Dear Becky,
I have finished reading a wonderful book by a former Satanist, Dr. Rebecca Brown, now a Born Again Christian. In her chapter entitled, "The Holy Spirit Versus Spirit Guides", I was shocked as to the seeming applicability of the attributes of the Demons to the Roman Catholic Church. [Becoming A Vessel of Honor In The Master's Service, by Rebecca Brown, MD, pages 115-121] I have listed these points for you. Please read them and then get back to me. Since you are a former Catholic, I was wondering if these points really apply to the Roman Catholic Church as I think they do? And, if they do, does this material make for a good article?
HOLY SPIRIT: "The Holy Spirit values our individuality. He does not try to usurp our individual personality in any way."
DEMONS: "Demons HATE human beings! They try to usurp the individual's personality and replace it with their own."
ROMAN CATHOLICISM: In all matters pertaining to religion, the R/C Church seeks to usurp the mind and reason of the Catholic, replacing it with their own pagan doctrine. In fact, doesn't the R/C Church teach that no one can understand the Bible and other matters of doctrine, so they must TOTALLY rely upon the Church?
FORMER CATHOLIC: Yes David, the Roman Catholic church does indeed teach that only they can interpret the word of God. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #85:
"The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone."
Pope Pius' letter, states:
"...God has given to His Church a living Teaching Authority to elucidate and explain what is contained in the deposit of faith only obscurely and implicitly. This deposit of faith our Divine Redeemer has given for authentic interpretation NOT TO EACH OF THE FAITHFUL, NOT EVEN TO THEOLOGIANS, BUT ONLY TO THE TEACHING AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH" (Emphasis mine).
"The Scripture indeed is a divine book but it is a dead letter, which has to be explained, and cannot exercise the action which the preacher can obtain" (Our Priesthood, 155). And again, "A dead and speechless book" (Question Box, 67).
In the book, Biblical Demonology by Merrill Unger, a very true and interesting observation was made:
"The Church of Rome has sought to establish a man-made unity instead of a Spirit-inspired one, and in the place of the infallible Word of God, substituted an infallible so-called 'church'. In thus attempting to escape the inevitable ravages of 'doctrines of demons' from without, in dethroning the Word of God, it laid the foundation for a whole new brood of 'doctrines of demons' from within, and became a well-knit and brilliantly organized system of incredible error, a very citadel for the doctrines of demons'" (178).
HOLY SPIRIT: "The Holy Spirit wants us to be in control and responsible for our own actions. He works in us “to will and to do of his good pleasure.” [Phil 2:13]
DEMONS: "Demons want total control. They will frequently knock the person unconscious and then use them in any way they want."
ROMAN CATHOLIC: Again, ditto above. The R/C Church demands total spiritual control, do they not? Their pagan teachings have the effect of putting the adherent into a living sleep, so they are under the total control of the Church.
FORMER CATHOLIC: Again David, you are correct. Rome wants total control even over our thoughts. I feel it best to let Rome speak for herself:
“Once he does so (joins the Catholic church), he has no further use for his reason. He enters the Church, an edifice illumined by the superior light of revelation and faith. He can leave reason like a lantern at the door” (Explanation of Catholic Morals, Stapleton, 76).
“Obey blindly, that is, without asking reasons. Be careful, then, never to examine the directions of your confessor...In a word, keep before your eyes this great rule, that in obeying your confessor you obey God. Force yourself, then, to obey him in spite of all fears. And be persuaded that if you are not obedient to him it will be impossible for you to go on well; but if you obey him you are secure. But you say, if I am damned in consequence of obeying my confessor, who will rescue me from hell? What you say is impossible” (Spouse of Christ, 554).
“There is only one remedy for this evil (over scrupulous conscience), and that remedy is absolute and blind obedience to a prudent director. Choose one, consult him as often as you desire, but do not leave him for another. Then submit punctiliously to his direction. His conscience must be yours for the time being. And if you should err in following him, God will hold him, and not you responsible”(Explanation of Catholic Morals, 24).
Rome, of course, did not bother to mention Matt.15:14:
“Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” Humorist, Florence King, wisely noted:
"Now, a word to Catholics who follow the dictates of their consciences instead of the dictates of the Vatican. Congratulations, you're Protestant' " (National Review, 11/27/95).
HOLY SPIRIT: "The Holy Spirit is gentle. When He comes into a person, He is so gentle that when you look inside yourself, you can't tell what is the Holy Spirit and what is you."
DEMONS: "Demons are harsh. Because of their desire to take over, a person can always sense a difference between the demon spirit and themselves. This is true even if they think the demon is a 'counselor' of part of their own subconscious mind."
ROMAN CATHOLICISM: Isn't the Church harsh in their exercise of control over a person?
FORMER CATHOLIC: The Spanish Inquisition is a good example of Rome’s harsh control, and “inquisitors NEVER lost a single case. There is no record of an acquittal”. You either believed everything they said, without question, or you died at their hands. Rome no longer has the political power to kill all those who will not comply, but she still controls them by claiming to hold the power over their souls. The Council of Trent announced over 100 anathemas to anyone who did not comply with Rome’s doctrines. Rome’s history is filled with harsh treatment and inquisitions as admitted by her own writers:
“Armed with this elastic notion of what contradicted the faith, inquisitors arrested people for eating meat on Friday, omitting their Easter duties, reading the Bible, saying it is a sin to persecute for conscience’s sake, speaking ill of a cleric – priest or bishop. Any jibe against his Holiness was an indictable offence, even when uttered by a man in his cups. Any departure from the life of the community was proof of heresy meriting death. It is clear from this that the aim of the Inquisition was to defend not the faith but the papal system. As one victim of the inquisition concluded: ‘It is safer to discuss the power of God than the power of the pope’...The ultimate injustice was being accused of thinking heresy. For the Inquisition, orthodoxy was not only speaking and acting in an unorthodox (that is, papal) manner; it was also thinking as the pontiff would have a person think. If under torture a prisoner proved he had never said or done anything heretical, he could still be punished for his inmost thoughts, his doubts, his temptations” (Vicars of Christ, Peter De Rosa, 158).
“The burning of heretics was first decreed in the eleventh century. The synod of Verona ( 1184 ) imposed on bishops the duty to search out heretics in their dioceses and to hand them over to the secular power. Other synods and the fourth Lateran Council ( 1215 ), under Pope Innocent III, repeated and enforced this decree, especially the synod of Tolouse ( 1229 ) which established inquisitors in every parish ( one priest and two laymen-O.C.L. ). Every one was bound to denounce heretics, the names of witnesses were kept secret; after 1243, when Innocent IV sanctioned the laws of Emperor Frederick II and of Louis IX against heretics, torture was applied in trials; the guilty persons were delivered up to the civil authorities and actually burnt at the stake . . . The present pope, Pius X ( 1909 ), has decreed the establishment in every diocese of a board of censors and of a vigilance committee whose functions are to find out and report on writings and persons tainted with the heresy of Modernism” (Catholic Encyclopedia, VII, 260 ).
Innocent III, admiringly pointed out by Rome as the greatest of all the popes, was more ruthless than any pope before or since. By his armies, crusades and inquisitions, he killed so many men that, through fear, he brought into subservience the kings of the earth. Rome’s response:
"We ought not to blame Innocent III for taking severe measures because one hundred years of preaching and persuasion had utterly failed, and those disturbers were becoming stronger every year" (Question Box, 232 ).
“Given the ideas then, and long after, universally prevalent in regard to heresy and the measures of repression necessary to prevent infection from spreading, there is nothing exceptionally cruel or intolerant about the statute ‘De Haeretico Comburendo’ of 1401, which provided that heretics convicted before a spiritual court, and refusing to recant, were to be handed over to the secular arm and burnt" (Catholic Encyclopedia, V, 441).
"They should have recourse to penal measures only when persuasion or reproaches have failed" (Penal Legislation in the New Code of Canon Law, 54. This is a comment on canon 2214 of the present code).
"It is the innate and proper right independently of any human authority, to chastise her delinquent subjects with penalties both spiritual and temporal" (Penal Legislation in the New Code of Canon Law, 53 ) .
“To restrain and bring back her rebellious sons the Church uses both her spiritual power and the secular power at her command" (Catholic Encyclopedia, VII, 261).
Of course, Rome no longer enjoys those “happier times” when she ruled!
“And although in the extraordinary conditions of these times the Church usually acquiesces in certain modern liberties, not because she prefers them in themselves, but because she judges it expedient to permit them, she would in happier times exercise her own liberty” (Great Encyclical Letters of Leo X III, 158).
HOLY SPIRIT: "The Holy Spirit is holy and pure. He brings purity into our lives. He gives us POWER to overcome sin."
DEMONS:"Demons are totally corrupt. They will ALWAYS lead a person deeper and deeper into sin. Even the demons in the New Age Movement who try to present themselves as being 'good', quickly lead the person into sin. Within the New Age Movement, the areas of sin to show quickly are sexual immorality and a desire to delve into the occult and increase contact with the spirit world."
ROMAN CATHOLICISM: Certainly, the R/C Church is morally corrupt beyond belief. Sexual sin is so prevalent within the priesthood. Finally, the R/C person has an increased desire to contact the spirit world, as the many apparitions throughout the world demonstrate.
FORMER CATHOLIC: Once Rome sanctioned the apparitions of “Mary”, demonic activity increased immensely, leading millions of Catholics to flock to places such as Fatima, Lourdes, Guatalupe and every other possible “sighting of Mary” looking for some sign of hope. The doctrines coming from these apparitions clearly are the doctrines of devils, teaching such things as:
“We must make sacrifice for sins. Many souls are in hell because there is no one to make sacrifice for them”.
This is an open attack on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins. One apparition of Mary to “Sister” Agnus Sasagawa, of Akita, Japan, said:
“I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved.”
Rome has also led her people into seeking after “saints” that did not exist, such as “St.” Christopher and “St.” Bridgit.
David, you also mention the sexual sin that is so prevalent in the Roman Catholic priesthood. 1Tim.4:1 tell us that it is a doctrine of devils to forbid marriage. When Roman Catholicism accepted this as doctrine for themselves, they opened the door for all kinds of sexual abuse. In more than one incident throughout its vile history, the priest has used the confessional to seduce and destroy young and old women, married and single. Some have used the confessional to seek out the weakest child who then finds himself controlled and/or molested by his confessor.
“Former Archbishop Robert Sanchez said child sex-abuse cases in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe [over 140 lawsuits were filed against the archdiocese] were kept secret because he didn’t know it was a crime” (Proclaiming The Gospel, Oct./Dec.1996, 6).
I highly recommend Chiniquy’s book, The Woman, The Priest and the Confessional. He exposes the atrocities done in the confessional, and their true historical roots.
“Let those who want more information on that subject read the poems of Juvenal, Propertius, and Tibellus. Let them peruse all the historians of old Rome, and they will see the perfect resemblance which exists between the priests of the Pope and those of Bacchus, in reference to the vows of celibacy, the secrets of auricular confession, celebration of the so-called ‘sacred mysteries’ and the unmentionable moral corruption of the two systems of religion. In fact, when one reads the poems of Juvenal, he thinks he has before him the books of Den, Liguori, Lebreyne, Kenric” (The Priest, The Woman and The Confessional, Chiniquy, 140).
When speaking of the immorality of the popes, Peter De Rosa, in his book, Vicars of Christ: the Dark Side of the Papacy, paints a not-so-pretty picture of their true face:
“...among the popes were a large number of married men, some of whom gave up their wives and children in exchange for the papal office. Many were sons of priests, bishops and popes; some were bastards; one was a widower, another an ex-slave; several were murderers, some unbelievers; some were hermits, some heretics, sadists and sodomites; many became popes by buying the papacy (simony), and continued their days selling holy things to rake in the money; one at least was a Satan-worshipper; some fathered illegitimate children, some were fornicators and adulterers on a grand scale; some were astonishingly old, some even more astonishingly young; some were strangled; worst of all were those who worshipped a granite God” (30).
Rome’s boast that she is “holy” evaporates in the face of history. Her impure and abominable acts cannot be rivaled even by the most corrupt pagan societies.
HOLY SPIRIT: "The Holy Spirit always uplifts and glorifies Jesus, thereby bringing humility into the life of the person He indwells."
DEMONS: "Demons hate Jesus! They glorify the person in whom they dwell, always drawing attention to the person himself instead of toward Jesus. PRIDE is the hallmark of demons and the people they inhabit."
ROMAN CATHOLICISM: They certainly have downgraded Jesus Christ in their doctrine of Mary and worship of saints. I do not know whether they instill pride in a R/C who is really trying to keep all the rules, although I do know that rule-keeping generally makes a person proud of their accomplishments.
FORMER CATHOLIC: The priesthood of Rome instills a great deal of pride in it’s “little Levites”. Perhaps it would be best to let Rome speak for herself on this matter:
"The priest is a storm: hurricane, cyclone, tornado rolled into one. Like Christ in the temple. Like Christ before the Pharisees. Like Christ hanging on the cross...No, He is more than that. The Priest is not just the cross, he is Christ Himself" (Lone Star Catholic, "Father" Brigante, March 1, 1959).
"...glorious priests...oracles of the Eternal Word...chiefs in the celestial militia...custodians of the Keys of heaven" (The Priest, His Dignity and Obligations, "St." John Eudes, XXV).
"To the carnal eye, the priest looks like other men, but to the eye of faith, he is exalted above angels" (Faith of our Fathers, Gibbons, 442).
"God deigns to make prelates, His own equals...If then, you receive a command of one who holds the place of God, you should observe it with the same diligence as if it came from God Himself" (True Spouse of Christ, Liguori, 93).
"Thus priests are gods in power. O power and dignity of the priesthood which surpasses all the powers of heaven and earth, second only to the ineffible dignity of the Mother of God" (The Priest, His Dignity and Obligations, John Eudes, 177).
"St. Gregory Nazianzen asserts that the priest is a 'God who makes gods'." (The Priest, His Dignity and Obligations, 13).
"This is what the Church asks from the bishop, viz., that he would give her other Christs. She may ask from her priests to give every day the body and blood of our Lord to her children; she cannot ask them for other Christs: the bishop alone can perform such a wonder!" (Our Priesthood, Buneau, 147)
Pride has also caused bloody battles within different organizations of Rome, such as the Franciscans and Dominicans and Opus Dei and the Jesuits. They have all stooped to great deceit (even faking “Mary” apparitions) in order to gain support for their prideful anti-scriptural doctrines.
HOLY SPIRIT: The Holy Spirit NEVER blanks out our minds. He puts thoughts into our minds, but does NOT blank them. He wants us to 'take every thought captive' [2 Cor.10:5] and to 'will to do God's will [Phil 2:13]. He always wants us to ACTIVELY cooperate with Him. We do not have to blank our minds for the Holy Spirit to speak to us. He is so powerful that He can override our active mind at any time. THIS is the place where most Christians make mistakes and fall into deception, thinking they have to blank their minds for the Holy Spirit to operate through them or speak to them."
DEMONS: "Demons frequently blank out a person's mind. They function best when the person passively lets them take over. That's why Eastern and occult meditation ALWAYS involves relaxation techniques to blank the mind. Demons have difficulty overriding an active strong mind. They always encourage periods of mental passivity."
ROMAN CATHOLICISM: Here, I must confess I do not know whether any of this demonic activity applies to the private worship techniques of the R/C adherent. However, I wonder about the importance of a mantra, being repeatedly said, over and over again without thinking what you are saying. Occultists use this technique to achieve the blankness of mind of which Rebecca speaks here. It is very critical to achieve the separation of mind and spirit needed to implant into their minds the demonic doctrines they want to implant. I am curious as to whether their many memorized prayers, especially the "Hail Mary's" they repeatedly say, achieve the same effect as a mantra does to the occultist and to the Eastern Religions.
FORMER CATHOLIC: I never personally achieved any “state” by repetitious prayer except boredom, however others have. If you look up the word “ecstacy” in the Catholic dictionary, you will see it comes from the Greek word “existanai” which means to “put out of place”. This
“...state in which the soul is absorbed in God and the activity of the senses is suspended. It is the highest form of spiritual and mystical union with God” (The Maryknoll Catholic Dictionary, Nevins, 198).
“Through systematic meditation, prayer, contemplation, visualization, and illumination, Loyola would go into a trance and ecstasy, he was even seen to levitate off the floor, as have many Jesuits completely under Satanic power” (The Secret History of the Jesuits, Paris).
At Garabandal, “Mary” appeared to some children. They reported going into ecstacy”, where their bodies were in a trance-like state and levitated. Ignatius Loyola and “St” Francis of Assisi also achieved this state of ecstacy. “St.” Thomas Aquinas was also a mystic who experienced visions, revelations and ecstasies. It’s odd that one of his “visions” didn’t tell him that his most influential work Summa Theologica was based on forgeries.
HOLY SPIRIT: "The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins. BUT, His conviction is nondestructive. He always leads the person to repentance, forgiveness, redemption, and peace."
DEMONS: "Demons do one of two things. They help the person justify his sins, or they bring destructive crushing guilt with NO hope of forgiveness or redemption. Demonic guilt always brings with it the message: 'You cannot be forgiven'."
ROMAN CATHOLICISM: Once again, I am not sure of the degree of commonality with demonism in this point. When I have been to the world famous La Sallette shrine in Attleboro, I see people so crushed by their sin, they are doing damage to their body in doing penance. I am depending upon your R/C experience and knowledge on this one.
FORMER CATHOLIC: David, there have been many incidences where priests has refused to forgive someone, or refused to perform a sacrament. My sister’s first child was born out of wedlock. The priest forbid the child to be baptized because she was not married. My sister was hysterical, being taught that if a baby died before it was baptized, that it would spend all eternity in limbo, never permitted to see God. She finally was able to find a monk who baptized her daughter for $50.00. My sister paid the price required to “save” her daughter. From a personal point of view, let me just say that going to confession and asking a woman to reveal her most secret “bad thoughts” is so degrading that most woman do not comply. By not complying, guilt and fear sets in. I know many Roman Catholics who disagree with Rome, but refuse to tell them how they feel, so they live in guilt and fear, for it is a mortal sin to withhold a true confession. A good example of this “withholding” information is when Rome condemned contraceptives. Many Catholics continued to use them, while refusing to confess it as sin. This produced more hypocritical confessions, and of course, more guilt and fear. Since a Catholic is not permitted to believe he/she is saved (the “sin of presumption“), they never experience that blessed assurance of salvation and therefore can never really know they are forgiven of their sins. So they go to confession and Rome tells them to say a few “Hail Mary’s” and a couple of “Our Father’s” to do penance for their sins, but the guilt remains. This did not lead us to repentance, but kept us in bondage.
“...that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Heb 2:14-15)
HOLY SPIRIT: "The Holy Spirit will NEVER give us any communication that contradicts God's Word."
DEMONS: "Demons will twist and turn God's Word and take it out of context to justify sin."
ROMAN CATHOLICISM: The Church twists and turns God's Word horribly and use it to justify their own pagan doctrines.
FORMER CATHOLIC: The following quote is taken from the footnotes of Catholic Translation New American Bible, Revised New Testament. Matthew 22:11,13 is a good example of the twisting of scripture to support their pagan version of salvation:
"A wedding garment: the repentance, change of heart and mind, that is the condition for entrance into the kingdom (3:2, 4:17) must be continued in a life of good deeds (7:21-23). Wailing and grinding of teeth: the Christian who lacks the wedding garment of good deeds will suffer the same fate as those Jews who have rejected Jesus."
One cannot earn salvation by good works. (Eph.2:8-9), but good works are the result of salvation. (Titus 3:5-8). Rome’s also twists Matthew 16:18 to support the pagan title “Pontiff Maximus”.
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church….”
Rome also uses Matt.18:23-35 and 1 Cor.11:15 to justify Purgatory, an obvious pagan doctrine, but admits:
“We would appeal to these general principles of Scripture, rather than to particular texts often alleged in proof of Purgatory. We doubt if they contain an explicit and direct reference to it” (Catholic Encyclopedia, 704).
Rome also teaches that the baptism of babies washes away “original sin” and attempts to parallel it with the circumcision of babies in the Old Testament. Devils, parading as Mary and Jesus, have communicated hundreds of messages that not only contradict God’s word, but justify praying to Mary for salvation!. “Jesus” told Gladys Quiroga De Motta of Argentina (1986):
“If this generation does not listen to My Mother, it will perish. I ask everyone to listen to her...I tell My children: To deny the Mother is to deny the Son...Pray to Mary, for the prayer to this Mother will bear plentiful fruit. May this be known and meditated on. Read: 1Tim.4:4.”
Here we have “Jesus” instructing them to misapply Timothy as justification for prayers being addressed to “Mary”. Rome also twists the words of our Lord Jesus at the last supper to justify following the pagan religions before her. Jesus NEVER held up the bread and said that it contained the blood. But the pagan societies before did!
“In nearly all the Mysteries an agape, or sacramental meal, preceeded initiation. At Eleusis the sacrifice to Demeter and Kore was followed by a banquet on the flesh of the victims. Tertullian records a coquorum delectus at the Dionysiac Apaturia and Attic Mysteries. In the Mysteries of Mithra ‘bread and a cup of water are offered in the rites of initiation accompanied by certain explanations,’ to which Pliny refers in magicis cenis initiaverat. Extant symbola attest the sacramental meal in the cult of the Great Mother. The inscription of Andania and one from Messenia ‘prove the same for Demeter’, while for the Samothracian Mysteries an inscription from Tomi relates that the priest ‘shall break and offer the food and pour out the cup to the mystae.’ But in what sense did the participant of the sacramental meal become...of the god ? Was he conceived as feeding on the god by eating his totem or sacrifice, that is, by the entry of the deity into the believer in a magical fashion ? That there was a firm belief, in the earlier stages of religion, of such participation in the god by eating him in a sacramental meal cannot be questioned. In the Thracian- Dionysiac Mysteries, e.g., the celebrants by such a meal obtain a share in the divine life of the god, and so are called by his name, Saboa, Sabazioa. And in the Dionysus-Zagreus cult the communicants rushed madly upon the sacrificial animal, tore it to pieces and ate it raw, believing that the god was resident in the offering. Cumont believes that the original significance of the eating of a sacred animal in the Phrygian cults was that ‘IT WAS BELIVED THAT THUS THERE TOOK PLACE AN IDENTIFICATION WITH THE GOD HIMSELF, TOGETHER WITH A PARTICIPATION IN HIS SUBSTANCE AND QUALITIES,’ and that in certain mystic meals of the Syrian cult the priests and the initiates, by eating the fish sacred to Atargatis, considered themselves to be devouring the life of the deity” (The Mystery Religions, Angus,129-130).
HOLY SPIRIT: "We can NEVER control the Holy Spirit! He functions when and how HE pleases . We are the servants. He is Master. We cannot control when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, gives us a glimpse of the spirit world, makes us aware of God's presence, heals, or gives us discernment. The Holy Spirit never does the same thing twice. he refuses to allow us to depend on any routine or ritual.
DEMONS: "Demon spirits dupe the people they indwell into thinking they can control them. They will come whenever the person calls, heal when the person wants, etc. They love rituals and routines. They enable a person to see the spirit world more and more. The demonic counterfeits of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are usually under the control of the person, i.e., he can heal, prophesy, have 'words of knowledge', etc., when he wants."
ROMAN CATHOLICISM: The Church dwells upon ritual and routine, especially in their prepared prayers. Does the R/C adherent believe they have any control over Mary or Jesus or the saints to whom they pray?
FORMER CATHOLIC: Just as paganism uses ritual to drive away demons, Rome boastfully admits using bells, incense, holy water, candles, etc. for the same purposes. Bill Schnoeblen’s book, Wicca, Satan’s Little White Lie makes an interesting observation between paganism’s use of ritual to control demons and Catholicism’s use of ritual to control God:
1. Both teach “salvation” through ritual acts and good works.
2. Both have a god and a goddess (Mary) figure in their pantheon.
3. Both have a slain and risen god who dies and is reborn in a seasonal cycle of ritual dramas.
4. Both have magic or thaumaturgy (Transubstantiation in the Mass) as central elements in their theology.
5. Both make extensive use of incense, statues, candles and ceremonial robes in their devotion.
6. Both believe in a kind of second chance after death (Purgatory).
7. Both believe the rituals of the living can affect the dead.
8. Both believe in rituals of pain and mortification for purification.
In the book Externals of the Catholic Church, page 156, we read:
“It is interesting to note how often our Church has availed herself of practices which were in common use among pagans...Thus it is true, in a sense, that some Catholic rites and ceremonies are a reproduction of those pagan creeds; but they are the taking of what was best from paganism, the keeping of symbolical practices which express the religious instinct that is common to all races and times”.
On page 289, Msgr. Sullivan gives the prayer said at the “blessing of the candles":
"...that at the sound of this bell their faith and devotion may be increased, that the snares of the Evil One may be ineffectual, that the elements may be calmed, that the air may be healthful, and that demons may flee when they hear the sweet tones of the bell."
In that same book, he admits that “Bells were used by ancient Egyptians in the worship of Osiris”, but attributes the introduction of them to Moses, “who was educated in the priestly class of Egypt, [he then] introduced them into Judaism”. There is no scriptural evidence to back up Sullivan’s statement here. Not only does she use her rituals to “drive away devils”, but just as the pagans used ritual to obtain favor from their gods, Rome also uses her ritual to obtain favors from her “God”.
“The Church has blessings for persons, places, and things...Anybody may ask a priest to bless him. Houses and places of business, fields and crops, may be blessed. Devotional articles, such as medals, rosaries, crucifixes, images and holy pictures may be blessed...All these blessings and objects blessed are sacramentals. WE USE THEM TO OBTAIN FAVORS FROM GOD” (My Catholic Faith, Louis LaRavoire Morrow, 382).
A Catholic praying to Mary feels pretty secure that their prayers will be answered because Mary controls Jesus (Catholics would say “has influence over”) …“He can refuse me nothing”. According to the apparition of Mary by visionary Catherine Laboure, Rome was commanded by “Mary” to make an image of her with the serpent under her feet and a “promise” for those who wore this medal. That image is still very popular in Roman Catholicism.
"Have a medal made after this pattern. Those who wear it, blessed [by a priest], about their necks and who confidently say this prayer ["O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourese to thee"], will receive great graces and will enjoy the special protection of the Mother of God."
Catholic author, Omar Englebert, in his book, Catherine Laboure and the Modern Apparitions of Our Lady, page 237, we read:
“This is a truth upon which she [Mary] most often insists: ‘I am the mistress of my Son’s heart; He loves me so much that He can refuse me nothing.’ So she said at Pellevoisin. And at La Salette she declared; ‘Ah, if you knew what it costs me to withhold his [Jesus] avenging arm.’ It is costly; she must sometimes plead, but in the end she always prevails. Her prayers are infallible because there is no saint in heaven she prays as she does and because He to whom she prays is her Son.”
But it is not just scapulars, rosaries and crucifixes that Rome uses to “protect” them from devils.
“Many Catholic writers attribute a magical power to the "seven sacraments" and 125 sacramentals (The Sacramentals, Lambing, 35) to protect them from all the forces of nature which are believed to be under the control of evil spirits, in truly pagan character, for barbarous people do not attribute earthquakes, cycIones, floods, drought, famine, lightning etc., to the understandable working of natural law. So also with accidents, such as fire, shipwreck, drowning etc. They rarely see any relation between sanitation and health, but their charms, enchantments, amulets etc., are used against disease” (Catholicism Against Itself, Lambert, 142).
Dr. Bill Jackson of C.E.C. (Christians Evangelizing Catholics) website (http://www.angelfire.com/ky/dodone/HolyWater.html), did an excellent job of explaining the pagan use of "holy water" to control demons.
“Msgr. Sullivan teaches that this is one of the Roman Catholic rites that was a reproduction of pagan worship (Externals of the Catholic Church, 226). Justin Martyr, who died about 163 A.D., wrote, ‘The pagans, on entering their temples, sprinkle themselves with water.’ It is a very important sacramental of the Roman Catholic Church. A tradition says St. Matthew used it. In a letter (admitted to be spurious) Pope Alexander mentions Holy Water. Its actual use is probably from the 4th century. Holy Water is made from a union of salt and water, both of which have been exorcised. It is used a great deal in liturgical functions: Mass, Matrimony, Extreme Unction and services for the dead. Private use of Holy Water is encouraged. By making the Sign of the Cross with Holy Water, having contrition and saying, "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost" a person gains indulgence of 300 days. (Time values for indulgences are no longer used.) From Holy Water, Benedictine Convent of Perpetual Adoration, Imp. Charles Helmsing (1962), ‘Its blessing consists of exorcisms, prayers and the mingling of salt with water. The purpose of the exorcisms is to banish the evil spirit and destroy his influence.’ ‘The prayer with which the salt is blessed implores God that it may be the means of salvation to souls; that it may preserve from bodily harm; and that it may sanctify everything with which it comes in contact.’ ‘The prayer used in blessing the water implores God that it may drive away demons; that it may cure diseases; and that it may free houses and their inhabitants from all evil, particularly from epidemics.’ ‘Theologians teach that holy water, when used with the proper intention and disposition confers actual graces, remits venial sins, restrains the power of Satan, defends against temptations, secures temporal blessings and obtains relief for the souls in purgatory.’ ‘A simpler form (of blessing) is to make the sign of the Cross in silence on the child's forehead and sprinkle him or her with holy water. Give this blessing after morning and evening prayers, before the child leaves home for school, church, etc.’…‘The devil hates Holy Water because of its power over him. He cannot long abide in a place or near a person that is often sprinkled with this blessed water.’”