Richmond planet., 1894-02-10
WHO CAN FORGIVE SIN 7
Rev. I. D. Lewis Replies
to the Priest.
QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND
OTHERS PROPOUNDED.
A BITTER ATTACK UPON ROMAN
CATHOLICISM.


lie reminds me Of hstis boy runnli Y in
to a hornet . aest: they sting bSz perr
aud there and almost eyery where, and
lle endeavoring to defend himself, hl ,hts
wildly, striking at every thing anu moth
lug ia particular. Such is the case oil
Catholic. Poor little priest Alter um-
ing up all that be has said proving his
point, you get simply this: "Brut,um
fulmen'--a harmless thunderbolt, iun
OF sound and fury, signiiying moth ing.
Unlike Catholic, we will not have tin 40 to
pick up aud devour the straws along the
road OF this discussion; our etorehC 'use
contains too many facts, and our ield
too fruitful; we will make only cur cory
reference TO the divergent staten tents
and proceed with the subject-"Wht) can
forgive sim" An eagle does not catch
tIes."
The fact that the Catholic Church has
discouraged the reading OF the Bible by
the people Is evident from the issuing oi
the Encyciicai Letter by the Pope-.rhe
Christ OF the Church-also it is too well
understood that they (the ROM Catholic
Church) have from time immemorial
taught the people that our Holy Bible
was q dangerous book; more harmful
tnan the deadly serpent AZ q result oi
such teaching doubt that you could
find q single copy of the Bible IN q single
Catholic home IN this our city. have
searched the bookstores OF thus city in
VAN I'd find Il Catholic Bible socallec but
even Randolph < English could not pro-
duce one. IL their socalled Bible il right
aud ours not, why not bring il TO the
light Right loves light" That people
Will dwell ia ignorance, superstition, vice
and wickedness, from whom the Bible Ia
vaulted, fettered and spurned, l 90 not
deny that you exhort the people 10 read
|. I'll IN
much about st. Patrick, st. Bridgert, st.
Peter, and little about JRsus. Why
not exnort them to read the Biolc,-the
| whole Biblei Your crattinese, sir, is
| manifest. The souls of men can be en-
| shaved only when feJtered by the chains
| OF ignorance. You spoke Of some diabol-
| ical doctrine in our church. / am salts
he'd that upon this point you do not de-
sire 70 compare notes with me. The doc
| trineH OF my church as you know stand
1 under the 1ocussed light of centuries.
They stand for liberty of body and hber-
1 ~ OIL soul; they stand for a division be.
| tween Jhurch and State:-ior one media
1 cor between GoD and man, the NAN
CnRIsT JEsJs, tor justification aione by
faith Ia JEsus, for liberty oi conscience
) for good ana s,eaceiui government. etc-to
4 But suppose 3oc as cne sesI Ken Lhc
| lace OF history, and evoke from her faith
| Eui lips some testimony as TO the doc
rrinee and practices of your socalied
church, what tale would she tell She
! would tell OF the efforts of your church
| TO enRlave the souls and bodies of men,
1 OF Its attempt TO keep the Bible out OF
| the hands OF the people; Of the ambition
| aud the worldliness OF your church as ev-
| Idenced by the long and painful conflict
between the Popes and the Emperors,
each striving Tor supremacy;-of Its at
tempt TO fetuer the consciences OF men,
| which gave rise and progress TO that ms
| 1itution which had It's birth In hell-the
InQuisltion. From within ite hendish
confines / seem to see food of human
gore; hear the screams of anguish COM
ing from the lips of those who had rath-
| er die, than TO live. a slave and go home
TO thev Con and be free.
Hear the story OF the racking ma
| chimes, the blazing fagots, and execu-
TONER'S ak. What tale will she tell I
5ne Will tell that Roman Catholicism, il
l averse and destructive to ali good gov.
| ernment, and wherever il has held sway
confusion, ignorance and vice have been
regnant. She would tell OF the fact thai
The Roman Catholic Church is exceeding
q ~ and re-eminentiy human, IN that u
| even teaches that man ie equal witt
God in the forglving OF the SINS OF men
] Let us not compare notes. Let US away
| 10 the subject, Who can forgive sin p
| You make a bold confession when yos
affirm that man the creature cannot for
| give san committed against God.
Uhink you wrote better than you knew
| You are almost converted. Why no
make a clean breast OF it. Don't yol
believe that the whole system OF Romal
Catholicism il iniQuitous, deviiish an
destructive Probably you are afrai
= = to confess that When you state tha
nan has not the power to forgive sin
, | committed against God then you d.
q l nounce the sacrament OF AbsOlution an
Penance TO be an iniquitous, DEVILS
and sacrlligious fraud. However hig
| man may ascend 10 the scale OF INTEL
r, gcnce, morality and religion he is a cret
Uure and while on earth he is subject (
sin. God alone forgives sin as our r.
deener, God and king. Who il like hin
saith Goc, The sins of judah shall
sought for and shall not be found for
. mot the priest) viii pardon them. Say
David Bless the Lord O my Eoul, WI
l fnot the rriezfl fcu glveth al tly sins.
ii Against thee only have sinned, was
me- der. 1920, lisa. 83:24, Ps. 51:2,
/ will cleanse them from all their il
quities whereby they have siDned again
me and (not the priest) will pardon 8
skeir sins'' Jer. 1913. The question
asked in the time of Christ still comes I,
us,"Wbo can forgive sins but God only
Mark III, Yes. you, brother priest; a
right in saying that man cannot forgi
sin committed against God, stick to tb 9
But you say it can no longer be CO
sidered impossible that God may al
give power to men to forgive sins.
the track again Heavens what daT
ness enshrouds your mindl You sure
m cannot have any brains in your head
IA you had, you would put some IN yo
1T. argument. told you In my last writ
ty | that God had not done ali that it is p'
ia. sible Tor him to do. Here your argume
'er falls. To argue that God has done
me ching, because he has the power to do
nis is q brainIess absurdity.
Again, you state that according
Il. John 2O:21-23 and Matt. 16; (the OF
Sc two passages you seem to know tt
De tho apostles had the same power to I
US Qive sins as Christ himself. Having 6
en- en- my Interpretation OF that passage
lrn nv last writing l will not give 1t he
X But let us bring a little reason to it,
81 all scripture appeals to mans reas
Note, II the Apostles had the power
.aD forgive sin, certainly they would ht
exercised it, and If they did exercise
then YOU can tell us (since you are u Z
ceseor Of them) when, where, and uI
8. whom they exercised this power, cl
!. in IenQe you, sir, to name single n
nee whose sins were forgiven By the Ar