US Government seizure of the internet has begun; DHS takes over 76 websites
I really thought we had something called “Due Process”.
US Government seizure of the internet has begun; DHS takes over 76 websites
I really thought we had something called “Due Process”.
I had to add some comments. I was listening to the World Tomorrow on KFAQ 1170 on my way to Mass this morning and it was on Purgatory and, of course, was definitely Anti-Catholic. I was so glad that, when I came home, that this article would be the next one up! Read carefully, this answers many of the questions on this radio program and much asked questions about the “non-biblical” doctrine of Purgatory.
This is not in order, I know. I did not seem to have the missing articles in my inbox so there is a skip from the last to the present article.
J.A. Arroyo
Deputy Grand Knight, Council 11194
Hey folks, a few things before we get to more of my examination of Mike Gendron’s website:
1) Big news! Check out my first YouTube video at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8jXidiUc8s
This is the first in a series of videos I have entitled, “Questions Protestants Can’t Answer.” The first question Protestants can’t answer: “Is a dead body really a body?” – you’ll understand once you watch the video. I’m hoping these videos will prove to be a valuable resource for you in your evangelization efforts and that they will make a whole lot of folks take stock of what it is they believe and why they believe it.
And, to that end, I’m going to ask a big favor: Could each of you please click on the video multiple times (maybe 10 times each or more)? You don’t have to watch the whole thing each time, but after you’ve watched it once, click on another page, then click back to that page and watch a few seconds of the video and then repeat that process 10 or more times if you would. It will only take a couple of minutes to do that, but by doing so, you’ll help raise the number of hits (my goal is 100,000 hits – seemingly impossible, but no one has ever accused me of thinking small). The more hits these videos get, the more attention they get from folks who might not otherwise view them. So, if you can help out in this regard, it would be greatly appreciated.
Also, if you could email the link to the folks on your email address list and ask them to watch the video, that, too, would be of tremendous help. If you have Protestants on your list, just tell them you saw this “provocative” video and would love to get their opinion of it. You might be able to get some discussions going that way. And if you have any blogs or regularly visit any Catholic chat rooms, please “chat” up the video and give the link. Thanks!
Now, back to my commentary on Mike Gendron’s article on Purgatory. (By the way, sorry for the longer than usual delay between newsletters – been very busy at the Diocese, plus I took a few days off, plus my wife had some surgery – she’s fine, but please keep her in your prayers as she’s been pretty sore the last week and probably will be for a few more days – all of which got me way behind on things.)
As usual, I will print Mr. Gendron’s comments first, in italics, and in their entirety, then follow with my comments.
From the website: www.pro–gospel.com, by Mike Gendron
Mike Gendron:
Purgatory: Purifying Fire or Fatal Fable
Catholics who believe a purifying fire will purge away their sins are deluded victims of a fatal fabrication. The invention of a place for purification of sins called Purgatory is one of the most seductive attractions of the Roman Catholic religion. Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church described this deceptive hoax brilliantly. He said: “Purgatory is what makes the whole system work. Take out Purgatory and it’s a hard sell to be a Catholic. Purgatory is the safety net, when you die, you don’t go to hell. You go [to Purgatory] and get things sorted out and finally get to heaven if you’ve been a good Catholic. In the Catholic system you can never know you’re going to heaven. You just keep trying and trying…in a long journey toward perfection. Well, it’s pretty discouraging. People in that system are guilt–ridden, fear–ridden and have no knowledge of whether or not they’re going to get into the Kingdom. If there’s no Purgatory, there’s no safety net to catch me and give me some opportunity to get into heaven. It’s a second chance, it’s another chance after death” (from “The Pope and the Papacy”).
The Origin of Purgatory
There was no mention of Purgatory during the first two centuries of the church. However, when Roman Emperor Theodosius (379–395) decreed that Christianity was to be the official religion of the empire, thousands of pagans flooded into the Church and brought their pagan beliefs and traditions with them. One of those ancient pagan beliefs was a place of purification where souls went to make satisfaction for their sins.
The concept became much m ore widespread around 600 A.D. due to the fanaticism of Pope Gregory the Great. He developed the doctrine through visions and revelations of a Purgatorial fire. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia (CE), Pope Gregory said Catholics “will expiate their faults by purgatorial flames,” and “the pain [is] more intolerable than any one can suffer in this life.” Centuries later, at the Council of Florence (1431), it was pronounced an infallible dogma. It was later reaffirmed by the Council of Trent (1564). The dogma is based largely on Catholic tradition from extra– biblical writings and oral history. “So deep was this belief ingrained in our common humanity that it was accepted by the Jews, and in at least a shadowy way by the pagans, long before the coming of Christianity” (CE). It seems incomprehensible that Rome would admit to using a pagan tradition for the defense of one of its most esteemed “Christian” doctrines. 60;
The Origin of Purgatory
There was no mention of Purgatory during the first two centuries of the church. However, when Roman Emperor Theodosius (379–395) decreed that Christianity was to be the official religion of the empire, thousands of pagans flooded into the Church and brought their pagan beliefs and traditions with them. One of those ancient pagan beliefs was a place of purification where souls went to make satisfaction for their sins.
John Martignoni
I commented on the 1st paragraph of Gendron’s article in the last issue (#141) which you can find on the “Newsletter” page of our website (www.biblechristiansociety.com), so I’ll start with “The Origin of Purgatory” in this issue.
Okay, what’s the first thing wrong with what he says here? He’s arguing from silence. He states that there is 220;no mention of Purgatory during the first two centuries of the church.” My response is, “So what!?” First of all, do we have every single thing that was written by Christians during the first two centuries of the Church? Not hardly.
Second of all, if he is going to offer the supposed silence of the early Church (as found or not found, I assume, in early Christian writings) as proof that the doctrine of Purgatory is a false doctrine, then he would also have to believe that salvation by faith alone (Sola Fide) is a false doctrine, so also Sola Scriptura (Scripture as the sole rule of faith for Christians), so also Once Saved Always Saved, so also individual interpretation of Scripture, so also Baptism as being merely symbolic, and many other doctrines that Mr. Gendron holds near and dear. Nowhere are any of these beliefs of Mr. Gendron mentioned in the early centuries by the Church (nor in later centuries, either). Mr. Gendron, I ask you, where in the writings of the early Church do we see the teaching of salvation by faith alone? We don’t. That is a dogma formulated by Martin Luther and his “church.”
The next thing wrong with what he says is this: He offers absolutely no back up for his claim that the belief in Purgatory was brought into the Church when “thousands of pagans flooded into the Church” in the late 4th century. Please Mr. Gendron, can you give us some 4th century source documents that support this claim of yours? Or, are you relying solely on “tradition” for this belief? Fact of the matter is, Mr. Gendron is indeed relying on tradition for this statement. And it’s a tradition that stems from a complete lack of integrity in historical scholarship, or rather, from just a complete lack of historical scholarship period.
Let’s look at a few sources that place the Christian belief in Purgatory before the 379–395 AD timeframe cited by Mr. Gendron. First of all, we see Tertullian clearly talking about what we call Purgatory, although he called it Hades, in his Treatise on the Soul which was written around 210 AD: “In short, if we understand that prison of which the Gospel speaks to be Hades, and if we interpret the last farthing (see Matt 5:25–26) to be the light offense which is to be expiated there before the resurrection, no one will doubt that the soul undergoes some punishments in Hades….” Lanctatius offers purgatorial language in The Divine Institutions around 310 AD: “But also when God will judge the just, it is likewise in fire that He will try them. At that time, they whose sins are uppermost, either because of their gravity or their number, will be drawn together by the fire and burned [Purgatory]. Those, however, who have been imbued with full justice and maturity of virtue, will not feel that fire…”
Also, we have citations of the Christian tradition of praying and offering sacrifices for the dead from before the timeframe cited by Mr. Gendron as to when the “innovation” of Purgatory was first introduced. These citations are important, because if there is no Purgatory, then Christian prayers for the dead are useless since if you’re in Hell, prayer is of no avail to you, and if you’re in Heaven, prayer is not necessary for you. Only if one has a belief in the concept of Purgatory do prayers for the dead make sense.
From the Epitaph of Abercius, who was Bishop of Hierapolis, from about 180 AD: “May everyone who is in accord with this and who understands it, pray for Abercius [after his death].” But why if there is only Heaven or Hell?
Tertullian, from his treatise, The Crown, around 211 AD: “A woman, after the death of her husband…prays for his soul…And each year, on the anniversary of his death, she offers the sacrifice.”
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, when discussing the Mass in his Catechetical Lectures, around 350 AD, describes the prayers in the Sacred Liturgy: “Next, we make mention also of the holy fathers and bishops who have already fallen asleep, and of all among us who have already fallen asleep; for we believe that it will be of very great benefit to the souls of those for whom the petition is carried up, while this holy and most solemn Sacrifice is laid out.” How could it possibly benefit the souls of the deceased if there is only Heaven or Hell?
All of which shows, that when one uses actual historical documents, rather than a fabricated history that grows out of bigotry towards the Catholic Church, it is quite easy to show that the Christian belief in Purgatory pre–dates the period that Mr. Gendron claims it w as brought into the Church by pagans. And not only do these actual documents show that Christian belief in the concept of Purgatory pre–dated the timeframe given by Mr. Gendron, but these actual historical documents tend to point to the fact that the belief was widespread and existed in the earliest period of Christianity.
By the way, Mr. Gendron, what Church was it that these “thousands of pagans” came into? You obviously believe it was the Catholic Church. So, by your words here, you are, in essence, admitting that the Catholic Church was the original Christian Church, are you not? So, if the Catholic Church was the original Christian Church, can we not say that it was the Church Jesus was speaking of when He said, “And the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it?” (Matt 16:18). Yet, you believe that the gates of Hell did indeed prevail against it.
Mike Gendron:
The concept became much more widespread around 600 A.D. due to the fanaticism of Pope Gregory the Great. He developed the doctrine through visions and revelations of a Purgatorial fire. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia (CE), Pope Gregory said Catholics “will expiate their faults by purgatorial flames,” and “the pain [is] more intolerable than any one can suffer in this life.” Centuries later, at the Council of Florence (1431), it was pronounced an infallible dogma. It was later reaffirmed by the Council of Trent (1564). The dogma is based largely on Catholic tradition from extra– biblical writings and oral history. “So deep was this belief ingrained in our common humanity that it was accepted by the Jews, and in at least a shadowy way by the pagans, long before the coming of Christianity” (CE). It seems incomprehensible that Rome would admit to using a pagan tradition for the defense of one of its most esteemed “Christian” doctrines.
John Martignoni
Don’t you love it!? The “fanaticism” of Pope Gregory the Great. Again, his claim that this “concept” of Purgatory became much more widespread in the 600’s has already been proven false by the documents I cited earlier. The concept of Purgatory was already shown to be widespread in the early centuries of the Church.
I also love how he quotes the Catholic Encyclopedia (CE) to show the “fanaticism” of Gregory the Great. Furthermore, he claims that Pope Gregory “developed” the doctrine through “visions and revelations,” yet offers no source for these claims. I’m not saying that Gregory didn’t have visions about Purgatory – I don’t know if he did or didn’t – my point is, Mr. Gendron always and everywhere offers no corroboration for his claims.
He then makes the claim that the doctrine of Purgatory is “ based largely on Catholic tradition from extra– biblical writings and oral history,” as if there is absolutely no scriptural evidence for this doctrine. I ask each of you to go to www.newadvent.org, click on the “Encyclopedia” tab, and then look up Purgatory in the Catholic Encyclopedia there. See if you think Mr. Gendron is being a bit disingenuous in his claim after you read all of the Scripture verses – Old Testament and New – cited in that article. It’s one thing to disagree with the Church and the Early Church Fathers as to how to interpret this or that Scripture verse, it is something of an entirely different nature to pretend that the Church depends not a whit on Scripture for the certainty of its teaching on this particular doctrine.
Finally, his last sentence above speaks volumes regarding Mr. Gendron’s integrity. It seems incomprehensible that Rome would admit to using a pagan tradition for the defense of one of its most esteemed “Christian” doctrines. His method of selectively quoting Catholic sources and then offering his own biased and bigoted interpretation of those selected quotes, is disingenuous at best, and downright dishonest at worst. Let me put the quote from the CE that he cites as “using a pagan tradition for the defense” of the doctrine of Purgatory, in context:
From the Catholic Encyclopedia:
“Purgatory (Lat., “purgare”, to make clean, to purify) in accordance with Catholic teaching is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God’s grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.
The faith of the Church concerning purgatory is clearly expressed in the Decree of Union drawn up by the Council of Florence (Mansi, t. XXXI, col. 1031), and in the decree of the Council of Trent which (Sess. XXV) defined:
“Whereas the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has from the Sacred Scriptures and the ancient tradition of the Fathers taught in Councils and very recently in this Ecumenical synod (Sess. VI, cap. XXX; Sess. XXII cap.ii, iii) that there is a purgatory, and that the souls therein are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar; the Holy Synod enjoins on the Bishops that they diligently endeavor to have the sound doctrine of the Fathers in Councils regarding purgatory everywhere taught and preached, held and believed by the faithful” (Denzinger, “Enchiridon ”, 983).
Further than this the definitions of the Church do not go, but the tradition of the Fathers and the Schoolmen must be consulted to explain the teachings of the councils, and to make clear the belief and the practices of the faithful.
Temporal punishment
That temporal punishment is due to sin, even after the sin itself has been pardoned by God, is clearly the teaching of Scripture. God indeed brought man out of his first disobedience and gave him power to govern all things (Wisdom 10:2), but still condemned him “to eat his bread in the sweat of his brow” until he returned unto dust. God forgave the incredulity of Moses and Aaron, but in punishment kept them from the “land of promise” (Numbers 20:12). The Lord took away the sin of David, but the life of the child was forfeited because David had made God’s enemies blaspheme His Holy Name (2 Samuel 12:13–14). In the New Testament as well as in the Old, almsgiving and fasting, and in general penitential acts are the real fruits of repentance (Matthew 3:8; Luke 17:3; 3:3). The whole penitential system of the Church testifies that the voluntary assumption of penitential works has always been part of true repentance and the Council of Trent (Sess. XIV, can. xi) reminds the faithful that God does not always remit the whole punishment due to sin together with the guilt. God requires satisfaction, and will punish sin, and this doctrine involves as its necessary consequence a belief that the sinner failing to do penance in this life may be punished in another world, and so not be cast off eternally from God.
Venial sins
All sins are not equal before God, nor dare anyone assert that the daily faults of human frailty will be punished with the same severity that is meted out to serious violation of God’s law. On the other hand whosoever comes into God’s presence must be perfectly pure for in the strictest sense His “eyes are too pure, to behold evil” (Habakkuk 1:13). For unrepented venial faults for the payment of temporal punishment due to sin at time of death, the Church has always taught the doctrine of purgatory.
So deep was this belief ingrained in our common humanity that it was accepted by the Jews, and in at least a shadowy way by the pagans, long before the coming of Christianity. (“Aeneid,” VI, 735 sq.; Sophocles, “Antigone,” 450 sq.).”
After citing Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, the Catholic Encyclopedia mentions, pretty much as an afterthought, that even the pagans believed in the concept of Purgatory, “in at least a shadowy way,” and so what does Mr. Gendron focus on as Cat Catholic justification for a belief in Purgatory? Pagan tradition. Do you think the people reading his article on Purgatory get a fair, honest, and objective view of why the Church believes as it does on Purgatory? Absolutely not. He seems to frequently use tactics that are less honorable than they could be. He turns a brief mention of pagans believing in Purgatory in a “shadowy way” into Rome admitting that it uses “a pagan tradition for the defense of one of its most esteemed ‘Christian’ doctrines.” All the CE was saying is that this belief in Purgatory was pretty much recognized as a universal truth. I have heard Christian apologists, when making an argument for the existence of God, talk about how all ancient cultures believed, in some way, in the concept of a god, in order to merely show that this was a universal truth believed by pagans, Jews, and Christians. Does that mean that Christi an apologists depend on “pagan tradition” as a defense for their belief in God? What a ludicrous statement!
Finally, what do you want to bet that Mr. Gendron wears a wedding ring? Odds are that he does. Problem is, where does the tradition of wearing a wedding ring come from? Christianity? Nope. It comes from Paganism. Oh my…
I’ll continue my examination of Mr. Gendron’s article in the next issue, which will probably be in two weeks since I’m traveling to Louisiana next Friday.
I hope all of you have a great week! And please remember to check out the YouTube video of “Questions Protestants Can’t Answer” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8jXidiUc8s. Click on it as many times as you can. God bless!
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Thank you for supporting life.
For Life,
Tracy Callicoat
Diocese of Tulsa
Family Life, Pro-Life and NFP
Direct: 918-307-4939
Fax: 918-294-0920
tracy.callicoat@dioceseoftulsa.org
Linda and I had a wonderful visit with her sister, Judy, this past weekend. We had a chance to bring our dogs, Baron and Lilly, and they, too, seem to have had a wonderful visit as well.
I was found out that I am not a bad carpenter, not quite the example of my namesake, St. Joseph the Worker, but not too bad. I built two rails for Judy’s front and back porches and she should be able to safely enter and leave her house this upcoming winter. I am uploading a couple of pictures from our visit. As you can see, the dogs did quite well and enjoyed the visit and I was able to capture a stunning shot of Linda with the dogs atop the mountain in Hot Springs.
Lilly’s ‘sister’, Maggie Mae
The Dogs getting ‘rowdy’
Sisters behind the new banister
Linda with sisters, Maggie (pink stripe) and Lilly
Linda with Baron and Lilly with the mountain view behind her.
September 30th, 2010 | |||
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VATICAN CITY, 30 SEP 2010 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for October is:
"That Catholic universities may more and more be places where, in the light of the Gospel, it is possible to experience the harmonious unity existing between faith and reason".
His mission intention is:
"That World Mission Day may afford an occasion for understanding that the task of proclaiming Christ is an absolutely necessary service to which the Church is called for the benefit of humanity".
BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/ VIS 20100930 (90)
There is a bill before Congress that, as I understand it, will propose to raise the driving age from the current 16 to 18 as well as raise the permit age from 15 and 1/2 to 16. I believe this is short-sighted and potentially will cause more harm than good.
I am a driving instructor, aside from the jobs implications across the country for many losing their livihood, this places the time when teens will be independently driving to the same timeframe that they leave home. At the current limits, drivers typically learn to drive when they are in High School, when they live at home under the supervision of their parents. Currently, students are supervised and restricted by parental authority for about 2 years after receiving their licenses.
If the age is raised, students will be independently driving at the same time they are typically leaving home. There will be no parental guidance that will guide them through two of the most influential years of their lives, giving them gradual independence as they learn to drive. Children will be thrown into driving independently as they move into dorms and into their own apartments.
As well, typically teens begin working and gaining independence coinciding with obtaining their licenses, after the permit period. Because of the time restraints on parents’, many do not pursue this step toward added responsibility until they have their full license. This will be, yet another, step postponed until after the student leaves the household and is an ‘adult’, either living on campus or away from parental supervision.
In the effort to save children’s lives, I think that this provision would only serve to sacrifice more children, though later. It would postpone and magnify. If anything is needed, it may be more structured instruction and, possibly, encouraging insurance companies to provide more benefits to safe drivers. If there has to be laws enacted to restrict citizen’s rights, maybe look to actual statistics and use those as starting points. Maybe restrictions of 17 year boys in brand new Mustangs?
For those who do not know, the Battle of Lepanto was the last crusade; by the grace of God, and after intense prayer, the Christians won a decisive battle against the Muslim navy on October 7, 1571.
If that battle had been lost, it is possible that Rome would have fallen into Muslim hands, and St. Peter’s basilica would have been stolen, and turned into a Mosque.
That is exactly what happened to the magnificent Church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. When the Muslim army captured Constantinople and destroyed most of Byzantium Christianity, they stole the Hagia Sophia Church and made it into a Mosque. (I have stood in that incredible building, and wept.) In recent years, the government made it a museum.
incredible building, and wept.) In recent years, the government made it a museum.
I urge you to read the wonderful article that follows on the Battle of Lepanto. (Frankly, it is worth your time far more than any of today’s headlines.)
Please Pray with Us.
We are considering doing a
“teaching event” in cities around the country
On October 7.
Several people who have written to me, or with whom I have spoken by phone, havee said that they would like to hold some calm, yet prophetic event in their own community. We are praying about that, focusing on the date of October 7 – the date of the Battle of Lepanto.
I urge you – for the sake of your mind and soul – to read the article that follows. You will learn more from this article than from every newscast you have ever seen on the religion of Islam.
Tomorrow or the next day, we will decide what, if anything, we are DOING or NOT DOING. And I will tell you why.
Again, I will read EVERY LETTER that comes to me in response of this email.
Please read this article; it shows the place of PRAYER, MARY, and FIERCE ACTION that saved the Latin Church from the sword of Islam.
The Battle that Saved the Christian West
[The Battle of Lepanto]
“…1571, the year of the battle of Lepanto, the most important naval contest in human history, is not well known to Americans. October 7, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, celebrates the victory at Lepanto, the battle that saved the Christian West from defeat at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. That this military triumph is also a Marian feast underscores our image of the Blessed Virgin prefigured in the Canticle of Canticles: "Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?..."
You will LOVE this historic record!
Entire article found at:
For Life,
Tracy Callicoat
Diocese of Tulsa
Family Life, Pro-Life and NFP
Direct: 918-307-4939
Fax: 918-294-0920
tracy.callicoat@dioceseoftulsa.org