Oooh!: "it’s a treasure-house of paranoid anti-catholic conspiracy theories spanning the ages." I'll have to look for that one! I attend a Protestant Bible Study with other Veterans and they love to drop the Catholic hate. Maybe I can get some new material!
I found a book from the 60s at a Swedish thrift shop and I was so happy about it because that’s very unusual in this Protestant land of Protestants. But the book was really a hate book. I read that Catholic priests injected dead babies with something and heated their bodies to make them look alive, so they could baptise them. Among other stuff. :)
I’m not sure if I would have even kept it for the novelty. That kind of evil has effects. I trust in God but I sure don’t trust that I’m strong enough to fight the devil without Him.
I’m a new convert and I have a lot of Protestant books and I don’t really know what to make of some of them. Not all of them are attacking Catholicism directly. But I know I will never read them again because they’re lacking the love for Mary and the saints, and the Eucharist.
I vaguely remember writing an essay about St Malachy for an undergrad history of Ireland class. But we didn't talk about the so-called prophecies I'm sure.
I'm glad to hear some of the history related to this. I've certainly heard about these "prophecies" aplenty, but never took them seriously enough to research their origin.
Pope Francis “met people where they were at and welcomed any opportunity to dialogue, even if his words and gestures were misinterpreted or usurped.”
(Daniel B. Gallagher, longtime papal secretary)
____
Shamefully, there are ‘Christians’ who truly believe that, due to his Roman Catholicism and/or relative liberalism as a pope, the deceased Francis, regardless of his good works, is not truly 'saved', and therefore his soul is destined for Hell.
Seriously, if God really is as vengefully angry, even seemingly blood-thirsty, as institutional Christianity generally portrays Him to be, is anyone — including supposed ardent followers or conservative Bible believers — truly safe or really ‘saved’? One could reasonably theorize that He’d be especially peeved by those self-professed Christians He’d (likely rightfully) deem as fake or frauds.
After all, Jesus (a.k.a. God incarnate) was about non-violence, genuine compassion, love and non-wealth. His teachings and practices epitomize so much of the primary component of socialism — do not hoard gratuitous wealth in the midst of great poverty. Yet, they are not practiced by a significant number of ‘Christians’, likely including many who idolize callous politicians standing for very little or nothing Jesus taught and represents.
As for the Biblical Jesus, he would not have rolled his eyes and sighed: ‘Oh, well. I’m against everything the politician stands for, but what can you do when you dislike his competition even more?’
... Strangely, some of the best humanitarians I, as a big fan of Christ’s unmistakable miracles and fundamental message, have met or heard about were/are atheists or agnostics who, quite ironically, would make better examples of many of Christ’s teachings/practices than too many ‘Christians’. Conversely, some of the worst human(e) beings I’ve met or heard about are the most devout believers/preachers of fundamental Biblical theology.
The Catholic Church DOES NOT teach what you assert: "if God really is as vengefully angry, even seemingly blood-thirsty, as institutional Christianity generally portrays Him to be...". Read and mediate on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I've have met many good faithful Protestants & Catholics who truly try their best to live the gospel. Painting Christianity with a broad brush like you do is not living up to the teachings of the gospel.
I think you're misreading what I'm trying to say. By institutional Christianity or Christians, I don't mean just that or those most resistant to Christ’s fundamental teachings of non-violence, genuine compassion, love and non-wealth; I also mean that or those seemingly insistent on creating their Creator’s nature in its/their own fallible and often angry, vengeful image — notably, proclaiming at publicized protests that ‘God hates’ such-and-such group of people. The latter conduct damages, and sometimes even ruins, the beautiful message Jesus expounded.
… Followers of Islam and Judaism generally believe that Jesus did exist but was not divine [albeit Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet]. After all, how could or why would the Divine lower himself down to the level of humans (and even lower, by some other standards)? How could the Divine via Jesus not be a physical conqueror — far less allow himself to be publicly stripped, severely beaten and murdered in such a belittling manner?!
Christ’s nature and teachings even left John the Baptist, who believed in him as the savior, bewildered by his apparently contradictory version of the Hebraic messiah, with which John had been raised. Perhaps most perplexing was the Biblical Jesus’ revolutionary teaching of non-violently offering the other cheek as the proper response to being physically assaulted by one’s enemy.
The Biblical Jesus also most profoundly washed his disciples’ feet, the act clearly revealing that he took corporeal form to serve. Yet, for many of us, all of that makes Jesus (ergo the Divine) even greater, not less so. Godly greatness need not be defined as the ability to destroy and harshly punish, as opposed to the willingness and compacity for compassionate forgiveness, non-violence and humility.
In closing, I’d also like to assert that, as counterproductive as it may sound, there needs to be more self-critiques by genuine adherents of the faith.
I just can’t make Benedict fit Gloria Olivae. He was not an Olivetan, or from an olive country, did not have olive branches in his arms, and was not renowned as a peacemaker.
Back in the late 70s/early 80s the Prophecies of St. Malachy were a thing with the doom and gloom folks who were into Bayside, Neceedah, and other bogus apocalyptic apparitions of the BVM. Another big part of their spirituality was the three days of darkness prophecy which is also bogus. All it did was create a little gnostic sect. Oh, and it was a boon to producers of beeswax candles since they alone would offer light. You can find 3 day beeswax candles in almost every church candle catalog to this day. Nothing like a little fear to part people with their money.
It’s a single grape in a small jar with brandy that is supposed to be enough to sustain an adult for an entire day. I don’t know where they get these ideas.
Oooh!: "it’s a treasure-house of paranoid anti-catholic conspiracy theories spanning the ages." I'll have to look for that one! I attend a Protestant Bible Study with other Veterans and they love to drop the Catholic hate. Maybe I can get some new material!
I found a book from the 60s at a Swedish thrift shop and I was so happy about it because that’s very unusual in this Protestant land of Protestants. But the book was really a hate book. I read that Catholic priests injected dead babies with something and heated their bodies to make them look alive, so they could baptise them. Among other stuff. :)
I'll bet that would be fun to look into. Sadly, it would take some digging as a simple Google search didn't turn up any promising leads.
I think it said they injected the baby with the color red. Maybe heated iron of some kind
And I think i threw the book in the garbage when I got rid of garbage :( but maybe I kept it because the book was kind of extreme.
I’m not sure if I would have even kept it for the novelty. That kind of evil has effects. I trust in God but I sure don’t trust that I’m strong enough to fight the devil without Him.
I don’t know either 😄
I’m a new convert and I have a lot of Protestant books and I don’t really know what to make of some of them. Not all of them are attacking Catholicism directly. But I know I will never read them again because they’re lacking the love for Mary and the saints, and the Eucharist.
I'd heard of the Malachy prophecies; I had no idea it was all basically a campaign ad. Honestly it's kinda funny now I know that.
I think that's a much more interesting story.
I love that it was conclave campaign propaganda.
I vaguely remember writing an essay about St Malachy for an undergrad history of Ireland class. But we didn't talk about the so-called prophecies I'm sure.
Thank you for this. I'm sharing it with a friend who is anxious about this "prophecy." He told me about it but I never took it seriously.
I'm glad to hear some of the history related to this. I've certainly heard about these "prophecies" aplenty, but never took them seriously enough to research their origin.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/28/maga-catholics-vatican-pope-conclave?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Well, the scary thing is that science has advanced to the point that nearly everything in Revelations can be done through mortal means.
Pope Francis “met people where they were at and welcomed any opportunity to dialogue, even if his words and gestures were misinterpreted or usurped.”
(Daniel B. Gallagher, longtime papal secretary)
____
Shamefully, there are ‘Christians’ who truly believe that, due to his Roman Catholicism and/or relative liberalism as a pope, the deceased Francis, regardless of his good works, is not truly 'saved', and therefore his soul is destined for Hell.
Seriously, if God really is as vengefully angry, even seemingly blood-thirsty, as institutional Christianity generally portrays Him to be, is anyone — including supposed ardent followers or conservative Bible believers — truly safe or really ‘saved’? One could reasonably theorize that He’d be especially peeved by those self-professed Christians He’d (likely rightfully) deem as fake or frauds.
After all, Jesus (a.k.a. God incarnate) was about non-violence, genuine compassion, love and non-wealth. His teachings and practices epitomize so much of the primary component of socialism — do not hoard gratuitous wealth in the midst of great poverty. Yet, they are not practiced by a significant number of ‘Christians’, likely including many who idolize callous politicians standing for very little or nothing Jesus taught and represents.
As for the Biblical Jesus, he would not have rolled his eyes and sighed: ‘Oh, well. I’m against everything the politician stands for, but what can you do when you dislike his competition even more?’
... Strangely, some of the best humanitarians I, as a big fan of Christ’s unmistakable miracles and fundamental message, have met or heard about were/are atheists or agnostics who, quite ironically, would make better examples of many of Christ’s teachings/practices than too many ‘Christians’. Conversely, some of the worst human(e) beings I’ve met or heard about are the most devout believers/preachers of fundamental Biblical theology.
The Catholic Church DOES NOT teach what you assert: "if God really is as vengefully angry, even seemingly blood-thirsty, as institutional Christianity generally portrays Him to be...". Read and mediate on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I've have met many good faithful Protestants & Catholics who truly try their best to live the gospel. Painting Christianity with a broad brush like you do is not living up to the teachings of the gospel.
I think you're misreading what I'm trying to say. By institutional Christianity or Christians, I don't mean just that or those most resistant to Christ’s fundamental teachings of non-violence, genuine compassion, love and non-wealth; I also mean that or those seemingly insistent on creating their Creator’s nature in its/their own fallible and often angry, vengeful image — notably, proclaiming at publicized protests that ‘God hates’ such-and-such group of people. The latter conduct damages, and sometimes even ruins, the beautiful message Jesus expounded.
… Followers of Islam and Judaism generally believe that Jesus did exist but was not divine [albeit Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet]. After all, how could or why would the Divine lower himself down to the level of humans (and even lower, by some other standards)? How could the Divine via Jesus not be a physical conqueror — far less allow himself to be publicly stripped, severely beaten and murdered in such a belittling manner?!
Christ’s nature and teachings even left John the Baptist, who believed in him as the savior, bewildered by his apparently contradictory version of the Hebraic messiah, with which John had been raised. Perhaps most perplexing was the Biblical Jesus’ revolutionary teaching of non-violently offering the other cheek as the proper response to being physically assaulted by one’s enemy.
The Biblical Jesus also most profoundly washed his disciples’ feet, the act clearly revealing that he took corporeal form to serve. Yet, for many of us, all of that makes Jesus (ergo the Divine) even greater, not less so. Godly greatness need not be defined as the ability to destroy and harshly punish, as opposed to the willingness and compacity for compassionate forgiveness, non-violence and humility.
In closing, I’d also like to assert that, as counterproductive as it may sound, there needs to be more self-critiques by genuine adherents of the faith.
I just can’t make Benedict fit Gloria Olivae. He was not an Olivetan, or from an olive country, did not have olive branches in his arms, and was not renowned as a peacemaker.
Olivetans are part of the Benedictine Confederation
.
Which he wasn’t either.
I didn’t say it made sense. And he was named Benedict. 🤷♂️
This is like trying to figure out Nostradamus. It’s all nonsense.
Back in the late 70s/early 80s the Prophecies of St. Malachy were a thing with the doom and gloom folks who were into Bayside, Neceedah, and other bogus apocalyptic apparitions of the BVM. Another big part of their spirituality was the three days of darkness prophecy which is also bogus. All it did was create a little gnostic sect. Oh, and it was a boon to producers of beeswax candles since they alone would offer light. You can find 3 day beeswax candles in almost every church candle catalog to this day. Nothing like a little fear to part people with their money.
Somebody gave me a three days of darkness magic grape once. It was well meaning, but I did tell them they don’t need to worry about it.
I never heard about the magic grape! Please tell me it has nothing to do with the Precious Blood.
It’s a single grape in a small jar with brandy that is supposed to be enough to sustain an adult for an entire day. I don’t know where they get these ideas.