Isaiah's Leper: A Spiritual Odyssey

ISAIAH’S

LEPER

A SPIRITUAL ODYSSEY

GEORGE D. O’CLOCK, Ph.D.

A CATHOLIC ASKS THE QUESTION:

"WOULD JESUS HAVE ANYTHING

TO DO WITH THE ROMAN CATHOLIC|

CHURCH?" A CHRISTIAN ASKS THE

QUESTION: "WOULD JESUS ENDORSE

CHRISTIANITY?"

iUniverse, Inc.

New York Bloomington

Isaiah’s Leper

A Spiritual Odyssey

George D. O’Clock, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2005, 2008 by George D. O’Clock, Jr.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-0-595-50983-6 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-0-595-61720-3 (ebook)

iUniverse rev. 12/17/2008

Contents

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PREFACE

1. INTRODUCTION

2. THE DAY MOM DUKED IT OUT WITH THE VATICAN

3. RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

AND THE SOUL

4. LOVE ONE ANOTHER

5. THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE; AND MAYBE DESTROY YOUR MARRIAGE; AND MAYBE COST YOU YOUR JOB; AND MAYBE COST YOU A FRIENDSHIP; AND MAYBE - - -

6. DARKNESS AND LIGHT

7. DISCOVERING THE VILLAIN THAT JESUS DESCRIBES

8. QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS THAT WILL NEVER GO AWAY

9. WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS EXPRESSED BY PRIESTS, NUNS AND LAITY?

10. A SUMMARY OF ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH VIEWS, ATTITUDES AND TEACHINGS AFTER VATICAN II

11. VATICAN II: WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ECCLESIOLOGICAL ELEMENTS, CHALLENGES AND POSSIBLE OUTCOMES?

12. WHAT IS THE FUNDAMENTAL FLAW IN MOST ORGANIZED RELIGIONS?

13. DOES THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH FOLLOW THE BASIC TEACHINGS OF JESUS?

14. THE HARD EVIDENCE THAT CANNOT BE DENIED: THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH THAT JESUS COULD NEVER TOLERATE

15. IS THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH THE ONE TRUE CHURCH ESTABLISHED BY JESUS?

16. IS THE PAPAL LINE UNBROKEN AND INFALLIBLE (EX CATHEDRA)?

17. THE EPISCOPACY, THE LAITY AND THE PAPACY: THE IDEAL VS. REALITY

18. CATHOLIC CANON LAW: DOES IT HAVE A VALID FOUNDATION?

19. CAN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH SAVE ITS OWN SOUL?

20. HOW MIGHTY IS GOD ALMIGHTY?

21. AS I GET CLOSER TO JESUS, WHY DO I DRIFT FURTHER AWAY FROM THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH?

22. A FORECAST FOR THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

23. WHERE CAN A DISSENTING CATHOLIC GO FROM HERE?

24. THE NINTH LEPER

REFERENCES

QUOTATIONS

George Daniel O’Clock has a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering, an MBA in finance and a Master’s degree in biological sciences. He is a registered professional engineer in the states of California and Minnesota, a licensed commercial pilot (ASEL) and mildly competent with a bow and arrow. He is the co-inventor of six patents and has shown a modest amount of aptitude as a teacher in the areas of electrical engineering, physics, business and biological sciences. Some of his passions include electrotherapy research for cancer treatment, wound healing and other applications in cell biology and immunology. He is also assisting in the development of therapeutic and diagnostic techniques for pulmonary disease applications, especially in the area of cystic fibrosis. Dr. O’Clock has published and presented more than 80 papers in the fields of business, economic forecasting, biomedical engineering, solid state physics, semiconductor manufacturing, surface science, metallurgy, spectroscopy, communication systems, microwave systems and engineering education. He is the author of two books; Isaiah’s Leper-first version (iUniverse, Lincoln, NE, 2005) and Electrotherapeutic Devices: Principles, Design and Applications (Artech House, Boston, MA, 2007). For some time, Dr. O’Clock has been integrating the fields of astronomy, biology and theology in some of the courses he has taught in several colleges and universities. This is not easy to do in secular institutions. Some of the material in this book is the result of research associated with part of that teaching effort.

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to the victims. And, there are millions of them.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I owe a debt of gratitude to so many. I want to thank Kathleen O’Clock and Anne Knewtson for their editing contributions. The suggestions they made are appreciated. A number of conversations with Dr. Robert Olson, Michael O’Clock and several Roman Catholic priests provided inspiration for further investigative work. In discussions concerning this effort, I am often surprised to see who comes out of the woodwork. They are often friends, casual acquaintances, students, teachers, priests, nuns, family members and many people who are simply interested. In some cases, certain names do appear in the book. But, in doing this, I am simply citing their work or observations, and incorporating some of their constructive criticisms concerning writing style. None of them should be labeled as a participant.

The author also wishes to express his gratitude to the i Universe – Author House team of Diane Gedymin, George Nedeff, Eugene Hopkins, Holly Hess, Melissa Dalton, Sady Garcia and Claire Allread for their advice and support.

A number of references are cited. Two primary sources of information for this book are the Bible (Douay Rheims version, for the most part) and the Catholic Encyclopedia. I target certain areas in the Catholic Encyclopedia that contain elaborate excuses and justifications for hierarchical and papal actions that are considered by some to be corrupt, brutal or criminal. A wealth of information concerning these actions is available in Catholic university and Catholic high school libraries. These additional sources can provide the objectivity and balance needed to see through any excuses and self deception that might have an influence on official and approved Catholic information.

This book makes frequent use of The National Catholic Reporter as a reference for articles concerning alleged corrupt practices in the Roman Catholic Church. As a credible source, there is none better than The National Catholic Reporter (NCR).

NCR addressed the pedophile priest scandal during a time when other Catholic sources and the U.S. news media were suppressing this information. NCR had the courage to reveal the horrible truth. There are very few publications (Catholic or secular) that can even come close to matching NCR’s timing, journalistic integrity and truthfulness with respect to exposing sexual, financial and political scandals in the Roman Catholic Church.

PREFACE

If this book has any merit, it should serve as a catalyst to promote further investigation on the part of the reader. Think of this book as an eye-opener, study guide, reference point or something to dispute. There is something in this book for all who have made the choice to believe in a higher good or a higher power; and for those who value a spirituality that is not bounded by the limits of our senses and imaginations. There is also something in this book for those who do not have this kind of belief system.

With respect to the dominant theme of Isaiah’s Leper; I have attempted to give a message of hope and encouragement to Catholics who are struggling with an institutional Church they feel has betrayed them. There is some attention paid, and direction given, with respect to an alternative. However, this book has not been designed to present a substantial alternative to Roman Catholicism. That would be putting the cart before the horse. At this point, we have to carefully examine and analyze policies and actions of the Roman Catholic Church that violate the teachings and values of Jesus and offend a loving, just and merciful God. If we do not pay enough attention to these details, a substantial alternative could be just as corrupt and invalid as the present one appears to be.

This second version of Isaiah’s Leper is, hopefully, much more balanced than the first version. I worked hard to make it that way. In the summer of 2007, I enrolled in a theology course at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN. The course was attended by graduate students preparing for lay ministry work in various Roman Catholic parishes. I wanted to participate in a formal and rigorous class environment to acquire information that would provide more depth and more details about the issues, concerns and questions addressed in this book. The class provided a suitable environment for an excellent exchange of ideas, and it gave me some indication of how well the content of this book could stand up to scrutiny and analysis in discussions where other points of view are considered.

What I got out of the theology course at St. John’s was a lot more than I had anticipated. The priest who taught the course accepted me for what I was, and became a mentor. Then, as the class progressed, I noticed I was taking a lot of notes from student comments and opinions. It did not take long before I realized, they were also my teachers - - - and mentors.

Toward the end of the class, the course instructor covered some very important topics concerning ministry. But, I was not very receptive. After all, I was a heretic (or, at least an apprentice heretic) and not interested in Catholic ministry material. But, not wanting to be rude, I took notes and acted interested. A few days later, as a result of the combination of a tornado warning and an internal struggle trying to decide on tacos or fajitas for lunch (trust me, you don’t want me to go into any more details), I found myself pulling into a parking lot close to a restaurant where I could order fajitas. Before I could even get out of my car, I encountered a young lady who worked there and had just graduated. During the year, she served food and worked the cash register. There was something special about her. She was an aspiring writer and was impressed that I had written two books and over eighty technical papers. I told her that my publishing record was very limited. I was far from being a Hemingway. But she valued my humble efforts and treated me like I had some substance and talent as an author. This was good food for my ego. During the year, I discussed with her some of the trials and tribulations of writing and publishing such as dealing with certain troublesome segments of the editorial process, recognizing brutal and misdirected criticism and identifying some of the communication problems that can often occur in a publishing effort. On that graduation day, in the parking lot, she wanted to talk one last time and she also wanted to get a copy of the first version of my book, Isaiah’s Leper. I told her, Hey, I think I have a copy in my car. When I gave her a copy of the book, and autographed it, she jumped up and down and gave me a very warm hug. I was startled and pleased, and I received another hug just before she left.

In our conversation, she stated that, like me, she drifted away from Roman Catholicism and did not feel particularly drawn to the Church any more. I replied to her, I am repulsed by much of what I see in the institutional Roman Church. However, I have great admiration for people who go against the wind but stay the course in this particular religion. And one of the things we need to do before kicking this belief system completely out of our lives is to investigate it. We need to look for the light (if there is any) in all of the darkness. We need to determine if there is anything of value to this particular belief system before totally rejecting it. Is there something of it that we can accept? Can we hold onto part of the belief system or religious tradition? We need to ‘seek and find’ before making a final decision.

I am not sure if that conversation will ever do anything for her, but as she waved goodbye, the thought struck me, You near-sighted heretic! Be careful of what you assume. I was the very last person in that theology class who I ever thought would engage in any kind of ministerial activity. But there I was, in a parking lot on graduation day, fully engaged in ministry. I had to laugh. I shook my head in disbelief; The Carpenter from Nazareth has a strange sense of humor.

One final thought - - - I have been told that those individuals who are very comfortable in their religious beliefs, and do not want to rock any religious boats, will not bother to read this book. According to some experts, even if these people do read the book, they will reject the material, they will deny it and they will become more resolute in their belief system. I know this is true because not long ago, I was one of them. I held onto my religious comfort zone, with a strong dose of denial for as long as I could. Denial is a very powerful force. It can assist us in the commission of monstrous deeds. But in combination; information, reason and curiosity are much more powerful. They are a relentless trio, and they have been the primary elements for a research and writing effort that eventually became my sweat lodge.

1. INTRODUCTION

Addressing the two questions on the front cover of the book, Would Jesus have anything to do with the Roman Catholic Church? and Would Jesus endorse Christianity? - - - the answer to both questions would have to be a resounding No! It is not surprising that many priests, ministers and lay theologians, when speaking privately and off the record, will give that same answer. When the conclusions reached by Fr. Hans Küng, Fr. James Kavanaugh, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, John Shelby Spong, Helen Ellerbe, Garry Wills and many others are combined, compared and verified; the negative answer becomes amplified. The work of these authors and many more will be discussed and cited in the chapters that follow. But the answer never changes. The answer is No!

The very nature of modern organized Christianity emphasizes what is exclusionary, dogmatic, hierarchical, legalistic, and power seeking. Jesus was none of these. Jesus was not dogmatic and exclusionary. He was kind and loving to those who were excluded. For example, Samaritans were despised by the Jews. In contrast, Jesus gave the Samaritans a significant amount of respect. This is apparent in Luke 10: 25-37 (The Great Commandment; The Good Samaritan), Luke 17: 12-29 (The Grateful Samaritan Leper) and in John 4: 4-26 (The Samaritan Woman). In John 14: 2 Jesus supports a variety of spiritual pathways by saying, In My Father’s house there are many mansions. In John 14: 1-21, all who believe in Jesus will have the Holy Spirit in them and will have a place with Him. All! Jesus was not legalistic. He chastises and denounces lawyers in Luke 11: 45-53 (Woe to you lawyers - - - you load men with oppressive burdens - - - ). As for political/religious hierarchy, in Matthew 23: 1-39 Jesus gives them pure hell (hypocrites, brood of vipers, blind guides, unclean robbers who will not escape the judgment of hell). With respect to most of His statements in the Gospels, it is evident that Jesus was not into church building, power brokering, bureaucracy and hierarchy.

Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens. Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)

Jesus would certainly not have anything to do with an extension or remnant of the murderous and conquest driven Roman Empire or its unifying political/religious concept that eventually became what we know as the Roman Catholic Church. And Jesus could never endorse the exclusivity and intolerance of organized Christianity.

This book is not critical of the Catholic faithful, the Christian community, the sacraments, service or ministry. The analysis and criticisms that follow are focused and directed toward the heart of the institutional component of the Roman Church and organized Christianity. This book addresses historical and modern day examples of the corrupt nature of the same kind of institutional, political/religious and legalistic elements that Jesus criticizes in Matthew 23: 1-39 and Luke 11: 45-53. This book and its criticisms are driven by the attitude of Jesus and His teachings.

In many published works, Jesus is often described as the starting point of the ministry to priesthood. Apparently, the Council of Trent agreed with this and declared that Jesus did ordain the Apostles to His priesthood at the Last Supper. But we need to think about that belief or declaration very carefully. Jesus shows contempt for the politically driven and power seeking hierarchical elements, legalistic leanings and obsessively detail oriented priesthood of His day. In John 21: 15-19 Jesus makes the requests feed My lambs, feed My sheep and follow Me. In Matthew 28: 19, Jesus gives the Apostles a mission to make disciples, baptize and teach. But these requests grant a level of power and authority that could be given to or associated with a lay ministry of disciples and followers.

With respect to the way Jesus operated, it is fairly clear that the power of the priesthood would have to come through the people they serve. Therefore, the only power a bishop or pope could have over a priest would be administrative. In Matthew 18: 20, Jesus says, Where two or three are gathered together for My sake, there I am in the midst of them. There is no specific requirement for a priest in His statement.

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

The power that Jesus gives is within those who are gathered for His sake, and is not exclusively contained in any priesthood or confined to any religious belief system. As described in Acts 2: 42 and 46, Jesus makes a request in Luke 22: 19 Do this in remembrance of Me.

The request Jesus made was honored in early Christian homes by Christian people, and they incorporated it into a bread and wine mealtime practice that was part of Jewish and Pagan traditions for centuries. They did not need a priest to enhance the meaning or sanctity of that remembrance.

However, in many ways, the priest is special and sacred. The priest is blessed, but not through any authority of an earth-bound parochial church. Jesus and the kingdom of God are with us and within us as Matthew 28: 20 and Luke 17: 21 verify. It is Jesus and the kingdom of God within us that makes the priest who serves us special and sacred.

Our true nature, mission and the teachings of Jesus all verify that we are the church. The Divine rests within us, not outside of us. We are the structure, the temple and the altar. All of the majestic temples and church buildings in the world will not even come close to the Majesty that rests within us.

The first version of Isaiah’s Leper has been described as a roller coaster ride with a number of sharp turns. In this second version, the changes that have been made are; 1) the ride is longer and more repetitive, 2) there are many sharp turns and 3) the ride meanders. At times, the reader might wonder, Where is this guy going? Good question. Where I am going is where my spiritual odyssey took me, or dragged me, sometimes kicking and screaming. Trust me, if you are experiencing a real odyssey, you have very little directional control, and you often do not know where you are going. It can be a weird and very disturbing experience to have. And at this stage of my life, I would not care to have another one like it.

I might doubt, therefore I may think, therefore I probably am. A philosophical statement that Rene Descartes (1596-1650) and Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976) might have developed if they had collaborated - - - maybe

This book tells you what I experienced and the conclusions I have reached during a spiritual odyssey that started at age 10 and became almost overwhelming by the time I was 53 years old.

An odyssey is not a pleasure cruise. It is defined as a long series of wanderings filled with notable experiences and hardships. That is an understatement. An odyssey can tear your life apart. And the reality of what is happening may not become apparent until you are too far into it to find your way back. In my situation, I thought I was on a journey with a reasonably well planned route and destination. But this was not an excursion, tour or journey. This was very different. And I did not realize what it was until I experienced a number of disastrous ship wrecks in my personal life.

I have devoted much time and effort to find Jesus the Christ, the Leper of Isaiah 53, Light of the World and child of Mary and Joseph. To some degree, I found where He is and where He is not. I followed His directions and I started to see Him in the distance. I could see I was getting fairly close. See Him in the distance - - - ? Fairly close - - - ? I was so full of it. I had a lot to learn about my limited vision. Little did I know until these later years of my life; God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Great Spirit, the Great Mysterious are closer to all of us than I realized. Isaiah’s Leper tells me to seek and find. And that is what I have been doing. But this kind of effort is not easy, and can often become very unpleasant. In Mark 8: 34 and Luke 14: 27, Jesus tells me to deny myself, find and take up my cross and follow Him. Naïve as I was, I rejected the thought of finding and taking up a cross. I did not want anything to do with the damn thing. But the damn thing found me.

In Luke 12: 49 – 53, Jesus says that He intends to cast fire upon the earth, and another part of that verse indicates that He can hardly wait to set it all ablaze. Sometimes Jesus speaks to us like a maniac. We often try to make excuses for Him; What did He say? Oh, He really could not mean it in that way. To soften the blow we often try to convince ourselves We must look at what He says in the proper context, and look for His ‘implications.

There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

In our own minds, we repeat that comforting directive over and over to compensate for some incredibly harsh and shocking statements made by a man who may have been intentionally or unintentionally misquoted; or statements made during a time when Jesus was depressed, feeling crabby or simply having a bad day.

In Luke 12, Jesus implies that He is going to transform and strengthen us with fire. In Matthew 10: 34 – 39 we receive another barrage of His harsh statements. Jesus tells us that He did not come to send peace upon the earth, rather He came to bring a sword, and by seeking and following Jesus; "man’s enemies will be those of his own household. These statements are not very comforting.

In Matthew 10: 37, the request Jesus makes to love Him more than our mothers and fathers, or sons and daughters, is unpleasant, but not too far out of line. In that request, I can see the results of a misquote, exaggeration or the statement of a man who is feeling depressed and agitated. However, in Luke 14: 26, Jesus allegedly tells us to hate our father and hate our mother (not to love less but to hate). In that statement, we should recognize the corrupt hand of man taking the overstated words of Mathew 10: 37 and exaggerating them even further to a level beyond insane.

Considering some of the more turbulent Scriptural statements attributed to Jesus, I had at my disposal more than enough material for a host of very sobering thoughts. Should I have read all of those particular Scripture passages more closely in my early years? Should I have considered the effects this kind of effort could have on my life? What would I have done if, in a more rigorous fashion, I had considered the possible negative impacts associated with enmities involving friends or family, swords that slash and fire that can burn in our lives when seeking or following the Leper of Isaiah? What would my life have been if I had never embarked on this odyssey? What would I have become?

During my late 50’s and early 60’s, as my seeking and finding intensified, I was becoming fatigued with it all. I tried to use a convenient excuse to drop the whole effort and cop out.

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

Stephen Wright

I continuously entertained the idea, Maybe this is the work of the devil. By surrendering to that thought, I could have abandoned this cross, convincing myself that I was abandoning it for Jesus’ sake. That line of convenient thinking was starting to work.

But as I became more informed about the Roman Church’s activities, it became evident and obvious that the Power influencing and directing me was the Holy Spirit. And I have to tell you that from a human-earthly standpoint, the Holy Spirit is not organized.

The Holy Spirit is a handful. That particular member of the Trinity hits you from all sides, saturates you brain and senses with enormous amounts of information, loves to surprise and shock you and has a very well developed sense of humor. We often see the Holy Spirit symbolized as a white dove flying around. Nice thought, nice image - - - but that is not an appropriate image for the Holy Spirit. The personality of the Holy Spirit is multi-faceted. At times, the Holy Spirit is much like a spouse who is a dominating force, highly focused and determined to change you for the better. At other times, the Holy Spirit is more like a very large pack of half grown puppies; all madly dashing toward you to lick your face, pull on your socks, chew on your slippers and chase Frisbees.

After the first version of Isaiah’s Leper was released, two commentaries appeared in the Amazon.com website that put my concerns to rest with respect to interpretation. One set of comments was from a Bishop of the Old Catholic Church. He wrote; It is a refreshing change to read such a work on the Roman model of Catholicism from someone not out to destroy or sell its form of organized religion. The thoughtful reader comes away comparing one’s own questions and journey with Dr. O’Clock’s view - - - a sort of mental sparring and sharing that helps one’s mature faith development. The second set of Amazon.com comments was made by someone I have known since our Catholic high school days. He wrote; "This book is not a condemnation of the ideals of the Roman Catholics of the world so much as a slam at the Church as a business gone bad. O’Clock does not plea with the Catholics to abandon ship, but instead asks them to take control of the helm.

Every day is Memorial Day for me. Major Jeff Howe

His final review comments were stunning, "Isaiah’s Leper does not contain the rantings of a madman, it contains the soft and intelligent deliveries of a man mad at how 1,600 years of nepotistic ego and misguidance can damage a religious idea that had such a good role model. That would be Jesus I’m speaking of."

I am grateful to Amazon.com for providing readers the opportunity to write their opinions of the various books they offer, and I am grateful for the two reviewer comments. Those two commentaries for the first version of Isaiah’s Leper express exactly what I wanted to accomplish. Now, with the second version of the book, I no longer have to worry about contributing to the deterioration of anyone’s Christian faith, or influencing anyone to abandon their religion. I now realize that people who make a choice to abandon or reject their religion were on that pathway long before reading Isaiah’s Leper.

This book has been written for those who leave this Romanized religion, for those who stay and for those who have returned. It is written for those who have never been Roman Catholic. And it also addresses issues meaningful for people who are not Christian. Let’s get at least one thing straight before going any further. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not Roman Catholic or Christian. No denomination on the face of this earth can claim Them. They embrace all people. This is not my own personal theory. A significant component of the previous statement appears in Vatican II documents; Lumen Gentium 15, 16, Dei Verbum 3 and Nostra Aetate 1 – 5. I often shake my head when fallen away Catholics are told to come back to God or reconcile with God (1). This is nonsense! A so-called fallen away Catholic did not fall away from God, does not need to reconcile with God and has not lost God. Those terms and references are based on ignorance and the sad effects of a misguided propaganda machine. People who leave the Roman Catholic religion usually do so for good reasons. They take a different pathway. And they have a lot of Divine company on their unique and individual pathways. In fact, they have just as much Divine company as anyone who elects to stay.

Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes playing a poor hand well. Words of wisdom Paul Douglas found in a fortune cookie

On the other hand, there are corrupted elements within the Roman Church that appear to have severed their connections with the Divine; and certain elements within that Church that never had, and never deserved, a Divine connection. A significant amount of the material in this book addresses those corrupted and unconnected elements.

In many places, the book may appear to have a destructive intent. However, appearance often does not adequately represent reality. The information in this book is structured to encourage the reader to raise questions concerning their religious beliefs and practices in an open, objective and constructive manner. Sometimes being open or truthful seems harsh. But, one of my goals is to help motivate people to question the rules, dogma, practices and history of organized religion. The terrible consequences of Roman Catholic Church attitudes and actions require probing questions, truthful answers and rigorous analysis. The motivating factors that promote behavior and attitudes that defile Christ’s teachings and insult a loving God must be examined. There may seem to be a harsh essence to a large amount of the material in this book. But I will try to use the harshness in a constructive manner. My intent is to disturb, but not to destroy. If some destruction is unavoidable, I hope that the overall effect is more like a jackhammer rather than a wrecking ball.

In Matthew 7: 7- 8 and Luke 11: 9-10, Jesus strongly encourages us to Seek , and seeking is what we must do. What we find after we seek is often not pleasant or comforting. What I plan to do, in this book, is to question many of the claims made by the Roman Catholic Church since its inception and establishment as a state religion in the 4th century. I intend to discuss evidence that indicates many Roman Church claims are bogus, contrary to the teachings and attitude of Jesus, fraudulent, self-serving and even dangerous.

If most of the claims made by the Roman Catholic Church turn out to be false and fraudulent, does this mean that those who practice the Catholic faith are fraudulent, without God and with no true link to Jesus? Certainly not!

Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need, is to love without getting tired.

Mother Theresa (1910-1997)

In Matthew 18: 20, Jesus says, "For where two or three are gathered for My sake, there am I in the midst