Welcome to our roundup of news stories for this week!
Above is an interesting article from a Catholic source on how the Santa Claus character was popularized in the U.S. by political cartoonist, Thomas Nast (see illustration above). The article smears Nast as an “anti-Catholic” for his fanciful illustrations that targeted Roman Catholicism, but the popes of that era were actually quite outspoken in their opposition to democratic forms of government and freedom of religion (see pope Pius IX’s “Syllabus of Errors“). Christians have different views on the celebration of Christmas, but the popularization of the Santa Claus mythos was regrettable.
- Catholic Church sex abuse victims are suing the pope
- Pope ends ‘secrecy’ rule on child sexual abuse in Catholic church
I fully support this lawsuit against the pope by former-victims of abusive priests. For centuries, the Catholic hierarchy at the highest level was aware of the systematic abuse. Not only did the popes do nothing, they enabled the abuse by encouraging bishops to transfer abusers from one parish to another. In addition to the physical/psychological abuse, the RCC has abused all of its members spiritually by teaching a false gospel of sacramental grace and merit. Oh, is the pope JUST NOW ending the “secrecy rule” on child sex abuse after twenty+ years of monstrous headlines?????
This article says the median length of a sermon/homily at a Catholic mass is 14 minutes, but I experienced much shorter ones, myself, when I was a Catholic. The main purpose of the mass is the alleged transformation of bread wafers and wine into Jesus by the priest followed by the offering of Jesus on the altar as a re-sacrifice for sin (so anti-Biblical!). The short homily ties in with the previous reading of a short Gospel passage. In the homily, the priests generally challenge the congregants to be more disciplined/determined in meriting their salvation. Catholics are duty bound to attend Sunday mass under threat of mortal sin. Most are already bored silly with the rote liturgical rigmarole and a long-winded homily would just add to the resentment.
The Roman church teaches its priests actually transform bread wafers and wine into Jesus’ actual body and blood (although a recent poll revealed that only one-third of Catholics actually believe this). The theft of a tabernacle with faux Jesus wafers inside is the ultimate desecration in the minds of credulous Catholics.
I don’t become outraged when I see articles like this one. Unbelievers will act like scoffing unbelievers. But why don’t we see similar comedies with Muhammad as the slapstick buffoon?
Bethel and the entire NAR movement is so dangerous and destructive. Run, don’t walk, from this pseudo-Christian abomination.
Conservative and traditionalist Catholics are so frustrated with progressive, doctrine-bending, pope Francis that a few are even discussing the possibility of schism. But most are willing to hang in there with the hope that the next pope returns the church to the doctrinal conservatism of John Paul II. This conservative journalist is already fretting about the next pope being Francis II. Missing in this ideological tug-of-war within the RCC is the genuine Gospel of salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.
Leave it to the Babylon Bee to tell it like it is.
Thanks for your faithful messages all year round. Blessings to you and your family.
Merry Christmas!
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Thanks for the encouragement, Michael, and thank you for your faithful messages! I appreciate them. Blessings and Merry Christmas to you and yours!
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Merry Christmas all year long.:)
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Thanks, Bonnie! We celebrate Jesus every day!
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Amen.
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Just landed here! Will read after my walk
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👋🏼 Hope you had a good walk! My steps are going to be low today, also.
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Mine might be too; I’m just at 3,400 and not walking much in order to study for Sunday…
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It’s 5 am Sunday and I just checked my steps for Saturday – 9.3K. I don’t know how that happened. I figured I walked half of that.
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Wow that’s good you got to that number even though you didn’t think you will have a high count!
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Argh. Only 3K today.
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Sometimes some days are a rest day
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Yup, yesterday was definitely a couch day.
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Sometimes that is nice!
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Yup, I need that yesterday!
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Totally understandable!
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Wow never heard of that game before: Trivial Pursuit. Thanks for sharing that!
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It was a national CRAZE, but quickly fizzled. Wiki says it peaked in popularity in 1984.
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Wow I was just one year old then lol
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What’s your favorite board games?
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Dominion and Settlers of Catan! Have you heard of them before?
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I haven’t heard of them but I’ve been out of the board game loop for 30 years.
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Wow that’s a long time!
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Well, I did play “Candyland” with our granddaughter a few times. LOL
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Hi brother I played candyland growing up haven’t played in decades.
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My granddaughter tried to cheat several times when I played her. No one has to teach children how to sin.
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Lol
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1.) ” the popes of that era were actually quite outspoken in their opposition to democratic forms of government and freedom of religion”
Response: Its weird to see today some who are in the Conservative Right that are Catholics are to day pro-democracy when popes didn’t have such views historically…
2.) “Catholic Church sex abuse victims are suing the pope”
Response: About time.
3.) Wow Catholic messages lasting 14 minutes? That’s crazy…that’s too short if one were to go through the BIble which I don’t think they do
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Thanks for the comments!
RE: Conservative Catholics who are pro-democracy contradict historical position
Yup, I’m very conscious of that dichotomy. Connected to that is how Catholics venerate Thomas More as a saintly champion of religious freedom. That’s such outrageous fact-denying ignorance because More actively persecuted Protestants when he was Lord Chancellor.
RE: about time pope was sued
Agreed! I’m amazed it took lawyers of victims this long to think of suing the pope.
RE: Catholic homily time
This article states 14 minutes but that seems high to me. I’ve read that Catholic seminarians are taught to keep their homilies from 8 to 10 minutes. Homilies from priests are terrible. There’s obviously no Gospel. Out of curiosity, I listened to a podcast from the priest at my childhood parish and he read his entire message from a sheet of paper in a sleep-inducing, sing-song delivery. It brought back memories. Catholics boast that they go through most of the Bible in a year based upon the accumulated short readings at mass which change every calendar day.
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I read somewhere that the novus ordo mass copied a lot of stuff from the Anglican liturgy. Can’t recall where I saw that claim.
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Interesting. I’ve read bits and pieces about the “reforms” of Vatican II but nothing in depth.
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Reblogged this on Reformed Calvinist..
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Thanks, brother!
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Your welcome brother.
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Very sad story about the Bethel church .
Have a blessed Christmas Tom.
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Thanks, Crissy! Have a blessed Christmas, also!
RE: Bethel
Yes, very sad. Bethel and its prosperity and signs-and-wonders false gospel just sets people up for disappointment and exasperation with Christianity.
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It seems like everyone is talking about Bethel from YouTube with Christians like Dr. James White Costi Hinn and his pastor to other biblically sound believers on YouTube and on Twitter Christian site’s like the Christian Post and Faithwire to on here will you talking about it to me and pastor Jim and others talking about it I mean Bethel is making us look bad it’s no wonder that’s what the unsaved world see is Bethel Hillsong and Joel Osteen and others type of preaching it’s a black eye on the body of Christ.
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RE: It’s a black eye on the body of Christ
Yes, I agree. The outrageous stuff began with Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart and then the prosperity shysters and now continues with these crazy, far-out religious hysterics from the NAR types.
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Yes I know people who listen to both Joel Osteen and John Hagee who denies that Jesus is the Messiah.
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