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Martin Luther, Augustinian, to his friend, Herman Tulich, Greeting 1.1 Like it or not, I am compelled to learn more every day, with so many and such able masters vying with one another to improve my mind. Some two years ago I wrote a little book on indulgences, which I now deeply regret having published. For at the time I still clung to the Roman tyranny with great superstition and held that indulgences should not be altogether rejected, seeing they were approved by the common consent of men. Nor was this to be wondered at, for I was then engaged...

CLICK TO WATHC VIDEO Before the 1800's very little artcifact was discover or known about the Bible. It is a good over view of the History of the world at the time of these events.

Last summer, I received an essay from a friend—a leading Evangelical intellectual—who said that the label Protestant should fade out in favor of the label Evangelical because, in part, Protestant was “negative.” In many people’s minds, it certainly is. It sounds like it is about dissent and disagreement. It evokes images of picketers carrying poorly made signs back and forth in front of a factory. Indeed, it sounds disagreeable. More recently, another friend published an engaging account of his exploration of Catholicism. The book is Jon Sweeney's Almost Catholic, and you can read an excellent review of it on my...

Poland paused this week to pay tribute to Irena Sendler -- a Catholic social worker who risked her life during World War II to smuggle 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto, saving them from the ravages of the Holocaust. Sendler died Monday at 98, and after a large crowd flocked to her funeral at a Warsaw church yesterday, Poland's Orthodox chief rabbi offered prayers at her graveside. Yad Vashem chairman Avner Shalev said: "Irena Sendler's courageous activities rescuing Jews during the Holocaust serve as a beacon of light to the world, inspiring hope and restoring faith in the innate...

The armies of female ordination have just taken over Hollywood and are now set to march onto the Vatican. Coming soon to a movie theater near you is a "historical drama" about "Pope Joan." Shooting is set to begin in August, for a planned 2009 release, says Yahoo. You've heard of Pope Joan, right? Pope Joan is the name of a female pope (also La Papessa) who supposedly reigned for less than three years in the 850s, based on a legend that circulated in the Middle Ages. Pope Joan is regarded by most modern historians and religious scholars as fictitious,...

In the beginning of the church (first ten years) all the believers were Jews. The church began and was established in Jerusalem where Jesus did a good portion of his preaching and was crucified and raised. The gospel went out from Jerusalem "you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" Acts 1:8 Luke 24:47-48 that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (see Acts 10:36-37) It wasn’t until years later that the gospel went to the Gentiles...

The Lord has given us two different statements on what His voice is like. The first is that it is still and small and whispers. The second statement was given through the Prophet Joseph to Oliver Cowdery before the Church was organized. Oliver Cowdery arrived in Harmony, Pennsylvania, in April 1829. He had traveled from Palmyra to investigate for himself whether the reports he had heard about Joseph and the gold plates were true. The Lord gave him the confirmation he sought (see D&C 6), and then told him that he was immediately to begin assisting Joseph in the translation...

Dr. Pusey on the Worship of Mary in the Church of Rome by C. H. Spurgeon From the January 1866 "Sword and Trowel Spurgeon" According to promise, we have summarized the detailed account of the idolatrous worship of Mary by the Papists as exposed in full by Dr. Pusey in his new work. As his statements are not made at random, but are supported by quotations from Romish writers of recognised authority, they will be valuable to those who are met by the crafty denials of Romanists whenever they expose the genuine doctrines of Popish faith. Amid all the mischief...

On Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite "He Has New Relevance as a Mediator in Dialogue With Theologies of Asia" VATICAN CITY, MAY 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: In the course of the catechesis on the Fathers of the Church, I would like to speak today about a very mysterious figure: a theologian from the sixth century, whose name is not known, and who wrote under the pseudonym of Dionysius the Areopagite. With this pseudonym, he alluded to the...

THE BOOK OF MOSIAHChapter 16 God redeems men from their lost and fallen state—Those who are carnal remain as though there was no redemption—Christ brings to pass a resurrection to endless life or to endless damnation. About 148 B.C.   1 And now, it came to pass that after Abinadi had spoken these words he stretched forth his hand and said: The time shall come when all shall see the asalvation of the Lord; when bevery nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall cconfess before God that his djudgments are just.   2 And then shall...

Rome, May 12, 2008 / 02:08 pm (CNA).- In an interview with the Catholic organization “Early Christians,” Giovanni Maria Vian, director of L’Osservatore Romano, explained why Pope Benedict XVI is dedicating his Wednesday catechesis to the lives and witnesses of the early Christians.During the interview, Vian called the early Christians “a light that comes from afar,” as Paul VI called them, and explained that they constitute “the Christian tradition, and this is the reason for the Pope’s decision to speak about them in the weekly meetings he has with the faithful and with visitors.” He has chosen to speak “first...

THE GREAT APOSTASY Considered in the Light of Scriptural and Secular History by James E. Talmage D.Sc.D., Ph.D., F.R.S.E. CHAPTER 7 INTERNAL CAUSES, CONTINUED. 1. First among the specific causes of disturbance operating within the Church, and contributing to its apostasy, we have named: "The corrupting of the simple principles of the gospel by the admixture of the so-called philosophic systems of the times." 2. The attempted grafting of foreign doctrines on the true vine of the gospel of Christ was characteristic of the early years of the apostolic period. We read of the sorcerer Simon, who professed belief and...

ROME, MAY 13, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.Q: I noticed that the Holy Father is carrying a new processional cross. Can you tell us about that new cross and perhaps why the Holy Father made the decision to carry this new cross rather than the one that he has carried for the past several years -- the same one that Pope John Paul II carried? Are there norms and guidelines for what type of shepherd's staff the Holy Father can carry? -- B.D., Columbia City, IndianaA: I...

BERLIN — It is only a breathless Hollywood script: treasure-hunter Indiana Jones races with German archaeologists to track down the fabled Ark of the Covenant, the chest that held the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were etched. Now German researchers claim to have found the remains of the palace of the Queen of Sheba — and an altar that may have held the Ark. The discovery, announced by the University of Hamburg last week, has stirred skeptical rumblings from the archaeological community. The location of the Ark, indeed its existence, has been a source of controversy for centuries....

New technology has always played a part in religious polemics and in the sense of identity generated through the heated exchange of opinion - such as we see in cyberspace today. The invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century has been credited by Reformation scholars as an important factor behind the success of sixteenth-century Church reformers. The impact of the new technology was nowhere more apparent than in the career of Martin Luther. In the aftermath of the indulgence controversy of 1517 that ultimately led to his rejection of Roman authority, Luther published numerous tracts that flew across...

Domitilla with Nereus and Achilleus Painting by Peter Paul Rubens. Weblink. May 12: Nereus, Achilleus and DomitillaToday, May 12, is the feast day of Nereus and Achilleus who persuaded the Roman lady Domitilla, niece of the emperor Domitian, to reject her betrothed, Aurelianus, in order to keep her virginity. Aurelianus finally does away with both Nereus and Achilleus and decides to marry Domitilla by force, but he dances himself to death at his own wedding! The legend is set in ancient times, and the names of the characters in this story - Domitilla, Nereus, Achilleus - are associated with some...

An extraordinary on-line archive, The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, now makes available (and searchable) the records of London's main criminal court from 1674 through 1913. There's a staggering amount of material to play around in. Keyword "Romish" produced 102 records, including the following account of the 1674 condemnation of a Catholic priest. At this Sessions of Oier and Terminer for the City of London, and County of Middlesex, holden at Justice-Hall in the Old-Bayly, begun the Ninth, and continued till the 12th of this Instant December, 1674. Several Bills being found by the Grand Jury, or Inquest. Amongst many...

Posted as a discussion thread for the topic of caucus thread at: This FR location Many readers have read about the finding of ancient votive altars in Yemen that appear to bear the Book of Mormon place-name Nahom. This significant find has been noted in the Ensign magazine,[1] in the April 2001 general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,[2] and in a recently published volume by Terryl Givens in which he refers to these altars as "the first actual archaeological evidence for the historicity of the Book of Mormon" and "the most impressive find to date...

One of the first internet hoaxes to reach a mass audience was the claim in a 1994 press release that Microsoft had bought the Catholic Church. Its success signalled the enormous power of the new online technology to disseminate information, or misinformation, in ways that sidestepped the traditional gatekeepers of the media. The press release, which bore a Vatican City dateline, noted that this was “the first time a computer software company has acquired a major world religion". It quoted Bill Gates as saying that he considered religion to be a growth market and that, “The combined resources of Microsoft...

There is substantial evidence to show that Joseph Smith was sealed to the wives of other men. This occurred while the men were still legally married to their wives. Sometimes these second marriages even occurred outside the presence of their husbands. Many of the poor guys were on their missions when Joseph Smith married their wives. The most unfortunate men came back from their missions with their wives pregnant. How would you feel if the Prophet asked you for your wife? How would you feel if you came back from a business trip or a mission to find your wife...

The Bible Elfriede Wilde's grandfather gave her was nearly destroyed half a dozen times. That it survived is a story much like those the Bible itself tells -- a story of faith lost and found. For as long as she can remember, Wilde has been schooled in the history of her family's Bible -- a 1686 German edition translated by Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation whose much-admired translation is still heard today. A native of Germany now living in Texas, Wilde recently donated the 322-year-old tome to Mars Hill College, a small Baptist school 16 miles north...

May 11 In 1189 Emperor Frederik I Barbarossa and 100,000 crusaders left Regensburg in southern Germany for the Holy Land. In 1421, Jews were expelled from Styria in Austria. In 1610, Italian Matteo Ricci, a renowned Christian missionary in China, died. In 1676, beggars were told that they needed permission from priests to beg in Montreal and Quebec City. In 1816, the American Bible Society was founded in New York. In 1921, Tel Aviv was declared the first all-Jewish municipality. In 1949, Israel was admitted to the United Nations as the world body's 59th member. In 1960, Israeli security forces...

JESUS THE CHRIST, by Apostle James E. Talmage is a doctrinal study on the life and ministry of Christ, and is considered by most Mormons as the authoritative treatise on the life and Mission of the Savior. CHAPTER 2 PREEXISTENCE AND FOREORDINATION OF THE CHRIST We affirm, on the authority of Holy Scripture, that the Being who is known among men as Jesus of Nazareth, and by all who acknowledge His Godhood as Jesus the Christ, existed with the Father prior to birth in the flesh; and that in the preexistent state He was chosen and ordained to be the...

INHABITANTS OF THE MOON By D. B. Huntington. From the Young Woman's Journal Vol 3 published by the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations of Zion in 1892 Astronomers and philosophers have, from time almost immemorial until very recently, asserted that the moon was uninhabited, that it had no atmosphere etc.. But recent discoveries, through the means of powerful telescopes, have given scientists a doubt or two upon the old theory.Nearly all the great discoveries of men in the last half-century have, in one way or another, either directly or indirectly, contributed to prove Joseph Smith to be a Prophet.As far...

THE GREAT APOSTASY Considered in the Light of Scriptural and Secular History by James E. Talmage D.Sc.D., Ph.D., F.R.S.E. CHAPTER 6 CAUSES OF THE APOSTASY. INTERNAL CAUSES. 1. The cruel persecution to which the adherents of Christianity and the Church as an organized body were subjected during the first three centuries of our era have been treated as external causes, contributing at least indirectly to the general apostasy. Details of Judaistic and heathen opposition have been given with sufficient fulness to show that the unpopular Church had a troubled existence, and that such of its members as remained faithful to...

THE BOOK OF MOSIAH CHAPTER 15 How Christ is both the Father and the Son—He shall make intercession and bear the transgressions of his people—They and all the holy prophets are his seed—He bringeth to pass the resurrection—Little children have eternal life. About 148 B.C.   1 And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that aGod himself shall bcome down among the children of men, and shall credeem his people.   2 And because he adwelleth in bflesh he shall be called the cSon of God, and having subjected the flesh to the dwill of the...

Vigil of the Pentecost and Whitsunday   The Vigil of Pentecost is traditionally a day of fasting. This requirement has been done away with in the most recent Code of Canon Law, but many traditional Catholics fast anyway. The Feast itself -- a day also known as "Whitsunday" -- is considered a sort of "birthday" for the Church and marks the beginning of the week known as Whitsuntide. Vestments on Whitsunday are red, but the name "Whitsunday" comes from "White Sunday" because, at one time, those who entered the Church at Easter would once again wear their white robes today....

Discourse on the Restoration of the Jews, Delivered at the Tabernacle, N. Y., Oct. 28, and Dec. 2, ­1844, by M. M. Noah. New York, 1845, 8vo. pp. 55. The address of Judge Noah on the Restoration of the Jews, has excited a good deal of attention among our Christian fellow­citizens, more so at least than among ourselves; and the subject has also been noticed by the conversion paper in England, as well as the Voice of Jacob. We are not aware as yet whether other European papers have spoken of it, which however, is, likely enough, as Judge Noah...

SELF-GOVERNMENT - MYSTERIES - RECREATION AND AMUSEMENTS, NOT IN THEMSELVES SINFUL - TITHING - ADAM, OUR FATHER AND OUR GOD   A SERMON DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG, IN THE TABERNACLE,GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, APRIL 9, 1852 1:46   It is my intention to preach several discourses this evening, but howmany I do not know. I will in the first place bear testimony to the truth of many remarks made by brother Hunter, and especially his exhortation to the Seventies and Elders, and those men who wish to go on missions. I wish also to urge the necessity of your...

An exhibition opening next week at the Museum of the City of New York will trace New York Catholics' growth from a small religious minority to a politically powerful group with a wide range of institutions spanning the five boroughs. "Catholics in New York, 1808-1946" — organized in light of the Archdiocese of New York's bicentennial celebration — makes its debut on May 16. The exhibit is organized around three key themes: the centrality of parish life, the evolution of church-run schools, hospitals, and social welfare organizations, and the rise of Catholics as a major force in city politics. The...

The Catholic Church teaches that once a Catholic priest has consecrated the wafer of bread during communion, or “Eucharist” as it is called by Catholics, it turns into the literal and real body, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. It is no longer a piece of bread. It is Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread, and is therefore worthy of worship and adoration. This process of consecration followed by a literal change from a mere wafer to the body of Christ is called transubstantiation. The following paragraphs are taken from the Catholic Catechism. Paragraph 1374, page 383 “In the...

THE BOOK OF MOSIAH CHAPTER 13 Abinadi is protected by divine power—He teaches the Ten Commandments—Salvation does not come by the law of Moses alone—God himself shall make an atonement and redeem his people. About 148 B.C.   1 And now when the king had heard these words, he said unto his priests: Away with this fellow, and slay him; for what have we to do with him, for he is amad.   2 And they stood forth and attempted to lay their hands on him; but he withstood them, and said unto them:   3 aTouch me not, for God shall...

THE BOOK OF MOSIAH CHAPTER 14 Isaiah speaks Messianically—Messiah’s humiliation and sufferings are set forth—He makes his soul an offering for sin and makes intercession for transgressors—Compare Isaiah 53. About 148 B.C.   1 Yea, even doth not Isaiah say: Who hath abelieved our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?   2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground; he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him.   3 He is adespised...

THE GREAT APOSTASY Considered in the Light of Scriptural and Secular History by James E. Talmage D.Sc.D., Ph.D., F.R.S.E. CHAPTER 5 CAUSES OF THE APOSTASY. EXTERNAL CAUSES, CONTINUED. 1. As already pointed out, it is convenient to study the causes leading to the great apostasy as belonging to two classes, external and internal, or (1) causes due to conditions operating against the Church from without; and (2) causes arising from dissension and heresy within the Church itself. We have summarized external causes under the general term persecution; and we have drawn a distinction between Judaistic and pagan persecution waged against...

On Christian Unity "Keep Alive the Flames of Faith, Charity and Hope" VATICAN CITY, MAY 7, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of the greetings Benedict XVI gave today to Catholicos Karekin II, supreme patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and a translation of the catechesis he gave afterward during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * [English Greetings to Catholicos Karekin II] It is my great joy today to greet His Holiness Catholicos Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and the distinguished delegation accompanying him. Your Holiness, I pray that the light...

The Prayer of Jesus echoes in the Church at the beginning of this new missionary age. We need to make it our own: "I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me."John 17:20-23 ... Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical Letter "Ut Unum Sint" (On the Commitment to Ecumenism, literally "May They Be One") was a monumental contribution to...

A good friend recently pointed out a web site which has scans of Catholic comic books from the 1940s through the 1960s. On the one hand, they are fun and a great snapshot into mid twentieth- century Catholicism. On the other hand, it is remarkable how much serious content they bring with them. The images pictured here come from a 1948 issue on the Mass, which starts with Old Testament typologies, gives a short history of the development of the rites, and then establishes that the earthly liturgy takes place within the context of the joining of heaven and earth....

Both direct and circumstantial evidence in God's Word, the Bible, clearly disproves the Roman Catholic Church claim that Mary, the mother of Jesus, remained a virgin, not only prior to, but during and after our Lord's miraculous birth. It was this "perpetual virginity" doctrine and several others that forced the infamous 16th century Council of Trent to declare "Sacred Tradition" equal in every way to the divine Scriptures, and to arrogate to itself alone the right to interpret both Scripture and so-called "Sacred Tradition." As we review the Scriptural evidence applicable to this false doctrine, it will become crystal clear...

MAHOMETANISM AND CHRISTIANITY   An Address by Elder Parley P. Pratt, Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, September 23, 1855. 3:38   My brother, George A. Smith, has wished us to excuse his Mahometan narration, but I would feel more like giving a vote of thanks to the Almighty and to His servant for so highly entertaining and instructing us. I am aware it is not without a great deal of prejudice that we, as Europeans, and Americans, and Christians in religion and in our education, so called, have looked upon the history of Mahomet, or even the...

Chapter 5Church Organization and Life "The Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years. The keys have to be brought from heaven whenever the Gospel is sent."- Joseph Smith1Perhaps none of the issues we have studied is of greater contemporary significance than the question of how the earliest Church was organized and how the business of worship was conducted in it. Catholics postulate that the priesthood was given to relatively few men who conducted a rich ritual tradition, and the governance of the Church as...

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY: 1 Peter 3:14-15 "But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." QUOTE OF THE DAY: Thomas S. Monson "My young friends, be strong. The philosophies of men surround us. The face of sin today often wears the mask of tolerance. Do not be deceived; behind that facade is...

He wrote to me in all innocence, a reader from a Catholic country where Mormon missionaries had only recently begun to gather congregations of believers. "I asked my priest," he said, "and he told me that Mormons are a cult." Setting aside the obvious riposte ("What did you think your priest would tell you, that Mormonism was true Christianity as restored by God to living prophets?"), I think it's worth considering just what we mean by "cult" and seeing whether it applies to the Mormon Church. Cult as Bad Word Anti-Mormons use "cult" the way gay activists use "homophobe"--as an...

Criticism Critics argue that Joseph Smith's polygamous marriages to young women are evidence that he was immoral, perhaps even a pedophile. Response The information we have on Joseph Smith's plural marriages is sketchy, simply because there were few official records kept at the time because of the fear of misunderstanding and persecution. What we do know is culled from journals and reminiscences of those who were involved. The most conservative estimates indicate that Joseph entered into plural marriages with 29–33 women, 7 of whom were under the age of 18. The youngest was Helen Mar Kimball, daughter of LDS apostle...

LONG BEACH - It's been more than 60 years but the memories of the Holocaust are etched in the minds of those like Hank Snapper who survived it. Hundreds gathered Sunday at The Alpert Jewish Community Center in Long Beach for "Yom Ha'Shoah, Day of Remembrance 2008/5768, Remember the Holocaust and Honor the Righteous." Each year, the Jewish community - and other faiths - comes together to remember the estimated 6 million Jews whose lives were lost during the Holocaust, which began under the rise of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party in 1933. "It's important for human beings to...

Nestled in a mountain pass, high in the Alps of southern France, there is a most amazing place that, like the fictitious Shangri-La, is hidden away from the rest of the world and is truly unlike anything one's ever seen. The place is a picturesque mountain hamlet that is as quaint as it is supremely restful, and as serene as it is breathtakingly beautiful.... ...It was in May of the year 1664 that the little hamlet of Laus received a most wondrous gift, a visit from a queen of unfathomable greatness, who would make of Laus a sanctuary in the...

PARIS (AP) — A Roman Catholic bishop said Sunday that the church has officially recognized that the Virgin Mary appeared to a 17th-century shepherd girl in the French Alps. Speaking at Mass in remarks broadcast nationally on France-2 television, Monsignor Jean-Michel di Falco Leandri said he recognized the "supernatural origin" of the apparitions to 17-year-old Benoite Rencurel from 1664 to 1718.

<p>The events that took place after the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor led to the assassination of Joseph Smith by an angry mob.</p> <p>Joseph Smith is vilified by people who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or the other Restorationist groups that split off from the main organization after its founder's death. But those who belong to what is termed the Restorationist Movement remember him as a martyr, and the prophet's assassination lives on as an important moment in their faith.</p>

May 4 In 1038, St. Gothard, bishop of Bavaria, died. St. Gothard Pass in the Swiss Alps derives its name from the chapel built there to honour him. In 1493, Spanish-born Pope Alexander VI divided the non-Christian world between Spain and Portugal. In 1873, Father Damien, a Flemish missionary, joined the lepers of Molokai Island in the Hawaiian archipelago. He transformed the miserable conditions of the colony before he contracted the disease and died. His quiet heroism won worldwide renown. In 1973, the Anglican Church of Canada allowed women to become ordained ministers. May 5 In 614, the Persians seized...

Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly London, May 2, 2008 / 02:16 am (CNA).- A woman engaged to a member of the British royal family has renounced her Catholic faith to maintain her fiancée’s position in the line of succession.The Times Online reports that Autumn Kelly, 31, was received into the Church of England.  She is to be married to Peter Phillips, Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandson, on May 17.British monarchs and their heirs are barred from becoming or marrying Catholics according to the 1701 Act of Settlement.  Phillips, who is currently eleventh in line to the throne, would have...

What Did the Early Church  Believe and Preach After Jesus' Death? Suppose you could invite one of the original twelve apostles to your church this weekend. Can you imagine what it would be like to entertain Peter in your worship services? How do you think he would react to what he saw?Would this apostle approve of your denomination's practices?Or is it just possible that he would tell you that some of your most cherished beliefs were in error? How would you feel if he stood up and loudly proclaimed that your church was a promoter of heresy? What if he...