The Weeping For Tammuz

THE PAGANISM OF LENT AND WEEPING FOR TAMMUZ!

Let me say right up front that if you already know the origins of ‘Shrove Tuesday’, Ash Wednesday, the Forty days of Lent and Easter Sunday but still stubbornly insist on observing them, then you show yourself to be nothing but a nominal ‘Christian’ like the Roman Catholics, and some Protestant Churches have a name that they live but are dead! [Rev 3:1] 


For those real Christian Brethren who have just come to know the Lord and are searching their Bibles diligently to find whether these things be so [Act 17:11], I must tell you that you will not find them in the BIBLE. Neither the Apostles nor the Early Church observed these things. So WHERE do they come from?

‘Shrove Tuesday’ or Mardi Gras as it is commonly known literally means “Fat Tuesday” in French [called Pancake Tuesday in England] and is associated with the Roman Catholic custom of Lent. But is it taught in the Bible? Would God want Christians to observe it?

The idea behind Mardi Gras or carnival celebrations is that people overindulge before giving up something for Lent, which begins the following day with Ash Wednesday. [Lent is the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter observed by the Roman Catholic, Eastern and some Protestant churches as a period of penitence and fasting.]

Lent was a time of penance, of fasting, of abstinence. Folks abstained from all sorts a good stuff including meat. They also gave up eggs and dairy products. So on Tuesday, the day before the start of the Lenten fast, folks cleared out their cupboards of all the foods they could not have for the next 40 days. They cooked them up and ate like pigs. In essence THEY FEASTED BEFORE THE FAST.

Unlike New Year’s, Christmas, Halloween, St. Valentine’s Day and other pagan holidays that are celebrated by the secular, non-religious world, the Lenten season is observed by dedicated religious believers.

From Ash Wednesday to Easter, many solemnly mark their foreheads with ash, “fasting” [or abstaining from certain foods or physical pleasures] for 40 days. This is done to supposedly imitate Jesus Christ’s 40-day fast in the wilderness [Matt. 4:1-2]. Some give up smoking. Others give up chewing gum. Still others give up over-eating or cursing. People vow to give up anything, as long as it prepares them for Easter.

People who observe Lent may be religious, dedicated and sincere—BUT THEY ARE SINCERELY WRONG!

Let us examine Lent, its practices and customs, its historic and religious origins, and its true meaning from the Bible’s perspective, not from the “traditions of men” [Mark 7:7-9].

The Purpose of Lent

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “the real aim of Lent is, above all else, to prepare men for the celebration of the death and Resurrection of Christ…the better the preparation the more effective the celebration will be. One can effectively relive the mystery only with purified mind and heart. The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by weaning men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in them the desire to do God’s will and to make His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts.”

On the surface, this belief sounds sincere. However, IT DOES NOT AGREE WITH THE BIBLE, GOD’S HOLY WORD, the only source of true spiritual knowledge and understanding [John 17:17]. God, through the apostle Paul, commands Christians to “continue you in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing of whom you have learned them; and that from a child you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” [II Tim. 3:14-17].

First, understand that the “celebration of the death and Resurrection of Christ” to which the preceding quote refers is so-called “Good Friday” and “Easter Sunday”— HOLIDAYS DEEPLY ROOTED IN ANCIENT PAGANISM. They were instituted by mainstream Christianity in order to counterfeit and replace the Passover season.

Second, the Bible says that we are purified—cleansed, set apart and made pure in God’s sight—by the shed blood of Jesus Christ [Heb. 9:11-14, 22; 13:12]. This, along with faith [Acts 15:9] and humbly submitting to and obeying God [James 4:7-10] through His truth and prayer [John 17:17; I Tim. 4:5], makes us clean before God. NO AMOUNT OF FASTING, ABSTAINING FROM PHYSICAL PLEASURES OR ANY OTHER FORM OF SELF-DENIAL CAN PURIFY US!

Pagan Origins of Lent

Lent was never observed by Christ or His apostles. He commanded His disciples to “Go you therefore, and teach all nations…teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” [Matt. 28:19-20]. And Lent or Easter was not one of them!

Alexander Hislop wrote in his book The Two Babylons: “The festival, of which we read in Church history, under the name of Easter, in the third and fourth centuries, was quite a different festival from that now observed in the Romish Church, and at that time was not known by any such name as Easter…That festival [Passover] was not idolatrous, and it was preceded by no Lent. Lent was not observed by the first century Church! It was first addressed by the church at Rome during the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, when Emperor Constantine officially recognized that church as the Roman Empire’s state religion. Any other form of Christianity that held to doctrines contrary to the Roman church was considered an enemy of the state.

Today, Lent is used for “fasting from sin and from vice…forsaking sin and sinful ways.” It is a season “for penance, which means sorrow for sin and conversion to God.” This tradition teaches that fasting and employing self-discipline during Lent will give a worshipper the “control over himself that he needs to purify his heart and renew his life.”

However, the Bible clearly shows that self-control—temperance—comes from having God’s Holy Spirit working in the life of a converted mind [Gal. 5:16, 17, 22]. FASTING—OF AND BY ITSELF—CANNOT PRODUCE GODLY SELF-CONTROL.

Paul warned against using self-denial as a tool to rely on your own will. He called it “will worship.” “Wherefore if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are you subject to ordinances, [touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using;] after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh” [Col. 2:20-23].

GOD DID NOT DESIGN FASTING AS A TOOL FOR PENANCE, “BEATING YOURSELF UP” OR DEVELOPING WILL POWER: “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh?” [Isa. 58:5-7].

God’s people humble themselves through fasting in order to draw closer to Him—so that they can learn to think and act like Him—so that they can live His way of life in all things. Notice what the prophet Jeremiah wrote: “Thus says the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says the Lord” [9:23-24]. Fasting [and prayer] helps Christians draw closer to God.

Coming from the Anglo-Saxon Lencten, meaning “spring,” LENT ORIGINATED IN THE ANCIENT BABYLONIAN MYSTERY RELIGION. “The forty days’ abstinence of Lent WAS DIRECTLY BORROWED FROM THE WORSHIPPERS OF THE BABYLONIAN GODDESS…Among the Pagans this Lent seems to have been an indispensable preliminary to the great annual festival in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Tammuz” [The Two Babylons].

Tammuz was the false Messiah of the Babylonians—a SATANIC COUNTERFEIT OF JESUS CHRIST!

The Feast of Tammuz was usually celebrated in June [also called the “month of Tammuz”]. Lent was held 40 days before the feast, “celebrated by alternate weeping and rejoicing.” This is why Lent means “spring”; it took place from spring to early summer.

The Bible records ancient Judah worshipping this false Messiah: “Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord’s house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz” [Ezek. 8:14-15]. THIS WAS A GREAT ABOMINATION IN GOD’S EYES!

But why did the church at Rome institute such a pagan holiday?

“To conciliate the Pagans to nominal Christianity, Rome, pursuing its usual policy, took measures to get the Christian and Pagan festivals amalgamated, and, by a complicated but skillful adjustment of the calendar, it was found no difficult matter, in general, to get Paganism and Christianity—now far sunk in idolatry—in this as in so many other things, to shake hands” [The Two Babylons].

The Roman church replaced Passover with Easter, moving the pagan Feast of Tammuz to early spring, “Christianizing” it. Lent moved with it.

“This change of the calendar in regard to Easter was attended with momentous consequences. It brought into the Church the grossest corruption and the rankest superstition in connection with the abstinence of Lent” [The Two Babylons].

Before giving up personal sins and vices during Lent, the pagans held a wild, “anything goes” celebration to make sure that they got in their share of debaucheries and perversities — WHAT THE WORLD CELEBRATES AS MARDI GRAS TODAY.

Pagan Abomination masked as Christianity!

God is not the author of confusion [I Cor. 14:33]. He never instituted Lent, a pagan observance connecting debauchery to the supposed resurrection of a false Messiah.

God commands His people TO FOLLOW HIM—NOT THE TRADITIONS OF MEN. God’s ways are higher, better than man’s [Isa. 55:8-9]. Men cannot determine for themselves right from wrong or how to properly worship God. Why? Because “the heart [mind] is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” [Jer. 17:9], and “the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” [10:23]. God designed us and gave us life. He knows how we are supposed to worship Him.

To be a Christian and properly serve God, you must live “by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” [Matt. 4:4], recognizing that His Holy Scriptures “cannot be broken” [John 10:35].

GOD COMMANDS CHRISTIANS TO FLEE FROM THE PAGAN TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS OF THIS WORLD [REV. 18:2-4], CURRENTLY LED AND DECEIVED BY SATAN THE DEVIL [II COR. 4:4; REV. 12:9].

Lent may seem like a sincere, heartfelt religious observance. But it is deeply rooted in pagan ideas that counterfeit God’s plan.

God hates all pagan observances [Jer. 10:2-3; Lev. 18:3, 30; Deut. 7:1-5, 16]. They cannot be “Christianized” or made clean by men. That includes Lent.

If you are a true Christian you would say with David- “Through thy precepts I get understanding: THEREFORE I HATE EVERY FALSE WAY”! [Psalm 119:104]

Source: https://michaeljeshurun.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/ash-wednesday-and-lent-pagan/

Roman Catholicism is the Whore of Babylon

 

'And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.' 

Revelation 17:1-18

Roman Catholicism is the Whore of Babylon

And there followed another angel saying: "Babylon is fallen is fallen that great city because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." 

Now what is the wine wine represents false doctrine in Scripture wine is a mocker strong drink is raging
and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. 

The effect of this wine isdeception because it is fermented wine, which leads people away from the truth
so in contrast to the first angel's message which presents true doctrine Babylon is preaching wine or false doctrine.

The darkness of night obscures from view the truth about the world around us. Confusion like the darkness has concealed from us the truth about the character of God.

False doctrines and ideas are likethe trees of the forest that change with the seasons they blow about in the wind and rise and fall through the centuries.

There's only one way to dispel the darkness and that is with light. Peter tells us we have a more sure Word of Prophecy where unto ye do well that you take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place and with a light from these prophecies we are able to identify this system called Babylon, the system of Babylon is reflected by this woman uh in Revelation chapter 17.

So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored Beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

The first three symbols that help us to identify Babylon are the Woman, the Beast and the seven heads in order to arrive at a correct understanding of these symbols we must allow the Bible to define them for us so here's what God has to say about the prophetic symbol of a woman.

I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman. Zion was the name given to the people of God as we read in Isaiah say unto Zion thou art My people. So in the Old Testament a woman is used by God as a symbol to represent His people in the New Testament a woman still is used to represent God's people in the form of his church, for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother
and shall be joined unto his wife and they too shall be one flesh this is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ in the church,

In the book of Revelation there are two women one is a virgin dressed in white representing God's church and the other woman named Babylon is a harlot meaning she represents a counterfeit church and
she is the one sitting upon a beast. Once again allowing the Bible to interpret its own symbols we turn to the book of Daniel to define the symbol of the beast. The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth according to Daniel, a beast is a symbol for a kingdom or a nation, since the Bible uses a woman as a symbol for a church and the beast for a symbol of a nation then this symbol of a woman sitting upon a beast is a symbol of a church in control of a nation or a kingdom in other words this nation is
both a church and state power. Next John says that this beast has seven heads and the Bible tells us what
these heads represent just six verses later and here is the mind which hath wisdom the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman siteth the fact that this woman sits upon this beast with seven heads tells us this church and state power is located near seven mountains john goes on to describe
this woman in detail and the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of
abominations and filthiness of her fornication and upon her forehead was a name written mystery Babylon the great the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. 

Our fourth clue is that this woman or church named Babylon is described as a harlot meaning she has committed adultery against God by forsaking His covenant so this church does not represent God's people, instead it represents a counterfeit church. Our fifth characteristic is the woman's appearance she is described being a raid with purple and scarlet colors having allowed the Bible to define its own
symbols we see God telling us Babylon is a church and state power located around seven mountains and it is a counterfeit church that appears primarily in purple and scarlet colors there's only one church that fits this definitive description the Roman Catholic Church, also known as the papacy. So let's investigate the evidence for this conclusion: Vatican City is the only church and state nation in the world it is known as the city on seven hills and its primary colors are purple and scarlet.

During the Protestant Reformation, many of the reformers, including Thomas Cranmer, John Wesley, William Tinddale, John Wycliffe, Felipe Melanchton, John Hus, Martin Luther and hundreds of others, all concluded the papacy was the harlot of Babylon identified in the Scriptures.
I for my part will set free my own mind and deliver my conscience by declaring aloud to the pope and to all papists that the papacy is in truth nothing else than the kingdom of Babylon and the very antichrist for who is the man of sin and the son of predition but he who by his teaching and his ordinances increases the sin and predition of souls in the church while he yet sits in the church as if he were God. 

All these conditions have now for many ages been fulfilled by the papal tyranny first principles of the reformation by Martin Luther page the second angel's message is a warning against the wine of Babylon and the intoxicating influence of its false doctrines which have deceived the entire world.

Yes, even the Christian world this great feat was not accomplished at once but subtly over several centuries when you think about Jesus's statement just before he left he said "This gospel shall be preached in all the world and then the end will come." We see the disciples going out preaching this Gospel but we see that the end did not come the reason I believe is because that Gospel became tainted and a different gospel began to go out into all the world in part two of this series. 

We saw how the everlasting gospel and the everlasting covenant are revealed through the sanctuary but now we're going to take a look at a prophecy in the book of Daniel where the sanctuary comes under attack that's what's really being described here an attack on the Gospel and the covenant by replacing it
with a counterfeit covenant according to Daniel 8, the Bible talks about this little horn power that would defile the sanctuary yay he magnified himself even to the prince of the host and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away and the place of his sanctuary was cast down and in host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression and it cast down the truth to the ground and
it practiced and prospered and the little horn there's no doubt as you look at the sequence of the chapter that it's speaking about the Roman Catholic papacy.

Daniel's prophecy is telling us that the papacy would magnify himself and exalt himself even above Christ the prince of the host and by the papacy the truths represented by the sanctuary and Jesus ministry in heaven would be cast to the ground instead of looking to Jesus as our high priest in the heavenly sanctuary the people were taught to look to human priests in a counterfeit sanctuary upon the earth.

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The Pagan Origin Of St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated around the world every year on March 17th. This holiday is usually associated with the color green, shamrocks, drunkenness and Irish culture. However, what most people don't know is that St. Patrick's Day has deep demonic pagan roots that date back to pre-Catholic Ireland. 

Psalm 96:5  For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. 

Origins of the Pagan Festival

Before Roman Catholicism arrived in Ireland, the ancient Celts celebrated the spring equinox, which falls on March 21st, with a festival known as Ostara. This festival was a celebration of the end of winter and the start of the spring season. The Celts believed that during the spring equinox, the veil between the physical world and the spiritual world was at its thinnest, and they would perform rituals to honor their gods and goddesses.

One of the most important deities in the Celtic pantheon was Eostre, the goddess of spring and fertility. Her name is believed to have given rise to the modern English word "Easter." The Celts would offer sacrifices and perform other rituals to honor Eostre and ensure a successful harvest in the coming months.

The first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in Boston in 1737, and the holiday became an official Irish holiday in 1903.

Many of the traditions associated with St. Patrick's Day have pagan roots. For example, the color green is associated with St. Patrick's Day because it represents the rebirth of spring. In pagan times, green was also associated with fertility and the natural world. The shamrock, which is now a symbol of Ireland, was originally a sacred plant to the Celts and was believed to have protective powers.

The Importance of Fire

Fire was also an important part of the demonic Ostara festival, and its importance continued even after the arrival of Christianity. Bonfires were lit on hilltops to welcome the spring and ward off evil spirits. In some parts of Ireland, people still light bonfires on St. Patrick's Day.

Another tradition associated with St. Patrick's Day is the wearing of green. The Celts believed that wearing green would protect them from evil spirits, and the color is still associated with luck and good fortune. In Ireland, it is customary to wear a small bunch of shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day, which is a nod to the plant's original significance.

The Role of Music and Dance

Music and dance have always been important parts of Irish culture, and they played a role in the Ostara festival as well. The Celts would sing and dance around the bonfire to celebrate the arrival of spring. Today, traditional Irish music and dance are still an important part of St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

The Irish step dance, which is characterized by quick, precise movements of the feet and legs, is perhaps the most famous form of Irish dance. It originated in the 18th century and is now performed around the world committing the sin of drunkenness.

1 Corinthians 6:10  

Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

St. Patrick's Day is a holiday that is celebrated around the world, but few people know about its demonic heathen origins. True Christians should not celebrate this pagan holiday celebrated for the demons. 

Deuteronomy 12:29-32 

29 When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;

30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

31 Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

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Versión en español:  El Origen Pagano del Día de San Patricio

Rome The Whore of Babylon: By their fruits you shall know them

Matthew 7:16–20

16 By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. 

21 Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. 

Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues (Revelation 18:4).

 (Click on image to enlarge)

 12th and 14th Century evidence of Apostasy at the Roman Church -  Pictures of churches with pagan gods: goddess Venus, god Apollo, demons and naked children (pederasty)

   Roman Pagan gods at St. Peter's Basilica gate

 Promotion of pedophilia at St. Peters Basilica gate: Pagan god Zeus raping Ganymede

The Great Apostasy, 11th Century: An exposé of some of the most wicked heads of the Beast, the Roman Church, the Whore of Babylon predicted in the Book of Apocalypse. The most evil beings in history, apostates, heretics, idolaters, homosexual perverts, adulterers, murderers and thieves. Rome the cesspool of corruption, the See of the Antichrist.


Alexander VI (1492-1503)

Background: If greed is good, then Alexander VI was the "best pope". He literally bought his way into becoming pope, bankrolled by France and Genoa and his own merchant family.

Alexander VI, Rodrigo Borgia. Perhaps the most well known of the popes behaving badly, Pope Alexander VI built an empire for himself by defrocking his own son, who was a cardinal, and making him into a duke, and then marrying his daughter to several princes and dukes (after some untimely but very convenient deaths which made her a widow more than once) in order to gain land and power. He was gregarious and good humored as he was cunning. Accused of incest, theft, murder, and intrigue, and a man so obese that his own funeral needed to be hurried before his bloated body exploded from heat and weight.


Lucrezia and some of Alexander's many spawn.

Why He is Awful: Alexander VI became the Halliburton and Dick Cheney of the papacy, swindling his way onto the throne with cash and selling the papacy a piece at a time to warring empires in Europe. While he was raking in the wealth and involving the Holy See in French and Italian political intrigues, he was also amassing women and power for his family.

One of his most infamous stunts was to use his attractive daughter Lucrezia, whom he supposedly had an affair with, as bait for wealthy merchants. When a rich merchant prince would visit Rome Alexander VI would introduce his daughter, have her seduce them, and then marry his daughter off to the merchant for a vast dowry. Unfortunately for the merchant, Alexander VI was the pope and got to decide who was married and who wasn't married. As soon as a wealthier merchant rolled into Rome Lucrezia's marriage would end and she would become available to the next highest bidder.

Alexander VI was also wildly unpopular with devout Catholics because he never made any attempt to be religious. He was a 100% secular pope, ignoring all of the rules and traditions of the church. He married, had children, and sired countless children outside of marriage.

He also held extravagant parties that often tended to become orgies. These parties were so intense that one of them, known as the Banquet of Chestnuts, is actually a part of recorded papal history. 50 prostitutes would bring in baskets of chestnuts and empty them out on the floor. The women's clothes would then be auctioned off and once they were naked they would crawl around on the floor picking up the chestnuts. Then the members of the clergy, including the pope, would have sex with the prostitutes and for prizes. He was involved in the demonic practice of Astrology, like Paul II.

According to historian William Manchester, "Servants kept score of each man's orgasms, for the pope greatly admired virility and measured a man's machismo by his ejaculative capacity."

When Alexander VI's political intrigues ran him into financial trouble, he instituted a brutal pogrom against the wealthy, confiscating riches under the thin guise of criminal enforcement. If the wealthy resisted they were put to death. These pogroms fueled instability and eventually led to Alexander's involvement in a series of unfortunate military struggles. Assassins, paid by Alexander's many enemies, made repeated attempts on him. In 1503 they finally succeeded with a plate of poisoned food.

John Burchard, a sort of living papal Captain's Log, recorded Alexander VI's gruesome death.

"Alexander VI's stomach became swollen and turned to liquid, while his face became wine-colored and his skin began to peel off. Finally his stomach and bowels bled profusely."

Alexander VI died soon after the poisoning. His last words were, "Wait a minute."

Astrologia - Vatican Alexander VI's apartment

John XII (955-964)

Background: If the 16th century was the renaissance of shitty popes, the 10th century was the true dark age of the papacy. Popes during this time period were basically Genghis Kahn with a prettier hat. Pope John XII assumed the throne of Saint Peter at the seemingly tender age of 18, but back in the 10th century people lived to be about 25, so that was no excuse for the horrible reign that was to follow.

Typical papal whores, breast naked.

Why He is Awful: Pope John XII was a notorious sex fiend. He had sex with women and men in the papal palace and when visitors refused his attentions he went ahead and raped them anyway. The same hospitality was extended to his two young sisters. He held massive orgies and took particular pleasure in defiling holy sites, like the tombs of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, with his sinful acts.
A list of crimes John XIII was accused of was included in the Patrologia Latina, which I assume is some ancient text of absolute bastard popes. These crimes are too numerous to mention here, but a few highlights include:

Ordaining a 10 year old as bishop
Having sex with his niece (I guess raping his sisters didn't count)
Turning the sacred palace into a brothel
Castrating and then murdering a cardinal
Blinding and then murdering his confessor
Toasting to the devil and invoking pagan gods during dice games
Refusing to make the sign of the cross, which seems like a job requirement for the pope


Pope John XII was no stranger to political intrigue. He granted Otto I of Germany the title of emperor in order to protect himself from his political enemies, but Otto I began to take more power than John XII was comfortable with. He conspired against his supposed ally, but Otto I returned to Rome and deposed John XII from the papacy and installed a puppet pope.

John XII fled into exile, but gathered an army of allies and mercenaries. He returned to Rome, ran off the puppet pope, and took back his title. Otto I mustered an army to finish off John XII once and for all, but he was too late. By the time Otto I arrived in Rome Pope John XII was dead. It is rumored that he was killed by a jealous husband when the man caught John XII in bed with his wife. By the way, his son became Pope John XIII and died the exact same way.


Pope John XII was an evil person. There is no getting around it. If he is not the most awful pope of all time, he is certainly in contention as the most evil.



Paul III (1534-1549)
 
Background: Pope Paul III, predecessor to Julius III, reigned during a particularly turbulent time for the Catholic Church and he made some difficult decisions. His edicts against slavery in the New World were the source of a great deal of conflict and he had to grapple with entrenched corruption in the Church, the formation of the Church of England, and the agitation of Martin Luther. He ruthlessly fought Protestantism and was known for having men strangled and then burned.

Why He is Awful: Pope Paul III wasn't just a bad pope, he was a bad dude all around. He murdered relatives, including poisoning his mother and niece, to inherit the family fortune. This sort of power was what it took to muscle his way to becoming pope in the disastrous aftermath of Clement VII. The most famous anecdote about Paul III's ruthlessness revolves around a theological dispute between two cardinals and a Polish bishop. When the argument wore on, Paul III had all three men hacked to death with swords.

Paul III was also notoriously corrupt, despite his supposed anti-corruption stance. Any position in the church was for sale and he famously took control of some 45,000 Roman prostitutes and then took a cut of their earnings. That's right, Paul III, the world's first pimp pope. Paul III's most well-known lover was an attractive young lady named Costanza Farnese.

She was the pope's daughter.



Julius III (1550-1555)

Background: Julius was one of the rare duly-elected popes of the 16th century, most having come to power through intrigues or even murder. At the time, being pope was to the richest and most powerful families of Italy much like being President of the United States is to the Bushes and the Clintons. Compared to these families, Julius III was like the war hero of cardinals.

Decades before becoming pope, Julius was traded as a hostage by the dumb and cowardly Pope Clement VII to Emperor Charles V during the sacking of Rome. Julius would have been killed, but in a complicated twist Cardinal Pompeo Colonna, enemy of Clement VII and rogue commando cardinal, rescued the hostages including Julius III from the clutches of the Emperor. It was the original special ops mission. Despite such a dramatic history, Julius III would go on to become one of the vilest popes ever to sit on the throne of Saint Peter.

Why He is Awful: Once he was elected pope, Julius III looted the papal coffers to renovate his mansion in Rome. The Villa Giula, as it is known, became the full-time residence of Julius III and the pope oversaw the construction. He hired only the best (including Michelangelo) and had little interest in the affairs of the pope. Following on the heels of meddlesome popes like Clement VII, you might think this was a good thing, but Julius III had some unfortunate uses for all that free time.

In addition to the wholesale looting of the Catholic treasury so that he could flip his house, Julius III was known to have a thing for younger men. Alright, he liked to have sex with kids. Okay, he was infamous for having sex with kids.


That mansion of his was decorated with statues and frescoes depicting kids having sex with each other. Julius III didn't just let slip that he molested kids, he flaunted it. He decorated his house to flaunt it. He didn't need Martin Bashir to ask him about sleeping with some crippled white kid, Julius III was having Michelangelo chisel sculptures of mouth rape. He was blinging with child porn.

Controversial poet and scholar Giovanni Della Casa wrote an poem about Julius III in which Della Casa defended the practice of sodomizing young boys. The poem was known throughout Italy and was written while Julius III was the pope. That's like the 16th century equivalent of having a top 5 song on the Billboard charts name-dropping you as a child rapist.

All of these things combined would easily give Julius a spot on the list, but his masterpiece of popery came when Julius mixed business and pleasure. He had a tendency to appoint hot underage studs to the position of cardinal, but took things to a whole new level when he adopted a beggar. He raised the kid as a sort of foul-mouthed whore that hung out in Rome and was bestowed with the title of cardinal-nephew, which sounds and is creepy, but was also an extremely powerful and prestigious position in the church. Julius III and his boytoy inspired more than a century of anti-papacy sentiment throughout Europe.


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