Good will to all men? Not from the grumpy atheists! (Thank God not all atheists are grumpy but there sure seems to be a lot of them)
Why is it that so many in the atheist community cannot bring themselves to get past their anger whenever they engage in discussions? The language of many of their contributions in public debate is laced with invective and dripping with sarcasm and bile. There are exceptions of course, but they tend to fall more into the category of being the 'exception that proves the rule' when compared to the hostility of many of today's atheist posters. Comment offered by the theists in the public square is often depicted as being 'malicious' or 'venomous' and intended to enslave the 'feeble minded and weak' by those who post. Nothing could be further from the truth. Venom is something that is oriented to death. Christians are oriented in a 180 degree different direction. We speak not to the culture of death that grips our world but rather for the culture of life and light which ends with the gift of eternal life. For example, the Catholic Church in its hum...
Why is socialism equated with communism? It's akin to equating conservatism with fascism. Democratic socialism has a proud history in the Catholic Church (Fr. Coady of the Antiogonish movement and workers co-operatives for one). In its zeal to further its social conservative agenda the Catholic church is throwing it progressive economic history under the proverbial bus.
ReplyDeleteRationalist: I think perhaps the answer to your question can be found in noting that the author is from Lubbock, Texas. They think our health care system makes us suspect of being communist!
DeleteI appreciated though that there is a kernel of truth in the article: that the Church has faced opposition from regimes throughout its history and is thus able to recognize when it's beginning to happen again. This author uses this fact incorrectly IMHO, but it's a valid fact nonetheless.
Fr. Tim
P.S. The Mission was GREAT! The crowds grew night after night and the response exceeded my expectations. Thanks for asking about it on the HP.
That's true. My relatives in the U.S. think I'm a rabid communist and I read the Globe and Mail and the Economist (which is a self described liberal magazine - in the original sense).
DeleteI think like the GSA much of the smoke is generated in name calling. Especially in the states socialist and even liberal is an evil word. Even self styled progressives are afraid of it. I say, of course I'm a liberal. And when the shock dies down, I express my opinions and they realize often that many of their opinions fall into the liberal realm.
Glad the mission went well. Looking forward to the videos on Youtube. :->
You'll be waiting a long time! I'm not the next Michael Voris (for which I am eternally grateful to God). ;->
DeleteThe last political system that the Catholic Church openly embraced was the divine right of kings, no? In modern times they deny, a bit coyly, that they supported Hitler but got on hand in glove with his friends Mussolini and Francisco Franco. They don't like governments that attempt to curtail their power and entitlements, autocratic, democratic or socialist. That is their only reservation.
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