I was not always old and ugly, when young a voracious reader. I loved the mysteries of Agatha Christie. I went to London for the 25th anniversary of her play, “The Mousetrap”. I always loved the London theatre, saw Elizabeth Taylor there in “The Little Foxes”.
Always in the Christie mysteries, as well as many other novels with crime, the Butler was suspect. Now we learn that the Pope of Rome's butler is in prison, a dungeon under St. Peter's. There has always been much mystery about the Vatican. Wealth beyond imagination. Perversion and perversity of the many characters you see all over the place, from the fancy garbed hierarchy priests (jeweled crosses hanging from their Roman collared necks) to the Swiss guards in their “tights”.
This writer has been in the Vatican City many times, thankfully, blessed by many popes. Taking no chances, this Baptist made sure he went through the holy doors of the four papal basilicas when there during one Jubilee holy year.
I have so little respect for those “supposedly” called to preach the gospel feting themselves with high living, the shepherd, the servant, so extravagant in lifestyle to the sheep. All of the gold mined up until now, in the world, would only create a cube of 75 feet. Much of that cube is found extravagantly decorating St. Peter's Basilica, palace and other areas. No king has ever lived as well as the Pope of Rome, head of the Roman Catholic church. For years, mostly in the European press, descriptions of scandals of theft, money laundering, corruption which may have led to the death of Pope John Paul I (reportedly who was looking behind the curtain and only lived to serve 33 days in his papacy), even deaths of Vatican bank officials. The Catholic church has enough money, power to keep their dirty laundry from public view. As with the details of pedophilia among priests in America and Europe, stories of Catholic priests membership in Freemasonry, high living, heresy to vows. Some believe that much intrigue is involved with the princes of the church (cardinals), Vatican involvement in the politics of “one world government”.
This writer has traveled the world, always interested in the religions of the world. One thing I will never understand about the Catholic church (there are so many things right about the Catholic church, pro-life, marriage, male priests, honoring Christ's crucifixion...there are always crosses in Catholic facilities, Baptist churches, do not even have a cross showing these last days, etc.) all over the world, extravagant places of worship, surrounded by poverty at its worst. I would often look behind fences surrounding these cathedrals where luxury cars were parked.
Whether Catholic, Fundamentalist, whatever, those who are willing to give all should be willing to live as “carefully”, frugally as the others “chosen” to support His work. Remember, Jesus and His disciples OWNED NOTHING. It sickens me to hear about the extravagant living of Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, the Schuler family, I believe the high living has caught up with the Schulers. One of my employees whose brother was discharged from the Marine Corp in California and got a job at the “Crystal Cathedral” said it was just one big extravagant business. A more or less family enterprise. The expensive clothes, hair cuts, etc of televangelists make me even more ill as they use any method available to raise funds for their “ministry”. When they shop at thrift stores, eat only items on sale, live as frugally as this old, blind, born-again, committed Christian, I will have funds for them. I make it very clear to all when I give that I don't expect my money to be wasted with uselessness.
There is a psychotropic darkness covering the earth's “religious” community. Starting in the Garden of Eden, God's wonderful earth – garden – planet He established, from the very beginning, His ownership, rights, He is Boss. Just as He has a claim to the lives chosen by Him before the very foundation of the world, He made the claim very clear about one tree. There is nothing more definite in God's book than His stance about His rights...nothing more definite than our warfare with Satan. There is only one place in the New Testament where wrestling is used, (For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]. Ephesians 6:12).
A virus has attacked the Christian church, Catholic or otherwise, that God is just playing games with us. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). Our standing in His full armor, “Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). It is time for Christians to realize that we are at war and we do not have a chance against Satan unless filled with the Holy Spirit of God.
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