples preached the gospel before any church was established. Early in His ministry, before even saying anything about establishing His church, Christ sent His disciples forth, and they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel" (Luke 9:6). Eleven times in the four Gospels we are told that Christ and His disciples were engaged in preaching the gospel, a gospel which is "the power of God unto salvation" to those who believe it (Rom. 1:16). Yet there was no Roman Catholic Church in existence to verify that the gospel was true. Nor does today's preaching need Rome's endorsement any more than it did in the beginning.

Three thousand souls were saved on the day of Pentecost without Peter saying one word about an "infallible Church" putting its approval on what he preached. Even after Pentecost we find no attempt by Christians, who "went everywhere preaching the Word" (Acts 8:4), to prove that an infallible Church existed and endorsed the gospel. We read of the preaching of Philip in Samaria and of Paul in many places, where multitudes believed; yet not once is the gospel supported by the statement that Christ established an infallible Church and that the bishops of this Church had put their official stamp of approval upon what was being preached. If the endorsement of the Roman Catholic Church wasn't needed then, neither is it needed now, for the Word of God is "living and powerful...a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

In 1545 the Roman Catholic Church formed the Council of Trent. The Council of Trent systematically denied the teachings of the Reformation. The Council decreed that "tradition" was of equal authority with the Bible. It decreed also that justification was not by faith alone in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. In fact, it stated that anyone believing in this vital Bible doctrine was cursed. The Council's exact words are: "If anyone saith that justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake or that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified, let him be anathema."

Anyone can see that the Roman Catholic Church is guilty of officially cursing Jesus Christ! Would God use this church to preserve His Words let alone canonize the scriptures? I think not.