Politicians and Their Faith. Practice or Political Practicality?

During the Vice Presidential debates, moderator  Martha Raddatz asked the two contenders about abortion and how their faith informs their lives. VP Joe Biden said,  “My religion defines who I am...”  He is, like Paul Ryan, a Catholic. Unlike Ryan, it appears he decides which doctrines and dogma he decides to accept.

The longer quote:

"I accept my church’s position on abortion as a — what we call a de fide doctrine. Life begins at conception in the church’s judgment. I accept it in my personal life. But I refuse to impose it on equally devout Christians and Muslims and Jews, and I just refuse to impose that on others…"

Not being Catholic I had to look up "de fide": De fide (of the faith) is a "theological note" or "theological qualification" that indicates that some religious doctrine is an essential part of Catholic faith and that denial of it is heresy.[1] (Wikipedia Dictionary)

This also, to my understanding, something revealed by God. Apparently the issue of abortion doesn't qualify. 

To my greater point, politicians often separate their faith from their politics. This causes me severe cognitive dissonance. If your faith informs and defines you, how can you in practice ignore the values, beliefs or teachings of your Faith or Church?

Biden's answer is typical; he refuses to impose them on others. The Kennedy's are all pro abortion and nearly all have gotten divorces against the doctrine of the Church they claim to belong to. Nancy Pelosi, another Catholic has even said abortion is an unsettled matter in the Church, and doctrine has developed only in the last fifty years.

"I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time.  And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition.  And Senator–St. Augustine said at three months.  We don’t know. The point is, is that it shouldn’t have an impact on the woman’s right to choose.  Roe v. Wade talks about very clear definitions of when the child–first trimester, certain considerations; second trimester; not so third trimester.  There’s very clear distinctions.  This isn’t about abortion on demand, it’s about a careful, careful consideration of all factors and–to–that a woman has to make with her doctor and her god.  And so I don’t think anybody can tell you when life begins, human life begins.  As I say, the Catholic Church for centuries has been discussing this, and there are those who’ve decided…"

 The Catholic Church teaches life begins at conception. It has been since at least 70 CE.  

“The second commandment of the teaching: You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not seduce boys. You shall not commit fornication. You shall not steal. You shall not practice magic. You shall not use potions. You shall not procure [an] abortion, nor destroy a newborn child” (Didache 2:1–2 [A.D. 70]).

The Catechism in paragraphs 2271, 2272, and 2274, and explicit in 2322:

 "From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a “criminal” practice (GS 27 § 3), gravely contrary to the moral law. The Church imposes the canonical penalty of excommunication for this crime against human life."

If a politician claims to belong to a religious institution, or claims belief in the teachings and values of their stated Faith, when they say, like Biden, their Faith defines them, they should walk the talk. It's not a matter of forcing beliefs on others. Such people deciding to be politicians, regardless of political affiliation, should vote issues according to their Faith if they state it's what defines them. They should run for office stating they cannot vote for pro abortion laws or State funded abortion because of religious beliefs. The same with any issue. They should tell the public their affiliation and beliefs when they run for office, and that they obey and practice them. Biden saying his Religion informs his life, then not acting on that, makes him both a hypocrite and a liar. These people's politics and lust for power inform their lives, not their Church or their Faith.

What church or what religion one practices is a matter of choice. Belonging to a Church is voluntary.

If one disagrees with those teachings, dogma, doctrine, another Church should be found. To do anything other than that is hypocritical and cowardly.

 From the debate:

http://youtu.be/KOpb9irG3Cw

What Christians Have Offered Through the Centuries

This is a vid about and from the Catholic Church. Though I'm a Protestant, I'm proud and happy to be a part of this tradition.

http://youtu.be/9gu3UOoLcos

Cardinal Dolan on the Obama Administration's Attempts to Further Divide the Catholic Church

http://youtu.be/kDEsTHCFFVs

Religion of the State vs Religion of God

Alleged journalist and Leftist political hack, and anti Christian bigot Chris Matthews, said when the Catholic Church sued against the health care mandate to provide contraception, sterilization and abortion against religious belief and tradition, asked "Do you think they’re all Republican, the bishops?" Matthews himself is a Catholic, or claims to be, and definitely a Democrat. A 2011 Pew study showed 48% of Catholics are Democrats as opposed to 43% Republican.

Leftists\Democrats, are myopically political, so even see religion as politically motivated. They're incapable of knowing, or even seeing it's the other way around. Religious people put God first, in everything we think, say, and do. What we get then are Democrats that claim to be Catholic supporting abortion and gay marriage, even advocating for it. Nancy Pelosi, asked by  Christopher Goins of CNSNews.com,“Many of the people that are opposed to gay marriage cite their religion as the reason why they're opposed. You're a Catholic that supports gay marriage. Do you believe that religion and the idea that you can support gay marriage can be separated? And how do you grapple with the idea that you support gay marriage as a Catholic?” Her answer:  "My religion has, compels me--and I love it for it--to be against discrimination of any kind in our country, and I consider this a form of discrimination. I think it’s unconstitutional on top of that. "  That despite the very clear teaching and position of the Catholic Church to the contrary. Plus her dismissal several times of the Constitution and not being bound by it.

Back to the point of the politics informing Faith, Matthews has said: "I think there are people who have chosen to convert to the Catholic faith because they don't like the liberal positions taken by their sectarian groups. That's a fact. So, you can write that down. No, you can write that down."  Huh? People join the Church because of political reasons? Certainly makes my point. I wonder too why he doesn't quit the Catholic Church since it's against everything he's for. What studies is he referencing?

There have been several Democrats that have held office, claiming to be Catholic, yet passing legislation for abortion, sterilization and contraception against the teachings of the Church they claim to belong to. Plus use taxes to pay for these against the will of citizens that object to these practices.  The rationalization for it is they don't want to enforce their beliefs on others, but they will force obedience to the healthcare mandates,  claim separation of church and state is in the Constitution (it's not), and claim the Establishment Clause is to protect citizens from religion (it doesn't).  I'm sure we can all come up with long lists of things the government forces we citizens to do that are against our beliefs.

If these politicians were true practitioners of their religion, when campaigning would say they cannot vote for certain things because it's against their faith belief, then follow though in practice if elected. Truly religious people put God first, and He informs how we act. Politics trumps religion for Leftists\Democrats, and if a politician put his\her politics before religion, God, and the Church they should quit the Church, and state their religion is the State. If they don't they're immersing themselves in hypocrisy and should stop throwing stones at people that proclaim Faith and make errors in judgment and behavior at odds with their usual behavior and beliefs.

   

The Church, Pentecost, Persecution, And A Movie

Today is Pentecost, the celebration of the birth of the church. I’ve written my thoughts here, and a bit of the history here. The Church, Christianity, has survived because of a lot of sacrifice and clashes with governments at a terrible price. Politicians have infiltrated the Church and essentially run it, nearly into to ground on occasion. Until I started hearing and reading about this event, Cristero War of 1926 to 1929 in Mexico, that pitted the government against the Catholic Church, I had never heard of it. The celebration of the birth of the Church is important, but I think it’s also important to remember the sacrifices made to keep the church alive.

The Democrats, Secularists, and Obama Administration attempting to enforce secular law, to weave government mandates into religious practice in America is for the same reason the Cristero War happened. Politicians see Christianity as a block to their desire for total power, and either must control it or destroy it.

This is both the trailer for the movie, and an historical look at the war.

http://youtu.be/EnPi5cXlVHo

It's both good and amazing a film of the persecution of Christians and of such quality has been produced, especially when the persecution of Christians worldwide has reached historic levels. 

This film opens June 1.

Test of Fire: Uber Powerful Catholic Church Election 2012 Ad

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1

http://youtu.be/D9vQt6IXXaM

That the Catholic Church is standing for what is right and moral lifts my spirits. We pray this is the beginning of  people waking up the threat to this country faces from this administration and his political party. We pray too that we Protestants begin to pay attention to this threat too. We to are having our religious liberty threatened and need to form a strong coalition, a bond to thwart this challenge to the Body of Christ. It has been said here and elsewhere many many times, one of the first things a totalitarian government needs to strike down is religion. 

Giving Up Liberty

Magna Carta Libertatum is the whole title to the document. It placed restraints on the king. The US Constitution placed restraints on the government, the political class. Both focused on the rights of people. The most recent attack on Christianity, specifically the Catholic Church, by the Obama Administration and the Democrat Party, is beyond just that. It’s an attack on liberty.

“I leave it up to the government to make good decisions for Americans.” Danica Patrick

For those that don’t know, Patrick is a sexy race car driver and model. She has hit here on the mindset of a growing number of citizens that it’s okay to give up individual liberty and submit to the State. It’s severely bothersome and disconcerting to me that for the five thousand years or so of civilization prior to the founding of the republic of America, Man has lived under tyranny. Just look how long and slow progress was; spiritually and physically. Just look at all the cool stuff we’ve got in the last couple hundred years or so. There’s more progress in freedom and goodies than all the history preceding the US Constitution.

The primary reason, arguably the only reason, for this explosion of creativity, innovation, and personal wealth is the power of the State had its wings clipped. People were able to do things for themselves, family and community, and all have benefitted. Now the State’s feathers of oppression have grown back.

The latest, of course, is the attempt to control the Catholic Church and by extension Christians, so Freedom of Religion gets clipped. Even those not tolerant of organized religion should take note because every tyranny begins with the crushing of Christians and Jews (anti-Semitism is on the rise). Freedom of Speech is clipped by “political correctness” and name calling. If you disagree with Obama’s policies you’re a racist, if you don’t approve of homosexuality or gay marriage you’re a bigot, if you don’t think employees or taxpayers should be paying for someone else’s abortions or contraceptives, you're a sexist.

Case in point from Chris Matthews: “There are a number of people who have chosen to convert to the Catholic faith because they don’t like the liberal positions taken by their sectarian groups, that’s a fact, you can write that down. . . .I’m saying that some people who are bigoted against gay people have changed religions, yes.”

Then there’s Obama’s statement: “So it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” It’s an anathema to these Statists that people actually believe in God because they believe, not because the government isn’t fulfilling some need in their lives. Statists want Religion out of the way because it creates a vacuum for the State to fill. They want all citizens replace their religion with the Religion of the State like they have.

Now the government tells us what light bulbs we can use, even though the one’s we will soon be forced to buy provide worse light and are dangerous and toxic. Some public schools are forcing parents to buy school lunches, deeming home made sack lunches not healthy enough. I read one incident where the school didn’t let a kid eat his lunch meat sandwich from home and eat at the school cafeteria; the replacement meal was “chicken” nuggets. Really? The government is installing “smart meters” on homes to control your house temperature, what and how many appliances you can run. They have tried, so far unsuccessfully, to ban smoking in cars and homes. They tell restaurants how much sugar and salt they can use in their recipes. The tax code is designed to limit your income; they are mandating how much you may earn.  In California parents have to keep their kids in booster seats until they are 57” tall. Some kids will be in them until they’re 10 or 12 years old. This was a safety problem? If the people vote on something, and the government doesn't like the outcome, they just get a judge say it's unconstitutional and overturn the will people and their representatives.

“We are only a few days away from fundamentally transforming America!” Barack Obama, November 2008

Obama’s “accommodation” to the Catholic Church is to have insurance companies pay for contraception and whatever else, so the employees will have these for free. Statists say things are for free, if only we give them more power and money. Power to not obey the laws the rest of us are forced to obey, and money so they can live large with the things we can no longer afford because they took our money.

The cost of all that free stuff? The U.S. government debt is currently $44,215 per person. Obama’s own budget numbers show it will rise over the next ten years to $75,000.

“I leave it up to the government to make good decisions for Americans.” Truly?

Donald Cardinal Wuerl Responds to Attack on Freedom of Religion

This is a well reasoned defense against this Administration’s and the Democrat Party’s attack on the Catholic Church specifically and religion generally (except Islam, go figure). It’s noted here this goes beyond this unconstitutional attack on religion, but it reaches much deeper into our democracy, and is all about all our liberties.

 

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1450080861001/

Note here too Obama saying contraception and the rest will be provided for free by the insurance companies. Free? Does this guy have any clue that things have to be paid for? Part of ObamaCare, as with any socialist program, is the government can tell private companies what to charge for and how much to charge for it. If they can tell a company that, then they can tell you what procedures, care, medicine and all the rest that you will be allowed. I’m absolutely floored nearly half of Americans think it’s a good idea for government bureaucrats to decide what kind of care you get; especially after so many get angry with insurance companies for doing the same. The Political Class, which exempts themselves, will do better? Good grief.  

How the Democrats Are Defending Their Assault on Freedom of Religion

There's the observation man isn't a rational being, but a rationalizing being. This vid shows Dems justifying forcing religious institutions to submit to the State in violation of their teachings and beliefs, and in violation of the First Amendment. The most frightening of all this justifications comes at 2:04. This woman is actually a national politician, as well as incredibly stupid. Gwendolyne Moore, Wisconsin Democrat: "The National Institute of Health has said that it is a danger to women's health and safety of their families, that for 30 years, to be exposed to the prospects of pregnancy." Pregnancy is a health and safety issue that women are exposed to? It's a prospect of something unhealthy, or something.  What?



The government mandating what products and services citizens should buy. In the case of the Catholic Church, it's been suggested that going forward they needn't hire employees that don't have the same values and belief system as the Church. How many law suits would that generate, denying employment based on ideology?

If a government controls healthcare, it controls every aspect of every citizen's life. Every citizen will have to obey the State to get health care. Guns are unhealthy. Ban them. Religion endangers the health of women. Suppress it. Leftists/Democrats have done very well suppressing free speech with political correctness, to the point now, if you call a black man "Juan" without the correct inflection you're a racist. Traditional press has given up it's freedom; it willing and with joy does the bidding of the State. Pretty much us in the blogosphere are what's left of the free press, and the State is doing everything it can to get control of that. 

Yet More Attacks on Christianity by Our Secularist, Bigoted President & His Party

This President and his political party have made it abundantly clear they are Secularists, and specifically anti-Christian. Here’s a few items to make the point.

I had written earlier that I’m disgusted by the use of Our Savior Jesus Christ being used as a political pawn. The anti-Christian bigot Obama did just that when he attended a prayer breakfast and used the time meant for communing with God to make a Marxist campaign speech, saying Jesus' admonition to help the poor means the government must raise taxes, especially on the rich.

Obama: “When I talk about shared responsibility, it’s because I genuinely believe that in a time when many folks are struggling and at a time when we have enormous deficits, it’s hard for me to ask seniors on a fixed income or young people with student loans or middle-class families who can barely pay the bills to shoulder the burden alone.”  … “And I think to myself, if I’m willing to give something up as somebody who’s been extraordinarily blessed and give up some of the tax breaks that I enjoy, I actually think that’s going to make economic sense.”

“But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’ teaching that, ‘for unto whom much is given, much shall be required.’”

He added this even more appalling observation:  “…mirrors the Islamic belief that those who’ve been blessed have an obligation to use those blessings to help others, or the Jewish doctrine of moderation and consideration for others.” Since Christianity came first, and Islam imperfectly picked and chose what it wanted and needed to oppress people, I don’t think so.

http://youtu.be/jRA6l-VCttg

The quote, “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required,” does not mean from each according to his ability and to each according to his needs. Obama sees everything through Marxist lenses. It’s his religion.

Part of that religion is to ignore the establishment clause of the Constitution (and the rest of the Constitution too, but I need to stay on point), “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” and the free exercise clause, "... or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". The latest kerfuffle is his forcing the Catholic Church to adhere to his secular religion, which advocates the killing of babies, i.e., abortion, over the life of babies. Add to that forcing, against the teaching/values/beliefs of the Church requiring them to provide contraception. This Administration ruling forcing the church to provide abortions, sterilizations, and contraceptives as part of their health care programs is a requirement from Health and Human Services Department, not even legislation. They can get away with it because, contrary to what was said to the public by Obama and the Democrats, mandating abortion is in ObamaCare. This doesn’t only apply to the Catholic Church, but to all religious organizations; if the Catholic Church and other organizations stick to their guns on this, many religious funded hospitals, health facilities and companies will be forced to shut down. The Obama administration isn’t entirely insensitive to this issue; all the affiliated organizations have a year before being forced to comply or shut down.

Archbishop Timothy Nolan has published a letter to the president in protest, and there are several with some variations from many Bishops in America. A copy of one is at the bottom of this article.

He's also forbidden Chaplin's in the military to comment on this abuse of power, this ignoring of the Constitution, this forcing of Religion, specifically Christianity, to ignore and reject the teachings of their respective churches. He is Commander in Chief and has the legal right to do so, but not the moral right. 

Recently struck down by the Supreme Court, and not reported or under reported by the re-elect Obama press, was a ruling requiring Churches to adhere to equal opportunity legislation. This requires the Catholic Church to allow female priests, and Jews female rabbis. You may color me wrong on this, but aren’t elected officials sworn to uphold the Constitution? If I’m right, the Secularists in power that took that oath are definitely ignoring both the establishment clause and free exercise clause.

Off on a tangent here; the first female ex-Speaker of the House, a professed Catholic, stated about the issue: “First of all, I am going to stick with my fellow Catholics in supporting the administration on this. I think it was a very courageous decision that they made, and I support it.” Say what? She’s one of many Catholic politicians that are pro-abortion and contraception ignoring the teachings of the Church she professes to be a member of. For most of us practicing Christians, God comes first, and informs our beliefs and actions. If one is a politician, and speaks honestly about his\her Faith, they should let it be known and live by it. I think if a Catholic runs for office on a pro-abortion platform, or lives and legislates in opposition to the Church, they should renounce the Church. If not, and I’m not Catholic, so I don’t know how exactly this works, but if they stay in the Church and support the kinds of regulation written about here, they should be excommunicated. It shouldn’t bother these anti-Christian, anti-Catholic Catholics anyway since they apparently don’t believe or practice Church doctrine.  

There’s a whole section of the Bible discussing Spiritual Warfare, mostly in Ephesians 6: 10- 18. This is where it manifests itself in physical world. We have the leader of the free world leading an assault on Christianity (and supporting Islam). Good for the Catholic Church for standing up to these bigots and secularists.

Government's Attack on Christianity

I've pointed out many times government must drive religion, especially Jews and Christians out. The reason being Jesus told us to render to Caesar what is his, and God what is his; the State wants, and must have, everything rendered unto it. It will not tolerate dissent. The history of Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, Red China and Cuba are some examples that bear this out.

The campaign against Christianity in this country is getting stronger. What follows are some examples. The simplest start is the idea, even supported by some Christians, is religion is a private thing, and has no place in the public arena. Practicing Christians know being infused with the Holy Spirit means our Faith is the center of everything we say and do. Those Christians thinking that religion, especially Christianity, is exclusively a private thing, need to reevaluate where they are with their Faith. 

The government’s driving Christianity out of the public sphere won’t reach the level of persecution seen in the countries mentioned above, but is just as insidious. Without the traditions and values of Christianity, we will end up reflecting what those states were or are.

Russell Shaw writes:

“Don't think I'm making the wild-eyed claim that this new persecution either is or ever is likely to become a bloody one resembling the purges of the French and Mexican Revolutions or the Communist war on religion—eruptions of violence in which thousands of clergy, religious, and lay faithful were killed. It won't be a repetition of the Spanish civil war, just 75 years ago, when death squads of the anticlerical left executed the incredible total of 12 bishops, 283 religious women, 4,184 priests, 2,365 religious men, and an unknown number of laity whose only crime was being faithful Catholics.
No, the persecution of religion in the United States won't be like that. It will be a tight-lipped campaign of secularist inspiration in which the coercive power of the state is brought to bear on church-related institutions to act against conscience or go out of business.” Full article here.

 The most blatant and egregious example of this is Health and Human Services decision to deny funding to Catholic programs that aid victims of human trafficking.  The programs administered by the Catholic Church are the most effective. The reason for government not helping with funding, is the Church doesn't, and will not, refer abortions. Base on that criteria, Catholic health care programs and hospitals that serve non-Catholics are denied funding. Those institutions must provide “the full range of legally permissible gynecological and obstetric care” aka abortions. Given the government advocates for tax payer funded fetal genocide, religious health institutions must necessarily withdraw or be forced to violate all religious values, traditions and beliefs.

In my mind, if you’re not for something, you’re against it. You may say you have no dog in the chase, and that’s fine. We can’t have knowledge and opinions about everything, but when it comes to our attention we need to make a decision. Sitting on the sidelines cannot be an option when the attack on freedom of religion, speech, and the rest are under attack. The government here is for human trafficking if it's willing to cut out the most effective organization and give it to failed or failing organizations dealing with slavery.  

The attack right now is mostly focused on the Catholic Church, but not limited to it. Obama’s EEOC recently argued to the Supreme Court the hiring practices of the Lutheran Church were discriminatory; that religious institutions must be held to the same hiring practices as secular businesses.  That would mean the government would have a say in who a church selects as their pastor or ministerial team. Given this violation of the establishment clause, the government could force a Catholic priest that got married to be rehired if the priest sued to get his job back. Really. Fortunately the Supreme Court rejected this anti-religious, anti-Christian, anti-Constitutional filing.  

Coming up on the Christmas season, we’re braced for the onslaught of anti-traditionalists, anti-Christian bigots, and atheists' annnual attack Christianity; all supported by government. They are so desperate in their hatred and intolerance they even try and take out Santa Claus and Christmas trees, claiming they're religious symbols. They are not. Christians need to stand up and say so.

Uniformed Christians are a problem too. We used to have a Christmas tree in our break room at work, and a “Christian” said it was a pagan religious symbol; he was offended, so we can no longer have a Christmas tree. Even though the knucklehead has left the company, the rule stays. Back when thug rapper Tupac Shakur was alive, a woman had pictures of him around her cube and a Bible on her desk.  I experienced cognitive dissonance.

One last point. The Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, and the laws in the Constitution, are all founded in Scripture. I’ve posted several times Democrats (aka Leftists) stating they’re not held to the Constitution. The document they do hold themselves to is the Communist Manifesto, which rejects God and religion. What they advocate is an earthly utopia based on the rule of men, not the natural laws of God. There can be no earthly utopia, and peace can't reign without God's rule. Understanding God as natural law, that God is Love, and government rejects both, we must ensure more people understand that only by God’s rule and Grace can there be Liberty.

  

Religion in the News in Just the Past Week

Michelle Obama recently stated if a Republican wins the White House the first amendment will be shredded and shelved; there would no longer be freedom of religion. This is rich considering more Democrats believe in UFO’s than God, and is the Party that promotes anti-Christian bigotry, secularism, anti-traditionalism, and anti-Semitism. She included that free speech will end; also rich considering they are the propagators of political correctness; which is being only able to say what they approve of.

Jesus said lots of people are going to despise anyone who believed and practiced what he taught. Indeed. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake." Christians are being jailed and killed in the tens of thousands worldwide. I'm grateful that's not happening here, yet. If our government (and Europe's) keeps bending to Sharia Law, all bets are off.  Here is some religion news from the past week.

Atheists are ramping up for their anti-Christian Hate Festival, also known as Christmas by many.  Backyard Skeptics, an atheist group in Orange County, put up a billboard with a quote from Thomas Jefferson, “I do not find in Christianity one redeeming feature. It is founded on fables and mythology.” Problem was Jefferson never wrote it, or was quoted saying it. The billboard was taken down. Atheists spend an inordinate amount of time attacking Christians, which is counterintuitive since God doesn’t exist; why bother? It’s odd so much time is spent attacking people that believe in something that doesn’t exist. This same group showed its tolerance and courage about a month ago standing on a pier in Huntington Beach tearing up a Bible. (Last week while the Pope was having Mass, a knucklehead got on a ledge and burned a Bible. They’re everywhere.) Courage is mentioned here because they don’t attack Muslims, also a monotheistic religion. There will be more of the same expressions of hate and intolerance in the next couple months as we get into our celebration of Baby Jesus’ birth. Atheists have nothing positive and uplifting to offer, no love, compassion, charity or care, so they preach a message of hate and intolerance.

Going overseas a bit, there’s a play in Paris, part of which includes the throwing of feces at Jesus Christ’s face. Understandably Christians aren’t happy with this and gathered in protest. The Christians are being branded as “fundamentalists” (the label bigots toss at anyone professing Christianity, excluding false Christians that claim the Faith but put Marxism first). The mayor of Paris is having the city file a lawsuit against the protesters. It’s apparently okay for everyone else to protest against stuff that angers them, just not Christians. I wonder if the coward that wrote the play, “Sur le Concept du Visage du fils de Dieu” (”On the Concept of the Son of God’s Face”), by Italian Romeo Castellucci, would write a play with feces being thrown at the face of Mohammed. The mayor of Paris, by the way, let Muslims rampage through the streets of Paris, striking fear into citizens and destroying $millions of property.  He allows them to block traffic and disrupt business when Muslims do their prayer ritual, as does the anti-Christian London mayor and government.

The Wall Street Occupy protesters in London camped out on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral. The cathedral closed, one would guess to protect it. The Western Anglican Church has rejected Christianity and embraced Marxism and the rest of the Left’s agenda. The leadership of the Church saw the closing as a threat, being damaging to Christianity, so had it reopened. Actually the threat was damage to the cathedral. Protecting historical property, or any property for that matter, is a wise thing to do; especially if people camped on your steps are anti-Christian and anti-property. Of course London government, like Paris’ government, and the most of the leadership of the Episcopal Church, are more interested in embracing and practicing Leftist ideology that embracing Jesus Christ. The Episcopal Church by the way, is in dire straights, there being a huge split between those that want to adhere to the Word of God and Christian beliefs and those that want to put that second to Leftist secular political and socio-cultural ideology.

The Catholic Church is also playing with Leftist secular political, socio-cultural ideology. The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace published a document, ”Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of a Global Public Authority,” advocating for the international redistribution of wealth and an international global authority to control the flow of money, overriding national economic sovereignty. Supposedly this would create a moral and ethical guide to economics. Really and truly? Good grief. International socialism is the answer? Not God? There’s no way international leaders that hate Christianity would be guided by ethics and moral laid out in Judeo-Christian Scripture. Their scripture is the Communist Manifesto.

Coptic Christians in Egypt are fleeing and being murdered. No word from the Islamist supporting President of the United States.

Back to atheists’ antics in this country, there was a brush up in the town of Whiteville, TN. There was a cross on the top of a water tower that upset them. Don’t understand why; it represents something that doesn’t exist. The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) had brought suit, and the town couldn’t afford the legal battle. The mayor was going to move the cross to another location, but instead had one of the arms cut off so it was no longer a cross. Hoot! The citizens liked this so much, hundreds of crosses have popped up all over town on private property and now they’re everywhere. The intolerant bigots of the FFRF have withdrawn their lawsuit. Freedom from religion; who's making them worship, pray, convert, believe? Seems they're already free from religion. 

Bigotry and hated against Christians is on the rise while Islamists are given a pass. Governments support anti-Semitism and anti-Christianity. Reason being governments need to take religion, especially Christianity, out of the equation because we are to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and God what is His. Governments want everything rendered unto them and only them. I’m saddened the Episcopal  Church, the Catholic Church and so many of the Protestant Denominations (including the national leadership of my own First Christian Church [Disciples of Christ]) embrace Marxism, Liberation Theology, and the acceptance of cultural and social mores antithetical to Jesus and the Apostle Paul’s teachings.

Our Anti-Christian, Anti-Catholic (Specifically) Administration

It’s not enough that we have an anti-Semitic Executive Branch, but it’s also virulently anti-Catholic specifically and anti-Christian generally. The Obama Administration is violating the Constitution (which it has done on several occasions) by not acknowledging the Establishment Clause, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

The Administration is using Health and Human Services (HHS) to shut down Catholic institutions. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act., aka Obamacare, requires all health plans pay for contraceptives, sterilizations and information on how to use both. Catholics of course don’t use contraceptives and sterilization, and their institutions certainly don’t want to be advocates for them.

The Administration claims the Catholic Church can opt out. The catch to that is the organization can do so only when it serves its own group pretty much exclusively. Catholic services such as foster care, adoption, feeding the poor and now health care, serve much more than that, any they don’t only hire Catholics to provide these services. Since that’s the situation, the Catholic Church is being forced to make a decision to obey the government or suspend these services. If the Catholic Church were to restrict itself to only serving and employing Catholics, one can only imagine the hue and cry of bigotry and exclusion.

This intervening of the government into religious practices extends into marriage. Current pushes by government to make homosexual marriage acceptable, against the wishes of a majority of Americans, forces the hand of not just the Catholic Church but Protestant ones too. This Administration no longer supports the “Defense of Marriage Act”, that marriage is between a man and a woman. Archbishop Timothy Dolan wrote a letter to the President expressing his concern the Administration no longer supports marriage being between a man and a woman. He states:

“…This past spring the Justice Department announced that it would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court, a decision strongly opposed by the Catholic Bishops of the United States and many others.  Now the Justice Department has shifted from not defending DOMA—which is problem enough, given the duty of the executive branch to enforce even laws it disfavors—to actively attacking DOMA’s constitutionality.
“…That is why it is particularly upsetting, Mr. President, when your Administration, through the various court documents, pronouncements and policies identified in the attached analysis, attributes to those who support DOMA a motivation rooted in prejudice and bias.  It is especially wrong and unfair to equate opposition to redefining marriage with either intentional or willfully ignorant racial discrimination, as your Administration insists on doing.
Full letter here.

By engaging in these acts of government regulations of what the Church can and cannot do, in violation of the Constitution, the Obama Administration can effectively shut them down or force them to comply in contradiction to the teachings, traditions, values and beliefs of the Catholic Church specifically and Christians generally. The government mandate is jettison your Faith and obey the government, or they shut you down. The bigotry against Christianity is so deep in government that they would rather see the poor not served, those hurting not helped, than them being disobeyed. The essence of this is the government must shut down Christianity to ensure they replace God with themselves to be obeyed and worshipped. This historically has been the modus operandi of every totalitarian government. 

The Catholic Church~An Observation

Excerpts of an article written by non-Catholic Sam Miller - a prominent  Cleveland  Jewish businessman:

"Why would newspapers carry on a vendetta on one of the most important institutions that we have today in the United States, namely the Catholic Church?

Do you know - the Catholic Church educates 2.6 million students everyday at the cost to that Church of 10 billion dollars, and a savings on the other hand to the American taxpayer of 18 billion  dollars. The graduates go on to graduate studies at the rate of 92%.

The Church has 230 colleges and universities in the  U.S. with an enrollment of 700,000 students..

The Catholic Church has a non-profit hospital system of 637 hospitals, which account for hospital treatment of 1 out of every 5 people - not just Catholics - in the  United States today.

But the press is vindictive and trying to totally denigrate in every way the Catholic Church in this country. They have blamed the disease of pedophilia on the Catholic Church, which is as irresponsible as blaming adultery on the institution of marriage.

Let me give you some figures that Catholics should know and remember.  For  example, 12% of the 300 Protestant clergy surveyed admitted to sexual intercourse with a parishioner; 38% acknowledged other inappropriate sexual contact in a study by the  United  Methodist  Church , 41.8% of clergy women reported unwanted sexual behavior;  17% of laywomen have been sexually harassed.

Meanwhile, 1.7% of the Catholic clergy has been found guilty of  pedophilia. 10% of the Protestant ministers have been found guilty of pedophilia. This is not a Catholic Problem.

A study of American priests showed that most are happy in the priesthood and find it even better than they had expected, and that most, if given the  choice, would choose to be priests again in face of all this obnoxious PR the church has been receiving.

The Catholic Church is bleeding from self-inflicted wounds.  The agony that Catholics have felt and suffered is not necessarily the fault of  the Church.  You have been hurt by a small number of wayward priests that have probably been totally weeded out by now.

Walk with your shoulders high and you head higher.  Be a proud member of the most important non-governmental agency in the  United States .

Then remember what Jeremiah said:  'Stand by the roads, and look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is and walk in it, and find rest for your souls'.   Be proud to speak up for your faith with pride and reverence and learn what your Church does for all other religions.

Full Blog here.

The Church, Government High Priests, and the People

I just posted about how the Liberals, Statists, Democrat Party mines the religious field in a most cynical and hypocritical manner possible. All that is part of the secularist movement and within that is the “spiritual but not religious” subculture.

Looking at Leftists disdain for religious people, that they are an ignorant weak stupid backward bunch of hicks, reminds us of Jesus, a hick raised away from the all knowing elites of Jerusalem. All us religious people out here in ‘flyover country’ are viewed the same way. A bunch unscientific, intolerant narrow-minded bigots.

High Priest Obama:

“And so part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now, and facts and science and argument does not seem to be winning the day all the time, is because we're hard-wired not to always think clearly when we're scared. And the country is scared, and they have good reason to be.”

Secular Priest John Kerry:

“It's absurd. We've lost our minds. We're in a period of know-nothingism in the country, where truth and science and facts don't weigh in. It's all short-order, lowest common denominator, cheap-seat politics.”

The Washington DC crowed is the same as the Sadducees and Pharisees, a bunch of Elitists that know more and better that all the rest and tell us how to live. They think they know the Constitution better than the people, like the Religious elites of Jesus’ time thought they knew Scripture better than the people. Jesus proved he had a better way, and we Christians know we have a better way now.

That demeaning, unflattering view seeps into the Church, Protestant and Catholic. Some within the church buy into that view and use it as an excuse to leave. Many see the Church as backwards and not attended by very smart people. But if you suffer a set back and are hurting, do you go to your pastor or congressman? If you’re sick or injured do you go to a hospital (the idea and development belonging to Christians) or to your congressman or a government bureaucrat? When you have a need to surround yourself with the love of others, do you go to a meeting of the state assembly or church? When you want to help out, contribute, do you go to a charity or church, or a government program? When our country has a national tragedy, such as 9/11,  the churches filled, not government buildings. In the aftermath of Katrina the hard work of caring for the sick and lost and lonely, who provided the most people to help, and which people contributed the most and made the most sacrifice to help…Christians or government bureaucrats? Every week when I attend services I learn and am intellectually challenged.   

There’s a lot to commend the Church. It’s under fire from within and without. What will hold it together is Love. I don’t know of Dorothy Day, but just doing a cursory review of her writings, it’s apparent she’s a prophet, and we should listen to her as part of our constant reforming of the church and filling it with even more love. I’ll trust my pastors before I trust my political representatives or bureaucrats. I’ll have a deep and passionate love for my church before any government bureaucracy. We Christians must be forever reminded that within the Church is where we find Love, the kind Christ talks about, and we must remain committed to it. We must be passionately in Love with the Church.

Archbishop Dolan on Loving the Church

Religious Freedom

Though I'm not a Catholic, this vid expresses exactly what Christianity has brought to the world, often through the Catholic Church. Atheists and secularists did not bring us schools, hospitals and charities.
 

For bringing these good things that have benefited all mankind, Christians are persecuted to death in some places, to being verbally and politically attacked in others.

Here in the US we're told to keep our mouths shut and only speak of religious things in our churches and homes. We are told to keep our religion out of politics. We are told to keep our religion out of the culture. That's because Secularists want power unopposed.

Not going to happen here. I'll witness my Faith wherever I want, whenever I want. I'll bring God into the voting booth. Insult or lie about my religion and I'll go after you as hard as possible.

Dems Using Religion to Attack Opponents

Secularist Leftists continually attack religion, specifically Christians, except when they think using religion can score political points. The results are pretty vile.

In the Kentucky senate race Democrat Jack Conway came out with an ad attacking his Republican opponent Rand Paul for a hazing event that happened when Paul was in college decades ago.  

Part the ad:

“Why was Rand Paul a member of a secret society that called the Holy Bible ‘a hoax’ – that was banned for mocking Christianity and Christ?” “Why did Rand Paul once tie a woman up? Tell her to bow down before a false idol and say his God was ‘Aqua Buddha?’

 I’ve seen interviews with this Conway character, and he actually believes this is a legitimate campaign issue. Most importantly, a Democrat is using religion (or what he believes to be religion) to attack a political opponent. You can bet if this were a Republican using religion in a like manner it would be attacked by all the “separation of church and state” anti-Christian bigots in the Democrat Party and Jurassic Press.

This second example is especially vile. Democrat Russ Carnahan released a vid through a website “The Real Ed Martin” (Carnahan’s Republican opponent) that tries to link Martin to the pedophilia cover up in the Catholic Church. The vid on this page is direct and vile. Martin has done a lot of volunteer work with the Catholic Church, and apparently Carnahan thinks anyone in the Catholic Church supports and covers up pedophilia. I would suggest this is pretty much the view of most secularists and Dems.

Church and State separation is such a part of the indoctrination of the Left that when Republican senatorial candidate Christine O’Donnell pointed out to her Marxist opponent that the establishment clause in the Constitution does not contain language stating there’s such a separation, her opponent, Chris Coons, derided and mocked her for her lack of knowledge of the Constitution. This was at a law school and the audience jeered at her ignorance. Obviously they are not being taught the Constitution in their Con classes. Of course the secularist bigots of the Jurassic Press sided with the ignorant Marxist and the indoctrinated mindless students.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Nothing in there about separation of church and state, yet even though more than a week has passed, the Jurassic Press and Dems have continued to attack her as stupid and ignorant. Knuckleheads.

Rather than understanding, or even trying to understand Christianity, their intolerance is so bred into them, the only time the Dems bring religion up is to spread lies and attack the Church and Christians. They do support Islam though, and that makes sense because it’s totalitarian too.

The Pope and the Queen

The Pope goes to Britain, and not too many have much to say about it, missing what is noteworthy. The Jurassic Press has the predictable response; more about that later.

What’s noteworthy is the Queen of England, who came of age during the WWII era, and Pope Benedict XVI, rooted in that time, meet in Scotland. The last Papal visit, not an official one, happened thirty years ago. The last official visit was about 500 years ago. There’s been a bit of dissention between the Catholic and Anglican churches, and it’s lasted a while. Things are on the mend now.

Both of these extraordinary people come from an age with values and beliefs that have been turned upside down. When Joseph Ratzinger was a teenager, the Nazi’s took his disabled cousin and killed him as part of their eugenics campaign. Ratzinger was conscripted by the Nazi’s to serve in the Hitler Youth. When it disbanded he fled and was captured by Americans and put in prison.

Queen Elizabeth served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a driver and mechanic in WWII. The real deal, on the front.

These two bring together a wisdom brought on by the horrible experience of war and its aftermath. They know first hand the face of evil, the terrible things that war brings on, especially one founded in race hatred and religious hatred. They come together with this great knowledge and wisdom; a return and coming together after 500 years. We see the reaching out to each other of the Church of England and the Catholic Church at this time in history. Queen Elizabeth II is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and is meeting the Vicar of Christ, the descendant of Peter. To me, the historical and religious import of this visit is profound.

What the Jurassic Press sees is a chance to attack the Catholic Church with its usual dribble of pedophilia and the rest of that mess, as if Pope Benedict was there and egged the perverts on, and more dribble about how out of touch the Pope and Catholic Church is with modernity, and of course saying Ratzinger was a Nazi without telling the true story. As if heterosexual marriage, the sanctity of life, loving one another, charity and the accomplishments of Christianity and the Church is of no merit.

Of course, coming from a mindset that there are many truths or no truth, there is no God, morality is situational and selective, this is expected. Being rude and boorish is expected also. The Pope is a great man deserving of respect, and these sad sacs are incapable of honoring these extraordinary people and their history of truth and honor.

Novelist Günter Grass (at the time proud Nazi and later a Communist) met Ratzinger in a prison camp in WWII. In his memoirs, Grass wrote of a conversation with Ratzinger: “I said, there are many truths.” “He said, there is only one.”

This visit, to one of the most secular of nations, brings that one truth. Let’s pray that some hear it.

      

A History of Sense and Sensitivity

The argument for the NY mosque is that it's a freedom of religion, first amendment thing. Islam is a combination of State rule and Sharia Law, with little reference given to salvation, love, hope and charity. It's primarily a secular movement with the object of subjugating everyone on the planet to their rule; it has little to do with religion. The second observation is the first amendment states the government will not establish a State Religion, which is opposite the Islamist goal; but it does not say any religion can put up a building anywhere. Zoning and all that.

 In 1984 Cardinal Macharski, archbishop of Cracow, announced to the world that a Carmelite convent would be built on the grounds of Auschwitz. The convent would be converted from what was originally a theater, that was turned into the warehouse where the gas was stored that would eventually be used to slaughter about 1,100,000 of which 90% were Jews, the rest about 83,000 Poles, 19,000 gypsies, and 12,000 Soviet prisoners of war. 


Jews found this extremely offensive, and from the announcement to 1993, there were a lot of arguments between Catholics and Jews. Poles\Catholics said they were also exterminated there, and Jews said not to such an extent as they had been; that the site was sacred ground to them. An agreement was made that the convent would be moved off site within two years. The Catholic Church and the Polish government dragged their feet for several years, but eventually they did get the convent moved. It was wrong of them to delay, and some nasty anti-Semitic things were said by some of the Catholic Church leadership, but still the agreement was fulfilled. The details of the story here. 


The lesson here is respect for the emotions and values of others. The mosque is a disrespectful, even a blatant finger in the eye of America. The Islamofascist Feisal Abdul Rauf  that is heading up the Cordoba Mosque project is connected to terrorist groups, and has said America is an "accessory" to the 9/11 attack, and refuses to say that Hamas is a terrorist organization. With that background he says he's a bridge builder between Islam and the West; indeed, the Bridge of Lies.  Some background on this character here. In addition to being tied to terrorist groups, he has published a book What's Right with Islam Is What's Right with America, but outside America it's title is A Call to Prayer from the World Trade Center Rubble: Islamic Dawa in the Heart of America Post 9/11. A "dawa" is a stealth jihad; an aggressive promotion and marketing of Islam with the goal of conquering America. The mosque is just that, and only that. Rauf's book was published by two groups financed and supported by the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Society of North America and the International Institute of Islamic Thought. They and other affiliated terrorist jihad organizations are bent on "destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house". 


A bridge builder indeed. He's using his 'Bridge of Lies' to destroy America, liberty, and Western Civilization. If Islam were the "religion of peace" that it claims to be, it would take a page from what the Catholic Church did in Auschwitz. They exercised good sense and sensitivity.   

Pedophilia and the Myopic Press

The Jurassic Press continues to beat on the Catholic Church and the Pope for it's actions regarding pedophilia. I wrote about the latest dust up fabricated by the MSM here. The Wind Rose Hotel posted two informative an insightful articles here and here. Lots of attacks on the Church, many of which are justified, but the attacks on the Pope are not. What drives it is the Main Stream Media's (MSM) secularist anti-Christian bigotry. It's still PC to attack Christians and rednecks, NASCAR enthusiasts, etc.

Meanwhile, they for the most part ignore the huge cultural and legal problems of pedophilia, especially with Liberal judges and in the public schools. When I had cable TV, nearly every week I watched Bill O'Reilly send a producer out to confront a judge that had let a pedophile free, often ones that were serial offenders, had been convicted several times, and had even murdered their victims. I remember one case that that a pedophile was released after five years that had raped and murdered a child. The Jurassic Press should be in as much of an outrage about that and similar cases as they are with the really bad things that happened in the Catholic Church.

The huge main story is the pedophilia that goes on in our schools. It effects far more children than the Church. Charol Shakeshaft of Hoftra University: “Think the Catholic Church has a problem?” “The physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests.” Do we see a hundred more times the stories about the problem of pedophilia in the public education system?

In 2006 a federal study reported that 422,000 California public school students would be victims of sexual misconduct by educators before they got out of school. Compare that with 143,000 Catholic school students total in the state. More public school children will be victims than there are Catholic school students. How often are those stories covered? Not so much. Full article here.

A favorite occupation of pedophiles is school teacher. A NY Times article discusses chat rooms and meetings for pedophiles where they discuss how to meet children and what their experiences have been. From that article, Dallas child psychologist Richard Dangel: “Only about 4% of offenders get busted.” “The other 96% don’t.” If you have a child, knowing that, how safe is he\she in school?

National Victim Center, in 1992, found that about 29 percent of all forcible rapes in America were against children under age 11. Now we're looking at 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 7 boys being victims. And the Catholic Church is the problem? A side note here, that the Boy Scouts of America identified the problem and keep homosexual men, a main source of the problem, from being leaders in the organization to protect those children. Look at the grief they get from the Jurassic Press and other Secularists.

Added to the anti-Christian bigotry of the Jurassic Press, is their endorsement of the sexualization of children. They defend the 'Man-Boy Love Association', Calvin Klein ads with underage models exhibiting uber-sexuality, the little girls' "beauty pageants"... the kind Jon Benet Ramsey was part of, the media defense of Roman Polanski, and even an article in USA Today “Sex Between Adults and Children” that came to the conclusion that it was a 'gray area'.

The Church, both Protestant and Catholic, make it quite clear this is intolerable behavior. The myopic secular bigots in the Jurassic Press say outside the Church, it's not so much a bad thing. It goes back to the idea that if you profess a belief and value system, and violate it, then the attack is full on. If you have no belief's or values that you profess you try and live up to, you're given a pass.

No pass here for the Secularists that that turn a blind eye to this rampant sexualization of children, and the rampant sexual abuse of children in public schools.