Apparitions Exposed!

Can a born again Christian be a member of a cult and be involved in idol worship? I once thought this was an impossibility until it happened to me. Now I understand why Jesus warned us that, in the end times, there would be an appearance of great signs and miracles that would deceive even the elect, if possible. I confess I have been seduced by signs and miracles associated with apparitions of Mary, and I offer my testimony so others may be warned and delivered.

Until recently I was serving as Director of Public Relations for the Queen of Peace Center in Dallas, Texas. This non-profit organization disseminates information and messages from Marian apparitions in Medjugorje and around the world. I co-authored a full page ad that was published in the June 25, 1993, Dallas Morning News at a cost of $10,000. This add announced "Mary's" prescription for peace and listed locations of her recent appearances. It also listed phone numbers to call for up-to-day recorded messages of Mary's latest apparitions, such as the one in Dallas (214) 233-MARY. I once thought it was special to be the only non-Catholic on the Queen of Peace board . . . that is, until I met Mike Gendron and his wife, Jane.

Neighbors and close friends of mine knew I was seriously contemplating becoming Roman Catholic. They told me that Mike had been a Roman Catholic for 37 years and was now a pastor at a non-denominational church in the Dallas area. They said he understood many of the issues involved in being Roman Catholic and could help me with my decision. I looked forward to meeting both Mike and his wife, not for my sake, but for theirs. I felt certain the information I had collected about "Our Lady's apparitions" in Medjugorje would surely lead them back home to the "true" (Roman Catholic) church. Providentially it appeared, I attended a Queen of Peace board meeting the night before we met and asked the board to pray for this lost pastor and his wife, who had fallen away. When I arrived at their door the next morning, I first introduced myself, before returning to my car for the large stack of books and newspapers I had brought to persuade them. The materials would help explain what was happening in Medjugorje and how the Virgin Mary would help change their lives.

After we met, they showed me a film titled Catholicism: Crisis of Faith. This film lovingly and objectively contrasted how the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church contradicts the teachings of the Sacred Scriptures. Mike would stop the film after each segment for my questions and comments. Initially, I was argumentative and felt uneasy and rather adamant about what I was witnessing. Mike realized he had forgotten to pray before starting the film and asked if we could ask God to make His truth clear, and that all deception would be exposed. After the prayer my whole countenance changed.

Each question I asked, Mike validated his answers using Vatican II documents and an official Roman Catholic catechism. It was amazing to me how Roman Catholic teaching contradicts the very Word of God. Question after question, he would bring the Bible over to me and knell to show me verses in context. His servant's demeanor and patient, understanding heart helped in unraveling falsehood after falsehood. There wasn't a question I could have asked him that would have provoked anger. As a reflection of our Lord, this man allowed Jesus to pull the scales away from my eyes.

There were three things in the film and our discussion that were most alarming to me. First, a church in South America has Mary placed on a crucifix rather than Christ. It reminded me of my visit to Our Lady of Guadeloupe Cathedral in downtown Dallas where Mary is positioned as the focal point at the alter and the crucifix is placed in another part of the church. These two scenes made me realize idolatry is practiced within the church.

Second, the Roman Catholic Catechism by Rev. William Cogan, now in its 44th year of print, has altered the 10 commandments of God. The 2nd commandment given to Moses reads, "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or in the earth beneath or in the water under the earth" (Exodus 20:4). The Roman Catholics have deleted this commandment but still came up with ten by splitting the 10th one into two separate commands. "You shall not covet your neighbor's good; and you shall not covet your neighbor's wife" (Exodus 20:17). I was reminded of the scriptural warnings for those who add to or subtract from the Bible.

Third, Mike told me the only place in the Bible in which the queen of heaven was referred to was in the Book of Jeremiah. He encouraged me to study the passage and it would expose another false doctrine concerning Mary. Anyone who is familiar with the prayers and meditations of the rosary can tell you that in one of the mysteries Christ supposedly crowned Mary the queen of heaven after she was assumed into heaven. Neither of these events have scriptural validity, but I had decided to blindly accept these doctrines because all of the other meditations on the life of Christ were verified by Scripture.

After returning home, I looked in the Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible for the passage in Jeremiah 44. Here, the Lord was angered by the wickedness of the people choosing to serve other gods. The people refused to listen to the Lord. Instead, they would "burn sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven and pour out libations to her." The woman "made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out libations to her?" (Jeremiah 44:17, 19).

In Hebrew the word for queen has reference to "the heavenly handiwork" or "the stars of heaven." The reference might be to Ishtar, the goddess of love and fertility, who is identified with the Venus Star and is actually entitled "Mistress of Heaven." (The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, p. 975)

My head was spinning and filled with questions after reading this. Doesn't Mary usually appear with stars for her crown? Who then is the woman in Revelation 12:3-6? And most importantly, why would the Roman Catholic Church give the mother of Jesus the title of a pagan goddess? Had I been promoting the ministry of a pagan goddess whose messages were inconsistent with the Bible? Indeed her messages do contradict the Bible. In fact, she speaks of another gospel, another plan of salvation that nullifies and opposes the all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus. The apparition of Fatima said, "You have seen Hell where the souls of poor sinners go, so save them, God wishes to establish in the world, devotion to my Immaculate Heart." The apostle Paul condemned anyone, even an angel from heaven, who would dare preach a different way to be saved other than through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ (Galatians 1:6-10).

As for the woman described in Revelation, she is not Mary, the mother of Jesus, but God's chosen people, the Jews. When the passage in chapter 12 is read in context with the rest of the book, and Genesis 37:9-10, this clearly refers to the nation Israel. God fulfills His promise to the Jews, by protecting them in the desert during 3 1/2 years of tribulation.

I later realized my prayers to Mary and the saints, the reciting of rosaries and chaplets of divine mercy, and the wearing of Marian medals and scapulars had taken my focus off of Jesus. I had allowed doctrines of the Roman Catholic church to do the very thing Saint Paul warned against, "But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." (2 Cor. 11:3).

Recently, a person whom I love dearly, and who has a "Marian devotion" asked me, "Why are you bothering the people who are already good people instead of worrying about those who are lost?" The answer came to me the other evening as the Lord continues to guide me through His sacred Word. Saint Paul wrote that "Satan masquerades as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). We know the mother of Jesus would never oppose her Son, and since the apparitions do just that, they could very well be Satan masquerading as Mary. Saint Paul also wrote, "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them . . . everything exposed by the light becomes visible" (Ephesians 5:11-14). Therefore, I feel called to expose these attempts by the evil one to divert people's devotion away from Jesus. The most authoritative way to do this is with the light of God's Holy Word. My new test for truthfulness is -- if it does not agree with the Scriptures then it must be rejected.

Now that I have torn down the altar in my bedroom, where I knelt and prayed to St. Anthony of Padua each night, and now that I have placed my rosaries, scapular and medals away, I have found a new freedom. The truth really does set people free! I have found special peace in knowing Jesus alone is my Savior, and not co-redemptrix with His mother. The Holy Spirit continues to lead me into all truth and is now the only teacher I need (1 John 2:27).

To all my precious friends who I have encouraged to seek Mary and to obey the misleading messages of her apparitions, I pray these Scriptures would minister to you -- "And it came about while He said these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts at which you nursed.' But He said, 'On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and observe it." (Luke 11:27-28)

This article was submitted by a former Director for a "Mary, Queen of Peace Center."

Did you know that metmom’s sect is filled with vile and evil wretches?

Its hard for people who have sects like that to maintain any dignity.

One must be hard but gentle when dealing with such people, as I have observed you doing well. Those tactics are necessary to penetrate their core - heart, mind, and soul - with the truth.

Oh, not at all, Reggy.

And everything I have typed is 100% accurate.

Scooby-Doo is an anti-Pope, have you heard, lol? Aahh, but the strawberries, that’s where you had her.

I have to say that even with your evangelical fervor, you have managed to forgo the massive pic links.

For that, you have my tremendous thanks...

What's the hesitation? DO IT!!!!

They don't hear their sheep rebelling, so all is good - they trained them good, not for their good but for the church's good, from the pulpit.

When I read how alot of these sexual deviant abuses started with the confessional. And, we read that they are to 'force yourself to obey your confessor even if you are afraid'. That was put in for a specify reason, IMO. Of all the things that was posted, that one stuck with me. Those poor victims.

I know this is a bit forward, but here goes:

If I were not Catholic,
and you were in charge,
would you oppose having sects with people like me?

I would, but it would not be enough that you were not Catholic.

You would have to be very very very very very very not Catholic.

Then I wouldn’t have to confess it either.

Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you." ,......If Paul was mortified about this kind of sexual immorality, there's little doubt that what has been going on in the Catholic church would be even more strongly condemned by him. No wonder Catholics don't like Paul.

Good point. God's Word says purge the evil, the RCC embraces and covers for it. Always the opposite of God's Word. That the Vatican/RCC, the counterfeit church.

We’re all sinners, Notwithstanding, even you, even the Pope. There is a difference between being forgiven and being unrepentant, though. I am not in charge, not in control and those times when I believed myself to be I’ve been humbled.

There are people here who disagree with much that your church represents, some more vociferously than others. There are people here who profess no denomination and many of the most vociferous critcs of your church are among them. I’m sure that’s frustrating, but manufacturing a caricature to condemn in it’s place is, well ... not coming across as intended, shall we say.

Well, that wraps up this edition.

Thanks to all of you playing along at home.

Please tune in next time for the newest edition of our award-winning program:

“Why God Won’t Have Sects”

These men in dresses have absolutely ‘no thinking power’. They can’t think past their nose. The last link - some priest admits to abusing 200 boys and showed no remorse, the MD reported. Evil has truly warped these guys in dresses. The leaders of the RCC. If anyone wanted to make up a story, no one would even go this far - it’s so unbelievable!

It’s so impounded in them, the church, the church, the church - they lost sight of common sense! And love/compassion for it’s members gets a big fat ZERO.

If there is a point, I certainly hope it’s not merely childish wordplay.

There are ample threads elsewhere to gibber and cavort with such if that’s how one likes to pass one’s time.

You can’t know my intentions. And it’s against the rules here to post any mind-reading.

And you surely can’t know if the threads with my current posting-style are better or worse for the Truth than threads that contain multiple vituperative anti-Catholic smears and diatribes from people who have no interest in discussion or love, but seek primarily to hate (out loud) Catholics and things Catholic. We can’t dialogue with a bag of anti-Catholic hammers, and so I have brought my own bag of hammers.

Its nice of you to care.

I don’t think it is childish wordplay.

I have learned my own things from it. What I’ve been struck with tonight is two things. First, some seem either unable to recognize caricature, or unable to resist responding as if it were not caricature.

And that fact has allowed me to see what some would do were the shoe on the other foot, to borrow a cliché.

And that has given me a greater appreciation for those who in the past have shown restraint when faced with the non-caricature.

thanks for your posts.

DOODNESS! Letting the cat out of the bag, now, are you! LOL.

We were hoping they wouldn’t notice.

Why should Proddys be upset when they don’t know when to stop digging.

1,460 posted on 04/17/2011 9:15:05 PM PDT by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)

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