Zach Uram's Blog

  • A Tale of Two Marys

    A depiction of the Virgin Mary, wearing a white dress and a blue robe, with arms outstretched. She stands on clouds against a blue sky, surrounded by stars and a radiant halo.

    A serious Berean student of Scripture, and one acquainted with the teachings of the Catholic church, will notice something.

    The Mary of Scripture and the Mary of the Catholic church are two different people, in so many ways.

    Here are a few differences:

    RCC: Mary has been an ever-virgin her entire life.
    SCRIPTURE: Mary and Joseph had sex after Jesus was born

    RCC: Mary and Joseph had no children after Jesus was born.
    SCRIPTURE: Mary and Joseph have several sons and daughters, some of whom are named in several instances.

    RCC: Mary is immaculate (sinless) from the moment of her conception. In her entire life, she has never sinned. Jesus is the only human who never sinned. He was able to do this because He is divine. No other normal human being was ever sinless.
    SCRIPTURE: Mary was a normal human. She was a sinner who needed Christ to save her from her wickedness. Unbelievers are children of Satan.

    RCC: Mary was assumed into heaven.
    SCRIPTURE: We are not told where Mary died or where she was buried. But if she had been assumed into heaven, Scripture would likely have mentioned it.

    RCC: Mary has appeared over the centuries several times. These apparitions have been formally approved by the Catholic church.

    SCRIPTURE: No mention of this happening.

    RCC: Praying to Mary, or asking her to pray for us, or asking her to get Jesus to do something are common practice among Catholics.
    SCRIPTURE: Christ is our sole mediator between God and man.

    It should be noted that, thanks to the Catholic church’s development of doctrine, they will make a pronouncement that these Marian beliefs were believed all the time going back to the New Testament Church. Also, often much later, the Catholic church will declare a doctrine to be true, and further it is incumbent on the Catholic to affirm this teaching.

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  • Post Tenebras Lux

    Out of the darkness
    And into the light
    I escaped the Satanic blight

    I have spirits around me
    They accuse and spew blasphemies
    Tired of dealing with these enemies

    My intrusive thoughts
    And racing thoughts are no joke
    They are too much for this bloke

    We must mortify our flesh
    The natural man is at war
    With the Spirit in us for sure

    Harken to me, brethren
    We must practice self-denial
    We shall face many a trial

    Be killing sin
    Or it will be killing you
    In sanctification, the flesh we must subdue

    We shall walk by faith
    Not by sight
    We must do what’s right

    The Word of God
    Must be discerned spiritually
    To unbelievers, it is a mystery

    Let us share the Gospel
    Of God’s sovereign grace
    It alone can save the human race

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • Some Thoughts

    Since my spiritual birth
    I’ve been full of mirth

    I trust in Christ the Lord
    He is the living Word

    Christ is my true Sabbath rest
    He is the best

    I love to read Scripture
    Even when I have a stricture

    God’s Word sustains my life
    I go to it in good times and in strife

    Jesus is the promised Messiah
    Sadly, most Jews treated Him as a pariah

    I am waiting for the Rapture
    Those left behind will suffer

    The Rapture is our blessed hope
    Fail to heed the warning, you’re a dope

    I await the New Heaven and New Earth
    It’s only for those who had a second birth

    We must spread the Gospel near and far
    Use a plane, boat, train, bicycle, or car

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • The Lord’s Supper

    Communion is
    A remembrance
    of Christ’s
    Once and for all
    Sacrifice
    The bread and wine
    Symbols of
    Christ’s
    Body and Blood
    In Him we find
    True Sabbath rest
    As Christ died
    And was resurrected
    So too will we
    This remembrance
    Is not merely
    A cerebral exercise
    It is an act
    That is spiritual
    It engages us
    The believer
    In the mystery of
    Christ’s sacrifice
    An atoning work
    A real dissemination
    Of faith
    The elements of
    Bread and wine
    Are visible signs
    Of a grace
    That is invisible
    Through this sacrament
    We are called
    To reflect on
    The immensity
    Of Christ’s love
    For us
    As well as
    The high cost
    Of our redemption

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • My Struggle With Mental Illness

    I am a loon
    I jumped over the moon

    I am insane
    I have a malfunctioning brain

    I am non compos mentis
    Vi and I loved The Apprentice

    I am crazy
    But not lazy

    I am barking mad
    Sometimes I’m sad

    I am at times berserk
    I’m never a jerk

    I am mentally sick
    An ice cream cone I’ll lick

    I am not a sociopath
    I follow the Christian path

    I am deranged
    By Christ’s power, I am changed

    I am not demented
    Your bigotry, I have resented

    I am at times maniacal
    My mind is not reliable

    I am a screwball
    I’m in for the long haul

    I am a lunatic
    I’ve had experiences traumatic

    I am mental
    I’m a giant who is gentle

    I am nutty
    I dislike women who are slutty

    I am unhinged
    Episodes of Star Trek I’ve binged

    I am certifiable
    My thoughts aren’t reliable

    I am a crackpot
    Healing, I’ve sought

    I am cuckoo
    Sanity I eschew

    I am in my thoughts disordered
    Reality is distorted

    I am psychotic
    My mind is chaotic

    I am at times irrational
    I’m very emotional

    I am disturbed
    My thinking is perturbed

    I am a wacko
    I’m afraid of my shadow

    I am in my mind unstable
    My mental illnesses are no fable

    I am mentally unbalanced
    From anguish, I wish to be distanced

    I am a schizo
    I like to play bingo

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • Catholic Practices That Are Not Apostolic

    Veneration of Mary as Co-Redemptrix:
    Catholics frequently honor Mary with titles like “Co-Redemptrix” and pray to her as a mediator. The Apostles focused solely on Jesus as mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) and did not elevate Mary in this way.

    Use of the Rosary:
    The Rosary, a structured prayer with beads, is a staple of Catholic devotion. No evidence suggests the Apostles used such prayer tools.

    Papal Authority:
    Catholics recognize the Pope as the supreme head of the Church. The Apostles operated without a centralized papal figure, with Peter as a leading apostle but not a pope (Acts 15).

    Canonization of Saints:
    Catholics formally canonize saints for veneration. The Apostles referred to all believers as “saints” without a formal process (Romans 1:7).

    Mandatory Clerical Celibacy:
    Catholic priests are required to be celibate. The Apostles, including Peter, were married (1 Corinthians 9:5; Matthew 8:14).

    Infant Baptism: Catholics routinely baptize infants. The Apostles baptized believers upon profession of faith, with no clear record of infant baptism (Acts 2:38-41).

    Transubstantiation in the Eucharist:
    Catholics believe the bread and wine become Christ’s literal body and blood. The Apostles celebrated the Lord’s Supper as a memorial, without this specific doctrine (1 Corinthians 11:23-25).

    Confession to a Priest:
    Catholics confess sins to priests for absolution. The Apostles encouraged confessing sins to God or one another (James 5:16; 1 John 1:9).

    Use of Statues and Icons:
    Catholic churches frequently use statues and icons in worship. The Apostles, rooted in Jewish tradition, avoided such imagery to prevent idolatry (Acts 17:29).

    Purgatory Doctrine:
    Catholics pray for souls in Purgatory. The Apostles did not teach or mention Purgatory (Hebrews 9:27).

    Indulgences:
    Catholics historically and currently use indulgences to reduce time in Purgatory. No apostolic teaching supports this practice.

    Mass as a Sacrifice:
    Catholics view the Mass as a re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifice. The Apostles saw the Lord’s Supper as a remembrance, not a repeated sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10).

    Liturgical Vestments:
    Catholic clergy wear elaborate vestments during Mass. The Apostles dressed simply, and there is no record of special liturgical garments.

    Sign of the Cross:
    Catholics frequently make the sign of the cross. No evidence shows the Apostles using this gesture.

    Holy Water:
    Catholics use holy water for blessings. The Apostles did not use blessed water in their practices.

    Adoration of the Eucharist:
    Catholics adore the consecrated host in Eucharistic adoration. The Apostles did not practice or teach this.

    Mandatory Fasting Periods:
    Catholics observe specific fasting seasons like Lent. The Apostles fasted voluntarily but did not mandate fixed periods (Acts 13:2).

    Relics Veneration:
    Catholics venerate the relics of saints. The Apostles did not collect or venerate physical remains for spiritual purposes.

    Monasticism:
    Catholics participate in or support monastic orders. The Apostles lived communally but did not establish monasteries (Acts 2:44-45).

    Dogmatic Definitions of Marian Apparitions:
    Catholics often follow approved Marian apparitions (e.g., Fatima, Lourdes). The Apostles did not record or promote such visions.

    Who is your authority, Catholics? Everything you do is just foreign to the traditions of the Apostles.

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  • My Life

    I ran
    With the lions
    In the Serengeti
    I ate
    The bees’ honey
    Raw
    I swam
    With the sharks
    In the ocean
    The power of
    My mind
    Transported me
    To the
    Third heaven
    I had a psychotic
    Rage
    I destroyed
    The Satanic
    Mage
    I rode
    A wild
    Mustang horse
    I traveled
    The globe
    I projected
    My consciousness
    Into a
    Supermassive
    Black hole
    In our galactic
    Center
    I lifted a car
    Using my
    Telekinesis
    I drank
    A glass
    Of ice-cold
    Water
    I sang praises
    To the Lord
    I watched
    The children
    Go insane
    I felt my sanity
    Slipping away
    I barked
    At the wild
    Baboon

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • Shakespeare

    I took a trip
    Through time
    To visit the bard
    Whose writing is sublime

    Shakespeare
    Is his name
    He is preeminent
    In English literature, full of fame

    He’s written
    Many a superb play
    There is no writer like him
    I can read his works all day

    Shakespeare’s poetry
    Is top notch
    When I read it
    I forget to check my watch

    The plays of Macbeth
    And Hamlet, I love
    Shakespeare was born
    From above

    I watched the play
    Of Julius Caesar
    It made
    My mind keener

    Such mastery of language
    We shall never see again
    Shakespeare’s genius is unequaled
    His work we shall never attain

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • J.S. Bach: The Fifth Evangelist and Master of Music

    Herr J.S. Bach
    He is my favorite composer
    His music is the zenith
    It will stand forever

    Bach wrote music
    With mathematical precision
    It is the apotheosis
    His music never faces derision

    Bach’s music
    It was incomparable, you see
    He wrote
    To praise the Trinity

    As an organist and composer
    Bach reached a zenith completely
    He would construct a complex fugue
    Extemporaneously

    He wrote music
    For God’s glory
    Every week, a new sacred cantata
    Bach wrote prodigiously

    When I listen to Bach’s music
    I am taken on a journey sublime
    It’s emotional, intellectual, and spiritual
    It touches me for a lifetime

    On his compositions
    Bach wrote “Jesus Help [Me]!”
    And “To God Alone Be the Glory!”
    He was a man of deep faith, you see

    Bach lost many children
    Yet he never lost his joy
    He thanked God for everything
    Musically, he was very savvy

    Bach wrote passions and oratorios
    Works for keyboard and orchestra, too
    When it came to musical composition
    Thgere was nothing he did eschew

    In Bach’s Calov bible
    He wrote in the margins
    It shows Bach had a deep Christian faith
    To the Lord, Bach listens

    Bach and I believe that man’s music
    Should be used in worship
    It acknowledges
    Christ’s Lordship

    Bach’s music
    Is truly sublime
    He is the fifth evangelist
    His music shall be performed for all time

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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  • Beached Whale Blues

    Sometimes
    I feel alone
    To major depression
    I am prone

    I’m sick
    Of this melancholy
    I want to laugh
    And be jolly

    It is rough
    Being down in the dumps
    Severe mental illness
    It isn’t for chumps

    I know that for me
    Christ did atone
    On my face
    His light shone

    Someday my mind
    Will be healed totally
    And then the blind
    Shall see

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2025

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