The poor souls in purgatory

What possessed you to lump Catholics and Jehovah's Witnesses together?

Who were you being ridden by?

Michael Kuras [February 28, 2009]

What do Catholicism, Jehovahood and Islam have in common? All three respond to Jesus just like the rest of the world. They want to replace him. The Jehovah's Witnesses by the freely invented, highly stylized name Jehovah, the Catholics by the freely invented and highly stylized heavenly goddess Mary and the freely invented Christ under the veil of the flesh, the Pope. Islam through Allah. And so on...

There is nothing more ordinary in the world than this reaction of people to Jesus. And you ask me why I put them all together?

There is one more feature. The fluctuation between Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholics is enormous.

Rüdiger [February 28, 2009]

Hello Rüdiger,

why do we always have to deal with the know-it-alls? Aren't you bored? Where do you get your energy from? The best thing would be to write a new Bible. We'll just say we're inspired by God's spirit. Then we appoint ourselves faithful and sensible slaves, open a printing house, and manipulate the conscience of our flocks.

Of course there is a public rebuke for serious misconduct, e.g. surfing the Internet or if the tie is tied wrongly! Our sheep will fear God, and we will tell them: God loves a voluntary donor, you can make amends! And all we had to do was count the money! It works similarly with witnesses.

Have a nice Sunday.

Greetings, The Duke [March 01, 2009]

Hello everyone,

Quote from Rüdiger: "There is one more feature. The fluctuation between Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholics is enormous."

Where does this information come from? (It is in my opinion wrong)

On a more general note: Unfortunately, there seems to be a completely wrong interpretation of the indulgence here. Of course only JESUS himself can forgive our sins. Only through Jesus can we enter paradise. This is as well Catholic as Christian. The indulgence concerns people who do NOT turn to Jesus. And do not follow him completely. Purgatory is a place for people who have not completely decided for Jesus.

After death these people are confronted with God and see themselves as they are. They see that they have not made a full decision for Jesus. Therefore they come to the place of purification for a while, but then they WANT to do it themselves, because otherwise they cannot cope with the closeness of God. However, a person who has made a FULL decision for JESUS does NOT go to purgatory because he has the forgiveness of sins. The indulgence only applies to souls in purgatory, NOT to determined Christians.

If you report about something, please do so exactly and do not spread half-truths. Of course the cross of Jesus Christ is enough. Even in the Catholic Church. The only question is what happens to the people who do not accept it. In that case the Catholic view is even the milder one, because there is still the way to God (even if you follow Jesus halfheartedly).

The Lord will guide you and be with you.

With kind regards

A Catholic [July 04, 2009]

The information that the fluctuation between Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholics is enormous comes from my experience. After my girlfriend's mother switched from Catholicism to Jehovah's Witnesses, I naturally asked myself in all the conversations I had, how the where from and where to was.

After some time it was no longer a surprise when always the same information was given. I don't think I have received a single piece of information in the last 3 or so years that I have been working on this website that said anything other than Catholic becomes Jehovah's Witness or Jehovah's Witness becomes Catholic again. And this question even concerned people of several nationalities.

Even my dear (ex-)girlfriend, whom I still love today, but cannot be with her because I do not want to and cannot support her mistaken belief, has confirmed that there are significant similarities between Catholicism and Jehovahood (which she of course calls the only true religion), making it very easy to switch between the two. (Work righteousness, the people of God instead of the Jews, loyalty to the leader, the only savior, and so on and so forth ...)

Quote: "Purgatory is a place for people who have not completely decided for Jesus."

That looks like the Catholic Church! First exploit Jesus completely and lead him ad absurdum, by making the sacrifice of Christ invalid with the Eucharist and the necessity of its permanent repetition, and then, with purgatory, capture all those whom the deception with the Eucharist has passed by the most seriously! This is typical. The fact that no information about purgatory can be found in the Bible does not bother us. The main thing is that one has both the willing and the unwilling under control. In the money-out-of-your-purse grip.

Quote: "If you report about something, please be exact and do not spread half-truths."

But please, Mr. Catholic! How can you ever spread half-truths about one of the world's boldest lies?! Anyone who writes about purgatory must be a liar, unless he says he can find no information about it in the Bible. Anyone who describes the individual nonsense components of purgatory, which are easy for everyone to recognize, need not worry about lies or truth as long as he remains true to himself and to clear logic.

Whoever approaches the matter honestly must accuse the Catholic Church of lying, for it lets pay dearly for the "milder way" of purgatory. Here again, what is known as simony takes place, only that again not even anything has been paid for, but the Catholic Church has expanded itself by an institution of its own devising in order to even better take people to the cleaner's.

Quote: "... finally there is still the way to God (even with a half-hearted following of Jesus)."

There is no such thing as a half-hearted following of (!) Jesus. Jesus himself has presented himself as the only way to God and thus excluded all efforts of church-internal byways. How insolent do Catholic priests have to be to ignore the Word of God by making Jesus look like a liar so that they can get even more money out of people? How brazenly must a church lie, which on the one hand claims that one would not come to God without it (whereby it denies Jesus as the way and enters into competition with him), and at the same time makes Jesus a liar by offering byways to God?

Your church, Catholic, is the brazenest liar under the sun and the Watchtower Society is the festering pimple on her mouth. Her mouth stinks because she has nothing to show but lies. The inner rottenness of Catholicism penetrates to the outside and has a dark red colour. For the people who want to flee the lie, the Watchtower Society has her as a catch basin and helper.

Whether you read hate or love of truth from these lines, that is your problem. I have no hatred for Catholics, but only for the priestly lie and the idol called Pope.

Rüdiger Hentschel [July 07, 2009]

Since the Pope and his associates, assistants and imitators and the like act UNIVERSAL against the Holy Spirit, they have already received their FULL WAGE.

Here too the Bible is clear.

Your blind eyes, Catholic, do not see it either, but what is worse is that you do not want to let the best doctor and healer, Jesus Christ himself, remove this blind cornea!

Turn around!

Rudolf [July 07, 2009]

The pope is not a copy of God or Jesus just because Catholics call him "holy father". The Catholics call him Holy Father because he is the head of the Church. I am not surprised that Catholics laugh themselves to death at this misinformation when it is claimed by the Pope "that he is God or Jesus in the flesh".

On the other hand, on one side a head of the church says that he calls himself God or Jesus by this information. Now... I think, just because ONE has said such a thing in the past, it does not mean that it is true.

Imagine if ONE witness were to claim that blood transfusion, gambling and being gay is allowed in JWs. Or Muslims are allowed to eat pork and drink fermented liquids. Can we assume from one or two people's testimony that they are right?

I share your prejudice against the pope. Since the Catholics do not at all consider him to be the incarnate God or Jesus, I would change that on their part. Unless you don't want the Catholics to take you seriously?

Mr Seget [September 03, 2009]

Is the Bible no longer worth anything in the Catholic Church? Apparently not! If the Pope not only lets himself be called Father, but even Holy Father, how glaring is the kick that he and his seducers give to the Word of God? Did Peter let himself be called Father? No, because he had not fallen away from faith in Jesus in order to turn to a worldly power organization. By this alone, every person can see that the pope has nothing to do with God.

And the pope tramples with his feet on the word that Jesus said to us in command form! And ye shall call no man among you Father on earth: for one is your Father who is in heaven. Are you sure that the pope is the head of a church where he doesn't give a damn about the word of God? He wants to represent Jesus and does not even pay attention to what Jesus said? Ouch, ouch!!

Any Catholic who claims something unwanted, something unacceptable about the Pope as doctrine will be excommunicated. Now if someone writes in a Catholic magazine that the Pope is the Christ under the veil of the flesh, he should actually be excommunicated if the Pope did not agree with him. But if he is not excommunicated, we already have two witnesses – the writer and the pope who confirms him. And if we include all the priests who have studied all this and consider it right, then we can no longer count the witnesses.

Ask your priest if the pope is the Christ under the veil of the flesh.

Rüdiger [September 03, 2009]

I can't help what a newspaper writes. Catholics have always had the talent to formulate things in such a way that outwardly they resemble poetry, mythical creatures, fantasy and exaggerated pronunciation.

Nevertheless, I do not understand the context: What does the Bible verse have to do with what I have said? If you really are not allowed to call anybody a father, then we could not even call our family members like that: "father", "grandfather" etc

Wkr

Mr Seget [September 07, 2009]

So if you don't recognize it – the readers recognize it. Let a few simple, normal people read this commentary sequence and ask them how they understand it. You don't believe me. The problem with the father-thing can be explained directly by your test readers.

Rüdiger [September 07, 2009]

That's not what I meant. (father-thing) But when you say that you can't call anyone your father, how else can you understand? Besides, I think that it makes a big difference whether you call someone Father because you consider Him to be the head of the Church or call Him Father because you think He is God or Jesus. Here there is obviously a metamorphosis on your part.

- Ask the Catholics correctly whether they think that the Pope is God or Jesus in person. I'm curious what the Catholics will say to that. But you can guess.

Wkr Mr Seget [September 08, 2009]

The technique of arguing about whether a person should be called a father, as Jesus forbade us to use family relationships as an argument, is typical of the Watchtower Society's line of reasoning. It mixes up completely unrelated topics so that you can lie even better.

I never said that no one should be called father, but Jesus said that no one should be called father. I don't need to mention that this is not about family relations. It is about spiritual leaders who go against the word of God by letting themselves be called father. That the Pope even lets himself be called Holy Father is characteristic of his deep contempt for the Word of God.

The Catholics are not, thank God, on the same level as the Jehovah's Witnesses. Therefore the questioning you propose is pointless. The fact is, however, that in official Catholic circles theses are circulating and are believed to be facts, which see the Pope as Christ under the veil of the flesh. Mr. Seget, I did not make that up. It comes directly from Catholic circles, which are largely responsible for the perversion of the Bible.

Rüdiger [September 08, 2009]

hmmm? God have mercy on us. "No one comes to the Father but through me"

I (my personal ignorant opinion) think it would be very important for all of us to simply read the Bible every day. Both the Old and the New Testament. There we find all the answers from the beginning to the end. With an open heart. Because what the Lord says there to the unbelievers, he tells us. So that we can recognize ourselves in error and ask for forgiveness and strength and His compassion and help. Ask and it will be given to you.

Whoever believes that he will achieve the power to escape from sin and the helpless unworthy life without the help of Jesus, I can say that God is with him. Every evening I am ashamed of my cowardice and (knowingly or unknowingly) unworthiness, every morning grateful for another chance to lift my existence out of unworthiness.

Read the Bible more than the Internet. It'd be good advice for all of us.

Gospode, isuse hriste, pomiluj me gresnoga.

Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.

God forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Alexein A. [January 24, 2010]

If even one of the innumerable free churches was wanted by God, why was it not established 2000 years ago?

The blasphemy against the Holy Catholic Church is bad for all souls who go to perdition because they do not receive the graces that God gives. Jesus Christ is the head of the Catholic Church, we the faithful are the members.

paul [June 18, 2011]

Church is not a human tradition! Church is the body of Christ and everyone who entrusts himself to it is part of the body of Christ. The idea that the grace of God is distributed only by means of an earthly administration is satanic. This error is also used by the Watchtower Society. The Word of Christ is overridden by the stewardship of the supposedly holy Catholic Church.

Jesus always said: "Whoever believes in me will be saved. He never said: Whoever believes in me and submits to the arbitrariness of the pope will be saved. And the false doctrines that the Unholy Catholic Church has produced bear witness to their origin. It is a testimony that smells of sulphur.

Rüdiger [June 18, 2011]

Hello Paul,

in the Book of Acts you will not find a catholic church, only free congregations. The catholic church was not founded by Paul, Peter or any other apostle, but by a somewhat dubious emperor. Papacy, Marian cult etc. were introduced centuries later, unfortunately! Because with it YOUR Beloved Association moved further and further away from the Word of God – and it still does.

I wonder what you defend: the message of Jesus or religious rites...

Greeting,

Teetrinker [June 18, 2011]

I thank God for being Catholic and pray for all souls that they will not refuse the graces they receive in the Catholic Church. Seven holy sacraments are instituted by God.

Seven holy sacraments? Does it include the worship of old human bones? Enumerate the 7 sacraments so that I can judge who robs Jesus of glory. [RH]

To reject or negate them is the devil's work. Whoever is intensively engaged in the life, thought and experience of the Blessed and the saints cannot help but acknowledge the efficacy of the sacraments. Read the Book of Life of St. Theresa of Avila, about Anna Katharina Emmerick, Padre Pio and others. You will realize how holy the Catholic Church is and what it means for the salvation of souls.

Paul [June 19, 2011]

It seems like gang formation in the sandbox and in the schoolyard. Whoever wants to belong to the group must submit to its principles, no matter what the objections. The fact that this holy group or this group of saints unexpectedly replaces God then no longer counts. Just asking a dead person for help is so satanic that it is a devilish miracle that people manage to sell this blasphemy to people as legitimate.

Rüdiger [June 19, 2011]

The Catholic Church is one of the largest sects of all. Go out of it and join a community that truly teaches God's Word alone. God bless you.

Relcy [May 31, 2012]

I think Jesus also said: "Do not judge, lest you too be judged."

Lukas [November 09, 2012]

We do not judge, we inform. [RH]