Tear from the Citadel of Reason, the Power to Reason,
and You Make Slaves of Humanity.
The men and women of the world, who have caused nations to advance
and prosper, have never been, nor never will be Catholics, unless she
discards her present mode of procedure, and this she will never do.
Whenever you tear the cloak of superstition and idolatry from the
form of Catholicism, you have naught left but the skeleton of
abominations.
The men of science and of reason, all over the world, boldly accuse
the Roman Catholic Church of being the enemy of science, detesting it
and desiring to spread the mantle of ignorance over all those whom
she controls.
The Church seems not to understand that everything finds its source
at the fountain of reason, as all things must originate from God,
and most assuredly the Supreme Being is an intelligent, reasonable
and rational God. The Catholic Church must resist, as a matter of
life or death, the progress of modern civilization, or else go down
in disgrace, for civilization and reason is a nightmare and an
everlasting enemy to Catholicism, as "scientific thought" makes her
doctrines and dogmas stand out as abominations.
If the world is to depend upon the Romish Church for her
intellectuality, and for her philosophy, and for her scientific
resources, she will always be groping her way in darkness, as the
Popish church has never advanced one-hundredth part of an inch from
the trenches of ancient ignorance and superstitions, nor has she in
any material way been instrumental in advancing a single interest of
the masses which elevates, as her every cry and her combined efforts
have been to paralyze progress and scientific research, as she well
knows that to have the searchlight of reason turned upon her
mystified labyrinths of hoodooism, the world will behold the marks
of ignorance, superstition and barbarism upon her degraded form.
Whenever an institution comes to believe that it is infallible and an
impossibility to err, then she settles back into the ruts of tyranny,
and whenever you find an individual or a body of individuals who
believe whatever they do is right, no matter what it may be, you will
find those who believe themselves ordained rulers of men, and
whenever this happens, the individual who believes this becomes a
tyrant, and tyranny belongs to the dark ages of heathendom, whence
Roman Catholicism originated.
To demonstrate to the reader and give him or her some idea of the
tyrannical rule of Romanism, we will take the history of Galileo,
which every child, perhaps, is acquainted with.
Galileo declared that the sun did not move, and this declaration
greatly insulted Pope Urban, who grew very angry, as this pope had
taught that the sun did move and that the earth stood still.
The teachings of Galileo so angered the pope that he called together
an inquisitorial board and had Galileo tried by this Romish
tribunal, and Galileo was sentenced to imprisonment for what
Catholicism termed a heretical doctrine.
Who was right--Catholicism or Galileo? Not a school boy or girl six
years old in this land but what knows that Catholicism was wrong, as
she usually is, but she would not have acknowledged her wrong had not
the world-at-large been thoroughly convinced of her error, which
would have brought her to the very feet of ridicule had she persisted
in teaching the doctrine promulgated by Pope Urban that "the sun did
move, and that the earth stood still."
The Catholic Church is always desirous of evading questions which are
susceptible to debate, and which, by mature thought and deliberation,
can be analyzed, as she does not desire to come into contact with the
brains of any nation, but is satisfied to prey upon the ignorant and
superstitiously inclined, as those are her dupes and the ones from
whom she derives her revenue, and "revenue" is one of the main
perquisites of the Catholic Church, as this Romish institution is run
for the sole purpose of making serfs of men and controlling the
destiny of nations, so that the inhabitants may be forced to disgorge
their sustenance in her lap of greed, and it matters not how low she
brings her followers, nor what may be the hardships they have to
endure, just so she accomplishes her diabolical end.
The reader may think it strange that a man who was born and raised a
Catholic, and who for thirty years officiated in the capacity of a
Catholic priest, could turn his back upon the creed of his
forefathers and so vehemently endeavor to destroy every vestige of
his childhood's doctrines, but this is no more unreasonable than it
was for Paul, in the twinkle of an eye, to turn from his wickedness
and become one of the chosen Apostles of Christ.
Many years before I cut loose entirely from the Catholic Church my
faith in her abominations was at times almost threadbare, and I have
declared time and time again that never would I enter another
Catholic Church in the capacity of a priest, but as often as I
declared and made these resolves, just so often I broke them, as my
early training and my superstitious fears would get the better of my
convictions, and I would be whipped back into the trenches of
superstition.
I have often tried within the past ten years to "nag" those officials
who were above me into a paroxysm of fury and have them excommunicate
me, as I tried to make myself believe that it would be better to have
them throw me out of the church than to leave it on my own free will,
but it appeared as though they discerned by intentions and they would
not do as I desired, and at last I made up my mind that I would swing
out upon my own account from the dark shadows of this superstitious
belief, and every word of this book has been written without a single
charge preferred against me by the Catholic Church, therefore the
Catholic Church cannot declare that I was not in good standing as a
priest at the time this book was compiled.
What I mean by "good standing" is that the robed monarchs who boldly
claim the power to damn the soul by excommunication, have not as yet
seen fit to eternally obliterate my prospects of ever entering the "New
Jerusalem," but as soon as this book is given to the reading public,
then those who wield the axe will let it fall with all the diabolical
vengeance of Roman hatred upon my head and declare the "pearly gates"
have been forever closed upon my depraved soul; but what I most desire
is to have the public understand that NOW, while I am writing this book,
I am considered AND AM BY ALL THE RIGHTS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH A PRIEST
AND ENJOY ALL THE PRIVILEGES OF CATHOLICITY AS SUCH.
Why I so earnestly desire to impress this upon the minds of the
reader is that I know so well the trickery of those whom I write
about and I know full well that the Catholic officials will at once
endeavor to make the world believe that I am an outcast and in bad
standing with the Catholic Church.
This book is being written in the year 1903, and I will make oath
before any court of record on earth to the truthfulness of the
statements herein set forth, and I will give ten thousand dollars to
any charitable institution in America if any priest, bishop or
archbishop on the face of the whole earth will make oath and prove
before any lawful tribunal of America if one word of the foregoing is
not true.
Furthermore, I will give up all of my earthly possessions, which
amounts to several thousand dollars, if any priest, bishop or
archbishop living upon the face of the earth can prove before any
court of justice in America that I have not always endeavored to live
an exemplary life and rigidly taught the doctrines of the Catholic
faith, although at times my whole life rebelled at being compelled to
do so, but my whole training and long association would invariably
get the master of my reason and better judgment, and I would be
forced by my superstitious training back into the mystified
labyrinths of my childhood's education.
I stood it until I became tortured day and night by the prod of
reason, then I quietly left the church and bade farewell to the
heathen Scapular and the ten thousand other trinkets of blind
paganism, and resolved to break the chain of this "_slave of the
soul_" and "_tyrant of reason_."
In this chapter we want to give the reader some idea of the
nonsensical and unreasonableness of the claims of Catholicism, so
that you may more fully understand how disgusting it is for a man who
endeavors to use his God-given abilities to submit to such
abominations.
The Catholic Church depends more upon the saving power of the
Scapular than it does upon the saving power of Jesus Christ. Now,
this is a broad expression, but I know whereof I speak and I am
prepared to back up the assertion with facts.
The Scapular is a veil or cape, which covers the shoulders. It was
worn as such by Monks and Nuns, over their dress, but which is best
known among Catholics as two little pieces of cloth worn out of
devotion, under ordinary garments, and connected by a string which
goes around the neck and hangs down, allowing this "trinket" to rest
upon the breast.
Catholic children, from their infancy, are taught that this trinket
is a preventative against accident and disease, and they actually
believe it, and should they lose this "nothing" they at once become
miserable and will undergo any hardship to possess another.
It was through the Carmelites (Monks) that this devotion began and I
believe that the history that I will relate in regard to it is the
first history ever repeated in this or any other country by an
ex-priest that ever lived or died.
A man by the name of Simon Stock was elected to the generalship of
the Carmelite Order, and this same Simon Stock was considered a
Saint, and it is taught by Catholicism that the Virgin Mary appeared
to Simon Stock in a vision and exhibited this Scapular and gave Stock
to understand that it was to be worn by the Catholic world in the
future as a preventative against accident, disease and sudden death.
There is another story which is told in regard to this Scapular, as
follows: It is said that the Virgin Mary appeared to Simon Stock in a
vision in behalf of the Carmelite Order, which at that time was in
great trouble, and gave to Stock a Scapular, which she bore in her
hand, in order that it could be worn, and which she guaranteed was
an order direct from God Almighty that the Carmelite Order should
wear this "trinket," which would be a preventative from any evil
overtaking any of those who did wear it, and further stating that all
of those who wore this Scapular "_shall never suffer eternal
burning_."
It is further stated that Pope John XXII, in his famous Sabbatine
Bull, declared that the Virgin Mary had appeared to him and informed
him that all the members of the Carmelite Order who wore this
Scapular should be gotten out of purgatory by her on the Saturday
after their death, and this Pope winds up his declaration with the
following sentence: "I accept, corroborate and confirm, in the name
of Jesus Christ, for our Glorious Virgin Mary, who has granted this
great privilege to those who wear the Scapular."
This abomination is nothing more nor less than a "tale of fiction,"
and promulgated by men who know that it is a positive lie, but they
do it in order to mystify the ignorant and to compel them to remain
in darkest ignorance.
Now, to convince the reader that Catholicism is as densely ignorant
to-day as it ever was, we will bring her history up to date.
Pope Leo, in the good year of 1903, on his death bed, ordered this
Carmelite veil brought from Mount Carmel, that he might have
assistance from it in his dying hour, and declared that by the
assistance of this mythical Scapular that when he died he would go
straight to Heaven.
You can take the history of the Roman Catholic Church from the
earliest days of its cussedness up to the present time, and you will
find that the same heathenish superstition that surrounded it
centuries ago still follows it to-day.
Is there any proof that the Virgin Mary appeared to Simon Stock and
made to him the promise above related? No proof whatever, only the
cungered up proof of the officials of Catholicism, and the Sabbatine
Bull of Pope John has no more sense nor righteous meaning in it than
the ghost dance of the American Indian.
The Scapular that we above refer to is not the only emblem of
heathendom that Catholicism resorts to, but we have a number of
others which the Protestant world knows but little about, and
especially the Protestants in America, as the Catholic officials do
not want "this Scapular business" talked about too much in this
country, for fear that the Protestant world will give it the
deserving ridicule that it should have. However, we have started out
to show up the teachings of Catholicism as they actually exist, and
the more light we turn upon this subject the more prominent her
abominations will become, consequently we want to mention these other
Scapulars.
The first that we will mention is, "The Trinity of White Linen with
Red Cross;" the second is, "The Survite Scapular of Seven Dolors,"
which is of black woolen stuff; the third is, "The Immaculate
Conception," which is of blue woolen cloth, and the fourth and last
Scapular is one that was originated in 1846 by a Sister of Charity in
Paris, France, who is said to have received a revelation from God
Almighty, and this one is called "The Red Scapular of the Passion."
While American Catholics are a class far superior in intellect to the
Catholics of other nations, they still tenaciously cling to the
inert Scapular and believe in its efficacy and power; however, the
Catholic Church is getting to have quite a number of these Scapulars,
which is causing the intelligent Catholics to become a little
doubtful as to which has the greatest "pulling power," and many of
them, in order to make no mistake, wear all five of them in a bunch;
thus they are assured that if one fails to get in its work another
will come to the rescue, and should they fall off of a train moving
60 miles an hour, this little bunch of woolen goods will save them
from a bruise, or should they drink a quart of the essence of
strychnine they would be saved from instant death by one of these
five Scapulars.
You ask a Catholic to explain the merits of the Scapular and all they
can tell you is that if they die during the week that the Virgin Mary
will then take them to heaven on the Saturday following, but if they
happen to die on a Saturday, bear in mind that the Virgin Mary gives
them a cold shoulder until the next Saturday. Now, this is the only
explanation that you can get a Catholic to give you in regard to a
Scapular.
Is it any wonder that the power to reason is shattered by these
cungering devices of Catholicism, and do you wonder that the dense
ignorance of Catholic nations are completely under the power of this
angel of darkness?
Let us repeat, in conclusion of this chapter, that Romanism is the
everlasting enemy of science and individual intellect, as she knows
full well that when the broad, effulgent light of Protestantism dawns
on the benighted minds of her followers that she at once loses her
grasp upon her "hood-winked" dupes, as it is impossible for the
teachings of Catholicism to exist side by side with the teachings of
Protestantism, provided that those who believe in these Romish
abominations care to look above the horizon of Romanism.
[Illustration: IMMORALITY OF THE PRIESTHOOD--
With Romish lust, the blossom of virtue is destroyed.]