The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1912-02-24

-" HEHN""H"HAHHHM w. AAM ANMNANM
Catholic Church. q Menace 10 the
Ssuoa.- by Jeremiah J. Crowley. Cor.
merry priest % the Archdiocese OF
Chicago. Read the conviction OF Ro-
manism from a man Who knows what
u Il al hrst handl
n oRN and reared in the Roman
TX Catholic church. vas trained
10 her doctrines and poiity and
ortained a priest Ia 1855. ! vas a
priest IN good standing up TO 1907
ttwcntyAone years. when retired
Voluntarily nom the priesthood. For
sH sears previous 10 my retirement 4
Sagcd a crusade against the evils
% the Roman Catholic clerical sys.
ten and while thus engaged challeng.
Cd publicly. Ia speech and On print,
tho Roman Catholic Hierarchy 70 die.
prove tho charges IN this book. and
also 10 prove that ! was not al that
very umo a priest IN good standing.
A copy Of the ooallenEs appears az
the very beginning Of tho book.
u was never accepted.
now relterate the challenge made
ln former editions and elsewhere az
% the truth OF the facts stated here
10. u these facts are true. the Ro.
msa Catholic clerical system should
be denounced by all rightmlnded
men II they are proven false. I am
ready 10 abide the consequences.
Every person interested In the vel.
fare OF humanity should demand,
through the proper tribunals Of the
country. tho closest Investigation OF
the charges made by mo and my
clerical associates.
The Vatican method-"the consplr.
aey OF silence"-should not be per.
mitted 10 shield any one affected by
the charges made in this book. 81.
lencc may sometimes be golden. but
In this instance Il indicates guilt.
I distinctly want my readers TO un.
derstand that / am not nssailing the
plain Roman Catholic people. They
are the victims OF n religious system,
foisted upon them by the accident of
birth. They are living uD TO the light
they have. God grant that the sun.
light OF truth may soon food their
pathway I sympathizo with them,
| admire them. and love them.
When ! wrote this book ! was a 10y.
al son Of the Roman Catholic church.
AZ that time I would gladly have died
Tor her. wrote u to save, ~ ! could.
tho Roman Catholic church and 10
protect the public school. My facts
were carefully weighed aud my argu.
ments we're prayerfully presented. The
protestations OF fidelity 10 the Roman
Catholic church which are contained
In this book and I'm my other writings
were made In good faith. l now un.
reservedly withdraw them. a..
! wrote this book with the further
object OF inauguratlng a crusade for
the emancipation OF the Roman Cath.
olic people by purifying the Roman
Catholic priesthood. have reason
TO believe that my book has enamel.
pated thousands OF Roman Catholics.
know that II has emanciapted me-
am no longer a Roman Catholic.
For its preparation l was compelled
TO study thoroughly tho history OF
the Roman Catholic church. sub.
ject which Is purposely neglected in
Roman Catholic schools. An exten.
siye reading of secular history natur.
ally followed. The age.long story OF
papal. prelatical. and priestly corrup-
ton astounded and confounded me.
! began TO see the papacy in a new
light The question OF DIR. John Lord
haunted me, Was there ever such a
mystery. so occult are its arts, so
subtle its policy, so plausible its pre-
tensions. so certain its shafts?" (Bea.
con Lights of History. Vol. ", D. 99.)
gradually awakened 10 the fact that
| was believing in unscrlptural doc.
trines and championing a religious
system which was anything but the
holy and true church Of Jesus
Christ sss
The Roman Catholic church has
taken advantage OF the prcss agency
age in which we live. The trans-At.
lantic cablo has lately been kept
busy flashing the most irifiing details
concerning the socalled honors done
America, "the youngest but richest
daughter OF the church. In elevating
to the rank OF princes and kings
three OF her emissaries who claim to
bo American citizens. They cannot
be loyal American citizens or else
they are not loyal Princes OF the
NuhlNus alUtl NuHuOl DC loyal 10
both. Their very oath OF allegiance
TO the pope. whose spiritual and tenn
poral power they have sworn to pro-
mote. and defend even to the she'd
ding Of BLOOD" precludes this possi-
bility.
! am convinced that the non-Cath-
Ollie people are blind 10 their vital In
terests. On every side they are say
ing. "Oh. the Roman Catholic
church is not as II was fifty years
ago; II is more liberal" But the Ro-
man Catholic church is ever and
everywhere the same. As she was
fifty years ago so she Is today, ex-
cept that she Is playing politics more
astutely now than she was then.
Notwithstanding the wealth, pollt.
ical power. and the extraordinary in
crease claimed BY the Roman Cath.
olic church, investigation will prove
that she is losing grouni everywhere
as a religion: IN fact Romanism is not
a religion: Romanism Is FIRST and last
political. According 20 the most
trustworthy statistics. eighty million
followers have left the Roman Cath
olic church during the mast seventy
hye years. The Roman Catholic hier-
archv has hoou oxuoeod and dpfhron.