THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The numbers don't lie. The Episcopal Church in the United States is crumbling. As many as a third of all U.S. Episcopal parishes will be closed within 5 years....
(Virtue Online) - A month long investigation by Virtueonline into the numerical state of The Episcopal Church reveals that more than one third of all 6825 Episcopal parishes in the U.S. have an average Sunday attendance (ASA) of 40 or less.
VOL believes that the figure of 2.3 million Episcopalians, regularly stated by TEC leaders and officials, does not reveal the true state of church attendance. More than two-thirds of this figure have either died, left the church, or attend twice a year, along with tens of thousands still on church rolls who have never been (and should be) removed. The only true standard to gauge the Episcopal Church’s health is Average Sunday Attendance (ASA).
The study undertaken by VOL staff reveals a church in sharp decline with 2219 churches having congregations of aging parishioners in their mid 60s with little or no chance of turnaround in the foreseeable future. There are virtually no young people coming forward to fill the gap. Those being trained in TEC’s liberal seminaries will have no message that is discernibly different from the prevailing culture.
What this foreshadows is that within the next 3 to 5 years more than 2,000 churches across the country will be forced to close, merge or be sold regardless of cash reserves or endowment because there will simply not be enough people in them to keep the doors open. Hundreds of clergy will be forced into early retirement; many will have to take secondary employment in an attempt to keep the doors open to a handful of aging congregants....
There are lessons to be learned from this. The U.S. Episcopal Church is a socially liberal organization, and probably the most liberal of all the Anglican bodies worldwide. It's message is virtually indistinguishable from popular liberalism espoused at universities and by mainstream media elites. In other words...
Liberalism and Christianity don't mix.
Liberalism guts Christianity and leaves it empty.
Those parishes that embrace Liberalism will consign themselves to empty pews and eventual parish closure.
The debate has long since been over. The statistics speak for themselves. U.S. Catholics would be wise to take heed. For if Catholic parishes, priests and bishops adopt the same social Liberal stand as the Episcopal Church, than our fate will be the same.
Please pass this article on to all Catholics, especially those with a "liberal" point of view.
Southerners march in protest of efforts to remove the Confederate Battle Flag from public sight.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Okay, I promise this will be my last post on the South for a while. As I said in a previous entry, the summer is nearly over, the Vatican will soon be making some historic news, and my hillbilly musings will soon come to an end. However, I still have a couple days left in August, and so now, after my explanation of the currently occupied Nation of Dixie, and why the South should be restored to it's rightful place among the nations of the earth, I will give a brief formula for it's peaceful and effective restoration, perhaps within our lifetime. If Southerners will take my words here seriously, and implement them in their lives, I believe such an expectation is realistic. You will notice below that great attention is given to religion and culture. I cannot stress enough how important this is. Dixie cannot be restored, as a people and a nation, until we learn WHO WE ARE. Our identity is not found in NASCAR and BBQ (though these things are important and have their place), but it is found in something much MUCH deeper. The restoration of the South begins in the restoration of ourselves, our families and our communities. Once that happens, the rest will come naturally.
A FORMULA FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE SOUTH (DIXIE)....
Southerners of all colors and races must commit to Christian charity toward each other, and toward our Yankee neighbors. Jesus Christ would never condone such things as segregation, racial hatred, or dislike of someone just because of their regional origin (i.e. "the North"). That doesn't mean we have to agree with everybody on everything. In fact, we should speak up and disagree when our conscience spurs us to. In doing so however, we should always seek the image of Christ in our fellow man. Remember, every Yankee who killed our ancestors is long dead and buried now. Not a single one of them lives today. The folks in the North today may be their descendants, but they are not the same people. Many of them are God-fearing folks who are just as worried about the trends of America as we are. (Some of them even sympathize with us.) Case in point, my father is descended from Yankees who fought for the North. There is not a drop of Southern blood in him, yet today he will privately and quietly tell you he sympathizes with the Southern cause. "Don't tell your mother," he says to me, "or she'll never let me hear the end of it." (My mother is a Southerner through and through.) So we must not fault the Yankees for the sins of their fathers. Also remember this, the Northern occupation of the South is 99% psychological now. Most Southerners would vote to secede again if they honestly and truly thought they could get away with it, but in the wake of what happened in 1861 - 1865 most Southerners are afraid. That fear is deep, and that fear alone, is the only thing keeping Dixie hostage to the will of the Yankee empire centered in New York City and Washington DC. The way to conquer this mental occupation is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. White Southerners, Black Southerners, and Southerners of different ethnicity, have already made great strides following the insidious institutions of slavery and segregation. Again, we must rely on the teachings of Christ and his apostles to guide us into perfect racial harmony, integrating and assimilating into a fully Christian culture (Christendom) which is based primarily (though not totally) on our Anglo-Celtic (English, Irish & Scottish) heritage. Jesus Christ must be our guide, our light and our path forward. As we have seen from the racial integration failures of the North and West, no other method will do.
Anglo-Celtic Christendom is centered around the dignity of men and respect for women. Women should be honored and made to feel comfortable in the presence of men This is done through men's clothing, gestures and manners of speech that demonstrate women's respectable character, as they are modeled in the image of Mary, the first Christian, and mother of Jesus Christ. Likewise, good Southern women should model themselves after Mary, the first Christian, to the best as possible according to their station in life. Study into the Biblical references of Mary will do much to aid this cause, as well as emulating her humility and manner of dress, as much as can be done with Southern styles.
The cellular building block of Anglo-Celtic Christendom, like any other Christian culture, is the family. The Holy Family (Jesus, Joseph and Mary) should be our guide. They set the standard. They are the example for us all. Southern families should strive to emulate them in everything, studying every word of Scripture written on them. From this, our once great nation will be rebuilt. This is the key to our survival and restoration.
Of all Southern observances, besides Christmas and Easter of course, none should be more revered than St. Andrews Day (November 30). It should be a Southern national holiday, perhaps replacing or combining it with Thanksgiving. In fact, should our independence ever be restored, we should target that date as it's beginning -- a Southern Independence Day! The life and virtues of St. Andrew should be remembered and celebrated. St. Andrew was the brother of St. Peter and the first disciple of Jesus Christ. He was a disciple of John the Baptist initially, and immediately recognized Jesus as the promised Messiah, introducing him to his brother (Peter) as such. As an apostle, he preached the gospel to Asia Minor, Russia and the Ukraine. Tradition states that he was martyred by crucifixion, wherein he was tied to a saltire (X-shaped cross), from which the Confederate battle flag is modeled. It is known as the St. Andrews cross, and it serves as the model for some Southern state flags as well, such as Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. The flag of Scotland follows a similar pattern. Appreciation for the life and virtues of St. Andrew is essential to the life of every Southerner.
The Old South was a land steeped in tradition. This tradition comes from culture, and the word culture is derived from the Latin word cultus, meaning "religion." Religion is essential to the life of every true Southerner. If you're a Southerner who is not involved in a church, than go get involved in one! Lack of religious piety is an insult to our Southern Confederate fathers. During the Antebellum period, most Southerners (such as Jefferson Davis, and Robert E. Lee for example) were Episcopalians, but the Episcopal Church was considerably more conservative back then. The closest thing to that today are the Anglican churches in North America, or else the Anglican ordinariate within the Catholic Church. Of course, if one is already involved in a Baptist or Pentecostal church, there is no need to change churches to get in touch with one's Southern heritage, but it would be wise to incorporate some traditional Christian ceremonial practices into one's personal religious life. Such practices can be found in the Book of Common Prayer and various other Anglican or Celtic Christian family prayerbooks. If one is Catholic and does not prefer the Anglican ordinariate form of worship, than getting in touch with the traditional Latin mass will put one in direct connection to one's Catholic Confederate fathers. For this is the exact same liturgy they used. I cannot stress enough how important this is. In order for traditional Southern culture to reemerge, there must be a restoration of traditional Southern piety first, for culture cannot exist without first having a strong cultus (or religion). Bringing back the South begins first with us at an individual and family level, practicing our religion deeply and personally, but with ceremony and piety. After that, the rest will come naturally in time.
Learn proper Southern English, well, if there really is such a thing. In fact, the South has more than a few dialects, but there are some common rules most of us go by, and a few we don't but probably should. Most of these rules are chronicled in eight easy lessons called "Verbal Independence" hosted by the League of the South website. Yours truly confesses to still be a novice at this. I was raised by a Southern woman in California, so I've got a nasty West Coast accent I haven't totally shaken yet. I'm afraid my spelling and grammar are totally Yankee, but hey, nobody's perfect. You can mash here to learn more about Southron English. Or if you prefer more of a crash course in Southern English, you can get one on the Southern Nationalist Website here.
Celtic music serves as the foundation of all Southern music, from country to bluegrass, from jazz to rock n' roll. Gaining an appreciation for this ancient musical art form will go a long way toward reviving our nation's charm. Of course there are other Southern music styles as well.
Once we have the first seven individual and family basics down, the next step is community centered. I'm talking about celebration of Dixie's culture. There is a tendency among Southerners to focus on the war period. While of course the war plays a huge role in the history of the South, the South was not defined by it. We should seek to look a little further back, into the 1820s through 1850s, to get a sense of what actual Dixie culture was, and it is this that should be expressed in community events, balls, fairs and cultural productions. Every culture has it's own form of traditional dress. Ours is the classical Southern Belle for women, and the complementary Southern Gentleman for men. While these are just costumes to us in modern times, they can and should be used whenever expressing our Southern identity is appropriate, just as we might see in Germany with traditional German attire, or any other nations for that matter. That being said, there is no reason why modern clothes couldn't be designed to reflect these traditional fashions in some small sense. That however, is probably something we should leave up to time and natural progression. When it comes to the issue of confederate flags and symbols, please do use them, but use them tastefully. We are not "redneck rebels." We are a sophisticated Christian people, and this is the image we should convey with our flags and symbols.
Moving on from community, and after this is mastered throughout the Southland, we should move into the realm of politics. It begins with the states of course, and this is where we put the pressure on our STATE politicians, not the federal politicians. You have to understand that the federal government is pretty much worthless to us in achieving our goals. Everything must be done through the states. The pressure we should put on our state representatives is for them to assert our states rights on everything across the board.
Finally, the last move is twofold, it involves both patiently waiting for the federal government to collapse and purposefully propagating our culture not only within the South of Dixie, but exporting it up North and out West. Everything should be done to nurture those small groups that pop up across the North and West, wherein good Christian people not only sympathize with our cause, but seek to emulate the culture of Dixie in their own states, though they are not historically Southern. We should make every effort to export Southern music to Yankeeland, along with out accents, Southern ideals, values, constitutional thinking and religious conviction, most especially our religious morals. This will produce a certain desired effect. It will put Southern sympathizers "behind enemy lines" (so to speak) and simultaneously cause the powers that be in Washington and New York City to want to get rid of us. Our Southern way of life will be obstructing the work of their North American Union (NAU). In the end, they may very well ask us to leave the Union, so they can limit our ability to export our culture to their states, and they can get back to the business of taking over the world. If they don't ask us to leave, than we just wait for the inevitable -- which will be the complete and total collapse of the United States federal government under it's own colossal weight and debt. Then we just pick up the pieces and start over with Dixie. I imagine a lot of pro-Southern good folks up North and out West would like to physically join us here when that happens.
That's it. It's a ten-point plan toward personal, family, community and political independence. I believe it will work, and if executed with care, there will be no need to worry about violent backlash like we had in 1861. This is not 1861. Things are considerably different now. Today, the America Empire is tired and broke. It is saddled with a debt it can never pay and a currency that is nearly worthless. With each passing day it is beginning to look more and more like the defeated Confederacy. It's current trajectory is unsustainable, and every politician in DC knows that, but none are wiling to do anything about it. The collapse is certain, the only unknown is time. We know the imperial republic will soon fall, but what we don't know is exactly when. What does "soon" mean? Is it next year? Is it in five years? Or ten years? We cannot say. What we do know is that this unknown time is a blessing in disguise, because it gives Dixie Southerners the precious time we need to repent, reform and revive our homeland.
For the aristocrat of Old Dixie, with all his faults and inconsistencies, did understand what the gentle man of Old Europe generally did not. He did understand the Republican ideal, the notion of the Citizen as it was understood among the noblest of the pagans. That combination of ideal democracy with real chivalry was a particular blend for which the world was immeasurably the better; and for the loss of which it is immeasurably the worse. It may never be recovered; but it will certainly be missed.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I know many among my international audience will have difficulty understanding this. My readers in the Northern and Western United States may have difficulty with it too. Please try to indulge me for a bit, for it is a story that must be told, and I feel it my responsibility to tell it, just as it is for any Southern man in my position on the blogosphere. Don't worry, in the not too distant future, just days from now, the Vatican will awake from it's long summer vacation, striking up news of interest to all my readers. Until then however, you'll just have to put up with my hillbilly musings.
The Confederate States of America (Dixie) did exist as a free and independent nation. It was privately recognized as so by Pope Pius IX in written correspondence with President Jefferson Davis. It was the first nation to fall to the industrial-military complex of the American Empire. Dixie fought for the same cause as the United States in the American Revolutionary war. It was the EXACT SAME cause, fought by the direct descendants of the men who fought the British just a generation prior. The Confederate Seal bore the image of General George Washington (a Southern Virginian) riding on horseback. The South saw no distinction whatsoever between the war of 1776 and the war of 1861. It was about taxation, representation and the way the Antebellum economy worked. Yes, slavery was part of that economy, and so it factored into virtually every political debate, but it was not THE debate -- not yet anyway. Today's anti-Confederate propaganda would have us believe slavery was the only issue in the Civil War. They would have us believe that Southerners fought for one thing, and one thing only, and that was to protect and promote slavery. Such pro-federal propaganda flies in the face of the historical facts, and the testimony of those men who became central figures in the war between the states. For example: if the war was all about slavery, why were approximately 80% of the soldiers who fought for the South non-slave owners? If it was all about slavery, what were these 80% non-slave owners fighting for? Why would the South's supreme military commander, General Robert E. Lee, be an outspoken abolitionist? Why would the South's President Jefferson Davis propose legislation to free all slaves, and their families, who joined the Confederate army? After the war, why did the Southern states immediately and overwhelmingly, ratify the 13th Amendment, which made slavery illegal, before the Northern states even brought it up for debate? Why did Northern President Abraham Lincoln repeatedly tell his supporters that the war was not about slavery and that up until 1863 anyway, he had no intention of freeing the slaves? Why did the North's supreme military commander, General Ulysses S. Grant, who was a slave owner, say if he thought the war was about freeing the slaves, he would turn in his sword and fight for the other side!?! When we go back to the original source documentation of the time period, what we find is a completely different story from the people who lived through it, than what is typically taught to us today through the popular mainstream corporate media and our nation's government schools.
Shortly after Dixie fell to the industrial-military complex of the American Empire, the Native American tribes followed them into oblivion. Then Spain fell to the American Empire, losing her colonies to Uncle Sam. World War I would have been a stalemate had not America intervened, and through America's intervention, the monarchies of Europe were crushed and replaced with democratic republics, paving the way for European fascism and ultimately World War II. The historical list of the American Empire's abuses goes on and on, but I will stop here.
My only concern is for my homeland, Dixie, an occupied nation for 145 years now! It was from here my mother's family came, and it was from here they toiled in poverty a century after the war, thanks to the "reconstruction" given to them by the Northern American Empire. Let it be known that my sixth-great grandfather, on my mother's side, was an Englishman who came to America and dealt in slave actioning, not in the South, but in NEW YORK CITY! (The building he once owned still stands today.) Discouraged and heartbroken by the inhumanity of the business, he left it all behind, to move down South, where he spent his fortune buying slaves, educating them and setting them free! There he stayed as a successful farmer in the hills of Tennessee, and his sons became successful farmers as well, none of his sons or their sons owned slaves. They remained a successful, and modestly wealthy, farming family until the war (1861 - 1865) which robbed them of all their land, homes and possessions, as well as some of their lives. My mother's side of the family remained in abject poverty for a century after the war. My mother herself was raised in a drafty dirt floor home, where she and her brother were babysat by an elderly black woman, while her parents both worked picking cotton as sharecroppers. Sharecropping is how my mother's family survived for decades after the war. Things were so bad at times that there was no opportunity for school among the children. Thus my once affluent Southern family fell into illiteracy. Not so for my mother and her brother. Both my grandparents worked in the cotton fields to assure their kids an education, and for this they were fortunate. This remained the status quo in my mother's family until they finally left the South (Arkansas region) for California back in the 1960s. There my grandfather worked in a machine shop, until he eventually became foreman, while my grandmother sold Avon products door-to-door, and gradually they made enough money to retire and move back to the South (the hills of Tennessee), where they bought a farm and remain there to this day, no longer in poverty. Not bad for a man who can't read!!! and a woman who can barely read. I am very proud of my grandparents and I should be.
There is so much people don't know. There is so much that has been blotted out of the pages of history. There is so much our government wants to hide. The people of other nations often wonder how our federal government could be so cruel to other nations at times. To which I must respond by saying our federal government has had a lot of practice by doing the same to its own people. Make fun of us all you like. Poke fun at our accents. Laugh at us if you will. It's nothing that hasn't already been done for a century and a half. It doesn't change who we are, and it doesn't change the fact that you can't keep us down forever.
I've been following a certain man's journeys for almost a decade now. He is one I hold as a hero, for one reason and one reason only. He speaks the truth without fear and without hesitation. For this he is an honorable man, and I will accept no criticism of him. It was with men such as these that my grandparents toiled in the cotton fields for years. You see, we just have a different way of looking at things in the South. It is what it is. You can view his interview with the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SVC) HERE. I encourage all my readers to watch this video. Please, if you're not from the Dixie, you really need to learn what this man has to say, or at least, listen to the sentiment in which he says it.
I leave you now with another quote from G.K. Chesterton followed by a video clip on black Confederate soldiers....
But the American Civil War was a real war between two civilizations. It will affect the whole history of the world. There were great and good men, on both sides, who knew it would affect the whole history of the world. Yet the great majority of Englishmen know nothing about it, or only know the things that are not true. They have a general idea that it was 'all about n*gg*rs'; and they are taught by their newspapers to admire Abraham Lincoln as ignorantly and idiotically as they once used to abuse him. All this seems to me very strange; not only considering the importance of America, but considering how everybody is now making America so very important. America is allowed to have, if anything, far too much influence on the affairs of the rest of the world; yet those who submit to that influence, or praise that influence, or warmly welcome that influence, seem to take no interest in American affairs........ Lincoln may have been right in thinking that he was bound to preserve the Union. But it was not the Union that was preserved. A union implies that two different things are united; and it should have been the Northern and Southern cultures that were united. As a fact, it was the Southern culture that was destroyed. And it was the Northern that ultimately imposed not a unity but merely a uniformity. But that was not Lincoln's fault. He died before it happened; and it happened because he died.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT is looking for intelligent and thoughtful feedback. Please take a look at the above video and link. Compare the message of this organization with that of Distributism, Subsidiarity and Chivalry. Post your comments below.
I am not interested in inane comments from pro-federal big-government apologists. I do not want to read ridiculous comments about "racist rednecks" and "backward hillbillies." These types of ad hominems serve no purpose other than to pacify the intolerance of those who post them. They will be deleted and never see the light of day on this blog. I do not allow racist comments on this blog, nor will I allow comments from those who race bait. I personally see no functional difference between a hardened Klansman, and a person who points the finger and cries "racism!" at the mere sight of pride in one's heritage and beliefs. They are both the same in my book -- people of intolerance who are beyond the pale of civil discussion. This will remain a civil discussion about real ideas and possible solutions to real problems. There are no less than half a dozen credible secessionist movements in the United States today. All of them are legitimate in my view, and the Southern secessionist movement is just one of them. They will all be treated equally here in this discussion.
As a practicing traditional Catholic, an American and a Southerner, I believe the empire called the United States of America has gotten too big, and the federal government is now beyond reform. Furthermore, I believe the federal government is controlled entirely by big-business and banking cartels. I do not believe the common people of the United States are represented by the United States government anymore, nor do I believe they have been represented for a very long time. I believe the entire system has become fraudulent and manipulated. I believe the best solution to this problem is to simply allow the inevitable collapse of the United States federal government, and then allow the various regional cultures of the United States to forge their own forms of government and assume their places among the nations of the earth.
In my opinion, the proposals now being put forth for the restoration of the Confederate States of America (Dixie) best reflect our traditional Catholic beliefs and sensibilities. I could be wrong about that, and I admit the possibility of error, but at this juncture I do not see it. So whether you are Catholic or not, I invite your thoughts here, keeping in mind the reasonable limitations I have spelled out above....
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Well, it's official now. Of course regular readers of this blog knew it was coming years in advance. The most widely practiced religion in France is now Islam. Catholicism ranks second, and all other religions a distant third. Of course all of this pales in comparison to the number of people in France who are secular non-religious, but we all know that anyone who fits this description is just a prime candidate to convert to Islam eventually, if not in this generation, than certainly the next...
(Big Peace) - Troubling numbers and facts from Soeren Kern at the Hudson Institute:
“Islamic mosques are being built more often in France than Roman Catholic churches, and there now are more practising Muslims in the country than practising Catholics.
Nearly 150 new mosques currently are under construction in France, home to the biggest Muslim community in Europe. The mosque-building projects are at various stages of completion, according to Mohammed Moussaoui, the president of the Muslim Council of France (CFCM), who provided the data in an August 2 interview with the French radio station RTL...
As I've said on this blog more times than I can count. Secularism is not a religion. It is by definition the lack of religion. Nature abhors a vacuum. Human nature is the same way. A non-religious secular society CANNOT stand against the proselytizing zeal of Islam. In a hundred matches of Islam vs. Secularism, Islam wins every one, all one-hundred of them. The only thing that changes is time. How long does the fall of Secularism take in each scenario? That's the only variable. The end result is always the same. Islam scores 100, and Secularism scores a great big fat zero! The only difference is, when it comes to western Europe, we don't have a hundred matches. We've only got about a dozen or so matches, and those are going quickly. The first nation to fall is France. Score ONE for Islam. Yes, this is a defeat for secularism, because from now on the dominant religious culture in France will be Islam. Next on the list is either England or Sweden. Germany ranks high as well. All of them are on the same road.
So that's it! We're done. This is the end game for Europe. Nothing but a massive and miraculous revival of the Christian faith, like nothing we have ever seen in the modern age, can save Europe now. Indeed the fate of Europe is entirely in God's hands. There is nothing more we mere mortals can do but pray. Practical experience tells us that things will likely continue on as they are, and any changes made by the government to immigration policy will be too little too late.
Catholic mystics and seers in centuries past warned us this day would come. It is the beginning of the coming Chastisement of God upon the whole world, but most particularly Europe. According to their visions, Europe will fall, at the hands of a Muslim-Marxist alliance. We are told that anarchy will eventually erupt in France and England. Italy will be overrun by these riots, and in the end, the pope will be forced to flee Rome, while a communist flag rises over the Vatican. Where does the Holy Father flee? The seers are very specific about this. He flees to Cologne Germany. Why would a pope go there? Hmmmm. Eventually he will be assassinated in exile, and his successor will crown a new French king. Europe's Christian revival will eventually come, but it will be bathed in blood.
All of the Catholic prophecies concerning the age in which we live focus almost exclusively on Europe. Indeed, it would seem that Europe will become the central theater of operations in God's plan for the coming Marian Age (a brief period of peace lasting a few centuries or less) before the rise of the Antichrist in Jerusalem. When we look at the world today, we see that it is Europe that has experienced the most profound and radical changes over the last century. At the dawn of World War I, the continent was totally Christian, ruled by parliamentary monarchies with very few republics. The influence of the Catholic Church was central to the lives of most Europeans, particularly those in the southern Mediterranean countries. World War I changed all that, putting down Christian monarchies all over the continent, and eventually replacing most of them with republics. American intervention in the "War to End all Wars" changed the course of history, resulting in a defeat for the Lutheran Kaiser Wilhelm II. Germany was transformed from a Protestant Christian monarchy into an American style secular republic and placed under heavy war reparations, which essentially was the equivalent of a massive national debt. The Wiemar Republic was a failure that collapsed eventually, after runaway money printing to pay for war reparations led to a hyperinflation cycle, that brought about it's fall and eventual rise of Adolph Hitler's Nazi regime. By the end of World War II, nearly all Christian European monarchies were extinct, with just a few exceptions, most of whom held a purely ceremonial and figurehead role. By the end of the Cold War (1947 - 1991) Europe was completely and totally secularized, likely the result of socialist influence at all levels of European society. The once great Catholic cathedrals became tourist attractions for Americans on holiday vacation. Small Christian chapels became museums, and many were sold to Muslim immigrants for renovation into mosques. It is nothing short of a European apostasy, unlike anything ever seen in Europe's fifteen-hundred year history! God has not forgotten Europe, which is why Europe will take center stage in the events leading up to the coming Marian Age. Europe will be liberated from secularism and multiculturalism, but according to our seers, this will only come AFTER the Marxists and the Muslims have reduced Paris to rubble.
What of North America? What is to come of Christianity on this continent, and the nations we all belong to? Particularly, what is to come of the United States of America? I think we now have our answer, or at least a pretty good clue. Only one Catholic visionary is known to have given specific instructions for the United States of America to follow, and insight into our future if we don't. In the 1950s, Sister Mary Mildred Neuzil reported visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary who revealed herself as "Our Lady of America." The overall theme of Our Lady's message to Sister Mary was one of national repentance of sexual impurity, with the revelation of the indwelling Holy Trinity in the lives of believers, and the example of the Holy Family (Jesus, Joseph and Mary) for all Americans to emulate. Obedience to these instructions would be marked by enshrining a statue of "Our Lady of America" in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, and then America would lead the world into peace. Failure to comply with these instructions will only result in misery and suffering for the United States of America. Did America comply? What followed these revelations to Sister Mary was the sexual revolution in the 1960s, followed by a feminist revolution in the 1970s-80s, and the homosexual revolution in the 1990s-present. In other words, our nation did the exact opposite of what Our Lady requested, and the Statue of "Our Lady of America" now stands at the Pope John Paul II Center in Washington DC with no plans to place it into the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at all. For now, it would appear the United States has chosen it's path, and just as Our Lady prophesied, nothing but misery and suffering has befallen this nation.
When we look at what is happening to the United States, the future of Canada, Mexico and Central American nations becomes easier to speculate. The United States is literally falling apart. Saddled with a massive national debt that exceeds our own GDP, and reckless monetizing (money printing) schemes to pay the interest on it, America is on the precipice of a hyperinflation cycle that could possibly approach the catastrophic Wiemar Republic in Germany between WWI and WWII. Our national credit rating has been downgraded, as creditors fired the first warning shot across the bow of the USS America. Nothing short of immediate draconian cuts in federal government spending, producing a balanced budged and eventual surplus, will stop this ship from sailing right into an iceberg. The time to do that is now, but our government "leaders" have made it perfectly clear to the whole world that they have no intention of addressing this problem. The problems are not just financial, they're economic too, as America is getting dangerously close to a double-dip recession with published unemployment rates at over 9% and real unemployment rates closer to 20%. When one really crunches the numbers, and includes all those who have given up looking for a job, actual unemployment in the United States has reached over 25%. Over one in four Americans are no longer working. The problems are not just economic either. They are social. While the United States remains the most religious developed nation in the world, and some 80% of Americans consider themselves Christians, the number of people who actually practice their Christian faith is at an all time low. The United States is starting to experience the same problem as France, as secularism (the lack of religion) takes a hold in society, it opens the gateway for other religions to take root in society. A record number of Americans are turning away from traditional Christianity all together. Initially, it was toward unorganized religions, such as the New Age and Wicca. Now we are seeing a shift, as more and more young Americans are turning to Islam for the answer. Thankfully, these numbers are still small in comparison to Europe, but they do exist, and that should be cause for alarm.
America's woes still continue on after that. Massive illegal immigration over the porous border between the United States and Mexico, has led to further strain on America's entitlement and public service programs. It has also increased crime in already gang ridden inner cities. The insane embrace of multiculturalism by our nation's elite ruling class has led to the failure of immigrants (both legal and illegal) to assimilate into American life. As a result, the Southwest portion of the United States is now primed for a political secession should the federal government weaken or collapse. Other secessionist groups are arising in other places as well. The Southeast portion of the nation is experiencing a revival of Southern Confederate patriotism and new calls for secession. The Lakotah Native American Tribes of the northern frontier states have already declared themselves free and independent of the United States. The Alaska Independence Party (AIP), which advocates formal secession from the United States, is considered a perfectly legitimate political party in that state and frequently receives addresses by the governor of that state. Todd Palin (Sarah Palin's husband) had been a member of the AIP for some time. As near as one-third of the voters in the State of Vermont support political secession from the United States in favor of restoring a Second Vermont Republic. Of course more and more people on the West Coast are eying the idea of secession of Washington and Oregon to create the early stages of the Republic of Cascadia. Yes, it looks like we have seen the future of America, and from what we can tell, the United States will likely survive only in a much smaller form, if it continues to survive at all. The only thing that needs to happen to push everything over the edge is some kind of major catastrophe (likely financial or economic or both). The breakup of the United States will make intervention in Europe nearly impossible during her coming time of need in the not-too-distant future. While Europe is thrown into the depths of anarchy, it is quite possible that Americans will simply be starting over in whole new nations based on cultural divides. Some of us (particularly those of us in Dixie and other rural parts of North America) will likely be trying to put something back together from the lives our Christian ancestors once knew.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: When we look at the topic of immigration one of the problems he have is we tend to focus on the details rather than the big picture. I'm talking about such things as legal vs. illegal, green cards, deportation, etc. What we often fail to do is stop and consider the whole history of North America and the United States.
Long before people were called "Americans" on this continent, they were called Christians. Three European nations colonized this great wilderness called North America - France, England and Spain. It was a epic period of exploration and evangelism. From the Southern tip of Florida, to everything west of the Mississippi River, the mountains, plains and waterways were named after Catholic Saints, sacraments and sacramentals. Even the cities were named after these things. The area we now know as the United States, west of the Mississippi, was once populated almost exclusively by French and Spanish Catholics. In fact, Protestant New England nearly seceded from the Union over the annexation of the Catholic Louisiana Purchase. What is commonly understood as "The United States of America" from a historical perspective is English Protestant, but even that is an oversimplification. Shortly after the Catholic Louisiana Purchase large numbers of Irish Catholics immigrated into the Union, both through the ports in New York City and New Orleans. Indeed Catholics have always played a large role in the history of North America and the United States.
It wasn't just the United States however. Catholics also played a large role in the Southern Confederacy (Dixie) and the President of the Confederacy himself, Jefferson Davis, shared a special relationship with the pope. Confederate General Robert E. Lee called this same Pope Pius IX the South's only true ally during her time of need.
We are fortunate in the United States, for the people who seek to inundate our Southwestern states are of Spanish Catholic heritage and not African or Asian Muslims descent. Europe has not been so fortunate, having absorbed millions of Muslim immigrants, and we will likely soon see the bloody consequences of that. As for us, all we have to deal with are some people of Spanish-Mexican descent, most of whom are Catholic Christian, and some of whom have chosen to join with Protestant churches.
Having spent most of my childhood in Southern California I knew more people of Mexican-Spanish descent than I could count. Most of them were second or third generation American. Back in those days, with few exceptions, they all spoke perfect English and in all practicality they were totally Americanized. Not so in California today. Now I live back in my home state of Southern Missouri, deep within the Ozark Mountains. Even here I have friends who are of various ethnic heritage. Some are of Mexican-Spanish descent. Some are of Chinese-Asian descent. Almost all of them are totally Americanized. Correction! They are Southern Americanized, accent and all! What are we to learn of this?
The American Southwest was once a totally Spanish-speaking region, and it likely will be again. Here we see the failure of the American experiment, as it neglected to assimilate its Mexican-Spanish immigrants (both legal and illegal) into the "great melting pot." The problem was even worse among some Asian immigrants. Here Multiculturalism was embraced, and because of that, the immigrants who came here were locked into a position of second-class citizenship, neither having full access to the American dream, nor having the ability to go back without great loss. Because of this, I believe Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico are destined to become an independent Spanish-speaking nation, neither Mexican nor American, but something in between. Los Angeles county in Southern California may very well become a balkanized region, with multiple sovereign entities. It is inevitable.
What however do we say of immigration success? Most of this can be found in the South and Midwest regions of the United States. Here immigrants have been discouraged from gathering in enclaves, and instead pushed to learn English (learn it well) and assimilate into the Southern American way of life. Guess what? It works! These good folks are virtually indistinguishable from those who's families have lived here for centuries.
The trick is not in stopping immigration. Immigration itself (whether legal or illegal) is not the enemy. (Though it sure would be nice to have every immigrant properly documented and processed, both for their well-being and ours.) The trick is to properly regulate and control immigration. The numbers of immigrants have to be limited, for the well-being of everybody. The current pope even said that nations have the right to regulate immigration in such a way so as to protect their sovereignty and cultural identity. Let's face it, America needs immigrants, and even the South needs immigrants. Today's Southern families are smaller, and for economies to thrive, populations must grow. Immigration can help this process, but it shouldn't be the dominant source of population growth. In all cases however, it still must be regulated in such a way so as to allow full assimilation of immigration populations. This is how we preserve our sovereignty and our culture. It's no different than the African ladies and gentlemen who joined our people centuries ago under the most tragic of circumstances. Over the years their people not only assimilated into our culture, but contributed to it as well, giving the South a good portion of its charm and cultural beauty. Where would we be today without them? We certainly wouldn't be who we are now. The same can happen, and is happening, with our immigrant friends who are willing to assimilate into our culture and adopt our ways. This is a Southern Catholic approach to immigration, and it makes a lot of sense.
You see there is a fundamental misunderstanding about multiculturalism out there. Multiculturalism is not about race, but it is about culture, and that is where the problem is. Wikipedia defines multiculturalism as follows...
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations.... Multiculturalism is often contrasted with the concepts assimilationism and social integration and has been described as a "salad bowl" or "cultural mosaic" rather than a "melting pot."
'The Catholic Knight' advocates ASSIMILATIONISM, which is the opposite of multiculturalism, and it is what makes immigration and racial harmony possible. I favor the "melting pot" not the "salad bowl" approach. The melting pot of the South is the remnant of Christendom in culture. That's what makes it work -- when it's applied. Case in point, there are two historical periods in the South when the melting pot of Christendom was not applied, or misapplied, and those were the periods of slavery and segregation. In both cases, one minority group was not permitted to assimilate into the majority, and because of this, race relations were damaged. But they were not damaged beyond repair, as is evident in many Southern cities today, where blacks are accepted by whites, and before this massive recession anyway, they were moving up into high paying jobs. This is ASSIMILATION in action, and it is the opposite of Multiculturalism. In other words, the minorities accept our culture, embracing it, and we in turn embrace them.
This is not about race, it's about culture, and culture is not the same thing as race. I have some friends in this area, who are of Mexican heritage, but they are more red-blooded American than I am at times. I'm talking about hard core conservative Christian values, hunting and fishing fools, who's idea of a good time is blaring bluegrass music and cooking BBQ brisket. Lot's of black folks feel the same way down here. Of course, then there are those friends of mine who are of Asian heritage who prefer country and Southern gospel music instead. You see what I mean? That's assimilationism at work.
I believe those (including some of our own Catholic bishops) who subscribe to a laziesez-faire appraoch to immigration are making a critical error. Yes, Christian teaching does tell us to be kind to immigrants, and help them in every way possible. But part of "helping" them is giving them real opportunities to attain a lifestyle that is just as good as what we have. The only way to do that is to give them the tools they need to thrive, and this does not come through "sanctuary cities," amnesty, affirmative action and race quotas in hiring practices. It comes through learning good English, and studying the cultural, religious, economic and political reality of this nation. It also comes from learning to respect our laws, standing in line, and waiting one's turn. That's just common Christian courtesy we would expect from our own people. Why not immigrants too? With these tools immigrant can set out to do literally anything! I should know. I am descended from immigrants who did just that. Most of us are.
Approximate map of Ten North American Nations Based on Cultural Demographics
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Three years ago I warned on this blog that this would happen. In the wake of the 2008 real estate bubble burst, and the subsequent economic crisis, I warned that if Americans didn't take that as a wake up call, and move toward radical deconstruction of the massive federal bureaucracy, the inevitable result will be the complete and total breakup of the United States of America into multiple smaller nation states.
For a while, it looked as if Americans were starting to wake up, with the TEA Parties and Town Halls, it appeared as if Americans were finally "getting it." Indeed many Americans were, but I'm afraid it was not enough. It's starting to look like it was too little too late. What started out as a grassroots movement in the TEA Party was quickly hijacked by establishment Republicans seeking an opportunity to get back into office. In 2010 the TEA Parties and Town Halls began to focus exclusively on national elections, and left state and local elections neglected. The quality of the Republicans that were put into office was less than desired. By July of 2011 that poor quality was demonstrated by a weak compromise on legislation that raised the national debt ceiling, and simultaneously failed to significantly reduce government spending. In essence, a good number of the supposedly "TEA Party Republicans" handed the Democrats and establishment Republicans a blank check. The end result of that was a national credit rating downgrade with more on the way.
As I warned in 2008, the nation is starting to fall apart. Morale is at an all time low. The federal government is loosing credibility by the second. The TEA Partiers feel betrayed by the Republican Party, but they're left with nowhere to turn in the Democratic Party. Third parties have not been a viable option in American politics in 150 years. Now TEA Partiers are being told to accept the Republican status quo or else be faced with more Obamanomics and Democrat Left-wing lunacy. The national debt, already at $14.5 trillion, is now set to balloon to about $20 trillion (or more) before the end of the decade. Monetizing this debt, through a Federal Reserve scheme called "quantitative easing" or "QE," is now a reality as this has been done twice already (QE1 and QE2), and everyone knows that QE3 is just around the corner. It is inevitable that there will be a QE4 and a QE5 until they eventually just stop numbering them. The value of the dollar will tumble with this, and that hurts everyone. I don't have a crystal ball. I cannot tell you how long this will take. I can say however, that my warnings were proved right (sadly), and I am now prepared to say the American Empire is effectively over. The USA is done, finished, kaput. We, as a nation, will not be buried overnight. Rather, like most massive empires, like ancient Rome, we will likely deconstruct slowly.
As I predicted in 2008, peaceful secessionist movements have arisen around the nation, and they are now gaining considerable traction. From liberal secessionist movements in Vermont, the West Coast, Puerto Rico and Hawaii, to Libertarian secessionist movements in Texas, Alaska and the Northern Midwest, to the paleo-conservative secessionist movement in the Old South, the nation is starting to break apart.
There is no question now. This nation will fall. It's just a matter of "when." I'm afraid that postponing this event to the next generation is no longer an option for us. We missed that window of opportunity in 2008-2009. The TEA Parties and Town Halls did not go far enough. We didn't focus on Subsidiarity enough. We didn't focus on states rights enough. We didn't focus on local and state elections enough. Now it's too late. So the only thing left for us to do is prepare, and having lived through the L.A. riots in California, I am here to tell you that anarchy is NOT an option. The time is coming, probably over the next five to ten years, when Americans are going to have to start making backup plans. What will we do when the federal government collapses? Is your state government prepared to stand on it's own? If not, can it ally with other state governments to rally enough strength to stand on their own as a group? What about you and your community? Can you and yours stand on your own? Are you growing your own vegetables yet? Are you canning? Are you cutting out luxuries in your home and trying to save money? Are you putting your saved money into things you can barter? Are you part of a neighborhood watch? Do you even know your neighbors? Yes, these decisions are really coming! Yes, this is what it really comes down to! These topics will be hitting the evening news before the decade is over. I am sure of it.
I for one know where my backup plan lies when the federal government finally goes belly up. I am a Catholic and I am a Southerner. I'll stand with Rome and with Dixie. It's the best shot on this continent until the Great Monarch and Angelic Pope finally come. Ironically, I'm not alone. It would appear that a fairly large number of people who are contributing to the new Southern Independence Movement happen to be Catholics, as this video below points out. I haven't joined the League of the South yet, but I will be watching it closely in the coming years...
The Battle of Wilson's Creek Historical Reenactment
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: At the recommendation of a local friend I decided to attend the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Wilson's Creek in Southwest Missouri. I was a bit hesitant at first for fear that the production might not do honor to the men who courageously gave their lives just a few miles from where I live. I had heard about previous attempted battle reenactments, and they didn't sound too appealing. This time however, it was different, and because it was different, something magical happened here in Southwest Missouri.
Reenactorsdressed in period costume
The 150th anniversary was a special occasion to be remembered, and so the private fields were donated adjacent to the landmark battlefield site, and the professional Civil War reenactors were brought in from all over the country. A tent city was erected with crafts, refreshments and souvenir vendors. Both Union and Confederate camps were set up down by the creek and the reenactors stayed in character for anyone who wished to browse through their tents. Conversation with these folks was amusing. Upon entering the Union camp I was promptly asked to discard the "separatists flags" we had purchased upon entering the attraction. (We had bought some small "Stars and Bars" along with the "Missouri Battle Flag.") While a high-ranking Union officer was discussing the strategies of war with us, a lower ranking officer interrupted the conversation with the report that Washington City was broke and could not send new provisions at this time. At which point one of the nearby spectators yelled "Well, I see nothing has changed!" causing the reenactors to break character for a moment to share a good laugh with the crowd.
An 1860s blacksmith demonstrates his skills while Union troops train for battle in the background.
The battle reenactments were superb, as men of all ages (some old and some just boys 12 and up) engaged in marching and flanking maneuvers not used by American soldiers in over a hundred years. The battle was condensed to about an hour in length for the purpose of not keeping the spectators in the sun too long, but they duplicated the Battle of Wilson's Creek for the most part, and as best as could be expected with the limited space of just 20 acres. What really made the whole event extra special was the celebration of the life and times of the people who lived during that era. The tent city offered more attractions than just historical warfare, as it delved into the culture and lifestyle of the people who lived in Southwest Missouri at that time. There was everything from an officer's ball to a gentleman's duel. Music from the period echoed throughout the valley, and people from all over came dressed in vintage apparel. Southern Belles could be seen walking down the country paths, arm in arm with their soldier beaus. Little girls chased each other down the main walkway, dressed in clothing similar to what one might see in an episode of "Little House on the Prairie." Little boys, looking a lot like Huckleberry Finn, were playing marbles and tossing horse shoes. Of course, my own kids (dressed quite modern) joined in the festivities right along with them. For a moment, just three days total, visitors to Wilson's Creek were transported to another time in this same place. There was a connection to our past, our history, our people and our culture.
Beautiful Wilson's Creek Southwest Missouri
What was so striking about the whole affair was how unabashedly Christian the atmosphere was. The reenactors did such a good job playing the role of people during this period, that it wasn't long before the manners of Christendom's remnant began to rub off on the rest of us. Within just minutes of arriving we found ourselves addressing each other as "sir" and "ma'am," as we gentlemen began lifting our hats off to the ladies almost instinctively. It was a strange phenomenon, but a pleasant surprise. Of course, Southwest Missouri is already a militantly Christian part of the country, steeped in Baptist Evangelicalism and rigid Pentecostalism. The manners of Christendom's remnant disappeared from this area only about two decades ago, but they quickly resurfaced once exposed to this Wilson's Creek reenactment. Those manners may now be gone from everyday sight, but they are not gone from recent memory -- not yet anyway. Given the right atmosphere they can, and do, resurface. Of course country and celtic gospel music from the 1860s filled the air as well, and this only served to solidify the atmosphere of Christendom's remnant. I cannot begin to relate the feelings one has when events like this are put on with such dignity. As a man of Southern heritage, I could almost feel my eyes welling up with tears at times, but couldn't keep the smile off my face. Two of my ancestors were near this area at the time of the original battle, one fighting for the North and the other fighting for the South. The 150th Anniversary of the Battle at Wilson's Creek was in no way a glorification of death, but rather a celebration of life, as those who contributed honored the people of the time and the legacy they left behind. I was humbled to share a small part in it.
The Missouri Battle Flag Confederate Christian Colors
Of course this whole affair would be just a footnote in history without the original battle a century and a half ago. Had the Battle of Wilson's Creek never happened, there would be no reenactment here, and nothing in particular to remember. We cannot do full honor to the brave men who gave their lives at Wilson's Creek, on both sides, without remembering what they were fighting for. As a man of Southern heritage, I do admit to bias, but I think it is well reasoned bias and fairly dispassionate. It is a bias not based on my maternal heritage, but on deep Christian ideology which my father's Union heritage could not argue with. The whole story of America is an iliad really, a long narrative of a series of disastrous events, tied together by a common theme that should make every Christian tremble. That iliad begins with the events leading up to 1776. The English colonists had suffered at the hands of a Protestant king who forgot the medieval Christian principle of subsidiarity. He was attempting to micromanage the English colonies in North America, and in doing so he levied taxes upon them which were unheard of for that time. He had also made war upon the Catholic king of France, causing the French to incite Native Americans into acts of violence against the English colonists. The list of abuses goes on and on and you can read about them in America's Declaration of Independence. The colonists had good reason to be angry with King George III of England, and so these mostly Protestant farmers allied with the Catholic king of France (Louis XVI) to overthrow the rule of their own Protestant king over the colonies. Thus the United States of America was born.
This is an original Portrait of the Battle of Wilson's Creek, credited with being the bloodiest battle in the Civil War, where the first Union general was killed. In this painting is featured Confederate troops from Arkansas and the Missouri State Guard. You will notice the original Confederate flag, the "Stars and Bars" (1860-1863) looked strikingly similar to the American Union flag "Stars and Stripes."
For all the talk of "freedom" and "independence" and "liberty," these words have little meaning outside of the context in which they were uttered by America's founding fathers. Though the word was not in wide use at the time, "subsidiarity" perfectly describes the principle upon which the American War of Independence was fought, and upon which the original Articles of Confederation were founded. The American colonists believed that power rests principally among the people first, and that government should be focused primarily at the local level with "grassroots" organization. Then as one moves further up the chain of government, from the city municipality, to the county, to the state, and so on; the role of each should be progressively less as the higher forms of government take a subsidiary role to the lower forms. The idea here is that higher forms of government only perform those functions that lower forms of local government cannot perform on their own, focusing primarily upon coordinating efforts between local governments rather than usurping them. The problem with King George III is that he was doing the exact opposite, attempting to micromanage the colonies from the top down, and in doing so he (perhaps unwittingly) became a tyrant to these same colonists. Shortly after the American War of Independence, (which was remarkably different from the French Revolution that occurred later), the founding fathers called for a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The idea was to tweak and streamline the Articles of Confederation the states were using as a national constitution at the time. Some of the delegates to this convention had other plans. Shortly after opening the convention, the Articles of Confederation were scrapped, and the delegates began drawing up a whole new Constitution of the United States of America. Two groups emerged in the convention -- the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists pushed for a strong central governing republic. The Anti-Federalists warned that by centralizing federal powers, the republic risked becoming just as much of a tyrant as King George III. As Daniel Bliss of Concord said prior to the American War of Independence: "Better to live under one tyrant a thousand miles away, than a thousand tyrants one mile away." In the end, the warnings of Bliss went unheeded, the Federalists won the day, and the new Constitution was ratified by all independent thirteen states.
This "tent city" stood just outside the battlefield site, on the other side of Wilson's Creek. Here spectators could participate in period crafts, watch productions of period plays, listen to period music, and enjoy period food. The city was populated by vendors dressed in 1860s period costumes.
The American Civil War (1861-1865) is inappropriately named. The official name of the war in the Congressional record is called the "War of the Rebellion." To people who live in the states that seceded from the Union during that time, all the way up to today (my own state of Missouri included), the war is affectionately referred to as the "War of Southern Independence" or more vindictively at times called the "War of Northern Aggression." While the term "Civil War" is the most widely accepted term (perhaps because nobody can agree on what it should be called), it really wasn't a civil war by definition. A civil war, by definition, is when two factions fight to gain control of one government. That is not what happened in 1861-1865. What happened in this case was a war of secession, where one group of people fought for political independence from a larger (more powerful) nation. In essence, the "War of Southern Independence" was identical to the "American War of Independence." In both cases, thirteen states fought for independence from a larger imperial power. In the case of the "American War of Independence" (1776-1783) the rebels won. In the case of the "War of Southern Independence" (1861-1865) the rebels lost. The similarities between these wars are uncanny.
In the case of the "War of Southern Independence" what unfolded was the physical consequences of the Anti-Federalists' warnings unheeded. This was the direct cause of the so-called American "Civil War." Contrary to popular folklore, slavery was not the cause of Southern secession, but it was however the hot-button social issue of the day, much in the same way abortion and same-sex marriage are now. Because of the charged political environment at the time, the issue of slavery factored into every corner of political life. Truth be told, the whole United States of America, from North to South, was a "slave economy" at the time. While most Northern states had banned institutionalized slavery by the time of the War, the banks in these states still used slaves as collateral in securing loans to Southern farmers. In other words, if you were a farmer in the South, and you needed a loan, about the only way you could get one was from a Northern bank. Those banks considered Southern land "worthless" because of the intense humidity and disease carrying mosquitoes in the summer months. Therefore a Southern farmer couldn't use his land to secure the loan. The only thing the Northern banks would use as collateral was farm equipment and slaves. So while the farmers in the South used their slaves as farm hands, it was the banks in the North that actually owned them. For if ever the farmer couldn't make his mortgage payments, his slave holdings and farm equipment would be foreclosed, causing the banks to auction them to the highest bidder. Foreclosed slave holdings were usually shipped down the Mississippi River for auction, hence the term "sold down the river." When the Southern states initially seceded, the Northern banks and newspapers were indifferent, that is, until they realized that secession might prohibit banks from foreclosing on mortgages down South. It was at that time the banks pressured the Lincoln administration to retake the Southern states, by force if necessary. It was a classic case of big business influencing government for their own material gain. The rest is history. In the end however, the South had the last laugh, well sort of. After the war, Northern banks began to foreclose on slave holdings in the South because Southerners hadn't paid their mortgages in almost four years! (It was the consequence of war you see.) So as they began to foreclose on Southern slave holdings, as "uncles" and "aunties" were about to be deported to Cuba for auction, the abolitionists in the U.S. Congress put forward the 13th Amendment, which if ratified by the states would free all the slaves in the entire Union and U.S. territories included. So guess which states ratified it first? You guessed it! The Southern states ratified it even before most Northern states! This prevented the Northern banks from robbing Southern families of friends they had known for years and deporting them to another country for auction. Thus the slaves were free, the Northern banks were screwed, and the defeated Confederates got the last laugh -- for a while. That is until the passage of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which gave the North the power to forbid all Southern gentlemen from public office and put into effect a military occupation of the South that would last for decades. It was dubiously called "Reconstruction."
Of course the question begs to be asked; why did the Southern States secede in the first place? We could go into a whole host of reasons, much of it related to taxes, particularly the Morrill Tariff of 1861, but in the end what it really came down to ideologically was the principle of subsidiarity. The federal government was imposing taxes that severely hurt the Southern economy, and this was being done without the consent of the Southern states. While the Morrill Tariff itself was not passed until 1861, largely because of the exodus of Southern congressmen from Washington City, the precursors that led up to it were in play for about 20 years prior to the War. Southern congressmen found themselves constantly battling Northern attempts to raise tariffs in such a way that would hurt the South. Of course the issue of slavery became a vindictive excuse for Northern politicians to justify their unfair positions on trade and commerce. The South had had enough, so to speak, and saw in the election of Abraham Lincoln the stooge these Northern politicians needed to finally "stick it to the South" and raise the tariffs. The federal government was becoming an "empire" on par with what King George III did to the original American colonists just a generation prior. Recognizing that the principle of subsidiarity had been lost in Washington City, and evoking "states rights," the Southern states began their secession from the Union, one by one, until thirteen in total comprised the Confederate States of America. Two states, Missouri and Kentucky, were forced into the Confederacy by circumstance, after Union generals attacked them after they originally voted to stay within the Union.
Pope Pius IX who declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and authored the 'Syllabus of Errors'
As an interesting footnote to the whole ordeal, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, along with Confederate General Robert E. Lee, forged an interesting (though unofficial) alliance with just one European monarch. His name was Pope Pius IX. While the Vatican could do nothing to physically aid the Confederacy during her time of need, and indeed sought peace above all things, we can gather from Pope Pius' letters to President Davis that the South was aided by the prayers of the Supreme Pontiff. The Holy Father acknowledged the legitimacy of the Confederacy, as a separate in independent nation, at least on a personal level, by acknowledging Davis is her "Honorable President." Of course the question begs to be asked -- why? Anything we say on that is just theory, for none of us can get into the mind of Pius IX. Based however, on what we do know of the man, we can make educated guesses. The first thing we can gather is that the Holy Father may have had sympathies for the South simply because he saw in Southern culture a remnant of medieval Christendom, wherein women were honored and liberal modernism was abhorred. That's one possible explanation, but not the only one. A second possible explanation is the cause upon which the South was fighting to begin with, which was states-rights, hearkening to the Christian principle of subsidiarity, a principle championed by the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Lastly, we could say a third possible explanation was simply that the South was fighting for it's survival with no intention of conquest over Northern states, while it was clear from both strategic models and political rhetoric, that the North was fighting specifically for conquest of the Southern states. In other words, the South was fighting a defensive war, while the North was fighting a war of conquest. Thus the South was in line with St. Thomas Aquinas' "Just War" theory while the North was in direct opposition to it. While it may have been just one of these reasons, or some combination of all three, the only thing we know is that Pope Pius IX wrote a very cordial letter to President Jefferson Davis, and later sent an autographed picture of himself. He did not do this for President Abraham Lincoln. Furthermore, it would appear that Pope Pius IX may not have been too fond of President Lincoln either, especially after Lincoln tried to influence the pope on ecclesiastic matters by writing a letter to the Holy Father, requesting him to elevate New York Archbishop John McCloskey to the college of cardinals. Pope Pius IX refused Lincoln's request.
The exchange between President Jefferson Davis and Pope Pius IX is recorded in "A Memoir of Jefferson Davis" completed (in two volumes) by his wife Varina Davis after his death...
Letter to the Pope from Jefferson Davis
RICHMOND, September 23, 1863.
VERY VENERABLE SOVEREIGN PONTIFF The letters which you have written to the clergy of New Orleans and New York have been communicated to me, and I have read with emotion the deep grief therein expressed for the ruin and devastation caused by the war which is now being waged by the United States against the States and people which have selected me as their President, and your orders to your clergy to exhort the people to peace and charity. I am deeply sensible of the Christian charity which has impelled you to this reiterated appeal to the clergy. It is for this reason that I feel it my duty to express personally, and in the name of the Confederate States, our gratitude for such sentiments of Christian good feeling and love, and to assure Your Holiness that the people, threatened even on their own hearths with the most cruel oppression and terrible carnage, is desirous now, as it has always been, to see the end of this impious war; that we have ever addressed prayers to Heaven for that issue which Your Holiness now desires; that we desire none of our enemy's possessions, but that we fight merely to resist the devastation of our country and the shedding of our best blood, and to force them to let us live in peace under the protection of our own institutions, and under our laws, which not only insure to every one the enjoyment of his temporal rights, but also the free exercise of his religion. I pray Your Holiness to accept, on the part of myself and the people of the Confederate States, our sincere thanks for your efforts in favor of peace. May the Lord preserve the days of Your Holiness, and keep you under His divine protection.
(Signed) "JEFFERSON DAVIS."
The Pope's Reply
ILLUSTRIOUS AND HONORABLE PRESIDENT, salutation: We have just received with all suitable welcome the persons sent by you to place in our hands your letter, dated 23d of September last. Not slight was the pleasure we experienced when we learned, from those persons and the letter, with what feelings of joy and gratitude you were animated, illustrious and honorable President, as soon as you were informed of our letters to our venerable brother John, Archbishop of New York, and John, Archbishop of New Orleans, dated the 18th of October of last year, and in which we have with all our strength excited and exhorted those venerable brothers that, in their episcopal piety and solicitude, they should endeavor, with the most ardent zeal, and in our name, to bring about the end of the fatal civil war which has broken out in those countries, in order that the American people may obtain peace and concord, and dwell charitably together. It is particularly agreeable to us to see that you, illustrious and honorable President, and your people, are animated with the same desires of peace and tranquility which we have in our letters inculcated upon our venerable brothers. May it please God at the same time to make the other peoples of America and their rulers, reflecting seriously how terrible is civil war, and what calamities it engenders, listen to the inspirations of a calmer spirit, and adopt resolutely the part of peace. As for us, we shall not cease to offer up the most fervent prayers to God Almighty, that He may pour out upon all the people of America the spirit of peace and charity, and that He will stop the great evils which afflict them. We, at the same time, beseech the God of pity to shed abroad upon you the light of His grace, and attach you to us by a perfect friendship.
Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, the 3d of December, 1863, of our Pontificate 18.
In the end we all know what happened. The South lost the war, and none of us can ever know if that was a good or bad thing, because none of us can predict what would have happened had the war gone the other way. Nevertheless, the Confederacy had a motto, which was officially stamped on it's national seal. It reads in Latin Deo Vindice which means "God will vindicate." Above the motto is a depiction of General George Washington (a native Virginian) riding on horseback. The image, along with the motto, sends a very clear message. The South was fighting for the same cause as George Washington and all the Founding Fathers during the American War of Independence. From the Southern perspective, the struggle was the exactly the same.
The Missouri battle flag, featuring the Roman cross, identifies General John Bowen's Missouri Brigade, who fought in this reenactment of the Battle of Champion Hill.
One-hundred and fifty years have passed now from those fateful days in 1861. In that time we have seen the warnings of the Confederates all become a part of our regular everyday life. We have a massive federal government that is bloated beyond anything the South or the North could have imagined in 1861. It rules by the "tyranny of relativism" as religion must retreat wherever the government advances, and as of late, the government is advancing everywhere! The examples of its violations against both state and individual rights are egregious as they are numerous. It has saddled our children with a national debt of over $14 trillion, a debt they can never repay, and has left our national credit rating downgraded. Is there anyone left in America who can honestly say with a straight face that the South was wrong? Is there anyone left in America who can honestly say that God hasn't already vindicated the South? Indeed, God already has vindicated the South, not by war or military revenge. No. The definition of the word "vindicate" means to free from allocation of blame, or to provide justification. The Confederate motto of Deo Vindice has nothing to do with the revenge of the South, and everything to do with showing that the South was right in its claims against the federal government. For the federal government has become everything the South said it would, and more, beyond what anyone living in the period could have imagined. Indeed God has vindicated the South. Deo Vindice. Just look around.
2009 TEA Party Demonstration in Washington DC
So here we are, a century and a half later, and the struggle has not changed. From TEA Parties to Town Halls, from the fight over Obamacare to the credit downgrading Debt Deal, the struggle is the same. The federal government has trampled the rights of the states, and in doing so it has annihilated the freedom of the people. The Catholic Church has since defined the word SUBSIDIARITY and placed in plainly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church for all to read and learn. Sadly, very few Catholics have, and today anyway, most Evangelical Protestants do a better job defending this principle than Catholics. This in spite of the fact that few Protestants have ever even heard of the word and even fewer know it stands for the very thing they fight for in TEA Parties and other patriotic events around the nation. It is however an American Iliad, a long narrative of a series of disastrous events, tied together by a common theme. That common theme is the struggle for Subsidiarity against Tyranny, the rights of the States (and the people) against the Empire. It doesn't matter of that empire subsists in the crown of a man who lives on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, or the derbies of men who control the money on Wall Street and the lobbyists on K Street. It doesn't matter of that tyrant is an imperial monarchy or a federal republic. Whenever subsidiarity is denied, tyranny exists. The struggle for the former, and against the latter, is our American Iliad.
