Thank God.

The article was not an “unbiased news report,” and was not a “news report” at all. It is not that genre of writing.

Happy new year to you, too, Mr Ballou.

You yourself have made a false claim in asserting that “Rev. Hosea Ballou & his followers are condemned & judged to have never reached our Father’s Eternal Banquet.” No such judgment or condemnation was issued. We believe, as our Faith teaches, that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church, but we do not judge individual souls when they enter eternity. THAT is the prerogative of Jesus Christ, the just Judge.

What you call “personal commentary” that strays from “objective presentation” is commentary based on a world view animated by the Catholic Faith. This was an article that appeared originally in a Catholic journal and now on a Catholic web site. It does not claim to be an unbiased news report.

You identify yourself as a Catholic, yet you favorably cite the pagan Ghandi on a religious matter. His statement is in opposition to the Catholic Church’s infallible teaching — see http://catholicism.org/category/outside-the-church-there-is-no-salvation . That’s a problem.

Lastly, it appears that you did not find any “factual errors” in the article, since you did not identify them when I asked you. This would make your admonition to do “honest documented research” misleading at best. It seems that you perceive a need, not for better research, but for a different doctrinal adherence on the part of the author.

Were there any factual errors about the Ballou family in the article?

Your Hans Urs Von Balthasar is a heretic. See http://catholicism.org/urs-von-balthasar.html

Contrary to Scripture, contrary to Tradition, contrary to the Magisterium… that’s a heretic for you. Suggest you read this, too:

http://catholicism.org/there-is-a-hell-and-it-makes-perfect-sense.html

You can type it into Google to find out more about it.

First I want to say that you are very gracious in the way you have portrayed this man.You were not mean or overly judgmental even though you kept to your Roman Catholic mindset. I can see that he was very blessed and had a fine family of children and a loving wife. The 6th child died and that would have been the number of man so died the doctrines of man in the preaching of this grand brother!

Thank you so much for introducing me to Hosea Ballou!

Conformation of absolute truth that the Holy Spirit has been showing me since 1980! I am a reconciliationist and I will see the glory of the Lord shine in every Roman Catholic,all Protestants,every Sanhedrin elder,every Roman gladiator,Caesar,whore,thief,murderer,politician, adulterer,etc etc etc, even all nazi fools! When Hell/Hades/Sheol/Gehenna/Tartarus/Lake of Fire has accomplished it’s work, ALL shall be saved!

Lester

Mark Twain thought his greatest work was Joan of Ark — a delightful read, which I highly recommend. Saint Joan, who fascinated Samuel Clemens, was a very dogmatic Catholic whose notions of heaven, hell, eternity, heresy, etc., would be identical to our own.

To the Fathers of the Church, like Saint Hilary of Poitiers (whose feast is today), a departure from God’s revelation was indeed considered evil. Saint Hilary certainly thought Arianism was evil — and Unitarian/Universalist Christology is Arian, no? All the saints would similarly think that substantial departures from God’s revelations concerning Himself (the Trinity) and our last end (death, heaven, hell, purgatory)are worthy of censure.

I hope to be in their company when I die. I also hope you will be, too, Rev. Clark, and Mark Twain (who, I would be happy to learn, died at peace with God through the intercession of Saint Joan of Ark!). No, I don’t believe those who seek God in love will be damned. If they seek Him, they will find Him — exactly where he is.

God bless you and Mary keep you.