Furthermore, I will give up all of my earthly possessions, which amounts to several thousand dollars, if any priest, bishop or archbishop living upon the face of the earth can prove before any court of justice in America that I have not always endeavored to live an exemplary life and rigidly taught the doctrines of the Catholic faith, although at times my whole life rebelled at being compelled to do so, but my whole training and long association would invariably get the master of my reason and better judgment, and I would be forced by my superstitious training back into the mystified labyrinths of my childhood’s education.

I stood it until I became tortured day and night by the prod of reason, then I quietly left the church and bade farewell to the heathen Scapular and the ten thousand other trinkets of blind paganism, and resolved to break the chain of this “slave of the soul” and “tyrant of reason.”

In this chapter we want to give the reader some idea of the nonsensical and unreasonableness of the claims of Catholicism, so that you may more fully understand how disgusting it is for a man who endeavors to use his God-given abilities to submit to such abominations.

The Catholic Church depends more upon the saving power of the Scapular than it does upon the saving power of Jesus Christ.  Now, this is a broad expression, but I know whereof I speak and I am prepared to back up the assertion with facts.

The Scapular is a veil or cape, which covers the shoulders.  It was worn as such by Monks and Nuns, over their dress, but which is best known among Catholics as two little pieces of cloth worn out of devotion, under ordinary garments, and connected by a string which goes around the neck and hangs down, allowing this “trinket” to rest upon the breast.

Catholic children, from their infancy, are taught that this trinket is a preventative against accident and disease, and they actually believe it, and should they lose this “nothing” they at once become miserable and will undergo any hardship to possess another.

It was through the Carmelites (Monks) that this devotion began and I believe that the history that I will relate in regard to it is the first history ever repeated in this or any other country by an ex-priest that ever lived or died.

A man by the name of Simon Stock was elected to the generalship of the Carmelite Order, and this same Simon Stock was considered a Saint, and it is taught by Catholicism that the Virgin Mary appeared to Simon Stock in a vision and exhibited this Scapular and gave Stock to understand that it was to be worn by the Catholic world in the future as a preventative against accident, disease and sudden death.

There is another story which is told in regard to this Scapular, as follows:  It is said that the Virgin Mary appeared to Simon Stock in a vision in behalf of the Carmelite Order, which at that time was in great trouble, and gave to Stock a Scapular, which she bore in her hand, in order that it could be worn, and which she guaranteed was an order direct from God Almighty that the Carmelite Order should wear this “trinket,” which would be a preventative from any evil overtaking any of those who did wear it, and further stating that all of those who wore this Scapular “shall never suffer eternal burning.”