Category: News

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 1/15/22

Posted on by Tom

The top article provides a good summary on how the RCC is gradually shifting towards full embracement of practicing LGBTers. The second article examines a recent detail of that ongoing shift.

Within the RCC, the chasm is widening between conservatives/traditionalists and liberals/progressives.

Poland is the most Catholic country in the world. To be Polish is to be Catholic. But the younger generation is increasingly turning away from the Polish Catholic church with its strong ties to the conservative government.

We’ve been periodically checking on the Synodal Path (German: Synodaler Weg), a reform movement by the progressive German Catholic church. The SP began in December 2019 and will end in 2023. Demands expected from the SP include the ordination of women, married clergy, the full acceptance of practicing LGBT members, including the blessing of gay weddings, and Catholic-Protestant intercommunion. The demands may be “too much, too soon” even for the progressive pope Francis.

It’s ironic that progressive pope Francis condemns the current “cancel culture” because over the course of his papacy he has removed from prominent Vatican positions several conservative cardinals (Müller, Burke, Sarah) who opposed him. It’s also ironic because for 1500 years of its history, the RCC “cancelled” all non-conformists via sword-bearing armies and magistrates.

Progressive pope Francis correctly views the Latin mass as a bastion of his militant, anti-Vatican II, conservative and traditionalist opposition and there is zero chance that he will reconsider his decision to eliminate it.

There was a lot said in the media a couple of weeks ago regarding the one-year anniversary of the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. Few remember that the “Jericho March” held a few weeks earlier on December 12, 2020 set the stage for the Jan. 6 events. The “Jericho March” was the name for multiple ecumenical marches and gatherings of politically conservative-minded evangelicals and Catholics held on December 12th in Washington, D.C. to show support for then-president, Donald Trump, and to protest the alleged fraudulent election of Joe Biden. See my relevant weekend roundup report on the Jericho March here. At the march’s “Let The Church ROAR” concluding rally, emcee, Eric Metaxas, shamelessly deferred to his Catholic co-marchers. It was regrettable that genuinely born-again Christians participated in those ecumenical and temporal-focused events. Scripture tells us that we are to be ambassadors and emissaries of the Lord and His Kingdom rather than passionately-invested, temporal citizens, yoked together with the unsaved.

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 1/8/22

Posted on by Tom

Christmas holiday decorations inside and outside of government buildings was the unquestioned “that’s just the way it’s always been done” status quo, but tax-funded government buildings are no place for religious symbolism. If Christmas creches are allowed, baby Baphomets must also be allowed. Let the church be the church and let the government be the government. By the way, nothing is more Satanic than this Catholic bishop’s counterfeit false gospel of salvation by sacramental pseudo-grace and merit.

Roman Catholics are required to attend mass every Sunday under threat of eternal damnation. Catholics are also required to attend mass on designated “holy days of obligation” such as Christmas. So two weekends ago, Catholics were required to attend mass both Saturday AND Sunday. How many actually complied? Pre-COVID, only 39% of American Catholics obeyed the weekly Sunday mass mandate.

As in theological matters, Catholic prelates and priests disagree with each other on COVID-19 vaccination protocols.

Canada’s Quebec Province used to be one of the most Catholic regions on the planet, but it’s become radically secularized in response to RCC scandals. Bill 21, passed in June 2019, forbids the wearing of religious symbols by certain public sector employees, including teachers.

Pope Francis canonized his modern-era predecessors, popes John XXIII and John Paul II in April, 2014 and Paul VI in 2018. Bergoglio now proposes to also canonize John Paul I who was pope for only 33 days! Efforts to canonize Pius XII are on permanent hold because of the pope’s controversial neutral position with regards to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. Saint-making is calculated business.

The year-long “wafer wars” controversy over whether to allow abortion supporter, Joe Biden, to receive communion has brought into focus the lack of knowledge among the Catholic laity regarding the alleged “transubstantiation” of bread wafers into Jesus wafers and the worthiness of supplicants. According to a 2019 Pew survey, a whopping 70% of Catholics believe, contrary to their church’s teaching, that the communion elements are merely symbolic. Many supplicants receive the Jesus wafer even though they have not been to confession in the last twelve months as required. Biden and the 56% of Catholics who are pro-abortion are somehow able to harmonize the genocide of unborn infants with “Thou shalt not kill.”

Angry secularists are not happy with religion in general, but are targeting Catholic churches because of RC-ism’s clerical sex abuse scandals, historical ties to imperialism, and an intolerant view (for now) of LGBT-ism.

Liberal Baptists in pursuit of ecumenism with RC-ism must purposely overlook apostate Rome’s many un-Biblical and anti-Biblical doctrines, including salvation by sacramental pseudo-grace and merit, baptismal regeneration, and paedobaptism.

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 12/25/21

Posted on by Tom

It’s unconscionable that Donald Trump was invited to speak at a “church service” to forward his political agenda, but it all makes perfect sense to Pastor Robert Jeffress, one of the leading exponents of American Christian Nationalism.

Pope Francis continues to tighten the screws on the Latin mass, the cherished bastion of conservative and traditionalist Catholics.

It looks like this “controversy” over two paintings depicting George Floyd as Jesus Christ has run out of steam, with the president of the Catholic university being scrutinized offering nebulous apologies all-around and directing that a third painting not be displayed.

Pope Francis’ remarks condemning violence against women are ironic given how Catholic nuns were abused and instructed to practice self-mortification/extreme asceticism/self-harm at RC convents for 1000 years.

This article states that “24 percent of U.S. adults described themselves as born-again or evangelical, down 6 percentage points from 2007.” The terms, “born-again” and “evangelical” have become almost meaningless. The percentage of Americans who have genuinely accepted Jesus Christ as Savior by faith alone is undoubtedly significantly less than 24%.

The movies, “The Exorcist” and “The Omen,” have a special significance for me because the Lord used them to kindle an interest in spiritual things 45 years ago. Believers know from the Bible that demonic activity and possession are real. The Roman Catholic church is Satan’s counterfeit church and a major hub of demonic activity. For decades, I’ve said that the most dangerous character in exorcist horror films was the Catholic priest with his false gospel of salvation by sacramental grace and merit.

Genuine Christians differ in their views regarding Christmas. The Puritans who established the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early-17th century refused to celebrate it. Their rationale? The Roman Catholic church had “christianized” the pagan celebration of Saturnalia into the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The word “Christmas” itself is a shortening of the Roman Catholic “Christ mass” held on December 25th. Several of the customs and practices of Saturnalia were adapted as part of the Christmas celebration. I personally don’t go out of my way to celebrate Christmas, but I also don’t crusade against it. I guess I would say I’m “Christmas neutral.” Christmas is largely a non-religious cultural event in the minds of today’s secular celebrators. Most of those who do view Christmas as a religious holiday to some degree have not trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior by faith alone. However, Christmas can be used as an opportunity for genuine believers to spread the Gospel. People who would not consider attending church any other day may consider going to church on Christmas week and Easter. Our unsaved oldest son and his family came over for Christmas Eve dinner last night and I read aloud Luke 2 prior to the meal. Genuine Christians can sincerely celebrate the incarnation of God the Son in good faith in spite of the pagan and Catholic origins of Christmas. Each individual believer must follow the Lord’s leading on this issue without condemning those who have a different view.

Several years ago, a zealous Christmas-hating blogger uncharitably insisted that I was not saved because I was Christmas-neutral. If Christmas-hating proselytizers desire to be consistent, they should also hate and soapbox against other cultural practices with pagan roots such as birthday celebrations, wedding rings, many funerary practices, celebrating New Year’s Eve/Day and Valentine’s Day, and covering the mouth while yawning, a pagan superstition. They should picket the many U.S. courthouses that are adorned with a statue of the Roman goddess, Justitia (“Justice”). Christmas-hating believers who criticize others should refrain from using the names of the days of the week or the months of the year because they all honor pagan gods. They should also move out of towns and cities named after Catholic saints such as St. Louis and San Francisco. You may object to a single strand of Christmas tree tinsel in your home, and that’s absolutely fine with me, just don’t come down on other believers because they don’t share the exact same militantly anti-Christmas view as you.

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 12/18/21

Posted on by Tom

Pope Francis reluctantly accepted the resignation of Paris archbishop, Michel Aupetit, over accusations that the celibate prelate had had a personal relationship with a woman. Bergoglio came to the defense of Aupetit during a recent airplane-aisle Q&A, ranking hatred and pride as much more serious sins than “sins of the flesh.” Roman Catholicism is a works-religion that teaches adherents can merit salvation by avoiding sin. It divides sin into two categories 1) mortal/deadly sin, a deliberate violation of one of the Ten Commandments leading directly to Hell, and 2) venial/forgivable sin, a minor indiscretion that can be expiated in Purgatory. Contradicting this is God’s Word that declares we are all depraved sinners facing condemnation and in need of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

It’s “interesting” to observe the process of the Roman Catholic church gradually acceding to the pressures brought to bear by the LGBT steamroller. Part of that process includes intransigent conservative prelates, like bishop John Doerfler of the diocese of Marquette, Michigan, digging their heels into the sand.

The Roman Catholic church used to require the non-Catholic party in a mixed, Catholic-Protestant wedding to sign a document promising not to interfere in the Catholic party’s religion and also promising to allow any children to be raised as Catholic. In 1970, pope Paul VI dropped the mandatory document in deference to ecumenism, although the Catholic party must still promise to raise any children as Catholic. Why would any born-again believer desire to marry a Roman Catholic, who believes in his/her church’s false gospel of salvation by sacramental grace and merit?

Although I don’t subscribe to every aspect of this article, it’s a pretty accurate summary of the differences between Roman Catholicism and Gospel Protestantism.

Years ago, I watched several seasons of “19 Kids and Counting,” featuring the Duggar family. I was interested in observing the Duggar’s independent Baptist fundamentalism, which I had come out of decades earlier. Josh Duggar’s life has been spiralling downhill since 2015. This is a lesson for us all. Christians can’t lead double lives. The Lord knows and sees everything.

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 12/11/21

Posted on by Tom

This week, pope Francis visited Greece, and like his predecessor, John Paul II, Bergoglio apologized to Greek Orthodox prelates on behalf of the Roman Catholic church for its part in the Great Schism of 1054 and subsequent grievances. Pope Leo IX had initiated the schism by insisting on the bishop of Rome’s primacy based on the Donation of Constantine, a forged imperial decree that was actually fabricated 400 years after the death of Constantine. Reasonable Catholics might ask themselves how it works that two allegedly infallible popes must apologize for the imperious and seismic missteps of another infallible pope? Did the Greek Orthodox priest in the second article heckle Francis and call him a heretic because he shares conservative Catholics’ disdain for Bergoglio for his progressive, doctrine-bending “reforms” or because of the Eastern Orthodox view that the papacy is an anti-Biblical office? Whether Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, the genuine Gospel of salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, is nowhere in sight.

Back in July, pope Francis issued guidelines for clamping down on the traditional Latin mass, with the goal of eventually eliminating it altogether. The Latin mass is a bastion of anti-Vatican II, conservative Catholicism. Moderate and progressive bishops are now rolling out Bergoglio’s restrictions.

Jesuit priest, James Martin, is progressive Catholicism’s point man in the crusade to recognize practicing LGBTers as full-fledged members of the church. I reviewed Martin’s book, “Building a Bridge” previously (see here) and I see the book’s been made into a crusading propaganda-piece documentary film.

The dust still hasn’t settled yet in this controversy over a painting at a Catholic university depicting George Floyd as Jesus Christ.

AKA progressivism in conflict with itself. Feminists don’t like the inevitable consequences of transgenderism. Come to think of it, transgenderism makes feminism passé.

The recent death of prominent “health and wealth” prosperity gospeler and zealous anti-vaxxer, Marcus Lamb, due to COVID-19, “should” raise many questions in the minds of fellow prosperity gospelers and anti-vaxxers.

This article is from a secular source, but it does present some interesting information regarding the Puritan immigrants of the 17th century.

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 12/4/21

Posted on by Tom

Last weekend, I confirmed that anti-vaxxer, Marcus Lamb (photo above), had been hospitalized with a bad case of COVID-19. The media announced that Lamb died from the virus this past Tuesday. Lamb and his wife, Joni, determinedly promulgated anti-vax disinformation to their credulous Daystar cable channel audience. It’s regrettable that so-called “evangelicals” are at the forefront of the anti-vaccine movement. My county declared a state of emergency this past Tuesday due to the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases. Lamb led many trusting souls astray with his “health and wealth” prosperity false gospel and with his anti-vax conspiracy hokum. He will have much to answer for.

Roman Catholic progressives have a long history of turning celebrated “victims” of pet causes into “crucified Christs.”

Fifty years ago, Ireland was the “most Catholic” country in the world. I’m amazed by its rapid secularization, brought about mainly by negative public reaction to RC church scandals.

Protestant literature of the 19th century included many “convent escape narratives,” which Catholic spokespersons dismissed as anti-Catholic fables. Given the headlines of the last twenty years, few are challenging claims of abuse within convents today. With the RCC’s rule of mandatory celibacy for its clergy, Catholic seminaries, rectories, and convents were/are magnets and incubators of fornication, deviancy, and abuse.

While the rest of the world is enamored with smiling “papa” Francis, many conservative Catholics despise him for pragmatically “bending” their cherished doctrines.

Medjugorje is an interesting case. Six “visionairies” claim Mary began appearing to them in 1981 and continues up to the present time. But some of the apparition’s messages were critical of the local bishop, so the RCC withholds its official endorsement while simultaneously encouraging pilgrimages to the money-making site.

The Roman Catholic church operates according to its liturgical calendar, with set “Solemnities, Feasts, and Memorials.” These set calendar events are extremely important to Catholics who can’t imagine “religious life” without them. After coming out of Catholicism and being born-again, I realize these “holidays” can be a pitfall (Galatians 4:8-11). One day in the Lord is the same as the next. But believers can use these calendar events to spread the Gospel.

This article is an eye-opening look at what Americans believe about Heaven and Hell. Note that 68% percent of surveyed Catholics believe atheists can go to Heaven. The other 32% who disagree don’t know their church’s doctrine because that is exactly what the RCC teaches.

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 11/27/21

Posted on by Tom

Last weekend, I had speculated that Marcus Lamb, prosperity Gospeler, outspoken anti-vaxxer, and co-owner of the Daystar cable network with wife, Joni (photo above), had contracted COVID-19. The Lambs’ social media accounts were predictably hush-hush regarding his illness, however, I did some research and found a post from fellow-prosperity shyster, Perry Stone, on his Facebook account, asking for prayers for Marcus:

“November 18 – URGENT PRAYER REQUEST! I am asking all of you who believe in the power of prayer to pray for my very close friend, Marcus Lamb, the founder of the Daystar Television Network. He is presently being treated for a severe case of COVID. His oxygen has been low…” (click on the hyper-link for Stone’s FB post).

Two things: 1) I thought prosperity-gospelers weren’t supposed to get sick. Marcus must not have enough faith. But why didn’t one of his faith-healer buddies go to the hospital and heal him? 2) I wonder what anti-vaxxers, Marcus and Joni Lamb, think of C-19 vaccines now? Shame on them. How many credulous viewers got sick or even died because of the Lambs’ anti-vax hokum?

The election of Roman Catholic and abortion-supporter, Joe Biden, roiled conservative American Catholic bishops and sparked a year-long “wafer wars.” The conservative prelates insisted that Democratic Party politicians who supported pro-abortion legislation be barred from receiving the Jesus wafer and the other RCC sacraments. Church moderates and progressives (including pope Francis) were opposed to the ban. The bishops met back in June and official sanctions against Biden and other pro-abortion politicians were in the works, but the Jesus wafer guidelines approved at last week’s follow-up meeting included only a mild, non-specific slap on the wrist for pro-abortion Catholic politicians. Bergoglio and the progressives had won this particular battle and the “wafer wars” appear to be over.

American Catholics like to portray themselves as victims of American Protestant sectarianism and defenders of religious freedom, but purposely fail to mention the larger historical context involving the severe persecution of Protestants in Catholic-controlled European and Latin American countries.

Last weekend, we included a story about the platform speakers of the Christian nationalist, “Reawaken America Tour,” whipping the crowd at Cornerstone Church of San Antonio into a frenzied chant of “Let’s Go Brandon,” a euphemism for an expletive directed at POTUS, Joe Biden. Pastor Matt Hagee has apologized for the outburst and disavowed any affiliation with the “Reawaken America Tour.” I wouldn’t step foot in the Hagees’ church because of the heterodox theology, but I give them credit for the apology.

The above article is three-years-old, but serves as a helpful resource in this discussion. Last Sunday, November 21st, I was driving home from work listening to the Catholic Answers talk radio show and the hosts were mentioning that the day was the celebration of the “Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple” on the RCC liturgical calendar. The alleged event is an apocryphal tale involving Mary’s parents (allegedly named Joachim and Anna) presenting the young girl at the Jerusalem temple for consecration. Untethered from Scripture, Roman Catholicism is filled with similar “sacred tradition” bogus fables and myths.

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 11/20/21

Posted on by Tom

The American Catholic church has a two-headed “crisis” on its hands and the U.S. Catholic bishops met in Baltimore this past week to address it (photo above). The crisis involves the Catholic communion wafer. The Roman church claims its priests transform bread wafers and wine into the actual body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ at its masses. The RCC teaches its members that consuming the Jesus wafer provides graces that will help them obey the Ten Commandments in order to merit Heaven. But Catholics with unconfessed mortal sin on their soul are theoretically banned from receiving the Jesus wafer. Challenging the traditional doctrine are 1) Catholic politicians like Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi who support pro-abortion legislation and also maintain they are Catholics in good standing (with the pope’s public support), and 2) recent surveys which reveal that 70% of the American Catholic laity believe the consecrated communion elements are merely symbols and not the actual body and blood of Jesus. A “guidance” document on the “eucharist,” endorsed by the bishops on Wednesday, reemphasizes traditional Catholic teaching regarding the Jesus wafer and mentions the obligation of Catholic public figures/politicians to demonstrate moral consistency between their personal faith and their public actions. The document did not specifically cite Biden, Pelosi, or abortion. While some view the guidelines as a compromise between the conservative and progressive RC camps, others see it as a first-step in a conservative clampdown. Let’s come back to this next weekend after the dust settles. What has all of this got to do with the genuine Gospel of salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone? That’s right, absolutely nothing.

In this op-ed posted at the pro-ecumenical, Christian Post website, Lutheran pastor, Dan Delzell, naively proposes that Catholics and Protestants can agree on “three foundational points of Christian doctrine” and should be able to reconcile. Delzell asks rhetorically, “Is every Christian forgiven and justified the moment the Holy Spirit converts their soul through faith in Jesus? Or do you have to add some of your own works in order to be justified before God and forgiven of your sins?” Delzell is evidently expecting both Gospel Christians and Catholics to respond to the question in kind, exemplifying the naivete of many/most believers when it comes to Roman Catholicism. The Roman church unapologetically teaches baptismal regeneration and justification via sacramental grace and merit. “Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 2010). The lack of knowledge and discernment among evangelicals regarding Roman Catholicism and its false gospel is stunning.

The Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” investigative journalism team first exposed the widespread sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic priests and the systematic cover-up by the church hierarchy way back in 2002. The RC church has never concretely addressed this abuse and cover-up calamity. For Pope Francis to “thank” journalists for exposing this institutional evil is the ultimate in hypocrisy and calculated duplicity.

The LGBT+ steamroller will not tolerate what the Bible declares regarding homosexuality.

Prompted by platform speakers of the Christian nationalist, “Reawaken America Tour,” the crowd at Cornerstone megachurch in San Antonio, Texas (John Hagee, NAR), broke into an enthusiastic chant of “Let’s Go Brandon,” a code phrase for an expletive directed at POTUS, Joe Bidden. In the New Testament, we do not find examples of the Gospel being conflated with political zealotry. If anything, the New Testament identifies political zealots as misdirected. The crowd’s conduct at this so-called “church” was blatantly anti-Christian. Imagine a New Testament church congregation chanting thinly-veiled expletives at the Roman emperor during a worship service, with the apostle, Paul, in attendance. Man, he would be livid!

C.S. Lewis propagated an aberrant brand of Christianity that accommodated baptismal regeneration, belief in purgatory, confession of sins to priests, a view of Scripture as errant, and denial of penal substitutionary atonement. Yet evangelicals fawn over the former Oxford professor due to intellectual snob appeal. See my critique of Lewis’ wide-is-the-way “Mere Christianity” here.

Rochester is a mid-sized city in Western New York with a population of 205,000. Rochester’s 75 homicides for 2021, as of November 15th, ranks it as having one of the highest murder rates per capita in the entire nation. One of the contributing factors, in addition to the general breakdown of society, is the less-than-dismal economic situation in Western New York, precipitated by sky-high taxes and the collapse of once-dominant manufacturing companies (i.e., Kodak and Xerox). U.S. Census data shows Rochester ranks behind only Detroit and Cleveland as the poorest cities in the nation.

My employer followed the Federal policy change and extended its mandatory vax deadline from December 8th to January 4th. In the meantime, I received my Pfizer booster vaccine two weeks ago. As colder temps drive gatherings indoors, Rochester-area hospitals are reporting a dramatic rise in COVID-19 related cases, especially among the unvaccinated. Speaking of the COVID vaccine, prosperity gospeler, Joni Lamb, co-owner of the Daystar cable network with her husband, Marcus Lamb, has been fomenting anti-vax conspiracy hysteria for many months. While channel surfing several evenings ago, I stopped at Daystar and heard the Lamb’s son, Jonathan, and his wife, Suzy, fretting about Marcus being hospitalized and in serious condition with Joni by his bedside, although the illness was not specified. Strangely, there is no mention…zero, zip, nada…of Marcus’ hospitalization or illness on the Lamb’s or Daystar’s social media sites. Is this another example of COVID cover-up?

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 11/14/21

Posted on by Tom

Many of the U.S. Catholic bishops were in a tizzy after Joe Biden was elected POTUS. Although Biden is a Roman Catholic, he has consistently supported pro-abortion legislation. Conservative bishops have called for Biden to be denied the Jesus wafer, the alleged “source and summit of Catholic spirituality.” Catholics with unconfessed mortal sin on their souls are theoretically barred from receiving communion. The U.S. bishops met in June to define church policy regarding who can and who can’t receive the Jesus wafer with a follow-up meeting scheduled for November 15-18. A draft of the policy document was leaked to the Catholic press and there is no specific reference to Biden or abortion. RCC progressives, including pope Francis, have been working hard to rein in the conservatives’ demand that abortion-supporting Catholic pols, like Biden and Nancy Pelosi, be denied the Jesus wafer. The RCC teaches that its priests transform bread wafers into the actual body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. It’s alleged that eating the Jesus wafer bestows graces that help the Catholic to obey the Ten Commandments in order to merit salvation. Some Catholics worship the Jesus wafer during off-hours “eucharistic adoration” (photo above), although surveys show 70% of Catholics believe the eucharist elements are only symbolic. Young, zealous RC neo-cons are taking up eucharistic adoration, but they’re just a small fraction of the RC population.

Archbishop Jose Gomez, conservative president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is warning against “woke” social justice movements gradually becoming the warp and woof of American Catholicism. Whether the RCC marches to the doctrinaire drumbeat or to the social justice drumbeat, there is/will be no sign of the genuine Gospel of salvation by God’s grace grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.

A student group is hosting a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood at Loyola Marymount Catholic University in Los Angeles. Pro-abortion, pro-LGBT+ progessivism has already made deep inroads into Catholic universities.

Some Gospel Christians were exuberant back in 2019 when it was reported that famous rapper, Kanye West, had allegedly converted to Christianity. However, many said, “Uh-oh,” when prosperity false-gospeler, Joel Osteen, endorsed West and his new “faith.” Satanist, Marilyn Manson, is now part of the Kanye’s “Sunday Service” entourage.

I need to watch this.

Catholic apologists, like Peter Kreeft, paint a rosy picture of the RCC, but the reality is there’s a steep decline in membership in the U.S. and a growing ideological divide between progressive and conservative clergy.

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 11/6/21

Posted on by Tom

President Joe Biden’s widely-publicized meeting with pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday, October 29th, has created a backlash among conservative Catholic clergy and laity. Biden is an unabashed supporter of abortion, yet pope Francis encouraged the president by telling him he was a “good Catholic” and that he should not be denied the Jesus wafer. This latest episode serves to exemplify the wide ideological split between the pragmatically progressive pope and doctrinaire conservative American prelates and priests, many of whom consider Francis a heretic or at least a very bad pope.

I’ve published several posts in the past that referred to conservative Jesuit, Leonard Feeney, and his opposition to the advance of semi-Universalism in Catholic theology, which culminated in the ecumenical decrees of the Second Vatican Council. The RCC now has no reason to proselytize since it recognizes that all religionists and even atheists may also merit Heaven. This article refers to a new book, “Deadly Indifference: How the Church Lost Her Mission and How We Can Reclaim It” in which author, Eric Sammons, exhorts fellow conservative and traditionalist Catholics to return the RCC to pre-conciliar militancy. The RCC is definitely not a unified monolith as Catholic apologists would have gullible souls believe. I definitely need to read this one.

As I mentioned last weekend, the RCC encourages its members to pray for dead Catholics on All Souls Day, this past Tuesday, November 2nd. It’s claimed that praying for dead souls on that day and the entire week of November 1 thru 8 earns the deceased a “plenary” (full) indulgence resulting in their release from purgatory ahead of schedule. Because of possible hassles due to COVID-19, the RCC has arbitrarily extended the indulgence-granting period thru the entire month of November. Neither purgatory or indulgences are Biblical.

Halloween is widely celebrated on October 31st. Gospel Christians, however, commemorate October 31st as the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517, sparking the glorious Reformation.

Pastors periodically admonish their congregants to increase their giving by appealing to the Old Testament tithe. Christians should support the ministries of their church, but the Mosaic Law doesn’t apply to the New Testament church. Ancient Israel was a theocracy and the tithe served as a tax. Americans already pay on average 13.28% of their income to government taxes. In their pro-tithing sermons, pastors purposely avoid the only New Testament passage that pertains to giving, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7: “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Compelling people to give by hammering them over the head with Old Testament mandates is wrong.

Hmm. Choosing to end your pre-born baby’s life and then taking time off from work to grieve seems a bit incongruous. But this new policy does recognize the reality that aborters inevitably end up regretting their decision.

Yesterday was Guy Fawkes Day in the U.K. Make no mistake, the Jesuits had a hand in the 1605 skullduggery.