Are They Kidding?

Dear friends,

I just read a most disturbing article about recetn changes in the Roman Catholic Church. (This article is posted at this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/nyregion/10indulgence.html?_r=1)

It is disturbing on so many levels. As many of you know, I was raised as a Roman Catholic and I am greatly blessed by the high quality education I received. However, there are many reasons why I am now separated from the church...This article is a prime example. The "Church" in Rome has decided to re-institute the practice of giving indulgences to mitigate a person's time spent in Purgatory. Granted, they are not "selling" these outright (a practice outlawed in 1567), they are "giving" them away in exchange for charitable donations and other good deeds. You must read the entire article to fully appreciate what's going on here.

There is no place in the Bible that speaks of purgatory or indulgences. We cannot earn or buy our salvation and we cannot mitigate our punishment through the actions of some priest, pope, or any other human being. Jesus Christ is the only Savior and The Vatican can't change that. This is a ridiculous way to get attention and create income. This Pope has set ecumenical relationships back 100 years!