This document discusses common myths about Catholic indulgences. It begins by defining an indulgence as the remission before God of temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven. It then addresses seven common myths: 1) Indulgences cannot buy someone out of hell; 2) They cannot be obtained for future sins; 3) They do not provide forgiveness but only reduce temporal punishment; 4) They were not invented to raise money but developed from sacramental theology; 5) They do not reduce time in purgatory by a set number of days; 6) They cannot literally be bought with money; and 7) Pope Pius V reformed indulgences to curb prior abuses involving money. The

1. Part 1:
My Discussion
Please check with Ulrich’s Periodical
Directory http://library.waldenu.edu/728.htm to ensure citations
are peer reviewed.
Focus: Developing Your Introduction The introduction to a
research study has a specific purpose and functionality that sets
it apart from introductions you have probably read in books and
popular literature. Although the introduction should engage the
reader, it should also highlight particular information about the
study and its orientation. For example, your introduction should
have a purpose statement that explains particular elements of
your study and sets the context for your study.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review:
· Chapters 5, 6, and 7 in the Creswell text to learn more about
introductions, the purpose statement, research questions, and
hypotheses; focus on the templates and examples in these
chapters
· Chapter 2, “Manuscript Structure and Content” in the APA
Manual
· The “A Typology of Research Purposes and its Relationship to
Mixed Methods” book excerpt, which examines the research
process, developing research questions, and using mixed
methods
· Sections on Introductions and Conclusions in the Introductions
and Conclusions webpage
· The Problem Statements interactive media
Post a 350-word abbreviated version of your Introduction
required in this week’s Assignment. Be sure to include a
problem statement, purpose statement, research questions, and
hypotheses. Also include a rationale for your proposed study by
referring to your literature review and how your problem
statement emerged out of your analysis of the literature. Include

2. at least two questions that will elicit comments and suggestions
from your colleagues.
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific
references to the reading(s) and/or media segment(s) and use
APA format.
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Part 2:
Respond to at two of your colleagues' postings
Respond toat two of your colleagues' postings. In your
responses, be sure to consider the following:
· Does the problem or issue identified justify this study?
· How can the problem be framed in a way that is consistent
with a research approach?
· Do the past studies mentioned justify the problem's
importance?
· Do the specific deficiencies in past studies justify this study?
· Does the purpose statement sufficiently provide a general
working direction of the central phenomenon?
· Do the research questions and hypotheses align with the
problem statement and purpose statement?
Colleague #1
Background of the Problem
The general IT promised that new threats are targeting
virtual machines that reside on a hypervisor host. These threats
are able to determine if a machine is a virtual machine and take
actions accordingly (Donaldson, Coull, & McLuskie 2017).
Once the threat is embedded on the host is capable of
intercepting virtual machine and the host therefore
compromising the security of the host and every virtual machine
on it. Lacoste (2013) believes that one of the key areas for
future research will be focusing security solutions that are
closer to the hardware by installing the security solution on the
virtual machine.
Problem Statement

3. The general IT problem is that hypervisor security
threats can potentially compromise all embedded machines on
the host once the virtualization layer is breached (Arya,
Gidwani, & Gupta, 2013). The specific IT problem is generally
virtualization security is dependent on the guest operating
system and does not address the security vulnerability of the
main controller role of the hypervisor.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this qualitative case study Research is to
identify the most successful security solution for protecting
embedded virtual machines on a hypervisor hosts deployed by
IT departments in the greater Cincinnati area. This study will
provide successful hypervisor security practices that can benefit
organizations of any size.
Research Questions
What best practices do IT security administrators have
in place to protect the virtualization layer?
What is the best location for the security mechanism in
proximity to the virtual machines?
Class Questions
Class,
My first question is, what alternative sources for
research can be suggested? I am looking for something other
than the typical databases.
At a glance, what would be my biggest obstacle
researching this problem?
Thank you in advance.
References
Arya, N., Gidwani, M., & Gupta, S. (2013). Hypervisor security
- a major concern. International Journal of Information and
Computation Technology, 3(6), 533-538.
Donaldson, S., Coull, N., & McLuskie, D. (2017, June). A
methodology for testing virtualisation security. Paper presented
at International Conference on Cyber Situational Awareness,

4. Data Analytics And Assessment (CyberSA 2017), London.
Lacoste, M. (2013). What does the future hold for hypervisor
security? Retrieved from
https://www.zurich.ibm.com/~cca/tclouds13/abstracts/what_doe
s_future.pdf
Colleague #2
The Problem Statement
The explosive use and demand of wireless devices in recent
years amidst technological advances for Internet of Everything
(IoE) poses a great threat of depletion of the current Wireless
Fidelity (Wi-Fi) radio-frequency spectrum, bandwidth, and data
communication speeds as well as the ever increasing security
threats from attackers. The wireless data communication
demands have made the available radio spectrum below 10 GHz
to become insufficient, a problem which has sparked interest in
the wireless communication industry to find new techniques to
go beyond the 10GHz boundary (Haas & Chen, 2015; Haas,
2016). Visible Light Communication (VLC) which can use light
emitting diodes (LED) for Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) technology
promises several advantages and solutions including a 10,000
times wider bandwidth with a significantly improved security
over Wi-Fi, is breaking grounds and generating more interests
in the wireless industry(Sarkar, Agarwal, & Nath, 2015; Singh,
2015; Khan, 2016). Harald Haas, the inventor for Li-Fi talks of
revolutionizing wireless data communication with his idea of
data through illumination - simply where there is light there
will be data. American Computing Machinery, IEEE, and
several reputable service providers like AT&T predict that data
in the amounts of zettabytes (1 billion terabytes) will be moved
across wireless communication channels by 2020 prompting a
dire need for new technologies that will provide faster and
secure transmissions (Haas, 2016, Dhar, 2013).

5. Literature or Study Review
Appreciable research has been conducted in this field with some
important observations in response to the growing needs.
Several reports conclude that Li-Fi will bring tremendous
advantages that include but not limited to better capacity with
high transmission rates up to 10Gbps, improved efficiency due
to less energy consumption by LED lights used, lower running
cost, larger unlicensed bandwidth, a better security, easy
availability, lesser interference, and the capability to use it in
places where WiFi cannot (Gupta, 2015; Aggarwal & Jhanji,
2014). Researchers agree that Li-Fi is faster and a cheaper
optical version of Wi-Fi based on bright LEDs. Survey work
conducted on VLC and Li-Fi showed that more than 75% of
wireless users from a reasonable sample desire better speeds
and security but do not know how, and are just stuck with what
is given them (Ergul et al., 2015; Dutta et al, 2015). Halper
(2017), a contributor for the American Computing Machinery
stated that this breakthrough is long overdue, and the opening
up of the visual spectrum perhaps more than anything else is
driving the development of the technology by a number of
companies. It is important to note that there are challenges that
Li-Fi faces in its young developmental stages including a line of
sight transmission issue, inability to penetrate objects, limited
use outdoors in the presence of strong natural lights, and the
high initial setup cost (Hadi, 2016; Khan, 2017). The potential
application of Li-Fi based on research shows that Li-Fi will go
where Wi-Fi cannot such as surgical rooms in Healthcare,
aviation, power plants, underwater explorations, and toys. The
hazards posed by Wi-Fi restricts its use in medical devices and
avionics.
Deficiencies in Literature or Studies
Despite its potential, Li-Fi has teething pains and it's not yet
ready for mass adoption. Companies like Philips, pureLiFi,
Oledcomm, Lucibel, and others are very engaged in seeing a
rapid development for the market as soon as possible (Halker,

6. 2017). Several retailers are embedding VLC in LED lights for
in-store communications in test runs, including companies like
Target, Aswaaq in Dubai, and Carrefour. Despite the increased
interest in Li-Fi, it is a bit surprising that research in this area
has not addressed extensively the practical use of the
technology, the standardizations to be adopted, and the security
implementations that will be associated with Li-Fi. Very few
research has addressed these issues, although the advantages,
disadvantages, and how it works have been explored extensively
(Khandal & Jain, 2014; Singh, 2015; Aggarwal & Jhanji, 2014).
Target Audience
Whether idealistic or not, the interest to further look at the
practical implementation, uses, standardization, and security
implementations of Li-Fi is worthy of further research that will
benefit society as a whole. The obsessive demands for higher
data speeds and security are common amongst Internet users,
and such a study will be a step closer to the realization of
Haas's dream of data by illumination. Information Technology
practitioners will be the most joyous to have something worthy
of use for the Internet of Everything.
Purpose Statement
The purpose or intent of this research is to find or explore
practical ways of implementing Li-Fi in companies, homes,
schools, government as well as security implementations. The
research will further review, explore and compile standards that
can be practically used for VLC or Li-Fi adoption which is
intended to help vendors to be consistent, compliant, and
interoperable.
References
Aggarwal, A., & Jhanji, D. (2014). Comparative study: li-fi v/s
wi-fi. International Journal of Research & Development in
Technology and Management Science, 21(1).
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative,

7. Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (4th ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Dhar, V. (2013). Data Science and Prediction. Communications
of the ACM, 56 (12) 64-73. doi: 10.1145/2500499
Dutta, K., Chaudhuri, R. R., & Saha, A. (2015). Li-Fi
Technology: Data through illumination. American Journal of
Advanced Computing, Vol. II (2), 37-40.
Ergul, O., Dinc, E., & Akan, O. B. (2015). Communicate to
illuminate: State-of-the-art and research challenges for visible
light communications. Physical Communication, 17, 72-85.
DOI: 10.1016/j.phycom.2015.08.003
Gupta, S. U. (2015). Research on Li-Fi Technology&
Comparison of Li-Fi/Wi-Fi. International Journal of Advanced
Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering, 5(6).
Haas, H., & Chen, C. (2015). What is Li-Fi??. In Optical
Communication (ECOC), 2015 European Conference on (pp. 1-
3). IEEE.
Haas, H. (2016). LiFi: Conceptions, misconceptions, and
opportunities. In Photonics Conference (IPC), 2016 IEEE (pp.
680-681). IEEE.
Hadi, M. A. (2016). Wireless Communication tends to Smart
Technology Li-Fi and its comparison with Wi-Fi. American
Journal of Engineering Research (AJER), 5(5), 40-47.
Halper, M. (2017). Li-Fi Promises Two-way Internet via Light
Waves. Retrieved from https://cacm.acm.org/news/213948-li-fi-
promises-two-way-internet-via-light-waves/fulltext#
Khan, L. U. (2017). Visible light communication: Applications,
architecture, standardization and research challenges. Digital
Communications and Networks, 3(2), 78-88. DOI:
10.1016/j.dcan.2016.07.004
Sarkar, A., Agarwal, S., & Nath, A. (2015). Li-Fi technology:
Data transmission through visible light. International Journal,
3(6).
Singh, G. (2015). Li-Fi (Light Fidelity)-An Overview to future
Wireless technology in Field of Data Communication. Journal
of Network Communications and Emerging Technologies

8. (JNCET)(www.jncet.org) Volume, 5.
Myths About Indulgences Handout Questions Part I - Myths
Name:_______________________________________________
_____ Block:_____
Please read the Myths About Indulgences handout and respond
to the following. This assignment is due before you leave.
1. After reading the definition, please explain what an
indulgence is in your own words.
2. Why is it false to say that indulgences can buy your way out
of hell?
3. What is the only way we can try to avoid hell?
4. Why is it wrong to say that indulgences can be bought for
sins that you have not yet committed?
5. Can a person “buy” forgiveness? Why or why not?
6. Where did the idea of indulgences develop?
7. Why is it not true to say that an indulgence will shorten your
time in purgatory?

9. 8. How did Pope Pius V demonstrate the Church’s seriousness
when it came to trying to avoid abuses involving indulgences?
9. Explain why it is false to say that the Church “sold”
indulgences. Why was money involved at all in relation to
indulgences? How did this go wrong in some instances?
10. Is there something essentially evil in donating to the needs
of the Church? If yes, why? If no, why not?
Myths about Indulgences
Indulgences. The very word stirs up more misconceptions than
perhaps any other teaching in Catholic theology. Those who
attack the Church for its use of indulgences rely upon—and take
advantage of—the ignorance of both Catholics and non-
Catholics.
What is an indulgence? The Church explains, "An indulgence is
a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins
whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful
Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain defined
conditions through the Church’s help when, as a minister of
redemption, she dispenses and applies with authority the
treasury of the satisfactions won by Christ and the saints"
(Indulgentarium Doctrina 1). To see the biblical foundations for
indulgences, see the Catholic Answers tract A Primer on
Indulgences.

10. Step number one in explaining indulgences is to know what they
are. Step number two is to clarify what they are not. Here are
the seven most common myths about indulgences:
Myth 1: A person can buy his way out of hell with indulgences.
This charge is without foundation. Since indulgences remit only
temporal penalties, they cannot remit the eternal penalty of hell.
Once a person is in hell, no amount of indulgences will ever
change that fact. The only way to avoid hell is by appealing to
God’s eternal mercy while still alive. After death, one’s eternal
fate is set (Heb. 9:27).
Myth 2: A person can buy indulgences for sins not yet
committed.
The Church has always taught that indulgences do not apply to
sins not yet committed. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes, "[An
indulgence] is not a permission to commit sin, nor a pardon of
future sin; neither could be granted by any power."
Myth 3: A person can "buy forgiveness" with indulgences.
The definition of indulgences presupposes that forgiveness has
already taken place: "An indulgence is a remission before God
of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already
been forgiven" (Indulgentarium Doctrina 1, emphasis added).
Indulgences in no way forgive sins. They deal only with
punishments left after sins have been forgiven.
Myth 4: Indulgences were invented as a means for the Church to
raise money.
Indulgences developed from reflection on the sacrament of
reconciliation. They are a way of shortening the penance of
sacramental discipline and were in use centuries before money-
related problems appeared.
Myth 5: An indulgence will shorten your time in purgatory by a
fixed number of days.
The number of days which used to be attached to indulgences

11. were references to the period of penance one might undergo
during life on earth. The Catholic Church does not claim to
know anything about how long or short purgatory is in general,
much less in a specific person’s case.
Myth 6: A person can buy indulgences.
The Council of Trent instituted severe reforms in the practice of
granting indulgences, and, because of prior abuses, "in 1567
Pope Pius V canceled all grants of indulgences involving any
fees or other financial transactions" (Catholic Encyclopedia).
This act proved the Church’s seriousness about removing abuses
from indulgences.
Myth 7: A person used to be able to buy indulgences.
One never could "buy" indulgences. The financial scandal
surrounding indulgences, the scandal that gave Martin Luther an
excuse for his heterodoxy (dissent), involved alms—indulgences
in which the giving of alms to some charitable fund or
foundation was used as the occasion to grant the indulgence.
There was no outright selling of indulgences. The Catholic
Encyclopedia states: "[I]t is easy to see how abuses crept in.
Among the good works which might be encouraged by being
made the condition of an indulgence, almsgiving would
naturally hold a conspicuous place. . . . It is well to observe that
in these purposes there is nothing essentially evil. To give
money to God or to the poor is a praiseworthy act, and, when it
is done from right motives, it will surely not go unrewarded."
Being able to explain these seven myths will be a large step in
helping others to understand indulgences. But, there are still
questions to be asked:
"How many of one’s temporal penalties can be remitted?"
Potentially, all of them. The Church recognizes that Christ and
the saints are interested in helping penitents deal with the
aftermath of their sins, as indicated by the fact they always pray

12. for us (Heb. 7:25, Rev. 5:8). Fulfilling its role in the
administration of temporal penalties, the Church draws upon the
rich supply of rewards God chose to bestow on the saints, who
pleased him, and on his Son, who pleased him most of all.
The rewards on which the Church draws are infinite because
Christ is God, so the rewards he accrued are infinite and never
can be exhausted. His rewards alone, apart from the saints’,
could remove all temporal penalties from everyone, everywhere.
The rewards of the saints are added to Christ’s—not because
anything is lacking in his, but because it is fitting that they be
united with his rewards as the saints are united with him.
Although immense, their rewards are finite, but his are infinite.
"If the Church has the resources to wipe out everyone’s
temporal penalties, why doesn’t it do so?"
Because God does not wish this to be done. God himself
instituted the pattern of temporal penalties being left behind.
They fulfill valid functions, one of them disciplinary. If a child
were never disciplined, he would never learn obedience. God
disciplines us as his children — "the Lord disciplines him whom
he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives" (Heb.
12:6) — so some temporal penalties must remain.
The Church cannot wipe out, with a stroke of the pen, so to
speak, everyone’s temporal punishments because their remission
depends on the dispositions of the persons who suffer those
temporal punishments. Just as repentance and faith are needed
for the remission of eternal penalties, so they are needed for the
remission of temporal penalties. Pope Paul VI stated,
"Indulgences cannot be gained without a sincere conversion of
outlook and unity with God"(Indulgentarium Doctrina 11). We
might say that the degree of remission depends on how well the
penitent has learned his lesson.
"How does one determine by what amount penalties have been

13. lessened?"
Before Vatican II each indulgence was said to remove a certain
number of "days" from one’s discipline—for instance, an act
might gain "300 days’ indulgence"—but the use of the term
"days" confused people, giving them the mistaken impression
that in purgatory time as we know it still exists and that we can
calculate our "good time" in a mechanical way. The number of
days associated with indulgences actually never meant that that
much "time" would be taken off one’s stay in purgatory.
Instead, it meant that an indefinite but partial (not complete)
amount of remission would be granted, proportionate to what
ancient Christians would have received for performing that
many days’ penance. So, someone gaining 300 days’ indulgence
gained roughly what an early Christian would have gained by,
say, reciting a particular prayer on arising for 300 days.
To overcome the confusion Paul VI issued a revision of the
handbook (Enchiridion is the formal name) of indulgences.
Today, numbers of days are not associated with indulgences.
They are either plenary or partial.
"What’s the difference between a partial and a plenary
indulgence?"
"An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes
either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin"
(Indulgentarium Doctrina 2, 3). Only God knows exactly how
efficacious any particular partial indulgence is or whether a
plenary indulgence was received at all.
"Don’t indulgences duplicate or even negate the work of
Christ?"
Despite the biblical underpinnings of indulgences, some are
sharply critical of them and insist the doctrine supplants the
work of Christ and turns us into our own saviors. This objection

14. results from confusion about the nature of indulgences and
about how Christ’s work is applied to us.
Indulgences apply only to temporal penalties, not to eternal
ones. The Bible indicates that these penalties may remain after a
sin has been forgiven and that God lessens these penalties as
rewards to those who have pleased him. Since the Bible
indicates this, Christ’s work cannot be said to have been
supplanted by indulgences.
The merits of Christ, since they are infinite, comprise most of
those in the treasury of merits. By applying these to believers,
the Church acts as Christ’s servant in the application of what he
has done for us, and we know from Scripture that Christ’s work
is applied to us over time and not in one big lump (Phil. 2:12, 1
Pet. 1:9).
"Isn’t it better to put all of the emphasis on Christ alone?"
If we ignore the fact of indulgences, we neglect what Christ
does through us, and we fail to recognize the value of what he
has done in us. Paul used this very sort of language: "Now I
rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I
complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of
his body, that is, the church" (Col. 1:24).
Even though Christ’s sufferings were superabundant (far more
than needed to pay for anything), Paul spoke of completing
what was "lacking" in Christ’s sufferings. If this mode of
speech was permissible for Paul, it is permissible for us, even
though the Catholic language about indulgences is far less
shocking than was Paul’s language about his own role in
salvation.
Catholics should not be defensive about indulgences. They are
based on principles straight from the Bible, and we can be

15. confident not only that indulgences exist, but that they are
useful and worth obtaining.
Pope Paul VI declared, "[T]he Church invites all its children to
think over and weigh up in their minds as well as they can how
the use of indulgences benefits their lives and all Christian
society.... Supported by these truths, holy Mother Church again
recommends the practice of indulgences to the faithful. It has
been very dear to Christian people for many centuries as well as
in our own day. Experience proves this" (Indulgentarium
Doctrina, 9, 11).
HOW TO GAIN AN INDULGENCE
To gain any indulgence you must be a Catholic in a state of
grace. You must be a Catholic in order to be under the Church’s
jurisdiction, and you must be in a state of grace because apart
from God’s grace none of your actions are fundamentally
pleasing to God (meritorious). You also must have at least the
habitual intention of gaining an indulgence by the act
performed.
To gain a partial indulgence, you must perform with a contrite
heart the act to which the indulgence is attached.
To gain a plenary indulgence you must perform the act with a
contrite heart, plus you must go to confession (one confession
may suffice for several plenary indulgences), receive Holy
Communion, and pray for the pope’s intentions. (An Our Father
and a Hail Mary said for the pope’s intentions are sufficient,
although you are free to substitute other prayers of your own
choice.) The final condition is that you must be free from all
attachment to sin, including venial sin.
If you attempt to receive a plenary indulgence, but are unable to
meet the last condition, a partial indulgence is received instead.

16. Below are indulgences listed in the Handbook of
Indulgences (New York: Catholic Book Publishing, 1991). Note
that there is an indulgence for Bible reading. So, rather than
discouraging Bible reading, the Catholic Church promotes it by
giving indulgences for it! (This was the case long before
Vatican II.)
• An act of spiritual communion, expressed in any devout
formula whatsoever, is endowed with a partial indulgence.
• A partial indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who
devoutly spend time in mental prayer.
• A plenary indulgence is granted when the rosary is recited in a
church or oratory or when it is recited in a family, a religious
community, or a pious association. A partial indulgence is
granted for its recitation in all other circumstances.
• A partial indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who read
sacred Scripture with the veneration due God’s word and as a
form of spiritual reading. The indulgence will be a plenary one
when such reading is done for at least one-half hour [provided
the other conditions are met].
• A partial indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful who
devoutly sign themselves with the cross while saying the
customary formula: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
In summary, the practice of indulgences neither takes away nor
adds to the work of Christ. It is his work, through his body the
Church, raising up children in his own likeness. "The Christian
who seeks to purify himself of his sin and to become holy with
the help of God’s grace is not alone. ‘The life of each of God’s
children is joined in Christ and through Christ in a wonderful

17. way to the life of all the other Christian brethren in the
supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, as in a single
mystical person’" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1474
[Indulgentarium Doctrina 5]).
NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials
presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors.
Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10,
2004IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827
permission to publish this work is hereby granted.
+Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004
https://www.catholic.com/tract/myths-about-indulgences