Why we mustn't attend Roman Catholic funerals. By Alan Franklin.

This is a an e-mail exchange between me and  a Christian concerned at how I put things pithily. He thinks I should soften up my tone. Here I explain why I am not going to. This is my response - his e-mail appears below.

Hello W.....It is possible to be sincere but sincerely wrong. I think you are sincerely wrong!  How things appear matters a great deal. If we attend a Catholic funeral service it makes it look as if this is “all right.” By God’s word it most certainly is not. We must not compromise.

The world is full of compromise but the Bible makes it clear that the Lord our God is a jealous God. This is the age of the lukewarm, Laodicean church. The major denominations, for the most part, believe almost nothing, know almost nothing, care about almost nothing. 

There is also a vast gulf between the Catholic mass - utterly blasphemous and a filthy affront to the Lord Jesus Christ, whose work on the cross meant His sacrifice was finished once and for all - and anything that would happen at a funeral service in a protestant denomination, bad though many of these are. (I recently attended one taken by a female so-called “priest.”) 

Some things are clearly wrong and our Table of Truth on the Catholic false church, top left on this page, can be printed out if anyone is in doubt what God’s word says. There is a big difference between the ordinary “pew fodder,” and the leadership of false churches and on that I think we agree.

es, of course we should approach individual Catholics - and Moslems, JWs, Mormons etc - with love. They are ignorant and are going straight to Hell on death. So it is not loving to leave them in ignorance.

A great many of our relatives are Roman Catholics. We love them - but hate their false faith. By not attending their funerals we make a point and make them think: “Why don’t Alan and Pat want to go to our church?” After all, if we don’t pull them up short, who will? 

When Jesus confronted the religious people of His time he did NOT mince His words. Example: Matthew 12: 34: “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? and  Matthew: 38-39, Jesus talking to scribes and Pharisees: ”An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall be no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas…” 

As for the whore church, the word of God puts it far more pithily than I do: Revelation17: 5 (speaking of the whore church based in Rome) “Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the earth.” The whole chapter is written with a stirring denunciation which echoes down the centuries with the ring of God’s anger and wrath. God’s word is not for the faint of heart. It calls a whore a whore.

This is an age when we need realism, not woolly words. We get enough of those from people like the Chief Druid of the Church of England. Our grandparents would hardly believe how soft we have become, how silly and sloppy-minded if not downright vacuous. It’s time to sharpen up on the anvil of God’s word. Hope I haven’t minced my words too much! I do appreciate your concern, by the way. With best regards from Alan 

Subject: Re: Compromising with the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland: 

Hi Alan, And greetings again from Northern Ireland. I wrote to you some time ago about the way you present the truth and we disagreed on that. When I read your article “Compromising with the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland: Why we should witness to them but not walk with them, warn them but not worship with them. By Alan Franklin, again I agree with what you say about the RC.

However, I would disagree in the tone you use. i also think it is not wrong to go to a funeral service if a loved one dies of a friend. Where do you draw the line? Can I go to a Church of England/Ireland service? What do I if my brother dies in German who is a Lutheran? What about a Methodist Church? What about on on I could go? I believe as a true believer we need to find from Christ if we should go or not, there is no conveyer belt Christianity.

For some it is right whereas for others it is wrong to go. I know and agree with you the RC is not based on biblical truth and I know that very well working 17 with Catholics maybe more than most people. I believe we have to be sensitive to the individual situation we are in. in some case it might be good not to attend, whereas in another it is good to attend.
 
Alan, not just with Catholics with most people it is the same truth has to be presented with love or it will back fire, I speak sadly with experience. We see that pattern in Jesus and the Apostles lives.
 
Another point I completely agree with you is that the RC is the great whore, however again I would not put it like so that I may win them for the truth. Have you ever noticed when Jesus and the apostles talk to the unbelievers they share the truth and are not what they all against? And again it is done in a loving way.
 
Yes when it comes down to religious or apostate people Jesus and the apostles were hard and stern with their words.
About Peter Robinson: he is our (former) PM to speak so and that means he is the PM to all and not just to the non Catholics or Protestants. This was the big problem here in N.I. that the government was always for the Protestants and Catholics where discriminated, and believe me they where.
 
Therefore I as a Christian would not enter politics, because I would have to make compromises I would not want to.  But if you go into politics as a Christian be prepared to represent all of your people.
I
n closing again I want to underline it is not about truth, but the way we present truth. Let me also underline this is not a personal out lush against you, but a gentle reminder. I do appreciate your work very much and wish there would be more ministries like that.
Because He lives,

W.......


23/12/2020

 
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'And call no man your father upon the earth; for one is your Father, which is in heaven.' (In defiance or perhaps ignorance of this, Catholic and Anglican priests are addressed as 'Father' and the pope is called 'Holy Father.')
Matthew 23:9

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