Saturday, October 7, 2017
Heh
I don't endorse them or know anything about them, but his made me laugh (an old RISK veteran and history major can't help but love it):
Liberal tolerance continues apace
California is trying to make failure to use post-gender pronouns illegal. Sure, it's only applying to work in nursing homes and other senior citizen centers. But anyone up for a bet over how long it stays in nursing homes and senior citizen centers?
Squares are round. The notion that squares aren't round is, in fact, the result of ages long geophobic bigotry. Anyone who suggests squares are not round must be punished. Since there is no such thing as liberalism, only truth, it's obviously OK since we're just enforcing what is obviously true.
Like my dear friend from the USSR told me back in the day, "They [the USSR] taught you stupid things, too. Ridiculous things. I think it's because if you get people to confess something they know to be false, you can get them to fight for anything where there is room for debate."
Orwell would be proud.
Squares are round. The notion that squares aren't round is, in fact, the result of ages long geophobic bigotry. Anyone who suggests squares are not round must be punished. Since there is no such thing as liberalism, only truth, it's obviously OK since we're just enforcing what is obviously true.
Like my dear friend from the USSR told me back in the day, "They [the USSR] taught you stupid things, too. Ridiculous things. I think it's because if you get people to confess something they know to be false, you can get them to fight for anything where there is room for debate."
Orwell would be proud.
Friday, October 6, 2017
An interesting take on violence in America
Courtesy of my boys.
We were talking about the issue of violence, gun violence, gun control and everything else that predictably has come up since the carnage in Las Vegas.
Their first observation is that the victims are not being presented as a 'demographic.' It was not an attack on Country Music Fans, or a group that might have swung more conservative. The focus has been on individuals - which is as it should be. Their observation was that, in other shootings, such as Orlando or Charleston, the individual victims were swallowed up by the demographic.
But that got them to thinking, and one of them mentioned something I hadn't thought about. Regarding the shooting at the church in Charleston, they noticed what happened. They said the shooter (whose name will remain unmentioned), was seen to have posted several pictures of himself with various totems and trinkets, displaying this flag or brandishing another symbol of hate. One of the many pictures famously had him holding a Confederate flag.
Therefore, the boys argued, why would we be surprised when its citizens act the same: Formulate whatever reality they want (reality, we're told, being mighty relative), generalize and demonize, and then act upon it in the most destructive way possible?
I have to admit, I hadn't thought of it like that, or connected the two. But then I'm old, fifty years old. I remember a time when it wasn't like this. My boys, even my oldest, know very little else. As one asked me after a day at school: Was America ever a good country? They know very well the sting of being told that they are racists because of their skin color. They have learned little good about the civilization that bore them. And it's all happened like that (imagine me snapping my fingers).
This is not our grandfather's WASP America. This is the America that has become used to mass killings and indiscriminate shootings, unimaginable crime, drug and suicide rates, corruption and bias on every level of our social ladder. It is a nation where our leaders, our celebrities and our representatives frequently portray in the most demeaning and derogatory ways possible everyone who fails to conform to the latest manifestation of truth. And in it all, we ponder why things are the way they are.
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| Shameless excuse to post picture of the boys |
We were talking about the issue of violence, gun violence, gun control and everything else that predictably has come up since the carnage in Las Vegas.
Their first observation is that the victims are not being presented as a 'demographic.' It was not an attack on Country Music Fans, or a group that might have swung more conservative. The focus has been on individuals - which is as it should be. Their observation was that, in other shootings, such as Orlando or Charleston, the individual victims were swallowed up by the demographic.
But that got them to thinking, and one of them mentioned something I hadn't thought about. Regarding the shooting at the church in Charleston, they noticed what happened. They said the shooter (whose name will remain unmentioned), was seen to have posted several pictures of himself with various totems and trinkets, displaying this flag or brandishing another symbol of hate. One of the many pictures famously had him holding a Confederate flag.
And barely two years later, despite overwhelming opposition by public opinion, there has been an unstoppable tidal wave of destruction and eradication of almost anything to do with the entire Confederacy, and any cultural attachments to anyone at all who lived during that time.
A shooter has many pictures, including one with a Confederate Flag. And in a couple years, faster than the Cabbage Patch Kids fad rose and fell, an entire swath of United States history is all but eliminated from the public forum. And it hasn't even stopped there, with new calls against Francis Scott Key, Stephen Foster - why the list goes on and on!
A shooter has many pictures, including one with a Confederate Flag. And in a couple years, faster than the Cabbage Patch Kids fad rose and fell, an entire swath of United States history is all but eliminated from the public forum. And it hasn't even stopped there, with new calls against Francis Scott Key, Stephen Foster - why the list goes on and on!
My boys suggested that you can't expect a society that handles issues like that to be one that encourages polite debate or respectful disagreements. A society that hangs national trends on a single image, distorts context, demonizes opponents (in this case, anyone disagreeing with the removal of monuments being a racist), and then moves with the power of the state to immediately impose this new understanding of our heritage, is not one that is fostering goodwill and unity among its citizens.
It's not just issues of race either. Consider the speed with which Transgenderism went from a mental health issue, to one that is perfectly acceptable and anyone bucking the trend will face the power of the government, so said Barrack Obama. About a decade or so? And so it is. Remember yesterday when 'X' was good? Well now we say 'X' is bad. And furthermore, anyone who doesn't immediately snap to it is lower than dirt, a real scum. And if that wasn't enough, we're going to get the government involved to exact the appropriate punishment against all who have failed to see the latest version of the light.
It's not just issues of race either. Consider the speed with which Transgenderism went from a mental health issue, to one that is perfectly acceptable and anyone bucking the trend will face the power of the government, so said Barrack Obama. About a decade or so? And so it is. Remember yesterday when 'X' was good? Well now we say 'X' is bad. And furthermore, anyone who doesn't immediately snap to it is lower than dirt, a real scum. And if that wasn't enough, we're going to get the government involved to exact the appropriate punishment against all who have failed to see the latest version of the light.
Therefore, the boys argued, why would we be surprised when its citizens act the same: Formulate whatever reality they want (reality, we're told, being mighty relative), generalize and demonize, and then act upon it in the most destructive way possible?
I have to admit, I hadn't thought of it like that, or connected the two. But then I'm old, fifty years old. I remember a time when it wasn't like this. My boys, even my oldest, know very little else. As one asked me after a day at school: Was America ever a good country? They know very well the sting of being told that they are racists because of their skin color. They have learned little good about the civilization that bore them. And it's all happened like that (imagine me snapping my fingers).
This is not our grandfather's WASP America. This is the America that has become used to mass killings and indiscriminate shootings, unimaginable crime, drug and suicide rates, corruption and bias on every level of our social ladder. It is a nation where our leaders, our celebrities and our representatives frequently portray in the most demeaning and derogatory ways possible everyone who fails to conform to the latest manifestation of truth. And in it all, we ponder why things are the way they are.
I won't say my boys are spot on, or that they've unlocked the mystery. I just thought it was interesting that my boys believed there could be a connection where I hadn't seen one.
At best Tim Murphy looks like a hypocrite
Republican lawmaker Tim Murphy is out. The story is appalling. Apparently, he tried to press his mistress to have an abortion (it later turned out she wasn't pregnant). When she called him out on it, he responded that he doesn't even write all that pro-life stuff, it's his staff that does so.
At best, if the charges are true, he's a hypocrite. A person who wants to impose values on others that he has no desire to live himself is a hypocrite. And that's not even counting the mistress part.
At worst, he's also an example of what many social conservatives fear about the GOP - that it pays lip service to the concerns of traditional Americans once every two, four or six years, and then promptly goes about with the modern, progressive political and social world that gets you invited to all the best parties.
I know, I know. Already some are pointing out that these tweets were miraculously released right as congress was pushing through Murphy's cosponsored anti-abortion bill. I'm sure it's no coincidence.
But that doesn't change anything about Murphy, what he did, and what he represents. Of course it doesn't mean anything about the pro-life movement, other conservatives or Republicans either. Fair is fair.
But barring a revelation that this was all false, and he did no such thing (such as stupidly tweeting such things that can later be found and used against him), then his is a guilt that demands mercy, but also justice. And that means calling it wrong, expecting him to pay, and understanding that wrong is wrong, outside of any political or ideological boundaries.
At best, if the charges are true, he's a hypocrite. A person who wants to impose values on others that he has no desire to live himself is a hypocrite. And that's not even counting the mistress part.
At worst, he's also an example of what many social conservatives fear about the GOP - that it pays lip service to the concerns of traditional Americans once every two, four or six years, and then promptly goes about with the modern, progressive political and social world that gets you invited to all the best parties.
I know, I know. Already some are pointing out that these tweets were miraculously released right as congress was pushing through Murphy's cosponsored anti-abortion bill. I'm sure it's no coincidence.
But that doesn't change anything about Murphy, what he did, and what he represents. Of course it doesn't mean anything about the pro-life movement, other conservatives or Republicans either. Fair is fair.
But barring a revelation that this was all false, and he did no such thing (such as stupidly tweeting such things that can later be found and used against him), then his is a guilt that demands mercy, but also justice. And that means calling it wrong, expecting him to pay, and understanding that wrong is wrong, outside of any political or ideological boundaries.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
It is not for us to say when God and prayer do not matter
Almost as if on cue, Mark Shea rushes in to put some theological heft into the whole 'your prayers and your God are useless to us' push-back from the modern Left. This has arisen, as we have seen, in response to the mass shootings that garner media attention.
Of course, just the fact that the only time we seem to care are when there are certain mass shootings that garner media attention should give us pause. Nonetheless, if we assume for a moment that the media's attention should be ours, and the shootings it focuses on should define the debate, it still remains that most of the solutions demanded are just not solutions at all.
In fact, when one runs the numbers, one realizes that most of the solutions that Mark equates to doing the will of Jesus simply don't matter. They're nothing. They are, you might say, those filthy rags. They sound good. They make it look like we care. But they typically would not prevent the actual shootings that are being used to promote the solutions, if they make any sense at all.
There is nothing wrong with looking at the problem to find solutions. The problem most gun owners have is that those who insist on solutions seem to avoid looking at all of the problems, much less all of the gun violence. They seem rather selective and picky as to what we focus on, what solutions we propose, and usually end up admitting that all of their pomp and righteousness wouldn't solve the problem at hand.
No, as Christians we should do something about this. We can have a talk about meaningful legislation regarding gun ownership. We can look at mental health in America. And we can look at America, the country we've built, the hate and anger and void of meaning that we've endorsed. We can do all these things. But the minute we stand hand in hand with forces that gleefully mock the notion that God and prayer have any worth, it might be time to jump ship before we begin equating God's will to our own political horses and chariots.
Of course, just the fact that the only time we seem to care are when there are certain mass shootings that garner media attention should give us pause. Nonetheless, if we assume for a moment that the media's attention should be ours, and the shootings it focuses on should define the debate, it still remains that most of the solutions demanded are just not solutions at all.
In fact, when one runs the numbers, one realizes that most of the solutions that Mark equates to doing the will of Jesus simply don't matter. They're nothing. They are, you might say, those filthy rags. They sound good. They make it look like we care. But they typically would not prevent the actual shootings that are being used to promote the solutions, if they make any sense at all.
There is nothing wrong with looking at the problem to find solutions. The problem most gun owners have is that those who insist on solutions seem to avoid looking at all of the problems, much less all of the gun violence. They seem rather selective and picky as to what we focus on, what solutions we propose, and usually end up admitting that all of their pomp and righteousness wouldn't solve the problem at hand.
No, as Christians we should do something about this. We can have a talk about meaningful legislation regarding gun ownership. We can look at mental health in America. And we can look at America, the country we've built, the hate and anger and void of meaning that we've endorsed. We can do all these things. But the minute we stand hand in hand with forces that gleefully mock the notion that God and prayer have any worth, it might be time to jump ship before we begin equating God's will to our own political horses and chariots.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Leah Libresco destroys gun control talking points
It is true. One reason that gun control is resisted is a lack of trust. Gun control is, as often as not, a progressive thing. And over the last few generations, progressive movements have lost faith among non-liberal Americans.
One need only look at where 'being religiously tolerant' or 'opposing violence against homosexuals' ended up going. Both seemed good in their day, but check the reality of where they ended up.
Part of the lack of trust also comes from the fact that arguments for gun control are based on a lot of things, but facts usually aren't among them. Lots of name calling, yelling, emotional appeals, and ignorance fill the arguments. Sometimes facts are used, but only when those facts support gun control, with other facts conveniently ignored. Lies, too. Stereotypes seem to be a big talking point. But all of these things don't make good arguments.
Ms. Libresco doesn't own guns, and she is far from some right wing gun toting caricature. She did what many who want to find a solution actually do: She looked at the facts. She looked for the truth. And she discovered that much of what gun control advocates say isn't true. It's not accurate. Some, as in Hillary Clinton's addition to her 'why I lost' column, are laughably false. The fact that politicians so ignorant about the subject they're speaking about should give us pause.
The only ones worse than those advocates who tell lies or speak stupid, are those who blindly hang on their every word and heap scorn and loathing upon people rather than make an argument. Even when such falsehoods come from the MSM.
No, we must do something. There are plenty of problems in our culture, and it's not as if one side is alone wrong about everything. I'm all for looking for solutions, but solutions based on facts, not bias, not politics, not stereotypes, not self-righteousness. I'm all for solutions. I'm just not for ignoring the facts, and then using the misinformation to establish self-righteous inquisitions against those who actually seem to care. But that's just me.
One need only look at where 'being religiously tolerant' or 'opposing violence against homosexuals' ended up going. Both seemed good in their day, but check the reality of where they ended up.
Part of the lack of trust also comes from the fact that arguments for gun control are based on a lot of things, but facts usually aren't among them. Lots of name calling, yelling, emotional appeals, and ignorance fill the arguments. Sometimes facts are used, but only when those facts support gun control, with other facts conveniently ignored. Lies, too. Stereotypes seem to be a big talking point. But all of these things don't make good arguments.
Ms. Libresco doesn't own guns, and she is far from some right wing gun toting caricature. She did what many who want to find a solution actually do: She looked at the facts. She looked for the truth. And she discovered that much of what gun control advocates say isn't true. It's not accurate. Some, as in Hillary Clinton's addition to her 'why I lost' column, are laughably false. The fact that politicians so ignorant about the subject they're speaking about should give us pause.
The only ones worse than those advocates who tell lies or speak stupid, are those who blindly hang on their every word and heap scorn and loathing upon people rather than make an argument. Even when such falsehoods come from the MSM.
No, we must do something. There are plenty of problems in our culture, and it's not as if one side is alone wrong about everything. I'm all for looking for solutions, but solutions based on facts, not bias, not politics, not stereotypes, not self-righteousness. I'm all for solutions. I'm just not for ignoring the facts, and then using the misinformation to establish self-righteous inquisitions against those who actually seem to care. But that's just me.
The Feast of Saint Francis
It took me all of two seconds to pick St. Francis as my patron saint. As a non-believer, I studied him. As a Protestant minister, I had his the famous prayer attributed to him hanging prominently in my pastor's office. As Morris Bishop says, works of Francis are one long chorus of praise and adoration. From skeptics, to critics, to Protestants and Orthodox, St. Francis seems to be loved across the board.
I especially liked that his feast day is in October, at the beginning, just when that Fall Feeling is beginning to pick up steam. There's something about Fall - nature, God, death and life - that gives the time a more poetic feeling than most others of the year.
Some time ago, Mark Shea wrote a little piece on the poetry of Creation and its obvious link to Francis at the time of autumn. I would say that's as spot on as Mark has ever been.
I especially liked that his feast day is in October, at the beginning, just when that Fall Feeling is beginning to pick up steam. There's something about Fall - nature, God, death and life - that gives the time a more poetic feeling than most others of the year.
Some time ago, Mark Shea wrote a little piece on the poetry of Creation and its obvious link to Francis at the time of autumn. I would say that's as spot on as Mark has ever been.
Sin and Blaspheme in the name of Gun Control
Now, that's not to say the Democrats and their approach to gun control are wrong. Nor is it to say that those who support the NRA or oppose the gun control agendas of liberal Democrats are wrong.
It is to say that, once again, those who follow political movements too closely are likely to become corrupted by them. The secular movement of politics, which includes gun control in its agenda, began to heap scorn upon those who sought to come together, mourn and pray, and seek common ground during the horrible days after Sandy Hook and San Bernardino.
The assumption was that prayer and God are, for want of a better phrase, a waste of time. What can they do? It's only the policies proposed by the modern Left regarding gun control that could possibly make a difference. From a secular political vantage point, that's fine. It makes sense. By definition, secularists don't admit to God or the efficacy of prayer. But from a Christian vantage point, that's blasphemy. And yet, as this comment suggests, it is becoming more common, particularly from the progressive wing of the Catholic Church.
If they don't dismiss such lame responses outright, they impugn the motives of those coming out to pray and mourn the victims. Judging, as Jesus put it. Sin, as it's been known in the past.
When you're stuck either saying prayer is pointless, or leaning on the judgment of another's heart for your politics, it's time to put on the brakes. You might think you're bringing purity and a clean heart to your political mix, but the likelihood is that you're the one becoming corrupted. Like it or not, if you throw a clean washcloth into a mud puddle, the cloth is more likely to become dirty than the mud puddle become clean.
Again, I'm not saying we can't have the debate in good time, once we know the details, and the solutions proposed can be shown to make a difference. In fact, the only thing worse than sinning and blaspheming in order to advance a political agenda is doing so to advance an agenda that ultimately wouldn't make a difference to the tragedy being discussed. At that point, we're looking at exploiting a tragedy rather than trying to prevent one. Which is its own evil.
But that's how sin works. Sin, blaspheme, exploiting human suffering - if I held an opinion that rested on those pillars, I would stop and rethink my tactics. After all, what does it profit a man to gain the political advantage if he loses his soul in the process?
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Or we could rush out and politicize Las Vegas as quickly as possible
As demonstrated here. FWIW, most news outlets and, with a few notable exceptions, most politicians have withheld the obligatory making of political hay while the blood shines.
But some, unfortunately including Catholics, can see nothing other than the 'Us v. Them' partisanship that is ripping society apart. And it's not even Catholics vs. Everyone, but partisanship based on political theories, policies, agendas and ideals - your relationship with Jesus being irrelevant.
I have no idea what motivated this shooter. From what I can tell, nobody has. Including those who know what facts are known.
But for those who see this as a way to preemptively condemn others, while bodies lie dead in hospitals and loved ones are frantic to learn the fate of those who have gone before, the reactions are telling. I think it demonstrates a level of political pornography that we increasingly seize upon such events in order to immediately objectify as many human beings as possible, if only for our own ideological gain.
But some, unfortunately including Catholics, can see nothing other than the 'Us v. Them' partisanship that is ripping society apart. And it's not even Catholics vs. Everyone, but partisanship based on political theories, policies, agendas and ideals - your relationship with Jesus being irrelevant.
I have no idea what motivated this shooter. From what I can tell, nobody has. Including those who know what facts are known.
But for those who see this as a way to preemptively condemn others, while bodies lie dead in hospitals and loved ones are frantic to learn the fate of those who have gone before, the reactions are telling. I think it demonstrates a level of political pornography that we increasingly seize upon such events in order to immediately objectify as many human beings as possible, if only for our own ideological gain.
CBS did the right thing
By firing an individual who said such a deplorable thing. Years and years ago, FOX News anchor John Gibson made a horrible joke about the death of Heath Ledger. He was fired. Nonetheless, I saw many use the fact that he made the joke, and that he worked for FOX, as somehow proof that conservatives are heartless bastards and it's time to abandon the traditional ship for the beautiful people who live left of center.
I will say no such thing. What she said was terrible, and it reflects a shallowness and void within her own heart, and the fanatical devotion to her own political dogmas and gross intolerance of all who don't conform to her thinking. But it means nothing about those who swing left, are proud liberals, or want gun control, or anything else. Even those who find fault with conservatives in a situation like this are not - repeat, NOT - like her just because they might agree with her politics.
She represents the worst of any society, ever. And she shows that only fools try to make such behavior as indicative of one side or another, or use it as an excuse to attack or dismiss a particular viewpoint. CBS acted swiftly and was right. That's good enough.
I will say no such thing. What she said was terrible, and it reflects a shallowness and void within her own heart, and the fanatical devotion to her own political dogmas and gross intolerance of all who don't conform to her thinking. But it means nothing about those who swing left, are proud liberals, or want gun control, or anything else. Even those who find fault with conservatives in a situation like this are not - repeat, NOT - like her just because they might agree with her politics.
She represents the worst of any society, ever. And she shows that only fools try to make such behavior as indicative of one side or another, or use it as an excuse to attack or dismiss a particular viewpoint. CBS acted swiftly and was right. That's good enough.
Monday, October 2, 2017
Prayers for the victims in Las Vegas
Horrible. We know nothing right now. No accusations. No finger pointing. No exploiting for the gain we can reap from the suffering of others. Prayers only.
Prayers for the victims, their families and friends. Prayers for the doctors and medical professionals treating those hundreds who were injured. Prayers of thanks for law enforcement and the authorities who intervened, and bystanders who rose to the occasion.
May we come together at such times to pray, to help, to reflect on what happened when we find out more information. Whatever caused this needs our attention. Whatever we discover must lead us to reflect on the shooter, and on our society.
But for now, we pray.
Prayers for the victims, their families and friends. Prayers for the doctors and medical professionals treating those hundreds who were injured. Prayers of thanks for law enforcement and the authorities who intervened, and bystanders who rose to the occasion.
May we come together at such times to pray, to help, to reflect on what happened when we find out more information. Whatever caused this needs our attention. Whatever we discover must lead us to reflect on the shooter, and on our society.
But for now, we pray.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Good to be back
We're off for a little break. Nothing major, just a couple days off to get going with the season. Here are some links from back in the day. They discuss our viewing habits during this witching season of the year. Speaking of which (or witch), I saw a movie I've not seen before, and hopefully I'll get around to discussing it. One of the more interesting films I've seen in recent years.
It's been nice being back to the old blog. I already have had far more visits than I was getting at Patheos by the end. Not that I'm keeping track or anything. :)
Part of the problem at Patheos was me. Towards the end, several asked that I stop feeding the trolls, but I had committed myself to always responding to people who comment. I still do. But at that point, I let it get away from me and, despite several telling me it was dragging down the blog, I kept going. Towards the end, the trolls were eating the blog. Whereas at the beginning a post with endless trolling saw a leap in page views, by the end, certain commenters began to poison the well, and once they got going, the page views for that post all but dried up. People, it turns out, can recognize a waste of time when they see it.
So lesson learned. I'll still respond to anyone who takes the time to comment on my blog. I figure it's the least I can do. But no troll feasts. Trolls will be ignored. Otherwise, comments are always welcome. And genuine, honest debate is always a treat.
I'll be back at the first of the week. Again, nothing big going on. No major trip. Just a chance to relax before the next round of crazy. It's been good having some of the old readership back. I appreciate those who pick up my humble and bumble posts. Hopefully they at least get people to think.
See you next week. God bless and TTFN.
It's been nice being back to the old blog. I already have had far more visits than I was getting at Patheos by the end. Not that I'm keeping track or anything. :)
Part of the problem at Patheos was me. Towards the end, several asked that I stop feeding the trolls, but I had committed myself to always responding to people who comment. I still do. But at that point, I let it get away from me and, despite several telling me it was dragging down the blog, I kept going. Towards the end, the trolls were eating the blog. Whereas at the beginning a post with endless trolling saw a leap in page views, by the end, certain commenters began to poison the well, and once they got going, the page views for that post all but dried up. People, it turns out, can recognize a waste of time when they see it.
So lesson learned. I'll still respond to anyone who takes the time to comment on my blog. I figure it's the least I can do. But no troll feasts. Trolls will be ignored. Otherwise, comments are always welcome. And genuine, honest debate is always a treat.
I'll be back at the first of the week. Again, nothing big going on. No major trip. Just a chance to relax before the next round of crazy. It's been good having some of the old readership back. I appreciate those who pick up my humble and bumble posts. Hopefully they at least get people to think.
See you next week. God bless and TTFN.
Friday, September 29, 2017
Michaelmas
Or the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel. Here is an old post I did for this day. My reference point was Fish Eaters, a fine site for people coming into the Church. It's traditionalist, but it has a nice break down on the who, what, why, when and how of being Catholic.
My only problem was visiting the site as a Protestant, and imagining it represented par for the course within the hallowed halls of the Catholic parish. I was shocked, therefore, to find out how few of these customs and traditions were that big of a deal, at least in our neck of the woods. Disappointed might be a good way of saying it.
Perhaps it's a sign of the times that the day elicits this post over at The American Catholic. A reminder of where things have gone and how they have evolved over the years.
BTW, Michaelmas is pronounced "MICKel-mus". Just in case it comes up in conversation.
My only problem was visiting the site as a Protestant, and imagining it represented par for the course within the hallowed halls of the Catholic parish. I was shocked, therefore, to find out how few of these customs and traditions were that big of a deal, at least in our neck of the woods. Disappointed might be a good way of saying it.
Perhaps it's a sign of the times that the day elicits this post over at The American Catholic. A reminder of where things have gone and how they have evolved over the years.
BTW, Michaelmas is pronounced "MICKel-mus". Just in case it comes up in conversation.
When Baptists defend the Catholic Faith against Catholic leaders
My old seminary president, Dr. Albert Mohler, has weighed in on the Fr. James Martin debate. Dr. Mohler will forget more today than I'll ever know about theology and philosophy. Marcus Grodi once told me that Baptists think they're intellectuals, but they're not. I didn't say it, but an academic match between him and Mohler wouldn't last two seconds.
Though I rejected Mohler's Calvinism, and some of the tactics used to overtake the leadership of the seminary, I could never dismiss Mohler's brilliance as a scholar, intellectual and theologian. Plus he's a good guy. I had the pleasure of having dinner with him years ago, and he was genuinely fun to be with. He was also a humble fellow, the kind of person who would open the door for, and converse with, a janitor despite being a college president, while the others he was with just walked on through.
So let it be established that Mohler is not a villain, a beast, a person who throws banana peels in front of nursing homes or college campuses. And he is quite brilliant.
Therefore, his rebuke of Fr. Martin and defense of Catholic doctrine is one that is based on careful analysis and thoughtful consideration. It's also worth noting that he is correct. Right now, it's impossible to miss that the Church is working overtime to find ways of compromising with the modern secular left. Why is up for grabs. But that it is happening is difficult to deny.
Fr. Martin assumes the narrative of the LGBT movement, that telling the truth is offensive and hateful, therefore we must not tell the truth. We must change our definitions to conform to those embracing sin. Those who are embracing sin who matter at least. That's a very common, modern viewpoint. Yet one that will ultimately lead to changing other definitions, and others, and others, until like many liberal expressions of Christianity, it will barely be recognizable to those who knew it only decades ago.
Though I rejected Mohler's Calvinism, and some of the tactics used to overtake the leadership of the seminary, I could never dismiss Mohler's brilliance as a scholar, intellectual and theologian. Plus he's a good guy. I had the pleasure of having dinner with him years ago, and he was genuinely fun to be with. He was also a humble fellow, the kind of person who would open the door for, and converse with, a janitor despite being a college president, while the others he was with just walked on through.
So let it be established that Mohler is not a villain, a beast, a person who throws banana peels in front of nursing homes or college campuses. And he is quite brilliant.
Therefore, his rebuke of Fr. Martin and defense of Catholic doctrine is one that is based on careful analysis and thoughtful consideration. It's also worth noting that he is correct. Right now, it's impossible to miss that the Church is working overtime to find ways of compromising with the modern secular left. Why is up for grabs. But that it is happening is difficult to deny.
Fr. Martin assumes the narrative of the LGBT movement, that telling the truth is offensive and hateful, therefore we must not tell the truth. We must change our definitions to conform to those embracing sin. Those who are embracing sin who matter at least. That's a very common, modern viewpoint. Yet one that will ultimately lead to changing other definitions, and others, and others, until like many liberal expressions of Christianity, it will barely be recognizable to those who knew it only decades ago.
Attention National Catholic Reporter: Nobody says America can do no wrong
As I posted ages ago when I first started my blog, that is one of many myths promoted by the Left. Just because the NCR is a liberal Catholic publication doesn't mean it needs to accept all of the premises, narratives and BS of the Left.
America, if nothing else, has never been afraid of complaining about itself. Fights go all the way back to the Constitutional Convention, and have never let up. I collect old history textbooks. The oldest ones I have date to the 1930s. They speak of slavery in the negative and our treatment of American Indians. Do they do it as harshly as we do today, devoid of any forgiveness or understanding of previous generations? No. Do they still demonstrate strains of bigotry based on our standards today? Yes. But they hardly denied the problems or the sins.
It's one of the great myths - dare I say, lies - that Americans 'need to admit to our sins', or that Americans think 'America can do no wrong.' We've always known the wrong. We simply chalked it up to being a great but flawed country. What we didn't do is use the failings to burn America's heritage to the ground; to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. That's what Americans didn't do.
So the fact that the entire editorial is predicated on a demonstrably false narrative, a politically driven lie, whatever else is said becomes problematic at best. At least it demonstrates a false understanding of what the people in question believe and, therefore, what it is they might think about that old flag in the sanctuary.
America, if nothing else, has never been afraid of complaining about itself. Fights go all the way back to the Constitutional Convention, and have never let up. I collect old history textbooks. The oldest ones I have date to the 1930s. They speak of slavery in the negative and our treatment of American Indians. Do they do it as harshly as we do today, devoid of any forgiveness or understanding of previous generations? No. Do they still demonstrate strains of bigotry based on our standards today? Yes. But they hardly denied the problems or the sins.
It's one of the great myths - dare I say, lies - that Americans 'need to admit to our sins', or that Americans think 'America can do no wrong.' We've always known the wrong. We simply chalked it up to being a great but flawed country. What we didn't do is use the failings to burn America's heritage to the ground; to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. That's what Americans didn't do.
So the fact that the entire editorial is predicated on a demonstrably false narrative, a politically driven lie, whatever else is said becomes problematic at best. At least it demonstrates a false understanding of what the people in question believe and, therefore, what it is they might think about that old flag in the sanctuary.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
The wonders of modern technology
Or when 'butt dials' meet auto-correct:
Yep, that was me sending a completely unintentional text, and my confused wife's response. Not a single word came from anything but my coat pocket. I still don't get it. I can't remember using the word 'fume' in a text. Ever.
35 million AIDS deaths later
Hugh Hefner has died. In addition, of course, have been tens upon tens of millions of lives harmed by other sex related problems, broken homes, emotional and psychological distress and the burdens that broken homes and single parent families place on society.
That's not to say "Hugh did it!" No. But he was a flag bearer for the ideals that had already been percolating for generations. Following WWII, a decided rejection of whatever traditional values existed was well on its way, and Hefner found a way to take this rejection a quantum leap forward.
I don't have a crystal ball. But I will bet anything the media will not focus on the negatives of the sex and drugs era. It never does. Tens of millions can die. The bodies can float down beside us like a scene from War of the Worlds. It matters not. The modern Left has long convinced us that human suffering only matters insofar as it benefits the agendas of the modern Left. And the Ministry of Truth only covers that which benefits the modern Left. The heaping pile of carcasses sacrificed on the altar of our libidos does not help the modern Left. Therefore, it will not be mentioned.
I pray for Hef. I really do. I pray that the disasters and death that flowed in the wake of what he advocated and promoted will not be held against him, as I pray our sins are not held against us. May God have mercy on him, and lift him up into his loving arms.
That's not to say "Hugh did it!" No. But he was a flag bearer for the ideals that had already been percolating for generations. Following WWII, a decided rejection of whatever traditional values existed was well on its way, and Hefner found a way to take this rejection a quantum leap forward.
I don't have a crystal ball. But I will bet anything the media will not focus on the negatives of the sex and drugs era. It never does. Tens of millions can die. The bodies can float down beside us like a scene from War of the Worlds. It matters not. The modern Left has long convinced us that human suffering only matters insofar as it benefits the agendas of the modern Left. And the Ministry of Truth only covers that which benefits the modern Left. The heaping pile of carcasses sacrificed on the altar of our libidos does not help the modern Left. Therefore, it will not be mentioned.
I pray for Hef. I really do. I pray that the disasters and death that flowed in the wake of what he advocated and promoted will not be held against him, as I pray our sins are not held against us. May God have mercy on him, and lift him up into his loving arms.
Chuck Todd worries about Christian Fundamentalists in our government
He's right of course. Here's another example of when Christian fundamentalists believed our rights come from God instead of the government
Since there has been some squabbling over Roy Moore's fundamentalist assertion that our rights come from our Creator, rather than enlightened government officials, as Mr. Todd seems to prefer:
The immediate context of Kennedy's statement, lest someone think that context will make it say something other than it does:
We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom--symbolizing an end as well as a beginning--signifying renewal as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forbears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.
The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe--the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.I know that Mr. Moore has said some off the wall things. I get that he could end up being a wrecking ball to the GOP as he lives up to every negative stereotype about conservatives that liberals possess. But I'm far more concerned about a media figure who is among the top tiers of our political society who thinks it's from governments (read: leftist, secular governments) that we get our rights or, because it's up to the governments, we lose them.
Why late night comedy has become a joke rather than an outlet for telling jokes
What I've said for years (careful, a little language here):
Yep. Almost spot on. The Late Night comedians, lackeys of the political Left, are examples of what brought us Donald Trump. Whether it's arrogance, ignorance, or the result of living in a culture of like thinking yes-men, they just don't realize how crucial they were for November 8, 2016.
Without the Late Night Comedians, we wouldn't have Trump. Of that I'm convinced. There's something about spewing unending hatred on an entire group of people that makes those people upset. And since the rest of the media circus treated these comedians as valid sources of information, it only made more and more people distrust the media.
So it should come as no surprise that the candidate that they and the press dutifully served ended up losing to the candidate of the people they so proudly and openly hate.
Yep. Almost spot on. The Late Night comedians, lackeys of the political Left, are examples of what brought us Donald Trump. Whether it's arrogance, ignorance, or the result of living in a culture of like thinking yes-men, they just don't realize how crucial they were for November 8, 2016.
Without the Late Night Comedians, we wouldn't have Trump. Of that I'm convinced. There's something about spewing unending hatred on an entire group of people that makes those people upset. And since the rest of the media circus treated these comedians as valid sources of information, it only made more and more people distrust the media.
So it should come as no surprise that the candidate that they and the press dutifully served ended up losing to the candidate of the people they so proudly and openly hate.
The Church of Ought
Versus the Church of Is. Over at the strangely enjoyable St. Corbinian's Bear, the observation I picked up on a while back is confirmed.
For the first serious time in its history, the world is converting the Church. We no longer seek to baptize the nations, because who are we to baptize anyone? And having given up on baptizing the nations, they are beginning to baptize us.
For the first serious time in its history, the world is converting the Church. We no longer seek to baptize the nations, because who are we to baptize anyone? And having given up on baptizing the nations, they are beginning to baptize us.
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