I am Catholic and I do not believe in Purgatory

I do not deny it I no longer believe in purgatory.  Regardless of what some say I am as much a Catholic as those that do believe in purgatory.  For non-Catholics purgatory is that place, according to the Roman Catholic Church doctrine, where everyone who is saved must go for a time to be purged of their sins and purified before they can enter into God’s holy presence. If that doctrine is true Christ did not accomplish His purpose for coming to the earth and it was not finished on the cross as Christ said and Christ did not pay the price of our sins.

I make no apology that I believe Christ paid for all our past, present and future sins and that Christ did accomplish His purpose for coming to earth.  I said ‘all’ Christians go through purgatory, but that is not true those declared ‘Saints’ by the Catholic hierarchy are exempt according to Roman Catholic Church doctrine.

There is nothing in Scripture about purgatory. The concept was added to Catholic theology long after the New Testament age. There is no need for a Christian to go there or anywhere else to be purged of sins. Jesus accomplished that task once and for all on the cross. Through faith, we have our sins purged and we are purified only by his grace and imputed righteousness.

I am a Christian a follower of Christ before I am Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, etc.  I am an American even though I do not approve of everything the leaders of my country do. I am Caucasian, but I am not proud that my ancestor owned slaves in Alabama. I consider myself a Texan even though I was born in Alabama. I am what my convictions lead me to believe I am what I believe myself to be rather than what anyone says I am.  Yes, I am Catholic, but I am not going to follow any man blindly.

Oh by the way, I believe I can forgive those that sin against me, but I do not believe a Pope, Cardinal, Bishop or priest can forgive me of my sins – only God can.

Is pornography as bad for you as some Christians say?

Pornography is any image, picture, statue, advertisement, writing, etc. whose purpose is to create sexual titillation. In modern Western culture, sex has become such a public topic that the lines between what is legitimate and what is illicit are harder and harder to define.  In fact, sexual images have become so prominent that what used to be considered soft pornography is now considered tame enough to be on prime time television. And while it used to be that people could only get access to it in magazines behind the counter and then only at certain stores it is now so pervasive that virtually anyone can access any kind of pornography through the most basic internet connection. Many now even question why some Christians think pornography is such a big deal.

I have to admit I wrestle with the question was it as big a deal as the church said it was after all my church believes masturbation should be made illegal and classified as a crime. I have thought those that did not want to watch it were not forced to, but then as I stated earlier that would mean you could not even watch television anymore or go to a movie.  I have said those working in the industry were not forced to do so, but again that is not exactly true anymore. A person’s economic situation can often influence them to do things they do not want to do. I have said if the all parties involved from the beginning to the end were consenting adults what’s the harm, but that is no longer true because it is easily accessible to children on television, Internet, movies, magazines, books in general and even billboards along the highways.

I was talking with my housekeeper this morning and ask, “What is wrong with our society today?”  There is corruption among religious leaders, politicians, government employees, corporations, lawyers, doctors, teachers, nearly every profession you can name. Maybe our moral compass is not longer working.

 Is it possible for a person (society) to become desensitized to just about anything? I now believe it is! I now live in the Philippines and encounter daily people who are the poorest of the poor and after nearly eleven years I am constantly amazed that they are happy people.  Sometimes I wonder if they even know how poor they are because they act as if they hardly even notice it. I helped a family move to Davao, Philippines and open a very small business. One day I was complaining our public water goes off every day for twelve hours are more. They began to laugh and I inquired as to why they were laughing. They replied, “Father, we have lived in the mountains all our lives and have had to carry water from a stream twice a day having running water twelve hours a day is a miracle to us.”

They say people who play violent video games often become so desensitized that even real violence is seen as no big deal. This technique is now even used by the military to desensitize young recruits. Pornography has become so prominent in our society that we hardly even notice it anymore – much less think of it as something bad and destructive. A great example of this is the many “soft porn” TV commercials advertising everything from lingerie to hamburgers. It is so prevalent that most people aren’t even embarrassed anymore when they encounter it.

Pornography is purely an object of self-gratification. In any area, when our life is focused on gratifying ourselves rather than accomplishing the purpose of God, we put ourselves in a position which is outside of our relationship with God. For a Christian this will always create ‘guilt’.

There is a Naturalist worldview that exists today and it has become prominent in our society. Naturalism accepts no moral absolutes. It totally denies that a God exists and therefore there is no such thing as a set of moral values which is given by a higher authority. That being the case, the only possibility which exists is for man to create his own values. There is no reason, then, for any kind of sexual expression to be considered wrong or bad – including pornography. This is the worldview of a large percentage of people in the industries which control much of the public discourse in entertainment, news media, and higher education.

The Naturalist worldview has seeped into the belief system of a large number of people in the world – INCLUDING - people who claim to be Christians. I confess I WAS guilty. Surveys by religious institutions reveal the lifestyle of the average Christian today differs very little from those who are not Christians. So, what we end up with is a large group of people who give lip service to Christian values, but who live as if they are Naturalists. It appears Christians may be looking at porn as much as non-Christians.

Our problem, as Christians, is that the values of the Naturalist have become such a part of the thinking of modern society that we have totally lost any sense of why pornography is bad and the addictive nature of viewing pornography has already entrapped a large number of Christians – even Christian pastors and other religious leaders.

We must recognize as Christians that sex is not a value-neutral issue. It was created by God for a specific purpose (enjoyment is one of those purposes) and only to be expressed within particular defined relationship. The production and use of pornography takes something that was created by God (sex) and employs it for a purpose outside God’s purpose.  Pornography turns sex into a human centered purpose. If the God of the Bible is truly the person He has revealed Himself to be, we must understand that we do not have the prerogative to take God’s things and use them in other ways. When counseling with people addicted to pornography I always ask them when Christ returns do you want Him to find you in front of the computer screen watching pornography. NO ONE has ever said yes, or it is okay with me. I have had a few say I do not want to be having sex when Christ returns – WHY NOT – God created sex.

 Sexual gratification outside of a committed relationship creates guilt for a Christian as I have stated earlier. I have always heard religious leaders claim it alienates a person from God. I have some problems with that because alienation means to make one hostile to God or God hostile to them or to take something away from one party and transfer to another. That seems to do away with ‘grace’.

I agree by definition, living in a manner which goes against the ways of God is sin, and I do believe sin creates a barrier between us and God (guilt). God’s purpose for mankind is for us to conform our lives to His purpose and ways. Those who participate in the production and use of pornography in any way are putting themselves in a position of opposition to the ways of God. I think God has the right to do as He pleases, but I do not believe God turns His back on sinners or gives up on sinners and pornography is one of many sins. God gives us the understanding of right and wrong and expects us to choose right.  The choice of whether or not we follow His direction is our own (freewill).

Pornography is bad because the industry itself uses people in ways which destroy them (self-image, self-esteem, health, morals) and turns them into objects of profit. Those who are working in the industry are not looking for ways to serve God, they are looking to make money and satisfy themselves. They do not see human beings as people made in the image of God whom He values, but as objects which can bring a handsome price. This self-centered point of view which denigrates humanity runs completely contrary to the way God designed things to be.

The final reason I think pornography is bad relates to those who view it. People who view pornography are also objectifying others for personal gratification, and doing it in a way that drags them down as well. Human beings are individuals whom God created with an inherent dignity and value. First of all, those who view pornography are setting themselves up for an addiction to something which requires looking at other people as objects of self-gratification. Secondly, they are devaluing the people they are looking at. This is all contrary to God’s purpose and ways.

As Christians, we should be living and expressing our own faith, our own belief system, not worldview beliefs. We should be living in a way that changes the hearts of individuals. We should be living in a way that serves to eliminate destructive influences. 

Uncle Bill O'Reilly is wrong!

Barney and Uncle Bill were talking on Fox about Hispanics waving the Mexican flag in California at a political protest. Uncle Bill said that it is now acceptable and is no longer offensive to most Americans.  That may be true in the U.S.A., but not the rest of the world. I live in the Philippines if I put a U.S. flag out on my balcony the neighbors would raise all kind of H???.  In fact it would be against the law in the Philippines and I would be deported if I participated in a political rally or waved an American flag. A lot of Americans and a lot of our politicians no longer have U.S. pride. Yet, we allowed Reid to use Manny the famous Filipino boxer to influence the election in Nevada and no American politician or American media or American citizen said a word that I know about.

It appears to me we just have lost all our patriotism, religious values and morals and we are about to lose our country to foreigners. I may not like a lot of things in the Philippines, but I adapt and that is what minorities should do when moving to the U.S.

+++ At the Republican Convention a middle age woman was arrested for trying to burn the U.S. Flag so some people must still care Uncle Bill! Her husband was burned in the incident KARMA!

The Bible states - God will not put more on you than you can stand - NOT TRUE!

The Bible states, “God will not put more on you than you can stand” – NOT TRUE!

If you believe me wrong read 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 and Matthew 11:28-30 again it does not say what you may have thought it said or some sentimental Christian or religious leader told you it said.

People are surprised to find that at no time in the movie Casablanca does Rick ever say, “Play it again, Sam.”  It is also surprising to know that in over 79 Star Trek episodes and 6 movies, no one ever actually says, “Beam me up, Scotty.” But people all assume that those clichés and many others are from the films and movies they attribute them, too.

It works the same with the Bible.  There are all kinds of things that people assume the Bible says but it actually doesn’t.  At the top of that list is “The Lord helps those who help themselves” with something like 80% of Christians believing that quote is from the Bible. It’s actually from the Ancient Greeks by way of Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac.

But in a close second is the statement: “God never gives you more than you can bear.”  It is frequently “quoted” to people in times of distress with great certainty.  Everything will be alright—the suffering one is told—God wouldn’t have given you this trial if you couldn’t get through it. It is quite comforting to those suffering until they find out it is not true and then they begin to doubt God because of you ‘YOUR’ biblical untruth.

There is a quote like it; but there is nothing that says “God will never give you more than you can bear.”  The quote that is frequently used to back up the idea, from 1 Corinthians, doesn’t really say what people think it does. It actually says, “No temptation has seized you that isn’t common for people … God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your abilities ...”

Paul is reminding his readers that God will not allow people to be tempted beyond their abilities.  That is, there is no temptation that you should feel you are powerless against, because God would not allow you to be tempted by something you couldn’t resist. If you’re being tempted, in Paul’s thinking, it’s something you are strong enough to resist. That is a far different thing from claiming that nothing bad will happen to you or that you will not have to bear a burden that you cannot bear alone, without God.

Paul even states they suffered burdens they could not bear in their own strength, “We were weighed down with a load of suffering that was so far beyond our strength that we were afraid we might not survive.” (2 Corinthians 1:8). We are also told in Psalm 38:8, “I’m worn out, completely crushed; I groan because of my miserable heart” and in Psalm 38:4, “My wrongdoings are stacked higher than my head; they are a weight that’s way too heavy for me.” Elijah was told by an angel:  “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” (1 Kings 19:7). Let us not forget Jesus, too, who died in agony on the cross, cried out “My God, My God, why have you left me?”

Not only is it not found in scripture our life experiences do not bear it out. There are all kinds of things that happen that we cannot bear. Sometimes our lives come crashing down around us.

Trite platitudes that are designed to make people feel better are harmful to Christianity. Can you imagine someone saying to an inmate at Auschwitz don’t worry - God never gives you more than you can bear or saying it to a woman whose children are killed by a long buried landmine while they were playing or a refugee who survived the massacre of her entire village or someone who has just been given a diagnosis of a terminal illness?

I am thankful that we Catholic’s have the crucifix and not just a cross for it reminds  us that our faith is driven by the hope and the promise of the Resurrection, but that we still live very much in a world defined by the Crucifixion – pain and suffering.

When you tell suffering people that God never gives them more than they can bear and they are being crushed at the time by problems you are causing them to question what is wrong with them?  What are they doing wrong?  Why isn’t God helping them? You are not bringing them to God you are pushing them away from God. If you do not have more comforting words than that to give them then keep your mouth shut and listen.

If you truly believe no problem comes your way that you cannot bear then you are making it about you and not God. Why do you need God if you alone can bear all your problems? Christ said, “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” Christ did not tell us to go it alone. Our faith is demonstrated by our recognition that we cannot bear the burdens ourselves and trust in the grace of God who bears them with us.

The church should be a place where you can come and say, “I have a burden that I cannot bear” and instead of being judged for having a weak faith, you are surrounded by a network of love and support that will bear that burden with you.  Just as Christ takes upon himself the burdens we cast upon him, unfortunately to many church going Christians and religious leaders have forgotten that.

The Gospel reminds us that our problems do not disappear because we have become followers of Christ, but we are promised that in those sufferings we are not alone. God does not make us suffer alone He is always with us. God will stand beside us in our times of trouble.

“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest.”

Do not beat yourself up when you fail and give in to temptations that you told God in prayer that you would not do again.  God is happy for all the days that the temptation came up and you did not give in and does not hold against you the days that you did. God will is patient!  Just pick yourself up and try again.  God is a God of more than one chance.

Do not accept biblical half-truths as truths!

Today I spent a boring two hours in the doctor’s waiting room listening to two Christians arguing about something they really knew nothing about. The discussion got a little heated. I thank God they did not get me involved and I tried to stay as far away as I could.  Since one was a follower of Apollo C. Quiboloy, the founder and leader of The Kingdom of Jesus Christ and the other was a follower of Iglesia ni Cristo founded by Felix Y. Manalo neither would have been interested in what a Catholic had to say, since they do not believe we are Christians.

I stated they knew nothing about what they were talking about not to be rude, but because they only knew what their CHURCH LEADERS had told them. Every time they began a topic they would say, “Our church believes” or “Pastor Apollo said” or “They said on INCTV”. I did not hear them say one time “I believe”. But, of course they are obligated in both of those churches to believe what the leaders teach or be put out.

About the only thing they had in common, but did not agree on, were they both believe that THEIR church is the only true church - the fulfillment of biblical prophecy concerning the reestablishment of the Church.

These are only partial or half-truths they have been told - everything happens for a reason, God helps those who help themselves, God won’t give you more than you can handle, God said it, I believe it, that settles it and love the sinner, but hate the sin. These were not the only half-truths these ladies had been fed by their religious leaders.

It is important for us to examine these and other half-truths for ourselves regardless of what our religious leaders have taught us. I think they sometimes hurt people. I think they lead people to conclusions about God that are not only untrue, but turn people away from God. I know there had to be some people in that waiting room today that were turned off to Christians and Christianity because of those two women. There were several Muslims in that waiting room. The ladies may have boosted their own personal egos, but they accomplished nothing for God or Christianity.

Some of these half-truths are used by religious leaders to avoid careful thinking about complex issues. Some are used to justify their own biases or prejudices. It is important to read any Scripture in the light of its context and the Bible’s broader message. It is not enough to find a passage or two to support a particular view. We should interpret all Scripture in the light of Jesus’ life and teachings, as well as with the help of the Holy Spirit, the wisdom of scholars, and our own intellect and life experiences. If you only believe what you have been told then you really know nothing.

What do you think non-Christians think of Christians when they hear one Christian telling another, “You are not a REAL Christian because you are Catholic” or “You only have some of the truth, not all of the truth because you ignore tradition"? I prefer to say “I respect what you believe, but I have a different interpretation of that Scripture and either of us could be right.” When you take a stand that your interpretation or your denominations interpretation or your church leaders interpretation is the only TRUE interpretation you are PLAYING God. My bishops and priest are wrong lots of time and my Pope is wrong sometimes. No one is always right. If someone can convince me I am wrong I am willing to change.

Sunday after Sunday Christians are hurt and many eventually leave the church because they hear religious leaders say God loves you and will protect you and keep you from harm. Believe me there are religious leaders in every denomination teaching that. There is some truth to their teachings, but they fail to point out that the rain falls on the good and the bad. When people are hurt they generally blame God not their religious leader or their denomination for only teaching half-truths.

It is a shame that many Christians are not given the freedom to question their religious leaders when they have experienced what they are saying not to be true in their lives or they have studied Scripture and interpret it differently. It is the responsibility of the religious leaders to let their people know they are free to question any and all things they say – of course in a polite way.

One of the biggest half-truth that is taught Sunday after Sunday is accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and life will be smooth sailing from then on. God did not promise that so why do many religious leaders say He did. God only promise to be with us at all times, good and bad. He did not promise to prevent any bad from ever happening to us.

I think God requires more than just an altar call where you kneel down and say ‘yes’ for us to become and stay a Christian. We must understand what we are doing and be committed to change. The Christian life is not easy; there is a price to pay. My friend at Community Gospel Church use to teach that altar calls and saying ‘yes’ was enough and he could prove it because so many in his church came and left once made whole again. He claimed they no longer needed the church. His membership was like a swinging door. I suggest they left disappointed and found that his teachings did not work in real life.  

I had a person come to me that had left the church when she was a teenager because she had been led to believe the Christian walk was a guarantee from adversity. She ask me, “Where was God when I was raped, where was God when my mother died of cancer my senior year in high school, did He abandoned me or is there no God?” As I stated earlier half-truths cause unnecessary pain.

When religious leaders and denominations take stands against groups of people (gay, women, divorced, etc.) and prevent them from having full participation in the church they are not leading people to God they are pushing people away from God. It forces people who want to be active in church to keep secrets and feel guilty. Jesus loved and loves the poorest of the poor. He spent time with the prostitutes, the tax collectors, and the people with the worst reputations, and loved them unconditionally, contrary to the culture they were a part of. God wasn't God of only the rich and powerful, but also God of the outcast and enslaved. He freed oppressed people and stood for the rights of the downtrodden.

It is OK to doubt your faith from time to time and challenge your religious leaders. In fact, doubting your faith and asking questioning helps your faith grow. Many times I have been told that I am not a Christian. People have said my ideas were "heretical" "UN-biblical" and couldn't believe that I was allowed to continue in ministry. That is okay with me. I have never asks anyone to believe as I believe. I have only asks people to think for themselves and not turn off their brain when they enter the church. I am not going to teach something I do not believe without offering alternative views. I will teach what my denomination wants taught and preface it with the statement ‘this is what the Church teaches’. Besides I do not answer to people I answer to God when it comes to my religious beliefs.

You have to know what and why you believe.  Just saying I believe it because that it is what my preacher, priest or religious leader said should not be sufficient for you to believe. If you cannot explain why you believe it you do not know it. Parrots can repeat what you say over and over and will not challenge you, but have no real understanding of what they are saying. Are you a parrot?

Even if we lose in November we have won a VICTORY!

The people of the Republican Party have shown the elitist in the party that if we the people pull together we can beat them. I pray there days of ignoring what the people of the party want is over. Trump outsmarted Washington!  I now hope the party returns to its roots.  I also hope that Trump is more PROGRESSIVE than conservative (a moderate). I would love to try a PROGRESSIVE conservative in the White House for a while. I do not want  a PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL Democrat or phony Republican elitist that does not know what he or she is in the White House. GO TRUMP! Win or lose in November I thank you for knocking my party leaders on their rear ends!!!!!!!! It is time politician once again realize the people are in charge of our future not them.  

Not everything happens for a reason!

God has given human beings “dominion” on earth.  We have the capacity to make our own decisions. The biblical story is in many ways the story of us misusing our freedom, turning away from God, practicing the very things God has told us not to and then God working to redeem, restore and heal the mess we’ve made of things.

If everything happens for a reason as some Christian leaders teach and a lot of Christians believe then we must assume that God is responsible for Muslim Islamic Terrorism in order to accomplish some purpose.  The terrorist certainly believe they have God’s blessings.  But our attempts to defeat them make it clear that we believe they are evil and must be stopped. We certainly do not believe God has blessed them or is using them for His purpose.

When we make God responsible for every bad decision, every act of wrongdoing, every disease, every inhumane thing we humans do to one another we remove the responsibility from ourselves and put it on God. If you believe everything that happens has a reason then you must believe God is responsible for every bad thing that happens on earth. You have removed the possibility of our ‘free will’ which scripture makes clear God gave us.

I have not only heard Christians tell others, but I have had them tell me, God must have a reason for inflicting suffering on you. I did not find that very comforting and I am sure other suffering people did either. If that is true then how are we supposed to pray to a God for help if you believe the same God caused your problem?

I do not think God is the originator of pain and problems. I really think God is saddened by the wrong decision we make and when we choose to hurt others.

On April 15, 2013, James Costello was cheering on a friend near the finish line at the Boston Marathon when the bombs exploded, severely burning his arms and legs and sending shrapnel into his flesh. During the months of surgery and rehabilitation that followed, Mr. Costello developed a relationship with one of his nurses, Krista D’Agostino, and they soon became engaged. Mr. Costello posted a picture of the ring on Facebook. “I now realize why I was involved in the tragedy,” he wrote. “It was to meet my best friend, and the love of my life.” What about those that lost their lives and their families that only felt grieve after? I think they would have a hard time accepting God had a reason for inflicting such pain on them and their loved one. The only reason for the Boston bombing was evil men made evil decisions. It is wonderful if something great came as the result of it to some people, but God did not have a hand in the bombing.

I guess we associate God having a purpose for all things because we believe in a God that plans for us, sends us messages, rewards the good and punishes the bad. Christians may be surprised that atheists also believe things happen for a reason because they believe in ‘fate’.  They believe there is an order to life that determines how events turn out.

I think people in general have a need to find meaning in life, particular bad things that happen to them. Some people find it reassuring to think that there really are no accidents to the things that happen to us, including the most terrible of events.  We have a need to make sense of events and situations. It helps us figure out why people behave as they do and respond appropriately. But it can lead us into error when we try to find purpose to everything that happens to us. Things on earth just don’t naturally work out so that all people get what they deserve. Some things just happen. There’s no rhyme or reason to them. They just happen.

But, wait a minute somethings do happen for a reason! When you got that new job you were hoping for, that happened for a reason — you applied for it, you interviewed well, and the company thought you were the best candidate for the job. When you failed that test you needed to pass in order to maintain your G.P.A. and keep your scholarship, that too happened for a reason — you spent too much time on Facebook, going out with friends and catching up on your favorite shows when you should have been studying. The time that house on the news got hit by lightning and burned to the ground that happened for a reason — the roof of the house was the closest contact point for the bolt of lightning, and the massive charge of electricity caused the wood the house was built with to catch on fire. When that young mother and her child were hit by a drunk driver and died tragically in a car accident, that also happened for a reason — someone had too much to drink, and without concern for anyone else’s well-being, they got behind the wheel of their car, wherein their impaired judgment and slowed response time resulted in them running a red light and taking the life of a mother and her child. They happened, and there was a reason but that reason was not God.

If you think everything happens for a reason and it is divine then you must believe God delights in causing our suffering. You are saying that God is the sort of god who sends drunk drivers to kill, who burns down people’s homes and afflicts random people with horrendous diseases, like cancer. If God had a hand in intentionally causing these things to occur, then God is not the God of the Gospels.

God does enact judgment, but God is not to be blame for every terrible thing that happens in life. The truth is we live in a broken world and terrible, meaningless things happen. Not because God wants them to happen, but because our decisions have consequences and because nature cannot be tamed. God is not a villain.

Stop putting your friends through hell every time they suffer by tormenting them with the words “Everything happens for a reason.” there will come a day when every tear will be wiped away and there will be no more death or crying or mourning or pain. But it is not going to happen on this earth before Christ comes again.

But until that day comes, our testimony to that future reality is not found in trying to attach meaning to the meaningless. Our testimony, and our gift of grace to those to suffer, will be found in our willingness to suffer with them, to walk with them through the valley of the shadow of death so that they know they are not alone.