Clarification, The Catholic Church - Part 1
Greetings to you. It is good to be with you again. The following articles are not meant to "disparage" or "belittle" anyone's religion or faith. These are just some interesting facts about Roman Catholicism. If these facts contradict what you have been told, or studied, then fact is the only necessary defense. Also, this is not an attempt to "proselytize" anyone, and the few attempts at "humor" are not intended to be anything but "humorous". For educational purposes, you may want to store this article in your "Comparative Religion" file. As some of you may have noticed, I've been "explaining" the Catholic Church quite a bit recently. While It is well known that Religion can be dangerous to your physical and mental health, it also has the ability to ruin one's life by interfering with Job, Life, and Love. This should never be allowed to happen. The following are some points in *Catholicism's favor* that come to mind. (I'll update this area when I think of more). You be the judge. (All Biblical references are taken from the King James Version).
- Every Sunday the Gospel of The Lord that is read in the Mass and then preached about by the Priest is the same exact Gospel preached that Sunday *All Over The World!* In other words you could call your friend in Russia, Africa, Australia, as well as New Jersey and discuss the merits of the sermon that Sunday! The only difference would be that some Priests can "out-preach" others on about every subject.
- This is not true in Protestantism. The most Reverend Dr. "Screamslouder" only has to preach once per week (A Catholic Priest says Mass sometimes three times a day) therefore he can "come up" with some very "stunning" sermons. I used to visit a well known religious book store. I was surprised to see the most famous preachers in town there *BUYING* sermons. This sermon buying is a very *BIG* business! I've got news for you Protestants, your preacher may not be not that smart, he might buy his sermons from religious book stores who buy them from professional "Sermon Writers!" (they are numerous in this country) All the while the Priest has to preach three times a day, seven days a week only from whatever ability God gave him. For this he is criticized for lacking preaching ability. Seriously, if the Priest tried to "yell, scream, moan, and dance" like some Protestant Preachers three times a day, seven days a week, how long do you think he would live? In Protestantism, the preacher has the ability to "come up" with any subject whatsoever in order to "thrill" the ladies, "threaten the men", and "pad his pockets". A Priest's sermons have been picked for him by the Church *5 Years* in advance so that he cannot stray from Church Doctrine with his "own agenda". You can read all of these pre-determined Gospel sermons in what is called "The Catholic Missal" published every 5 years (In advance). The preaching of inaccurate doctrine such as "The Kissing of Snakes" and "The Drinking of Poison" is not possible in Catholicism.
- The Priest does not "own" his church, The people do! The Protestant Church is often "Owned" Lock, Stock, and Barrel by Rev. Screamslouder. His father was Pastor before him and his Son will be Pastor after him. (This is especially true in "Baptist" traditions). It can be almost impossible to "fire" him!
- Many Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, and other Protestants in the southern states in the past were famous American Masonic slave owners. And when they were forced to "free" the slaves, they gave them a Bible in which Jesus/God was represented by a picture of a blond haired blue-eyed "White" man. Many Bibles contained this picture, but it must have had a negative effect on the former slave's self image.
- In the Catholic Church In some parts of the world "The Virgin Mary" is represented by a picture of The "Black Madonna" (Our Lady of Czestochowa, Poland) This picture is on display in millions of Catholic homes all over America and the world. Jesus is also often represented as being "brown" in complexion. Biblically, this is more congruent with the "look" of the indigenous people of that part of the world.
To Be Continued...
All The Best,
Henri W. Tartt
Supervising Chemist, and Chief of Microbiology, (Retired)
City of Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
Email: henri@henriwtartt.com
Website: *Tartt's Scientific Approach* www.henriwtartt.com