Here's the thing... I think we would all be better off if Obama WERE a muslim! While I am no fan of the Muhammedon religion, it's adherents are certainly more moral than the vapid cultural elites of this culture and Europe...
I will go off on this again later.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Is Catholic Radicalism Dying?
The editors of the New Oxford Review took note of Charlotte Allen's claim that post-Vatican II radicalism is finally dying off (particularly in this country). Allen claims that the flame of Catholic dissent is dying with the deaths of Mary Daly and Edward Schillebeeckx in late 2009. With the works of these theologians behind us, let's hope that Allen is correct.
Check out the poll on the right.
Check out the poll on the right.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
More Catholic Persecutions in India
I am wondering when world attention will be focused on the injustices committed by Hindus against Catholics and other Christians.
It is really annoying to me that American presidents tend to ignore Christian persecutions around the globe. This is not simply a Democrat/Republican thing; it is an American elite thing.
It is really annoying to me that American presidents tend to ignore Christian persecutions around the globe. This is not simply a Democrat/Republican thing; it is an American elite thing.
Fascinating Story
Here is the story of a man who was raised Jewish, found Jesus, founded a Protestant church, coverted to the Episcopal Church, and has now been ordained a Catholic priest (with 8 kids!).
Pretty darn impressive, I must say.
Pretty darn impressive, I must say.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wait... What?!?!
I just came across this Protestant 'interpretation' of Chesterton... I don't know why, but this guy really annoyed me. I don't know... maybe I am just being petty, but the condescension and arrogance (apparently unintended) is really unappealing...
Here is a brief essay by Chesterton on Babies...
Here is a brief essay by Chesterton on Babies...
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Coerced Abortions... Perish the Thought...
Hmmm... so abortion may actually be more desirable for the man than for the pregnant woman? And women are often forced into getting abortions by their 'partners' (who do not want to be inconvenienced by babies)?
When one takes into account the number of women who get abortions secretly, because they don't want to anger their 'partners' about their pregnancy I am sure that these statistics are likely more disturbing.
When one takes into account the number of women who get abortions secretly, because they don't want to anger their 'partners' about their pregnancy I am sure that these statistics are likely more disturbing.
Modernism
This is the second in my series of blogs attempting to flesh out what is wrong with the world today. My first post was concerning ideology, but now I am interested in discussing the most dangerous ideology... Modernism.
I will not be able to flesh out the entirety of the Modernist program in a single blog post, but I do want to identify its fundamental components.
Modernism is the fundamental belief that humans are the measure of all things and that we create the distinctions between Good and Evil. Modernism is able to assert this because it postulates that all relationships are power relationships and that power is the ultimate arbiter of Truth. This is the ideology of tyranny and is most represented in contemporary ideologies like Marxism, Nazism, Fascism, and the like.
This is not something original to the Modern world, but exists as early as Classical Greece. Plato presents Socrates as arguing primarily against this world-view as embodied by the Sophists. The Sophists would teach young men that the pursuit of power was the most valuable pursuit, superior to the pursuit of Truth, because Truth was determined by those with power.
The first Modern ideologue to articulate this point of view effectively was Machiavelli; in both The Prince and The Discourses on Livy, he presents a new model for human behavior and political leadership. Machiavelli presents a justification for this very pagan approach to politics and ethics; essentially, he argues that anything is justified in the pursuit of power and that this pursuit not only is, but should be, an end in itself.
One seeks power primarily to possess it and spends most of the time one possesses it, protecting it from others. Now, Machiavelli does suggest some ideas about how one should rule, but even these suggestions are devised primarily with an eye toward maintaining power.
Machiavelli, like most Modernists, believes that vice, properly practiced and focused, can become virtue. In fact, Machiavelli redefines the entire concept of virtue as the ability to gain and maintain power; therefore, cruelty and greed become virtues. We can see this developed more thoroughly in later thinkers such as Adam Smith and Thomas Hobbes.
I will delve into more of this later, but I wanted to get this down before I moved on to more complex topics.
I will not be able to flesh out the entirety of the Modernist program in a single blog post, but I do want to identify its fundamental components.
Modernism is the fundamental belief that humans are the measure of all things and that we create the distinctions between Good and Evil. Modernism is able to assert this because it postulates that all relationships are power relationships and that power is the ultimate arbiter of Truth. This is the ideology of tyranny and is most represented in contemporary ideologies like Marxism, Nazism, Fascism, and the like.
This is not something original to the Modern world, but exists as early as Classical Greece. Plato presents Socrates as arguing primarily against this world-view as embodied by the Sophists. The Sophists would teach young men that the pursuit of power was the most valuable pursuit, superior to the pursuit of Truth, because Truth was determined by those with power.
The first Modern ideologue to articulate this point of view effectively was Machiavelli; in both The Prince and The Discourses on Livy, he presents a new model for human behavior and political leadership. Machiavelli presents a justification for this very pagan approach to politics and ethics; essentially, he argues that anything is justified in the pursuit of power and that this pursuit not only is, but should be, an end in itself.
One seeks power primarily to possess it and spends most of the time one possesses it, protecting it from others. Now, Machiavelli does suggest some ideas about how one should rule, but even these suggestions are devised primarily with an eye toward maintaining power.
Machiavelli, like most Modernists, believes that vice, properly practiced and focused, can become virtue. In fact, Machiavelli redefines the entire concept of virtue as the ability to gain and maintain power; therefore, cruelty and greed become virtues. We can see this developed more thoroughly in later thinkers such as Adam Smith and Thomas Hobbes.
I will delve into more of this later, but I wanted to get this down before I moved on to more complex topics.
Sorry not to have posted in so long...
Nearly a week... well, no one is perfect.
My wife has been posting pretty regularly on her blog and she touched on some things that I have always emphasized when teaching. Catholics need to regain a respect for the Middle Ages, for Christendom, and not allow themselves to be shamed into condemning it by the dominant Moderno-Protestant-Revolutionary-Ideologies that permeate our society.
I promise to get back to this issue soon, but just to leave you with something to think about... the English-speaking world is predominantly Protestant and secular... our biases, then, are also Protestant and secular, so make sure to consider this when revisiting their percetions of the Catholic Middle Ages.
My wife has been posting pretty regularly on her blog and she touched on some things that I have always emphasized when teaching. Catholics need to regain a respect for the Middle Ages, for Christendom, and not allow themselves to be shamed into condemning it by the dominant Moderno-Protestant-Revolutionary-Ideologies that permeate our society.
I promise to get back to this issue soon, but just to leave you with something to think about... the English-speaking world is predominantly Protestant and secular... our biases, then, are also Protestant and secular, so make sure to consider this when revisiting their percetions of the Catholic Middle Ages.
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