Archive for November 14, 2023

A Point Concerning Christianity, Truth and Culture (with an assist by Chesterton)

Posted: November 14, 2023 by datechguy in culture
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Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.

Matthew 7:13-14

One of the things we have noticed from the left in general and from both the Biden administration and the pro-terror folks in media, academia and among the mob is that they are not on speaking terms with the truth.

Part of this, at least for the Arab mobs is understandable as they would have been indoctrinated their entire lives and you might even suggest that this would be the case for those in academic setting except for the fact that this would be a tiny part of their lives.

For a Christian this should not be a surprise, because as we are taught the devil, the father of lives is in fact the prince of this world and once people move away from the Judeo-Christian standard of false witness being sinful and wrong then words simply become another means to an end.

One of the things about living in Western Civilization particularly during the golden age of American power at it’s height as a Christian Nation a lot of people were convinced that Judeo-Christian values were the norm. If however you look at both history and the current age and of course scripture the church’s warnings about “the world” one must conclude that the values of Judeo-Christianity are completely contrary to human nature and that while in the long run these values used as a standard to live by, even if people fail lead to the kind of culture worth living in.

The irony of course is that that so many in the west reject these values not realizing that they are the bedrock on which their free and prosperous society is built while in the world who rush to migrate to the west in order live reject the values that make that society they are fleeing to possible.

Chesterton absolutely nailed it:

In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, “I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.” To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: “If you don’t see the use of it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it.

Pope Francis divides the Catholic Church

Posted: November 14, 2023 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper

From endorsing a policy that transgender people can participate in church sacraments to a worldwide meeting that may allow gay and women priests, Pope Francis has divided the Catholic Church so much that it is unlikely to recover for decades.

After three decades of leadership by popes who generally affirmed American conservative priorities, “Francis has been a complete shock to the system,” said John McGreevy, a historian at the University of Notre Dame. “It just has been tough for a big chunk of the American church, who thought these questions were settled and now seem unsettled.”

Others think the pope is out of touch with U.S. Catholics, who make up 20 percent of American adults. “The pope has only spent six days in the U.S. in the last 10 years, so it’s difficult to understand how he really understands Catholics in the U.S.,” said C. Preston Noell III, a spokesman for the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property. This Catholic organization describes itself as “on the front lines of the culture war.”

In a statement released last week, the Vatican outlined a policy that transgender people can be baptized, serve as godparents, and be witnesses at church weddings. 

Last spring, the American bishops’ conference issued its own doctrinal document stating that chemical and surgical interventions for gender transitions were “not morally justified” and instructed Catholic hospitals not to perform them. The conference has commented on the policy change.

Also, the pope has asked a Texas bishop to resign his post because of his opposition. Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, has accused the pope of undermining the Catholic faith and that other Vatican officials have veered so far from church teaching that they are no longer Catholic. He has warned that a landmark global gathering that concluded recently at the Vatican could threaten “basic truths” of Catholic doctrine.

“I cannot resign as Bishop of Tyler because that would be me abandoning the flock that I was given charge of by Pope Benedict XVI,” he wrote in an open letter to Catholics in his diocese in September.

That meeting last month considered a variety of issues opposed by many in the church:

  • The end of priestly celibacy
  • The inclusion of married men in the priesthood
  • The blessing of gay couples
  • The extension of sacraments to the divorced and remarried
  • The ordination of female deacons

It is unclear what the group will recommend to the pope and what he will do.

Whatever the case, the divisions within the church are likely to outlive Pope Francis. During his decade as the leader of the Catholic Church, he has worked to cement his legacy by replenishing the College of Cardinals, who will choose the next pope, with men who share his priorities.

The Catholic Church and I have had our ups and downs over the years, but this pope has been the worst in my lifetime. Fortunately, my local parish remains a friendly and valuable enclave for my faith.