Let Us not Forget Thee --- O Roman Catholicism by A Christian
First Writing May 31,1987 -- Revised: July 18,1988
Outline
Thesis: The long history of the Roman Catholic Church should prove repeatedly that it cannot be trusted by God fearing Christians.
I. Introduction is expounded. A. There is shortcoming in the modern teaching of history. B. The Roman Catholic Church has an effect on world events.
II. Authority claims of the Roman Catholic Church are questioned. A. The Roman Catholic Church's claim for a direct succession from the Apostle Peter is examined. B. Their claim lacks support from the Holy Bible.
III. Early foundation of the Roman Catholic Church is exposed. A. Constantine the Great's claim to have been converted to Christianity is considered with respect to his works. B. Protests by the Donatist, as to the establishment of the Roman Catholic Church, are studied.
IV. A look into the history of the Roman Catholic Church's actions and some biblical comparison are presented. A. The Donation of Constantine was exposed as a forgery. B. Many German Saxons were murdered. C. The actions taken against many Jews are discussed. D. Most of the events of the Reformation period were against Christians. 1. Some actions taken against the Baptist are discussed. 2. Some actions against the Huguenots are discussed. 3. The impact of the Roman Catholic Church on the Calvinists is compared to the Lutherans.
V. The Roman Catholic Church maintained control of Europe through actions of the Inquisitions. A. The actions during the Medieval Inquisition are exposed. B. The actions during the Spanish Inquisition are exposed. C. The actions during the Roman Inquisition are exposed.
VI. More recent actions of the Roman Catholic Church are discussed. A. Napoleon's connection to Rome and the effects on the world at that time are examined. B. Some of the Roman Catholic Church's involvement in conflicts, including Marxism, are mentioned. C. Catholic control is growing in the United States government.
VII. How Christians should respond. A. Biblical actions are needed. B. The real enemy is explained. C. What we should pray for is shared.
VIII. Conclusions and closing statements are the ending.
Let Us not Forget Thee --- O Roman Catholicism
Many Christians become lax in their duties as the cares of this world tend to choke out the Word of God. Many also fail to pass down to their children a full understanding of the menaces of the world. Many of the current world events can be understood only with a thorough understanding of what has happened in the past. Unfortunately, many are not properly educated in world history. This leads to half truths and misunderstandings of what is going on around us and why it is happening.
One of the major players in current world events is the Roman Catholic Church which has its leadership headquarters at the Vatican located in Rome, Italy. The Roman Catholic Church has tremendous resources in people, land, businesses, factories, possessions, and political influence. When in total control, the Roman Catholic Church has shown in the past an unrelenting, tyrant-like, attitude towards anyone that opposes its beliefs. Having blatantly tortured, murdered, and looted many people, including Christians, in the past, and less obviously in the present; the Roman Catholic Church poses a real threat to world peace of all peoples. But to have an understanding of the present world events and probable future, we should first look at how the Church started. Although the Roman Catholic Church claims a direct line of succession from the Apostle Peter (Roman Catholicism, History of 15:1002d), the Church has no real proof of its claim. The primary basis for such a claim [General knowledge teachings of the Church] is the scripture which involves Jesus talking with the Apostle Peter about his faith that Jesus was the Christ, which can be found in Matthew 16:13-20.
The Roman Catholic Church [which from now on it will refer to it as the Church] claims that the Apostle Peter was the rock that Jesus was referring to in this passage. Since they claim a direct line of succession from the Apostle Peter they, therefore, claim to be the only true church. But was the rock actually the Apostle Peter? If the Christian church is to be built upon a man other than Christ himself, it would be on shaky ground. The Bible does support itself and does clarify that the Rock is Jesus Christ our Lord as 1 Corinthians 10:4 certifies: "...For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ." (emphasis added). This passage confirms that God refers to Christ as the Rock, therefore, being consistent the Holy Bible validates that the only rock anything can be built upon which is Holy, must be Jesus Christ the chief cornerstone. ..."The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone"... (Luke 20:17)
From this it should be obvious that the Holy Scriptures do not support the Church's claims. Nor could God have built this Church for they claim its foundation to be of a man and not the Rock Jesus Christ. Nor can it be assumed that any special power over the Christian church was given to the Apostle Peter, which might be considered above that given to the other disciples. Nor that if a special power were given to Peter that it could be passed to others in succession.
But what did Christians say about this Church in its beginning? Was the Church founded with Godly men willing to serve God's people?
The first beginnings of this formal Church were recorded at the time of Constantine the Great during the fourth century A.D.. Constantine was having considerable trouble keeping the Roman Empire together for many reasons, one of which was the rebellion of the Christians (Constantine the Great 5:71f). It may well be that he claimed to have a conversion as a means to stay in power because the Christian opposition to his rule was growing. He set up Constantinople as a so called Christian city, but at its foundation service one of the invited attendees was a famous pagan seer, Sopatros, who devised rites for the dedication (Constantine the Great 5:73f). This would leave doubts as to whether this is a biblical Christian city being dedicated.
When Constantine freed the clergy within his kingdom, his motives could be questioned when one reads a quote from him about why he freed them: "...for when they are free to render supreme service to the Divinity, it is evident that they confer great benefit upon the affairs of state." (Constantine the Great 5:72d). This seems to indicate that he may have been more concerned about their benefit to the government.
Some Christian groups protested the establishment of the Church, mainly in reference to the people chosen. One such group was called the Donatist.
The Donatist were Christians who mainly lived in North Africa, and they were well known for their devotion to Christ, even to the death, as martyrs sometimes suffering horrible, tortured, deaths. Their founding leader was Donatus (a fourth century bishop of Carthage). This quote: "The Donatist maintained that those priests and bishops who had once lapsed from the faith could not be readmitted to the church", refers to the newly established Roman Catholic Church that was advertised as being Christian (Constantine the Great 5:72f). Constantine said publicly that the claims of the dedicated Christian Donatist were of the devil (Constantine the Great 5:72f). This should not be too surprising for a ruler who was known for killing Christians (Constantine the Great 5:71f). It is important to understand what the Donatists believed: "...that sanctity is essential for the administration of sacraments [holding leadership position] and church membership" (Donatist) as the bible teaches (1 Timothy 3 and 4).
From this, one should come to realize that the Church had some shady, questionable, beginnings. As Romans 11:16 indicates "...if the root is holy, so are the branches.", thus based on this, the roots will determine if the branches are holy, or the branches will determine whether the roots are holy. Both must support each other, if it is of God. Also its general history should bear witness as to whether the fruit is good or bad (Matthew 7:17). So let us look at some more early history of the Church.
One of the bases of the Church's temporal power is the Donation of Constantine which the Church claimed was written in the fourth century. But a learned scholar named Lorenzo Valla used his historical knowledge of Latin to analyze the language used in the document. After studying the document, he insisted that it was a fake and forgery because the wording used in it was not consistent with the Latin of that day, being of a crude nature (R. R. Palmer and Joel Colton 55). "Now universally admitted to be a forgery,"... ..."It is generally agreed that it was written between 750 and 800." (Donation of Constantine III:618).
The Church over the years has had much blood upon its hands. Among one of many massacres, was at the time the Pope crowned Charlemayne: Emperor of the West. Charlemayne sent his forces against the German Saxons who lived along the Elbe river. They either forced conversion to Roman Catholicism or murdered them (Galatians 5.21).
The Church also killed many Jews throughout 800 - 1300 and especially during the crusades with shocking massacres. In 1290 - 1306, Jews were expelled from England and France due to the Church's influence. Also, the Jews were for bidden employment in the government by the fourth Lateral Council of the Church (Roman Catholicism, History of 15:1006-7). Does this sound like the Gospel which desires that all be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) and condemns murder as of the devil (John 8:44 and Galatians 5:21)?
And again, the Church was involved in more Jewish murders when 4.5 to 5.5 million Jews of Germany, Poland, and the Soviet Union were murdered by the Church sanctioned Adolf Hitler (Adolf Hitler 8:969g). Yes, "Hitler had taken special care to secure the support of Italy" which happens to be the headquarters of the Church. In October of 1936 Rome and Berlin were joined and this new alliance was strengthened farther with the Pact of Steel in May of 1939 (Adolf Hitler 8:968d,h).
Another part of history which seems to be hushed, is the fact that we owe our current religious freedom to several brave groups of Christians which saw the Church for what it was during the Reformation period. But the Church tried its worst to annihilate the Baptists, Lutherans, Huguenots, and Calvinists of that era.
The Baptist Leaders were called Anabaptists [twice baptized] by the Church because the Baptists believed in adult baptism. Therefore, in June of 1535, the Church, using Philip of Hesse and local bishops from the Church, tortured to death then hung in iron cages in the tower of the Lambert Church the bodies of the Baptist Leaders (The Reformation 24).
Catholics led by Duke of Guise, in March of 1562, slaughtered the French Christian Huguenots in a barn in Vassy, followed by other bloody deeds which lead to the outbreak of religious wars between Christians and Catholics (The Reformation 27). This was not the first time French Christian blood was spilled by Catholic hands. In 1523, the first of this era, a French Protestant "...martyr was burned at the stake". Massacres or persecutions continued in France, with only brief intermissions, until 1789 when religious liberty was affirmed by the National Assembly (Huguenots V:189).
The Calvinists for the most part had it easier than the Lutherans because the Calvinists came later in the century. But even still, there were continued conflicts with the Church. They fled France during the Huguenot persecutions (Huguenots V:189) and John Calvin became a major figure in Geneva which, for a while, was the center of Protestant Christianity (John Calvin 3:671-3).
The Church barely got started before it institutionalized a means of keeping its new found power over the lives of men---The Inquisition. The Church's Inquisitions started in the fourth century with what became known as the Medieval Inquisition in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. It had penalties; including loss of property, exile, loss of civil rights, and the ultimate penalty to be death for all who opposed the Church (Medieval Inquisition V:366).
Not long after the Medieval Inquisition faded away a renewed Spanish Inquisition started in the latter part of the fifteenth century. Pope Sixtus IV named the "Spanish government of a grand inquisitor (inquisitor general) for Castile." (Spanish Inquisition V:367d). Many who opposed the Church were tortured, terrorized, or burned at the stake in the name of the Church. The Spanish Inquisition did not actually end until 1834 (Spanish Inquisition V:367).
In parallel with the Spanish Inquisition, the Roman Inquisition was started "...in 1542 by Pope Paul III to combat Protestantism.". This was basically more of the same reign of terror. Through reorganization, the Roman Inquisition took a lower profile in 1908 when Pope Pius X renamed the Roman Curia to be the Holy Office and again in 1965 it was renamed by Pope Paul VI to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Roman Inquisition V:366-7).
Some more blood got on the hands of the Church when it again tried to regain control of the world through Napoleon. Napoleon Bonaparte was given a crowning service by Pope Pius VII in 1804 as Emperor of the French which gave him authority and legitimacy (From Revolution to Empire 336). Napoleon had an underlying desire to restore the world to the Roman Catholic Empire. This was demonstrated in a re-enactment of the Roman chariot races celebrated on September 22, 1797 (From Revolution to Empire 327). Napoleon attained good relations with the Church causing Pope Pius VII to enter into a Concordat with him in 1801 and also Pope Pius VII sanctioned Napoleon in 1802, giving Napoleon unlimited support of the Catholic people although it was not without opposition (From Revolution to Empire 336). Napoleon rained terror upon Europe and Russia causing the death and suffering of millions of lives and vast destruction until his fall which began about 1813 (The Fall of Napoleon 353). These were some of the bloodiest years Europe has ever known. Even though Napoleon had long since been defeated, the Concordat was not abolished until 1905 (History of France 7:670).
The Church is still actively trying to regain control of the world, but in order to keep from stirring up opposition, has kept it low keyed. This can be seen in Ireland, where Catholics and Christians are still fighting. In Central America the Church is in the middle of the conflicts. Also, most of the countries that have gone under to Marxism have been majority Catholic. Furthermore, out of the ten conspirators involved in the assassination of our beloved President Abraham Lincoln, seven were Roman Catholic and "All analysts agree that the conspiracy could not have been planned and carried out by the abilities of the conspirators themselves. Higher motivation, direction, and resources were required." (Stephen D. Mumford 82).
Why are we having so much trouble with the White House? One of many reasons is a conflict of interest created by an allegiance to the Church. As Stephen D. Mumford declares, all three National Security Advisors appointed by President Reagan are Irish Catholics (36). Both his Secretaries of State have been Catholic (36). His CIA Director, Attorney- General, and HHS Secretary are all Irish Catholic (36). Former Secretary of the Treasury, the Irish Catholic Donald Regan, has taken the place of the three Protestants: James Baker, Michael Deaver, and Edwin Meese in the White House (36). The Press Secretary position was filled with Patrick Buchanan, an Irish Catholic (36). "Joining still another Irish Catholic in the Cabinet, Secretary of Labor, Raymond Donovan are two more Irish Catholics, Vernon Walters, Ambassador to the United Nations, and William Bennett, Secretary of Education."(36). "...Now that it has become apparent that the agenda of the Reagan administration and the Vatican are harmonious, concern on the part of those who understand the security threat has turned into alarm." (36).
How should Christians respond? It becomes very difficult at times to determine the proper scriptural way to react to knowledge as presented here and other similar sources. But the Christian must remember that we have a perfect source to guide our lives which we must use if pleasing God is important to us. So let us see so me of what the Bible has to say.
Arise Brothers and Sisters (Ephesians 5:14-17), there is a race to be won (Hebrews 12:1). We are in a war, not against flesh and blood, but against powers and dominions of evil (Ephesians 6:12). Our weapons are not carnal but spiritual, for through prayers and fastings the devil can be subdued and made to flee (2 Corinthians 10:4, Matthew 17:21, and James 4:7). For we are not fighting against the Roman Catholic Church per se, but against the evil that has overtaken it and brought its people into bondage (2 Peter 2:19). Pray that their eyes will be opened and their bodies freed so that they can serve (Ephesians 2:10) and worship the living God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). For we desire that no harm befall them, but that they may receive true salvation through the true saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 5:12 and Ephesians 2:8).
Other than a few token gestures of good will, there is no real evidence that the Church has changed its goals and, therefore, could be trusted. There is evidence to the contrary. These events mentioned in this document have shown a continued persecution, by the Church, of all people, either directly or indirectly, when it suits the Church's purpose (note 1).
Europe under total Roman Catholic control stagnated in the Dark Ages and only when people started to rebel did Europe really begin to progress at a rapid pace. The United States of America has been mostly Protestant and as a result has progressed more in two hundred years than any other nation in the world. Most of our foreign aid has gone to support majority Catholic countries with one possible exception being Israel. It would not be hard to say that under a true Christian system the whole world would benefit.
Notes
(1) Some sources of information used to supply information for this paper are known to be of a secular nature. When truth is found it should make little difference for the knowledgeable Christian where it is located because we are set free by the truth (John 8:10).
Works Cited
"Calvin, John." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica 15TH ed. (3:671-3) "Constantine the Great." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica 15TH ed. (5:71-4) "Donation of Constantine." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica 15TH ed. (III:618) "Donatist" Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary 8TH ed. "The Fall of Napoleon." History of the World The Last Five Hundred Years. 1984 ed. (339-359) "France, History of." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica 15TH ed. (7:670) "From Revolution to Empire." History of the World The Last Five Hundred Years. 1984 ed. (327-338) "Hitler, Adolf." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica 15TH ed. (8:969) "Huguenots." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica 15TH ed. (V:189) "Inquisition, Medieval." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica 15TH ed. (V:366) "Inquisition, Roman." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica 15TH ed. (V:366-7) "Inquisition, Spanish." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica 15TH ed. (V:367) Mumford, Stephen D. The Pope and the New Apocalypse. North Carolina: Center for Research on Population and Security, 1986. Palmer, R.R. and Joel Colton. A History of the Modern World to 1815 5TH ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1978. "The Reformation." History of the World The Last Five Hundred Years. 1984 ed. (21-27) "Roman Catholicism, History of." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica 15TH ed. (15:1002-20)
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