An Age Old Problem

 When I was growing up, my mother had some interesting expressions. When I wasn't moving as quickly as she'd like, I was told I was "as slow as molasses in January." The slow-moving liquid is virtually immobile in cold weather. And whenever she saw something that looked old and worn out, she'd exclaim, "That looks older than Methuselah!" Unlike molasses, I had no idea who or what Methuselah was until I was about 13 and discovered that he was a person mentioned in the Old Testament who lived to be 969 years old. (See Genesis 5:27). We also find that Adam lived to be 930 years old and Seth was 912 years old when he died. For at least the last (approximately) two thousand years, the idea of anyone living beyond 125 years old (give or take a couple of years) is unheard of--you would be considered mad if you seriously claimed someone alive today was over 900 years old. The question arises: Did people in the Old Testament really live to be hundreds of years old? If so, why don't we live that long today? If not, what of the inerrancy of Holy Scripture, and what must a Traditionalist believe? These are the questions I will tackle in this post.

Is the Biblical Year Different from Our Years?

One attempt to understand the great ages in Genesis is to present the word year as not literal, just as the word day in Creation does not need to be taken in the literal sense. The following question was proposed to the Pontifical Biblical Commission:

"Whether in the designation and distinction of six days with which the account of the first chapter of Genesis deals, the word 'DAY' can be assumed either in its proper sense of a natural day, or in the improper sense of a certain space of time; and whether with regard to such a question there can be free disagreement among the exegetes?"

On June 30, 1909, the Commission (with full approval from His Holiness Pope St. Pius X) responded:

"IN THE AFFIRMATIVE." This means that the "days" of creation need not be actual periods of twenty-four hours each. This also comports with the Commission's decision of June 23, 1905 (also approved by Pope St. Pius X) that Scripture gives historical accounts except "...where without opposing the sense of the Church and preserving its judgement, it is proved with strong arguments that the sacred writer did not wish to put down true history, and history properly so-called, but to set forth, under the appearance and form of history a parable, an allegory, or some meaning removed from the properly literal or historical significance of the words."

 However, this does not seem to be the case with the word year. There is no on-point decision from the Holy Office, a Roman Congregation, or papal decree which (to the best of my knowledge and belief), teaches the same regarding the years of those recorded in the book of Genesis. Furthermore, there are no extra-biblical records, antediluvian or after, which suggests that years were calculated substantially different from modern years. The Biblical word written by Moses under Divine Inspiration in the Creation account was yom, meaning "a period of time." It was incorrectly rendered as "day." God created the universe in six time periods, not necessarily six 24-hour periods of time. No such confusion occurs in regard to years. Even assuming that the ancient calendars were 10% shorter, that would still make Methuselah well over 800 years old.

The attempt by some modern scholars to reduce the Biblical year to one-tenth of a current year, fails miserably. If this were true, Methuselah lived to be about 97 years old, which seems reasonable. However, it simply doesn't comport with the ages given for fathering children, which in some cases (Enoch fathering Methuselah) was 65. That would make him an incredulous six and one-half years old! Akkadian and Sumerian records also report life spans in the hundreds of years. The reality seems that some people in Old Testament days really lived close to a millennium. Does this mean God performed miracles on these people?

Three Kinds of Impossibility

When we speak of something being impossible, it can imply one of three things, namely it is (a) logically impossible, (b) scientifically impossible, or (c) physically impossible. The logically impossible is that which is self-contradictory by its very terms, e.g. Have God make a square circle. A circle by definition rules out having sides, and a square must have four equal sides, also by definition. A "square circle" says nothing about reality. It cannot be done because it is meaningless. God cannot do the logically impossible or anything that goes against His Perfect Divine Nature, e.g. God cannot lie. As the First Vatican Council taught:

This faith, which is the beginning of human salvation, the Catholic Church professes to be a supernatural virtue, by means of which, with the grace of God inspiring and assisting us, we believe to be true what He has revealed, not because we perceive its intrinsic truth by the natural light of reason, but because of the authority of God himself, who makes the revelation and can neither deceive nor be deceived. (See Dei Filius, Ch. 3; Emphasis mine).

The scientifically impossible is that which people cannot yet achieve, but could if the technology was available. Hence, in 1920 it was impossible for a man to walk on the moon. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong proved it was now possible from that point going forward. The physically impossible is that which goes contrary to the known laws of physics and other scientific disciplines. A scientific law is descriptive of the universe. It is not like a law of the legislature, or something written down. The law of gravity simply describes the way things we observe behave, and have always behaved at least as far as we can tell. We assume the future will be a constant repetition of the past, so we think the law of gravity will always hold true, but there is no scientific justification for this idea. God, Who ordered the universe, could make it function differently in general or in a specific instance (allowing someone to levitate, like certain saints did). These are miracles.

So, does living to be 969 years old, constitute a miracle? A miracle is a deed that is sensible, extraordinary, and of divine origin. Under this definition, it could be considered such, but not if it were a general rule--it wouldn't be extraordinary.

Eat Right, Exercise, and...Live To Be 900?

There are many factors that limit a human lifespan. Here are but ten of such major factors:

1. Murder
2. War
3. Accidents
4. Diseases
5. Stress
6. Obesity
7. Inadequate exercise
8. Environmental Stress
9. Exposure to Radiation
10. Telomerase Activity (chromosome shortening)

Early humans did not eat the processed foods of today, or lack exercise. Obesity was most likely extremely rare. There were far less pollutants and chemicals in use. This would cross off numbers six and seven above, and greatly reduce number four. However, there seem to be two factors in particular that could account for life spans dropping from about 900 to about 85 with an upward limit of approximately 125: (a) exposure to radiation, from space and within the Earth, and (b) telomerase activity.

Radiation

Coal burning, building materials, paved roads, and even granite countertops in kitchens, guarantee our exposure to igneous rocks. There is decay of radioisotopes in those igneous rocks (uranium, radium, and thorium, for example) that causes small amounts of radiation. Multiply the amount of constant exposure to that of ancient peoples and there is a huge amount of radiation as compared to way back in history. Cosmic radiation (not all of which is damaging) was thought to be constant throughout Earth's history. In 1995, Russian astronomer Dr. Anatoliy Erlykin, challenged this idea when he noted an anomaly in the very high-energy region  of the cosmic ray spectrum. (See A.D. Erlykin, "Around and Above the Knee"Nuclear Physics B--Proceedings Supplements 39 [February 1995]: 215-227).

In 1997, Sir Arnold Wolfendale, a British astronomer, joined with Erlykin and were able to show a significant increase in harmful cosmic rays showering the entire Earth arising from a single supernova in the recent past (i.e. sometime less than 100,000 years ago). (See Erlykin and Wolfendale, "A Single Source of Comic Rays in the Range 1015-1016 eV," Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics 23 [August 1997]: 979).

Telomerase Activity

Our cells can only replicate a limited number of times. For the somatic cells that make up our organs, the telomere region of the chromosomes is incompletely replicated during cell division. Eventually, the chromosomes become so short that important genes fail to get replicated leading to the inability to replace damaged cells, resulting in organ shut-down and death. There is an enzyme, telomerase, which adds nucleotide base pairs to the ends of DNA to counteract the shortening process. There is one huge drawback: If cancer should occur, the tumors would grow unchecked and virtually unstoppable no matter what kind of cancer. Too much telomerase activity will bring about an early death from cancers and tumors; too little results in earlier death from organ failure. (See, e.g., E. Blackburn, "Telomere States and Cell Fates," Nature 408 [November 2, 2000]: 53-56).

Putting It All Together

After the Fall of humanity, exposure to radiation was significantly lower, and telomerase could function at much higher levels without the presence of the carcinogenic radiation and other toxins we put in the atmosphere and in ourselves. This coupled with the absence of other life shortening factors, could indeed result in super-long life spans. When the radiation levels increased after the supernova, God could have intervened to limit telomerase activity to protect people, but with the result of much shorter life spans.  In the state of Original Justice, humans were to be immortal. By sin, death entered the world. "Wherefore as by one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death; and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned." (Romans 5:12). The shift from immortality to mortality might have necessitated longer life spans at first. Shorter lives would also have a limiting effect on the evils the majority of people in their fallen state could bring upon the world, and get people thinking about the things of God sooner, having less time on Earth.

Conclusion

 I have attempted to demonstrate that the long life spans in the Bible are entirely plausible, and should be believed, unless the Church decides to the contrary. We have support from modern science that such is not impossible, much to the consternation of atheists, agnostics, and Modernists. The exact reason for God allowing such long lives and then limiting them, is known but to Him. I can only echo the words of theologian Haydock: "...the sole satisfactory reason for their [Old Testament people] living almost a thousand years, while we can hardly arrive at 70, is because it so pleased God, in Whose Hands are all our lots." (See The Douay-Rheims Old Testament of The Holy Catholic Bible with a Comprehensive Catholic Commentary, pg. 20).

Apostasy In Our Time

 One of the most pernicious documents ever to come out of the Modernist Second Vatican Council was Nostra Aetate ("In Our Time"). Promulgated on October 28, 1965 by Montini ("Pope" Paul VI), it deals with the relation of the Vatican II sect to non-Christian religions. It specifically names four of the largest such sects, to wit: Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Much has been said concerning the evils of Islam and modern day Judaism. In this post, I will focus on two less discussed pagan sects, Hinduism and Buddhism, and how Vatican II facilitated their acceptance in our Western Society.

Nostra Aetate, Hinduism and Buddhism

 In paragraph # 2 of Nostra Aetate, we read, "Thus in Hinduism, men contemplate the divine mystery and express it through an inexhaustible abundance of myths and through searching philosophical inquiry. They seek freedom from the anguish of our human condition either through ascetical practices or profound meditation or a flight to God with love and trust.Again, Buddhism, in its various forms, realizes the radical insufficiency of this changeable world; it teaches a way by which men, in a devout and confident spirit, may be able either to acquire the state of perfect liberation, or attain, by their own efforts or through higher help, supreme illumination. Likewise, other religions found everywhere try to counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own manner, by proposing "ways," comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites. The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself." Is this an accurate description of Hinduism and Buddhism? Should we "regard with sincere reverence" those precepts and teachings "that...reflect a ray of Truth"?  Is it possible to do so while proclaiming Christ as "the Way, the Truth, and the Life?" 

1. Hinduism

Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world today with about 800 million adherents. Hinduism does not have an individual founder.  Scholars typically trace its origins to around 1500 B.C. in what is now known as India.  It began as a polytheistic and ritualistic family of religions with various sacred rites performed by the heads of particular households or tribes. Around 800 to 300 B.C. the Upanishads were written.  The Upanishads might be very loosely considered Hinduism's equivalent of the New Testament.  This book expounds on the idea that behind the many gods stands one ultimate reality known as Brahman.  Brahman is an impersonal essence that is the basis of all existence.  Hindu thinkers of the time began to understand Brahman as "nirguna," which means "without attributes or qualities." 

Herein lie the three major false teachings within Hinduism: (a) it is polytheistic, (b) it is pantheistic, and (c) it is inherently immoral. 

2. The Teaching of the Church

The First Vatican Council decreed in the Dogmatic Constitution On The Catholic Faith ("Dei Filius") Chapter 1: 

"The Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church believes and confesses that there is one true and living God, Creator and Lord of heaven and earth, Almighty, Eternal, Immense, Incomprehensible, Infinite in intelligence, in will, and in all perfection, who, as being one, sole, absolutely simple and immutable spiritual substance, is to be declared as really and essentially distinct from the world, of supreme beatitude in and from Himself, and ineffably exalted above all things which exist, or are conceivable, except Himself." 

Hinduism is polytheistic, believing in a multiplicity of "gods." These so-called gods are part of the ultimate impersonal reality of Brahman. This is a form of pantheism which teaches that "God" and nature are the same thing. Pantheism comes from two Greek words, pan meaning "all" and theos meaning "god."  Since God is the Supreme Being, it is illogical to assert more than one "god," unless you lower the definition for "god" which is exactly what Hindus have done. The "gods" have power over certain things and sometimes even need things from us. This is not God. 

Pantheism, either asserts that the universe and God are identical (which is basically atheism with reverence for nature), or nature is an integral part of God (for example, my heart is not me, but an essential part without which I cannot survive). Now, read again the definition of the First Vatican Council. It is unambiguously monotheistic (One True God distinct from the universe He created). To what "god" do Hindus take "a flight to God with love and trust" as Vatican II taught? 

Hinduism is inherently immoral. There can be no Divine Commandments. Hindus consider "everything to be sacred." Sacred to whom? If everything is "sacred" how do I survive by eating meat or vegetation which are also "sacred"? If there is no objective standard outside yourself, there are no objective moral standards either. To kill someone or not to kill someone is therefore a mere matter of preference or dislike. Who, or what, determines that which would be "sacrilegious"? This is a blueprint for moral relativism and chaos. Hinduism's teaching on reincarnation leads to a "caste system" where poor people are in that state allegedly because of their past life of which they have no remembrance (since it's not true). Eventually the soul will become "one with Brahman."  

Infallibly taught by Vatican I:

1. If anyone shall deny One true God, Creator and Lord of things visible and invisible; let him be anathema. 

2. If anyone shall not be ashamed to affirm that, except matter, nothing exists; let him be anathema. 

3. If anyone shall say that the substance and essence of God and of all things is one and the same; let him be anathema. 

4. If anyone shall say that finite things, both corporeal and spiritual, or at least spiritual, have emanated from the Divine substance; or that the Divine essence, by the manifestation and evolution of itself, becomes all things; or, lastly, that God is a universal or indefinite being, which by determining itself constitutes the universality of things, distinct according to genera, species and individuals; let him be anathema. 

3. Hinduism Grows in Influence

 As a result of Vatican II, Hinduism has gained a strong foothold here in the West. According to The Yoga Tradition. Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice by Georg Feuerstein, PH.D. (Hohm Press, Prescott, Arizona, [1998], xviii), "Yoga is the union of the individual psyche with the transcendental Self."  The "god" expressed in Yoga is spoken of as the Absolute, Higher Self, Ultimate, Divine Consciousness, Transcendental Self, and a plethora of other titles that speak of an impersonal, pantheistic deity that is in all things, though transcendent beyond them. Yoga is pushed during Vatican II retreats, and is even offered in their schools and churches. 

Pantheism is surreptitiously advanced in popular movies such as Avatar (2009), and the Star Wars franchise ("May the Force be with you"--an impersonal energy that pervades the universe). 

4. Buddhism

Buddhism began as a reform movement within Hinduism. As of 2010, it has approximately 500 million adherents. It started with Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha is a title meaning "enlightened one"). His basic beliefs are summed up in the Four Noble Truths:

• Life is suffering

• Suffering is caused by desires for pleasure and prosperity

• Suffering can be overcome by eliminating desires

• Desire can be eliminated by the Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path teaches: (1) right knowledge ("Four Noble Truths"), (2) right intentions, (3) right speech, (4) right conduct, (5) right occupation, (6) right effort, (7) right mindfulness, and (8) right meditation (Yoga again). It suffers from all the same defects as Hinduism, but with atheistic and profound sounding nonsense ("What is the sound of one hand clapping?"). The goal of all Buddhists is not Heaven, because there is no God in Gautama’s teaching. Rather they seek Nirvana, the elimination of all suffering, desires, and the illusion of self-existence. Buddhism, like Hinduism, teaches a cycle of births and re-births (reincarnation) until one's "karma" which is generally defined as "the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences" is good enough to acquire Nirvana. 

The problems with Buddhism's teachings are manifold. In addition to those of Hinduism, since Buddhism denies a spiritual soul, what exactly gets "reincarnated"? Since there is no God and all is "One," who judges what is good karma and bad karma when you die? 

5. Vatican II "popes" and paganism

• Almost exactly 21 years after Nostra Aetate, on October 27, 1986, with permission of John Paul II, the Dalai Lama and the  Tibetan Buddhist monks of his sect placed a small statue of Buddha over the tabernacle of St. Peter Church in Assisi at the first Assisi Prayer Meeting for Peace with all the false religions. 

The True Church teaches: "And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish," (Deuteronomy 8:19).

• Upon his arrival to celebrate a "mass" at a stadium in New Delhi, India, John Paul II receives a "blessing" from a Hindu religious woman for protection from their demon "gods." 

The True Church teaches: "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods," (Joshua 24:16).

• Under Ratzinger ("Pope" Benedict XVI), The "Pontifical Council For Interreligious Dialogue" wrote in 2007: "As Diwali approaches, your religious feast, I am sure all of you in your respective families, neighborhoods and communities will be taking time to share your joy with one another. On behalf of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue I am happy to have this opportunity, for the first time since taking office, to send you my greetings. Sensitive to your religious feelings and respectful of your ancient religious tradition, I sincerely hope that your search for the Divine, symbolized through the celebration of Diwali, will help you to overcome darkness with light, untruth with truth and evil with goodness." (Emphasis mine)

"Diwali" is the pagan Hindu festival of lights celebrated in autumn each year (October 19, this year of 2017). It symbolizes the victory of "light over darkness." Yet the light of Christ has no place in their demonic religion. "Bear not the yoke with unbelievers. For what participation hath justice with injustice? Or what fellowship hath light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14). 

• Bergoglio ("Pope" Francis) "canonized" Wojtyla ("Pope" John Paul II). 

"Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. " (Isaiah 5: 20). 

Conclusion

The growth of paganism and its ideas continue to grow unabated after Vatican II. Not only are there more adherents to these false religions, but their evil teachings, such as reincarnation, have reached an acceptance in the West unthinkable 50 years ago. The basic principle enunciated in Nostra Aetate is wicked, namely, to "reject nothing that is true and holy" in these religions (Judaism and Islam, as well as Hinduism and Buddhism). On that basis, one could esteem and respect Satan worship, because they believe certain things that are true. A car that has all working parts except the battery has many "true parts" of a car. However, you shouldn't put your faith in it to get you where you need to go. Only the Truth, entire and unadulterated, has the ability to save you and bring you to Heaven. This Truth is found in the only Ark of Salvation, the Traditionalist Catholic Church. Hold fast to the True Faith, for many souls are being damned in false religions with the approval of the Vatican II sect "in our time." 

The Father Of Modern Perversity

 On September 27th, the "Father of Pornography," Hugh Hefner, died at age 91. The founder of Playboy magazine contributed to the corruption of countless minds, bodies, and souls. He has now gone to Judgement. I would hate to imagine the fate that wretch most likely received. As bad as Hefner was, the pornography industry, and all the other pagan evils that afflict modern society--from sodomite "marriage" to "transgender bathrooms"--come to us not from Hefner, but Dr. Alfred Kinsey. Indeed, Playboy and the other pornographic magazines wouldn't have been nearly as successful or pervasive if it had not been for Kinsey and his pseudo-scientific "research." A 2004 movie entitled Kinsey, staring Hollywood superstar Liam Neeson makes Kinsey a "hero" by omitting or glossing over his morally reprehensible actions (e.g., sexual abuse of children in his studies that were filmed) and by sending the message that those who believe in traditional morality are "repressed" and suffering from some emotional/mental illness as a result.

 The truth behind the man Kinsey and his work will be examined in this post.

Kinsey's Background

 Alfred Charles Kinsey (b. 1894), was raised the son of a strict Methodist Sunday School teacher. He went to Bowdoin College where he majored in zoology, and developed a fascination with insects. He continued his studies at Harvard after graduation. He eventually severed all ties with his parents, and declared himself an atheist. Some of his biographers portray him as shy and disinterested in sex, but later biographers unearthed Kinsey's personal correspondence, wherein it was revealed he was a bisexual with a strong sexual desire for young boys.

His career as a "sexpert" began when the Association of Women Students at Indiana University (where he taught zoology/biology) asked him to teach a marriage course on human sexuality for engaged and married students. Kinsey went to great lengths to keep his personal dark predilections a secret. When Ralph Voris, one of his best friends, died, Kinsey drove from Indiana to Ohio with his wife Clara. He had a wife and kids as a "cover" for his deviance. Once in Ohio, he removed correspondence from Voris' office in which Kinsey brags to Voris about his collection of "gorgeous" photos of homosexual men. 

Kinsey's Immoral and Unscientific "Research"

  Kinsey revolutionized the world with the publication of his books Sexual Behavior in the Human Male and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (published in 1948 and 1953, respectively). It was based on 350 questions on a questionnaire that asked such things as when (not if ) the interviewees had participated in sado-masochism, homosexual acts, pedophilia, and bestiality. His assistants, Clyde Martin, Paul Gebhard, and Wardell Pomeroy, were all required to be filmed performing sex acts with others either at the university or in the attic of the Kinsey home. 

 The questions were so sick, that most of the respondents were either those who engaged in unnatural sex acts or were incarcerated sex offenders. The peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet decried the research as having "questioned an unrepresentative proportion of prison inmates and sex offenders in a survey of normal sexual behavior." In a 1992 telephone interview, Paul Gebhard, one of Kinsey's assistants, admitted that some of the men interviewed were convicted pedophiles. They would ask them how many children they had "done it with," the child's age, and whether or not they thought the child had come to climax. He further admitted that he was aware of the child abuse inherent in Kinsey's work. Kinsey even had help from Nazi pedophile Dr. Fritz Van  Balluseck who contributed to Kinsey from 1936-1956. Not only did Von Balluseck rape his own daughter, he raped the eleven-year-old son of a minister and forced the boy to write down his experience for Kinsey. Van  Balluseck was tried in Berlin in 1957 for the murder of a ten-year-old girl, Loiselotte Has.

Kinsey was supported by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and one of the organizations founders, attorney Morris L. Ernst. With the help of influential people, and by covering up much of how the data had been both manipulated and obtained, eleven renowned intellectuals supported Kinsey's work. They bought his "bill of goods" that he was a genuine scientist with factual data wanting to dispel myths about a hitherto taboo subject. 

Kinsey: Evil Beyond Description

•  Based on Kinsey's pseudo-scientific research, the American Law Institute's Model Penal Code ("MPC") loosened the penalties for sex crimes. The drafters didn't want to put "95% of the male population in jail." The U.S. Supreme Court and every American law school accepted the 1955 MPC as authoritative, setting up America for a major cultural shift.

• Kinsey considered rape a crime "easily forgotten" by women, and said "the only difference between rape and a good time depends on whether the girl's parents are awake when she finally came home." 

• Kinsey claimed children are sexual by birth, giving "scientific" credibility to the loosening of penalties for pedophilia and incest. The lighter sentences resulted in these predators being released back into society sooner to victimize others.

• The MPC led to decriminalization of laws against adultery, fornication, and sodomy. This weakened the sacrosanct character of marriage (not worthy of protection) and led to the abomination of sodomite "marriage."

• The MPC contributed to legalized abortion. Associate Justice Harry Blackmun, who wrote the death sentence for unborn children in Roe v. Wade, cites to the draft of the MPC where Dr. Mary Calderone of Planned Parenthood states that Kinsey's research "proves" that "90 to 95% of pre-marital pregnancies" are aborted. It is now known that Kinsey's "data" comes from prostitutes and sexually deviant women, which he the tried to pass off as indicative of the general population. Millions of pre-born babies have been killed by this junk "science." 

• Kinsey was inducted into the "Legacy Walk, " a public display which "celebrates"  so-called "LGBT" history and people in 2012.

All information presented in this post is taken from the work of Dr. Judith Reisman, Kinsey: Crimes and Consequences (Crestwood, KY:The Institute for Media Education, [2000]). Dr. Reisman meticulously documents all the sources and references. I highly recommend the book to anyone wishing to find out more.

Conclusion

Alfred Kinsey was the "Father of Modern Perversity." Once unnatural behaviors were regarded as "normal" the societal disapproval of them was transformed into tolerance, and finally, acceptance. It has come to the point where you can choose your own "gender identity" and share bathrooms with people who have different genitalia.

 The only force that could have prevented the flood, the Roman Catholic Church, was driven underground by the emergence of the Vatican II sect. 

Bergoglio is following in Kinsey's footsteps by giving "communion" to adulterers. It makes sense that someone who says "Who am I to judge?" and "Atheists can go to Heaven" would push the agenda of an atheistic sexual pervert like Alfred Kinsey.

500 Years Of Twisting Scripture

 On October 31st, Bergoglio ("Pope" Francis) and his Modernist minions at the erstwhile Vatican, will "celebrate" five centuries of Protestant heresy. The Protestants, of course, are the ideological forefathers of the Modernists. The intellectual, moral, and religious decline in the West began with Protestantism, then proceeded to Modernism, and finally it will culminate in atheism (either in its "pure" form, or a world-wide ecumenical sect where anything goes). According to a Pew Research poll, "Majorities or pluralities of adults (including Catholics (sic), Protestants and people with no religious affiliation) in all 15 countries surveyed across Western Europe say Catholics and Protestants today are 'religiously more similar than they are different.' Likewise in the United States, 57 percent of Protestants and 65 percent of Catholics (i.e., Vatican II sect)—believe the two are "more similar than different, religiously." No one could have seriously maintained that prior to Vatican II.

 Frankie said, "Lutherans and Catholics, Protestants, all of us agree on the doctrine of justification. On this point, which is very important, he [Luther] did not err." Really? Then Bergoglio is claiming that the Holy and Ecumenical Council of Trent erred! (Are you listening SSPX?). Martin Luther, the apostate priest, was mentally unbalanced, and an anti-Semite, yet sly as a fox. He combated the authority of the Church with the twisting of Scripture. No longer was the Bible one of the two sources of Revelation to be guarded and interpreted by the Magisterium, it was the "sole rule of faith."

 As I will demonstrate below, the Protestant doctrine of sola scriptura ("Scripture alone") is the basis for all of the other errors which Luther and the so-called "reformers" devised. It is most aptly exhibited by the modern day Jehovah's Witnesses sect. First, you decide what you want to believe, then you twist the Bible to prove your point correct.

Luther Alone

 Martin Luther appealed to himself as the authority in the interpretation of Scripture. According to Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church (Grand Rapids:Eerdmans, [1910] 7:362), when people protested Luther adding the word alone to his German translation of Romans 3:28 ("For we account a man to be justified by faith [alone], without the works of the law."), he responded by saying, "If your Papist makes much useless fuss about the word sola, allein, tell him at once: 'Dr. Martin Luther will have it so.'" 

 Hence, Luther attacks and twists various passages of the Bible to fit his heterodox ideas, and bases it on his own authority.

1. In Jesus' blessing of "the pure of heart" (St. Matthew 5:8) Luther attacks monasticism which he claims preaches a false view of such pureness of heart. He wrote: "And you should realize that when a monk in the monastery is sitting in deepest contemplation, excluding the world from his heart altogether, and thinking about the Lord God the way he himself paints and imagines Him, he is actually sitting--if you will pardon the expression--in the dung, not up to his knees, but up to his ears. For he is proceeding on his own ideas without the Word of God." 

2. In the parable of the Last Judgement found in St. Matthew 25: 31-46, we read:

 And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall He sit upon the seat of his majesty. And all nations shall be gathered together before Him, and He shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His left.Then shall the King say to them that shall be on His right hand: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in: Naked, and you covered Me: sick, and you visited Me: I was in prison, and you came to Me."

Then shall the just answer Him, saying: "Lord, when did we see Thee hungry, and fed Thee; thirsty, and gave Thee drink? And when did we see Thee a stranger, and took Thee in? Or naked, and covered Thee? Or when did we see Thee sick or in prison, and came to Thee?" And the King answering, shall say to them: "Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these My least brethren, you did it to Me." 

Then He shall say to them also that shall be on His left hand: "Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave Me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave Me not to drink.I was a stranger, and you took Me not in: naked, and you covered Me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit Me." Then they also shall answer Him, saying: "Lord, when did we see Thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to Thee?" Then He shall answer them, saying: "Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to Me." And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.

Here, Christ separates the sheep (good) from the goats (bad). Theologian Haydock comments on this passage as follows: "By setting forth to all the world the good works of His faithful servants, the Sovereign Judge silences the murmurs of the reprobate, who might otherwise object that they had it not in their power to do good...We may take notice that the wicked, at the Day of Judgement, are said to be condemned for having omitted to perform good works...however just a man may be, still he has many failings to atone for, on account of which the Kingdom of Heaven might be justly denied him: but because he has shewn mercy to his neighbors he deserves to have mercy shewn to him." (See The New Testament of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with a Comprehensive Catholic Commentary, pgs. 1304-1305).

Luther changes this accepted meaning from the beginning of the Church to fit his perverse heresy of justification by faith alone. He writes, "Christ will say to the pious and God-fearing: 'You came to me (sic) and believed in me (sic)...I will not cast you out, and to the goats Christ will say:'You did not want me (sic) and did not belive in me (sic)." (See D. Martin Luthers Werke: Kritische Gesamtausgabe (Weimar, 1898, 5: 407). The Church always taught this parable referred to good works, but now it refers to faith, according to Luther on his own (non-existent) authority.

3. The twisting of Scripture led to diverse interpretations. The "plain meaning" of the Bible isn't so plain, which led many Protestant leaders to claim that their interpretation was right based on some "inner prompting or illumination" from the Holy Ghost. Two problems quickly arise: (a) how does God contradict Himself, because if it were true, wouldn't everyone have the same "illumination"? (B) Even if the principle were correct, how do you determine the "true illumination" from the false? According to The World Christian Encyclopedia (NY: Oxford University Press, 1982, pg.292) there are over 28,000 distinct denominations (claiming to be Christian) in the world as of the early 1980s. I can only wonder how many more have sprung up in over 35 years!

Protestant Tradition?

While attacking Sacred Tradition as a source of Revelation, the Protestants all have a tradition even if they deny it. If a Calvinist were to interpret the Bible as meaning it is possible to fall from grace and eternal security, his fellow Calvinists would tell him his interpretation is wrong, based on the teachings of John Calvin. If a Baptist pastor interpreted the Bible as allowing for infant baptism, he would soon find himself out of a job. 

Finally, sola scriptura is not taught by the Bible and is therefore self-refuting. The classic passage cited is 2 Timothy 3: 15-17:  "And because from thy infancy thou hast known the holy scriptures, which can instruct thee to salvation, by the faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice, that the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work." Since the Bible is good for all these things, they argue it must be good for everything as the sole rule of Faith. One does not logically follow from the other. The Bible is necessary but not sufficient for Revelation. To be "furnished for every good work," does not exclude other teaching from Sacred Tradition. If it did, St. Paul (and God, Who is the Author of Scripture) contradicted what was written. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 reads, "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter."

Conclusion

Nero fiddled while Rome burned down, and Bergoglio celebrates it. He celebrates the Eternal Rome burned to the ground in the wake of Vatican II. Martin Luther brought doctrinal and moral evil into the world as never before. He did it on the pretext of using the Bible. Of course he had to jettison the Magisterial authority of the Church, and the teachings of Her approved theologians. While no Traditionalist worth the name would fall for Protestantism, many fall for those who follow Luther's methods. The SSPX will decide which teachings of the so-called Magisterium they will accept, and which they will resist. Mike Bizzaro will tell you that the last pope was St. Pius X based on papal teachings purposefully pulled out of context to make it say something other than what it did. The Dimond brothers will interpret the teachings of the Church for you, especially in regard to Baptism of Desire and Baptism of Blood. Certain clerics will tell you what you MUST believe in matters never settled by the Church, and somehow their opinion has binding force on your conscience.

 These are the progeny of Luther. The methodology of twisting Scripture, and now applied to the Magisterial teachings of the Church during the Great Apostasy, continues after five centuries. Let's "hold fast to the traditions" of the One True Church and not waver from the teachings of Her approved theologians. To do otherwise is to imperil our souls. 

Singing For Satan---Part 3

  This week I continue my once-per-month series of posts regarding an informal study I undertook in the early 1990s regarding rock and pop music. The purpose of my study (and the background to it) can be read in the first installment of August 7, 2017. If you have not read that post, I strongly encourage you to do so before reading this installment. I will only repeat here the seven (7) evil elements that pervade today's music:

1. Violence/Murder/Suicide
2. Nihilism/Despair
3. Drug and alcohol glorification
4. Adultery/ Fornication and sexual perversion
5. The occult
6. Rebellion against lawful superiors
7. Blasphemy against God, Jesus Christ in particular, and the Church



 The exposing of the bands/artists continues.

Bruce Springsteen

Considered a relatively "nice guy" and an American patriot, rock superstar Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (b. 1949), is actually an apostate Catholic who stands for violence, sexual perversion, and blasphemy. He is known as "the Boss" (because he used to collect and distribute the money to his band members in the early years of his career) and "the Jersey Kid" because of his fondness of his home state of New Jersey. He plays with his group "The E Street Band" and has sold more than 120 million records worldwide. He has won an astounding twenty (20) Grammy Awards, is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (inducted 1999), and was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Obama in 2016. 

Springsteen was married in 1985 to Julianne Phillips; the couple soon divorced and he was "remarried" to Patti Scialfa in 1991. He and Scialfa have three children. Last September, Springsteen put out his autobiography entitled Born to Run, after one of his most popular songs. I have updated my material on Springsteen and it is reflected herein this post.

"Brainwashed" by Catholicism

 Baptized in the One True Church in 1949, Springsteen claims his music was "influenced" by his Catholic upbringing but declares himself an agnostic. He states, " [Much of my music is a result of] being completely brainwashed by Catholicism in my formative years. It’s given me a very active spiritual life – and made it very difficult for me sexually!" (We will see from his songs that he has little problems being deviant). 

 He blames his Catholic school education for his departure from the Church. "My knuckles classically rapped, my tie pulled ’til I choked… All business as usual in Catholic school in the fifties. Still, it left a mean taste in my mouth and estranged me from my religion for good." However, he ends his attack on the Church by saying, "... 'I don’t participate in my religion but I know somewhere…deep inside…I’m still on the team." 

 Springsteen, who is of Irish and Italian ethnicity, talks about his Catholic neighborhood in New Jersey as revolving around "The Church, the Church, the Church." He adds, "We saw every wedding every funeral in town because we lived next door[to a Catholic Church] so there was always a show going on. Someone was always getting married or getting dead so it was an enormous center of my childhood life." Springsteen maintains his agnosticism, despite accusations that he’s growing more "spiritual" with age. (See Born to Run and associated interviews such as https://hollowverse.com/bruce-springsteen/). 

Springsteen: Supporter of Sodomites and Other Perversions

  Bruce Springsteen has been a long-time supporter of sodomite "marriage" and so-called "LGBT rights." In 2010, he refused to join a benefit concert at the Inauguration of (Springsteen fan) Chris Christie as governor of New Jersey due to his opposition to sodomite "marriage," and even though he supports "domestic partnerships." 

On December 9, 2009, Springsteen released this statement via his official website:

Like many of you who live in New Jersey, I've been following the progress of the marriage-equality legislation currently being considered in Trenton...I've long believed in and have always spoken out for the rights of same sex couples and fully agree with Governor Corzine when he writes that, 'The marriage-equality issue should be recognized for what it truly is -- a civil rights issue that must be approved to assure that every citizen is treated equally under the law.' I couldn't agree more with that statement and urge those who support equal treatment for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters to let their voices be heard now.(Emphasis mine)

In April of 2016, he cancelled a concert in North Carolina to protest a law enacted which would prevent transgender perverts from using the bathroom of their choice rather than the one which conforms to their body parts. Springsteen made the following public statement via his website:

As you, my fans, know I’m scheduled to play in Greensboro, North Carolina this Sunday. As we also know, North Carolina has just passed HB2, which the media are referring to as the “bathroom” law. HB2 — known officially as the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act — dictates which bathrooms transgender people are permitted to use. Just as important, the law also attacks the rights of LGBT citizens to sue when their human rights are violated in the workplace. No other group of North Carolinians faces such a burden. To my mind, it’s an attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all of our citizens to overturn that progress. Right now, there are many groups, businesses, and individuals in North Carolina working to oppose and overcome these negative developments. Taking all of this into account, I feel that this is a time for me and the band to show solidarity for those freedom fighters. As a result, and with deepest apologies to our dedicated fans in Greensboro, we have canceled our show scheduled for Sunday, April 10th. Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry — which is happening as I write — is one of them. It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards. (Emphasis mine)

Springsteen believes that perverts being able to leer at others in bathrooms for the opposite sex is a "human right" and those who oppose them are (ostensibly) for tyranny, because he labels the pro-perverts as "freedom fighters." 

For a man who claims the Church made it "difficult for him sexually," his song Reno extols a hook-up with a prostitute WARNING! VERY GRAPHIC AND PERVERSE LYRICS:

She took off her stockings, I held them to my face. 
She had your ankles, I felt filled with grace. 
"Two hundred dollars straight in, 
Two-fifty up the a**," she smiled and said. 
She unbuckled my belt, pulled back her hair, 
And sat in front of me on the bed. 
She said, "Honey how's that feel, do you want me to go slow?" 
My eyes drifted out the window, down to the road below. 

I felt my stomach tighten. The sun bloodied the sky 
And sliced through the hotel blinds. I closed my eyes. 
Sunlight on the Amatitlan, sunlight streaming through your hair. 
In the Valle de dos Rios, smell of mock orange filled the air. 
We rode with the vaqueros, down into cool rivers of green. 
I was sure the work and that smile coming out 'neath your hat 
Was all I'd ever need. 
Somehow all you ever need's, never really quite enough you know.
You and I, Maria, we learned it's so. 

She slipped me out of her mouth, "You're ready," she said. 
She took off her bra and panties, wet her finger, slipped it inside her,
And crawled over me on the bed. 
She poured me another whiskey, 
Said, "Here's to the best you ever had." 
We laughed and made a toast. 
It wasn't the best I ever had, 

Not even close. (Vulgarity redacted by me)

His song I'm On Fire is about a pedophile yearning after an underage girl:

Hey little girl, is your daddy home
Did he go away and leave you all alone
I got a bad desire
I'm on fire
Tell me now baby is he good to you
Can he do to you the things that I do
I can take you higher
I'm on fire
Sometimes it's like someone took a knife baby
Edgy and dull and cut a six-inch valley
Through the middle of my soul
At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet
And a freight train running through the
Middle of my head
Only you can cool my desire
I'm on fire (Emphasis mine)

The song Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) describes a man attempting to seduce a young girl:

Spread out now Rosie, doctor come cut loose her mama's reins
You know playin' blind man's bluff is a little baby's game
You pick up little dynamite, I'll pick up little gun
And together we're gonna go out tonight and make that highway run
You don't have to call me lieutenant, Rosie, and I don't want to be your son
The only lover I'm ever gonna need's your soft, sweet, little girl's tongue
And Rosie, you're the one (Emphasis mine)

Hungry Heart tells the story of a man who abandons his wife and children in pursuit of hedonistic "fun":

Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack
I went out for a ride and I never went back
Like a river that don't know where it's flowing
I took a wrong turn and I just kept going

Springsteen: Praising Theft and Murder

In his song Eldridge Avenue (aka Stolen Car), Springsteen extols his love for a stolen car:

I'm driving a stolen car
Down on Eldridge Avenue
Each night I wait to get caught
But I never do

Nebraska tells of the "joy" of murder:

I saw her standin' on her front lawn just twirlin' her baton 
Me and her went for a ride sir and ten innocent people died 

From the town of Lincoln, Nebraska with a sawed off .410 on my lap 
Through to the badlands of Wyoming I killed everything in my path 

I can't say that I'm sorry for the things that we done 
At least for a little while sir me and her we had us some fun 

The jury brought in a guilty verdict and the judge he sentenced me to death 
Midnight in a prison storeroom with leather straps across my chest 

Sheriff when the man pulls that switch sir and snaps my poor head back 
You make sure my pretty baby is sittin' right there on my lap 

They declared me unfit to live said into that great void my soul'd be hurled 
They wanted to know why I did what I did 

Well sir I guess there's just a meanness in this world. (Emphasis mine)

Springsteen: Blasphemer Against Christ and the Most Holy Trinity

According to People magazine, in the 1980s, Springsteen would open his concerts by saying, ""Welcome to the first church of rock, brothers and sisters." He would ask, "Do you believe that if you die during the course of this show, due to excitement, that you're going to Heaven?" (September 3, 1984 issue, pg. 70). 

His song If I Were The Priest contains filthy blasphemy against the Holy Trinity and the Blessed Mother:

Well, there's a light on yonder mountain
And it's calling me to shine
There's a girl over by the water fountain
And she's asking to be mine
And ain't that Jesus, he's standing in the doorway
With a buckskin jacket, boots and spurs, so really fine
He says, "We need you up in Dodge City, son
'Cause there's, oh, so many bad boys trying to work the same line"

Well, now if Jesus was the sheriff and I was the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my Mama was a thief
Oh, and Papa rode shotgun for the Fargo line
There's still too many bad boys trying to work the same line

Now old sweet Virgin Mary, she runs the Holy Grail saloon
Where for a nickel they'll give you whiskey and a personally blessed balloon
And the Holy Ghost, he's the host with the most, he runs the burlesque show
Where they let you in for free but, oh, hit you for your soul when you go
And Mary serves Mass on Sunday and then she sells her body on Monday to the boot maker who will pay the highest price
But he don't know he got stuck with a loser, Mary's a stone junkie, what's more she's a boozer
She's only been made once or twice by some kind of magic

And, well, things ain't been the same in heaven ever since big bad Bobby came to town
He's been known to down eleven and then ask for another round
And me I got scabs on my knees from kneeling way too long
You gotta take a stand, be the man, up where you belong
And forget about the old friends and the old times
Because there's just too many new boys trying to work the same line

Now if Jesus was the sheriff and I were the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my Mama was a thief
Oh, and Papa rode shotgun for the Fargo line
There's still too many outlaws trying to work the same line

Now there's a light on yonder mountain
And it's calling me to shine
There's a girl by the water fountain
And she's asking to be mine
And Jesus, he's standing in the doorway
With his six-guns drawn and ready to fan
He says, "We need you, son, up in Dodge City"
But I'm already overdue in Cheyenne (Emphasis mine)

Springsteen: Unpatriotic

The song (and album) Born in the USA has been mistakenly thought of as "patriotic." It actually excoriates the USA for its role in Vietnam, and the way veterans were treated. While I agree that Veterans were wrongfully looked down upon, he neglects to admit these men fought against the tyranny of Communism. Springsteen suggests the Vietnam War was motivated by racism:

Got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man (Emphasis mine)

Conclusion

Bruce Springsteen, the self-styled "working class hero" of rock and roll, is an apostate and a moral degenerate. Despite this, he claims that with regard to the Church he is "still on the team." When someday he is called to appear before the Judgement Seat of the real "Boss," he will have to make an accounting of all he has said and done. Unless he truly repents, I don't know on what "team" he thinks he'll play. Unfortunately, it won't be with the Angels or the Saints.