Sainthood by the Pope
One of the greatest abominations is the declaration of saints by the pope. First of all, to declare himself a descendant of Peter is a lie and to declare that Peter was a pope is an abomination and a fabrication of the truth.
Studying the early church will reveal that it took hundreds of years for the papacy to be established and it was Leo, who was the bishop of Rome from 390 to 461 AD, who first made the claim that Peter had been the first pope (see article 'Popes and Princes of this World). The claim that the chair of Peter is still used by the pope today is laughable.
There are only a few times that the church makes reference to Satan. The most significant time is during Baptism, when it claims the newly-born baby to be free from the powers of Satan for the rest of his/her life. Little does the church know that the powers of Satan (spirit of darkness) will control everyone the rest of their lives and unless they repent they will die under the power of that same spirit (the power of sin).
There was another important time in the church that the word Satan was used. Pope Leo XIII, in 1884, declared in an official bulletin from the Vatican that the human race was divided into two opposing parties. One was the Kingdom of God on earth and the other the Kingdom of Satan. Even though the Bible is very clear that Christ will return to set up His Kingdom, church rulers have no knowledge that this present world is Satan's Kingdom and that they are the servants thereof.
So, what about the doctrine of saints? Pope John Paul II accelerated the whole process of making new saints: the more the merrier. In order to speed it up, he even changed the rules. Why not? He could do whatever he wanted, as absolute power was arranged for him by the doctrine of papal infallibility. This was agreed by only a marginal vote during the First Vatican Council in 1869.
Under John Paul II, in order to qualify for sainthood, a person only needed to perform one miracle (it had been two). The Bible teaches us that the devil also would perform miracles in the latter days. Another requirement was a certificate of spiritual cleanness. That is it, you are now officially a saint by Vatican standards. I wonder how anyone would obtain a written declaration of spiritual cleanness. I have never heard of a mail service between God and the Vatican. The whole thing is laughable, if you sit back and think about it.
So, how does one become a true Saint? Every believer in God's eyes, and as confirmed by the Bible, is a Saint. It is interesting to note that the word "saint", which in the Catholic tradition has been reserved for a few selected individuals, was in the Early Church the common word applied to all believers in Christ (Rom 1:7, 1 Cor 1:2, Eph 1:18).
All those, declared Saints by the Pope died in their sins, as will the Pope himself, unless of course he repents.
Satan is a master deceiver and he knows how to pick his people. Consider the recent pope, John Paul II, how revered he was by his followers. He was hardly able to speak or stand, but still thousands flocked to the Vatican to see him.
Or consider Mother Theresa who worked with the sick. What is wrong with the millions of nurses who care for the sick every day? I have two sisters who cared for the sick their whole lives. How come they are not saints?
The world needs its heroes. While there is one King who died for all and who was crucified, the people of this world have their heroes whom they call "king". They called Elvis the king. They called Richard Petty the king of auto racing. They called Pele the king of soccer, and now they call Wayne Gretzky the king of hockey.
How about religious heroes like the Pope, Mother Theresa, the local Bishop or priest, and so on? And don't let us forget the political heroes of this world, and heroes and idols in the world of entertainment and sports. I am sure there are many more but your worshipping of idols and heroes will be to no avail.
Despite John Paul II's popularity, he could not even keep his bishops or priests from abusing thousands of young boys, abuse that is continuing today. All because he did not know what spirit he served.
Throughout the church calendar almost every day has been set aside to celebrate the feast of a particular saint. Most of them have been borrowed from ancient paganism as are Halloween and Valentine's Day.
Halloween
Ghosts, ghouls, goblins, trolls, demons, poltergeists, black cats, witches, broomsticks, skeletons and jack-o-lanterns. What is it all about? Many observe Halloween but don't know why.
Halloween began long before "Christianity" during the days of the pagan priesthood of the Druids of Ireland, with the belief that this is the one night in the year that ghosts and witches are most likely to wander about. The earliest Halloween celebrations were held in honor of "Samhain" or Satan, the lord of the dead.
It was also an ancient Roman celebration held as a festival in honor of the ancient Roman goddess, Pomona. When people dress up as demons, witches, goblins and skeletons, they are mimicking Satan, the devil, and demons. They are acting out the capricious frolicking of the ancient pagans who masqueraded as evil spirits, or who built fires, left gifts and offerings to placate the impish, macabre spirits, as well as "Samhain" the lord of the dead. On October 31, Halloween is observed as the Eve of All Hallows or Hallowmas. It is still regarded by many today as a church festival commemorating the evening before All Saints Day, which is on November 1.
How many customs have been borrowed from ancient paganism? For openers there is Christmas, Easter, New Years and Halloween. A few moments research in some of the higher level encyclopedias will prove that Halloween is also a pagan celebration.
Valentine
Valentine's Day has been traced to the old Roman festival of Lupercalia, which occurred in February. During the weeklong feast honoring the God Lupercus, young men drew lots for the names of their prospective sweethearts and, thus, partners were matched for the coming year. When the early so-called Christian fathers, sought to eliminate pagan customs, they substituted February 14 for the Lupercalian festival, they day on which they said Saint Valentine was murdered.
The Roman Church bestowed so-called sainthood upon several Valentines. The most prominent are two individuals whose feasts are both celebrated on February 14, one a priest who died at Rome, and the other the Bishop of Terni (Interamna). Although very little is known for certain about either, they seem to have died on the same day (c. 270) and to have been buried at different places along the Flaminian Way. A few moments of research will prove that Valentine's Day is strictly a pagan celebration.
1 Cor 2:12-15
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit
which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given
to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which
man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness
unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is
judged of no man.