Our Lady of Mount Carmel The title "Our Lady of Mount Carmel" is given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as the patroness of the Carmelite Order. The feast is also known as the "Scapular Feast" because of its association with the brown scapular, a symbol worn by members of the Carmelite Order. According to tradition, the Holy Virgin Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock, a Prior General of the Carmelites, on July 16, 1251, and gave him the brown scapular. This event became a significant part of Carmelite spirituality, as the scapular symbolizes Mary's special protection over those who wear it. The brown scapular is considered a form of Mary's own garment, and it offers both spiritual grace and protection. Carmelites believe that the Virgin Mary serves as a model of virtue and contemplative prayer. The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was first celebrated by the Carmelite Order between 1376 and 1386 to commemorate their victory over adversaries and the official approval of their name and constitution by Pope Honorius III in 1226. The Carmelite Order traces its origins back to the Old Testament prophets Elijah and Elisha, who are believed to have lived on Mount Carmel, located in present-day Israel. This connection to Mount Carmel reflects the deep Carmelite tradition of prayer and contemplation. One notable event associated with this title occurred on October 13, 1917, during the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima. The visionaries at Fatima reported seeing Our Lady of Mount Carmel during this miraculous event, further cementing her importance in the Church. The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was eventually extended to the entire Latin Church by Pope Benedict XIII on September 24, 1726. This celebration honors Mary's guidance and protection, especially for the Carmelite community and all those who wear the scapular in devotion to her.

PART 2: I Killed 40+ Christians as a Doctor”: Muslim Doctor’s Secret Poisoning Christian Patients It was a Tuesday evening in March. I was ending my shift when the admission came through: a 12-year-old girl with severe pneumonia, needing immediate treatment and monitoring. I took the case because the pediatric specialist had already gone home and someone needed to get the girl stabilized. I walked into the examination room and saw her—small for her age, her dark skin glistening with fever sweat, her breathing labored and painful. Her mother sat beside her, holding her hand, whispering encouragement. The mother looked up when I entered, and I saw the fear and hope mixed in her eyes. Her mother introduced herself as Rebecca Okonquo. She explained that they’d moved to Malaysia from Nigeria two years ago, after her husband had been killed by Islamic extremists. She told me that her husband had been a medical missionary who treated both Muslims and Christians without discrimination. She said that extremists had attacked the clinic where he worked, and he died trying to protect his patients and staff. She told me all of this while tears ran down her cheeks. Then she looked at me with such trust and said that she was grateful her daughter had me as her doctor. She told me that Grace wanted to become a nurse when she grew up. That before her father died, the two of them would play pretend at home—him wearing a doctor’s coat, Grace wearing a nurse’s uniform, both of them practicing how to save lives. Rebecca told me that Grace was everything she had left in this world. She said that she’d lost her husband to hatred and violence, and she couldn’t bear to lose her daughter too. She asked me to please take good care of Grace, to please help her baby girl get better. I looked down at Grace. The girl’s eyes were half closed, but she managed a small smile when she saw me. She tried to speak, but couldn’t because of her labored breathing. Her mother told me that Grace had been asking about whether there would be kind doctors at the hospital, and now Rebecca could tell her yes. I smiled at them both. I told Rebecca that her daughter was in good hands, that pneumonia was serious but treatable, that with proper antibiotics and monitoring, Grace should recover fully. I explained the treatment plan, told them we’d admit Grace for at least three days of observation, and reassured them that everything would be fine. Rebecca thanked me over and over. She told me I was an answer to her prayers. She said that God had blessed her by bringing Grace to me. I walked out of that room with my mind already made up. Another infidel child would not grow up. Another Christian family would learn the price of rejecting Islam. The fact that this woman’s husband had already been killed by my Muslim brothers only made my decision feel more justified. Clearly, this family was cursed by Allah for their rejection of true faith. I admitted Grace to the ward, set up her IV, and began the standard pneumonia protocol. But that evening, after Rebecca had fallen asleep in the chair beside Grace’s bed, I prepared a different medication. I added it to Grace’s IV drip—a drug that would cause her organs to fail gradually over the next 24 hours. It was one of my preferred methods because it worked slowly enough that no one would suspect foul play. Grace would seem to improve initially as the antibiotics fought the pneumonia. Then, around 18 to 24 hours after admission, she would suddenly decline. Her kidneys would start to fail. Her liver enzymes would spike. By the time anyone realized something was wrong, it would be too late to save her. The death would be attributed to complications from the pneumonia, perhaps an undetected underlying condition. No one would question it. I finished my shift and went home. I performed my evening prayers with particular devotion that night. I thanked Allah for another opportunity to serve him. I asked him to accept this Christian child’s death as a sacrifice for Islam. I went to bed feeling satisfied, peaceful, righteous. I fell asleep quickly. I dreamed about paradise, about the rewards waiting for me, about standing before Allah and hearing him tell me I’d been a faithful servant. Then, at 2:47 in the morning, everything changed. I woke suddenly. My bedroom was filled with light—not harsh like a lamp, but somehow penetrating, exposing, revealing. I tried to move, but found I couldn’t. My body was paralyzed. A man stood at the foot of my bed. I knew immediately this wasn’t a dream. This wasn’t a hallucination. This was more real than anything I’d ever experienced. The presence of this man filled my room, filled my awareness, filled everything. I couldn’t look away from him. He spoke my name. Just my name. “Fatima.” Terror flooded through me. Not natural fear, but something deeper—the terror of a guilty person standing before a judge, of darkness suddenly exposed to light, of evil confronted by absolute goodness. He asked me a question, and his voice carried such grief that it cut through my paralysis. He asked me why I was persecuting him. He asked why I was killing his body. He asked me, “Why, Fatima? Why?” I didn’t understand the question. I managed to whisper my confusion, asking who he was. He told me. He said he was Jesus, the one I was persecuting. He explained that every time I killed one of his followers, I was killing him. Every time I poisoned a child who bore his name, I was poisoning him. Every time I celebrated their deaths, I was celebrating his crucifixion. Then he showed me. I saw them. All of them. Every single person I’d killed. But I didn’t see them the way I’d seen them before—as faceless infidels, as enemies, as obstacles to paradise. I saw them as he saw them: as beloved children, as precious creations, as people with families and dreams and futures. I saw Sarah Tan, my first victim. But this time, I also saw her three children at her funeral. I saw her husband trying to explain to a five-year-old why mommy wasn’t coming home. I saw those children growing up without their mother, scarred by a loss they didn’t understand. I saw Michael, the contractor. I saw his wife discovering his body in their bedroom. I saw his elderly parents at his funeral, broken by the loss of their son. I saw the mission trips he would never take, the people he would never help. I saw Peter. I saw Ruth. I saw Thomas. I saw all of them—every single one. And worse, I saw what Jesus showed me next. I saw myself in each death. I saw myself preparing the medications. I saw myself injecting poison into IV bags. I saw myself falsifying records. I saw myself at our group meetings, smiling, celebrating, planning more murders. For the first time, I saw myself clearly. Not as a holy warrior. Not as a servant of God. But as what I truly was: a monster, a demon wearing a doctor’s coat, a murderer who’d twisted religion into justification for evil. The pride I’d felt transformed instantly into horror. The satisfaction became unbearable shame. Every victim’s face was seared into my consciousness. Every death I’d caused played out in excruciating detail. I tried to look away, but couldn’t. I tried to close my eyes, but they wouldn’t close. I was being forced to witness the full weight of what I’d done. I wanted to defend myself. I wanted to explain that I’d believed I was right, that I’d been taught this was righteous, that I’d thought I was serving God. But the words died before they could form. Because deep down, beneath all the religious language and justification, I’d known. I’d known that killing was wrong. I’d known that betraying patients who trusted me was evil. I’d known that murdering children was monstrous. I’d chosen to ignore that knowledge because hatred had been more comfortable than humanity. Then Jesus showed me something else. He showed me Grace. I saw her in her hospital bed at that very moment. I saw the poison I’d put in her IV spreading through her small body. I saw her organs beginning to fail. I saw Rebecca sleeping in the chair beside her—exhausted, trusting, believing her daughter was being healed when she was actually being murdered. Jesus told me that Grace was dying right now because of me. He told me that a 12-year-old child who wanted to heal people was being killed by someone who’d taken an oath to do no harm. He told me that Grace’s father had already been murdered by Muslims, and now her Muslim doctor was murdering his daughter. I broke. I began to sob—not quiet tears, but violent, body-shaking sobs. I heard sounds coming from my mouth that didn’t sound human—sounds of pure anguish and horror. I tried to speak, but could only gasp out fragments. “What have I done? What have I become? How did I become this? God, what have I done?” Jesus spoke again, but this time his voice was tender. He told me that he came to save me. He said, “Even me.” Even after everything I’d done. He explained that he died for me, too. That his blood covered even my sins. That no one was beyond his reach. But then he told me something that made my blood run cold. He said if I came to him, I would face persecution. He told me I would suffer for his sake, as his people had suffered for mine. He said I would lose everything—my family, my career, my reputation, my safety, perhaps even my life. But he promised that if I lost everything for him, I would gain him. And he promised that he would be enough. Then he was gone. The light disappeared. I was alone in my dark bedroom, shaking, weeping, my mind screaming with the weight of what I’d done and what I’d seen. Grace. Grace was dying right now because of me. I threw myself out of bed. My legs barely worked. I was shaking so violently I could hardly stand. I pulled on clothes, grabbed my car keys, and ran out of my apartment. I drove to the hospital like a madwoman, running red lights, my hands shaking so badly I could barely grip the steering wheel. Tears blurred my vision. I kept seeing Grace’s face, kept seeing Rebecca’s trust, kept seeing all forty-plus victims whose lives I’d stolen. I reached the hospital at 3:15 in the morning. I ran through the empty corridors to Grace’s ward. When I reached her room, I saw the monitors showing her vital signs deteriorating. My poison was working. Grace was pale, struggling to breathe. Her small body fighting a battle it couldn’t win. I ran to the medication room and began preparing the antidote—medications that might counteract what I’d done. But my hands were shaking so badly I kept dropping things. Tears streamed down my face. I was making mistakes, having to start over. Precious seconds ticking away while Grace died. I needed help. I found Dr. Hassan—the one who’d introduced me to the group, my mentor in murder. I grabbed his arm and begged him to help me save Grace. He stared at me like I’d lost my mind. He told me to let the infidel die. He said, “This is what we do. This is our jihad. This is our purpose.” He asked me if I’d forgotten everything. I screamed at him. I begged him. I told him we were wrong. That we weren’t holy warriors, but murderers. That we’d become the very evil we claimed to fight against. I pleaded with him to help me save this child. He looked at me with disgust. He told me I’d become one of them, that I was a traitor to Islam. Then he walked away, leaving me alone with my desperate attempt to undo what I’d done. I worked frantically, preparing medications, double-checking dosages even though my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I ran back to Grace’s room and began administering the antidote through her IV. I adjusted her oxygen. I monitored her vitals obsessively. Rebecca woke up and saw me standing over Grace, saw my tears, saw my frantic activity. She asked what was happening, whether Grace was okay. I couldn’t answer. I could only cry as I worked, checking monitors, adjusting medications, praying to a God I’d never actually prayed to before. “Please, please, please.” I didn’t even know who I was begging, but I couldn’t stop. Rebecca must have sensed something was desperately wrong, even if she didn’t understand what. She fell to her knees beside her daughter’s bed. She began to pray aloud, her voice breaking. “Jesus, Jesus, please save my daughter. I don’t understand what’s happening, but You do. Please, Lord, save Grace. Have mercy on us. Please don’t take her from me. Jesus, help us.” I worked through the night and into the next day. I barely left Grace’s bedside. I didn’t eat. I didn’t drink. I didn’t rest. I just fought, hour after hour, to undo what I’d done. Other doctors and nurses came and went during their shifts. They asked me why I was still there. Told me I should go home and rest. I made excuses. Told them I wanted to monitor this case personally because of the severity. They accepted my explanations, never suspecting the truth. At one point, around noon, I was so exhausted and despairing that I went to my office, locked the door, and fell to my knees. For the first time in my life, I prayed to Jesus. My prayer was simple and desperate: “I don’t know how to pray to You. I don’t know if You’ll hear me after what I’ve done, but please, please don’t let Grace die. Punish me, but don’t let her die. Let this child live. Please.” I went back to Grace’s room and continued my vigil. Rebecca never left either. She sat beside her daughter, holding her hand, praying constantly, singing worship songs in a tired, broken voice. Several times she thanked me for staying, for caring so much about Grace. Each word of gratitude was like a knife in my heart…. TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 3

PART 1: “I Killed 40+ Christians as a Doctor”: Muslim Doctor’s Secret Poisoning Christian Patients. My name is Fatima Alman. I was a murderer who wore a white coat instead of a mask. I killed not in dark alleys but in sterile hospital rooms. I ended lives not with bullets but with medications. Not with violence but with what everyone believed was mercy and healing. And I did it all believing I was serving Allah. There are some secrets that hospitals keep in their halls that no medical textbook will ever record. Some hands that heal by day become instruments of death by night. And sometimes the person you trust most with your life is the one planning to take it. What I’m about to tell you changed everything I thought I knew about good and evil, about redemption and justice, about whether someone can come back from becoming a monster. Stay with me because this story will disturb you, break you, and maybe, just maybe, heal something inside you that you didn’t know was wounded. I was 29 years old when my world collapsed. When everything I believed shattered like glass. When I discovered that the person I thought was righteous was actually the villain in every story I’d ever been part of. I grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in a family that most people would have called devout. From the time I was a small girl, I heard the same messages repeated like prayers: that unbelievers were a disease on this earth, that Christians and Jews were the greatest enemies of Allah, that killing them was not murder but justice, not sin but righteousness. My father told me that paradise had levels and the highest levels were reserved for those who fought for Islam. He explained that jihad didn’t always mean carrying weapons in obvious ways. He said that sometimes the greatest warriors were those who fought from positions no one would suspect. He told me that if I became a doctor, I could serve Allah in ways that others couldn’t imagine. I believed him. Every word. I studied hard, earned top marks, got accepted into medical school at University Malaya. I took the Hippocratic Oath with my classmates, promising to do no harm, to treat all patients with equal care, to preserve life above all else. I spoke those words with my mouth while my heart held completely different intentions. To me, that oath applied only to Muslims. Christians and other infidels didn’t deserve the same protections. They were enemies. And in war, you didn’t heal your enemies. You eliminated them. After I completed my residency, I started working at one of the major government hospitals in Kuala Lumpur. That’s where I met them—the others like me. Dr. Hassan introduced me during my second week. He told me about a group of Muslim healthcare workers who met regularly, who shared a common understanding of our true purpose in the medical field. The first meeting shocked me, not because of what they were doing, but because I’d found my people—others who understood. There were six of us initially: three doctors, two nurses, and a pharmacist. We met in Dr. Hassan’s apartment once a month. We shared meals, prayed together, and then we talked about our work. Dr. Hassan opened that first meeting by asking each person to share their recent victories. I listened as a nurse named Aisha described how she’d deliberately given wrong medication to a Christian patient recovering from surgery. She told us how the patient had developed complications and died within 48 hours. She smiled as she said this, and everyone else nodded with approval. A doctor named Kareem shared how he’d misdiagnosed a Christian businessman, sending him home with painkillers when the man actually had appendicitis. The man died from a ruptured appendix three days later. They went around the circle sharing stories of Christians who died under their care. Wrong medications, deliberate overdoses, treatments withheld, diagnostic errors that weren’t errors at all. Each story ended the same way—with death—and with the group celebrating another victory for Islam. When it came to my turn, I felt embarrassed that I had nothing to share yet. But Dr. Hassan placed his hand on my shoulder and told me not to worry. He said that Allah had brought me to them for a purpose, and soon I would have my own victories to report. He explained that what we were doing was true jihad, that we were fighting on the front lines of a war most Muslims didn’t even know was happening. He reminded us that the Prophet himself had commanded believers to fight against unbelievers, and that our method was simply more sophisticated than previous generations. I went home that night feeling something I hadn’t felt in years. Purpose. I had found my calling. I would be a warrior for Islam, and no one would ever suspect the young female doctor with a kind smile and gentle hands. My first victim came two weeks later. Her name was Sarah Tan. She was a 34-year-old marketing executive at a multinational company. She’d come in for a routine gallbladder surgery—something we performed dozens of times each month without complications. She was Christian. I saw the small cross necklace she wore. I heard her thank Jesus when I told her the procedure would be straightforward. That cross made my decision easy. After her surgery, I was assigned to manage her post-operative care. Everything had gone smoothly during the procedure. She should have recovered normally and gone home within three days. But I adjusted her medication dosage, increasing her pain medication to levels that I knew would suppress her respiratory system. I did it gradually over the course of 18 hours so it would look like a natural complication. I was in the room when she died. I watched her oxygen levels drop, watched her breathing become shallow, watched the monitor flatline. The attending physician rushed in, tried to resuscitate her, but it was too late. He turned to me with confusion in his eyes and asked what had happened. I told him I didn’t know, that she’d seemed fine, that perhaps she’d had an undetected underlying condition. Her husband arrived an hour later. He collapsed when we told him his wife was gone. He kept asking how this could happen, saying she’d only come in for a simple procedure, saying she’d texted him that morning telling him she felt fine. I stood there in my white coat, my face arranged in professional sympathy, and told him that sometimes complications arose that no one could predict. I told him we’d done everything we could. I felt no guilt. None at all. Instead, I felt satisfaction. I’d struck a blow for Islam. I’d removed one more Christian from the earth. That night, I performed my prayers with extra devotion. I thanked Allah for allowing me to serve him. I asked for more opportunities. At the next meeting of our group, I shared my story. They celebrated with me. Dr. Hassan told me I’d done well, that Allah was pleased. Aisha hugged me and told me I was a true sister in jihad. We prayed together, asking Allah to give us more chances to fight his battles. The killing became easier after that. My second victim was a contractor named Michael who came in for a routine health screening. He was in his 40s, healthy, with nothing wrong except slightly elevated cholesterol. He mentioned during his examination that he attended a charismatic church downtown. He showed me photos on his phone of his church’s recent mission trip to Indonesia. I prescribed him medication that I told him would help with his cholesterol. Actually, I gave him drugs that would create blood clots in his system. I told him to take them daily. He trusted me completely, thanking me for taking such good care of him. Two weeks later, I heard from a colleague that he died at home from a sudden pulmonary embolism. His death was ruled natural causes. No one suspected anything. After Michael, I killed a businessman named Peter, then a teacher named Ruth, then an elderly man named Thomas. Each death was carefully planned. Each one looked like natural causes or unfortunate complications. I varied my methods: overdoses, wrong medications, fatal drug interactions, treatments withheld until it was too late. I stopped counting after my 12th victim. Killing became routine—just part of my job. I’d see a patient, notice signs of their Christian faith, and begin planning their death: a cross necklace, a Bible in their bag, a church bulletin, a prayer before treatment. Any sign was enough. Our group grew. By my second year at the hospital, we had 11 members. We moved our meetings to different locations to avoid suspicion. We developed sophisticated methods, sharing techniques for killing patients in ways that would never be detected. We coached each other on how to falsify records, how to deflect questions, how to appear devastated when patients died. I felt powerful. I felt righteous. I felt like I was doing exactly what Allah had created me to do. Every time I administered poison, every time I heard that another Christian patient had died, I whispered ‘Allahu Akbar’ in my heart. God is greatest. God is greatest. I was serving the Greatest by eliminating his enemies. My family was proud of me, though they didn’t know the full extent of my work. My father told his congregation about his daughter, the doctor who was serving the community. My brothers told me they wished they could fight for Islam as effectively as I was. My mother would stroke my hair and tell me I was her precious daughter, her gift from Allah. I was 29 years old. I’d been a doctor for four years. I had killed at least 40 people—probably more. I slept peacefully every night. I had no nightmares, no doubts, no guilt. I believed with every fiber of my being that I was righteous, that I was holy, that paradise awaited me. Then Grace Okonquo was admitted to my ward… TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2

A Little Light Reading. THE COMING ONE WORLD CHURCH. Gary Gibbs One Christmas, a rabbi from Russia vis- ited an American family as part of a cultural exchange program. His host family wanted to treat him to a new culinary experi- ence, so they took him out one evening to their favorite Chinese restaurant. After the meal, the Chinese waiter brought each of them a little ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 1 6/9/09 3:41:59 PM  Coming! One World Church Christmas gift. It was a small, brass Christmas tree ornament that was stamped with the words “Made in India.” They all laughed at the irony of receiving a “Made in India” gift from a Chinese restau- rant. But suddenly, everyone stopped chuck- ling when they noticed tears rolling down the rabbi’s cheeks. Had they offended him in some way? “Nyet,” the rabbi replied. “I was shed- ding tears of joy to be in a country in which a Buddhist gives a Jew a Christmas gift made by a Hindu.” 1 Such peaceful co-existence and affirma- tion doesn’t happen often between religious faiths. Even today, religious differences fre- quently escalate into fierce war. It’s no wonder that many people want to dismantle the reli- gious “Berlin Wall” that exists between faiths. In no other community is this truer than within Christianity. Even though all Christian churches profess faith in Jesus as the Son of God, they have not been able to find a way to form a single, united group. For near- ly two thousand years, doctrinal differences have splintered Christians into hundreds of ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 2 6/9/09 3:41:59 PM Coming! One World Church  independent denominations. But many within Christianity desire to reverse this. Foremost in the crusade for Christian reunification is the pope. During the last few years he has been doing all he can to pave the way for a single world church. Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls reports that the pope “is pushing hard on the accelerator toward unity.” 2 One of the road signs along the pope’s autobahn to unity are his confessions to non- Catholics. While conducting Mass in the Czech Republic, Pope John Paul II said, “Today, I, the pope of the church of Rome, in the name of all Catholics, ask forgiveness for the wrongs inflicted on non-Catholics during the turbu- lent history of these peoples.” 3 And this isn’t the only confession. He is also trying to bridge the gap between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. He says, “men of both sides were to blame” for the con- flict that erupted between their churches in the 11th century. 4 The pope’s confessions have found a favor- able response. Pennsylvania State University professor William Petersen remarks: “He’s ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 3 6/9/09 3:41:59 PM  Coming! One World Church bringing the church into the 20th century. You’ve had statements from the early popes that the Roman Church can never err.” 5 Pope John Paul II is not only making ver- bal overtures; he has also committed himself in print in three highly publicized works. In his letter “Orientale Lumen” (“The Light of the East”) he writes: “The sin of our separation is very serious. … How can we be fully credible if we stand divided?” “These divisions must give way to rapprochement and harmony. The wounds on the path of Christian unity must be healed.” 6 The twelfth encyclical of John Paul’s papacy is dedicated to the subject of Christian reunifi- cation and is appropriately entitled “Ut Unum Sint” (“May They All Be One”). The pope calls it his “contribution to this most noble goal,” which is “to increase the unity of all Christians until they reach full communion.” 7 And in his book Crossing the Threshold of Hope, John Paul says it is his desire to see Christian unity achieved within the next few years—before we reach the new millennium. “By the year 2000 we need to be more united, more willing to advance along the path toward ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 4 6/9/09 3:41:59 PM Coming! One World Church  the unity for which Christ prayed on the eve of His passion.” 8 Without question, a united Christian church is a very worthy goal. It was Jesus’ great burden just before He died. He prayed, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:20, 21). While none should fault the pope for seek- ing unity, several questions must be carefully considered. What is the true source of disunity within the Christian church? One Vatican insider suggests, “The main obstacle is not doctrine, but history with all its prejudices.” 9 But is this an accurate evaluation? Do the differences stem merely from prejudice, or is it doctrinal? And, if it is doctrinal, which doctrines are in question? Furthermore, where Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox doctrines differ, which body will adjust their beliefs to appease the others? And most important of all, how does the Bible instruct God’s people to achieve true unity? ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 5 6/9/09 3:41:59 PM  Coming! One World Church The pope is already anticipating some of these questions. In “Ut Unum Sint,” he identifies five key doctrines that need further study before we “reach full communion”: the relationship of Scripture and tradition, the church’s authority, the ordination of priests, the sacrament of the Eucharist, and the role of the Virgin Mary. 10 While this is a good start, there are numerous other areas that must also be covered before unity of any degree can be reached. But for now, let’s briefly look at each of these five doctrines to see what the Catholic Church teaches and what must transpire if a united world church is ever to become more than a dream in the night. Scripture Versus Tradition Admiral Byrd, the famous explorer, knows death is only minutes away. He’s caught out- side in an unforgiving blizzard at the South Pole. Snow swirls around him like a dancing sheet. The temperature, well below zero, chills him to the bone. His limbs stiffen and threaten to freeze. The cold is painful. But all is not hopeless. He knows that he is within 100 yards of the warmth and security of ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 6 6/9/09 3:41:59 PM Coming! One World Church  his hut. But how to find the hut is the problem. Everywhere he looks there is the same snow and ice. White. Everything is white. There isn’t a single landmark. If only he could find one to use as a central reference point, then he could navigate to find the hut. But without it, he might head in the wrong direction to certain death. “A man can’t last long out here,” he thinks. Byrd knows there is no time for panic. Calmly he assesses the situation. In his hand is the 10-foot pole he always carries. It is his only chance. He sticks the pole in the snow and then ties his brightly colored scarf to it. Then he strikes out to find his hut, first in one direc- tion and then in another—but always keeping the pole with the waving scarf in sight. Three times he returns to the pole, and on the fourth excursion he discovers his hut and stumbles into its warmth. Our world is like trackless Antarctica in a blizzard. The devil blinds the minds of humanity “lest the light of the glorious gos- pel of Christ … should shine unto them” (2Corinthians 4:4). We are lost in sin, but there is a place of safety—heaven. It is out ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 7 6/9/09 3:41:59 PM  Coming! One World Church there. And it is not too far distant. That is, if a person can find the straight and narrow path that leads to it. Just how do we find this path? We need a reference point. We need an inerrant guide that can lead us through all the twists and turns and the ups and downs of life. But there is one danger. If the thing we use as our refer- ence point slips either to the left or to the right, then we are sure to stray and die. Catholic and Protestant churches have disputed the identity of this reference point for centuries. The Catholic Church teaches that the guide to heaven consists of the Bible and nearly two thousand years of church tra- dition. “We find the truths revealed by God in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. … Both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are the inspired word of God, and both are forms of divine revelation.” 11 Protestants, however, believe the Bible alone must form the basis for faith and practice. In fact, this was a major issue in the Protestant split from the Catholic Church in the 15th cen- tury. John Wycliffe, John Huss, Jerome, Martin Luther, and many other Protestants began as ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 8 6/9/09 3:42:00 PM Coming! One World Church  faithful Catholics. But while in pursuit of a closer relationship with God they discovered the practices of their church often contradict- ed the clear teachings of the Bible. The ensuing conflict was more than a battle of ideologies. These men had tried to live by the authority of tradition and person- ally found it bankrupt. Luther had a tortured conscience. Painful penances and fastings threatened to rob him of life itself. He didn’t find peace until he discovered the plan of sal- vation clearly presented in the Bible as a gift to all who believe. Somehow the traditions of the church had obliterated this most vital truth. For centuries it taught that salvation could be had by penance, pilgrimage, and payment. Salvation by faith as the free gift of God had been completely forgotten. Clearly tradition and Scripture were at odds—a fact that was not lost on the Protestants. A fact for which Luther was willing to die. In Worms, Germany, Luther stood before an august assembly of bishops, prelates, priests, and noble men to answer for his strange “new” doctrine of salvation as a free gift to those who accept Christ as their Savior. When commanded ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 9 6/9/09 3:42:00 PM 10 Coming! One World Church to renounce his “heretical” teachings, he said, at peril to his life, “Unless I am refuted and convicted by testimonies of the Scriptures or by clear arguments (since I believe neither the pope nor the councils alone, it being evident that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am conquered by the Holy Scriptures quoted by me, and my conscience is bound in the Word of God. I can not and will not recant anything, since it is unsafe and dan- gerous to do anything against the conscience. Here I stand. God help me.” 12 Tradition or Scripture. Luther had drawn the Mason-Dixon line for the Protestant Reformation. In 1545, the Catholic Church finally con- vened the Council of Trent in Austria to answer the questions raised by the Protestants. What will it be, tradition or Scripture? The answer came near the conclusion of the meetings. “Finally, at the last opening on the eighteenth of January, 1562, all hesitancy was set aside. The archbishop of Reggio made a speech in which he openly declared that tradition stood above Scripture. The authority of the church could not therefore be bound to the authority of the Scriptures.” 13 ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 10 6/9/09 3:42:00 PM Coming! One World Church 11 Like a sledgehammer striking a wedge in a block of dry wood, a split was created that has never been mended. But now, nearly four hundred and fifty years later, the pope is call- ing for reunification. And he accurately states that this issue of Scripture versus tradition must be resolved. So what is correct? Is it Scripture and tra- dition, or Scripture alone? Certainly the best source for an objective answer to this dilemma is the Word of God itself. What does the Bible say about tradition? It teaches several things. First, traditions that are in harmony with God’s Word are to be respected. “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Secondly, not all traditions are pleasing to God. “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. … Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:7–9). Traditions that replace God’s commandments are vain worship. They reveal contempt for God’s authority. ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 11 6/9/09 3:42:00 PM 12 Coming! One World Church Lastly, God has promised to rid His church of unscriptural traditions. “Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.” “Every plant, which my heav- enly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up” (Matthew 15:6, 13). We cannot depend upon the traditions of men. They are often an erring guide. And not surprisingly so. Humans are erring. Even while trying our best, we make mistakes of mam- moth proportion. For centuries Protestant churches have claimed that Catholicism follows numerous unscriptural traditions. Is this charge accurate? If you are a Catholic, this question is doubly important. You love God and desire to please Him. But fellow believers say that many of your church’s doctrines are not found in the Bible. Your pope also acknowledges that this is a serious issue that needs study. And he says it must be resolved if we are to answer Jesus’ prayer for unity among Christians. Therefore, you will want to ask your- self this very important question. Does the Catholic Church really have many unscriptur- al traditions? Yes, unfortunately it does. This ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 12 6/9/09 3:42:00 PM Coming! One World Church 13 may be hard to accept, but it is true. Cardinal John Henry Newman made this candid admis- sion: “The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints, and ornamented on occa- sions with branches of trees; incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings on recovery from illness; holy water; asylums; holy days and seasons, use of calendars, processions, bless- ings on the fields; sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure, the ring in marriage, turning to the east, images at a later date, perhaps the ecclesi- astical chant, and the Kyrie Eleison … are all of pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption into the Church” (emphasis mine). 14 Many Catholic doctrines are of pagan origin and are not found in the Bible. But, wait. Catholics need not feel that this is an unkind thrust against them. This is not just a Catholic issue. Protestants also hold many unscriptural traditions that contradict clear teachings of the Bible. This fact has not been missed by some Catholics. Notice the following Catholic challenge to Protestants to be consistent with their “Scripture alone” maxim. “The Bible does not contain all the teachings of the Christian ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 13 6/9/09 3:42:00 PM 14 Coming! One World Church religion, nor does it formulate all the duties of its members. Take, for example, the matter of Sunday observance, the attendance at divine services and the abstention from unnecessary servile work on that day, a matter upon which our Protestant neighbors have for many years laid great emphasis. Let me address myself to my dear non-Catholic reader: “You believe that the Bible alone is a safe guide in religious matters. You also believe that one of the fundamental duties enjoined upon you by your Christian faith is that of Sunday observance. But where does the Bible speak of such an obligation? I have read the Bible from the first verse of Genesis to the last verse of Revelation, and have found no reference to the duty of sanctifying the Sunday. The day men- tioned in the Bible is not the Sunday, the first day of the week but the Saturday, the last day of the week. “It was the Apostolic Church [i.e. Catholic Church] which … changed the observance to the Sunday. … In observing the Sunday as you do, is it not apparent that you are really acknowledging the insufficiency of ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 14 6/9/09 3:42:00 PM Coming! One World Church 15 the Bible alone as a rule of faith and reli- gious conduct, and proclaiming the need of a divinely established teaching author- ity which in theory you deny?” 15 John A. O’Brien’s logic is glaringly accu- rate. If Protestants are going to insist that Catholics return to the Bible, then they must do the same. And back to the Bible we all must go—Catholics and Protestants. God’s Word is the only true founda- tion for consensus of faith. Catholics must stop defending their position that tradition and Scripture are of equal authority. And Protestants must surrender their unscriptural traditions and truly live by “every word” of God (Matthew 4:4). We should all keep the Bible’s Saturday Sabbath along with every other teaching of God’s Word. Only as we Christians are honest with God’s truth can we hope to positively impact an unbelieving world for eternal good. Church Authority India has a problem. They worship rats. And their worship is literally consuming them. Tens of thousands of rats overrun certain ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 15 6/9/09 3:42:00 PM 16 Coming! One World Church cities. They race across floors; feasting on anything they can sink their teeth into. Rats are especially revered and worshipped at the temple of Karni Mata. Here the furry critters leap onto the platform where food is placed for them. They eat while the priest serenades them with hymns and plays cymbals. These well-cared-for rats reproduce prolifically. And few Indians will kill them, fearing that in so doing they will kill their god’s companion. But the rats have introduced something worse than more rats. They’ve brought the plague. Hundreds have died as a result. But since the Indians won’t kill the varmints, the plague continues to spread. The issue of what we worship is crucial in all cultures. This is why the Catholic posi- tion on the authority of the Church and pope is so sensitive with non-Catholics. Catholic catechisms teach that church authority refers to the infallibility of the pope. “When the pope in his official capacity, with the fullness of his authority, as successor of St. Peter and head of the church on earth, proclaims a doctrine of faith or morals binding on the whole Church, he is preserved from error. It is to be noted that ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 16 6/9/09 3:42:00 PM Coming! One World Church 17 three conditions are required: (1) The pope must speak ex cathedra, i.e., from the Chair of Peter in his official capacity; (2) The deci- sion must be binding on the whole Church; (3) It must be on a matter of faith or morals” (emphasis mine). 16 These infallible doctrines of the pope are “certainly true and binding in conscience on all the faithful.” 17 So what should we believe regarding the pope’s authority? Catholics and Protestants must turn to the Bible to form their opin- ions. Here we’ll find that Scripture teaches no human is infallible. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Even those who have been specially called to holy service are fallible. History is an eloquent witness to the foibles of church leaders, includ- ing popes. The apostle Peter himself fell into sin numerous times (see Matthew 16:21–23; Luke 22:54–62; and Galatians 2:11–14). Now, the church must have leaders. But every thing they teach as truth must be tested by Scripture. The Bible never teaches that spir- itual leaders have periods where they speak ex cathedra. There is no special chair or office from which they can proclaim infallible truth. ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 17 6/9/09 3:42:00 PM 18 Coming! One World Church But the Bible does tell us to test our leaders by the Word. The believers in Berea were com- mended for being “more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they … searched the scriptures daily” to see if Paul’s teachings were in accord with God’s Word (Acts 17:10, 11). The Bible also warns us against spiritual leaders who are used by Satan to lead many astray. “Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away dis- ciples after them” (Acts 20:30). Infallibility is a dangerous doctrine. If we ascribe it to any man, we make ourselves very vulnerable to deception. Therefore, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). How are we to “try the spirits?” Isaiah 8:20 says, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” They are to be tested by the Bible. When Paul warned the church to beware of leaders who introduce erroneous teachings, he said to test them by the Word. “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 18 6/9/09 3:42:01 PM Coming! One World Church 19 to build you up, and to give you an inheri- tance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32 emphasis mine). We can be safe only as we test every declaration of truth by God’s Word. Now the pope may be a good man with noble intentions. Nevertheless, all that he says and advocates must be tested by the Holy Bible. No human has carte blanche infallibility. For centuries, popes have claimed infallibility as direct successors of Peter, who they believe was the first pope. But according to Scripture, Peter was not established as a pope. He wasn’t even the leader of the early church councils— James was (see Acts 15:1–22). Another problem with the papacy is that it runs counter to God’s truth. Popes have great power. People bow before them. They confess their sins to them. Popes live amid great pomp, splendor, and riches. They have been some of the most powerful men who have ever lived. But when one studies the Bible for examples of men of God, we find a much humbler model. Our Lord Himself taught that those who desire rich robes and to sit in high places are not fol- lowing Him (Matthew 23:1–12). ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 19 6/9/09 3:42:01 PM 20 Coming! One World Church Clearly, the Bible never claims for church leaders what the papacy claims for itself. The papacy, therefore, is an unbiblical position. If consensus of faith is to be achieved, then all Christians will need to get back to the Bible. The claims made regarding the powers and rights of the papacy will need to be officially renounced. The pomp and splendor should also be traded for Jesus’ example of humility. The pope has indicated he is willing to explore some change in the function of the papacy. While not promising to surrender his ultimate authority over the church, he has said that he would seek “to find a way of exercising the primacy which, while in no way renounc- ing what is essential to its mission, is nonethe- less open to a new situation.” 18 What possible new situation could the Vatican be considering? The president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Unity of Christians has suggested that the pope may act as a mediator in religious disputes. Unfortunately, it seems the pontiff is only considering not insisting that Protestants accept the doctrine of papal infallibility. What he will settle for is to be the final mediator in ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 20 6/9/09 3:42:01 PM Coming! One World Church 21 doctrinal disputes between Christians. But this is still unacceptable to those who desire to take their faith from the Bible. No single human can claim the power to be the final word on doctrine and morals. Every believer must study the Scriptures for himself to determine what God would have him do. When there is a controverted point of doc- trine, the question can come to an assembly of representatives of the church for their humble study of God’s Word to see what Scripture truly teaches. Many minds working together to find God’s will is always a lot safer than one man being in charge of determining truth. But even in religious assemblies, we see the weakness of man. Many Christian con- vocations have made declarations that run counter to Bible truth. What should believers do in such cases? They should follow what the Bible teaches. Many American Catholics are already following their own convictions to some degree. Catholicism officially teaches that nearly all forms of birth control are sin. But most American Catholics disagree. Thereby they too deny the absolute, infallible authority of the pope. ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 21 6/9/09 3:42:01 PM 22 Coming! One World Church The authority of the church is a crucial question, and the pope is correct in tagging it for discussion. But until he reverses the supremacy and primacy of the papacy, apostol- ic succession, and the authority of the church to be the sole interpreter of Scripture, no unity can be achieved with those believers who want to remain true to the Bible. Christianity cannot unite around a fallible human, no matter how noble a person he may be. Only as we humbly submit ourselves to God and His Word will we be able to come together. The Ordination of Priests We now come to the third doctrine iden- tified by Pope John Paul II. What does the Catholic Church teach about the ordina- tion of priests? Official Catholic teaching is that priests are ordained to have the power to forgive sins. 19 Some American Catholics may disagree with this representation. They may be honestly unaware of this doctrine. Nevertheless, it is true. Here are a few excerpts from official Catholic sources. “An authorized priest … [says] the words ‘I absolve you from your sins.’ … All bishops ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 22 6/9/09 3:42:01 PM Coming! One World Church 23 and priests have the power to forgive sins or absolve sins.” 20 “Who has the power to forgive sin today? All bishops and priests of the Catholic Church can forgive sin. … What do you have to do to have your sins forgiven? You have to be truly sorry for them and confess them to a Catholic priest.” 21 Sometimes American Catholics defend the confessional by comparing it to going to a counselor or psychologist. They claim the priest does not actually forgive sins, but simply plays the role of a counselor. However, when the pope speaks about priests, he refers to the official Catholic posi- tion and not the “corrupted,” Americanized version. The Church tries to make its official teaching clear in its catechisms. “Does the priest merely pray that your sins will be for- given? No, acting as God’s instrument and ordained minister, he truly forgives the sins.” 22 “This is not a mere ritual repetition or psy- chological exercise.’’ 23 “Does the priest really forgive your sins? … the priest really forgives your sins. The priest does not merely ‘pray away’ your sins.” 24 ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 23 6/9/09 3:42:01 PM 24 Coming! One World Church This Catholic teaching is based on John 20:23: “Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.” A correct under- standing of this verse requires reading the context. Before telling the disciples about the remission of sins, Jesus said, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” The dis- ciples were to go to the world in a way similar to which Jesus was sent to our world. How did the Father send Jesus to our world? Jesus said, “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak” (John 12:49). “I do noth- ing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things” (John 8:28). “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). Jesus was sent not to speak His own words or teach His own doctrine or to do His own will. He came to speak the Father’s word and will and sent His disciples to do the same. Like an ambassador, the disciples were to tell others about the will and word of the Person they represented. “God … hath given to us ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 24 6/9/09 3:42:01 PM Coming! One World Church 25 the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye recon- ciled to God” (2Corinthians 5:18–20, empha- sis mine). Notice that the power to actually forgive sins was not given to the disciples as priests, but only the word of reconciliation as ambassadors. Ministers and believers can only pass on the word of truth that Jesus has recon- ciled the sinner to Himself if they will confess and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the right to invite and urge people in behalf of Jesus to come to Him. But the actual ability to read the heart and to grant forgive- ness is something only the Almighty can do. So how is it that “whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained”? Whenever an unbe- liever does not accept a believer’s call to repen- tance, then we have caused them to retain their sins. “To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (1 James 4:17). “If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 25 6/9/09 3:42:01 PM 26 Coming! One World Church ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth” (John 9:41). Sin remains and is retained when a sinner has encountered truth and has refused to repent and accept it. So when the disciples took truth to people and they refused to accept it, their sins were retained. “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak [margin: excuse] for their sin” (John 15:22). “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Matthew 10:14, 15). On the other hand, if people accept the good news of sal- vation in Christ, then their sins are forgiven by God. Man is on dangerous ground when he tries to usurp God’s prerogatives. No one should ever say the words used by the priests in the Catholic sacrament of penance: “I absolve you from your sins.” Only God can forgive sin. “Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone” (Luke 5:21)? “Blasphemy,” ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 26 6/9/09 3:42:01 PM Coming! One World Church 27 the Bible calls it. Strong language we would do well to remember! Sin requires the death penalty be paid. Whenever we sin and confess to God, Jesus applies the blood of His death on the cross to our account. He alone can read the heart and apply the blood accordingly. We do not have this power. We don’t know if a person is truly sincere and desirous of transformation. We misjudge others all the time. There is a danger in accepting humans as our mediators with God. God regards only one Mediator. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1Timothy 2:5). For humans to take the place of this Mediator is presumptu- ous. This is trying to take the place of Jesus and God. And no good Catholic or Protestant Christian wants this to happen. One cannot find any indication within the biblical record that the apostles exercised the authority supposedly conferred upon them to forgive sins. They certainly would have done it if they had understood Jesus’ words in the manner the Catholic Church teaches. Neither does the Bible refer to the Catholic Church’s ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 27 6/9/09 3:42:01 PM 28 Coming! One World Church confessional. There is no record of sinners going to the apostles to confess their sins and receive forgiveness. Yet, we do read numerous instances of the disciples directing people to God for forgiveness. “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee” (Acts 8:22, emphasis mine). Associated with the ordination of the priest is celibacy. According to the Catholic catechism, “The basis for clerical celibacy is the example of Christ and His apostles.” 25 Does the Bible really teach that priests are to remain unmarried and celibate for life? Admittedly, Jesus was celibate. But He did not command this for all who should follow Him in ministry. He called Peter to be an apostle, and Peter was married. “[Peter’s] wife’s mother lay sick of a fever” (Mark 1:30). Although it is recommended for those who choose it, celibacy is not a requirement for ministry. Jesus says that there are those who “have made themselves eunuchs for the king- dom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it” (Matthew 19:12). The apostle Paul highly recommended celibacy. ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 28 6/9/09 3:42:02 PM Coming! One World Church 29 He saw it as an opportunity to care only for the things of God (1Corinthians 7:32). But he also says this is his opinion and not a direct command from God. “I speak this by permission, and not of commandment” (1Corinthians 7:6). Furthermore, Paul did not forbid marriage. “If thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned” (1Corinthians 7:28). The Catholic position is not as flexible as that of Paul. “By Church law a Catholic priest in the western Church is obligated to live a life of celibacy [no marriage].” 26 The dilemma the pope finds himself in is that he forbids that which God clearly permits. Many Catholics, recognizing this, are trying to get their church to change this teaching. But the pope has indi- cated it will not change. A church in Georgia once installed chimes to play hymns over a loudspeaker for the townspeople to hear during supper. Every evening the chimes faithfully played their sweet music. But a nearby turkey farmer was not soothed by the sound. It seemed that the chimes disturbed his turkeys during their evening feeding. The birds just wouldn’t eat ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 29 6/9/09 3:42:02 PM 30 Coming! One World Church while the music played, and they were not get- ting fat for the market. Discussions between the farmer and church deteriorated. Pretty soon things became quite ugly. The farmer tried to silence the loudspeaker on the steeple by shooting it. In retaliation church mem- bers sneaked into the turkey pens at night, spooking the birds and giving them one more reason not to eat. Only after the birds had a complete nervous breakdown and the church steeple was peppered with bullet holes did the two parties finally come to an agreement that met both their needs. The church played the chimes at a different hour and the farmer called a cease-fire. 27 Resolving doctrinal differences does not need to become a shouting match and cer- tainly not a shooting match. Both the pope and Protestants agree that the Catholic doctrine of the ordination of priests must be resolved. And it must be done in light of Bible truth. Teachings regarding the priest’s ability to forgive sins, apostolic succession, and celibacy will need to be radically changed to come into harmony with the Bible. This is the only wise thing to do if we are to answer Jesus’ prayer for Christian unity. ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 30 6/9/09 3:42:02 PM Coming! One World Church 31 The Eucharist Four children were born to a family in Amman, Jordan. Each birth certificate said the child was a girl. And for 13 years the fam- ily believed this. But when the oldest child reached puberty, “she” started revealing male characteristics. The teenage “girl” grew facial hair, her voice broke, and she developed a male physique. Doctors examining Mohammed diagnosed him with a rare genetic defect that left him appearing to be female when in reality he was male. Apparently, during his development in the womb his male organs never descended. Mohammed’s three younger siblings were also diagnosed with the same defect. Fortunately, all the children were successfully operated on and are now males. The day of their transformation was one of great celebra- tion. The girls, now turned boys, cut their long hair, removed their jewelry, and wore boys’ pajamas. And their jubilant grandmother Fatima Netasha said, “I had six granddaugh- ters and two grandsons, and now I have six grandsons and two granddaughters. I thank God and the doctor.” 28 ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 31 6/9/09 3:42:02 PM 32 Coming! One World Church Sometimes things aren’t as they appear. This is what is at the heart of the contro- versy over the Eucharist, or the Lord’s Supper. Protestants view the bread and grape juice as symbols of Jesus’ body and blood. But accord- ing to Catholic teaching the bread and wine aren’t what they appear to be—mere bread and wine. Instead, they are literally the real body, blood, and person of Jesus. Official Catholic teaching is unambigu- ous. “The Eucharist is a sacrament which real- ly, truly, and substantially contains the body and blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine.” 29 “After consecration, this sign contains the whole Christ, his body and blood, his soul and divinity.” 30 “Christ is present in the Eucharist … with all his physical properties, hands and feet and head and human heart. He is present with his human soul, with his thoughts, desires, and human affections.” 31 Another difference between Catholic and Protestant beliefs is that of relevance. Protestants view the service as a holy ritu- al in which people voluntarily participate. However, the Catholic Church teaches that ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 32 6/9/09 3:42:02 PM Coming! One World Church 33 “The Eucharist is necessary for salvation.” 32 This is because of their view that the benefits of the cross can be had only by partaking of Jesus’ “literal” body as found in the bread. Follow this to its logical conclusion. The only bread that can be Jesus’ body is bread that has had the special prayer and bless- ing of the Catholic priest. No priest means no changing of the bread into the body of Christ. No body of Christ means no salva- tion. A Protestant pastor cannot do what the Catholic priest can with the bread. Only the priest has the power conferred upon him to command God to come down from heaven and enter the bread. Therefore, if people are going to be saved, they must go to a Catholic Church to receive the Eucharist. Furthermore, in order to receive the Eucharist they must first become a Catholic. “The person who is receiving instructions in preparation for full membership in the Catholic Church should participate in the Mass but may not receive Holy Communion.” 33 What did Jesus mean when He said in Matthew 26:26–28, “Take, eat; this is my body. … Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood”? ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 33 6/9/09 3:42:02 PM 34 Coming! One World Church Did He really mean that His literal body and blood were present in the bread and wine? The disciples knew this wasn’t what He referred to. They had heard Him speak like this before. Jesus once said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. … Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:51–53). On that day, many who listened inter- preted Jesus’ words very literally. They thought He advocated salvation by cannibalism. They were shocked. Jesus knew their thoughts, so He clarified what He meant. “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Jesus says His life is contained in His words. To eat His Word means to read and meditate upon its meaning. When we apply Jesus’ teachings to our life, then we’ve truly eaten His Word. The Catholic teaching of the Eucharist misses this point. Instead, what Jesus intends to be spiritual is taken literally. ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 34 6/9/09 3:42:02 PM Coming! One World Church 35 Another controverted point regarding the Eucharist concerns the wine. In the Catholic communion service, only the priests drink it. This teaching came into the Church at the Council of Constance, a.d. 1414–1418, and is not taught in God’s Word. When Jesus took the cup, He gave it to all those present, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me” (1Corinthians 11:25 emphasis mine; See also Matthew 26:27,28). The blessing of this service is for every believer, not just priests. Yes, the pope is right again. The Eucharist needs to be studied. Imagine what blessings can come to Christianity if we all return to Bible truth. United on the clear teachings of God’s Word, we can be a powerful witness to unbelievers. But before unity can be reached, we must also resolve another doctrinal dif- ference the pope said must be resolved—the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary The Lawrence Welk Show had its televi- sion premier in 1955 and launched Welk into becoming what Life magazine called “the most ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 35 6/9/09 3:42:02 PM 36 Coming! One World Church popular musician in U.S. history.” But things weren’t always so rosy for Lawrence Welk. Once, after playing his accordion for a dance, he overheard one of the band members remark, “Did you get a load of that accordionist? If I had to play every night with him, I’d go back to jerking sodas.” 34 At the time, it appeared Welk might be a failure, but he continued to play and finally landed his television show. Though many would rate him as an average musician, 40 million people tuned in to his program faithfully every Saturday night. Quite a large following for an ordinary musician! To many Christians, Mary, though extremely blessed to be the mother of Jesus, was still just an ordinary human. In the Catholic Church, however, she “is honored and loved second only to God Himself.” 35 Because the pope is well aware that this reverence for Mary is a major block in the road to unity, he has put it on the list for discussion. And Protestants have some very good reasons to raise objec- tions to this Catholic belief. The Bible is very clear that Jesus is our Savior. No other person can atone for our sins. So to God alone should we pray. It is Jesus ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 36 6/9/09 3:42:02 PM Coming! One World Church 37 “who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34). Yet, Catholic catechisms contain numerous prayers to Mary pleading for her to make intercession for our sins. The very popular Hail Mary prayer says, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.” 36 The Hail Holy Queen prayer addresses Mary as mankind’s advocate. “Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears! Turn, then most gracious Advocate, your eyes of mercy towards us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. … O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, o holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.”37 The Bible, however, says that there is no advocate for man other than Jesus. “We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1John 2:1). The second problem with the Catholic doctrine of Mary is called the Immaculate Conception. This teaches that Mary was ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 37 6/9/09 3:42:02 PM 38 Coming! One World Church “conceived without sin.” 38 “Not only was she free from the slightest stain of actual sin, but by a singular miracle of divine grace she was free also from original sin, with which all the other children of Adam are born into this world. It was eminently fitting that she … should be undefiled by even that slight shadow of Adam’s fall. To her alone, among all the members of the race, was granted this singular immunity … the Immaculate Conception [refers] … to the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother without the stain of original sin.” 39 Unfortunately, this teaching finds no sup- port in the Bible. It was only recently pro- claimed as a dogma of the Catholic faith in 1854. 40 The Bible unequivocally declares that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Only one person ever lived a life of perfect sinlessness—Jesus. He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). So why does the Catholic Church teach that Mary never sinned? Simply because if Jesus was sinless, then they feel that His mother had to be sinless. But it is a mistake to assume that just because Jesus’ mother was ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 38 6/9/09 3:42:02 PM Coming! One World Church 39 a sinner, He had to be born a sinner. You see, Jesus received from His mother a body “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Romans 8:3). But He received from His Father a divine spirit and mind. Jesus’ body, degraded by the effects of four thousand years of sin, did not control His actions or sully His character. Though His sinful flesh provided a launching pad for temptation, His divine nature recoiled from it. He chose not to heed temptation’s slightest whisper. Therefore, He was without sin. If Jesus had been born of a sinless mother, then He couldn’t be the sympathizing Savior that He is. It is because He did receive “the likeness of sinful flesh” from Mary that He is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Hebrews 4:15). He is our Mediator and heav- enly Priest by virtue of this very fact. He under- stands us because He was tempted from His flesh. “Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:17,18). ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 39 6/9/09 3:42:03 PM 40 Coming! One World Church The Immaculate Conception veils the compassion of Jesus. This is why Mary is often prayed to as a mediator and interces- sor. Catholic catechisms portray her as one who understands our weaknesses better than Christ. “She is our Mother, near and dear to us, loving us with all the warmth of a mother’s love. As the little child frightened by the shadows of night finds safety in his mother’s arms, so will we in time of temptation find a safe refuge by fleeing to the outstretched arms of Mary our Mother. If we will but clasp the loving hand of our Mother, stretched out to aid us in every danger, our uncertain foot- steps will be guided safely to that golden lad- der upon whose rungs we will climb step by step, to the very throne of her Son and Savior, Jesus Christ.” 41 The Catholic teaching of the Assumption of Mary is another area of concern. This declares that Mary was taken to heaven before her body decomposed in the grave. “It was eminently fitting that the body of the chaste and Immaculate Mother of God was not per- mitted to undergo disintegration and putrefac- tion but was assumed into heaven.” 42 ComingOneWorldChurch.indd 40 6/9/09 3:42:03 PM Coming! One World Church 41 Given the burial process in Bible days, this would have had to happen very soon after her death. Four days after Lazarus’ death, his sis- ters expected his dead body would be decom- posed. “By this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days” (John 11:39). Therefore, according to Catholic teaching, for Mary not to “undergo disintegration and putrefaction” we must conclude she was taken to heaven within four days. Again the Bible does not teach this. It is a new doctrine of the Catholic Church. “This belief … was formally defined as a dogma of the Universal Church by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950.” 43 Instead, the Bible declares that all who die go to the grave to sleep in the dust until the return of Christ. “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2; see also Ecclesiastes 9:5,10; Psalms 146:4; 13:3). Catholics need to re-examine their doc- trines c

Our Lady of Fatima Parish - Diocese of Cubao and National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima (Valenzuela City) Happy Fiesta 2026 - #PPTR (#PleasePrayTheRosary) #parody #NoReligiousWarsIntended #FiestaFatima Facebook:Pen Cocjin YouTube:@CCGAMING2000 Instagram:@pencocjin Lordsbook:Pen Cocjin Tiktok:@_pencocjin

My tears are on my cheek and, Oh! the heart is sad. On those who become Christians, how you are so cruel! The Messiah says: “blessed are all the persecuted” And we, for the sake of the Messiah bear all things. What is it to you that we are apostates? You will not enter our graves or be buried with us. Enough, your swords do not matter to me at all! Your threats do not concern me, and we are not afraid. By God, I am to death a Christian! O, my eye, cry for what has passed as a sad life, For I was far from the Lord Jesus for many years. O history, record! And bear witness, O witnesses! We are Christians walking on the path of the Messiah. Take from me this knowledge and note it well! Jesus is my Lord, and he is the best protector. I advise you to pity your state of being Gaze upon your look of hatred, how hideous it is. Man is brother of man, O learned ones! Where is the humanity and love? And where are you? My last words I pray to the Lord of the worlds, Jesus the Messiah, the Light of Clear Guidance: Change their hearts and set right their discernment. May he spread love among you, O Muslims. - Sara Fatima (Martyred for following Jesus)

Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto Jacinta and Francisco were sister and brother and were the youngest children of Manuel Marto and Olimpia Marto. Jacinta was born on March 11, 1910 and Francisco on June 11, 1908.They were illiterate and looked after the sheep of the family. When they, along with Lucia dos Santos, were looking after their sheep in the open field, Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to them first on May 13, 1917. After that they witnessed several apparitions from May 13, 1917 to October 13, 1917 at Cova da Iria near Fatima, a city about 110 miles from Lisbon, Portugal. The apparition happened when Portugal was in political turmoil and the monarchy was over thrown in the year 1910 and the Government disbanded all religious organizations. It is learnt that in the third apparition Mother May showed the hell to the children. Jacinta died on February 20, 1920 at age 10 years and Francisco died on April 4, 1919 at age 11 years. Their bodies were exhumed in 1951 and the face of Jacinta was found incorrupt. Jacinta and Francisco were beatified by Pope John Paul-II on May 13, 2000, the 83rd anniversary of the first apparition. They are the patrons of captives, people ridiculed for their piety, prisoners, sick people and also against sickness. #faith #Catholic #live #truelife #church #catholicchurch

*Honoring thousands of grassroots level Social Workers & Talents all over India* ---------------------------------------- New Delhi: Christian Peace Mission's *Mother Teresa National Excellence Award for Social Workers & Talents* was presented by His Grace, The Most Rev. Dr. Anil Joseph Thomas Couto, Hon'ble Secretary General of Catholic Bishop Conference of India (CBCI) & the Archbishop of Delhi at Sreenivaspuri, New Delhi on 15th February 2026. Chairman of *Christian Peace Mission* Mr. Rajeev Joseph presided over the award ceremony function. Prof. (Dr.) Sajan M. George (Chairman, Don Bosco Institute of Technology, Okhla, New Delhi), Rev. Fr. Shinil Jacob (Secretary to Archbishop of Delhi), Rev. Fr. Ginto Tom (Parish Priest, Our Lady of Fatima Forane Church, Jasola, New Delhi), Mr. Mark Clive (Director of Institutions, Methodist Church in India & Former CEO of New Delhi YMCA), Ms. Kunjamma Mathew (National President, YWCA of India), Dr. Sanjaanaa John (Global Cultural Diplomat, Film Maker, Creative Philanthrophist & Global Fashion Icone) were the Guest of Honors in the award function. In the *Season-1* award ceremony, 52 Social Workers in the grassroots level, selected from different states of India, honored with 'Mother Teresa National Excellence Award for Peace & Harmony'.

THE DARK SECRETS BEHIND THE APPARITIONS OF FATIMA. A Biblical Examination Of Suffering & Deception. INTRODUCTION The Fatima apparitions of 1916-1917 are officially promoted by the Roman Catholic Church as heavenly and trustworthy. Yet when the original Catholic records are examined, especially the memoirs of Sister Lucia and approved biographies of the children, a disturbing picture emerges: children engaging in extreme self-harm, overriding their parents, and suffering physically and psychologically under spiritual influence. When these facts are tested by Scripture, the conclusion is unavoidable: this phenomenon does not align with Gods character or biblical revelation. In 1916, before the Marian apparitions, the children reported visits from an entity identified as the Angel of Peace or Angel of Portugal.” According to Sister Lucias own account: He taught us to offer prayers and sacrifices to bear with submission the sufferings the Lord would send us. [Sister Lucia, Memoirs, Fourth Memoir] This angel explicitly encouraged suffering as spiritual currency. Catholic biographers openly admit the following practices: The children wore rough cords tightly around their waists, even during the night, causing pain and wounds. [Canon Barthas, Fatima: The Great Sign] They scourged themselves with stinging nettles until their skin was cut and inflamed. [Fr. John De Marchi, The True Story of Fatima] They denied themselves water even in the intense heat, offering the suffering as a sacrifice. De Marchi, The True Story of Fatima Having given away their lunch, they drank from a muddy pond used for washing clothes. [ Sister Lucia, Memoirs, Second Memoir] These are Catholic admissions, not hostile accusations. Lucia acknowledged that: Our parents and the parish priest tried to stop us they said we were ruining our health. [Sister Lucia, Memoirs] Yet the practices continued, and the apparitions never instructed the children to obey their parents. Lucia later conceded: We were children and did not know moderation. [Sister Lucia, Memoirs] Yet Rome never repudiated the (demonic) source of the influence, only the excess. Scripture is direct and unmistakable. God does not desire bodily harm: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13 The body is Gods temple; Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:1920 Self-inflicted suffering has no spiritual merit: Will worship neglecting of the body; not in any honour. Colossians 2:23. What Fatima produced matches Pauls warning exactly. The entire Fatima claim depends on Mary being alive and communicating, but the Bible says otherwise: The dead know not any thing. Ecclesiastes 9:5 David is both dead and buried. Acts 2:29 Scripture gives no exception for Mary. There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5 Therefore, whatever communicated at Fatima could not have been Mary. The Bible consistently associates self-harm with demonic oppression. We have the record of the demon possessed man Jesus encountered: He was cutting himself with stones. Mark 5:5 A man with a demon possessed son says: It hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him. Mark 9:22 There is also the ritual self-cutting by the possessed false prophets of Baal: They cut themselves till the blood gushed out. 1 Kings 18:28 The same behaviors appear at Fatima: Cutting, Binding, Deprivation, Obsession with suffering. This is not coincidence; it is a demonic pattern. Another important biblical fact, God never bypasses parental authority. Children, obey your parents in the Lord. [Ephesians 6:1] Honour thy father and thy mother. [Exodus 20:12] At Fatima: Parents warned the children of their behavior, Priests expressed concern, but the apparitions did not correct the childrens rebellion. This alone disqualifies the source as being from Heaven. Now rather than correcting the theology, Rome: 1. Rebranded suffering as heroic penance:” Their sacrifices were pleasing to God. [Vatican-approved Fatima literature] 2. Canonised Francisco and Jacinta (2017). This officially endorsed the entire event. 3. Consecrated the world to the so-called Our Lady of Fatima:” Most recently reaffirmed by Pope Francis (March 25). Yet Scripture says: Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse!" Galatians 1:8 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17 The Bible refutes this by teaching, consecration belongs to Christ alone. Fatima is not an isolated case. It reflects a system that: - Elevates mystical experience above Scripture - Treats suffering as meritorious - Normalises obedience to visions over parents - Replaces Christs finished work with penance - Rebrands deception as devotion Paul warned of this exact danger: Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14 An often-overlooked but critical part of the Fatima story is what happened after the events, specifically, how Sister Lucias testimony was handled by Church authorities. After entering religious life, Lucia was progressively placed under strict obedience and isolation. Catholic historian Fr. Joaquin Alonso (official archivist of Fatima) admitted: Sister Lucia lived under very strict obedience, and nothing she wrote was published without ecclesiastical approval. [Fr. Joaquin Alonso, La Verdad Sobre el Secreto de Fátima] Her correspondence was screened, and she was discouraged from speaking freely about the apparitions. Lucia did not write her memoirs voluntarily. She stated plainly: I write this only because I am commanded to do so. [Sister Lucia, Memoirs, Introduction] This is significant. Her writings were produced under obedience, not independent testimony. The Fatima memoirs were not written all at once. They were written years apart, under different bishops, and edited before publication. Fr. Alonso acknowledged: There are notable differences of emphasis between the earlier and later memoirs. [Fr. Joaquin Alonso, Fatima Archives] Later editions: Softened descriptions of physical suffering. Emphasised obedience to Church authority. Reduced references to fear, punishment, and bodily pain. Framed the childrens suffering as spiritually ideal. Earlier raw descriptions are harder to access and rarely quoted in modern Fatima devotionals. For decades, the Vatican: Restricted access to Lucias original handwritten texts. Controlled translations. Released information gradually and selectively. Even Catholic scholars complained. The documentation has been filtered through official interpretation. [Fr. Michel de la Sainte Trinité, The Whole Truth About Fatima] This raises a serious historical concern: why control the narrative if it is harmless and clear? The handling of the Third Secret of Fatima sets the pattern. Promised release in 1960 Withheld for decades Released in symbolic form Interpreted by Vatican officials rather than plainly stated Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) admitted: A vision is described, not words spoken by Mary. [Theological Commentary on Fatima, 2000] This admission alone undermines the claim that Fatima was a simple, transparent heavenly message. If Fatima were truly from God: No editing would be necessary No narrative control would be required No restriction of testimony would be justified The Bible operates on openness: For we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty. [ 2 Corinthians 4:2] Secrecy, filtering, and reinterpretation are not marks of divine revelation. This is not how God works. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5 Truth does not fear investigation. Only deception requires control. CONCLUSION: God gives a clear test: To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20 By that test: The dead cannot speak God does not command self-harm Demonic possession produces identical suffering Children must obey parents Christ alone is mediator and sanctifier Fatima fails the biblical test. This is not mockery. It is a warning. Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32 Gospel Angels Broadcasting