The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his078/branwash.arj/BRANWASH.TXT

Text File | 1991-06-24 | 29KB | 624 lines

                How The Catholic Church Brainwashed Me

                    (COMPOSED BY A FORMER CATHOLIC)

     Recently, I downloaded the file "CULT21.ZIP" from the EXCELLENT
Visalia BBS.  The file was described as a description of how cults
function.

     I thought that I had never been a member of a cult.  However,
since I was a Catholic for the first 29 years of my life, I was
astounded to realize how the characteristics of a cult `fit in` with
my Catholic teachings. That conclusion was un escapable.

     Therefore, I am writing this file to give my personal testimony
as to how the Catholic church `works`. It is my greatest hope that
someone reading this file will realize that the Catholic church is a
cult, and will be able to escape from it.

     Having been a Catholic enables me to realize how the Gospel of
Jesus Christ has been raped by the Catholic church.  It enables me to
see and remember how I was in the past, and to realize that the
average Catholic is nothing less than brainwashed. To see proof of
this claim, read on.

     That comment will probably `turn off` any Catholic reading this
paper. I know that because I remember being taught that I was to
disregard ANY religious view that contradicted the false doctrines of
the Catholic church. That teaching, by the way, must include THE
BIBLE!

     After witnessing to my mother for seven years, I one day came to
realize that she had just been `humoring me`. The Words of Jesus
Christ in the Bible had had absolutely no effect on her religious
viewpoint.

     She just let me ramble on, and then, one day I asked her how she
was going to be sure of going to Heaven. She replied, "Why, by
believing in God, and in Heaven!"

     Any true Christian can see how `well` this false hope fits in
with the Biblical account of attaining salvation. I suppose she has
never considered that Satan also believes "in God and in Heaven!" Is
he saved?

     I said a moment ago that I could prove that the Catholic church
brainwashes its members.

     As for my proof, I will relate a true story. After witnessing to
my mother to no avail, I one day asked her if she believed that Mary
is/was "THE MOTHER OF GOD."

     She replied, "Well, she was the mother of Jesus." I replied "Yes,
but do you believe that she is/was the MOTHER OF GOD?"

     She then dodged my question by asking me not to `quiz` her on her
religious beliefs.

     (That, by the way, is a common reaction when cult members become
faced with unpleasant questions. My question `threw a monkey wrench`
into her programming. Since cult members are taught not to question
the doctrines they are being taught, it makes them very uneasy to be
asked anything that is in contradiction to their teachings. Since
their power of reasoning has been replaced with a `program`, they
cannot judge any doctrine, unless they first ask their
mentor/teacher/priest first. They seek `permission` to believe
something.)

     After asking that question, I realized something very
significant. My mother has been a Catholic for 70+ years. She has
probably `prayed` millions of `rosaries`. In the `rosary`, the
Catholic prays dozens of "Hail Marys."

     The prayer:

     "Hail Mary, full  of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed
     art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
     Jesus.  Holy  Mary,  MOTHER OF GOD,   pray for us sinners,
     now, and at the hour of our death, Amen."

     My mother has said this prayer all her life, BUT HAS NEVER
REALIZED THAT, IN IT, SHE IS CALLING MARY THE "MOTHER OF GOD!!!!!" If
that is not BRAINWASHING, I frankly do not know what it is. I believe
that many Catholics would say the same thing that my mother did. The
Catholic often does not realize the words of their prayers.

     Another incident that I remember illustrates another point. There
will no doubt be persons reading this that will believe that I am an
`isolated case`, that I misinterpreted my Catholic teachings. Read on.

     One night, myself, my cousin from another city, and a friend of
mine were riding around. My friend had his girlfriend with us. She was
a Baptist.

     We somehow got on the subject of the Bible. My friend`s
girlfriend made some comments about the credibility of the Bible, and
its authors. She was the only `Protestant` in the car. Myself, my
friend, and my cousin were all Catholics.

     I remember, very clearly, how we laughed at her. My cousin made
the comment that "Oh, no, you can`t take the Bible literally." We
teased her for being so stupid as to take the Bible seriously. The
comments she had made were, of course, verses that condemn some of the
practices of the Catholic church.

     Looking back, I now realize that this incident illustrates one of
the effects of Catholic teachings. Our membership in the Catholic
church had caused us to literally LAUGH at the Bible. How is it
possible that we could consider ourselves `religious`, yet we LAUGHED
at the Bible? We still believed that we were `religious`. After all,
we went to church every Sunday, didn`t we? Hadn`t we received all the
`sacraments`?

     This incident also illustrates that:

     1. I was not an isolated case of someone misinterpreting a
        church`s teachings.

     2. My cousin was from a large city 150 miles away, yet his
        attitude was the same as myself`s and my friend`s.

     Today, it is unbelievable that I ever had such a disregard for
God`s Word. What is incredible is that I considered myself to be at
least fairly `religious` at the time. I was a faithful member of the
Catholic church. I almost never missed church on Sunday and `Holy Days
of Obligation`.  Yet I could laugh at the Bible!

     What produced this abomination? How did it happen? What had I
been taught that could produce this attitude? I had no definite idea,
or I at least couldn`t put it into words; that is, until I read
"CULT21.ZIP." Then it all fell together.

     Thus, I decided to write this paper and relate, from experience,
how I was brainwashed by the Catholic church. I will quote small
passages from the file "CULT21.ZIP" in this paper.

     First, a definition of a cult:

     "A   cult  is  religious  perversion.  It is a belief  and
     practice in the world of religion which calls for devotion
     to a religion which calls for devotion to a religious view
     or  leader  centered in false doctrine. It is an organized
     heresy."
                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     Next, the above-mentioned file lists reasons that people believe
in cult teachings:

   "1.  Love of Darkness

     One of the chief reasons people refuse to believe the true Gospel
of Christ after they hear the truth of God is its ruthless
illumination of sin and its call to repentance and faith in the
Saviour."

     This reason is one that any person could fall victim to. None of
use want to admit that we are what God says we are.  We naturally want
to think we are `better than` at least some of our fellow men.  Yet
this is perhaps the greatest obstacle between God and man.

     Until we admit we are filthy with sin, we cannot begin to allow
God to change us. Until we acquire humility, we cannot gain God`s
righteousness. Until we accept Jesus Christ, we are lost.

     The Catholic church also allows its members to `confess` their
sins to `priests`. This false doctrine allows the Catholic to avoid a
direct `face-to-face` confrontation with God.

     The Catholic dreads a confrontation with God. They dread it
because they have a distorted image of God, and of His `personality`.
When I was a Catholic, I thought God sat in Heaven all day, adding up
my sins and deciding how best to punish me. That is no exaggeration.
About all I knew of God was His desire for vengeance. All I was taught
was "the law."

     And, of course, since the average Catholic does not know for sure
whether he or she is `saved` or not, he or she is naturally
apprehensive about how his/her `judgment` at death will turn out.

     That brings to mind an incident that happened just last Sunday.
Since I live away from my hometown, my mother often calls me on
weekends.

     Last Sunday, I asked her if she was sure of going to Heaven. I
thought she was still going to Heaven because she believes "in God and
in Heaven."

     I was shocked. She said she was SURE she is going to Heaven when
she dies. I wondered, "Has she finally accepted Jesus as her Savior?"
(I should have known better).

     She told me she is going to Heaven because "She is a Christian!"
I asked her when she became a Christian. She wasn`t sure. I then asked
her what she had done to become a Christian. She didn`t know.

     I asked her if she was different now than before she was a
Christian ("Ye must be born again"). She said she is a lot different
now than when she was young.

     In the end, she could not answer any of my questions.

     This illustrates another point. The only reason she thinks she is
a Christian is because THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS BEGUN CALLING ITS
MEMBERS `CHRISTIANS` INSTEAD OF `CATHOLICS`. That is the ONLY reason.

     This also shows how the average Catholic takes every word of the
Catholic church as absolute law.

     Thus, "My priest says I am a Christian, therefore I am. I did
nothing to become a Christian, but I am one."

                                 -----
   "2.  Spiritual Immaturity

     One  of  the  great  needs  in  the  church  today  is for
     Christian growth. Nothing is more important than spiritual
     growth in the life of the newborn Christian. The spiritual
     babies  mentioned  in Scripture are called upon to "desire
     the  sincere  milk  of  the  Word" what they may grow as a
     result.  It is the study of the Word of God which produces
     the knowledge of sound doctrine."

                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     This reason is clear in virtually every Catholic. The average
Catholic has never spent 30 minutes in his life reading the Bible. My
entire family is Catholic. I do not know, out of about 30 Catholic
relatives, that any of them EVER read a Bible.

     My mother says she reads the Bible, but has "trouble"
understanding it. That is because she does not have the Holy Spirit.
Even if she did understand it, she would never let it affect her
religious views. The Word of Jesus Christ means nothing to the average
Catholic, unless it is taught to him/her by the Catholic church.

   "3.  Spiritual Subversion

     "Another  reason  sincere  people  are drawn off into  the
     cults   is   that  traveling  religious carpetbaggers work
     industriously  to  subvert  people  from the true faith in
     Jesus  Christ into a religion that is contrary to the Word
     of God."
                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     The Catholic church does this. It distorts the Gospel into a
system of salvation through works and money, neither of which `saves`
a person.

     When I was a Catholic, the church has an elaborate system of
`charges` for the different types of `masses`. Weddings had a
graduated cost scale, as did funerals.

     In addition, members paid for masses to `pray people out of
Purgatory`. No matter what you want from the Catholic church, it is
going to cost you some money.

     There were rare exceptions, but the mere idea of charging for
`religious services` is ridiculous and abominable to the true
Christian.

     Next, we go to the various methods used by cults to brainwash
people into believing in a false religion.

   "1.  EXTRA BIBLICAL REVELATION - How has God revealed Himself?"

                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     In the Catholic church, church traditions have replaced the
Scriptures. Since church traditions were `declared equal to the
Scriptures` by the pope, Catholics regard church rulings as having the
same weight as the true Word of God.

     In fact, since the Catholic church`s various declarations are
stressed more than the Scriptures, the Word of God is virtually
disregarded, except for selected verses.

     An example:

     "And  call  no man your father upon the earth: for one  is
     your Father, which is in heaven."
                                               - Matthew 23:9

     These are the Words of Jesus Christ. He was speaking to a group,
telling them about the use of `titles` in the church. He is saying to
call no man in the church "father." Of course, priests are called
"father" and the pope is often called "the holy father."

     You can show this to virtually any Catholic and it will have no
effect on their beliefs. That is why I say that the Word of God means
nothing to the average Catholic.

     Not one of them would dream of quitting their church - certainly
not on the basis of something Jesus Christ said.

     Catholics will not accept the Words of Jesus. They do not realize
that by rejecting His Word, they are REJECTING HIM!

     Yet, they are "Christians?"

   "2.  A FALSE BASIS OF SALVATION - What must I do to be saved?"

                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     As mentioned, Catholics are devoutly trying to `work their way`
to Heaven. That is understandable, since I was never taught that we
are saved "by grace through faith." I certainly was never taught that
salvation is `free`. But it is.

     It is human nature to expect to have to work for our blessings.
But if the Word of God says otherwise, that is what I must believe.
And I do. I realize that my best efforts are still not good enough.
Only through God`s righteousness can I become righteous. Catholics do
not realize that, because their cult has taught them otherwise.

   "3. UNCERTAIN HOPE - The soul that is in distress is also in
       bondage!"
                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     Catholics still believe there is hope for salvation even
after death. Why else would they pray for the dead? Why have `masses`
for the dead?

     Even though they think they are "Christians" and are thus
`saved`, Catholics are still uncertain about their destiny. There is
always the question of how long they might be in "purgatory." So they
do everything they can, still `working` their way to Heaven.

   "4.  PRESUMPTUOUS MESSIANIC LEADERSHIP - Only Jesus Christ deserves
        disciples!"
                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     This one is easy. The Catholic has not only one main leader, but
a complex system of bishops and other church `dignitaries`. Even a
common `priest` is considered as being `above` the mortal man. After
all, the `priest` has the power to forgive sin, to marry, and to save
a man from hell on his deathbed, merely by administering the "last
rites." No effort necessary - just sit back and let your church save
your soul.

     When I was a Catholic, my trust was not in Jesus Christ. My trust
was in the Catholic church, to perform the rituals necessary for me to
attain salvation.

   "5.  DOCTRINAL AMBIGUITY - If  the trumpet give an uncertain
        sound, who shall prepare for the battle?

     Doctrinal ambiguity is a mark of a cult.  One of the  very
     fascinating   characteristics    of   the   cults  is  the
     interesting  and  sometimes  hilarious changes of doctrine
     through  which they pass.  Their doctrines are continually
     altered  in  order  to  adapt themselves to new situation,
     arguments, or the whims of their leaders."

                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     One has only to read a chronological history of the Catholic
church`s rulings to see that this statement applies to the Catholic
cult. Rulings have come and gone. "Infallible" popes have made
rulings, only to be `overruled` by the next "infallible" pope.

     I was at first tempted to edit the word "hilarious" from the
above statement. I thought that 'hilarious" was an offensive word to
use to apply to the Catholic church`s dogma.

     That is, until I remembered the Catholic dogma of the "eternal
virginity of Mary." That word really does apply, when you consider
that the Catholic church has declared Mary an `eternal virgin`, even
though Joseph and Mary had normal sex after Jesus` birth. Thus Jesus
had step-brothers, yet Mary `remained a virgin`. Ridiculous to anyone
except a Catholic.

   "6.  THE CLAIM OF SPECIAL DISCOVERIES - I have found the secret!"

                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     The Catholic church makes use of this method by claiming there
are many "mysteries" associated with the Christian faith. Yet
there are really none. If God had not wanted us to know Him and His
Doctrines, He would not have preserved the Bible for us.

     The Catholic church acts as if it is in possession of `secrets`
that other religions do not have. This method has the added
benefit of assuring the Catholic that he is a member of the only true
church.

     In addition, the many world-wide `visions` of "Mary" and "Jesus"
are used in the same way. The Catholic believes it all, without
question.

   "7.  DEFECTIVE CHRISTOLOGY - Who is Jesus Christ?"

     When I was a Catholic, I NEVER really understood how the
sacrifice of Jesus on the cross "works." I was never taught how the
atonement of Christ works. I was taught "Jesus died for our sins," but
I never knew that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was completed when He
died. I was never taught there is nothing we can do to `add to` the
completed work of Jesus Christ.

     I was taught all about `limbo`, `purgatory`, `holy candles`,
`holy water`, and other fictional doctrines, but never about the free
salvation available through Jesus Christ.

     Thus, I attended a church that implies, by its practices, that it
is the only true church. Yet I was taught nothing about the Doctrines
of God in the Bible.

     What if I died while being a Catholic? Knowing what I know now, I
have no doubt that I would have gone to Hell.

   "8.  SEGMENTED BIBLICAL ATTENTION - There is no book in all the
        world like the Bible."
                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     This characteristic applies to many false religions. Many
religions adopt a single Biblical verse to make one verse the
foundation of their church.

     A perfect example of this practice in the Catholic church is the
worship of the virgin Mary. The Catholic church has taken the Words of
Christ on the cross and changed their meaning to suit their purposes.

     "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his
     mother's  sister,  Mary  the  wife  of  Cleophas, and Mary
     Magdalene.
     When  Jesus  therefore  saw  his  mother, and the disciple
     standing  by,  whom  he  loved,  he saith unto his mother,
     Woman, behold thy son!
     Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from
     that hour that disciple took her unto his own home."

                                               - John 19:25-27

     It is should be obvious that when Jesus said "Woman, behold thy
son!", He was referring to the disciple and Mary. He is obviously
telling His disciple that he should consider Mary as his own mother.
This is proven by the last words of the verse ("And from that hour
that disciple took her unto his own home.")

     Yet the Catholic church has changed the `interpretation` of this
verse, and has had the audacity to declare Mary as "the mother of
God." The Catholic church has taken these few verses and have made
them into a cornerstone of their church.

   "9.  ENSLAVING ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE - `You belong to me!`"

                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     I was once talking to my mother about a movie. I believe that it
was the movie "The Color Purple." She made the comment, "Oh yes, the
`father` has told us that it permissible to see that movie."

     It is true that a minister/priest has the option to comment on
the many things that are evil in our world today, but in the Catholic
church this is carried to the utter extreme. Catholics will obey these
`orders` without question. They have lost their power of choice and of
reasoning.

     This is only one example of the mind control that the Catholic
church has over many of its members. Another example that I practiced
while a Catholic was the abstinence from eating meat on Fridays. This
ridiculous dogma has been `changed` now, but it also illustrates the
power the Catholic church has over its members. If the pope declares
something, no matter how ridiculous, no matter if it `overrules`
earlier declarations, most Catholics will obey, without question.

   "10.  FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION - The marvelous message of the Gospel
         of Christ."
                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     As mentioned before, the Catholic church is largely a financial
institution. `Masses` cost, weddings cost, virtually everything in the
Catholic church costs money.

     I remember that MANY of the `sermons` I heard on Sunday had
nothing to do with the Gospel. Almost every Sunday, the priest talked
about the cost of running the `parish`.

     Every summer, the many `parishes` near my home town held `parish
picnics`, with proceeds going to the church. There were games, food,
and beer sold at these events. I remember that the beer flowed like
water.  Often, the event would run out of beer, causing a call
to the nearest distributor for more. I frequently saw minors being
bought beer by adults.

     Oh, there were drunks getting into fights sometimes, but it`s all
OK, since the church sponsored it. It`s all good, clean fun.

     Most of these parishes had their own school. The Catholic church
is very persuasive in its efforts to force Catholic parents to enroll
their children in Catholic schools. I remember wanting to attend a
public school because I had many friends attending public school. Of
course, I was forbidden.

     The existence of these schools is very important to the Catholic
system of brainwashing. It is only logical, the younger a person is,
the easier it is to brainwash them. No one`s mind is more pliable than
a child`s.

     THIS is the real reason most Catholics are Catholics. They never
had any choice. They have never known anything except the non-Biblical
teachings of the Catholic church. They lost their power of reasoning
long ago.

   "11.  DENUNCIATION OF OTHERS - When one announces himself as the
         true Messiah all others of course are false and must be put
         down."
                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     The Catholic church does not directly denounce other religions,
at least now. But I know that the Catholic church, by its rulings and
practices, IMPLIES that other religions are not the `true` religion.

     Catholics may say, "I believe there are saved people in other
religions." Yet, how can there be people saved outside the Catholic
church?

     If a Catholic accepts the `dogmas` of his church, he believes
that `confession` to a priest is necessary for forgiveness of sin.  Of
course, this is not Biblical, but that`s beside the point.

     If Baptists/Protestants/etc. do not have the `sacrament of
confession`, how can they achieve forgiveness for their sins? They
cannot. If they cannot achieve forgiveness for their sins through
`confession`, how can they achieve salvation? They cannot, according
to Catholic doctrine. Therefore, how can a Catholic say that there are
`saved` persons outside the Catholic church?

     If a Catholic had his power of reasoning, he should realize it is
logical that any other religion MUST be false, because other religions
do not have the `sacraments` of the Catholic church.

     Other religions do not worship Mary. How can they be anything but
false? Other religions do not have the pope. How could they be
anything but false? Other religions do not have infant baptism, which
allegedly "washes away original sin." How can they not be false?

     I was taught that, in the `sacrament` of `confirmation`, the
Catholic bishop causes the person to receive the Holy Spirit, merely
by placing his hands on the person. Other religions do not have this
`power`. How can anyone other than a Catholic receive the Holy Spirit?
They cannot, according to Catholic practices.

     These `problems` do not affect the devout Catholic. They never
even think about them. Their thinking has been done for them. They
only believe.

     In addition, Catholics do not look to the Scriptures for
guidance. They look to their "messiah," the pope. Only him do they
obey. The Scriptures have been discarded, to be replaced by the dogmas
from the Catholic`s "savior," the pope.

     That is the essence of Catholicism - never mind the Scriptures
denouncing the Catholic church`s practices; do anything the church
asks of you, and you will be a Christian.

     The Catholic is a gambler. He is betting that the `power` of the
Catholic church is enough to overcome Scripture.  He is literally
betting his eternity on it, often without ever realizing it.

   "12.  SYNCRETISM - We must become all things to all men!"

                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"

     If anyone studies the history of the Catholic church, he will
discover that it is a faith that is nothing if not pliable. Throughout
history, the Catholic church has `bent` its own dogmas over and over,
just to be able to accommodate new members.

     The `Crusades`, which I had been taught were religious crusades
to convert `pagans`, were actually wars between the Catholic church
and those who (rightfully) refused to submit to the will and the rule
of the pope.

     "The  definition of  syncretism from a religious point  of
     view  is  `the  process  of  growth through coalescence of
     different forms of faith and worship or through accretions
     of  tenets,  rights, etc., from those religions which are
     being superseded` (Webster).

     Sensing  some  new,  exploitive chances, the cultist
     glues   together  a   bewildering   array   of   religious
     components, knowing that some of these will strike a chord
     of response."
                                   - from the file "CULT21.ZIP"


     This reminds me of a radio program I heard on shortwave not long
ago. It was from `Radio Israel`. A commentator was speaking to a
Jewish leader, remarking how the pope was trying to make Europe a
"Christian group of nations."

     The Jewish leader said, "You must remember that when the pope
speaks of a `Christian Europe`, HE ACTUALLY MEANS A CATHOLIC EUROPE."
(Emphasis added).

     Thus the pope, by calling Catholicism "Christianity," is
attempting to accept other religions `into the fold`. And why not?
That means more people under his control, and more money coming into
the Vatican Bank.

     Many Catholics do not even realize the danger of believing false
doctrine. Many of them think that all churches believe much the same
things.

     My mother has told me that she also enjoys reading the books
peddled by another cult, Jehovah`s Witnesses. She just doesn`t realize
that believing the wrong things can send you for Hell. She thinks that
anything that has God`s name on it is credible.

     I hope that this file, if nothing else, will help non-Catholics
to understand how the Catholic cult works. I speak from experience.

     I am not saying that Catholics are stupid, or that they are not
devout in their beliefs. They just never had a chance to escape from
their cult. They have been brainwashed from childhood. The abominable
teachings of their cult is all they know.

     I hope that a Catholic will read this file and escape from the
Catholic cult. If even one person is released from the bondage of the
Catholic cult, it will have been worth the effort.

                         THIS FILE IS FREEWARE

    IT MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY MANNER AS LONG AS IT IS NOT CHANGED