The Big Five O

After the Lord arranged a meeting on 1 August 1974, He then led us to the altar two years later.  We have now been blessed with 50 years together as the two became one. Today we celebrate our 50th.

More Odds and Ends

Long, but interesting article about the defense of the Bible being accurate.

Dismantling 9 “Proofs” of Millions of Years.  The 9 “proofs” are not scientific at all.

The Misplaced Identity of Gay Christianity

When “Sound Doctrine” Gets Redefined.

When a “church” has to decide whether to require monogamy for anyone, let alone leaders, then you know it isn’t a church which follows Christ. The PCUSA denomination has been corrupt from the beginning.  More on the topic.

And if you thought the PCUSA couldn’t get any worse, they are now supporting “sex change” surgery for children, let alone adults.

Mysticism in the Church: Is Mysticism Biblical?

Catholic archbishop praises new mosque, ignores ubiquitous gang rapes by Muslim men.

Then we have a Catholic university having a “very tight relationship” with the Council on American Islamic Relations. 

An old article about the New Apostolic Reformation but well worth learning why they are aberrant false teachers.

It’s been a while since I’ve reported on false teacher Beth Moore, so here’s another good article exposing her unbiblical nonsense.

Then we have the worst of charismania—pure blasphemy! Although this ranks up there—a megachurch “pastor” who says opposing abortion and gun control is “satanic.”

Exposing Mormonism's Latest Deception. Beware of their pretense to Christianity.

Another Response to the Pope!

In my article, Thoughts About the Catholic Church, I posted this statement by Pope Leo XIV (and made a short comment about it): 

God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.

In my “holding” files I just found this post by Robert A. J. Gagnon on Facebook, 4/10/26 at 5:05 PM. His response is much more thorough than mine:

In a new X post today, Leo again appears to be denying even in his Roman Catholic tradition regarding the concept of a "just war." Note Leo's absolute statements: "God does not bless *any* conflict. *Anyone* who is a disciple of Christ is *never* on the side of those" who use military weapons of war. "Peace ... comes *only* from ... dialogue among peoples."

Taking his statements at face value, he apparently believes that after the Japanese attacked us in Pearl Harbor and Hitler declared war on us we should have done nothing; and that Jesus was opposed to us defeating these two evil empires. We should have continued to engage in "dialogue" with Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan while they were committing murder on an unprecedented scale. That is a morally irresponsible verdict on Leo's part.

Jesus did not require the state to be pacifistic. He did not believe that Israel erred every time or even most of the time that it engaged in warfare as reported by his Scriptures (the Conquest, the period of the judges and tribal confederacy, David's reign). "Turn the other cheek" is not a model for the state (obviously), nor is it for internal policing and criminal punishment.

Granted, Jesus did not side with the violent revolutionaries of his day, just as Jeremiah did not side with those wanting to throw off Babylon's yoke in his day, but that is because they both viewed God as using the great empire of their day to punish Israel. Their approach was not a carte blanche rejection of military force in all circumstances.

Leo's level of moral understanding regarding conflict is shocking for someone who is supposed to be a moral leader for 1.5 billion Catholics worldwide.

Do I Read Fiction?

I am a list-maker. I have a list of all the places/houses in which I’ve lived since childhood, all the  trips we’ve taken, all performances I’ve done, all cats we’ve owned, etc, etc, etc. 

When it comes to books I began keeping a list of those I’ve read ever since high school days. That list got lost when I was in the Army. I started a new list in 1975 but with all the moves we’ve made since then, that got lost in the shuffle. So in 2004 I started all over again.

 

One thing I did was look at my list of all the books I used to own before that time and began making a separate list of books read prior to 2004; compiled from memory and book lists; but that list is very incomplete.  Some books I remember because I read them to my children!

So, someone emailed me a question—Do I read for fun, i.e. fiction? Well my pre-2004 list includes a lot of those that I remember from high school, Army, and since then. For all those wondering the same thing, here is that list (I’ve read lots of these to my wife and/or kids). You’ll see that there are some classics. (The “Cat Who” series was specifically read to my wife.)

1984, by George Orwell

A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A Town Like Alice, by Nevil Shute

Animal Farm, by George Orwell

Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand

Back Home, by Michelle Magorian

The Best Loved Poems of the American People

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

Captains Courageous, by Rudyard Kipling

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham

Castles in the Sand, by Carolyn A. Greene

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, 

    by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern, 

    by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Turned On and Off, 

    by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Saw Red, 

    by Lilian Jackson Braun.

The Cat Who Played Brahms,    

    by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Played Post Office, 

    by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare, 

    Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Sniffed Glue, 

    by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Went Underground, 

    by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts, 

    by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Lived High, 

    by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal, 

    by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Moved a Mountain, 

    by Lilian Jackson Braun

Catch-22, by Joseph Heller

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, 3 volumes - twice!

Chronicles of Narnia (7 stories), by C.S. Lewis

The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexadre Dumas

Three “books” from “The Complete Sherlock Holmes,” 

    by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Darwin Conspiracy, by James Scott Bell

Emma, by Jane Austen

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

The Flames of Rome, by Paul L. Maier

The Four Feathers, by A.E.W. Mason

Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales

Hamlet, by William Shakespeare

Heidi, by Johanna Spyri

The High and the Mighty, by Ernest K. Gann

Hiroshima, by John Hersey.

The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien

How Green Was My Valley, by Richard Llewellyn

Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

The Inheritance, by Louisa May Alcott

The Invisible Man, by H.G. Wells

The Island of Dr. Moreau, by H.G. Wells

Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo.

Little Lord Fauntleroy, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hannett

The Man Who Thought He Could Fly, by J.L. Pattison

The Mind Invaders, by Dave Hunt

Mr. Roberts, by Thomas Heggen.

Mrs. Miniver, by Jan Struther

Morning Star, by Marian Wells

Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christi

Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen

Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan

Persuasion, by Jane Austin

Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter

Pontius Pilate, by Paul L. Maier

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

The Railway Children, by E. Nesbit

Sanctuary of the Chosen, by Dave Hunt

Saving Kennedy, by Jerry L. Pattison [Time travel]

The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis

Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen

This Perfect Day, by Ira Levin.

The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells

To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain

The Wall, by John Hersey (in high school)

The War Lover, by John Hersey

Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe

The Wall, by John Hersey

The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells

Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte

Thoughts About the Catholic Church

Praying the Rosary is not meditating on Christ. A person prays to Mary 10 times more than to the Father. 

Satan loves the Rosary. He doesn’t care that you pray to God as long as you also pray to another—especially if you’re praying to them 10 times more than you pray to God.

WWUTT?@WWUTTcom

Praying the Rosary is nothing but mysticism and paganism. Praying to Mary is useless—she is dead and is not omnipotent; unable to answer prayers of every Catholic in the world praying to her at the same time. She has no authority to even respond to prayer.

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In the sixth century, it was taught that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, and that error has continued to be believed ever since. It’s not true. No where does the Bible say this about Mary.

Do you know where that came from?

The Pope (Gregory).

WWUTT?@WWUTTcom

I’d like to know why Pope Gregory decided that Mary was a prostitute when the Bible doesn’t even hint at such a thing.

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To bow in worship before a so-called “altar” or a cross, or an image or picture o a saint, or before a real or supposed “holy” relic, or anything of the kind, is nothing but sheer idolatry!

Charles Spurgeon

Catholics bow to statues of “saints” and Mary. Where in Scripture does it even hint at such behavior as right and proper?!?!

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God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.

Pope Leo XIV

Okay, Mr. Pope, explain throughout the Old Testament God sent the Israelis into battle to destroy ungodly pagans, etc.? The Crusaders were fighting against the pagan and evil Muslims so as to stop their conquest of the world (which we should be doing now!!!)  Does Mr. Leo think God wasn’t blessing the Allies’ fight against the evil German and Japanese empires? What gives the Pope authority to speak for God?!?!?

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John Wycliffe’s first translation of the Bible from Latin Vulgate into English so angered the Catholic Church (because it bypasses priests) that it had his corpse exhumed and burned.

Lucie Winborne, Mature Focus newsletter.

Wow! Does the Catholic Church think that was a proper thing to do? I know from history that the RCC was totally against translating the scripture into the vernacular of the people. Why? Because when people can read the Bible for themselves they see that the RCC does NOT speak for God. Jesus would not have condemned those who translated the O.T. into the common vernacular since the whole idea of Scripture is to learn about God and His Gospel!

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At Loyola, Pride Month is a time for celebration, education, and visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community. Explore resources and learn about the history of Pride Month here: [redacted]

Loyola, in Chicago, is a Catholic University. The Catholic Church is supposed to be the true church with a Pope who supposedly speaks for God. And yet here they were supporting and promoting what God calls an abomination!

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Did you know that the idea of Jesus’ mother, Mary, being sinless didn’t become a “thing” until the 4th century? But nothing in the Bible even hints as such a thing, rather it says “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). But then the papists had to come up with a way that Mary could be sinless and decided she had to be “immaculately” conceived—i.e., without original sin. Again, this is just man adding an idea to give credence to their previous idea. It was debated in medieval times and in 1854 Pope Pius IX declared it dogma with absolutely NO evidence.

If Mary had to be conceived without original sin to be able to give birth to Jesus, then why wouldn’t her mother need the same thing to be able to conceive a sinless daughter? 

Just some thoughts for the day, questioning the validity of the Roman Catholic Church.