If you have a moment, please read this aptly titled and very interesting article by Ambrose. It paints our fight for freedom in a very fair and honest light. It also discusses the source of not only the moral bankruptcy of our current administration, but of our society in general. It certainly gave me a different and valuable angle on the problems we currently face.
http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/the-ideological-morgue/
Monday, February 27, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Is the stage being set?
Even the most logical and cold-blooded amongst us has to feel a bit nervous regarding recent events in American politics. Too much has happened too quickly, and one cannot wonder if the proverbial dung-heap isn't about to hit an industrial-sized, government subsidized fan.
This is a blog based on faith and reason, so we must use both in trying to understand the spirit of our own times. Too often we grow used to speaking about the moral and economic challenges of our day in purely secular terms. Be it our fear of being labeled a religious lunatic or simply out of the good desire to influence our non-religious friends, we forget that the spiritual dimension is the most real and important dimension in our existence. It is the material - not the spiritual - which is temporary and transient.
Consider this carefully: "the spiritual dimension is the most real and important dimension in our world." That means that behind every seemingly banal politic decision lies a spiritual battle, and the ball can only move down the field in one direction at once. There are many games being played, but only one endgame. Now consider the events of recent years in this light. America's moral firmament is under constant attack by the media and educational elite, a vicious campaign in which those labeled "traditionalists" of any kind are attacked mercilessly. To be a traditional person in America is to certainly commit oneself to various manners of white martyrdom at the hands of self-proclaimed social reformers and their leftist sheep.
Hopping the border, Canada is virtually in their snares. Europe has long since fallen, with the last holdouts of Catholic morality under a vicious ideological siege. Consider Poland for a powerful example: One generation ago, millions took to the streets to greet their countryman, Pope John Paul II, chanting "we want God, we want God!" While youth in America were busy being flower children and later amoral 70's era hipsters, their counterparts in Eastern Europe were enduring red martyrdoms in the name of faith and freedom. Now their children - having seized the freedom for which their parents so bravely fought - have already forsaken their spiritual birthright. The intense attack on tradition and the Catholic religion in Poland are relentless: it is likely that before the wonderful generation which cheered the first visit of John Paul II go to their eternal reward, Poland will become a largely secular nation.
Or consider Ireland, where Bishop Phillip Boyce is currently facing a "hate speech" lawsuit because of a recent homily which criticized secularism and claimed that secularism was attacking the Church. (Which, of course, it most certainly is.) One wonders - would the law work if the shoe was on the other foot? It is doubtful, and such a double-standard is beyond telling.
Africa and South America remain holdouts in the spiritual battle for humanity. Yet systematic poverty has persuaded these regions to fling their doors wide to international aid. These very same "humanitarian" organizations relentlessly pressure poorer governments to adopt measures contrary to their cultural and religious beliefs in order to be fed. "Want food and water? Distribute these condoms and legalize abortion in return." It's not done so boldly, of course, but the fine print is nevertheless damning.
Then there is the Middle East, where religious freedom and Christians are under the most direct assault. It is disturbing to think that the most "enlightened" secularists share one of their greatest hates with the most radical and hateful of Islamists. The irony of such an arrangement remains that leftists and liberals - who are by nature weak and cowardly - would never be able to stand the ideological onslaught of a mobilized and motivated Islamic front. A secular Europe could simply not survive such a battle.
Now come home to the United States. We are, quite literally, the last holdout of enshrined Judeo-Christianity on the planet, and we're fading fast. The abortion issue -- the single clearest manifestation of massed and organized evil in human history -- still remains frighteningly unclear to a disconcertingly large amount of people. Rather than study and treat homosexuality, extremists are using the gay "marriage" debate to drive a legal wedge between Americans and their constitutional and religious heritage. (It is shocking to think that such a small minority of Americans could orchestrate the undoing of so great a nation.) Now consider the consistent growth of an already bloated government, the complete overreach of Obamacare, the attempted violation of fundamental constitutional rights via the HHS Contraception Mandate, and the recent bullying of the Komen Foundation. Consider further the numerous liberal international bodies constantly seek ways to regulate local American affairs from foreign places, in the name of environmentalism or childrens' rights or any number of sensitive issues.
The war is in full swing, and those of us who understand the spiritual import of our times cannot help but understand that - apocalyptic considerations aside - we are at least at the beginning of a new dark age.
The final confirmation to our terrible plight can be seen in the faces of our people, heard and read in our media, and painfully realized through our popular culture. We are a world fallen blissfully asleep, unaware of the terrible consequences of our selfish materialism. Most people simply cannot see the truth any longer. They DO not want to see the truth.
We have officially entered a new dark age. If the renaissance saw the peak of Christian culture and the beginning of the relativist age, we are seeing this relativism in full and rotting bloom now. We are in the first post-Christian age of our society, and are already reaping the frightful fruit of this newly established global tyranny of tolerance. We should not despair, as evil cannot win and to Christ belongs the glory and final victory. Yet difficult times lie before the sowers and reapers in Christ's field, and a truly momentous labor awaits those who would fight for the victory of Truth. May God protect us, aid us, and allow us to share in the final victory with him.
-AMDG-
This is a blog based on faith and reason, so we must use both in trying to understand the spirit of our own times. Too often we grow used to speaking about the moral and economic challenges of our day in purely secular terms. Be it our fear of being labeled a religious lunatic or simply out of the good desire to influence our non-religious friends, we forget that the spiritual dimension is the most real and important dimension in our existence. It is the material - not the spiritual - which is temporary and transient.
Consider this carefully: "the spiritual dimension is the most real and important dimension in our world." That means that behind every seemingly banal politic decision lies a spiritual battle, and the ball can only move down the field in one direction at once. There are many games being played, but only one endgame. Now consider the events of recent years in this light. America's moral firmament is under constant attack by the media and educational elite, a vicious campaign in which those labeled "traditionalists" of any kind are attacked mercilessly. To be a traditional person in America is to certainly commit oneself to various manners of white martyrdom at the hands of self-proclaimed social reformers and their leftist sheep.
Hopping the border, Canada is virtually in their snares. Europe has long since fallen, with the last holdouts of Catholic morality under a vicious ideological siege. Consider Poland for a powerful example: One generation ago, millions took to the streets to greet their countryman, Pope John Paul II, chanting "we want God, we want God!" While youth in America were busy being flower children and later amoral 70's era hipsters, their counterparts in Eastern Europe were enduring red martyrdoms in the name of faith and freedom. Now their children - having seized the freedom for which their parents so bravely fought - have already forsaken their spiritual birthright. The intense attack on tradition and the Catholic religion in Poland are relentless: it is likely that before the wonderful generation which cheered the first visit of John Paul II go to their eternal reward, Poland will become a largely secular nation.
Or consider Ireland, where Bishop Phillip Boyce is currently facing a "hate speech" lawsuit because of a recent homily which criticized secularism and claimed that secularism was attacking the Church. (Which, of course, it most certainly is.) One wonders - would the law work if the shoe was on the other foot? It is doubtful, and such a double-standard is beyond telling.
Africa and South America remain holdouts in the spiritual battle for humanity. Yet systematic poverty has persuaded these regions to fling their doors wide to international aid. These very same "humanitarian" organizations relentlessly pressure poorer governments to adopt measures contrary to their cultural and religious beliefs in order to be fed. "Want food and water? Distribute these condoms and legalize abortion in return." It's not done so boldly, of course, but the fine print is nevertheless damning.
Then there is the Middle East, where religious freedom and Christians are under the most direct assault. It is disturbing to think that the most "enlightened" secularists share one of their greatest hates with the most radical and hateful of Islamists. The irony of such an arrangement remains that leftists and liberals - who are by nature weak and cowardly - would never be able to stand the ideological onslaught of a mobilized and motivated Islamic front. A secular Europe could simply not survive such a battle.
Now come home to the United States. We are, quite literally, the last holdout of enshrined Judeo-Christianity on the planet, and we're fading fast. The abortion issue -- the single clearest manifestation of massed and organized evil in human history -- still remains frighteningly unclear to a disconcertingly large amount of people. Rather than study and treat homosexuality, extremists are using the gay "marriage" debate to drive a legal wedge between Americans and their constitutional and religious heritage. (It is shocking to think that such a small minority of Americans could orchestrate the undoing of so great a nation.) Now consider the consistent growth of an already bloated government, the complete overreach of Obamacare, the attempted violation of fundamental constitutional rights via the HHS Contraception Mandate, and the recent bullying of the Komen Foundation. Consider further the numerous liberal international bodies constantly seek ways to regulate local American affairs from foreign places, in the name of environmentalism or childrens' rights or any number of sensitive issues.
The war is in full swing, and those of us who understand the spiritual import of our times cannot help but understand that - apocalyptic considerations aside - we are at least at the beginning of a new dark age.
The final confirmation to our terrible plight can be seen in the faces of our people, heard and read in our media, and painfully realized through our popular culture. We are a world fallen blissfully asleep, unaware of the terrible consequences of our selfish materialism. Most people simply cannot see the truth any longer. They DO not want to see the truth.
We have officially entered a new dark age. If the renaissance saw the peak of Christian culture and the beginning of the relativist age, we are seeing this relativism in full and rotting bloom now. We are in the first post-Christian age of our society, and are already reaping the frightful fruit of this newly established global tyranny of tolerance. We should not despair, as evil cannot win and to Christ belongs the glory and final victory. Yet difficult times lie before the sowers and reapers in Christ's field, and a truly momentous labor awaits those who would fight for the victory of Truth. May God protect us, aid us, and allow us to share in the final victory with him.
-AMDG-
Whom the Gods Would Destroy
A truly excellent article about the arrogance - and the inevitable downfall - of our well-meaning but otherwise clueless Commander in Chief.
Whom the Gods Would Destroy
Whom the Gods Would Destroy
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