Is there any organization for Catholics who are of the Jewish nationality
or who formerly practiced the Jewish Religion?
Yes, there is such an organization called "The Remnant of Israel." It can be reached by writing to it at New Hope, Kentucky, 40052. The director is Mark Drogin. They publish various books and periodicals.
Reprinted from January 22, 1999
Did Martin Luther start the Baptist religion?
No, but when he set in motion Protestantism, based on his principle that anyone can read and correctly interpret the Bible, groups of people took him on his principle and invented various Protestant sects, churches and denominations which contradicted Luther's private interpretation of the Bible. One of these groups was the Anabaptists. The division of Protestants into contradicting and rival denominations continues even to this day. Luther intensely disliked the Baptist Religion. He said, "The Anabaptists say that reason is a torch. Does reason shed light? Yes, like dung would if set in a lantern. Reason is a prostitute. Throw dung in her face to make her hideous. Reason ought to be drowned." He called the Baptists "coarse donkeys, cursed sows, epicurean swine, putrid puddles and the cursed broth of hell." Luther hated Baptists almost as much as he hated Catholics.
Reprinted from August 14, 1998
It is a recently invented Protestant sect consisting of about 60 congregations throughout the United States. It seems to be a loose-knight confederation of independent congregations with similar doctrines and practices. It is fundamentalistic Protestant in most of its beliefs, with some of the same features as the Baptists, the Methodists and he Presbyterians. Bereans take their name from a passage in the Acts of the Apostles (17:11). They seem to follow the basic Protestant principle that anyone is free to interpret the Bible as he or she sees fit and is free to found a church, denomination, cult, sect, etc. as the humor strikes one. There is also another Protestant sect called the Berean Baptist Church which claims to be based on the Bible as well, although it contradicts the views and opinions of the Berean Church. Protestantism continually divides itself into churches which contradict each other and disagree with each other
Reprinted from September 4, 1998
There is no evidence of such a thing. However, it is well known that Luther loved to drink beer, wine and stilled spirits. There is a phrase in his "Tabletalk" (Tischreden) where he says, "Here I sit soaked in wine." Some of his enemies have accused him of drinking to excess on some occasions. This is possible, since in those days water, milk and other non-alcoholic beverages were frequently unsafe to drink. Sometimes Luther's coarse vulgar and other intemperate outbursts could have been occasioned by his drinking alcoholic drinks. However, it would be incorrect to call him a drunkard or an alcoholic.
Reprinted from May 29, 1998
Are
Methodist bishops really bishops?
They are officials in the Methodist denomination. However, the Catholic Church would not recognize them as having any valid orders in a Catholic sense nor would the Catholic Church see any apostolic succession in the Methodist episcopacy. The Methodist Religion was invented by John Wesley, helped by his brother Charles Wesley. It is an offshoot of the Anglican (Episcopalian) Religion, which was invented by King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I in England in the 16th century. John Wesley was an appealing figure with much piety, zeal, and organizational ability. The Methodist church dates only from the 18th century.
Reprinted from May 8, 1998
Is the Episcopal Religion essentially
the same as the Catholic Religion?
No, they are very different from each other, although they have some things in common. The Episcopalian Religion is an American church , which is autonomous form, but still connected with the Anglican Church, which was founded in England in the 16th century, dating form the schism of King Henry VIII, who left the Catholic Church because he wanted to be divorced. He then declared himself the supreme head of the Church of God on earth in England and killed everyone who would not swear that this was true. He murdered such Catholic saints as Saint Thomas More and Saint John Fisher. After the American Revolution, when most Anglicans in the colonies were Tories supporting the King of England, the Protestant Episcopal Church of American was invented. Samuel Seabury is usually listed as the founder of the Church . The Catholic Church, of course, was founded by Jesus Christ.
Reprinted from July 31, 1998