Pilgrims - Faith Not of Rome
With the American holiday of Thanksgiving coming up, Rome is even twisting the facts about the Protestant, bible-believing Pilgrims, to serve her own ends. This is found in a November 1 article in the, 'West Tennessee Catholic,' in the, "A Message from Dr. McDonald" column, by Dr. Mary McDonald.
She tries to draw parallels between the Pilgrims' struggles and the struggles of Catholics in western Tennessee today, but it turns out to be nothing but an insult to the Pilgrims.
Dr. McDonald writes, "The struggles of those first Pilgrim families, harsh as they were, do not differ greatly from the struggles experienced by families today." I beg her pardon? Of the 102 Pilgrims, half died the first winter, including 10 of the 17 husbands, and 14 of the 17 wives. I don't think the death rate in western Tennessee will be 50% this winter.
Describing the challenges the Pilgrims faced, she writes, "They (Pilgrims) recognized their need and turned to the only two sources they knew, God and neighbor...It was their faith that elevated their souls, enlivened their spirit and gave them courage to proceed..."
This sounds nice, but Dr. McDonald, a local superintendent of Catholic schools no less, neglects to "teach" her readers a few things:
1. She makes NO mention of the BIBLE, and it's role as the Pilgrims' sole authority on faith. Yes, the Pilgrims, "recognized their need and turned," to the BIBLE - not rosaries, wafers, or papal bulls! However, the mission of any Catholic periodical is to keep people FROM studying the BIBLE. Secondly, as a superintendent of Catholic schools, Dr. McDonald is well trained in keeping BIBLICAL references away from people. The last thing she would want in her schools are young students, whose hearts have not yet been hardened by Romish idolatry, reading the BIBLE and seeing that the Catholic Church is a false church!
2. Her church condemned (and still does) people like the Pilgrims. In the 7th Session of the Council of Trent, 'Canon 8' says, "If anyone says that by the sacraments of the New Law grace is not conferred 'ex opere operato,' but that faith ALONE (emphasis mine) in the divine promise is sufficient to obtain grace, let him be anathema." I find it hypocritical that Dr. McDonald tries to exhort her readers by the example of a people her church has cursed. I shudder to think what the Pilgrims fate would have been if the Inquisition or the Conquistadors had got their hands on them.
I pray the Lord uses Thanksgiving to open the hearts of many Catholics to the Christ of the BIBLE. May they repent, confess Rome as sin, and receive by faith ALONE the true Jesus Christ whom the Pilgrims had placed total faith and trust in.
She tries to draw parallels between the Pilgrims' struggles and the struggles of Catholics in western Tennessee today, but it turns out to be nothing but an insult to the Pilgrims.
Dr. McDonald writes, "The struggles of those first Pilgrim families, harsh as they were, do not differ greatly from the struggles experienced by families today." I beg her pardon? Of the 102 Pilgrims, half died the first winter, including 10 of the 17 husbands, and 14 of the 17 wives. I don't think the death rate in western Tennessee will be 50% this winter.
Describing the challenges the Pilgrims faced, she writes, "They (Pilgrims) recognized their need and turned to the only two sources they knew, God and neighbor...It was their faith that elevated their souls, enlivened their spirit and gave them courage to proceed..."
This sounds nice, but Dr. McDonald, a local superintendent of Catholic schools no less, neglects to "teach" her readers a few things:
1. She makes NO mention of the BIBLE, and it's role as the Pilgrims' sole authority on faith. Yes, the Pilgrims, "recognized their need and turned," to the BIBLE - not rosaries, wafers, or papal bulls! However, the mission of any Catholic periodical is to keep people FROM studying the BIBLE. Secondly, as a superintendent of Catholic schools, Dr. McDonald is well trained in keeping BIBLICAL references away from people. The last thing she would want in her schools are young students, whose hearts have not yet been hardened by Romish idolatry, reading the BIBLE and seeing that the Catholic Church is a false church!
2. Her church condemned (and still does) people like the Pilgrims. In the 7th Session of the Council of Trent, 'Canon 8' says, "If anyone says that by the sacraments of the New Law grace is not conferred 'ex opere operato,' but that faith ALONE (emphasis mine) in the divine promise is sufficient to obtain grace, let him be anathema." I find it hypocritical that Dr. McDonald tries to exhort her readers by the example of a people her church has cursed. I shudder to think what the Pilgrims fate would have been if the Inquisition or the Conquistadors had got their hands on them.
I pray the Lord uses Thanksgiving to open the hearts of many Catholics to the Christ of the BIBLE. May they repent, confess Rome as sin, and receive by faith ALONE the true Jesus Christ whom the Pilgrims had placed total faith and trust in.
posted by Robt. B. at 11:35 AM
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