Where the Rubber Hits the Road

It’s time to break up with the culture wars – CRUX

One of the greatest gifts the RC Church brings to modern debates is the corporate memory of over 2000 years of successes and failures. It has seen cultures and countries rise and collapse. It has witnessed umpteen social experiments in personal and cultural liberties and restrictions. It has participated in some of histories greatest and worst events. Alas, these gifts are not appreciated in a world that demands instant answers and solutions. Yet I suggest that even if one does not hold to the church's  teachings and practices, one would be well served to at least give due consideration to the wisdom she offers lest we fall victim to that old dictum about repeating the errors of history. The 24/7 news channels are great at creating a sense of urgency. The internet is fantastic at offering immediate opinion and comment. Yet as we face a multitude of cultural and international crises (especially in this post 9/11 world) it is careful reflection and reason that is needed to ensure t...

Another horrible offense committed by those who are today attacking the Christian faith. To violate the sanctity of a support group is almost as bad as what happened in Belgium. If the Church had ever done anything even close to this (violate a confidence shared in secret about an individual to attack them), they would be (rightly) castigated and assaulted from every direction. Yet, if the same is done to a person of faith... it seems to be fair game. WRONG is WRONG, no matter the intentions of whoever the responsible agent doing it is!!! NorthJersey.com: Alleged 'outing' of pastor assailed

Here's an article taken from the Globe and Mail website , written by Jane Taber  in which she reports that the Conservative Party has taken offense at what it calls a 'faith-war' being waged by the CBC. Notwithstanding the political implications of a political party complaining about the media (as if that's never happened before!), Taber does a decent job of summarizing the 'evidence' that the CBC is indeed antithetical to the voices of faith in the public square.

Various bloggers and online news sites have made reference today to the 'wave of rage and indignation' that is prompting spontaneous 'demonstrations' demonizing the Church. Here's a photo of the 'mob' that gathered in front of Westminster Cathedral in London that appears in the This Is Lancashire. One hopes that citizens were able to navigate their way through the gridlocked traffic caused by such a MASSIVE demonstration. Want to know what's really humorous?  Among this MASSIVE mob of demonstrators in included Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell. So the biggest crowd that a professional campaign could put together to tap into the overwhelming rage among the millions who are turning against the church (according to the article) hardly filled a frame of a close camera shot.  Hooey! the church must be trembling in its boots through the world if this is the best the anti-church forces can do. Yet.... This small and pathetic display was enough ...

If the evidence is not yet enough to convince you good reader that the War has indeed begun in earnest... I suggest a visit to the CNN (International News version) and scroll down to the the 'editor's choices'. There you will find 17 consecutive articles and video files all based upon the sex abuse scandals in Europe, the majority of which are trying to link the scandal directly to the Holy Father. If that isn't enough, check out the articles posted on the New York Times today and yesterday, including the letters to the editor and the comments that accompany these articles. Again, they all attempt to connect various scandals directly to the Pontiff. Then, take up the spiritual weapons at your disposal (prayer, fasting, charity) as well as the searching for every (NON-VIOLENT!!!) means at your disposal to mount a vigorous defense of the Church. To make use of that old typing lesson phrase: "Now is the time for all good men (and women) to come to the aid of th...

The CCCB (Canadian Bishops Conference) has issued a press release decrying the recent media coverage in Canada attempting to link the Pontiff with the current abuse revelations in Germany and around the world. The evidence is mounting that we MUST take up arms in defense of the Church: the spiritual arms of prayer, mortification and love as well as using our temporal arms of argument and persuasion wherever and whenever we have the opportunity. Click here to read the story  Here is an editorial taken from today's NY Times belittling the efforts of the Pope in the wake of the European scandals.  Click here. Here's a third story of a University in the USA which is permitting and even promoting Catholic hate-speech in the form of a blasphemous and anti-Catholic play where Christ is presented as an active homosexual!! If your stomach can handle it, click here to read the report.

The forces of darkness in this world have declared war—a war that attempts to extinguish the light of faith within the Roman Catholic Church. This is not a war of our choosing. Nevertheless, it is a war in which the Church must rally every facet and weapon at her disposal. It may be the start of the famed battle foretold in Revelations, or it may be another attack from the forces of evil in the world designed to wound the faith. But it is a war. And it must be fought, and it will be won. Commentators throughout the blogosphere have been crying out a warning since the creation of the virtual world—but it has been a warning that has been too long ignored. Most decision and opinion makers within the Church have thought these cries to be the clucking of nothing more than modern manifestation of Chicken Little. Sadly, just as the forces of liberty and faith were taken by surprise by at Pearl Harbor and in Jerusalem in 1967, so too have the leaders of the Church failed to heed the warnin...