Friday 31 May 2019

Infiltration The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within - Taylor R. Marshall

Infiltration: 
The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within
Taylor R. Marshall
Sophia Institute Press
ISBN 9781622828463
eISBN 9781622828470
ASIN B07R8F7RYT


I have been a fan of Taylor Marshall’s work for a few years now. His books, his podcasts, his seminars. I am not normally a conspiracy theory guy. I have been shaken by the scandal in the church and especially the hierarchy over the last few years. I have been greatly surprised by some of the things said and actions taken by pope Francis. I pray for him daily! But this book is rooted in such solid research, and when the evidence is inconclusive it admits the various possibilities. 

The sections in this book are:
Foreword, by Bishop Athanasius Schneider
Acknowledgments 
1. The Smoke of God and the Smoke of Satan
2. Alta Vendita: Satan’s Revolution in Tiara and Cope
3. Our Lady of La Salette
4. Attack on the Papal States in 1870
5. Pope Leo XIII Sees Demons Gather on Rome
6. Infiltration of the Church by Secret Societies and Modernism
7. Our Lady of Fatima
8. Conclave of 1922: Pope Pius XI
9. Communist Infiltration of the Priesthood
10. 1939 Papal Conclave: Pius XII
11. Pius XII as the Pope of Fatima
12. Communist Infiltration of the Liturgy
13. Woeful Illness of Pius XII: Three Crypto-Modernists
14. Mysterious Conclave of 1958
15. Pope John XXIII Opens the Third Secret
16. Vatican II — Modernism on Parade
17. Conclave of 1963: Paul VI
18. Crypto-Modernism and Nouvelle Théologie
19. Theological Infiltration of Vatican II
20. Infiltration of the Liturgy
21. Ottaviani Intervention against Pope Paul VI
22. Archbishop Lefebvre and the Traditionalist Resistance
23. Resistance to the Novus Ordo Missae
24. Infiltration of the Vatican Bank under Paul VI
25. Infiltration and the Mysterious Death of John Paul I
26. Infiltration of John Paul II’s Pontificate
27. Sankt Gallen Mafia: Homosexuality, Communism, and Freemasonry
28. Ratzinger versus Bergoglio in the Papal Conclave of 2005
29. Infiltration and the Plot against Benedict XVI
30. Infiltration of the Vatican Bank and the Butler of Pope Benedict XVI
31. Infiltration and the Election of Pope Francis
32. Solving the Current Crisis
33. Spiritual Weapons against Demonic Enemies
Appendices
Who’s Who in This Book
Timeline of Popes in This Book
Vatican Secretaries of State by Papacy and Dates
Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita
Both Versions of the Secret of La Salette
Timeline of Liturgical Changes
Dates of Indults for Communion in Hand 
Timeline of the Life of Ex-Cardinal McCarrick
Index

This book goes back and builds a strong case for how the church has ended up where it is today. It presents some very solid evidence, and when appropriate shares differing views on events. Of particular interest for me based on my own reading and research over the years, the first was on the possible assassination of Pope John Paul I, and the second on the Conclave of 1958. This book is masterfully written. It is of high quality academic research, and yet written in an engaging manner that any lay person can pick it up and work through it. There are many parts of this book that should drive devote Catholics to their knees, praying for forgiveness, praying for healing, and praying for the Church as a whole. 

The introduction begins with these words:

“In Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within, Taylor Marshall touches on a topic that is deliberately ignored today. The issue of a possible infiltration of the Church by forces outside her does not fit into the optimistic picture that Pope John XXIII and particularly the Second Vatican Council unrealistically and uncritically drew of the modern world.”

Based on the evidence given, including firsthand accounts from some involved I would state it is not a possibility it is a reality. The infiltration is a reality, and we must open our eyes, our hearts and become prayer warriors. We are also reminded that:

“The modern world, after all, is inspired by the principles of the French Revolution: the absolute freedom of man from any divine revelation or commandment; the absolute equality that abolishes not only any social or religious hierarchy but even differences between the sexes; and a brotherhood of man so uncritical that it even eliminates any distinction on the basis of religion.”

One of the most powerful statements from Marshall is at the beginning of the book:

“If you do not believe that Satan exists, put down this book. Moreover, if you believe that the Catholic Church can be purified merely by updated rules, policies, and canonical procedures, you’ll find little promise in the historical diagnosis and proposed cure found in this book. Saint Paul stated: “For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). The crisis of the Catholic Church relates to the intrusion of these “rulers of this present darkness,” and she can only be purified by sanctified warfare against the demonic.”

His chapter that is written around the three planks of modernism I of upmost importance. And the book needs to be read as a whole and synthesised by the reader. I have read this book twice now, actually, I have listened to it once over two days. and then I took a week of evenings once my children were in bead and read through the text, slowly and methodologically, often looking of references and sources. And I will likely return to it again in a few months after some further research based on the sources and quotes in the volume.  I highlighted 125 passages on that second pass through. It is an incredible read. I believe it is a book that any Catholic would benefit from reading, weather traditionalist, modernist, convert, revert or life long Catholic. And I love that the book ends with asking for prayer.

With all of that being said, I am not a big fan of conspiracy theories. I am not a Rad Trad. I am a revert to the Catholic faith, I have never been to a Latin mass. I was born after Vatican II, and I believe in the local parish, the school our children attend, and our house is inside a specific parish boundary and we attend there. There are more traditional looking churches in town, but we attend our parish. I know some people drive hours to attend Latin Mass, or to go to the church of a specific priest. That is not now, nor likely ever would be me. I have a religious study degree with a focus on Roman Catholic Thought. I love being Catholic, I love communion, confession, the sacraments, and Eucharistic adoration. And I love daily mass. This book does challenge some underlying assumptions and raises a lot of points that need serious consideration. 

Therefore, I strongly encourage you to give this book a read, and like the end of the book be praying! Be praying for Taylor, for our Church, for us, and for a cleanup of the temple!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Taylor R. Marshall:
Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages: The Layman's Quick Guide to Thomism
Saint Augustine in 50 Pages: The Layman's Quick Guide to Augustinianism
God's Birthday: Why Christ Was Born on December 25 and Why it Matters

Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within
The Rosary in 50 Pages: The Layman’s Quick Guide to Mary’s Psalter
...

Sword and Serpent Series:
Sword and the Serpent
The Tenth Region of the Night
Storm of Fire and Blood
...

The Origins of Catholic Christianity Series:
The Crucified Rabbi: Judaism and the Origins of Catholic Christianity
The Catholic Perspective on Paul: Paul and the Origins of Catholic Christianity
The Eternal City: Rome & the Origins of Catholic Christianity
...

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