Another one bites the dust

Or ditches the Christian Faith.  Dave Armstrong goes through the minutes of the reasoning.  I have never heard of
Audrey Assad.  Apparently she is, or was, a big name in music, at least for Christians.  She's done with all that God stuff now, concluding that the modern Faith of Science has debunked all that made up folk tale gibberish we call religion.  At the end of the day, that's why she left.  

For all the unpacking Dave does, and he does an admirable job, I think it's simple.  She no longer believes and, most likely, hadn't believed for some time.  A great many in our churches likely don't anymore. They can't bring themselves to do what she's done because they don't know where else to go.  Thinking of the implications of a religionless world is terrifying.  This is all you get, then a feast for maggots and your objectively valueless life is forgotten about in a generation and that's it?  So they hang on, not believing it in their gut of guts, until a chance to bolt finally appears. 

Oh, we have that secular paganism, that 'heavenly birthday' and 'we pray to something' or such at times of crisis. Just enough fluff to paste over the implications of a truly secular universe.  But it's not much, and means less. Therefore many are no doubt where she was.  She may give this or that reason, the Church is thus, or the Church judges, or the Church intolerant, or hypocrites as good as always.

But that's all rubbish.  From non-religious hypocrites to intolerant atheists, the idea that these problems in the Church aren't found anywhere else is demonstrably false.  After a few days in the real world, it isn't difficult to discover in the fields of secular living the same problems.  

But it ultimately does not matter that they are wrong about such reasons, because the people who say 'too much politics' or 'too intolerant' aren't leaving for those reasons.  They are leaving because they no longer believe in 1) God, 2) Christ, 3) the Bible, or 4) Religion.  They've been taught those things have long been debunked by Science.  They believed the Secular Faith for years, perhaps without realizing it, but couldn't bring themselves to admit what Ms. Assad has admitted. 

More and more don't believe in God or the Holy Spirit any more than they believe in Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy.  I'm not a talented enough writer to find a way to emphasize just how urgent a crisis this is, but: 

PEOPE DON'T BELIEVE IN THE CHRSITIAN RELIGION ANY MORE!    

Not the Bible, not the stories of the Bible, not any particular God if any at all,  not in some God Incarnate Messiah born in a stable, Miracles, Eternal Life, or any of it.  Certainly none of it as presented by the historical Christian Faith.  And that means more and has farther reaching implications than I think we can fathom. 

As I said, there's likely just enough nod to a 'vague spirit energy something when we die' to cover the awful implications of a truly materialistic philosophy, but that's all there is.  Otherwise, the Biblical stories and doctrines of the Faith mean absolutely nothing to them because they don't believe in them. Because our society has been a secular society and has preached and proselytized the belief in secularism for decades.  

If I may be brutally honest, most of our traditions have foolishly tried to meet this secularism halfway when there was no halfway between 'no God' and 'One God, maker of heaven and earth.'  We may have thought we were bringing them from 'no God' to at least 'some God', but all along they were bringing us from 'One God', to merely 'some sort of God'.  And in a secular age where secularism has been the universal faith for some time, that's a small step to no God of any meaning at all. 

That's why people are leaving in ever growing droves.  At least they're leaving and admitting it. Honesty about one's state of affairs is always best.  I fear many more in our churches are where she already was, even if she had to find reasons to justify no longer staying there.  I fear that a great many of our leaders, even in the highest places, no longer believe it either.  

How else can we account for people who no more than a few years ago swore things to be the revealed truth of the Thrice Holy God who now set those same things aside under mild pressure from the World?  How much did they really believe?  And if those teachings and morals can be tossed aside, how much else can and will join them? 

Bishop John Stowe is ashamed of the Covington Students

Not the day the story broke.  Not within hours of the lies and falsehoods that have been walked back by all but the most hardcore leftist outlets.  But on January 23, when we knew virtually nothing that the students were accused of was true.

I am ashamed that the actions of Kentucky Catholic high school students have become a contradiction of the very reverence for human life that the march is supposed to manifest.

I have no idea if he means the things they were falsely accused of.  But, as the good bishop says, they had Trump hats.  And that's sort of the big hangup in his piece.  Because, you see, the Catholic Church condemns the racism and slavery and bigotry that defines America's history.  And apparently Trump means those things. And apparently the students who wore Trump hats in some way exemplified these things.  Even if what they were accused of was false.   They had those hats.

He naturally assumes much about the students because of those hats, their belief in Jesus being of no real matter in the piece.  He also seems to have little to say about anyone else, but I guess that's fair.  The black racists and the Indians trying to break up the Mass and getting in the teenagers' faces aren't under his jurisdiction.

File this under 'with friends like this...'.  Thanks dad.  Way to throw your spiritual children under the bus in order to appease the forces aligned against the Faith and the Faithful.  Hopefully they'll still keep giving to the Bishops' Annual Appeal.  Because I have a feeling those seeking to destroy the students won't be giving a damn thing.

Catholic bishops in Texas sever ties with Pro-Life organization

Working with people where they are: A Visual Aid for Catholics

Here is the actual document in question.

Sorry, I'm not buying it. Not that Texas Right for Life doesn't do those things, or say the Bishops are wrong for supporting this or that legislation, or disagree on what this or that legislation will be, or that it doesn't run afoul of the Church's current baby steps approach to handling the issue that used to be the great crisis of our age.  I'm just not buying it.

Why?  Because every time I see some pro-immigration, pro-gun control, anti-death penalty or pro-government healthcare rally come by, I notice Catholics and Catholic leaders fall over themselves to be right in the mix, joining hands, singing songs, walking in solidarity.  Even if there are forces behind such things that openly and proudly advocate for the wholesale elimination of entire generations for the sole promise of unlimited orgasmic delights in the age of 35 million AIDS deaths. Even if they pander to and promote forces that push blasphemy, heresy, and the sins that cry out to heaven for vengeance.  Even if they openly flip the bird to the Church and anyone who dares fail to conform, promising a land in which their liberal values are mandated and anyone who doesn't fall into line will be fired, fined or tossed in jail.

It matters not. Be it a murderous, brutal Communist dictator or proud advocate for exterminating people with Down Syndrome by abortion, we're continually told that the Church meets people where they are when they are right, even if they be wrong a thousand times over in other ways.  But Dave, they might advocate for the seven deadly sins, but they are right about socialized medicine, and that's what matters!

Except, apparently, when people are wrong in such a way as to challenge the Left.  Then it's off to the cornfield you go.  We can't be hanging with people who aren't straight on the up and up!  As the Church becomes more and more the willing thrall of the emergent Left, it's almost embarrassing to watch the excuses and insults to our intelligence that suggest we can't see what is really going on.

Now I could be wrong here, and unfair.  This might be the beginning of a Church getting its act together and this is the first of many steps in cutting ties with those movements, agencies, advocacy groups, organizations and individuals that fall short of the best.  Perhaps there will be a movement to suggest Catholics avoid marching with various outlets that promote a laundry list of sins and evils in the name of hedonism and narcissism, even if they are right about immigration or government healthcare.  If so, I'll gladly and joyfully concede the point and admit my hasty judgement.

If not, my judgement stands and shame on the Church for once again staring straight at the obvious lessons from history and turning away to go in the opposite direction.