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STRUCTURE OF AUTHORITY AND
BELIEFS - The following is a brief schematic of the levels of authority to be followed in developing an informed conscience with [a.)] being at the highest level: a.) The expressed will of God as stated in or approved by"infallible" papal documents and those given direct authentication by papal authority. Such teachings must be universal in nature. Documents which are probably to be included at this level are: 1. Sacred Scripture as officially enumerated by the Council of Trent. These are the same books commonly accepted by Christians from the late forth century until Protestant reformers dropped books and passages of the Bible written by Jews in Greek. (Qualifications and limitations concerning correct interpretation and understanding of Scripture needs to be explained.) 2. Ecumenical councils which were truly universal in nature and authenticated by a successor of Peter. (Possibly to be excluded, in whole or in part because of internally stated intentions, is Vatican Council II.) 3. Other universally directed and authenticated papal teachings on matters of faith and morals. Papal stated intention when internally available is of great value. NOTE: The whole area of direction, subject matter, and authentication is expected to require extensive development with the setting of parameters for proper understanding of various teachings. The phrase, "From the Chair of Peter," means that one with the authority of Peter has certified a teaching and made it doctrine of the Church. A "dogma" is a doctrine which has been proclaimed with special acclamation. All doctrine is infallible and as such is unchangeable. The following are basic standards which need to be met for a document to be considered infallible: I.} Internally stated intention of the pope or as determined through content analysis. II.} Papal signature or perhaps the certifiable equivalent. (The pope must have his full mental faculties and be free of coercion.) III.} Must be directed universally or the moral equivalent. IV.} Must cover matters of faith and morals. b.) Non-infallible universally directed and authenticated papal teachings. A religious obedience in a unique way is to be given to the Holy Father even when he is not speaking ex cathedra. NOTE: No priest, no bishop, no cardinal, no conference of bishops, not even the pope himself can give anyone under any circumstance permission to violate moral laws without himself committing serious sin. c.) Universally directed and authenticated Vatican Curial documents. d.) Codes of Canon Law. NOTE: Codes of Canon Law are not considered universal teachings as they do not apply to all of the rites of the Church. e.) Liturgical directives of the various rites of the Church. The same concept that applies to Codes of Canon Law applies to liturgical rubrics. f.) Directives of conferences of bishops in keeping with authority from higher Church levels and approved by same. Note: Other episcopal conference documents probably fall into a non-designated category ahead of opinions of theologians. g.) Directives of ones own diocesan bishop, who is an ordinary, while acting within his limited scope of authority. (If visiting another diocese, the directives of the local ordinary may apply.) h.) Public teachings of Popes, Church fathers, and Doctors of the Church. This category may be considered to include non-directed or unsigned papal documents. The latest encyclicals of John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae and Ut Unum Sint, as presented fall into this category. i.) Pastors of local parishes. j.) Other parish priests. k.) Opinions of theologians (NOTE: Heresies of the Church commonly originate from this category). l.) Civil authorities when acting in their proper realm and are in harmony with natural law. m.) The father of each individual family. (The qualified
male parent has a key responsibility in regard to the structure of the whole system and therefore
commits grave sin when he is not active in his role of faith leadership.) NOTE: Each person is
always responsible for their own salvation. Accordingly each one should have a proper
understanding of the above levels of authority and should be able, within the limits of their own
abilities, to grasp the relative importance of each level and be willing to give each level correct
priority. COMMENT 1: The above should be considered an incomplete listing of levels of teachings and of
levels of authority within the Church and society. COMMENT 5: It should be understood that personal directives of the pope, local bishop, parish
priest, etc. should not be obeyed if they are in opposition to higher levels of teachings and just
authorities. Reasonable proof of one's position must be made available when requested. A higher
level of authority must also be able to prove its position when asked to do so. NOTE: Time need
not be spent upon individuals who repeatedly fail to offer sound reasoning or proof of their
position. (If it is believed that an injustice has taken place in regard to a person not able to make
personal defense, then one qualified to do so may make complaint on behalf of the other person if
he believes he has sufficient evidence to do so.) The above is the general format I use in making determinations concerning my personal relationship with God. Each individual's relationship with God should be one's primary concern in this life. A person's strongest desire and motivation should be toward eternal life. The schematic is offered as a stimulator for further discussions. I believe a proper understanding of levels of authority to be the key which will resolve most of the problems within the Church. I theorize that authenticated correct levels of authority will become a prime instrument for uniting all Christians and will bring new direction to evangelization. It must always be understood that one must look to the highest level to which one has knowledge and has the capacity to work with. We must all use the gifts we have been given by God. Those with the greater gifts, who fail to properly use them, commit the greater sin. It should be noted that even relatively orthodox organizations, such as Catholics United for the Faith, do not follow a proper hierarchial system when evaluating questions concerning teachings of the Church. It is not uncommon for even loyal members of the Church to assign lower level Church teachings an equal or even greater value than higher level teachings. All levels of teaching below the infallible level should be understood to be levels of opinion. Even though they have a high level of authority, they should be understood to be opinion which could, at least in part, be in error. One may not on their own initiative assume any teaching to be in error. One must demonstrate, by recourse to a higher level teaching, that an error truly exists. The error must be in clear conflict with a higher level teaching, or, such error must be demonstrated from irrefutable reasoning before one may disregard the authority existing at even the lowest level. It should be kept in mind that truly sound reasoning is from God. If the aforementioned ranking of teachings is put into practice then problems concerning faith and morals would more readily be put into proper perspective. A VISION OF HELL - The oldest of the three children, Lucia dos Santos, who is still living, describes the great sea of fire shown them by our Lady as follows: "Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised up in the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, without weight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear." SENILITY or SPIRITUAL WITLESSNESS - Pope John Paul II, cardinals, bishops, and local pastors have set aside the concept of what it means to be a true pastor of a flock. A true shepherd not only teaches but leads and controls his people. He uses his staff to defend the flock and drive off predators. The boy, the ancestor of Jesus who became King David, used a sling shot to kill predators and an enemy of the people. A prime example of compromise can be found in his statements concerning the death penalty in a
recent unaddressed, unsigned encyclical Evangelium Vitae. (NOTE: An unaddressed, unsigned
encyclical has a very low priority as far as faith and morals is concerned. It should be noted that
the Vatican itself affirms that there is no degree of infallibility attached to this encyclical.)
Concerning capital punishment, Evangelium Vitae is in direct opposition to the long time
authorized and approved Word of God, the holy Bible. In Genesis 9:5-6 it clearly states, "For
your own lifeblood, too, I will demand an accounting: from every animal I
will demand it, and from man in regard to his fellow man I will demand an
accounting for human life. [6] If anyone sheds the blood of man, by A prime and necessary characteristic of God is that His Word is unchangeable. In so far as faith and morals is concerned it must be held that God's teachings, in regard to capital punishment, have not changed regardless of what Pope John Paul has said in his encyclical of non-binding personal opinion. His teachings in regard to capital punishment are clearly in error and should not be given any degree of creditability. NOTE: God Himself kills people, so it can't always be wrong (Gen 38:7, 10; Ex 12:29; Acts 12:21-23). God has people kill people (Exo 32:26-28; Deu 2:34,7:2,13:16; Josh 6:21; 10:11; 11:20), and He has approved of some killing (Num 25; 1Sam 2:25). To say that killing is always sinful or that capital punishment should be highly restricted is to call God mutable and therefore unreliable. In the New Testament there is clear approval of the death penalty in St. Paul's reference to the prince with the sword as "God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil..." In Christian tradition the death penalty for heinous crimes has been universally accepted in all Christian countries, even in the 1500 years of the Papal States. St. Thomas Aquinas tells us explicitly that, when a hardened criminal is apprehended, he may be put to death "not only without danger, but even with profit" for society (S.T., S.T., 11.11 108.3). The meaning of the commandment "you shall not kill" is governed by the primary statement of Genesis 9:5-6. This teaching has been made more clear by contextual study of Scripture in regard to passages concerning the killing of guilty human persons, such as, Exodus 2:12, Exodus 22:2, Deuteronomy 19:5, etc. where no blood guilt is incurred. When reading the Word of God we are expected to use sound reasoning in its regard and not take limited human terminology always at direct face value. As a necessary part of the eternal existence of our souls we are given intellect and free will. Through these gifts we have been made like unto God and it is through our use of these gifts that our eternal relationship with God is determined. It should also be understood that through the presenter of the Ten Commandments, Moses, God established cities of refuge for those who had inadvertently taken an innocent human life. The penalty has remained consistent for those guilty of the taking of innocent human life. Teachings concerning the death penalty have remained consistent world wide from the time of Noah until the middle of this present century. Old Testament teachings where not replaced with the change of covenant except for specified particular practices concerning sacrifice, dietary regulations, etc., changed by Jesus Himself. All justifications given to mitigate the death penalty are based upon humanism, not upon the will of God. WHY OFFENDING GOD - During the early centuries of Christianity, the members of the Church lived in the politically controlled world of pagans who often sought to persecute them and put them to death. Pagan societies were morally depraved, corrupt, and unjust. Christians had no control over society and had to witness the evil around them without the ability to act against moral wrongs, as prescribed by God through the testimony of Moses and perfected by Jesus. Conditions have changed. Today's Christians could control the moral order in much of the world. This acceptance of some evils in society became enculturated in the minds of Christians and has remained to this present day. In our so called era of enlightenment we are now expanding upon this rejection of God's lawful commands by attempting to subvert the will of God entirely in regard to the death penalty. In effect, the bishops of the Church and others in agreement with them, are de-emphasizing the greatness of the evil of willful murder, sodomy, adultery, etc. In the United States, and in some other first world countries, forms of punishment which have any degree of harshness to them are considered inhumane. Except for the unborn, who are not allowed to be defended and whose aggressors are protected by civil law enforcement agencies and proclamations of bishops and other church leaders, visible human beings are considered too sacred to be publicly sanctioned beyond simple incarceration for offenses that encroach upon others rights of freedom. In our age society has become highly self-serving. LEVELS OF AUTHORITY - The Bible and the constant teaching and practice of the Church from the time of Noah to the middle of the present century has consistently not only endorsed but mandated the use of capital punishment. Other punishments, which are currently being opposed by so many, have also had long histories of approval by the Church. Society has come to believe that, with its high educational status, it has the ability to correct ingrained human sin through a non-coercive short term reconditioning process. It is then believed that a person should be set free until he again proves disruptive to the free activities of those who currently control the mind-set of society or those who govern it. HIGH CHURCH EVILS - Should men of high office such as Pope John Paul II and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger be considered heretics? Are there any cardinals, archbishops, or bishops of the United States acting in accordance with the will of God? Considering the decline of morality that exists throughout the world there is no reason to believe that cardinals, etc., of other countries are morally any more competent than American prelates. Is the Church hierarchy not open to truths which do not suit their purposes, or are they moral cowards? When one is open to truth, through legitimate faith, the Holy Spirit will act as guide and counselor, giving them aid that they may bypass the evils of men regardless of their education, position, rank or degree of authority. Bishops (and pastors) are largely in the same state of denial as are alcoholics. Alcoholics thrive on addictive beverages. Bishops thrive on power and adulation. Alcoholics deny that they drink excessively. Bishops deny that they act apart from the will of God and abuse the power of their office. Both groups act at the human level. Bishops do not accept that all power and authority is from God. Bishops do not truly believe that God has perfect wisdom, is all knowledgeable, and is unchangeable. The Word of God must be in accord with the will of God, that is, be completely harmonious in regard to all that is good and be completely dependable. Example of CHURCH HIERARCHY in DENIAL - NOTE: He believes that his personal assertion is of more value than citations of Scripture or Church documents and that any citation which disagrees with his assertion would seem a misuse of the source quoted. He makes no effort to support his own assertions. ARCHDIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE Dear Fr. Trosch: I have received your mailing of August 22, 1994. While being firmly committed to upholding the value of human life from its very beginning, I find it necessary to assert that it has never been acceptable in sound Catholic teaching to do evil in order to achieve good. It would seem that any citation of Scripture or Church documents to the contrary is a misuse of those sources.
Sincerely, April 14, 1995 Response to your letter of September 15, 1994. Dear Bishop Sklba, The church and the world have been slowly accepting butchery by abortion over a period of many centuries. The comparison is analogous to a frog being placed into slightly warm water which is then very slowly brought to a boil. It dies because there was no easily discernable change in temperature to warn it of pending doom. [[ The Catholic Church proclaims that procured abortion, from the moment of conception, is murder. But, most church members, including most clergy, are in implicit public denial of the existence of body, soul, and spirit of each person from the moment of conception. In effect it is being denied that God the Father is actively involved with human life from the moment of conception. If Church hierarchy, theologians, and pro-life leaders are going to maintain that defending the unborn with violence is not acceptable defense for the 135,000 who are murdered each day, in the world, then they morally must explain, in clear scholarly and understandable language, why abortion, the shameful taking of human life, is not the same as the murder of a two year old child or the murder of an adult. It is becoming more obvious to ever increasing numbers of sincere people that the bishops of the church are morally corrupt. For liberal clergy faith has come to be defined in terms of liturgical practices. In this sense today's clergy are no different than people who became focused on the traditional Latin Mass following Vatican Council II. They are also no different than the Protestant congregation in Germany, whose church was next to the railroad tracks, who, during the 2nd world war, sang with the full power their lungs would provide so that they would not hear the cries for help of people in cattle cars on their way to the death camps. To destroy evil people actively committing murder, a mortally evil act, can in no sense of the word be called evil. No bishop and no theologian, nor any one else for that matter, has ever been able to present a true Church teaching, or position from sound reasoning, which supports your assertion. High numbers of clerics are in effect either hypocrites or cowards. In either case the gates of Heaven will remain closed against you unless you change your ways, sincerely repent, and become publicly active in opposition to abortion. Jesus, using different words, expressed the same position in regard to the chief priest, priests, scribes, etc. of His day. You are no different than they because of your out of faith focus and closed minds to God the Creator's truth. ]] I recently ran across your letter in a stack of unanswered mail and have been inspired to write on this special day. Today, Good Friday, is the day Jesus was put to death because of the acts of men such as yourself. I pray that you accept these words of admonishment before it becomes too late to repent. Because of the indifference of bishops and clergy who refuse to do anything other than give lip service to the evil of abortion, over thirty million people in this nation are generally accepted to have been legally killed (murdered). The culpability does not end there. A group called Pharmacists for Life states that for every "therapeutic" abortion there are at least ten other abortions induced by means of the contraceptive pill, the IUD, and other ill gotten means of chemical or mechanical destruction. Because of denial, or worse, indifference, the vast majority of the bishops of the world will be judged as accomplices to all of these murders on the day of final judgement. God does not accept excuses from those who should have known better. All such will be found guilty. NOTE: The reign of Pope John Paul II now has the unique distinction of being the only papal term during which the total number of murdered people exceeds the combined total of all previous human existence. The total number of people murdered by abortion through chemical means, mechanical means, by medical and other practitioners, by relatives, etc. could soon exceed the combined total of born people from the time of Adam and Eve to include the present day. John Paul has made bold proclamations. But, in reality, he has done little to put a stop to abortion. He could have done much, but has done little. [[ He has failed to be a true shepherd of the flock entrusted to him. He has failed to control his minions from the top down. He has failed to make his assistant shepherds responsible for the condition of their flocks. He does not discipline his co-shepherds as a chief shepherd should. ]] I look forward to your response, by phone if you prefer. P.S.1 The tradition of the Church is to defend the oppressed. P.S.2 God does not ask us to pray for all life. ENCLOSURE: Partial list of available writings. RESPECT of CHURCH ECCLESIAL OFFICES - CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE - REALITY CHECK - Failure to acknowledge the justice of direct defense of the innocent unborn, even if it would mean the death of aggressors, should be understood as a grave sin of omission. OF ABORTION UPON WOMEN Preoccupation with the death of the unborn child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81% Reference: Anne Speckhard. Psycho-Social Stress Following Abortion. Kansas City, Missouri: Sheed and Ward, 1987.
NOTE: More than 80% of all relationships break up within three months after a woman has an abortion. Women who have had an abortion, married or later married, have a high rate of divorce. THE PRICE WE PAY - by Robert Cook This cost/benefit analysis can be seen in every aspect of our lives. For example, a child may ask him/herself, "What will it cost me to disobey my parents and will it be worth it?" There is a story about a man, who, while standing on the bank of a river, witnessed a child drowning. He thought to himself, "If I save this child, my clothes will get wet and will shrink. And this is my best suit." Then he yelled to the child, "I'm sorry, but saving your life would cost me too much." Then the man quietly walked away. If the man was wrong, then what price would have been too great to have saved the child? Some would say that there is no price too great when the life of a child is at stake. What if the patriots of 1776 had decided that the price of freedom and independence was just too great? What if Jesus had said that the price he must pay to save men's souls was just too great? What if God had said that saving mankind just wasn't worth it? To end abortion we must ask ourselves, "What will it cost us and is it worth it?" We must also ask, "What will it cost us if we don't?" What price could possibly be too high that we would choose not to save the lives of millions of children. May I suggest that there is absolutely nothing we could do to end the slaughter of children that would be considered too great a price to pay. If this is true, then we must end abortion this year, using whatever means necessary. Lev 19:16 You shall not... stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake. I am the LORD. INCARCERATION - Info source: "Prisoners of Christ" monthly list. XINNIS - The Confessions of a Clinic Bomber A recent reader of Xinnis states: "It is very interesting, intriguing, and inspiring as well. It gets you thinking and opens your eyes in a lot of ways. I believe that it is a must reading for anyone concerned with the pre-born and their defense. I highly recommend it to pro-lifers whether they agree with the concept of justifiable homicide or not." Available from LEU on IBM compatible computer diskette for $6.50 US. Hard copy printouts are available for $14.50 US. For foreign handling add $1.00 for diskettes and $5.00 for a printout. State computer disk size, i.e., 3" or 5" and state word processing program you use. FIVE MONTHS IN ONE ISSUE -
Donors of $20.00 or more will automatically receive new issues for one year as they are published. 1ST AMENDMENT LAW SUIT - COMPUTER BULLETIN BOARD - EMPHASIS ADDED -   Pope John Paul II was ordained October 16, 1978.  Editor
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other Christian faiths acknowledge Holy Scripture as their ultimate authority in matters of faith and morals, much of this commentary will be applicable to Protestants and to those of other Christian faiths. Indeed the proper recognition of a pattern of authority is necessary for all religious beliefs and
governmental systems. Ultimately, the disagreements between men and women of faith on matters of faith and morals are directly attributable to a disagreement on the hierarchy of authority. In order to achieve oneness with God, and with each other, we must develop a proper understanding of authority. With that understanding established, we have a framework with which to properly inform our consciences and thereby resolve disagreements. Moreover, with a proper understanding of the hierarchy of authority, we have a sound structure for discipline within the Church and for resolving those matters of practice which are not in accord with proper teachings on faith and morals.
No one may claim lack of responsibility by stating they were ordered to commit an evil
act, or fail to do what is good, by directive of a higher authority. Everyone is directly responsible to God in matters of
faith and morals. Conscience is not a law unto itself.
Recourse to a culpably uninformed conscience is not excusable.
Only a properly informed conscience must be obeyed and it
must always be obedient to the teachings of the Church in proper hierarchial order. All recourse
to conscience as having priority over the constant true teachings of the Church is invalid.
man
shall his blood be shed; For in the image of God has man been made."
This passage clearly states that capital punishment is mandatory. The
progressive destruction of this commandment of God by Pope John Paul,
Cardinals Ratzinger, Bernadine, and most other cardinals and bishops of the
Roman Catholic Church places them in public visible heresy in relationship to this teaching.
Let us pray for all of life and join in actions which are more consonant with the tradition we have received.
Dr. Speckhard found that, although 72 percent of the aborted women in this study reported no religious beliefs at the time of
their abortion, a full 96 percent now believe that their abortions were acts of murder.
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