If you’ve read my story and my blog, you now know that I am a true Christian. I am, because I placed my Trust in Christ Alone. Because I did this, I know for absolutely certain that I have Everlasting Life. I formerly fancied myself a catholic christian because I was a part of the catholic church (the church of Rome) but now, thanks to the precious gift of Eternal Life, I now know that the church of Rome is a false church, it is not the One True Church, which is Christ’s Body.

Now, because I am a part of God’s salvation plan, I have received the counsel of the Holy Spirit to guide me. Once I was enlightened by Him, I came to know that the celebration of Christ’s birth on December 25th each year is nothing more than another man-made holiday that at best is completely misguided and at worst, intentionally designed to glorify a pagan holiday.

Isaac Newton argued that the date of “christmas” was chosen to correspond with the winter solstice. History tells us that in ancient times the winter solstice was marked on December 25. In 1743, Paul Ernst Jablonski stated that “christmas” was placed on December 25 to correspond with the Roman solar holiday Dies Natalis Solis Invicti and was therefore a “paganization” that was essentially an insult to the True Church.

We know that the “True Church” is not an organized religion here on Earth, but rather “The Body of Christ” Himself, and thus any of us who are True Christians are a part of that Body. We make up that True Church as we are a part of Him, and He is It.

It should be quite obvious to even a non-religious observer of the Scripture that December is not the actual month of Christ’s birth, since events in the Holy Scripture clearly indicate circumstances which would not make a winter birth feasible. The most obvious Scriptural reference is from the Gospel of Luke which tells us that shepherds were tending their sheep in the fields when He was born.

The rains stopped and temperatures first allowed shepherds to tend their sheep in the fields around April. By December, the sheep were no longer in the fields. But does it matter exactly which month it was? No, certainly not. What does matter, however, is that once again the false church, the church of Rome, has developed a man-made declaration and set it down as truth to their followers. A “truth” for them which history proves to be a falsehood.

If you celebrate this pagan holiday, take a closer look at it. Refuse to allow yourself to continue to be misled.

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.

To Jesus through Mary?

I was following a van the other day, and I noticed a bumper sticker affixed to the back of the vehicle. The message was simple:

“To Jesus through Mary”

Now I’m guessing that was a catholic person’s van, I’m sure they’re a catholic who considers themselves a Christian, a genuine christian catholic I’m sure. But to be honest, it doesn’t really matter if it was or wasn’t. The fact is, the entire message on the bumper sticker is wrong. Jesus doesn’t require an intermediary for us to reach Him. As a matter of fact, Jesus is the ONE and ONLY intermediary between us and the Father:

John 14:6 says…

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

What else is necessary? Why add another layer when it isn’t required?

We shouldn’t strive to reach Jesus through anyone. Not any living person, not anyone who is no longer on this earth, and not through Mary, even if she was the woman who gave birth to our Savior’s physical body. Instead, we should strive to reach the Father through Jesus, exactly as He told us we must.

As human beings, most of us are very fond of our mothers. We love them dearly, and we care about them deeply, and we hurt and mourn when we lose them. There is no getting around that, it is our nature — most of us are attached to our mothers. After all, they gave birth to us. But as Christians, if we are truly Christians, then we must not fall into the trap of assigning human values to the things of Heaven.

Some catholics may believe themselves to be Christian or to be a Christian catholic. If so, they would understand that it is NOT God’s Will that we should find it necessary or desireable to seek our Savior through another human being. He sent his Son here, for us, and because he walked this earth Himself there is no need — ever — for us to reach “Jesus through Mary”.

If you want to know more about catholicism and my journey from catholic to christian, please read my story and learn how I came to better understand the issues with the Roman catholic church.

Organized religions make salvation complicated. People in general seem to want to make salvation complicated. Well, the fact is that God has never meant for salvation to be complicated. In fact, He made salvation as simple as it could possibly be. He sent His only Son to earth, in human form, to die for our sins.

That’s it.

Because of His incredible sacrifice, all of our sins are forgiven. He died once and for all, and that was sufficient for our forgiveness. There is nothing more that we can do, as human beings, that will be greater than His dying for our failings.

When I talk to people who don’t understand salvation, they often get hung up on the issue of exactly which sins He died for. They believe that there is something more that they must do to gain forgiveness. They think that forgiveness is something they get at some point, then they go out and sin again, and they have to seek forgiveness all over again. Usually, they’ve been taught this by their “church” and sadly, they’ve been misled.

God’s plan is very simple and not at all complex: He died for ALL of our sins. Every single one of them — past, present, and future. At no point along the way did He say anything at all resembling: “Okay, this sacrifice is going to cover you until you’re 18 years old, after that you’re on your own”.

He died for our PAST sins.
He died for our PRESENT sins.
He died for our FUTURE sins.

Apparently, the last one is the one that seems to trip so many people up. They say: “I know that Christ died for my sins. But how could He have died for sins I haven’t yet committed? How do I know that He died for my FUTURE sins?”

The answer, my friends, is as simple as God’s plan: we know for an absolutely undisputed certainty that Christ died for our FUTURE sins as well as past and present sins because none of us were alive when Christ died on the cross. Not a single, solitary one of us. ALL of our sins — even our past sins — were “future” sins when Jesus Christ made His incredible sacrifice.

Every single one of them.

Sadly, I was once as misled as millions of others about this. If you read my Catholic Christian story, the story of my transition from Catholic to Christian, then you know my background and how entrenched in the church of Rome I once was. So firmly entrenched that not only did I believe everything that this man-made religion told me, but I also taught it to others. That false church taught me that I constantly had to go back to the church to be forgiven for my sins — that I had to confess my sins to a priest acting as a conduit to God — in order to be forgiven. And when I went out and sinned again, my only hope was to turn back to their priests in order to receive forgiveness once more.

Do you see how the church of Rome is intent on keeping its followers so tightly controlled? How that so-called “church” is dead set on locking a person in and forcing them to behave in a way that makes their participation (and their financial support) a necessity?

It’s wrong, and completely against God’s Word and His plan. God makes this completely clear to us:

Hebrews 10:

And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Simply Trust in Christ Alone, for His sacrifice is sufficient to save all of us.

If you have a chance, I’d encourage you to visit this Web site:

(UPDATE: When Geocities went down, the site went with it, but I managed to capture an image of the page which I share here)

http://www.catholic2christian.com/iptr.png

It provides an excellent examination of the Holy Scripture and how the catholic church (or should I say, the church of Rome) has used a self-serving interpretation of the Word to support their structure and power base. It is on this false interpretation that the catholic church expresses their false claim to authority over Christ’s Church. Those of us who have already received the gift of Eternal Salvation and have the counsel of the Holy Spirit already know that the catholic interpretation is, at best, flawed and is, at worst, intentionally wrong and intended to mislead and obscure the Truth.

Peter was NEVER named “the Rock” by our Savior. There is only ONE Rock, and that is God Himself.

I often get e-mail messages from the Saved among us who are struggling to help their spouses or other loved ones to reject the false teachings and man-made doctrines of a false church, hoping that they will Trust in Christ Alone and be Saved. I encourage those of you who are fighting this battle to lead your loved one to Christ. The history and traditions and other non-Biblical foolishness that forms the center of some organized “religions” can be difficult for people to give up. They fear setting aside such things, but if they only would do so they would find themselves in the loving embrace of Jesus Christ, and they would experience a direct connection with Our Lord that they never, ever could have imagined.

I pray that you who are working hard to show your loved ones the Truth of God’s Word and bring them to Christ will endure the difficulties you face and continue to love them and teach them with the help of the Holy Spirit.