Michael Scheifler's "Bible Light Home Page."
http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/
December 13th 1999
Questions promptly answered 12/11/1999.

Michael says "It is NOT really my intent to offend anyone.." Its hard to see
how his website could not offend. He offers the challenge "So if you are
offended, or feel that what I have posted is in error, then please write me
and explain in some detail where you feel I have erred. I am willing to
consider your point of view."

With this in mind the esteemed editors at R_Catholic-L wrote Michael
Sheifler.

Dear Michael,
As a Catholic, its hard to see how a reasonable person of any denomination
would not be offended by your website, especially Catholics. You invited
website visitors to write you. I am extending you the opportunity to give
Catholics an insight to how the a notable  anti-Catholic feels about
Catholics. I am writing these questions for Catholics and this article will
be posted in its entirety for Catholics to read. You can also view this
document at http://rcatholic-l.freeservers.com/michael.html.

1. Do you hate Catholics?

I presume you will append this response in its entirety to your site. Your questions, and my answers have also been posted to http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/questions.htm

No. Do you hate what you call anti-Catholics? Why do Catholics automatically assume that they are hated by those who disagree strongly with Catholic doctrines and teaching?

If I were to walk down a street and see a neighbors house on fire, what do you think I should do? Any responsible person would immediately try to give a warning and get anyone in the house to leave because of the clear danger. Now, if I really hated the people in that house, I might, in my hatred, do nothing and let them perish in the fire. Surely to do nothing would be the worst possible outcome. Now make the house the Catholic Church, and the fire is apostate doctrine. I know from scripture that this apostasy is quite dangerous, and could be fatal. What am I to do, try to warn them and get the people out, or do nothing? Which is an act of love and concern and not hatred?

2. Most people with deep prejudices often say in their defense "I have
friends that are black," or "I have friends that are Jewish" as a defense.
With this in mind do you have any Catholic friends?

That is a loaded question, but I will answer it anyway. I have many ex-Catholics as friends that are now Adventists, but I must admit, I have few if any practicing Catholic friends or acquaintances. (At least they have not told me they are Catholic, if they are).

3. Do you really feel that Catholics worship statues?

Catholics will deny it, and I accept them at their word, but the commandment of God forbids bowing down in front of images of any kind, and this Catholics do routinely, so they are breaking the commandment. It does not matter that they deny worshipping the statue/image, bowing down before it is an act of idolatry forbidden by God.

4. Would you accept a gold medal from the pope considering that Adventists
believe he is the antichrist?

I will take all the gold you or the Pope want to give me and use it for the work of the Lord. Did not Israel take all the the gold they could carry from Pharaoh and Egypt when they left it?

5. Are all Catholics damned?

Certainly not. In fact, scripture makes clear that the majority of God's people are now IN Babylon, and they are to be called out of it:

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

That is a message that many Catholics will hear and respond to.

How could a person ask questions of an Adventist and not cover some about
the late Ellen White?

1.  According to Ellen White there are a race of people who are an
amalgamation of man and beast. Which race of people is this?

"But if there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of
the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation of man and
beast which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere.
Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 3, p. 64"

"Every species of animal which God had created were preserved in the ark.
The confused species which God did not create, which were the result of
amalgamation, were destroyed by the flood. Since the flood there has been
amalgamation of man and beast, as may be seen in the almost endless
varieties of species of animals, and in certain races of men. Spiritual
Gifts, Vol. 3, p. 75"

You misunderstand what she was saying. She was NOT speaking about cross-breeding between animals and humans. Ellen White was speaking about the genetic engineering of animals by man, and similarly cross-breeding between types of humans. Hitler tried the same kind of manipulation to try and produce a super Aryan race. Today there is the same controversy over genetic engineering of plants, animals and men. Man today is able by manipulation to produce species that were not created by God, and clone animals etc. With their superior intellect, the people before the flood were doing the same kind of species engineering, and producing "man-made" varieties of plants, animals, and yes, perhaps even "super" humans.

2. The above shows a extreme racial prejudice to go with White's religious
prejudices. Many times when people have racial or religious prejudices they
will defend themselves by saying "I have friends that are Catholic," or "I
have friends that are black." Do you have any friends that are the
amalgamation of "Man and beast"?

Your question was based on a false assumption, but now you know what Ellen White really meant by her remarks, which were not racist at all.

3. Are the inhabitants of Saturn "a tall, majestic people, so unlike the
inhabitants of earth" as White claimed?

I don't think Ellen White ever spoke of Jupiter in that regard, but she did say this:

The Lord has given me a view of other worlds. Wings were given me, and an angel attended me from the city to a place that was bright and glorious. The grass of the place was living green, and the birds there warbled a sweet song. The inhabitants of the place were of all sizes; they were noble, majestic, and lovely. They bore the express image of Jesus, and their countenances beamed with holy joy, expressive of the freedom and happiness of the place. I asked one of them why they were so much more lovely than those on the earth. The reply was, "We have lived in strict obedience to the commandments of God, and have not fallen by disobedience, like those on the earth." Early Writings, pg. 39.

Even scripture speaks of other worlds:

Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

I have no problem believing that there are indeed other unfallen worlds in this universe, worlds that have tall majestic inhabitants, but I don't think Ellen White ever said that Jupiter was inhabited.

Michael sent a quick followup email:

Please append this paragraph to my previous reply:

Now, I would like to invite the readers at http://rcatholic-l.freeservers.com/ to visit my web page. If you can find any errors, especially in regard to Catholic doctrines or practices, I will happily correct them. I have no need or desire to misrepresent Catholicism.

Michael Scheifler
Bible Light Homepage
http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch

Thank you for your time.
R_Catholic-L