What does it say about me, as a person, that the two music groups whose music I understand the best--that I get right off the bat, first time I hear it--are Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers?
I don't think it's a good sign.
TRIUMPHALIST--YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Just some more random things I saw in the news or in opinion columns
The American Redneck Society--Rob Clayton of Virginia has formed the American Redneck Society. It exists to advocate for rural Americans 9a demographic that the GAO says is the most under served segment of American society). It also hope to provide educational grants and assistance. The Washington Examiner reported on this. Of course, they couldn't resist throwing in some redneck jokes, and the story is linked to NASCAR. The spell check function on Blogger doesn't recognize the acronym NASCAR.
Bishop Olmstead and the ACLU--Alexa Kolbi-Molinas is an attorney with the ACLU reproductive freedom project. She has singled out Bishop Olmstead for criticism concerning his actions after learning that an abortion had been performed in a Phoenix hospital that is supposedly Catholic. The abortion was performed on a woman that was suffering from pulmonary hypertension, which can be aggravated by pregnancy. However, this condition is manageable even during pregnancy. In July of this year, the same office of the ACLU tried to get the Centers for Medicare-Medicaid to investigate religious hospitals that don't murder unborn children. in short, they are attempting to bully and intimidate religiously affiliated hospitals into violating their conscience, and into committing murder. ACLU = Anti Christian Lawyers Union. They are the willing and enthusiastic tools of the Antichrist. Yeah, I said that. I mean it too.
Intolerant Democrats--Harrel Kristien is spokeswoman for the Democratic Party of New Hampshire. After a video of State Representative David Bates appeared, in which he delivers an address at a Christian Gathering, The new England Solemn Assembly in Plymouth Massachusetts, she accused him of delivering a religious tirade and of trying to "impose a Bible Belt social agenda". After all, he said that America needs to "...turn from our wicked ways" and that our biggest problem is that we"...no longer fear God... " The Democratic party respects every point of view, that agrees with their own, and every social group, that agrees with their policies. When religious people speak out, exercising their right to free speech, they go ape sh*t with rage. The Democratic party is the party of intolerance and censorship.
Speaking of censorship--The Apple iPhone app carrying the Manhattan Declaration was censored after a petition for it's removal was signed by 7, 700 people. A petition for it's restoration was signed by 46,190 people. It still hasn't been restored. Steve Jobs gave 100K to the No on 8 campaign, and now is censoring apps for his iPhone. (Does this come under Net Neutrality?) I wonder what they will censor next? This is simply another example of censorship and Gay bullying of those who disagree with them. Another example of how those who call for tolerance are the most intolerant of all.
Declining Mass Attendance/Church Defection--The Archdiocese of Washington has a blog on their website. In an entry dated 15 December, they take issue with the perception that Catholics are leaving the faith in droves. Although they concede that 32% of us will leave the Church, they point out that actually, 68% remain lifelong Catholics. They then compare that to some of the other denominations, and the fact that Presbyterians retain 41%, Episcopals 44%, Methodists 46%, Non-Denominationalists 47%, Lutherans 56%. etc. This is what was known in the Army as "Blowing Sunshine". The fact is that not only do we lose one third, weekly Mass attendance has fallen from over 80% in the 1950sto about 40% today--or less, depending on who you ask. The solution is simple, cheap and not even difficult: restore reverence, a vertical emphasis and mystery to our liturgy. People don't go to Church to get Father Buddy's political agenda. They don't go to get Sister Susie's feminist agenda. And they don't go for Song Leader Sarah's multicultural sensibilities. They go to have an encounter with Christ, present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Give us that, and we will be much more likely to stay, and to attend weekly. Give us tambourines and homilies about how we should all be Democrats and accepting of sexual sin, divorce, birth control and what have you, and we'll conclude that we can get that from TV.
Jesuits--Jeff Mirus at Catholic Culture.org has a piece up saying he thinks he emulate Cato the Elder by concluding every public speech or published writing with the line "Reform the Jesuits". I don't know about the rhetoric thing and copying "Carthago Delinda Est", but I agree with him. I would say that an Apostolic Visitation should start with taking each Jesuit into a room. There he would be confronted with two pieces of paper. One would be a solemn oath to return to Orthodox Catholicism as defined by magisterial teaching and the Pope. The other would be a statement that he stands by the current usages and positions of the Society. Those who sign the first would be given a retreat, about six months, and remediation in Catholic Doctrine, given by the priests of the Fathers of mercy and the Miles Christi fathers. The others would be given the choice between laicization or six years of retraining and assignment as diocesan priests, to diocese selected by His Holiness. Then they would be assigned to diocese where the bishop would be orthodox, and watch them like a hawk!
Bishop Olmstead and the ACLU--Alexa Kolbi-Molinas is an attorney with the ACLU reproductive freedom project. She has singled out Bishop Olmstead for criticism concerning his actions after learning that an abortion had been performed in a Phoenix hospital that is supposedly Catholic. The abortion was performed on a woman that was suffering from pulmonary hypertension, which can be aggravated by pregnancy. However, this condition is manageable even during pregnancy. In July of this year, the same office of the ACLU tried to get the Centers for Medicare-Medicaid to investigate religious hospitals that don't murder unborn children. in short, they are attempting to bully and intimidate religiously affiliated hospitals into violating their conscience, and into committing murder. ACLU = Anti Christian Lawyers Union. They are the willing and enthusiastic tools of the Antichrist. Yeah, I said that. I mean it too.
Intolerant Democrats--Harrel Kristien is spokeswoman for the Democratic Party of New Hampshire. After a video of State Representative David Bates appeared, in which he delivers an address at a Christian Gathering, The new England Solemn Assembly in Plymouth Massachusetts, she accused him of delivering a religious tirade and of trying to "impose a Bible Belt social agenda". After all, he said that America needs to "...turn from our wicked ways" and that our biggest problem is that we"...no longer fear God... " The Democratic party respects every point of view, that agrees with their own, and every social group, that agrees with their policies. When religious people speak out, exercising their right to free speech, they go ape sh*t with rage. The Democratic party is the party of intolerance and censorship.
Speaking of censorship--The Apple iPhone app carrying the Manhattan Declaration was censored after a petition for it's removal was signed by 7, 700 people. A petition for it's restoration was signed by 46,190 people. It still hasn't been restored. Steve Jobs gave 100K to the No on 8 campaign, and now is censoring apps for his iPhone. (Does this come under Net Neutrality?) I wonder what they will censor next? This is simply another example of censorship and Gay bullying of those who disagree with them. Another example of how those who call for tolerance are the most intolerant of all.
Declining Mass Attendance/Church Defection--The Archdiocese of Washington has a blog on their website. In an entry dated 15 December, they take issue with the perception that Catholics are leaving the faith in droves. Although they concede that 32% of us will leave the Church, they point out that actually, 68% remain lifelong Catholics. They then compare that to some of the other denominations, and the fact that Presbyterians retain 41%, Episcopals 44%, Methodists 46%, Non-Denominationalists 47%, Lutherans 56%. etc. This is what was known in the Army as "Blowing Sunshine". The fact is that not only do we lose one third, weekly Mass attendance has fallen from over 80% in the 1950sto about 40% today--or less, depending on who you ask. The solution is simple, cheap and not even difficult: restore reverence, a vertical emphasis and mystery to our liturgy. People don't go to Church to get Father Buddy's political agenda. They don't go to get Sister Susie's feminist agenda. And they don't go for Song Leader Sarah's multicultural sensibilities. They go to have an encounter with Christ, present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Give us that, and we will be much more likely to stay, and to attend weekly. Give us tambourines and homilies about how we should all be Democrats and accepting of sexual sin, divorce, birth control and what have you, and we'll conclude that we can get that from TV.
Jesuits--Jeff Mirus at Catholic Culture.org has a piece up saying he thinks he emulate Cato the Elder by concluding every public speech or published writing with the line "Reform the Jesuits". I don't know about the rhetoric thing and copying "Carthago Delinda Est", but I agree with him. I would say that an Apostolic Visitation should start with taking each Jesuit into a room. There he would be confronted with two pieces of paper. One would be a solemn oath to return to Orthodox Catholicism as defined by magisterial teaching and the Pope. The other would be a statement that he stands by the current usages and positions of the Society. Those who sign the first would be given a retreat, about six months, and remediation in Catholic Doctrine, given by the priests of the Fathers of mercy and the Miles Christi fathers. The others would be given the choice between laicization or six years of retraining and assignment as diocesan priests, to diocese selected by His Holiness. Then they would be assigned to diocese where the bishop would be orthodox, and watch them like a hawk!
A Gathering Storm, Part 2
Wednesday, I posted about the inevitability of Persecution, and the fact that it is headed our way. I would like to expand on that. First, I will simply say why I expect Catholics to be the first to feel the sting of oppression: We are the biggest and most organized Christian Group in the US, and we are the group that stands out the most. If you want to ding on Christianity, it's easier to come up with a caricature of a Bishop or Priest than a Protestant minister who wears a business suit. Not only that, but despite the large numbers of dissidents who insist that they are still Catholic, there are things we will not budge on. Like the sanctity of Life and sexual morality, as well as the protection of the family--to include protecting it from being redefined.
There are two things I need to make plain. The first is the simple admission that I see current trends ans events--not all events, but some events--less through a hermeneutic of politics, and more through a hermeneutic of spiritual warfare; my thoughts will not make any sense without this perspective. The second is that we have lost the Culture War. We lost it long ago. The evidence is simple: if we had not lost this war, long ago, then we wouldn't be worrying about the issues of family. life and morality that we we currently are.
I don't know when we lost the Culture War. I suspect it was long ago. In fact, I wonder if we ever really held the field. I have heard the suggestion that we lost it when the prohibition against usury was relaxed. But I have no idea, really. It seems to me that the best we ever achieved as Catholics was lip service, and a sort of nominal adherence to Catholic teachings as the societal norm. And that disappeared long ago.
It's no use calling for a return to our "common heritage" of Christian Culture, especially in the US. We have never had a common Christian heritage in this country--at best we had a consensus that some form or other of Christianity was to be a normative social identity. From the early 1600s on we have been marked by a plethora of religious bodies that constantly shift, split and recombine. The closest thing we have is a tendency to a form of church polity that emphasises the congregation as the source of authority. (Obviously, Catholicism isn't a good fit with this. Just as obviously, there is a tendency within dissident Catholic thinking that wishes to move in just this direction.) To put it bluntly, a country with a "Common Christian Heritage" would not have evolved an economic system based on usury, worker alienation and conspicuous consumption.
So in terms of the Culture War, we find ourselves having to define what we are. Without recognizing the spiritual dimension to this conflict--a conflict that started on Pentecost--we can describe ourselves at best as guerrillas in the spirit of the Forest Brethren of Soviet Era Belarus. With the perspective of this being a spiritual conflict, we can see ourselves as having more in common with the guerrillas of the Peninsular War.
If we look at the social and political situation in the modern world as a manifestation of spiritual warfare, we can see that we need to look at strategy. Our strategy is clear--bring the gospel, full and unvarnished, to as many people as we can, trust in the Holy Spirit, and help "win souls for Heaven". The Enemies strategy is also clear. The Enemy must destroy the Church. Not the Church as an institution--as long as we retain Apostolic Succession and valid sacraments, the permutations that can serve are many--but as the living Mystical Body of Christ. The enemy must destroy the Church as the hands and feet of Christ on Earth. To do this isn't easy. (Actually, it's not possible--Christ founded His Church, and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it!) Certainly simply imprisoning Bishops and Priests won't work. It's been done, over and over again, and always the Church is resurgent. Oh, it has been extirpated in places--like the Latin Church of North Africa--but even then, it eventually returned. To destroy the Church, one must somehow destroy the very image of covenant, of a bond.
Hence the attacks on the family. It's not for nothing that Scripture and Tradition are replete with nuptial imagery. From the Book of Canticles, to the opening words of the Lords Prayer, family, and familial relations ships are the primary way of describing the Church, Her relationship with the Lord and the individual Faithful. Family is also the primary means of instilling the faith. Family is also the essential building block of a society. By eliminating anything recognizable as a natural family, one could conclude that one would disassemble the Body of Christ. The attempt will fail, we have the Lord's word on that. But the damage to individual souls through the disintegration of family, and the consequent disintegration of society, will be frightful.
The Enemy doesn't care. He knows he is going to lose, and his goal is to do as much damage as he can before he goes down. Satan is like the Third Reich that way. The Damage will be reckoned in the lose of souls to Perdition.
The attack on the family is simply another dimension of the attack on the Church, the two will go hand in hand. Our job, as Catholics and Christians, is two fold. First, no matter the pressure or cost of doing so, we must speak out against crimes against the family (and remember that many of these crimes are perfectly legal in secular law, or are tacitly abetted by lukewarm Catholics--both clerical and lay). Second we must protect and preserve our own families, or repair the damage they have already sustained. I rather think that the second is more important. Because if we sustain, protect and nurture our own families, it will show. And if it shows, we can count of the fact that actions speak louder than words.
To sum up a long and complicated post, I have stipulated that we have long ago lost the culture was in the US. I have also stated that the culture war is the manifestation of spiritual warfare, and that this phase of Satan's ongoing war against the Body of Christ is focusing on the family, as the nurturing cradle of the faith, and as the model in the Natural World of the Covenant God makes with his people. (I haven't gone into any depth on that, but it is tied, in my mind, to the Incarnational aspects of Christianity.) Finally, I have said that the job or Catholics now is the preservation or repair of first their own families, then of the family as a concept and a social unit.
I'll have more to say about this, but it's heavy thinking for someone with no more education than I have, and so I will turn to something easier for my next post--which will be today.
There are two things I need to make plain. The first is the simple admission that I see current trends ans events--not all events, but some events--less through a hermeneutic of politics, and more through a hermeneutic of spiritual warfare; my thoughts will not make any sense without this perspective. The second is that we have lost the Culture War. We lost it long ago. The evidence is simple: if we had not lost this war, long ago, then we wouldn't be worrying about the issues of family. life and morality that we we currently are.
I don't know when we lost the Culture War. I suspect it was long ago. In fact, I wonder if we ever really held the field. I have heard the suggestion that we lost it when the prohibition against usury was relaxed. But I have no idea, really. It seems to me that the best we ever achieved as Catholics was lip service, and a sort of nominal adherence to Catholic teachings as the societal norm. And that disappeared long ago.
It's no use calling for a return to our "common heritage" of Christian Culture, especially in the US. We have never had a common Christian heritage in this country--at best we had a consensus that some form or other of Christianity was to be a normative social identity. From the early 1600s on we have been marked by a plethora of religious bodies that constantly shift, split and recombine. The closest thing we have is a tendency to a form of church polity that emphasises the congregation as the source of authority. (Obviously, Catholicism isn't a good fit with this. Just as obviously, there is a tendency within dissident Catholic thinking that wishes to move in just this direction.) To put it bluntly, a country with a "Common Christian Heritage" would not have evolved an economic system based on usury, worker alienation and conspicuous consumption.
So in terms of the Culture War, we find ourselves having to define what we are. Without recognizing the spiritual dimension to this conflict--a conflict that started on Pentecost--we can describe ourselves at best as guerrillas in the spirit of the Forest Brethren of Soviet Era Belarus. With the perspective of this being a spiritual conflict, we can see ourselves as having more in common with the guerrillas of the Peninsular War.
If we look at the social and political situation in the modern world as a manifestation of spiritual warfare, we can see that we need to look at strategy. Our strategy is clear--bring the gospel, full and unvarnished, to as many people as we can, trust in the Holy Spirit, and help "win souls for Heaven". The Enemies strategy is also clear. The Enemy must destroy the Church. Not the Church as an institution--as long as we retain Apostolic Succession and valid sacraments, the permutations that can serve are many--but as the living Mystical Body of Christ. The enemy must destroy the Church as the hands and feet of Christ on Earth. To do this isn't easy. (Actually, it's not possible--Christ founded His Church, and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it!) Certainly simply imprisoning Bishops and Priests won't work. It's been done, over and over again, and always the Church is resurgent. Oh, it has been extirpated in places--like the Latin Church of North Africa--but even then, it eventually returned. To destroy the Church, one must somehow destroy the very image of covenant, of a bond.
Hence the attacks on the family. It's not for nothing that Scripture and Tradition are replete with nuptial imagery. From the Book of Canticles, to the opening words of the Lords Prayer, family, and familial relations ships are the primary way of describing the Church, Her relationship with the Lord and the individual Faithful. Family is also the primary means of instilling the faith. Family is also the essential building block of a society. By eliminating anything recognizable as a natural family, one could conclude that one would disassemble the Body of Christ. The attempt will fail, we have the Lord's word on that. But the damage to individual souls through the disintegration of family, and the consequent disintegration of society, will be frightful.
The Enemy doesn't care. He knows he is going to lose, and his goal is to do as much damage as he can before he goes down. Satan is like the Third Reich that way. The Damage will be reckoned in the lose of souls to Perdition.
The attack on the family is simply another dimension of the attack on the Church, the two will go hand in hand. Our job, as Catholics and Christians, is two fold. First, no matter the pressure or cost of doing so, we must speak out against crimes against the family (and remember that many of these crimes are perfectly legal in secular law, or are tacitly abetted by lukewarm Catholics--both clerical and lay). Second we must protect and preserve our own families, or repair the damage they have already sustained. I rather think that the second is more important. Because if we sustain, protect and nurture our own families, it will show. And if it shows, we can count of the fact that actions speak louder than words.
To sum up a long and complicated post, I have stipulated that we have long ago lost the culture was in the US. I have also stated that the culture war is the manifestation of spiritual warfare, and that this phase of Satan's ongoing war against the Body of Christ is focusing on the family, as the nurturing cradle of the faith, and as the model in the Natural World of the Covenant God makes with his people. (I haven't gone into any depth on that, but it is tied, in my mind, to the Incarnational aspects of Christianity.) Finally, I have said that the job or Catholics now is the preservation or repair of first their own families, then of the family as a concept and a social unit.
I'll have more to say about this, but it's heavy thinking for someone with no more education than I have, and so I will turn to something easier for my next post--which will be today.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
A Late night Thought About Ecumenism and the Great Schism
Faithful Catholic Christians are damned near Orthodox, and Faithful Orthodox Christians are damned near Catholic. The problem is that too many, on both sides place the emphasis on the damned for us to get anywhere near the Christian.
OK--enough of being flippant.
But if I were to be Global Emperor for a time, I think the main thing i would do would be to proclaim an Ecumenical Council, with all the Bishops of the Catholic Church, and all the Bishops of the Orthodox Church to attend. For those who were forbidden by secular powers to attend, I would send the Marines and the Republic of Korean Army. For those who refused to attend, I would send Delta Group and the SAS to fetch.
Then I would put them in one of those huge, empty monasteries in Europe. There they would spend a period of mild fasting (lots of these guys are old--I wouldn't want to kill them by accident!) I'd make the Orthodox celebrate the western liturgy, and the Catholics the Eastern. The Eastern Catholics would come in handy here-they could teach everybody the ins and outs of it. After a suitable period, say forty days, I would have them sit down and hammer about a statement of belief, addressing the major sticking points acceptable to everybody. And to make sure that they did it, I wouldn't let them stop fasting until they did!
Because the only way i can see us healing this schism is through an Ecumenical Council, with all the bishops in apostolic succession--sorry Anglicans and Lutherans--participating.
It'll never happen, because if the Bishops agreed to it, to many vested interest in every Particular Church would be at the mercy of the Holy Spirit. And too many are invested in their own ideas to let the Holy Spirit tell them what to do. Like Chrysostom said--the road to hell has the bodies of bishops for signposts.
But it pains me as a Catholic, that i will never be able to take communion with my Orthodox brothers and sisters. It pains me that i can never bring them to a Solemn High Mass in the Gregorian Liturgy, or even to the wonderful 11:00 Mass at my Parish. I would love to attend Divine Liturgy at an Orthodox Church as more than a schismatic observer.
That's what I'd really like for Christmas. For the Church to be whole again.
OK--enough of being flippant.
But if I were to be Global Emperor for a time, I think the main thing i would do would be to proclaim an Ecumenical Council, with all the Bishops of the Catholic Church, and all the Bishops of the Orthodox Church to attend. For those who were forbidden by secular powers to attend, I would send the Marines and the Republic of Korean Army. For those who refused to attend, I would send Delta Group and the SAS to fetch.
Then I would put them in one of those huge, empty monasteries in Europe. There they would spend a period of mild fasting (lots of these guys are old--I wouldn't want to kill them by accident!) I'd make the Orthodox celebrate the western liturgy, and the Catholics the Eastern. The Eastern Catholics would come in handy here-they could teach everybody the ins and outs of it. After a suitable period, say forty days, I would have them sit down and hammer about a statement of belief, addressing the major sticking points acceptable to everybody. And to make sure that they did it, I wouldn't let them stop fasting until they did!
Because the only way i can see us healing this schism is through an Ecumenical Council, with all the bishops in apostolic succession--sorry Anglicans and Lutherans--participating.
It'll never happen, because if the Bishops agreed to it, to many vested interest in every Particular Church would be at the mercy of the Holy Spirit. And too many are invested in their own ideas to let the Holy Spirit tell them what to do. Like Chrysostom said--the road to hell has the bodies of bishops for signposts.
But it pains me as a Catholic, that i will never be able to take communion with my Orthodox brothers and sisters. It pains me that i can never bring them to a Solemn High Mass in the Gregorian Liturgy, or even to the wonderful 11:00 Mass at my Parish. I would love to attend Divine Liturgy at an Orthodox Church as more than a schismatic observer.
That's what I'd really like for Christmas. For the Church to be whole again.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
New Poll
New poll, asking about your Christmass worship predilections. Be sure to vote.
After all, no demagogues are on that ballot!
After all, no demagogues are on that ballot!
Clarifying My Rant, And an Apology to Sister
Sister MarySomething commented on my rant about my use of the IRL as a force opposed to the the LCWR. She pointed out that the IRL isn't a council of superiors, and that the group that is is the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious.
I am grateful for the correction! Sister is right. I have been aware of the CMSWR for several years. I have idea why--or excuse for--my laziness in not referring to them directly. This is my fault, and I do apologize. I hope Sister will see her way clear to forgiving me.
One thing she said, that I will quote here, made me think about the feelings of faithful religious:
"...I am angry and hurt that the LCWR claims and proposes to represent me. On more than one occasion, they have spoken 'for all American religious'. They do NOT represent me, or my community."
This is one of the points I wanted to make. And Sister does it better than I could.
Something else that came up in the comments was the treatment of Faithful Religious by their Unfaithful Communities. Adoro, of the wonderful blog Adoro Te Devote:
"You missed a facet though: What about the hurt and anger who were actually imprisoned by their own community to keep them from leaving with the sisters who wanted to remain faithful to their original charism?"
She went on to relate that one of the communities she visited was founded by just such sisters, some of whom were still living.
I guess that the depth of feeling by those who are not part of the LCWR is probably greater than that of the members of that benighted group.
BTW--what doesn't get touted by the press that touts how shabbily the LCWR is treated by the Vatican, is how badly the LCWR has treated and is treating those groups representing victims of sexual abuse by it's members. Oddly enough, they don't see the occurrences as abusive, or worthy of attention. Just another reason I would support the suppression of most of it's member communities.
I am grateful for the correction! Sister is right. I have been aware of the CMSWR for several years. I have idea why--or excuse for--my laziness in not referring to them directly. This is my fault, and I do apologize. I hope Sister will see her way clear to forgiving me.
One thing she said, that I will quote here, made me think about the feelings of faithful religious:
"...I am angry and hurt that the LCWR claims and proposes to represent me. On more than one occasion, they have spoken 'for all American religious'. They do NOT represent me, or my community."
This is one of the points I wanted to make. And Sister does it better than I could.
Something else that came up in the comments was the treatment of Faithful Religious by their Unfaithful Communities. Adoro, of the wonderful blog Adoro Te Devote:
"You missed a facet though: What about the hurt and anger who were actually imprisoned by their own community to keep them from leaving with the sisters who wanted to remain faithful to their original charism?"
She went on to relate that one of the communities she visited was founded by just such sisters, some of whom were still living.
I guess that the depth of feeling by those who are not part of the LCWR is probably greater than that of the members of that benighted group.
BTW--what doesn't get touted by the press that touts how shabbily the LCWR is treated by the Vatican, is how badly the LCWR has treated and is treating those groups representing victims of sexual abuse by it's members. Oddly enough, they don't see the occurrences as abusive, or worthy of attention. Just another reason I would support the suppression of most of it's member communities.
A Gathering Storm
The Church is always persecuted. We might know peace in a given area for years, even centuries, but in another area, we will know discrimination, violence and persecution. In some areas, we have known persecution to such an extent the Church there has perished. (Think of all the defunct bishoprics in North Africa!) In various times and places, we run into the basic problem that a committed Catholicism upsets the economic and political apple cart. From the riots in Ephesus, to the refusal of the Church in the first centuries to offer sacrifice to the Emperor, we have made waves. In Ephesus it was about the business interests of silver smiths. In Rome, it was about the supremacy of the state.
Interestingly enough, a frequent charge has been "hatred". Some Romans--citizens of the Empire--accused Christians of harboring hatred of the human race.
So today, we see a rise of opinion in the US that the Church is a bastion of hatred against Gays and "Choice". That will be the flash point for a full on persecution of the Church. Right now, we are simply disliked. Coupled with the accusation of hatred, is the fact that we do endanger several multi-billion dollar industries in the US. Perhaps the one that is most inconvenienced is the abortion industry. We have been a thorn in their side for 38 years.
Lila Rose, and her organization is planning further efforts against the purveyors of death. The Group Live Action has been particularly effective at catching Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers in violations of the law, on video. Their actions have resulted in various levels of change in the Death Industry. And they have said that they will renew and intensify their efforts in the coming year.
So now we see what's happening on the other side. Recently the home of Joseph and Ann Scheidler was attacked. Not a lot was said about it in the MSM. (Can you imagine the outrage if some pro-lifers threw rocks with notes through the windows of an abortionists house?) In the last year there have been numerous reports of violence and threats of violence against pro-lifers. Yet these reports don't get much treatment in the MSM. Of course, this could be justified by simply saying that they are so common as to be un-news worthy events.
Threats, however are not limited to the venue of street mobs and gun-men threatening to shoot pro-lifers. In New York, a Federal Court has just removed the protections of conscience that are supposedly guaranteed by Federal Law and Regulation, ruling that a hospital can require nurses to assist in abortions or other procedures that violate their ethical or religious beliefs. In a court brief filed in the case of the nurse, lawyers representing the Obama Administration stated that the Administration is working to do away with the conscience protection of medical workers.
This question will end up getting much uglier than it is now. An item to note is that Administration, and progressives generally, both in office and on the streets, speaking of "freedom of worship", not freedom of religion. Because, you see, freedom of religion implies the right to live according to your religion. Freedom of worship applies to an hour or so every week, inside a building. Freedom of Worship will banish freedom of religion, and religion itself from the public square.
Of course, issues of Life, and the morality contained in them are not the only flash points in the US. We also have issues of sexual morality and family life as well. These are perhaps even more volatile. I consider them more volatile because of the examples of mob-action that we were treated to after the passage of proposition 8 in California, that were executed not only in that State, but in other States as well. It's also an issue that has received legal treatment that tends to the limitation of free speech. Even in Churches.
So prepare yourself. Even thought the US is the most religious of the industrialized nations, or perhaps because of this, we will find ourselves on the wrong end of a lot of things. I wouldn't be to upset at this: we were promised that it would happen. And, don't be to quick to ascribe it to the End of Days--committed Catholicism hasn't been the most comfortable fit at any time or place. Even during the "Age of Faith" committed Catholics--many of whom we know as saints--faced opposition, ridicule and even violence. We are now given the privilege of seeing how well we live our faith reflected by how much opposition we receive from the public, and from some segments of the Church itself.
Like the Boss said--we should rejoice when we are persecuted for His names sake.
And as a very personal aside,I have to say this: meekly bearing insult and discrimination, being gentle to persecutors and reacting to hate with love isn't exactly my strong suit. Unlike Baptism, becoming a paratrooper does not leave an indelible mark upon the soul; becoming a paratrooper does leave a really strong impression upon the personality though. Coupled with being raised on stories of the Sons of Liberty and the Founding Fathers, I am all to prone to think in terms of rebellion and action. We shouldn't do this.
We need not to concern ourselves with our rights, but with our duties. Especially our duties of loving God with all our hearts, all our minds and all our strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. That is the real, and most effective form of apologetics and evangilization.
What is needed now is not organized resistance to the secular world in the sense of activists and lawyers. We do not need a Militia of Catholic Patriots, we need--and should be--a Militia of Catholic Saints, who live a "full contact Catholicism", praying and living their faith, and their Catholic Identity to the hilt.
Interestingly enough, a frequent charge has been "hatred". Some Romans--citizens of the Empire--accused Christians of harboring hatred of the human race.
So today, we see a rise of opinion in the US that the Church is a bastion of hatred against Gays and "Choice". That will be the flash point for a full on persecution of the Church. Right now, we are simply disliked. Coupled with the accusation of hatred, is the fact that we do endanger several multi-billion dollar industries in the US. Perhaps the one that is most inconvenienced is the abortion industry. We have been a thorn in their side for 38 years.
Lila Rose, and her organization is planning further efforts against the purveyors of death. The Group Live Action has been particularly effective at catching Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers in violations of the law, on video. Their actions have resulted in various levels of change in the Death Industry. And they have said that they will renew and intensify their efforts in the coming year.
So now we see what's happening on the other side. Recently the home of Joseph and Ann Scheidler was attacked. Not a lot was said about it in the MSM. (Can you imagine the outrage if some pro-lifers threw rocks with notes through the windows of an abortionists house?) In the last year there have been numerous reports of violence and threats of violence against pro-lifers. Yet these reports don't get much treatment in the MSM. Of course, this could be justified by simply saying that they are so common as to be un-news worthy events.
Threats, however are not limited to the venue of street mobs and gun-men threatening to shoot pro-lifers. In New York, a Federal Court has just removed the protections of conscience that are supposedly guaranteed by Federal Law and Regulation, ruling that a hospital can require nurses to assist in abortions or other procedures that violate their ethical or religious beliefs. In a court brief filed in the case of the nurse, lawyers representing the Obama Administration stated that the Administration is working to do away with the conscience protection of medical workers.
This question will end up getting much uglier than it is now. An item to note is that Administration, and progressives generally, both in office and on the streets, speaking of "freedom of worship", not freedom of religion. Because, you see, freedom of religion implies the right to live according to your religion. Freedom of worship applies to an hour or so every week, inside a building. Freedom of Worship will banish freedom of religion, and religion itself from the public square.
Of course, issues of Life, and the morality contained in them are not the only flash points in the US. We also have issues of sexual morality and family life as well. These are perhaps even more volatile. I consider them more volatile because of the examples of mob-action that we were treated to after the passage of proposition 8 in California, that were executed not only in that State, but in other States as well. It's also an issue that has received legal treatment that tends to the limitation of free speech. Even in Churches.
So prepare yourself. Even thought the US is the most religious of the industrialized nations, or perhaps because of this, we will find ourselves on the wrong end of a lot of things. I wouldn't be to upset at this: we were promised that it would happen. And, don't be to quick to ascribe it to the End of Days--committed Catholicism hasn't been the most comfortable fit at any time or place. Even during the "Age of Faith" committed Catholics--many of whom we know as saints--faced opposition, ridicule and even violence. We are now given the privilege of seeing how well we live our faith reflected by how much opposition we receive from the public, and from some segments of the Church itself.
Like the Boss said--we should rejoice when we are persecuted for His names sake.
And as a very personal aside,I have to say this: meekly bearing insult and discrimination, being gentle to persecutors and reacting to hate with love isn't exactly my strong suit. Unlike Baptism, becoming a paratrooper does not leave an indelible mark upon the soul; becoming a paratrooper does leave a really strong impression upon the personality though. Coupled with being raised on stories of the Sons of Liberty and the Founding Fathers, I am all to prone to think in terms of rebellion and action. We shouldn't do this.
We need not to concern ourselves with our rights, but with our duties. Especially our duties of loving God with all our hearts, all our minds and all our strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. That is the real, and most effective form of apologetics and evangilization.
What is needed now is not organized resistance to the secular world in the sense of activists and lawyers. We do not need a Militia of Catholic Patriots, we need--and should be--a Militia of Catholic Saints, who live a "full contact Catholicism", praying and living their faith, and their Catholic Identity to the hilt.
Just Wondering...
A Shuttle Driver for Dulles Airport did some serial hit and run driving. He was arrested when the shuttle van came into the airport displaying the damage done to it by his actions.
There are places on the 'Net claiming that this episode is an example of the MSMs tendency to cover up instances of domestic Jihad. Other stories cite the police opinion that he did this to "be famous". One article that I read was highly critical of the MSM coverage of this and other incidents, claiming that the MSM tries to cover for Jihadists by painting them as troubled or mentally ill, and that none of us are safe from the long arm of Islamic Struggle.
But I've been wondering--is it possible that in terms of Domestic Jihad, with the incidents of automotive violence and "lone gunman" events predominating, that it's damned near impossible to tell a Jihadist acting alone from a lunatic? Because in about every event I can recall, the perp could very easily be considered a lunatic with no more effort--using available evidence--than a solitary terrorist.
So I'm wondering, are domestics American Jihadists simply madmen who have hung their madness on the label Jihad?
There are places on the 'Net claiming that this episode is an example of the MSMs tendency to cover up instances of domestic Jihad. Other stories cite the police opinion that he did this to "be famous". One article that I read was highly critical of the MSM coverage of this and other incidents, claiming that the MSM tries to cover for Jihadists by painting them as troubled or mentally ill, and that none of us are safe from the long arm of Islamic Struggle.
But I've been wondering--is it possible that in terms of Domestic Jihad, with the incidents of automotive violence and "lone gunman" events predominating, that it's damned near impossible to tell a Jihadist acting alone from a lunatic? Because in about every event I can recall, the perp could very easily be considered a lunatic with no more effort--using available evidence--than a solitary terrorist.
So I'm wondering, are domestics American Jihadists simply madmen who have hung their madness on the label Jihad?
Monday, December 13, 2010
Well, So Much For My Christmass Wish
It seems that 63% of you think that with a Daisy Red Ryder 70th Anniversary Commemorative BB Gun, I will put somebodies eye out. I guess that means I won't get one again. *sigh*.
I guess I'll just have to grow up.
But me and 30% of the respondents believe it would be cool. I don't have the slightest idea what is wrong with the 15% who don't want one, unless they're terminally urbane people with no idea of indoor fun.
I guess I'll just have to grow up.
But me and 30% of the respondents believe it would be cool. I don't have the slightest idea what is wrong with the 15% who don't want one, unless they're terminally urbane people with no idea of indoor fun.
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