• indulgences are available for the devout use of a blessed crucifix, cross, scapular, rosary or medal
• If an indulgence is granted for visiting a church and the church is destroyed, the site remains a holy site if the building is rebuilt within fifty years
• Only the pope can authorize indulgences. Since he is a busy man, he can delegate the issuance of indulgences to the following: eparchial and diocesan bishops within their jurisdictions (but plenary only three times a year), metropolitans (but only partial outside their jurisdiction), patriarchs (partial and plenary three times a year – even outside their jurisdiction), etc., etc.
• Indulgences granted for a pilgrimage on a particular day: the day is a 36 hour day beginning at noon of the preceding day

It is incredible the religious hoops that people are willing to jump through instead of receiving the simple and wonderful gift of forever forgiveness. It is sad, is it not? Blessed medals and scapulars? Idolatry. It makes me weep.

The Catholic Church has a quite detailed rule book. This results from two issues: its highly centralized structure, and its tendency to add its traditions to the Word of God. The text of the canon law can be referenced here.

Philippian Jailer: What must I do to be saved? Paul: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Simple – forever forgiven.

Catholic: What must I do to be saved. Catholic Church: It’s complicated and a lifelong project. Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the canon law, and the Manual of Indulgences. If you weren’t born Catholic, take a lengthy course (RCIA). Contact Mary and the Saints. Go to Mass. Purchase Mass Cards. Abstain from foods. Give up candy for Lent.  Go to Sunday mass, and all holy days of obligation, spend time untold in purgatory… COMPLEX!

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Canon Law.   The codified ecclesiastical laws of the Roman Catholic Church. The original Canon was compiled in 1917, and has been revised and updated in 1983. The current version consists of 1752 canons which describe the functioning and rules of the highly centralized Catholic Church. The Pope is the supreme administrator of all the Church’s holdings. The bishops are the stewards of all property at the diocesan level. The canon law covers such things as who may perform blessings (1169), who may define what objects are holy (1167), what marriages are valid (1075), who can bestow indulgences (995), who determines special days of mandatory church attendance (1246), when Catholics must fast (1251), how funerals are to be performed (1177), and rules determining where the Catholic is to be buried (1180).

The Catholic Church is cultic in its control over the lives of its adherents, constraining the faithful from cradle to grave. The Pope requires complete submission from all Catholics. The canons and traditions of the Catholic Church usurp the authority of God and His revealed Word. The Catholic Church binds the consciences of Catholics where the Bible is silent (Col 2:8).

...a soul from purgatory springs - Tetzel

The pope has unlimited power to free souls from purgatory through granting indulgences to the living. He can apply the excess merit of Mary and the saints from the “treasury of merit” to either shorten or eliminate the time a Catholic spends in the torment of purgatory. The means that the pope uses is to prescribe prayers and good works that living Catholics can perform - such as visiting a cemetery on a particular day or taking a pilgrimage.

Misinformation related to indulgences abounds. “Evangelical” Chuck Colson writes in his book The Body: “The  Reformers, for example, assailed the corrupt practices of indulgences; today they [indulgences] are gone.” Well, this is an ecumenical lie – the corrupt practice is alive and well. A detailed discussion by Catholic apologist James Akin affirms the matter of indulgences, and the anathema placed upon those who disagree. Check out the Manual of Indulgences at Amazon – published by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2006 – a concise 160 pages!

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Indulgence.   A remission of the temporal punishment due to sin, the guilt of which has already been forgiven. Catholics are given a clean slate through the sacrament of Baptism. Baptism removes both the guilt and punishment for sin. For all sin committed after Baptism, a temporal penalty remains, and must be paid for on earth or in purgatory. The Pope has been given the office of doling out indulgences from a heavenly bank account known as the Treasury of Merit. This treasury consists of the righteousness of Jesus, plus the excess righteousness of Mary and the Saints. Indulgences are provided for the benefit of the living, who can then transfer them to family and friends in purgatory if they wish. A plenary indulgence remits all existing penalties for those alive. A partial indulgence pays for only part of the accrued penalties. Since only God knows the exact amount of punishment due to those in Purgatory, a plenary indulgence is more in the nature of a petition rather than an assurance of complete payment. The pope’s jurisdiction only extends to the living. Typically, the Pope offers indulgences for taking a pilgrimage, for using a particular sacramental (such as a rosary or medal), or for performing penitential activities such as fasting or abstinence.

 Indulgences deny that Jesus paid the entire penalty for sin (Heb 10:10). By faith and repentance a person is permanently reconciled to God (Rom 5:1). Salvation is not on the installment plan whereby the Church dribbles out “capital infusions.” There is no “treasury of excess merit,” since God requires perfection (Lk 17:10, Mt 5:48). All who trust in Jesus receive the same amount of righteousness imputed to their account, because it is the infinite righteousness of God, not their own righteousness (Mt 20:1-16, Rom 10:4). Indulgences, Purgatory, and the Treasury of Merit are Roman Catholic fictions that provide false hope and at the same time deny the finished work of Jesus. 

People Good Enough to Qualify

Purgatory is a comforting doctrine for the Catholic. You wouldn’t think that a place of suffering and purgation would bring comfort. But purgatory is a safety net for the semi-honest  Catholic. The honesty arises from understanding that they are not good enouugh to go directly to heaven – they have debts that must be satisfied first. However, the great lie that they tell themselves is that they have attended enough masses, confessed all mortal sins, and basically are good enough to qualify for purgatory!

The “good Catholic” (I was one) must be convinced by the Holy Spirit that THEY ARE NOT GOOD!  Jesus says that no one is good but God (Lk 18:19). Paul  says that everyone is under sin, that no one is righteous (Rom 3:9-10),  and that all have sinned and fallen short (Rom 3:23). The penalty for sin? Eternal death (Rom 6:23).

The population of purgatory is zero, because it doesn’t exist. It doesn’t exist because Jesus paid the full penalty for sin. THE DOCTRINE OF PURGATORY IS WICKED – IT DECEIVES CATHOLICS INTO SELF- ( AND CHURCH-) RELIANCE AND KEEPS THEM FROM THE FINISHED WORK OF THE SAVIOR.

Catholicism is a hard sell without purgatory.

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Purgatory.   The place of suffering for those who die in a state of grace, yet in need of purification because of sin. The atonement of Jesus only removed the guilt of sin. The temporal consequences of sin remain and we must pay for our sins while alive or after death. The soul in purgatory is entirely passive. Therefore the only way to gain heaven is by suffering in purgatory or through the intercession of the Church. The pope can mitigate the consequences of purgatory by dispensing indulgences to the faithful. The righteousness of Jesus, Mary and the Saints has been stored up by God in the Treasury of Merit. The souls in purgatory may receive infusions of righteousness from this heavenly bank account to pay for sin. The soul in purgatory gets “time off for good behavior.” It is not their behavior, but rather the actions of the living faithful who gain indulgences on their behalf.

 Jesus paid the entire penalty for our sin (Rom 6:23). No one deserves heaven. By the perfect righteousness of Jesus we are reconciled to God (Rom 5:18). Purgatory is a wicked doctrine, since it provides a false sanctuary for the poor deceived Catholic. It also denies the abundant grace and love of God, making Him the miserly God of double jeopardy.  The idea of merit is based on the false idea that the original sin of Adam only weakened our nature. In reality, we are born in a state of spiritual death (Eph 2:5). Jesus confirmed that no one is good but God (Mk 10:17). Salvation is entirely a gift of God – so that no one can boast (Eph 2:9).

November 2nd is All Souls Day – a day for Catholics to remember and to pray for the souls in purgatory, and to obtain indulgences for their release. Here is the list of all the requirements necessary for parole (note the subjectivity of the last requirement):

The decree reminds the faithful that to obtain a plenary indulgence it is necessary to observe the “usual conditions”: 

1. Sacramental confession, usually within a week before or after obtaining the indulgence. One sacramental confession is sufficient for several indulgences. 

2. Eucharistic Communion. Unlike confession, only one indulgence may be obtained for each Communion. Although this Communion may be fulfilled several days before or after obtaining the indulgence, it is preferable that this condition be fulfilled the same day. Thus, those who practice regular confession and daily Mass may obtain a plenary indulgence practically every day. 

3. Prayer in keeping with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. Like Communion, prayer for the Pope’s intentions must be recited for the gaining of each plenary indulgence. Although there are no prescribed prayers the condition is satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary. 

4. Having the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin. This is the most difficult condition as even attachment to venial sin precludes the possibility of obtaining the indulgence. However, note that the condition is not freedom from all venial sin, but from attachment to sin; that is, that there is no sin which the soul is unwilling to renounce.

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All Souls Day.   A day (November 2) for Catholics to commemorate the faithful departed, and to pray for their escape from the suffering of Purgatory. Catholicism teaches that the sacrificial death of Jesus removes the guilt of sin, but not the temporal punishment. The soul in purgatory can be helped by gaining indulgences through the prayers of the living, thereby shortening their time of suffering. One plenary indulgence (full pardon of the punishment) can be obtained by visiting a cemetery between November 1 and November 8 and praying for a particular soul in Purgatory. The one praying must be in a state of grace (having received the sacrament of penance within 8 days) and must pray for the intentions of the Pope.

 There is no mention of a place of purgation in the Bible. Jesus tells the thief on the cross that he would be with Him in paradise the very next day (Lk 23:43). The sacrificial death of Jesus paid the full penalty for sin; the sinless life of Jesus provides the righteousness that the believer needs to enter heaven. The effect of the fiction of All Souls Day, purgatory, and indulgences is to deceive the Catholic into a false sense of security. They may not be good enough to qualify for direct admittance to heaven, but at least they can qualify for purgatory.

Mike Gendron of Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries lays out ten reasons from the word of God why Catholicism is a false religion:

1. It corrupts the word of God by adding its tradition to it (Rev 22:18)
2. It perverts the Gospel – denying justification by grace through faith in Jesus (Gal 1:6-9) – Assurance of salvation is condemned.
3. It rejects the Gospel’s promise of eternal life (2 Tim 1:10) – Catholics have conditional life, subject to their obedience and participation in the sacraments.
4. Its sacrament of baptism replaces the sovereign, regenerating work of the Spirit (Eph. 1) – water automatically brings justification.
5. Its bishops are false apostles, having not witnessed the resurrection (Acts 1:21-22) – apostolic succession is a fiction.
6. Its illegitimate priesthood encourages the idolatrous worship of a wafer as Almighty God (Exodus 32) – This is the “golden calf” of Catholicism.
7. It denies Christ’s blood as the only purification for sin – the fiction of purgatory.
8. It blasphemes God by giving His titles to the pope (John 14:16; 17:11; Eph 5:23) – The pope claims to be “Holy Father,” “Head of the Church,” and “Vicar of Christ.”
9. It rejects Jesus as the only way of salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim 2:5) – Rome has many intercessors, and salvation is possible if you are sincere in your false religion.
10. It follows deceitful spirits and teaches doctrines of demons (1 Tim 4:1-4) – It binds its priests to vows of celibacy, forbidding marriage.

Thank you, Mike, for your faithfulness with the gospel.

November 1st is a Holy Day of Obligation in the U.S.: All Saints Day. But since it falls on Sunday this year, no extra day of attendance is required. This is a good thing, since a majority of Catholics fail to attend mass on most Holy Days. Such a failure is spiritual suicide to the Catholic – to willfully disobey this precept results in loss of all sanctifying grace. Canon Law states:

Canon 1247
On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass; they are also to abstain from those labors and business concerns which impede the worship to be rendered to God, the joy which is proper to the Lord’s Day, or the proper relaxation of mind and body.

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Holy Days of Obligation.   Special days celebrated to commemorate certain events in the lives of Mary and the saints. Attendance at Mass every Sunday and Holy Day is mandatory as one of the five precepts of the Catholic Church. Failure to attend Mass on the required days is a mortal sin, which if unconfessed causes a person to go to hell. There are currently ten such “feast days,” including the immaculate conception of Mary, the assumption of Mary, All Saints Day, Christmas, and the Solemnities of Joseph, Mary, Peter and Paul, and Corpus Christi. Canon law allows each country (with the permission of the Pope) to reduce the number of mandatory holy days. In the U.S., the bishops require mandatory attendance for six holy days.

The Bible places no mandatory attendance rules upon the consciences of Christians. In fact, mandatory observance of special days is described as worthless and enslaving by the apostle Paul (Gal 4:9-10). The arbitrary nature of the required days (they change from country to country and generation to generation) demonstrate how the Catholic Church places its traditions above the authority of the Word of God (Acts 15:10-11).

The name “halloween” is a mash-up of two words: Hallows and Evening. It is the evening that precedes All Hallows (or Saints) Day.  Many Christians have argued against the celebration of Halloween based on its pagan origins and connection to the occult. But there also is the fact that All Saints Day reflects erroneous Catholic teaching. Over the next year, I will document a new Catholic error each day. The Catholic Church claims that its teachings are infallible. I beg to differ. Catholicism is fallible from A to Z.

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All Saints Day.   A holy day of obligation (November 1st) to honor the saints who are in heaven.  The saints are deemed to be able to intercede on behalf of the Catholic, and thus are mediators of grace. Attendance at mass is mandatory on a holy day of obligation; failure to attend without just cause (such as illness) is a grave sin. Unless confessed, grave sin remaining at death causes exclusion from heaven and eternal death in hell.

 Paul describes the obligatory practice of observing religious holidays as “weak and worthless elemental things” (Gal 4:9-10), and feared for the souls of the Galatians who practiced them. Concerning the mediation of the saints, the Scriptures know of only one mediator – Jesus. Belief in the mediation of the saints minimizes the all-sufficient mediation of Jesus for sin.

The Catholic Church claims infallibility for the pope and the teaching office of the bishops. But the truth is that Catholicism has a multitude of errors. These errors flow from four main systemic errors:

1. Errors that leave unfinished what God has finished;
2. Errors that make tangible what is spiritual;
3. Errors that make meritorious that which is gracious; and
4. Errors that make mediate that which is immediate.

Below is a list of some major Catholic theological errors. Can you place each error in one of the four major categories? Can you come up with more errors to fit the categories?

• Purgatory
• Transubstantiation
• Assumption of Mary
• Sacrifice of the Mass
• Tradition
• Prayers to the Saints
• Indulgences
• The Rosary

From the root grows the branches, which in turn bear the fruit. A similar analogy applies to Catholic error. Example: From the root error of Tradition (an error which leaves unfinished what is finished – the Word of God), flows the branch error of a celibate priesthood. From this branch sprouts the “fruit” sin of homosexual and pedophile priests, sex scandals, etc.