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The beguiled and the beguilers!

Vatican: Pope meets Belfast priest and Presbyterian minister

A Presbyterian minister and a Catholic priest from Belfast have met Pope Francis in Rome. Rev Steve Stockman and ‘Fr’ Martin Magill were part of a delegation from Belfast which met the Pope at the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican.

They were invited in their role as organisers of an annual cross-community festival which is this year celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Free Presbyterian Church condemns the visit to the Pope by Presbyterian minister

A BIBLICAL AND CONFESSIONAL RESPONSE TO REV. STEVEN STOCKMAN

Presbyterian minister Rev. Steven Stockman is minister of Fitzroy Presbyterian Church, a church that has for many years been in the forefront of promoting a ‘peace process collaboration’ with Clonard Monastery in West Belfast. Stockman and local priest, Martin Magill, have been organisers of an annual cross-community festival for the past ten years. In January this year the Pope sent a video message praising Magill and Stockman for their ecumenical activity. Subsequently, the two men were part of a delegation from Belfast which travelled to Rome to meet the Pope at the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican.

Concerning the meeting at the Vatican, Stockman wrote, “I have no doubts that many in my denomination and other Protestants will call me a heretic.” He further stated, “From what I have read and heard about Pope Francis, I see him as a fellow follower of Jesus.” This telling statement reveals that Steve Stockman regards the present Pope as a “follower of Jesus”. However, he would do well to ascertain which ‘Jesus’ it is to whom he refers.

Pope Francis is the head of a religious system, which continues to reject the Jesus of the New Testament. In statement 969 of The Catechism of the Catholic Church 1994, Mary is presented as a mediatrix, in direct contradiction of 1 Timothy 2:5 which teaches that there is, “…one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Furthermore, the Pope claims to be the Vicar of Christ and the head of the church, however Scripture declares, that Christ alone is the Head of His Church (Ephesians 5:23, Colossians 1:18).

Thus, in the light of the dogmas of Rome, Pope Francis is a blasphemer of the Lord Jesus Christ and is the promoter of another gospel. Steve Stockman has abandoned the Scriptures and the confessional teaching of his own denomination, which states, “There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor can the Pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalts himself, in the Church, against Christ and all that is called God.” (Westminster Confession of Faith 1646, Chapter 25). Therefore, since Steve Stockman openly declares that he and the Pope are fellow followers of Jesus – but not the Jesus of Scripture – he has set up the platform upon which he is to be rightly charged with heresy.

Rev John Armstrong, Moderator of Presbytery, Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
Rev. Colin Mercer, Deputy Moderator
Rev John Greer, Clerk of Presbytery

 

Letter to ‘Belfast Newsletter’ regarding visit to pope

Dear Sir,

It is my sincere hope that the Protestant people belonging to the three main Protestant churches here will have carefully considered the recent reports of the visit by the minister of Fitzroy Presbyterian Church one, Rev Steve Stockman, to see the Pope and what it was he said of the head of the Roman Catholic organisation.

The reported incident illustrates clearly what the outworkings of the doctrines of ecumenism within the main Protestant denominations over the last 70 years have been. The PCI is but representative of the trend within all three Protestant denominations.

Rev Stockman is quoted as saying of the Pope that “he has a Christlikeness”. Nothing sets forth more clearly the utter about-face of Irish Presbyterianism than this statement.

Until comparatively recently, the PCI believed for centuries that to the popes of Rome belonged the title: “That Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalts himself, in the Church, against Christ and all that is called God.” (Westminster Confession of Faith 1646, Chapter 25).

Now we are told that “he has a Christlikeness”. Both definitions cannot be true!

If Rev Stockman is not speaking on behalf of the majority in his denomination then we can expect that he will be tried on a charge of heresy, of which he himself has said some Presbyterians will consider him guilty.

Another lesson to be learned from this incident is that it tells us why Ulster Unionism is in the fragmented state that it is. There has been, as illustrated by Rev Stockman, an utter forsaking of “‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭the old‭ paths‭, where ‭is‭ the good‭ way‭,” (‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭Jeremiah 6:16), with the consequential forsaking of Ulster by the Lord.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬Kilskeery
‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬27th April 2022.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

 

‘Fr’ Martin Magill is a poor ‘beguiled’ Romanist who believes all that the Papacy claims for itself! Therefore we are not surprised at his words. He is the parish priest at St John’s Church on the Falls Road in west Belfast, and he is reported as saying: “Pope Francis did talk about ecumenism, Christians being together, working together, praying together, being friendly together. It was lovely to hear Christians being together in a world that so fractured and at pain at this time,” he added. (more…)

The Alliance Party – Venomous Nationalism in Disguise!!

Stephen Farry –  don’t let the smile fool you!!

The ‘Irish News’ has reported that an “Alliance MP has hit out at “nods and winks” to past gunrunning, after a senior Orangeman invoked the 1914 UVF at an anti-protocol rally.”

“Stephen Farry criticised the reference by Grand Secretary of the Orange Order, Rev Mervyn Gibson. Rev Gibson warned at a rally in east Belfast that “apathy” was not an option for unionists in the fight against the protocol – a post-Brexit customs measure which has effectively created a border in the Irish Sea.”

“If left in place the protocol makes you and I subject to the laws and regulations of a foreign power and in time their influence will spread like a cancer,” he told protesters at Bloomfield Roundabout on Friday.

“Apathy was not an option when in 1912 people signed the (Ulster) Covenant. Apathy was not an option when guns were landed at Larne and Donaghadee. Apathy was not an option in 1921 when Northern Ireland was founded. Apathy was not an option during the dark days of the Troubles.”

The report from the ‘Irish News’,  went on: “The Larne gunrunning, organised in April 1914, saw almost 25,000 rifles and between three and five million rounds of ammunition from the German Empire – just months before the beginning of the First World War. The operation aimed to equip the UVF.

Mr Farry, the MP for North Down, criticised Rev Gibson’s gunrunning reference. “There is no place for guns and gunrunning in NI politics and society,” he said. “Nods and winks to past examples are not acceptable. The election candidates and parties sharing platforms should make clear their sole commitment to peaceful and democratic means.” (more…)

David Attenborough – ‘Champion of the Earth’!!

Sir David Attenborough

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast,” Psalm 33:6-9.

Sir David Attenborough has recently become the recipient of the ‘Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to research, documentation, and advocacy for the protection of nature and its restoration.’ So pontificates the the ‘big-wigs’ of the UN!

David Attenborough has spent the most of his 95 years propounding one of the greatest lies that have ever issued forth from the mouth of the devil. He is the modern apostle of the ludicrous theory of ‘Evolution’! His television programmes and documentaries have been viewed worldwide and that for many years. The revelation of wild animals and creatures of all kinds in their native environment that his programmes have presented are ‘par excellence’!

However, the pleasure that such studies bring is more than marred by his constant pushing of his notions on evolution. His explanations of the origins of the unique features and physical endowments of many creatures are most ludicrous for they beg the question of how the creatures survived until they were able to ‘evolve’ the unique physical features without which they cannot live? (more…)