The Spirit of Roman Catholicism
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THE SPIRIT OF ROMAN CATHOLICISM What Lies Behind the Modern Public Image? by Mary Ann Collins A Former Catholic Nun Copyright 2002 by Mary Ann Collins. Table of Contents Preface................................................................................................................................................ 2 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Anathemas.......................................................................................................................................... 5 ENFORCEMENT..............................................................................................................................6 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................7 The Council of Trent........................................................................................................................ 8 OFFICIAL MODERN ENDORSEMENT OF ..................................................................................8 THE COUNCIL OF TRENT.............................................................................................................8 THE ANATHEMAS OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT ....................................................................9 CANNOT BE REVOKED ................................................................................................................9 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................9 Ecumenism........................................................................................................................................ 10 VATICAN II AND ECUMENISM .................................................................................................10 INCONSISTENCY .........................................................................................................................10 THE POPE SPEAKS.......................................................................................................................11 CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................11 Spiritual Intimidation.................................................................................................................... 12 INTIMIDATING VOTERS IN 1962 ..............................................................................................13 Hunting “Heretics” ......................................................................................................................... 16 CHRISTIAN “HERETICS” ............................................................................................................17 THE WALDENSIANS....................................................................................................................17 THE INQUISITION........................................................................................................................19 CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................20 Credentials.......................................................................................................................................22 CONSTANTINE .............................................................................................................................22 A TALE OF TWO BISHOPS..........................................................................................................24 STATE RELIGION.........................................................................................................................26 FROM MARTYRS TO “HERETIC” HUNTERS...........................................................................26 WAS PETER A POPE?...................................................................................................................27 LEGENDS AND TRADITIONS.....................................................................................................30 THE “EARLY FATHERS”.............................................................................................................31 APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION..........................................................................................................31 INFALLIBILITY.............................................................................................................................31 CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................34 The Roman Catholic Church and the Bible ................................................................................35 KEEPING THE BIBLE IN LATIN.................................................................................................36 STRUGGLING WITH LATIN .......................................................................................................37 TRANSLATING THE BIBLE........................................................................................................37 CONDEMNING BIBLE SOCIETIES.............................................................................................37 ADDING TRADITION TO SCRIPTURE......................................................................................38 FORBIDDING PEOPLE TO...........................................................................................................38 INTERPRET THE BIBLE FOR THEMSELVES...........................................................................38 THE APOCRYPHA ........................................................................................................................39 SUMMARY OF THE BOOK OF TOBIT.......................................................................................39 COMMENTS ON TOBIT...............................................................................................................40 CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................40 Mandatory Celibacy........................................................................................................................ 41 A Modern Bid for Power ...............................................................................................................43 The Numbers Game........................................................................................................................46 Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................48 Appendix...........................................................................................................................................49 “According to Tradition . .”...........................................................................................................49 Biography.......................................................................................................................................... 51 Poems.................................................................................................................................................55 YOUR WORD.................................................................................................................................55 JESUS, SON OF DAVID................................................................................................................55 JESUS, YOU’RE THE LOVE ........................................................................................................56 Notes.................................................................................................................................................57 Preface In the early 1900's a famous baseball player was accused of cheating. Unfortunately, the accusation proved to be true. A young fan met the baseball player and said, "Say it ain't so!" I have often felt that way while doing research about the Roman Catholic Church. Sometimes it has caused me so much distress that it has adversely affected my health. However, the truth is precious, even when it is painful. Our God is Truth incarnate. (John 14:6; Romans 3:4) And He promised that the truth would set us free. (John 8:32) Please read the poems at the end of this book. They will help you see these issues from the long-term perspective of God’s love and faithfulness. 2 May the Lord bless you, protect you, guard you, and guide you. And may He reveal Himself to you in a new way. Mary Ann Collins February 19, 2002 3 Chapter 1 Introduction Since I left the Roman Catholic Church to join a Scripturally based Protestant church, I have wrestled with various issues relating to Catholicism. Some papers emerged from that struggle. Then one morning I woke up thinking, “I need to look up ‘Anathema’ in the ‘Catholic Encyclopedia’.” It was like this idea had been downloaded in my head while I was sleeping. I looked it up. That was the beginning of three months of intense research and writing, which resulted in this book. You may be surprised at what I discovered. I certainly was. I discovered that there is something behind Catholicism which is not obvious at first, something which is quite different from the modern public image. How can we see what this is? By looking