Posts Tagged ‘religion’

Obama’s Nixon China speech

Posted: June 4, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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This speech is clearly the most important act so far of the Obama presidency. (My accidental live blog of it is here)

The Jim Geraghty rule not withstanding. He publicly said many things that needed to be publicly said to an Islamic audience in the Arab world. The idea that he is defending the education of woman and girls is incredible. The public statement that Al Qaeda killed thousands of innocent Americans. Many Islamists (and truthers) still think this is not the case.

This is comparable to the Reagan speeches on the Soviet Union. Saying things that need to be said. This is very important because his name IS Barack Hussian Obama these words give legitimacy to his words in the Arab world. That shouldn’t be the case but culturally it is. Obama is the only American president that could make this speech in the Islamic world and be heard.

This has the potential to be an earthquake in the Islamic world. If he does nothing else during his presidency this is going to be the moment he should be remembered for.

*****

None of this changes the type of pol he is. I still think he is an empty suit and a Corrupt Chicago pol but those limitations don’t hurt the effect or the importance of this speech. Remember Lincoln’s famous line concerning John Pope and his family. May he in this case have more success than Pope did.

Update: Captain Ed seems to be with me on this one. Michelle and YID with LID is not. One of Yid’s points echos one I made in my speech oddities post.

I think that you have to walk before you run. Just getting some of the ideas out there in public in the Arab world by a source that isn’t repressed will make a crack in the dike that can break the Dam. I think this speech and the defense of Israel’s right to exist and historic suffering is incredible for that reason.

Let’s make it official concerning Tiller and his killer

Posted: May 31, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, opinion/news
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For those who are salivating at the chance to use the Murder of George Tiller to attack Christians or defend the killer, let me quote the relevant passage from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

II. Good Acts and Evil Acts

1755 A morally good act requires the goodness of the object, of the end, and of the circumstances together. An evil end corrupts the action, even if the object is good in itself (such as praying and fasting “in order to be seen by men”).
The object of the choice can by itself vitiate an act in its entirety. There are some concrete acts – such as fornication – that it is always wrong to choose, because choosing them entails a disorder of the will, that is, a moral evil.

1756 It is therefore an error to judge the morality of human acts by considering only the intention that inspires them or the circumstances (environment, social pressure, duress or emergency, etc.) which supply their context. There are acts which, in and of themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions, are always gravely illicit by reason of their object; such as blasphemy and perjury, murder and adultery. One may not do evil so that good may result from it. (emphasis mine)

As the passage above shows, the church never defends such an act (sorry lefties), nor can a believing Catholic attempt to defend it. The other McCain is exactly right on this. It is true that abortion is akin to murder but it is even more true that murder is akin to murder. Justifying it is no different than Groucho’s telling Mrs. Claypool that he was with another woman because she reminded him of her.

It reminds one of the fetus isn’t human nonsense, lets avoid such stuff altogether. It’s simply doubletalk without the greasepaint mustache.

Two murders aren’t better than one

Posted: May 31, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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So my message to the idiot who thought that shooting down late term abortionist George Tiller was a good thing….

WRONG!

This is simply another evil act that deserves the full punishment of law. This is not a “yes but” situation and any person who like myself considers abortion murder needs to publicly state this without any equivocation.

In moral terms it is just as mortal a sin and carries the same punishment as the abortions performed.

Update: The other McCain is all over this.

A Cutie we can do without.

Posted: May 29, 2009 by datechguy in catholic
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If you read this blog at all you might guess that I’m not all torn up about losing Fr. Cutie to the Anglican Communion:

A popular U.S. Roman Catholic priest photographed frolicking with a woman on a Florida beach announced on Thursday he had joined the Episcopal Church to pursue the priesthood in a faith that allows married clergy.

The word that comes to my mind is addition by subtraction. We had a situation like this in my Parish, a very nice priest wanted to leave the priesthood to get married, he struggled with this and talked to the diocese and eventually left the priesthood and got married but remains in the church. To me that is still really bad; but he remained in the church worked through the diocese when he left and with confession is forgiven and is a Catholic in good standing and is bringing his family up Catholic.

There is an interesting contrast here as well. The Archbishop of Miami (via the Curt Jester) touches on it during his pastoral letter on the subject:

I must also express my sincere disappointment with how Bishop Leo Frade of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida has handled this situation. Bishop Frade has never spoken to me about his position on this delicate matter or what actions he was contemplating. I have only heard from him through the local media. This truly is a serious setback for ecumenical relations and cooperation between us. The Archdiocese of Miami has never made a public display when for doctrinal reasons Episcopal priests have joined the Catholic Church and sought ordination. In fact, to do so would violate the principles of the Catholic Church governing ecumenical relations. I regret that Bishop Frade has not afforded me or the Catholic community the same courtesy and respect. (emphasis mine)

Without meaning to the Bishop hits on something. Over and over when I read about Anglican priests becoming Catholic we hear about the study of doctrine and the conclusion that the Church is true and right. On the other side we hear the I wants. The church doesn’t allow something that the person whats or objects to a sin that the person does, so they find a different church.

One group looks for truth and goes toward it, the other has sin and wants justification to allow it.

This is why Fr. Cutie is pathetic. He will be celebrated for his failure and will lead people away from truth for his own desires. It’s a sad thing but it’s on him and he has the rest of his life to repent…

…after that he’s on his own.

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