Saturday, October 29, 2011

October?

This is October? In Virginia?
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Thursday, October 27, 2011

*BEST OF DTB #107* The Catholic Defender: Casper, The Friendly Ghost

One question I have often been asked by people is, "Do you believe in Ghosts"?

Some people really go all out in this. You can go to the History Channel or some place on cable TV and find late at night some "Ghost Chasers" trying to catch something on tape.

You'll be in a haunted house with all kinds of modern technology trying to pick up energy.

There have been movies based on the imagination which adds to some people more evidence of ghosts.

People may have their own idea of what a ghost is, but I will use the Webster's Dictionary for a baseline for the purpose of this article.

According to the dictionary, a ghost is:

1. the seat of life or intelligence.
OK, well, that knocks out Progressives and liberals?

2. a disembodied soul, the soul of a dead person believed to be an inhabitant of the unseen world or to appear to the living in a bodily likeness.
That explanation is interesting. That one has some teeth to it.

3. Spirit, Demon. This definition may fit most of the examples given behind legend.

1 Samuel 28: 8-19 states, "So he (King Saul) disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and set out with two companions. They came to the woman by night (The Witch of Endor), and Saul said to her, Tell my fortune through a ghost; conjure up for me the one I ask you to. But the woman answered him, You are surely aware of what Saul has done, in driving the mediums and fortune-tellers out of the land. Why, then, are you laying snares for my life, to have me killed? But Saul swore to her by the Lord, As the Lord lives, you shall incur no blame for this. Then the woman asked him, Whom do you want me to conjure up? and he answered, Samuel. When the woman saw Samuel, she shrieked at the top of her voice and said to Saul, Why have you deceived ME? You are Saul! But the King said to her, Have no fear. What do you see? The woman answered Saul, I see a preternatural being rising from the earth. What does he look like? asked Saul. And she replied, It is an old man who is rising, clothed in a mantle. Saul knew that it was Samuel, and so he bowed face to the ground in homage. Samuel then said to Saul, Why do you disturb me by conjuring me up? Saul replied: I am in great straits, for the Philistines are waging war against me and God has abandoned me. Since he no longer answers me through prophets or in dreams, I have called you to tell me what I should do.

To this Samuel said: But why do you ask me, if the Lord has abandoned you and is with your neighbor? The Lord has done to you what he foretold through me: he has torn the kingdom from your grasp and has given it to your neighbor David. Because you disobeyed the Lord's directive and would not carry out his fierce anger against Amalek, the Lord has done this to you today. Moreover, the Lord will deliver Israel, and you as well, into the clutches of the Philistines. By tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the Lord will have delivered the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines".

There are some thoughts about this passage of scripture, the reaction of the Witch of Endor is very telling to me.

She was able to recognize a true manifestation of Samuel from the impersonations of demons.

Another question this creates is where Samuel came from. He did not come from heaven. The woman said, "I see a preternatural being rising from the earth".

A preternatural being means to be beyond nature, one who is existing outside of nature. Samuel is coming from a State or abode of the dead, the netherworld. Sheol, that place St. Peter refers to as "prison" (1 Peter 3:19).

Another thought from this text is that Samuel appears as an old Man, one who King Saul recognized.

Samuel had not seen the Beatific Vision yet as he was among those awaiting for the Messiah. This is important to the Israelite following the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When these died, their bodies were buried with their ancestors.

Jacob gave this directive: "Since I am about to be taken to my kindred, bury me with my fathers in the cave that lies in the field of Machpelah, facing on Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for the burial ground. There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, and so are Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there, too, I buried Leah-- the field and the cave in it that had been purchased from the Hittites" (Genesis 49:29-32).

This has a sacred foundation based on the promise of the general resurrection.

We see an example of this in Matthew 27:51-53, "And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city (Jerusalem) and appeared to many".

Was Samuel among this group released from "prison"?

Maybe, along with Abraham,Isaac, and Jacob? God is so good and praise his holy name for giving us his salvation.

I do not think that the image of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was what caused the Roman centurion to remark,"Truly, this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54)!

In the Old Testament, another interesting happening occurred when a band of Moabites were conducting a raid in Israel.

Some people were in the process of burying a man when they witnessed the raid. In fear, they tossed the dead man into the grave of Elisha and they took off for fear.

When the dead man came into contact with the bones of Elisha, "he came back to life and rose to his feet".

Now, the text does say that "everyone went off", was it for fear of the Moabites or was it from Elisha (2 Kings 13:21)?

Nobody hung around, that was for sure.

During a major storm the Apostles were being tossed about far off into the sea. Jesus meant to pass by the Apostles, but they saw him walking on the sea.

The Apostles naturally thought he was a ghost and cried out as they were all terrified. Jesus at once said to them, "Take courage, it is I,do not be afraid"(Mark 6:50)

St. Matthew adds that St. Peter said in reply "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water"! He said, "Come".

St.Peter got out of the boat in the midst of the roaring waves and walked on water at least until he realized what he was doing and became distracted and began to sink. He took his eyes off the Lord and that still happens to any of us trying to make it on our own.

All Peter could do was to cry out "Lord, save me" (Matthew 14:26:30)!

Sometimes we find ourselves in situation where we need the Lords help to save us from all kinds of disasters and events in our lives. At the end of our life there are three possibilities we will have: Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory. At the end of the next age, Purgatory will totally be released.

At the general judgment at the Parousia, when Jesus returns at the Second Coming, there will be a total release of all the dead.

Matthew writes that at the Resurrection of Jesus, many saints were raised, at the end of time, all will be raised.

With the Judgment, there will be only two places, Heaven and hell.

Purgatory will be totally released and these will go to Heaven. Until then, we must be faithful to the "Bark of Peter" from which the voice of the Lord springs forth.

The following comes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and should be the light of the faithful as we hear the Lords voice:

CCC 2115 states, "God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility".
Remember the case of King Saul and the Witch of Endor? Sometimes it might not be the best thing to know your future.

I think it would be best to let Providence give us tomorrow for today is the only thing we can be assure of. Now is the day of salvation, now is the acceptable time (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).

CCC 2116 states, "All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to unveil the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect,and loving fear that we owe to God alone".

There have been some of the most known exorcisms brought about because people got involved with Ouija boards and other Occult enterprises.

We have seen a growth in witchcraft in our time through through the Wiccan covens. There is a serious cry for the supernatural by many people curious of extraordinary occurrences.

CCC 2117 States, "All practices of magic or sorcery,by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons, Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to the so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity".

There have been visions our Lord has given to Saints such as Anne Catherine Emmerich who reveal mysteries and stories about the States of Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory.

St. Catherine stressed that it is more holy to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory than for sinners who are still alive.

Casper might be a funny children's story, but people get lost sometimes between fantasy and reality.

God's revelation of those in Purgatory reminds us of the importance to remember them and pray for them. I don't know about a Ghost of Uncle Buck haunting the attic, that probably might be of demonic origin.

However, the Catholic Church does have authentic revelation of the Lord through his Saints that can keep our spiritual bearing grounded on the truth of God.


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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

"Offer it up for them because it is for them that you suffer"

A certain Deeper Truth writer gave me that advice yesterday. Wow. What a spiritual grenade that was. That is why this particular writer is such a valued member of our team.

What an astounding spiritual insight! She likes to refer to these kinds of things as "God's 2x4's" and the analogy is so apropos.

It is the ones we love that we make suffer most and because we make them suffer most, we suffer the most for having made them suffer and then they suffer because they see you suffering over having made them suffer and it builds and builds and builds......

Quick note: See "Jesus and Mary at Calvary"

This is the kind of stuff that the easy-religion non-catholics just don't get. Though the physical, emotional and spiritual bumps and bruises we sustain through life, are tough enough, they are as nothing compared to the guilt of the sin of scandal.

Quick note: The sin of scandal is that sin by which your actions cause another to sin.


Matthew 18
5 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.


Contemplating every monumentally stupid decision you made in trying to raise your kids and be a spouse, really brings these verses home. I can think of at least a hundred decisions and actions that I would gladly don the millstone necklace, for a midnight swim, if I could but undo them. I'm sure some of you feel the same.

But we can't, can we? We can only go on, each day, grinding ourselves into the dirt, wondering how much their shattered faith is the result of our past arrogance or moral cowardice.

True, not all of our families sufferings are our fault but that is little comfort knowing that part of it certainly was. Did we have the best of intentions? For the most part (excepting when we were nearly psychotic from stress and anxiety).

It is just amazing how strongly your bad day at work can reverberate through most of your child's life. Foolish words, foolish actions do damage. The bell cannot be un-rung.

So, we see our families with their shattered faith and we struggle to find the magic words that will fix it all. They swirl around in our heads like so many wasps but they never break out. The cold silence locks them in and paralyzes you. Occasionally, you find the strength to mutter out something like "Hey, you want to go to church with me?" but it is quickly rebuffed and you slink back to your corner, clueless to what the next step may be.


"Is it enough that you must carry this cross, must you let the enemy beat you with it?"

Apparently, the first 2x4 to the head wasn't enough? She countered with that one. This is the stuff that makes us Catholics know that we have it right,if only we can contort our will and our actions to our knowledge.

Colossians 1
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.

Non Catholics look at the concept of rejoicing in our sufferings as folly. How many times have you said "I'd do anything for them"?

Well...now is your chance. Bear a little suffering now, and offer it up, that both you and they may get to heaven, and suffer no more. Two lumps on the head are a small price to pay for this course correction. Thanks, Christie.




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Monday, October 24, 2011

Splinters: The Nature of Time and a Hail Mary Ending




Because I'm of a teacherly bent, my talent is to make complexities simple while pointing down the path to further study. The larger the subject, the more imperfectly it can be rendered simply, teaching being such a frustrating science. It has been 10 years since God used His Holy 2 x 4 to get my attention, and I'm still unpacking the experience. While talking about everyday matters, I'm suddenly waxing philosophical. My husband likes to call these weird little insights of mine splinters



The best way to begin this little insight from my conversion is to assert, imperfectly, that it is almost as if our souls once had clear senses in the same way we have bodily senses like sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. As a friend of mine once put it, "Before The Fall, our souls had eyes." With Original Sin, those senses of the soul became damaged beyond repair. Perhaps in our soul's roiling paroxysms of shame and horror at the advent of personal sins, we each damage these senses further. But it is a mercy of God that we can no longer know the lacerations we unleash upon ourselves and upon reality and the world with the slightest of our sins. We are now mercifully numbed to the consequences of sin, thank God.

All of that aside, for a moment, because I could get lost in such essential tangents and never take us down road I intended to take.

One of those senses that is damaged, or muddied up, by sin is our sense of time. Although we live in the Eternal Now, because there is no other time but Now, we perceive now as a continually shifting moment. We feel as if we a slipping from this now to the next now, when in reality it is all one. Part of the damage is our perception of our past and future. Instead of it being integrated into our present, we see each as distinct and somehow fixed. We can dimly see the error of this by our understanding of our ability to affect the future by our choices now, but it is harder to see how dynamic our past also is. Those of us who have gone through experiences like a conversion, which radically changes one's perspective, know that perspective has an immense effect on memory--our only access to the past remaining to us. Radical changes of perspective radically effect history by the explosion of insight into past situations. Such explosions flood our past with new color and light which essentially change that experience for us.

All of time can be reduced to Now. Now is all that matters because Now is all that there is. You are here now, reading this, and somehow you are experiencing every now that you will ever experience in this same moment. That is the nature of Eternity, which we will understand more perfectly when our souls are healed after our slip through death into the perfection of the Eternally Present. When the eyes of our souls are finally healed by the Touch of God at the end of our brief perception of our earthly now, we will see and experience this now so much more perfectly. So, if you can follow me into the end of a prayer while carrying such an insight, you will see that our earthly life hinges upon two moments eternally: Now, and the other vitally important moment when we surrender, ultimately and for all time, to God. How we surrender at our final earthly now that intertwined gift of life and love He has entreasured us with determines how we will perceive our eternal now: eternity itself.

How impossible it is to wrest from language spiritual truth! My frustration has reached it's limits, so I will quit with this now in the hopes that a window has opened upon reality by the briefest brush against the pane. I wish to express to you that it is no mistake that one of the sweetest prayers is an appeal to the sweetest of created beings to pray for us at the most essential moments of our existence: now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Jacob Wrestling with the Angel
Wresting Truth from Language is akin to this.

Author's Note: This private revelation, as such things are called in Catholic circles, does not in any way preclude authentic Catholic teaching. Any contradiction between this private revelation and Church teaching is the fault of this post, not of the teachings.


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Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Catholic Defender: Pure Self Donation

The greatest example of "Pure Self Donation" is Our Lord Jesus Christ who gave His life that we might have life eternal.

This was the purpose and goal of Jesus from the beginning, this is why He was sent. The Virgin Mary would have to be somewhere in the background as she gave 100% to God. Her yes was not just a simple momentary affirmation.

This yes would impact the rest of her life and shape the world forever. The connection between Jesus and Mary is very unique in how close their relationship is.

How much they depended on each other for their purpose in this life. Through this purpose, we are greatly impacted. This was God's will and we can choose to follow the Lord who laid the foundation for all mankind to be saved.

Jesus and Mary's total commitment to following God gives us the perfect example to follow in our own lives.

Every time I see a loving mother with her small children, I know that she does a lot of personal sacrifice for that child.

What a great example Our Blessed Mother gives to all Christian mothers. True love isn't only receiving the nice greetings, the compliments that people give when their families are out in public.

True love is shown through a daily commitment to serve each other, to be there when you are sick. To do the hard work that comes with raising Children.

True love can be seen when a Father leads his family by example, following the example of St. Joseph who took care of Jesus and Mary.

Through the example of the Saints, we see many examples of sacrificial love giving "Pure Self Donation".

Father Downey, in our "Chaplain's corner" today, he states, "A popular hymn within our Catholic tradition is 'Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God' and it is taken from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.

It states what Jesus is reiterating for us in today's Gospel, and the fruit that is borne from it. I think sometimes we forget that our truest identity as baptized people is that we are God's beloved sons and daughters and nothing can ever take this away.

As God's beloved, He only asks us to allow Him to love us where ever we are in life. Often times, we think we have to do all the work to curry God's favor, or we believe the lie that we don't deserve God's love, but the opposite is true: God only asks us to open our hearts and allow Him to love us.

In other words, to carry out Jesus' command to love the Lord our God, with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds, only requires of us to open our hearts and receive God's love.

Sounds easy right? Unfortunately, many of us are plagued with deep wounds to our spirit and psyche that can be obstacles to allowing God's love to flow in us.

Such obstacles impair our vision and distort the reality that we are God's beloved sons and daughters. The good news is that our God is the God of healing and he seeks to heal us and bring clarity to our truest identity.

The more His love flows into us, the more we authentically love ourselves and thus, love our neighbor". Father is making the clear point that in order to really imitate Jesus and Mary, we must first allow God's love to flow through us. God's love must resinate in all the things we do.

Many times in the New Testament, the Apostles encourage us to follow their example, to imitate their traditions giving us a foundation and a model to know what looks right as opposed to what looks wrong.

St. Paul writes, "With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones and also for me, that speech may be given me to open my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, so that I may have the courage to speak as I must" (Ephesians 6:18-20).

Let the love of God deliver us from what ever chains are holding us back so that we might be fully restored with full vigor is serving the Lord and His holy Catholic Church.







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*Best of DTB #106* The Catholic Defender: Eucharistic Adoration

"Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray'. He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to feel sorrow and distress. Then he said to them, 'My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me'. He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will'. When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, 'So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:36-41).

We are living in a time when many are asleep and will unfortunately undergo the test. Many will fail this test because they are asleep. Sin is dominate in their life. Jesus warns "But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth" (Luke 18:8).

St. Paul encourages us saying, "But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known the sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:14).

We have the truth within us to stir us from our slumbar. Jesus invites us to wait with him, to pray with him. Do we really want to put an end to Abortion and to stand for true Marriage? It is important that we turn to Jesus.

Pope John Paul II said during his trip to Korea, "It is most fitting that my first stop among the Korean people should be in a church such as this, where the minds and hearts of the faithful are constantly raised up in adoration before Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist" (Seoul Korea, October 7, 1989).

Psalms 119:97-104 states, "How I love your teaching, Lord! I study it all day long. Your command makes me wiser than my foes, for it is always with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, because I ponder your decrees. I have more insight than my elders, because I observe your precepts. I keep my steps from every evil path, that I may obey your word. From your edicts I do not turn, for you have taught them to me. How sweet to my tongue is your promise, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I gain insight; therefore I hate all false ways".

Ephesians 5:14 says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light".

Vatican II said, "The Eucharist is the source and summit of all preaching of the Gospel", the Catholic Church has the ability to turn the tide for the good that God wants to bestow upon His people. Jesus wants to bless you with great graces.

Philippians 4:4-9 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and recieved and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you".

Every Catholic Church has the opportunity to spend time with the tabernacle, the faithful has the direct source where Jesus is truly present.

Hebrew 13:10 says, "We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle "Sanctuary" have no right to eat".

The Eucharist is the bread that came down from heaven. Jesus is our thanksgiving!

The prayer of the Angel of Portugal given to the Children of Fatima: "My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love you! I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust and do not love you".

A true Christian is one who believes that Jesus is alive today in the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus is truly there in the tabernacle.

The Angel held a consecrated Host and the chalice, leaving this suspended in the air, the Angel bowed down low before the Eucharist praying these words, "O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore you profoundly, I offer you the most precious body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferance by which he is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners".

I must conclude that all the angels recognize Jesus in the Eucharist. It is important that we do to! Pope John Paul II, in his letter, On the mystery and worship of the Holy Eucharist - April 1980: The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic Adoration. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet him in Adoration, and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our Adoration never cease".

A Eucharistic Miracle occurred through St. Clare of Assisi. She was a friend of St. Frances! St.Clare took advantage of Lent her whole life giving herself totally to God as St. Francis had done. On one occasion when the army of Frederick II was devestating the Valley of Spoleto, some of the Soldiers threatened to sack Assisi.

The Towns people surrounding the convent where St.Clare lived were fleeing the countryside fearing the worst for their lives. As the Soldiers came upon the walls of the city, they placed ladders against the walls.

St. Clare prostrated herself before Jesus in the Eucharist. Her prayer was heard as she took the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament and went to the wall before the enemy.

As the Soldiers were climbing up the ladders with crowbars, axes, bow, and spears, the town appeared lost. Then Jesus in the Host illuminated brightly before the Soldiers. The Host became dazzling white blinding the attackers.

Due to a sudden panic, the Soldiers subsequently fled in terror. This lent let Jesus transfigure our hearts so that our hearts will beat a little faster when we receive our Lord in the Eucharist.

If you do, then surely when you stand before Jesus on "that day", He will say, "Well done good and faithful servant, you listened to my voice"!












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Sunday, October 16, 2011

*Best of DTB #105* The Catholic Defender: The Lord led me to His Mother

On my way back to our Battalion area, I meditated on what I just told the young man and how thankful I was to the Lord for having His truth in my heart. With this I began to see the Faces of Mary.

It all started as a quiet day on the morning of 6 May, 2009. It was a sunny Sunday morning and I was given an opportunity to sleep in so I woke up about 06:30.

I got up and got myself together preparing to go to Mass at the Division Chapel.

I had to make sure that all our obligations were covered and that gave me ample time to go to Mass at 10:30.

It's about a 15 minute walk to the Division Chapel but this particular morning, I was excited about the news I wanted to report to the congregation.

For me, the news of Francis J. Beckwith's returning to the Catholic Faith was huge. He was among the highest Lutheran leaders and highly respected among the Protestant Evangelical academics.

His conversion to the Catholic Faith was like a shot heard around the world. Well, here in Iraq, I heard it and I was anxious to share the news about it.

So, I grabbed my weapon and my gear and I set off to the Chapel. By the time I arrived there, I was drenched, sweating profusely in this 100 plus heat, but it was worth it!

I guzzled down a quick quart of water and prepared for Mass. At the end of Mass, Father would give me the opportunity to announce the upcoming events for the week.
We had RCIA that was currently continuing for many people kept coming who wanted to become Catholic. We had just received about 70 Soldiers for the Easter Vigil earlier in April.

Now I had several more Soldiers who were coming forward to be received into the Catholic Faith. Many from my Battalion! We also had Bible Studies that I was conducting at our Chapel (Warrior Chapel) and at the Division Chapel.

It was at this time that I had the chance to tell everyone about Mr. Beckwith coming home to the Catholic Faith.

I had a number of them come up and asked me more about this when this young man came over to ask me a question. He had originally approached Father, but Father refer ed him to me.

I pulled him to the side and he asked me what an apostle was.

I responded that an apostle was simple one who is sent. That is the textbook definition.

However, I explained that Christ sent his Apostles out into the world after preparing them for three years for the Great Commission.

The Gentleman then identified himself as a "Nestorian" Christian who represented about 5% of the Iraqi Christians in Iraq.

He wanted to challenge me on why the Catholic Church refereed to Mary as "Theotokos" meaning "Mother God"?
I responded with a question of my own, "What is the difference from referring to Mary as "Mother of God" as opposed to "Mother of my Lord"?

I then quoted Luke 1:42-44, "Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, 'Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled".

Notice that St. Elizabeth refereed to Mary as "blessed" twice during this exchange. Notice also that she refereed to Jesus as "Lord" in her womb as well as the word of the Lord.

Adoni was the word used to illustrate "Lord" referring to God. By this time, my Nestorian friend understood my meaning and with that, he had no further questions. He was interested in our bible studies from this point on.

In this way, Jesus led me to Mary, then Mary, as always leads us all back to Jesus.




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The Catholic Defender: New Date set, "October 21, 2011", this time they are really, really really serious, not kidding!

(Editors Note deepertruth wants you to know that we have not forgotten that the Rapturist chose this date as the real date of the return of Christ. Should we last through the 21st of October, that evening we will focus our show on this subject on BlogTalkRadio!)

With the advent of another missed date of the end of the world as we know it, Harold Camping is correcting himself again.

His new date that the world will come to an end with a "Rapture" is October 21, 2011.

All you "Rapturist" out there, you need to be ready again as this time Harold is not kidding!

He claims to have figured out why he miscalculated this last time and made his correction. I'm so glad he has got it right for the Rapturist!

Now for true Christians, we do not need to worry about this date nor this event. This Rapture is not going to happen. Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead at the end of the age.

The Catholic Church has professed this from the Apostolic Tradition. Jesus will return at the time of the Parousia which all the nations will be assembled, all the dead raised on the last Day.


Consider the words of Jesus, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day" (John 6:53-54).

Jesus clearly indicates that he will raise the saved on the last day. Who are those specifically being saved? Those who partake of the Eucharist!

Where do you find the authentic sacrifice? The Catholic Church!

Jesus clearly says he will raise his people on the last day!

I want to take the scripture the Rapturist identify with their new doctrine, 1 Thessalonians 4:16! "For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first".

When will the dead in Christ rise? "On the last day"!

There is no "secret" invisible coming of the Lord, when Jesus returns every eye shall see him as lightening flashes from the east to the west so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.

The Rapturist believe Jesus will take the Church away from earth before the tribulation in a quiet orderly fashion. That is not happening.


Catholics, that means you must remain vigilant!

Mark 13:32-33 says, "But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come".

So Harold Camping and the Rapturist can predict time and again the Lord's return. In the end, they do not know what they are talking about.

Even so, Catholics, you need to know and understand the truth of all this because many of you are susceptible to all these predictions.

There are 30 million of you who have fallen away to many to these Protestant Rapturists.

Jesus warns that you must recieve the Eucharist to be saved (John 6:53-54), you can't turn your back on Jesus by falling into heresy.

Not only will the saved be raised with glorified bodies, so will the damned! You do not want to be taken first (Matthew 13:41-43) but you do want to be "left behind"!

St. Paul warns you, Catholics, to "be watchful", "be alert" or you may fall to any one of these false gospels created by man.




Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Catholic Defender: Operation Arizona

This past weekend, deepertruth took it's mission and purpose to Phoenix Arizona, but what we didn't know exactly how much we would need and depend on God for our success.

There are so many people whom God used to help make this happen.

Coach Dave Daubenmire was scheduled to join us as a key note speaker.

As the weekend drew near, it became clear that the Coach was not able to make the mission due to health issues.

Please keep Coach in your prayers as he continues to recover from surgery.

Dr. Gregory Thompson called on another friend who has worked with him conducting "Shake the Nation" weekends throughout the Country.

At first, we had a positive result as this contact was very excited to come and participate in this mission.

However, even as Dr. Thompson was arranging for the flight, the call came right back that he could not make the weekend mission due to other business obligations.

Dr. Thompson felt that he had another potential prospect, but it might be a long shot.

He had already touched base with Tim Francis, a noted Catholic Apologist (You Shall Believe), mostly by e-mail, they did talk once on one occasion, hoping to discuss future opportunities.

Dr. Thompson asked Tim what he had planned this weekend. Tim had spent a mission in Denver Colorado where he had a thousand people a night for three nights.

Dr. Thompson asked Tim if he could help out participating with this mission at St. James Catholic Church near Glendale right outside Phoenix Arizona.

It turns out, this was exactly where Tim was coming to visit friends for the weekend. It became clear that God was working something here.

I flew from Austin Texas at 7:00 P.M. heading for Denver Colorado where I would change planes and head south to Phoenix.

On the flight from Texas, I had the opportunity to talk to a couple who had both left the Catholic Faith.

For about two hours, I had the opportunity to explain that the Catholic Church was crucial in following God's plan of Salvation.

I was able to explain the Eucharist and show this great sign as the foundation that all the previous covenants point to. I went from the Old Testament Covenants showing there is a connection from them to the Covenant Christ established as written in Matthew 26:28.

I was edified that they received what I was telling them with respect and it was a great discussion. I covered authority, miracles, devotion, and a whole lot of other related topics.

On my flight to Phoenix, I had the opportunity to speak with another fallen Catholic and this was interesting.

This individuals grandmother went to the Church that was holding the Mission and he was very interested in coming to the events at the Church. As you can see, I was already getting started on this journey!

I arrived in Phoenix just a few minutes before Dr. Thompson so I waited for him until he arrived.

From the airport, we rented a car and took off for one of his family members home where we were welcomed for the whole five days.

That was another example of a miracle as all our needs were taken care of. The hospitality we received by everyone throughout the week was phenomenal.

Thursday and Friday Dr. Thompson and I were at the daily morning Masses, we were praying the rosary and the Divine Mercy.

We were getting great support from the organizers of the event. It was like a mini retreat just in what was taking place before the weekend event.

Thursday, we were able to check out the layout of the Church, where the screen and proxima would be. St. James has a huge screen, what a great opportunity they have to host these kind of events.

Hal Pawlowski and his wife, Carolyn, invited us to go to a bible study that was drawing a lot of people and it was really great to go.

Of all the places we could have been this day, Mike Ruggieri's Mother was in the crowd there and recognized me from a pamphlet and we were able to talk for some time.

She planned to come with Mike to the weekend events and I was very happy about that.

Friday, the Parish held Eucharistic Adoration after Mass and it was at this point that we met Tim Francis for the first time.

Later after our prayer devotions, we all got together to introduce ourselves and layout our game plan. At 4:00 Dr. Thompson and I joined John Benko for our Friday evening radio show. That was a great show as we spoke about some of the anti-Catholic positions on free will.

Friday night, Dr. Thompson and I went to a fish fry at St. Stephens Byzantine Catholic Church and had the chance to meet Mike Ruggieri, another member of deepertruth who participates with the Ross Hoffman/Margie radio show on Tuesday evenings.

What a great time this was and Mike introduced us to a number of people in the Parish. We were given a tour of their Church and it is really beautiful. Saturday was very special because of the many parts that came together, it all began with Mass, very appropriate.

The music director wrote a song for the event and played music before the start of the event.

Dr. Gregory Thompson began the speaking event discussing the importance of opening up yourself to God and to allowing the Holy Spirit the opportunity to work.

He was specifically wanting to talk about our Lady. Dr. Gregory Thompson is one of the great speakers of our time. His background testimony, some of which he covered in this talk has inspired people all over the Country.

He brings in his testimony when he was a Superintendant of Schools in Southern Missouri, he was targeted by the ACLU for having a cross on his wall, for having a bible in his office, for having the Ten Commandments in the School.

The ACLU hired a single mother paying her $40,000 to lodge a complaint against the Ten Commandments.

The ACLU even went so far as to warn against praying over the food in the dining hall in front of the students?

Dr. Thompson was fired on September 8Th, our Mother Mary's birthday.

His talk was very moving, I can listen to him speak all day, what a great opportunity this was. I followed after Dr. Thompson speaking about the Eucharist.

I began with addressing the Old Testament Covenants, how they point to the final Covenant Jesus established at the Last Supper.

I looked at the original Passover and how the Mass was connected to this mysterious event. I wanted to show that the Manna God fed the Israelites in the desert, is tied to what Jesus revealed in John 6.

I discussed the John 6 bread of life discourse. I certainly wanted to share the New Testament where the Lord conducted the first Mass on Sunday and how the early Church continued this from the beginning.

I was able to get the people to go out deeper into the sea and cast their nets out to explore the deep mysteries of our faith. "Duc in Altum"!

This was one of Pope John Paul II's final exhortation to the people of God, to go out into the deep (Luke 5:4).

Following me was Tim Francis who presented his video showing the story and actual video of Eucharistic Miracles "Science Tests Faith".

"Blood & flesh in bleeding consecrated host, human DNA present, heart muscle present, white blood cells present" all reported by Ron Tesorieto and Michael Willesee.

Both these men had become "atheists" but after witnessing these miracles, these men now travel and go around the world giving their testimony.

Tim has put together a great program that will inspire anyone who breathes.

Included are the presentation of a bleeding statue and a lady with the stigmata.

What I thought was interesting is the scientific scrutiny conducted on the specimens and the reaction of the scientists. Very powerful and moving.

The next day (Sunday) began with Mass and a Rosary that had hundreds of people participate. That was spectacular!

We had a great time as people responded to the message of deepertruth and many signs were showing the positive results of people being moved by the presentation. The message primarily Sunday was for pro-life and that was very important as well.

Later that night, Dr. Thompson and I had the chance to speak before a large youth group about our backgrounds and our faith.

I was able to share some of my experience with the military and being deployed to Iraq. They were particularly interested in my being a Combat Medic.

Later that night, we were invited to visit with Edwin and Sherry Nunez who were friends with Tim Francis. What a great opportunity this was.

I had met Edwin Nunez Saturday night when they came to hear our talks. He was a Professional baseball play,recognized as the youngest player to be recruted in the Pro's.

He gave me a baseball card showing his picture with the Milwaukee Brewers. We arrived there about 9:00 that evening, and we talked until 04:00 in the morning.

They were practicing a Non-denominational church setting, but now they are interested in the Catholic Church!

From beginning to end, this was fast pace and many people were impacted for the Lord. As I took a flight going home to Austin Texas, it ends as it begun. I sat next to a fallen Catholic and had the chance to share Mary's peace plan from heaven with him.



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Sunday, October 9, 2011

*Best of DTB #103* Zack Kueker's circular and un-Biblical non-sequiter

Zack Keuker, the rabid Calvinist zealot with the pathological hatred for Catholics, had the misfortune of calling into the Deeper Truth show, attempting to trap the host (yours truly) in a quandary.

It went something like this;

  1. Did Jesus die to save all mankind?
  2. Was Jesus death sufficient to save all He intended to save?


Zach contends that if you answer "Yes" to both questions, then the only logical conclusion is that no one goes to hell.

Obviously, any actual Christian (Calvinists are not Christians) can see the fatal flaw in this attempted syllogism because of the third- silent- line of logic, inserted by stealth.

That is, that all those who were provided the necessary graces to be saved, were saved. In other words, Zach is asserting that Material Sufficiency equals Practical Sufficiency. Upon running into this brick wall of a distinction, Zach could only stumble and mutter and repeat the two questions as if they had never been answered. When Zach was asked to explain what the Apostle Paul said in Colossians 1:24-25, about that which is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, he could not answer.

Zack Kueker, the never-ending fountain of anti-catholic vomit was stumped.

To explain the fatal flaw in Zach's disordered and heretical logic, let's enumerate his logic to include the unstated, but essential elements of his alleged syllogism of Universal atonement.

  1. Jesus died for all mankind.
  2. Jesus death was materially sufficient for the salvation of all He intended to save.
  3. Material sufficiency equals practical sufficiency, therefore-
  4. All men are saved.


As you can see, Zach's premise is dependent on the silly "It is finished" canard that protestants like to use, purporting that Christ's last words "It is finished" mean that only a verbal and intellectual assent to faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice is necessary for Salvation. This logic applies that the Material Sufficiency of Christ's atonement is applied to the sinner by a simple, one-time request. In short, that man is justified by faith alone.

However, since man is not justified by Faith alone, Zach's alleged Syllogism crumbles into rubble.

James 2
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

18 But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder. 20 Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren? 21* Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, 23* and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"; and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

The consequence of Zach's damnable and blasphemous heresy is that outside of a verbal and intellectual assent to faith, God will save none- even this precious child.

This poor girl's name is Aisha and she was gang raped. In the depraved muslim nation she had this misfortune of being born into, she was the guilty party, destined for hell.

At 13 years old, she was stoned to death and, according to Zach's own words, on my show, she is in hell.

Romans 10:14 But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?

Zack Kueker's satanic doctrine of limited atonement turns a merciful and loving God into a monster. May God have mercy on you, Zack.

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Friday, October 7, 2011

Dan's pathetic response

Once again, my words are in Red, his are in Blue

Anyway, I ran out of time this morning so I won't be able to have as much fun with John's screw-up as I had hoped, but Benko's reasoning is blown to bits quite easily, whoever he is.

Lol this should be fun....watching this knucklehead trying to formulate a cogent thought...

He spends time trying to refute my syllogism by saying that each person's task depends upon the other person's task and therefore renders them "not alone".

First of all, let me explain to this knucklehead what a syllogism is because nowhere, in this long incoherent diatribe does he ever approach one.

A syllogism is a natural consequence that can be drawn from multiple, relevant facts. For example A= B and B=C, therefore A=C.

One of the greatest syllogisms ever, works like this.

Jesus is God
Mary is the Mother of Jesus
Therefore, Mary is the Mother of God.

To deny this is to look silly.

No argument he presents is a syllogism...nevermind a sound one.

In reality, he has established the perfection of God's salvation in the 5 Solas, not refuted it. Of course each task is dependant upon another, that is a given.

and this one simple fact refutes the assertion that any of these parts of the job are performed alone. Any attempt to suggest they are only succeeds in making him look more foolish.

A person is alone or he is not alone, in the same manner that a woman is pregnant or she isn't.

For there to be faith in a person's heart, one must have grace poured upon them, for one to know Christ, one must have the Scriptures, for one to take joy in the glory of God, one must be saved by grace through faith.

THIS FACT IN NO WAY CHANGES THE REALITY THAT THEY WORK ALONE IN THE TASK THAT THEY DO!!!! THAT WAS THE VERY CLEAR EVIDENCE MADE REAL BY THE SYLLOGISTIC ANALOGY OF THE MEN POURING CONCRETE!!!

Again, where is the syllogism? He seems to like the word but has no clue what it means. A syllogism and an analogy are two very different things. Jesus actually uses both in the Scriptures.

Dan is actually not either using syllogistic logic or analogoustic logic. Rather, he is employing a type of fallacious device known as greedy reductionism. Since his feigned analogy falls flat, in the respect that everyone can see clearly that the one job-laying a concrete slab- is involving 5 persons working together (and zero persons working alone), he attempts to redefine each part of the job as a job in itself. In essence, he is trying to argue that 5 different people are acting separate and autonomous...and working together at the same time.

Anyone can see that what Dan is doing is attempting to redefine the situation into what it clearly isn't, rather than simple relay the truth of what is actually going on.

In doing so, Dan hopes to make the same false depiction of the unrelated issue- Salvation- by means of a false analogy. Anyone can see his argument breaks down on both sides.

The man finishing concrete is finishing concrete quite alone. If someone else puts their hand to his trowel, then he is not doing his task alone!

Again,we can see that this is a falsehood. Should the driver of the concrete not have arrived, there clearly would be no concrete to finish. The argument is pure foolishness. If you asked the neighbor across the street if the concrete finisher was working alone, he would obviously say no.

In all fairness, the Romanist is so brainwashed that he can't understand how something could work alone and be ALONG WITH SOMETHING ELSE.

In all fairness, the Calvinist is so muddled in his heretical mush that he cannot see the plain contradiction in his words. He is so wrapped up inside his own rhetoric that he sees what looks like a duck, walks like a duck and talks like a duck and insists it's a kangaroo. It is quite simple. If one man is by himself, he is alone. If he is not, he is not alone. A 3rd grader can see this. He is so married to his deformed, satanic mush theology that he has to pretend to be an idiot to convince himself true what his very common sense denies.

That is why Reformed theology(authentic, Biblical Christianity) is so effective in standing against the onslaught of Romanism.

He keeps repeating this and yet he has never (and will never) produce a single line of scripture supporting his idiocy.

At the very least, the truth here presented in the 5 Solas, cause automatic red flags to go up in a Romanist's mind and he runs around like a chicken with his head cut off.

More hyperbole? more empty rhetoric? When is Dan going to actually make an argument? Oh, wait...he can't.....

What is happening in the very clear, unnassailable creed of the 5 Solas is that the pagan idolatry spoken of in the Bible more than any other topic is always exposed in those false systems which it is laid over against; such is the case with Roman Catholicism.

Unassailable, yet you still have not tried to defend it. Hmmmmm More unsubstantiated piffle, more hyperventilated blather, yet not even an attempt to defend his position on Biblical grounds. Kind of ironic for Mr. sola scriptura, yes? The fact is the "five solas" are so much theology garbage and you know it as well as I do, little man.

Of course, John's claim that all those doctrines of demons exposed by the Solas are actually real, and provable from Scripture, and the apostle's believed them...blah, blah, blah....is all hot air and couldn't stand for two seconds in the cleansing fire of God's holy Word.

and yet it is you who is too much of a coward to debate them. Interesting.

So for all this person's grandstanding and boasting in the fantasy of Romanistic falsehood, all we have is just another peeved antagonist, throwing stones at the impenetrable breastwork of God's strong tower of refuge.


Hrrumph Hrrumph Hrrrump. Don't confuse me with the facts! Calvin is my God! Calvin is my God!


Lol

Away with you, heretic. *shakes the dust from my feet as testimony against you*



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Tuesday, October 4, 2011

*Best of DTB #102* Refuting Dan Peterman, Calvinist.

Dam Peterman presented this article to me. His arguments are in Blue, while mine are in Red.


Concrete Reasoning



If something is existing by itself in order to do a task, and then another thing is doing a separate task alongside the first thing , is the first thing alone or together with the second thing??
Think about it for a minute.
I suppose after you finish shaking your head, you will say that of course whatever thing is first alone is obviously no longer alone when anything else joins it. Right? Confused?



So for example, let's say one guy shows up to lay a slab of concrete out on the ground. At present, he is alone. He begins to guide the shoot of the concrete truck in order to run out the concrete mud into the right spot. Then let's say another man shows, and he begins to rake the mud around with a mud rake into a more level form within set boundary boards. Now, the first man and second man are together on the job. We would not say they are alone right?

Let's say a third man shows up, and then a fourth man, and then a fifth man. The third man is there to start screeding the concrete or leveling it out with a long bar or "screed". The fourth man is there to use a hand float or "mag" to smooth out the edges. The fifth man is there to run a large bull float over the majority of the slab to get a smooth finish.

It is natural for us to look at this scenario and say, "Hey, those guys are pouring a slab together." In other words we would not look at the group of guys and say they were alone.

Here is where it gets interesting and we move to the heart of my point. In logical, reasonable actuality we can safely say that the first man is "pouring out the slab" alone. He is at the shoot behind the truck alone and sliding out the concrete onto the ground. We can say that the second man is raking the mud alone. It is right to say that the third man is screeding the concrete alone. We can easily say that the fourth man is floating the edges alone, and we know it is obvious that the fifth man is bull floating the main slab....alone. You see, the minute that an additional person actually puts their hand to the exact task that any one of these men are performing, then that specific task is being done not alone, but by more than one person. Even though all the men are operating in unison to perform the act of laying the slab, each has his own task and is doing it all by himself.
This is pure reason and causes us to think in ways that we do not always think.

On the contrary, sound reasoning is not being used here. Dan is attempting to establish a premise that runs exactly counter to the facts presented.

There are not 5 jobs being done here, there is one job. Each of the 5 workers are engaging in a part of that activity but each is cooperating with the other and each is dependent on the other.

The fifth man cannot run the bull float to get a smooth finish if the first man has not shot the concrete into the grid. The first man cannot continue shooting the mud into the grid unless the second is there raking it and the third screeding it and so on. In attempting to establish the premise of each person acting alone, he has, instead established the very premise of interdependence.

Here is why this exercise is so very important. When we look at God and the way He works in the lives of the elect, we see various elements operating entirely by themselves, and at the same time in perfect unison.
This is actually how life works, but for some reason when we look at God, we say,
"No that can't be right."

Once again, you have only succeeded in disproving the very precept you aim to prove. When a man is single, he is alone. When he marries, he has a partner. The two are individual but they are not alone. They cooperate and work together. In the example you cited above, it is very unlikely that one person would always do the same part of a job and only that part. The way "life works" clearly refutes the "on an island" mentality that your religion dictates.

In salvation as described by the Bible, God is on display, not man.

Again, you make a false claim, as though God's prescence and Man's are mutually exclusive. If we believe (and I assume you do) that God is Omnipresent, than man must be able exist in God's presence. If man could not exist in God's presence, then he should have nowhere to exist for God exists in all places. In the story of salvation, from the point of the fall, to the point of the ascension, we do, indeed, see God on display. However, we see man on display as well. From Eve, the woman who brought sin into the world, to Mary, the woman who brought salvation into the world and a whole host of others. In fact, it is precisely your vision of salvation- God acting alone, to the exclusion of humanity- that is wholly alien to scripture.

We know from the accuracy and innerancy of God's Holy Word that the Almighty is more than capable of getting His instructions into our hands.

A silly and circular argument. You deny the necessity of the church even though you cannot historically deny that the Catholic church is the only reason you have a Bible. Whether or not God was capable, should He have chosen, to deliver the written word by another means is both uncontested and irrelevant.

It was God who chose to build a church and deliver His word through that Church.

One of the most important truths we can ever come to grips with is that God does not need us. He is actually God.

Straw man. No one has argued that God needs us. Quite the contrary. We need God. Should God chose not to give us a path to salvation, we would be doomed with no recourse whatever.

Further, it defies human logic, in consideration of who God is, to understand why He should be predisposed to show us mercy after we have offended Him.

Nevertheless, this is how He is predisposed to us. Therefore, we must meet God where He is and not where we would have Him be (metaphorically of course).

Down through history, so many have tried to pervert the truth of God by adding to who He is, how He does things, and what it is that He does.


True. You non-Catholics need to stop doing that.

In fact, when Constantine merged Christianity with Roman statism and paganism, we ended up with a very grotesque beast that festooned the precious words of God with every kind of man-made trappings available.

Unsubstantiated, hyperbolic polemics.

False doctrines such as the Eucharist, Baptismal Regenertion, baptizing of and praying for the dead, Purgatory, Indulgences, Tradition and extra-Biblical revelation, and works-based faith became rampant.

Not one of those is a false doctrine and it is a demonstrable, historical fact that the early church believed every one of those doctrines. Further, in a Biblically based argument, on any one of those doctrines, you would lose. The Biblical basis for all of those doctrines are all plainly present in Scripture.


In the 1500's men began to raise up in faith and strength from God to declare these doctrines false and exhort the church and all those who would listen back to authentic, Biblical Christianity.

This was the time of the Reformation.

Actually, what happened in the 1500 was the great apostasy. Godless heretics who bore no resemblance to what a Christian is, either by doctrine or lifestyle, foisted upon us the age of ear-tickling, man made religion. It is no coincidence that the "protestant reformation" began on the high holy day of Satanism- October 31st.

If you call yourself a Christian, you can thank the Reformers that you do not kiss the ring of a priest on Sunday and say your "hail Marys". You do not attend a Catholic Mass, because brave men stood up against the spirit of totalitarian, self-righteous maligning of God's word that the Christ Himself had faced in the religious men of His day. Like the Ark from the flood, a bright hope of true believers emerged from the flood of apostasy that had threatened to destroy all of Christendom.

What you lack in substantive fact and credible history, you make up for in hyperbole and rhetoric. I will give you that. Yet, the facts that remain, unmolested are these;


  1. None of the teachings of the "reformation" find their root in Scripture. In fact, they contradict the plain words of the Bible.

  2. None of these teachings can be found to have existed prior to 1571.

  3. None of the teachers of the protestants can establish any historical or authoritative link to the person of Jesus Christ.

  4. The very Bible you twist to support your fallacious nonsense was given to you by the Catholic church and no matter how much you ruminate about the many other means God could have chosen to deliver the Scriptures to you, the method He chose was the Roman Catholic Church. That is a fact and it cannot be disputed.
Of the many precious confessions of sound, Biblical faith that emerged from the Great Reformation as lenses peering into the endless depths of Scripture, one amazing creed stands out. It is that of the Five Solas.

Once again, short on substance, long on grandstanding. The fact is that there isn't one jot or tittle of support for any of the 5 solas. In fact, each one is explicitly refuted by Scripture.

Sola is Latin for alone and is used in this creed to describe the secret workings of God. In Scripture, when we see the word "mystery" it is always describing that which is being revealed.

Sola does indeed mean "alone". The other two assertions you make are absurd and you will not attempt to support either one by any means, Biblical or otherwise. You know it, I know it. The preeminent example is that James 2:24 explicitly, and with no doubt, refutes Sola Fide. It doesn't even give you wiggle room.

We have everything that God wants us to have of Himself and these things are clearly defined in Scripture

Another contention that you cannot provide one line of scriptural support for.

It is quite OK to speak of such things, and to determine by God's Holy Word the right and wrong ways of perceiving them.

According to who? Where in Scripture is such authority given to you? Chapter and verse, please.
Paul conferred his office on to Timothy by the laying on of hands (2 Timothy 1:6). Thus it was the same with every Priest, Judge, Prophet and Apostle and every successor to the Apostles. Nowhere in Scripture is it suggested that Martin Luther, John Calvin or you have been given the authority to speak for God. Matthew 18 tells us that the Church, not you, has this authority. (Matthew 18:15-18).

A great mystery revealed is how God operates in the lives of those He elects unto salvation. This mystery is easily defined in the Five Solas. They are as follows:

If this is a great mystery revealed by God, why was it not revealed by Him when He walked the earth in flesh? Nowhere, in the entire history of Christianity, prior to the so-called reformation do we see the church embracing any of these silly doctrines. Further, you defend them with rhetoric and hyperbole because, you know- just as I do- that they are wholly alien to Scripture.

1 Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us. (Ephesians 1:3-8)

You will notice that the word "alone" is absent from your citation. That grace is given for a reason- for the purpose of works.

Ephesians 2:8* For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God -- 9 not because of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

So Grace must be cooperated with. Just as man can choose to cooperate with God's Grace, He can, likewise, choose to turn from it.

2 Peter 21 For it would have been better for them not to have
known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn
back from the holy commandment handed down * to them.
22 * What is expressed in the true proverb has happened
to them, "The dog returns to its own vomit," and "A bathed sow
returns to wallowing in the mire."

This destroys Calvinistic heresy regarding total depravity and irresistible Grace and establishes both the free will to cooperate with God's Grace and to reject it.

Sola fide ("by faith alone")
Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the nations shall be blessed in you." So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them." Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "The righteous man shall live by faith." (Galatians 3:6-11)

James 2

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

18 But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder. 20 Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren? 21* Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, 23* and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"; and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
The Bible explicitly says that a man is not justified by faith alone. Why do you reject the plain and unambiguous words of Scripture?

3 Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone")
There is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time...For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. (1TI 2:5-6; COL 1:13-18)

There is a world of difference between Christ first and Christ alone. The notion of salvation being of Christ alone negates the meaning of the Covenant. A Covenant is an agreement between persons. The term Covenant appears more than 160 times in the Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments. The term Christ alone appears zero. It, like pretty much everything else Dan believes regarding Salvation, is wholly alien to the Scriptures.

That Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and Man is not in dispute. After all, He being the only person to be both human and divine, He is the only person qualified. Yet, that doesn't mean we do not have obligations under that mediation and it does not mean that mediation nullifies Covenant. On the contrary, the very fact that Jesus choses to mediate between God and man, proves that Salvation is something that must be worked out and that we must contribute something of our own, in order to fulfill our part of the covenant.

Phillipians 2: 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13* for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Colossians 1: 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25* of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26* the mystery hidden for ages and generations * but now made manifest to his saints.
Notice that Paul does not speak of Salvation in the sense of a personal relationship with Christ, as non-Catholics allege, but as a communal relationship, mitigated through Divine office. This destroys the sola nonsense of the reformers.
4 Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (Psalm 119:18; Psalm 138:2; II Tim. 3:14-17)

2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.
The usefulness of Scripture for any of the above noted purposes is not in dispute. What is in dispute here is Dan's notion that the books of the Bible are formally sufficient for salvation. This doctrine is utter nonsense and is absent from the text of scripture itself. The very Scriptures he purports to support, not only obliterate this notion but actually establish the Church as the final authority.
(1 Tim 3:15, Luke 10:16, Matthew 16:18-20, 18:15-18) Of all the five Solas, this one is by far the easiest to refute. It is historically untenable in the sense that there was no Bible for the first almost 400 years of the Church and it is practically untenable since you must rely on the Church to even have a Biblical table of contents. Sola Scriptura is not merely satanic in it's origin (The Devil seeking to divide), it is silly and unworkable and makes a book into a god instead of a very useful, but very inanimate resource.

John 21:25
* But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
5 Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God; Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (1CO 10:31; 1PE 4:11; REV 1:6; 2PE 3:1; EPH 3:21; REV 7:12; ROM 11:36)

God's Glory is made manifest in His creation. Since God has always spoken to us, in one way or another, it is precisely His creation that reflects His Glory. In Luke Chapter 1, the most magnificent of His solely created beings- Mary- is inspired by the Holy Spirit, to say of Herself My soul doth magnify the Lord. This flies in the face of the Calvinist nonsense of total depravity.
If man were totally depraved, he would lack the ability to choose good and reject evil. Thus, the entire notion of evangelization that Dan engages in would be utter nonsense. The source of all glory is, indeed God and the fulfillment of all glory returns to God. Nevertheless, Salvation is about reconciling accounts between God's Mercy and God's Justice. Calvinism asserts that God's choice to save this person or damn that person is solely an act of God's choice, for no discernible purpose. Under this notion of predestination, God creates some people for the eternal joys of heaven and others for the horrible punishments of hell, solely for His good humor. This doctrine of limited atonement makes a loving and just God into a monster. Therefore, I can say, most assuredly, that Calvinism is an abhorrent cult and bears no resemblance to legitimate Christianity. The Bible is clear that the doers of the law will be Justified (Romans 2:1-13)

Dan's article stands refuted. We will discuss this Friday on the Deeper Truth show.



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