THE HISTORY OF CATHOLIC/MUSLIM/PROTESTANTS

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THE HISTORY OF CATHOLIC/MUSLIM/PROTESTANTS

(PART II )




Forerunners of the Protestants Reformation.



Albigenses or Carthari. In Southern France, Northern Spain and Northern Italy. Preached against the Immoralities of the Priesthood, Pilgrimates, Worship of Saints and Images; Completely rejected the clergy and its claims; Criticized church conditions; Opposed the claims of the Church of Rome; Made use of the scriptures; Lived self denying lives and had a great zeal for moral Purity. By 1167 they embraced possibly a majority of the population of South France by 1200 very numerous in North Italy. In 1208 a crusade was ordered by Pope Innocent III; a bloody war of Extermination followed; scarcely parallel in history; town after town was put to the sword and inhabitants murdered without distinction of Age or Sex; in 1229 Inquisition was established and within the 100 year war, the Albigenses were almost rooted out.



Waldenses. Southern of France and Northern Italy. Similar to Albigenses, Waldo, a rich merchant of Lyons, South France 1176, gave his property to the poor and went about preaching; opposed clerical usurpation and Profligacy; denied the exclusive right of the clergy to teach the Gospel; Rejected Masses, Prayers for the dead and Purgatory; taught the Bible as the sole rule of Belief and Life; their preaching kindled a great desire among the people to READ the Bible. They were gradually repressed by the Inquisition except in the Alpine Valleys southwest of Turin, where they are still found, the only medieval sect still surviving, and a story of heroic endurance of persecutions.



According to Fox's book of Martyrs chapter IV (You can find this book and chapter on the Internet: http://www.tcsn.kcondron/kjcfox4.htm. Edited by William B.)



Persecution of the Waldenses in France



The principal among these Berengarius who, about the year [1000], boldly preached the Gospels truths, according to their primitive Purity. Many from conviction, assented to his doctrine, and were, on that account called Berengarians. To Berengarius succeeded Peer Bruis, who preached at Toulouse, under the protection of an earl, named Hildephonsus. By the year [1140], the number of the reformed was very great, and the probability of its increasing alarmed the Pope, who wrote to several Princes to banish them from their dominions, and Employed many learned men to write against their Doctrines.



In A.D 1147, because of Henry of Toulouse, deemed their most Eminent preacher, they were called Hericans, and as they would NOT admit of any proofs relative to religion, but what could be deduced from the Scriptures themselves, the popish party gave them the name of Apostolics. At length, Peter Waldo, or Valdo, a native of Lyons, Eminent for his piety and learning, became a stenos opposer of popery, and from him the reformed, at that time, received the appellation of Waldenses of Waldoys.



Pope Alexander III being informed by the bishop of Lyons of these transactions, excommunicated Waldo and his adherents, and commanded the bishop to exterminated them, if possible, from the Face of the earth; hence began the Papal persecutions against the Waldenses.



The Pope, finding that these cruel means had not the intended effect, sent several learned monks to preach among the Waldenses, and to endeavor to Argue them out of their Opinions. Among these monks was one Dominic, who appeared extremely zealous in the cause of popery. This Dominic instituted an order, which, from him called the order of Dominican friars; and the members of this order have ever since been the principle Inquisition in various Inquisition in the world. The power of the Inquisition was Unlimited; they proceed against whom they pleased, without any consideration of age, sex or rank.



If a man on his deathbed was accused of being a follower of Waldo, his estates were confiscated, and to heir to them defrauded of his inheritance; and some were sent to Holy Land, while the Dominicans took possession of their houses and properties, and when the owners returned, would often pretend not to know them. These persecutions were continued for several centuries under different Popes and other great dignitaries of the Catholic Church.



In the year 1524, at a town in France, called Melden, one John Clark set up a bill on the church door where he called the Pope Antichrist. For this offence he was repeatedly whipped, and then branded on the forehead. Going afterward to Mentz, in Lorraine, he demolished some images, for which he had his right hand and nose cut off, and his arms breast torn with pincers. He sustained these cruelties with amazing fortitude, and was even sufficiently cool to sing the 115 Psalm, which expressly forbids idolatry; after which he was thrown into the fire, and burned to ashes. Many persons of the reformed persuasion were, about this time, beaten, racked, scourged, and burnt to death, in several parts of France.



Francis Bribard, secretary to Cardinal de Pellay, for speaking a favor of the reformed, had his tongue cut out, and was then burnt in 1545.



A.D. 1545 James Cobard, a schoolmaster of St. Michael, was burnt, for saying "That Mass was Useless and Absurd." And about the same time, 14 were burnt at Malda, their wives being compelled to stand and watch the execution.



Enter the Jesuits.



Rome's answered to the Lutheran Succession: The Inquisition under the leadership of the Jesuits, an order founded by Ignatius Loyola, a Spaniard, on the principle of Absolute and Unconditional Obedience to the Pope, having its object the Recovery of territory lost to Protestants and Mohammedans, and the Conquest of the entire Heathen World for the Roman Catholic Church. Their supreme aim, the Destruction of Heresy, that is, thinking anything different from what the Pope SAID and THINK; for the accomplishment of which Anything was Justifiable, Deception, Immorality, Vice, even Murder. Their motto, "For the Greater Glory of God." In France they were responsible for St. Bartholomew's Massacre, Persecution of the Huguenots, the French Revolution. In Spain, Netherlands, South Germany, Bohemia, Poland and other countries, they led in the Massacre of Untold Multitudes. By these methods they stopped the Reformation in Southern Europe, and virtually saved the Papacy from Ruin.



In [1563] The Catholic Church added that all Marriages need "Counsel of Trent." This custom dated back to [800] when the people had the custom of being married, then go to the priest to ask and pay for him to bless the Marriage.



Modern Popes.



Clement XI [1700-21] declared that Kings Reign Only with His sanction; issued a Bull against Bible Reading.



Leo XIII [1821-29], condemned All Religious Freedom, Tolerance, Bible Societies and Bible Translations, and declared "Everyone separated from the Roman Catholic Church, however Unblameable in other respects, has NO Part in Eternal Life."



Pius IX [1846-78], lost the Papal States; decreed Papal Infallibility; proclaimed the Right to Suppress Heresy by Force; Condemned Separation of Church and State; Commanded Catholics to Obey the Head of the Church rather than Civil Rulers; Denounced Liberty of Conscience, Liberty of Worship, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press; Decreed the Immaculate Conception and DEITY of Mary; condemned Bible Societies, declared that Protestantism is "No Form of the Christians Religion" and that "Every dogma of the Roman Catholic Church has been dictated by Christ through His Vice-regents on earth."



Papal Infallibility.



The Idea that the Pope is Infallible found no expression in Christian literature for 600 years. It arose with the appearance of the False Decretals, and grew with Papal assertion in the Crusades and conflicts of Popes and Emperors. Many Popes from Innocent III [1198-1216], onward, advocated it. But the Councils of Pisa [1409], Constance and Basel expressed decreed that Popes are subject to Councils.



Pius IX [1854], "Of his own Sovereign Authority, and without the cooperation of a Council," proclaimed the Doctrine of Immaculate Conception of Mary. Its reception emboldened him to call the Vatican Council [1870], for the express purpose of having Himself declared Infallible, which, under skillful manipulation, they did. The decreed read that it is "divinely revealed" that the Pope, when he speaks "Ex Cathedra," is "Possessed of Infallibility in defining doctrines of faith and morals," and that "Such definition is irreformable." So, the Pope now claims Infallibility, because the Vatican Council, at his bidding, so voted. The Eastern Church (Greek Orthodox) considered this Papacy's crowning BLASPHEMY!



You might find some interesting books to read more on the Roman Catholic Church history to the present day: 1. A City on Seven Hills by Dave Hunt. 2. A woman Rides the Beasts (chapter 6) by Dave Hunt. 3. The Roman Catholic Church and the Last Days. By Dave Hunt. P.O. Box 7019 Bend, Oregon 97708



Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox got together in Switzerland to try to work out a way to reform the Church but they could NOT agree with each other.



John Calvin, a Frenchman became the leader of the Huguenots and Puritans.



John Knox, a Scotch was appointed by Queen Elizabeth to start the Presbyterian Church in [1560]. They broke away from the Catholic Church to try having something more like it should be the Way of Jesus. They broke away from the Catholic Church bodily BUT NOT in spirit. They started their church with the same paraphernalia the Catholic had in the infant stage. Church buildings, Property, Names, Robes, Ceremony, Traditions. They should have gone back to Christ's teachings, but they ONLY went back to where the Catholic Church started in the beginning, and followed most of their customs.



In 1985 the number of the Protestants Christians Denominations Surpassed 22,OOO with an average of 5 new ones organized each week according to U.S News magazine in 3/4/91.