“I Was A Priest.” This book just issued from the press, is a most damaging indictment of the Papal system. The author, Lucien Vinet, a French-Canadian was ordained a Roman priest in 1933, and acted as Roman Catholic chaplain in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. In 1942, he left the Roman priesthood and joined the Presbyterian Church. The book attractively produced and lucidly written, contains fourteen chapters along with a Letter Preface by Louis Lahaie who left the Roman priesthood in 1947. Chapters II. and VI. in particular prove to the hilt that the Church of Rome is “The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.” In these chapters the mask is removed and the vile abominations practised and indulged in behind the “Roman Curtain” are fearlessly exposed. “It is high time,” writes the author in his Foreword, “that Canadians should know that Romanism is not Christianity, but a counterfeit.” In his Letter Preface, Louis Lahaie writes, “I cannot review here every chapter of your interesting and enlightening book, but I must not fail to point out that you have denounced in a masterful manner the Roman imposture concerning Mass, Purgatory and Confession . . . your book has the merit of exposing these impostures in such few and simple words that every reader should be able to understand it. It is time that Roman Catholics themselves knew something about this huge Mass imposture which fills Roman coffers with untold millions.’
Chapter xiv. deals with Romanism, Communism and War. In this chapter the author shows that the deep reason behind the present anti-Communist fervour is that Rome wishes to accelerate the outbreak of war. “We heard,” he writes, “of this great hope of Rome, that is a war between Russia and the Protestant democracies, in 1940 during a visit to a famous Jesuit priest in Mexico City. We were still a Roman priest then and being an unusual visitor, he confided to us his experiences acquired at the Roman curia in the Vatican. He told us that the Bishops of the world had received instructions from Rome in 1938 to favour a war against Russia and to do their utmost to discourage a conflict between anti-Communist nations. To-day, ten years later, we realise that the Roman orders are still in force. Before and during World War II. we have seen the Roman Hierarchy discouraging conscription and using all sorts of little schemes to prevent our young men from serving in the Armed Forces. In the United States, Archbishop McNicholas, of Cincinnati, Cardinal Dougherty of Philadelphia, and all the Roman Bishops of the Administrative Committee of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, bitterly opposed conscription or any war measures. This was in 1940. Now that a war is possible, not against Fascism, but against Communism, the Roman Hierarchy is pleading for conscription. The Vatican has officially approved the war preparations of the United States, and Cardinal Spellman of New York openly pronounced himself for universal military training in the United States (Catholic Brooklyn Tablet, 27th March, 1948). In French Canada, where military conscription is traditionally opposed by the Hierarchy, the extraordinary outbursts of anti-Communist propaganda by the Jesuits and the unusual repeated pronouncements of the Roman Bishops, during this bitter international crisis, are very significant.”
“I Was A Priest” deserves a world-wide circulation that an imposed-on public may realise that the Papacy is in truth “the masterpiece of hell.” The book costs one dollar and may be obtained from—The Secretary, The Canadian Protestant League, 130 Gerrard Street East, Toronto 2, Ontario, Canada.—W. M.
Heresies: Ancient and Modern. J. Oswald Sanders. Marshall, Morgan & Scott Ltd., London and Edinburgh (7/6).
The above book, which was sent to the writer for review, contains much excellent and informative matter. Originally, the substance of the book was delivered to the students of the New Zealand Bible Training Institute in the course of their studies in Apologetics. These lectures, now revised, have been reproduced in book form in the hope that wider usefulness may be found for them.
The book is written in a non-technical style, the aim being to provide, within brief compass, an accurate and comprehensive history, both of the origin and of the doctrinal errors of each heresy considered. As Mr. Sanders observes, the modern heresies bear a striking resemblance in their main tenets to the heresies which disturbed the Church in past ages and which were refuted by theologians of other days. At the head of the list he places Roman Catholicism—a fitting place for the Mother of Harlots—and then proceeds to deal with twelve of the Modern Heresies, including Spiritism, Christian Science, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism, Unitarianism, etc. It is interesting to note that Freemasonry is considered anti-Christian.
A pleasing feature of the book is that Mr. Sanders does not turn aside to the bypaths of philosophy and worldly wisdom to refute these errors but relies on the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Perhaps we would not agree with his interpretations on occasions, but, in the main, he succeeds in throwing the light of Divine Truth upon these perversions of Christianity, which make it so evident that the advantages of education and the refinements of civilisation are powerless of themselves to effect any saving change on the mind of man, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be” (Rom. viii. 7). Mr. Sanders is apparently a firm believer in the Divine inspiration and infallibility of the Bible and he is thus on a firm foundation and able to advance arguments which not only enlighten the understanding but appeal to the conscience of his readers.
There are two places, in particular, in the book where we think it could have been improved. One is in the Synopsis of the Evangelical Creed given on page 14. We would have liked to have seen the Calvinistic doctrine of election included in this statement, as this truth is well nigh lost sight of in the religious world to-day. The other place is in Mr. Sander’s discussion on the Sabbath question on page 69, where his own position on this point is far from satisfactory. Apart from these features, however, the book is valuable for its information and is recommended especially to our young men and women who are required, in pursuit of their lawful callings, to mingle with an evil and adulterous generation, where devotees to these cults abound. They would have beside them a useful review of these errors and the necessary information for their refutation. The price which is reasonable in these days, is 7/6.
The prevalence of these heresies, their numerous devotees and the zeal with which they are propagated, make it evident that the darkness which is admitted generally to be encompassing the world to-day has also to a large extent enshrouded the visible Church. The Sun of Righteousness has largely withdrawn His shining, and consequently these cults raise their heads and proceed with their works of darkness. Nor will the position be changed, until the God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, will shine into the hearts of poor sinners to give them the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ. For this let constant prayer be made for “judgment unto righteousness shall yet return again and all shall follow after it that are right-hearted men.”—D.M., Portree.