Phelps inane ramblings.

Just for grins, I decided to listen to Eric Phelps radio program on fistamendmentradio.com. This is a one station radio network out of northern Florida.

The topic of his June 19th, 2008 show was the Catholic Code of Canon Law. No, not the 1983 code that is available on the Vatican website, but a 13 point "code" he found in a book titled "Romanism and the Republic" By Isaac J. Lansing and Leroy M. Vernon. This book was written in 1889. The "code" that Eric used is found on page "xi" and it says:

The Canon Law, the undisputed, fundamental code of
Romanism, is utterly incompatible with the Constitution
and laws of our Republic, as witness the following leading
provisions, gleaned therefrom by Dr. G. F. Von Schulte,
Professor of Canonical Law at Prague, viz. : — "
I. All human power is from evil, and must therefore be
standing under the Pope. "
II. The temporal powers must act unconditionally, in accordance
with the orders of the spiritual. "
III. The Church is empowered to grant, or to take away,
any temporal possession. "
IV. The Pope has the right to give countries and nations
which are non-Catholic to Catholic regents, who can reduce
them to slavery. "
V. The Pope can makes slaves of those Christian subjects
whose prince or ruling power Is interdicted by the Pope.
VI. The laws of the Church, concerning the liberty of the
Church and the Papal power, are based upon divine Inspiration. "
VII. The Church has the right to practice the unconditional
censure of books. "
VIII. The Pope has the right to annul State laws, treaties,
constitutions, etc. ; to absolve from obedience thereto, as soon
as they seem detrimental to the rights of the Church, or those
of the clergy. "
IX. The Pope possesses the right of admonishing, and, If
needs be, of punishing the temporal rulers, emperors, and kings,
as well as of drawing before the spiritual forum any case In
which a mortal sin occurs. "
X. Without the consent of the Pope no tax or rate of any
kind can be levied upon a clergyman, or upon any church whatsoever. "
XI. The Pope has the right to absolve from oaths, and
obedience to the persons and the laws of the princes whom he
excommunicates. "
XIII. The Pope can annul all legal relations of those In
ban, especially their marriages. "
XIII. The Pope can release from every obligation, oath,
vow, either before or after being made. "
XIV. The execution of Papal commands for the persecution
of heretics causes remission of sins. "
XV. He who kills one that Is excommunicated is no murderer
in a legal sense."

Well, I set out to try to authenticate this list, and I couldn't. This book is the first appearance of this list and it does not give a page, chapter or even a Book name where they can be found. A search on the name of the "theologian" that compiled it, shows that his name can only be found in association with this list.

This is a common tactic of anti-catholics. (and bigots in general). Create some damning piece of information. Then attach such an obscure and unverifiable citation to it that it becomes impossible to verify. The benefit of this is now, the author can claim that no one can "prove him wrong". This is the logical fallacy of "shifting the burden of proof". To my non-catholic friends, rest assured nothing on this list is true. That is not the Canon Law of the church.