A Christian is someone who trusts in Christ and follows Him. Which means a Christian should hold dear those things which clearly are of Christ, and reject those things which only pretend to be. Those of us who have been fortunate to receive the Gift of Eternal Salvation most likely understand that not everyone or everything that masquerades as being of Christ actually is. A good example of this is the “Christmas” holiday, which is looming on the very near horizon.

A true Christian is not one who accepts false teachings of false churches at face value. A real Christian understands that evil is at work at every turn, and that those who intend to lead us away from Christ will no doubt put on the mantle of the Lamb of God in order to lead people to believe that they are of Him. These entities, with their nefarious intent, are indeed the wolf in sheep’s (or in this case, lamb’s) clothing.

Few people today realize that the celebration of “Christmas” on December 25th has roots in pagan tradition. The modern Christmas celebration clearly has a pagan origin, and that is something that true Christians should not ignore. The ancient Babylonians celebrated the feast of the Son of Isis, the Goddess of Nature, on December 25. Parties with gluttonous drinking and eating as well as gift giving were traditional parts of this feast. The Romans called their winter holiday “Saturnalia” which honored the God of Agriculture and they dubbed the entire season “Dies Natalis Invicti Solis” (or the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun). In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were started long before the participants in those pagan rituals had ever heard of Christ.

In the year 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25, despite the day’s pagan significance. From the authoritative Biblical descriptions, historians believe that Christ’s birth probably occurred in September, about six months after Passover. We know almost certainly that Jesus WAS NOT born in December, since the Bible records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night, which would be nearly impossible due to the harsh winter conditions of late December in the region.

So, since the Bible doesn’t explicitly say what day Christ was born, why is it so important that the generally accepted celebration date appears is wildly incorrect? Does it matter that Jesus wasn’t born in December yet people still celebrate his birth on December 25th?

Of course it matters.

Think of it this way: your loving earthly father’s birthday is in February, yet you decide that you will begin to celebrate his birthday in June. If you’re celebrating his birthday on a date that is nowhere near his birthday, are you in fact celebrating his birthday at all? Not only that, but let’s say that the date you decided to celebrate your father’s birth is actually the birth date of an infamous mass murderer, and you specifically CHOSE that date BECAUSE of that fact. How do you suppose your father would feel?

How do you suppose God our Father in Heaven feels about people supposedly celebrating His Son’s birth on a day that belonged to pagan rituals? How would Christ feel about it?

Remember what we’re told in Jeremiah 10:

“Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.”

Don’t take part in these pagan traditions, don’t learn the way of the heathen. And don’t buy the old argument that the date was chosen as a way to “overwrite” the pagan history with a new, Christian celebration. If that were the case, any valid reason to celebrate Christianity could have been chosen for that date. The catholic pope, in choosing to declare that celebration of the birth of Christ occurs on a major pagan holiday, has for centuries forced followers of the catholic church (the Church of Rome) and other false Christian religions to unknowingly continue to glorify a pagan tradition.

If you feel the need to celebrate any sort of winter holiday, then celebrate the beginning of the new year — but leave Jesus Christ out of it, because we all know (and so did the king of the roman church when he developed this evil plot) that Jesus wasn’t born anywhere near December.

The catholic church says that that tradition is just as important as the Holy Scripture. In fact, you can confirm that for yourself in the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” from which I quote:

“As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.”

Further:

“Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church’s Magisterium.”

(Link: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s1c2a2.htm)

So the catholic church insists that tradition and Holy Scripture should be accepted as EQUAL when it comes to Spiritual Truth. It also says that the church can decide which traditions are worth keeping and which can be abandoned. The church of Rome gives itself much power here, to decide for millions of followers what they should believe, even if the tradition runs counter to the Holy Scripture. However…

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”

- 2 Timothy 3:16

There are many debates about the importance of tradition, and many verses of Scripture which can be cited both in favor of and against tradition. But despite all of the debate over whether or not tradition should be integral to Spiritual Truth, we can turn directly to the Words of Jesus Christ Himself to settle the issue about which is more important, Scripture or tradition:

“Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.”

- Matthew 15:1-6

The commandment of God was made “of none effect” by tradition. Very, very powerful words.

Regardless of whether you believe tradition is important in religion or not, no matter which side of the “tradition” debate you might be on, whatever you might say about this passage of Holy Scripture, at least one enduring truth must be observed: the traditions of the religious leaders were subject to the Word of God, not equal to it as the catholic church insists.

The e-mails continue to pour in from this site which chronicles my catholic christian journey. Many contain comments on this story of my escape from darkness and of finding my way into God’s Light. While I may not have time to respond to all of them, I certainly do read them all, and I want to share part of a very moving e-mail I have received with you. From this e-mail, I recognized something very, very important. The message began…

“Recently I was researching on the differences between Catholic and Christian
religion and came across your site. Thank you for sharing your journey, I truly
pray that it can be an enlightening story and blessing to others.”

I won’t share the entire e-mail here because it contains some very specific and personal information about this particular person’s own spiritual journey and their efforts, guided by the Holy Spirit, to lead someone very dear to them out of the catholic church, the false church, and toward Jesus Christ. Prayers of true Christians would no doubt support this woman and her efforts to help a lost soul escape the clutches of an evil, man-made religion.  She wrapped up her e-mail with this:

“I find that your story is inspiring, and I hope that you and your family
continue to grow in faith and wisdom in reaching out to people.”

I learned today that despite having touched so many people with my story, I can still be deeply moved by their stories of finding God’s Truth. But while my story may help the lost find their way to the right path, it is not my story but rather it is because of the Power of God that people are finding their way to Jesus.

Like Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2 :
“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

Read Paul’s words — which we know were written to the Saved, not the unsaved — about faith and understand how it is through Trust in Christ Alone (not in the words of men, in the traditions of men, in the teachings of a man-made religion) that we are Saved. The Gift of Eternal Salvation is through God’s Grace and Trust in Christ.

Praise, Honor and Glory to His Holy Name!

I’ve added a link to a very good page which helps those who are laboring under false interpretations of Scripture to better understand one of the key foundations of Roman catholic religion. It is this incorrect (or possibly intentionally misleading) interpretation which the church of Rome has built its authority upon. Please visit this link for a very good explanation of the language and the translation:

Is Peter the rock on which the Church is built?

Of course it benefits the Roman church to provide an incorrect interpretation, and since the Roman church claims sole authority to provide definitive interpretations of Holy Scripture, it prevents the people of its religion from questioning their interpretation, and thus the authority the “church” falsely claims.

Study the information provided in the page above as you explore the catholic Christian discussion. An explanation of the original context of the Greek text makes it much easier to understand exactly what is being said in Matthew 16. Remember that God calls you to be a part of His Church, the Body of Christ, and not a man-made organized religion, a Christian catholic paradox that is a blend of paganism and self-serving Scriptural interpretations.

Just like a government which claims to fairly govern its people but sets up its own laws based on traditions and false historical documents interpreted to provide the necessary power to the malicious government, so has the catholic church set up its own corrupt power base built on falsehoods, misinformation, and possibly outright deception. And because of this, like a malicious government, anyone who dares to question the validity of the authority it has is subjected to the whim of the leadership.

The catholic church only has power over its followers because it gave itself that power, not because Jesus Christ did.

I feel such great joy every time I hear from someone who has read my catholic Christian story on this Web site and they take the time to write to me and let me know how inspiring my message is for them, personally. It is through God’s grace and his wonderful Gift, the Gift of Eternal Salvation, that it is possible for me to share my story with you.

While some have written to tell me that my site is attacking catholicism, this is far from the truth. I’m not setting up a catholic vs Christian battle here, the intent of this site is to share the good news of God’s Word and to help those who are stuck in a false religion to see God’s true and simple Plan for Salvation.

Recently, I received a wonderful e-mail from a reader who said:

“I really appreciate you posting this information. I have a
situation that will not be easy. I am feeling much like you
did the day you confronted your mother. I know my confrontation
has to take place. The truth has been revealed to me in the scriptures
and through prayer. I have to pass it on to those loved ones that are
being misled. I ask that you keep me in your prayers, and thank you
again for sharing your story.”

The only thing I would say is that when speaking to your loved ones who are trapped in the false church or some non-Christian religion (such as the Church of Rome), you should approach these conversations not as a “confrontation” but instead as a sharing of the Holy Spirit.

See how powerful our Heavenly Father is?

I get an absolute TON of e-mail every day, and there are so many interesting, uplifting, and even challenging messages to go through. I am sometimes approached for help, sometimes asked for guidance, sometimes attacked for my beliefs, sometimes accused of being anti-catholic (which you already know is not the case at all). And sometimes I receive simple, emotional, wonderful messages of thanks. Such is the case recently, and I thought I would share this very happy message with you:

“Thank you for posting your testimony here. God is using your story to
affect many lives. I came here as a Christian looking for more information
on Catholicism and how it differs from Christianity, so that I may share
it with my loved ones. I pray that God will work in their hearts as He did
in yours. Thank you once again.”

You’re very, very welcome.

It happens that at times when I talk to others about my catholic Christian journey, they sometimes try and categorize my message as a Christian vs catholic attack. I think some of that may be rooted in the fact that I spend a lot of time speaking to catholics directly about my transformation from catholic to christian, and I’m quite certain that they are immediately on the defensive because I’m telling them things that challenge their long-standing beliefs.

I know what they’re feeling, because remember that I was on the opposite end of that debate myself.

I have never, ever considered this online ministry to be a catholic vs. christian battle, but rather my intent is that perhaps through my story — as a former life-long catholic of 44 years — some who are currently a part of the church of Rome, a church which calls itself the catholic church, will begin to look at their church with a new perspective and will challenge the things this “religion” has taught them.

Unfortunately, catholics have generally been told that they are to strictly follow the teachings of the Roman church and to deviate from them would lead to dire consequences. I believe that it is this teaching, a teaching that prevents many practicing catholics from exploring the Holy Scriptures fully, which forms the basis of this impression that I’m setting up some sort of a Christian vs. catholic attack.

It isn’t true.

I know for certain that the vast majority of practicing catholics are sincere about their faith. I know this, because I was one for 44 years. I know for certain that the vast majority of lay people who have advanced into leadership positions within their parishes are sincere about their faith and their leadership roles. I know this, because I was one for nearly 30 years. I know that those in local parishes who teach others about the catholic religion are sincere as well, because I was one of those too, for many, many years.

So this isn’t a Christian vs catholic argument. My ministry, inspired by the Holy Spirit, isn’t set up to be a catholic vs. christian debate. In no way do I intend this to be a christian vs. catholic attack on another’s beliefs. Instead, I mean this to be a method for delivering my personal catholic to christian transformation story, and in the process of revealing my journey, I hope that others who are currently practicing catholics will take a step back and open themselves up to the fullness of God’s Word. If they do that, they will discover that God’s plan for salvation is a simple plan for salvation.

Remember, too often those who are members of the so-called catholic church believe that their religion should not be challenged. The Roman church has claimed for itself the sole right to “interpret” Holy Scriptures, and because of that many practicing catholics are simply too afraid or too accepting to compare the teachings of their church to the Word of God. The Holy Scriptures tell us that we should use the Scriptures to test what we are taught, not that we should accept without question what we are told and to be afraid to test it against the Word of God.