THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: More evidence is mounting that the American South (Dixieland) is becoming the fastest growing region for Catholicism in the United States (read more here, here and here). One hallmark of 'Southern Catholicism' is its more traditional character. Southern Catholics are far more likely, than their counterparts in other regions of the United States, to believe what the Catholic Church teaches and attempt to practice it. Furthermore, Southern Catholics have a growing interest in the more traditional liturgical aspects of the faith, including Latin hymns, incense, ad orientem, and kneeling for communion. In addition, there is a growing interest in traditional headcovering among Catholic women in the South. Now with this growth we are beginning to see the building of new seminaries...
(CNA/EWTN News).- A community of cloistered nuns and a future regional seminary plan to occupy newly purchased property in Cleveland County, N.C., to serve a flourishing Catholic population.
The Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration and the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Te Deum Foundation will acquire 484 acres valued at $2.9 million in Mooresboro, which is about 60 miles west of Charlotte.
“Most seminaries only teach how to close parishes, cluster parishes, and how to administer to several parishes in light of dwindling numbers of Catholics,” the foundation said on their website. “Praise be to God that this is not a problem in the South!”
The planned seminary, for which 151 acres have been set aside, will be the only one in Georgia, Florida and North and South Carolina, the Catholic News Herald reported. Seminarians from the Diocese of Charlotte currently attend seminaries in Maryland, Ohio and Rome....
It should not be surprising then that with this growth of Catholic population in the South, we are also seeing a surge of Catholics into the Southern Nationalist Movement. In fact, Catholics make up a sizeable portion of the leadership in this movement. You can read more here.
(Ethika Politika) - What then is the best Catholic strategy for the present? In 2004 I wrote an article for New Oxford Review arguing that if we Catholics really wanted to have an impact on U.S. politics, the best means would be a strategy selectively to abstain from voting, so as to serve notice to politicians that until they come to us with a platform reasonably in comformity with the entire range of Catholic teaching, they could not expect our votes. Play hard to get and let them come courting, I argued. There are enough of us so that we should make them earn our votes, not run after one politician or the other who mouths agreement with Catholic teaching on this or that issue. Is this still our best hope for influencing American politics? Much depends, I think, on whether any of the current legal or political efforts to overturn the administration’s health care mandate will succeed. If they do not, if there are not enough active and faithful Catholics to make this politically feasible, then perhaps the best strategy for the Church is to forget about electoral politics entirely for the time being and simply preach the whole Gospel, both those parts that resonate with the left and those that resonate with the right. After all, was this not the mission given to the Church at her origins? In any case, no compromise with either political bloc will serve the interests of the Church in the long runs, interests which are ultimately not of this world anyway, but simply the sanctification and salvation of souls.... read full story here
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: In the upcoming presidential election, I am going to propose the following. Since the GOP race now seems to be solely between Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney, I am going to say that Mr. Santorum is worth a try, in spite of his short comings, because he may be influenced by his Catholic faith just enough to do the right things while in office. In other words, it may be worth giving another Catholic a crack at the Whitehouse just to see what happens.
Now I want to clarify. Rick Santorum is probably one of the worst anti-liberty candidates in the Republican primaries. He is the political antithesis of everything every freedom-loving Southerner stands for. However, in comparison to Obama on that issue, he is no worse, so when it comes to freedom, a race between Santorum and Obama is a wash. We pretty much break even. The only thing that's worth a darn about Santorum is his Pro-Life position, coupled with the fact that he (as a supposedly conservative Catholic) will have his feet held to the fire on that one. If he takes the dictator-in-cheif position in favour of the unborn, than perhaps an ounce of good can come from his administration. Though I'm sure it will be short-lived. Just as soon as a Democrat regains the Whitehouse, after his 'reign,' all the benefits will be lost.
Another 'good' Rick Santorum might accomplish is to finally decouple freedom-loving Southerners from the Republican Party. Right now people associate the Republican Party with the TEA Party and conservatism. A Santorum administration would once and for all put an end to the notion that constitutional restraint can be realised within the Republican Party. The G.O.P. is the author of American dictatorship through its infamous hero -- Abraham Lincoln.
If however, Mitt Romney wins the GOP nomination, I am going to say that we have no truly Pro-Life candidate running for president this year.
Without a truly Pro-Life candidate in the race, I think it might be wise to not vote for president, or vote third-party, or do whatever it takes to rob both the Democrats and Republicans of our vote entirely.
Maybe in the absence of any real political solution, this is the only answer. Maybe we should just stop voting, perhaps limiting our participation to state and local politics if we vote at all, until the national political parties start courting us again. Your thoughts?
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: History has just been made. For the first time ever, the Deep South of Dixie has just voted for two Catholic candidates for president. South Carolina and Georgia voted for Catholic convert Newt Gingrich, while Alabama and Mississippi just voted for traditional Latin Mass Catholic Rick Santorum.
Catholic Convert Newt Gingrich
Traditional Catholic Rick Santorum
While I suffer from no illusions about either of these two candidates -- they are both big government Republicans who have compromised their conservative principles -- I am compelled to point out to my readers that history has just been made. The Deep South of Dixie has just demonstrated a willingness to shed its anti-Catholic history and support a Catholic for the highest office of the land. (They just can't decide which one yet.)
When you couple this with the fact that Catholics are taking leadership roles within the New Southern Nationalist movement, it can safely be said that what we are witnessing in the Southland of Dixie is a profound paradigm shift crossing all religious lines. The South is coming out pro-Catholic, and as far as this strongly Evangelical part of the United States goes, they say the more traditionally-conservative Catholic the better. (Now if we can only find one that believes in Subsidiarity.)
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Social science has now FINALLY caught up with the Catholic Church. The latest studies show that while the world population is growing, the number of children per household is actually decreasing -- EVERYWHERE -- even in Islamic countries! The reason why the world population continues to rise is not because people are having more babies, but because people are living longer. We will hit a population plateau within the next couple decades, which will be followed by a rapid decline in overall population. The effect of this will be a prolonged and unending economic depression!!!
Causes of Depopulation...
1. Career Women - Feminism. 2. Affluence - Decadence - (fewer children - invest more in each child). 3. Artificial birth control - coupled with sexual promiscuity - sexual revolution. 4. Cohabitation = less children. 5. No fault divorce = family instability. 6. Unwarranted fears of overpopulation (not supported by modern data).
Social scientists now admit that MARRIAGE DOES MATTER. MARRIAGE DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THE CHURCH WAS RIGHT!!! The Church was right about marriage. The Church was right about family. The Church was right about artificial birth control.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: About twenty years ago I was an Evangelical. I was part of a growing and vibrant movement. These communities couldn't expand their worship chapels fast enough. No sooner than they would grow out of a renovated store front, they would buy an abandon grocery store and convert it into a chapel, only to have to sell it a few years later and move into a renovated office building where they could build stadium seating. I now live in an area in Southwest Missouri where mega-churches the size of small college campuses dot the landscape. For all of their growth however, I knew something was missing.
A Modernist tsunami swept over all Western Christianity in the 1960s - 1970s
Evangelicals are known to church hop. In fact they are notorious for it. They move around from congregation to congregation, 'wherever the Spirit is leading,' so they say. Rarely do they settle down on a permanent church home. So naturally these communities are highly competitive with each other for new members. 'Come to our church, we have a new children's ministry!' and 'No, come to our church, we have a new rocking worship band!' Another funny thing about the Evangelical churches of today is that they were the mainstream Protestant churches of yesteryear. This is another example of church hopping. Socially speaking, mainstream Protestantism never died. It just morphed. As liberal modernists began taking over the leadership positions of mainstream Protestant denominations during the 1960s through 1970s, their relatively conservative and traditional congregations just left. A mass exodus occurred over the course of three decades, as the old mainstream Protestants simply became the new Evangelicals! My own family of five, in which I was raised, is a perfect example of this. We started off as Lutherans in the 1970s. During the 1980s we transitioned to Baptists, and finally by the 1990s we were full-fledged nondenominational Evangelicals. My family has since remained in the Evangelical fold, while only I myself, along with my wife and children have gone back to the Catholic Church via the Canterbury Trail. This is because I came to understand an inherent weakness in the Protestant strategy of preservation through schism. You see, Protestants never confronted the tsunami of liberal Modernism that swept through Western society during the 1960s and 70s. Instead, they just ran away from it. When the liberal Modernists infected their churches, and took them over, they didn't fight to regain control. They just left and started their own new Evangelical churches. There are many problems with this, which I could spend a lot of time talking about here, but I won't. Instead I will just say this. Sooner or later, when you fail to face your problems, they eventually catch up with you. So it is with Evangelicalism. The Modernist tsunami is just now touching the doors of the Evangelical churches, and guess what! The water is getting inside. It's just a matter of time now. Soon they will be dealing with all the same problems as their traditional Protestant counterparts. Women will demand ordination (it's already happened in some of these churches) and homosexuals will demand to be recognised as 'normal.' Evangelicals will not have the tools to confront the flood once they are up to their knees in it. Their only choice will again be preservation through schism again, and this time, they really have nowhere else to go. The entire Evangelical Movement has done nothing but postpone the inevitable.
This Modernist tsunami affected every aspect of Western society and religion itself was not immune.
As I said, my wife and I came into the Catholic Church via the Canterbury Trail. I won't go into the methodology that led to our decision to leave Evangelicalism for Anglicanism, but suffice it to say, rather than run away from the tsunami, we chose to dive right into it. There in The Episcopal Church U.S.A. we found ourselves confronted with literally everything our family had run away from -- liberal Modernism in religious robes. Thankfully, we had a relatively conservative priest, a leftover from a time long past, to help us overcome our fears of catholic ritual and tradition. What he could not help us overcome was the obvious flood of liberal Modernism that was all around us, something that he himself struggled with. My wife and I knew we could not support an institution that embraced this sort of thing, and we quickly discovered why our parents left the Lutheran church some twenty years prior. Nevertheless, our good Episcopal priest had showed us enough to overcome our fears, and so we jumped into the Tiber River and swam over to Rome.
The effect of Modernism on religion is always the same. Only the Catholic Church has remained intact, though damaged, after the Modernist tsunami swept through Western Christianity.
Once in the Roman Catholic Church we discovered the same liberal-Modernist tsunami had swept over there too, leaving a wake of destruction in its path. However, something was different in the Catholic fold. While many Catholics no longer practice, and those few who do oppose the Church in many areas, the doctrine of the Church remains intact. The pope remains in charge as its defender. For all the damage Modernism has wrought to Western Christianity, it is the Catholic Church alone that has neither succumbed to it, nor run away from it. Her doctrine remains intact, and the Gates of Hell have not prevailed. As the Voris video above accurately assesses the damage done to the Catholic Church by the Modernist tsunami, it does not point out what I have here. The Catholic Church took the tsunami head on, absorbing the full force of it, enduring an incredible amount of damage in the process. Many of our people were swept away by its sheer force. Yet in spite of that, the Catholic Church still stands. The Rock of Peter still reigns in Rome. All the forces of Hell could not wash it away. Now as the water recedes, and the damage is revealed, we are in awe of its devastation. The good news is it's nearly over. Rome has been tested, and Rome has survived. The mainstream Protestant denominations did not survive. They were changed, becoming part of the tsunami itself. As for the majority of mainstream Protestants, well, they just ran away, becoming Evangelicals, but they shall not escape. For some reason unknown to us, it would seem that God has ordained this tsunami to hit all of Western Christianity. Their time is coming. Indeed, that time has already come. Their church basements are already flooding. As for we Catholics, our flood is nearly over. Now comes the clean up work. As we clean up, some of our washed-away members will return to us, wandering back through the devastation, and when they find their way home, they will help us clean up. Don't be discouraged by this work. God has preserved a remnant for it. He always does.
If Elected, Mitt Romney Would Become America's First Mormon President
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I realise this may sound incredibly selfish so please forgive me. Considering the likelihood that America is headed for another economic catastrophe in the not-too-distant future, including the possibility of a crippling war as well, I'm almost glad Mitt Romney (a Mormon) has taken the lead for the GOP presidential nomination. I would hate for a Catholic (Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich) to be at the helm when this ship goes down. People hate Catholics enough already. We don't need the sinking of America on our backs too.
The Sinking Titanic Draws Many Parallels to America's Future
I'm just saying, the way people usually write the history books, Catholics almost universally get blamed whenever something goes wrong in society, whether the connection is real or just perceived. So I would hate to see the Catholic Church get blamed for the sinking of America in the not-too-distant future. This ship is going down. I say, let the Mormon have the wheel. Catholics should be readying the lifeboats.
Now the Mormons have a prophecy which many (not all but many) hold to be true, and it goes something like this. 'Joseph Smith, the prophet, was inspired to affirm and ratify this truth, and he further predicted that the time would come, when the Constitution of our country would hang as it were by a thread, and that the Latter-day Saints above all other people in the world would come to the rescue of that great and glorious palladium of our liberty' (Conference Report, October 1912, p.10). As I said, not all Mormons agree on this, but a fairly large number of them do. Mitt Romney has been asked about this specifically, in reference to the notion that he might be the representative of the "white horse" of Mormonism that Joseph Smith referred to in his so-called 'white horse prophecy.' Romney wisely dismissed the notion that he thought of himself in any such way. He did not however dismiss the prophecy itself. Undoubtedly, if elected, many Mormons will view Romney as the fulfilment of the 'white horse prophecy' and see our current times as those Joseph Smith spoke of 'when the Constitution would hand by a thread.' Of the latter portion about the Constitution we cannot deny. Indeed it is hanging by a threat and has been for some time. As for Romney being some kind of 'white horse' representative of Mormonism that is destined to save America from the abyss, well perhaps it's time the Mormons had their way to see if their so-called 'prophecy' comes true. Perhaps if America sinks with a Mormon at the helm, they may come to question some of the other teachings of Joseph Smith as well.
Many things may happen in the next president's term, regardless if it is Romney or Obama in the Whitehouse. A middle-eastern war between Israel and Iran seems almost certain to play out now, either under Obama's administration, or Romney's administration, depending on if/when Obama takes us to war before the election. While Iran will certainly take a beating like nothing its ever seen before, we have to remember, these are the Persians we are dealing with here. It's going to be a little different than Iraq. These people aren't going anywhere, and they sure as hell are not going to easily submit to some Western power (especially the Zionist state). There is going to be some blow back, and there are no time limits imposed on that. The Persians may have the means to react quickly, say within a year, or slowly within ten years, but they will hit back and it will be hard. Nine-eleven 2001 was a direct Sunni Fundamentalist response to the Persian Gulf War. It took them an entire decade to pull off their revenge on the United States for interfering in Arabian politics. Likewise, the Iranians will do the same, but I don't think it will take them nearly as long to pull it off. Meanwhile, the war itself will cripple the United States financially, while Israel will find itself in even a more vulnerable position as the entire Arab world will be enraged by their attack on an Islamic Republic. The eventual fall of Israel is almost certain, if not sooner than later. It will cause a Second Holocaust in that region, which is unthinkable, but here at home it will disrupt the Dispensationalist faith of millions of American Evangelicals. This of course provides a huge missionary opportunity for Catholics in the Midwest and South (Dixie) but that can't happen if a Catholic is at the wheel of this sinking nation, and the Israeli Holocaust happens under his watch. He will be blamed for the catastrophe, and the Catholic Church will be seen as the agent behind it all. This is the typical Evangelical tripe we get from them all the time. Remove a Catholic president from the equation, and all of this goes away. Either Romney (the Mormon) or Obama (the ???) will get the blame, while Catholics are free to do what Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have been calling us to do all along -- EVANGELISE!!!
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Always follow the money trail. Obama wants to get re-elected. That can't happen without campaign contributions from big corporations with lots and lots of money. Keep that in mind as you read this next story...
(The Daily Beast) - The Obama administration’s mandate that all health insurance companies must provide coverage for contraceptives has set off an explosive debate about religious freedom and women’s health issues. The attention has been focused on the administration’s insistence that religious institutions, such as Catholic hospitals and schools, would be required to offer the benefit for their employees, even though it contradicts church teaching. But completely ignored is the more fundamental problem: this mandate is not only about the bedroom, it’s about the boardroom. You’ve heard of crony capitalism? Well this is America’s first example of crony contraceptives.
Forget for a minute the religious question and look at who wins big here: Big Pharma. This mandate is not really about condoms or generic versions of “the pill,” which are available free or cheap in lots of places. This is about brand-name birth control drugs and other devices that some consumers swear off because they are too expensive. The Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate requires health-insurance companies provide contraceptive coverage for all “FDA approved contraceptive methods.” It does not insist on generics. And it does not offer any cost containment.
What’s more, the mandate prevents health-insurance companies from having copays or deductibles for the benefit. This is the perfect set up for Big Pharma. Since the drugs will be paid for by a third party (insurance companies, who will pass the cost on to employers and the rest of us), the consumer won’t worry about the price. Expensive brand names will no doubt see demand rise. Ask more health-care analysts why the cost of medical services continues to rise so rapidly and near the top of the list is the fact that a third-party payment system won’t contain costs.
Back in 2009, many observers were surprised when Big Pharma came out in favor of President Obama’s health-care reform bill. The industry spent millions running television ads in favor of the law and industry lobbyists pushed hard for it. One important reason they did so was the promise that with the new law they would have a new market of millions of new customers. The contraceptive mandate is a perfect example....
(Catholic Insight) - In a meeting with various U.S. Bishops, Pope Benedict XVI said that the consensus which once existed in America supporting “ethical principles deriving from nature and nature’s God,” has faded. “Today that consensus has eroded significantly in the face of powerful new cultural currents which are not only directly opposed to core moral teachings of the Judeo-Christian tradition, but increasingly hostile to Christianity as such,” he said.
The Pope was emphatic in insisting that the threat posed by current trends threatens not only Christianity but “humanity itself.” He said: “To the extent that some current cultural trends contain elements that would curtail the proclamation of these truths, whether constricting it within the limits of a merely scientific rationality, or suppressing it in the name of political power or majority rule, they represent a threat not just to Christian faith, but also to humanity itself and to the deepest truth about our being and ultimate vocation, our relationship to God.”
The Pope used strong language to describe the grave situation he perceives in America. “(I)t is imperative, he said, “that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realise the grave threats to Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres.” He continued, “The seriousness of these threats needs to be clearly appreciated at every level of ecclesial life.” read full story here
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Pope Benedict XVI has now warned Americans against the dangerous trend of militant Secularisation in the United States. It is, in my own estimation, a trend far more dangerous to us than radical Islam, and threatens to do more harm to our Christian culture than Muslim jihadists could ever do on their best day. Pope Benedict ought to know a thing or two about this. He has lived his entire life in Europe, where he has watched first hand the horrors of Nazism, followed by the post-war Secularisation of European society. Today, Europe is spiritually lost, just as Our Lady of Fatima warned the three seer children almost a century ago. That once great Christian civilisation is no more. The twentieth century killed it. What was the cause of Europe's demise? Was it Nazism? Was it fascism? Was it communism? While all of these things certainly played a role in preparing Europe for her rapid apostasy, it was none of these things that finally brought it about. No. What caused Europeans to give up their faith was nothing more or less than Liberal Progressive Secularism! With mind-blowing speed, Europe was returned to an era where practising Christianity occupied a percentage of the population so shockingly small, that numbers of this type haven't been seen since the days of the ancient Roman Empire. Their embrace of the Secularist mindset brought about this immediate and dramatic decline of Christianity in Europe -- IN LESS THAN ONE GENERATION!!! Radical Secularisation proved to be more effective at eliminating Christianity than Nazism, fascism and communism combined!!!
Now the Secularists have set their sights on North America. They have infiltrated our schools, media, government and courts. They occupy the highest offices in the land and sit on the United States Supreme Court. They have been present among us for just as long as the European Secularists, if not longer, and their works are evident. Many of them have ties to known hate-groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazis. Yes, some are in our federal government, and even some have sat on the United States Supreme Court. I encourage you to listen to this short audio clip from Constitutional lawyer and radio talk-show host Mark Levin. (I'm not his fan, but I give credit where credit is due.) He will tell you where American Secularism came from and it will shock you. The anti-Catholic bigots are still running America, and they have been for a very long time. Think of it for just a moment. While I am no fan of the former President John F. Kennedy, and he was certainly no paragon of Catholic virtue by any stretch of the imagination, he could not be elected president in this country without first RENOUNCING his faith in public life. This is why I predict that Rick Santorum WILL NOT be nominated for president by the GOP. While the man has many flaws, not as serious as Kennedy's but flaws nonetheless, he has refused to renounce the influence of his Catholic faith on his public life. That killed his campaign right there. Santorum will fizzle in the weeks ahead. Mitt Romney, on the other hand, did renounce his Mormon faith in public life back in 2008. So having bowed to the sterile gods of Secularism, just like J.F.K., he will get his party's nomination. Whether or not he wins the presidency is another story. That depends on different issues.
The Secularisation of the United States and Canada have now reached an unstoppable speed. The Obama administration's recent HHS mandate is just a symptom of this much greater problem. Word has it that another HHS mandate compromise is in the works. We shall see what comes of that, but it changes nothing as far as I'm concerned. Even if the U.S. Catholic Church wins this battle hands down, the fact that they had to fight that battle in the first place clearly signals that the United States of America, I was taught to believe in as a child, does not exist and clearly has not existed for a very long time. The flags, the anthems, the mottos, the pledge, all of it; they are an illusion. The religious freedom these things claim to represent does not exist. Anti-Catholics have been running this federal Union for a very long time. This is why I have joined the League of the South, an organisation heavily influenced by Catholic thinking in regards to freedom of religion, and have become a full-fledged secessionist and Dixie Nationalist. Their Core Beliefs Statement and Statement on Racism were formulated with the help of Catholics and present a future vision of our homeland that no good Catholic can honestly object to. The League's Statement on Obama's attack on Christians demonstrates a clear stand with the U.S. Catholic Church against the Obama administration's recent HHS mandate. The biggest reason why I have joined the League of the South however, is its blatant and unapologetic stand against militant Secularism. There is no other viable political organisation in the United States that takes such a strong stand against the Secularisation of our society. Admittedly, the League of the South is a geographical organisation, representing mainly the sixteen Southern states of Dixie, thirteen of which seceded in 1860 - 61 to form their own nation. One doesn't need to be a Southerner to join the League, but admittedly, the League's interest concerns the South. Catholics in other parts of America are more than welcome to support the League, but I would also encourage them to form their own geographical organisations in opposition to the militant Secularism now promoted by the District of Columbia, otherwise known as 'The Columbian Empire' or 'Washington D.C.' I would strongly encourage Catholic involvement in the Second Vermont Republic and the Third Palmetto Republic. Both of these growing state secession movements will need strong Catholic influence to become successful and prevent an infestation of anti-Catholicism within their ranks. Between the Second Vermont Republic and the Third Palmetto Republic, one will immediately observe two very different ways of addressing social problems, but both can be easily guided by the wisdom of Catholic teaching on Subsidiarity, each in its own way. Catholics should also look into forming new state organisations in other parts of the United States. Why? Because in order to fight back effectively, we must bring into question the authority of Washington D.C. over us. It's the Church's job to transform the faithful, and yes, the laity do have a role in that process. However, when it comes to the political affairs of this world, it is not the Church's job to transform our political institutions. That is specifically the job of the laity. So if you think the Catholic Church is ever going to transform anti-Catholic Washington D.C., you can just get that silly notion out of your head right now. IT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!!! Rick Santorum, for example, would transform Washington D.C. about as effectively as John F. Kennedy did -- which is nill. The nation's capitol is un-reformable. It's not just the District of Columbia that needs transformation, (a transformation that will never happen), but increasingly we are beginning to see anti-Catholic sentiments in many U.S. states as well. Basically, wherever one sees a strong political push for homosexual 'marriage,' there one will also find a latent anti-Catholic bigotry just beneath the surface. Again though, it's not homosexual 'marriage' that is the problem here, it's just another symptom.
THE PROBLEM IS MILITANT SECULARISM. That's because Secularism and Christianity are two opposing world views, at odds in every way, having virtually nothing in common. Indeed, Christianity and Islam have more in common than Christianity and Secularism. If one believes that Christianity and Islam can never coexist in peace, an assumption sometimes accurate and sometimes not, than the dichotomy between Christianity and Secularism is even greater. THE TWO SYSTEMS CANNOT COEXIST IN PEACE AT ALL. One will always devour the other. The only question is which one will pursue the more aggressive position. For the last sixty-plus years, the more aggressive party has been Secularism. It has destroyed Europe at a mind-blowing speed. North America is next, and the Secularists are well on their way. The momentum is gathering. Christians in North America have this one last window of opportunity to make our last stand before the coming Chastisement of God. We must break the hold that Secular institutions (governments) have upon us. We must deny them their power to govern us. We must make it crystal clear, beyond the shadow of a doubt, in no uncertain terms, that we will not submit to the sterile gods of Secularism any more. They have no power over us.
Like it or not, America's Roman Catholics will play a central role in this struggle. The Church has given her marching orders insofar as she is authorised to give them. We, the Roman Catholics of the United States, have been instructed to disobey any government law or diktat that violates Catholic conscience. Most recently, such an edict has manifested itself in Obama's HHS mandate on artificial contraception, sterilisation and abortion-inducing drugs. What will become of this edict we cannot know right now but it does not matter. Because even if the Catholic Church wins this battle, more will soon follow, and it won't just be against the federal government, but against state governments too. Sadly, most of these state governments are in what is historically known as Yankee or Western territories. So far, the Old South (Dixie) has been the only region that remains legally friendly to the Catholic Church. Catholics must seize on this opportunity while it still lasts -- before this window closes and all is lost.
In addition to what the Catholic Church advocates, which amounts to limited civil disobedience against unjust laws, as a Catholic layman working in the political realm, I am advocating a counter punch against Secularism, which has not been seen since the advance of this evil since the middle twentieth century in Europe and North America. Nobody thus far has called out militant Secularism for what it is -- EVIL. Since it is evil, we must stand against it. We are morally obligated to do so. Thus we must also stand against those private and public institutions that promote it, and this includes not only various state governments, but the United States federal government itself. After more than half a century, the time has finally come to fight back! We are a Christian people, and WE WILL NOT voluntarily submit to a government that opposes our faith. We cannot be expected to submit to militant Secular law any more than we can be expected to submit to Islamic shariah law. Both of them oppose us and both of them are hell bent on devouring us. Therefore, we will not voluntarily submit to them. They must be forced upon us, and indeed they have been in various places, and we have had enough! In the east Christians must deal with Islam, but in the west we must deal with Secularism, and in the west not only is Secularism more dangerous, but we still have a fighting chance against it. This is why I advocate peaceful secession movements, not just in America but in Canada too, and the creation of benign Christian Republics that respect the rights of all without infringing upon our Christian faith or historic Christian culture.
My fellow Catholic readers, you cannot say that anything I've written here is untrue. You know what is happening. The signs are all around us. You know the window of opportunity is closing, and if you stand idly by and do nothing, you have only yourselves to blame. We are Christians, and we are bound by Christ's law of peaceful activism. Let us exercise this law to its fullest extent. Let us peacefully declare the reign of Secularism over! Let us take back our land and our institutions where we can, and let us make our last bold stand as we wait for God to deliver us from evil.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: It's one of the more 'inconvenient' teachings of the Catholic Church, but all Christians would be wise to remember that prior to 1930, every single Christian denomination in the world taught that artificial contraception was immoral and a sin. It just so happens that the Catholic Church is the only one that didn't change. One by one, all the Protestant denominations caved in, and here are the results...
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I have come to find Lent a time of liberation. When I first became Catholic, the whole concept of Lent was confusing to me. Not because I didn't understand it, but because it seemed to me that it wasn't being observed the way it ought to be. For example, the parishes in my area would all drain their baptismal fonts, and put up thorny bushes as decorations. Well, I don't care for thorny bushes, as for some reason I always seemed to get caught up in them one way or another. As for the drained fonts, they seemed to have stopped doing that now. Still the sombre mood remains, and frankly I don't get it. Yes, from dust we came and from dust we shall return, but I find nothing depressing about this. Actually, I'll be rather glad to get rid of this tattered tent in which I currently reside. I'm looking forward to that mansion in heaven. (I believe the 'mansions' to be a reference to the glorified bodies that await us.) To me, Lent offers an opportunity for detachment. It's an opportunity to start letting go of the things in our lives that get in the way of God. Giving up meat on Fridays, and fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday is one way of doing that. Giving up the sweets and sugars throughout Lent is another way. This year however, I've decided to do something different in addition to the customary things. I'm going to start giving stuff away. Yes, that's right. I've got a house full of clutter, things that are useful, but I never use. Yes, I have too much. I'm going to start by donating many of my books to the local library. Next comes clothing. Am I sombre about it? No way! I'm glad I can finally rid myself of these things I don't need, and others might find useful. Isn't that what Lent is about? Letting go? Trusting God? What could possibly be sombre about this? I'm actually enjoying it!
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The Catholic Church has always suffered persecution. That is indeed what makes her strong, for the blood of the martyrs are the seeds of the Church. Catholics had gone a long time in America without any significant institutionalised persecution. Oh sure, there have always been Klansmen, Freemasons and Know Nothings, but as far as the government attacking the Church, we just haven't seen anything like that in a hundred years. That is perhaps why the U.S. Catholic Church has gone soft. That is perhaps why some 50% of Church members are 'Cafeteria Catholics.' That is perhaps why so many Catholic politicians not only resist Church teaching on key social issues, but actually work against it. That is perhaps why the bishops and priests have been so lax in their duties to call the faithful to a self-sacrificing faith for our Lord. That is perhaps why our shepherds have neglected to protect us from the wolves in sheep's clothing by failing to formally excommunicate those politicians and celebrities who bring scandal to the Body of Christ. Those days are over now.
The Obama administration's HHS mandate, and supposed 'accommodation,' are a carefully played hand, designed to split the Catholic Church against herself, pitting Cafeteria Catholics against Faithful Catholics, diminishing the strength of the Church in public life and preparing her for the next phase of her persecution. Not to worry, other Christians are affected by this as well, but the liberal modernists running the show know full well that once you strike the shepherd the sheep will scatter. The goal is to take down the largest Christian denomination in the United States first -- the U.S. Catholic Church -- and then going after the smaller denominations is 'easy pickings,' kind of like 'shooting fish in a barrel.'
The U.S. Catholic bishops, along with the priests under them, are not entirely without blame in all of this. Some of them would probably admit to that if you asked them. They made a deal with the devil by supporting Obamacare to begin with. Of course they did so in the interest of helping the poor, but in the process, they unwittingly signed their own arrest warrants. They assumed, wrongly, that Obama was an honest man. They assumed he would keep his word to preserve the conscience of religious institutions. They assumed too much! I submit to you however, that something like this HHS mandate was inevitable anyway, regardless of the character of the man behind it. Even if Obama had kept his word, sooner or later a man would enter the Whitehouse who wouldn't. I say, better now than later. We might as well lay out all the cards on the table before Obamacare goes into full force.
I submit to you that in making their deal with the devil, the U.S. Catholic bishops' fatal mistake was not in trusting Obama. That was just a minor mistake. Their fatal mistake was in trusting big government in general! In doing so, they forgot the most important element of Catholic Social Justice -- Subsidiarity! They turned to big-government for the solution. They ignored the most prime ingredient of a truly Christian approach. Instead, the made the same mistake as the European and Canadian bishops, by abdicating the role of the Church to the state, ignoring Subsidiarity, and in the process creating a monster that would soon come back to devour them. We shouldn't blame the victims though, for these bishops are not solely responsible for Obamacare, and they will soon pay more than their fair share in penalties. Should Obama remain in office, or should his Republican successor fail to repeal this mandate, many of these bishops will find themselves behind bars by this time next year, and I dare say, half of all U.S. Catholics won't even care.
This whole affair is not really a critique of the U.S. Catholic bishops, though I am pleased to see them finally standing up to tyranny within the United States. In truth, the whole affair is actually an indictment of the U.S. federal government in addition to the Obama administration. Good luck getting a bill through Congress that will stop this thing. Even if enough votes can be mustered to pass such a bill, there will not be enough to override Obama's veto. Good luck relying on the federal courts to stop this thing. Even if successful in the lower courts, it is highly unlikely the Supreme Court will uphold it. Obama's 'accommodation' has been carefully crafted to pull the decision away from the churches and puts full responsibility into the hands of insurance companies. This battle will be lost in the courts before it ever has a chance to be heard.
The problem is not so much Obama as it is Washington DC. We have a system of government that is so consolidated and centralised that it knows nothing of Subsidiarity any more. Federalism is a thing of the past and it's never coming back. The normal political processes (campaigns and elections) will not bring it back. Something radical has to happen now, and until the people realise that secession/independence movements are the only political option left, this problem will continue to get worse year after year.
The whole thing is a critique on big-government in general. It's an experiment that has failed wherever it's been tried. Why should it be any different here?
The U.S. Catholic Church will remain at the forefront of this battle for the long haul. This news story is not going away. Regardless of what happens in the world, even the advent of World War III, this story will continue to simmer in the background. Religious freedom is coming to an end in America. The government has separated religious conscience from religious worship. What that means is, you can worship God in any kind of religious ceremony you want, but you just can't believe in anything that has an effect on your behaviour in public. You can give academic assent to the notion that abortion is murder, but in practical reality, you must provide for it in the medical insurance policies you offer. The same goes for contraception and sterilisation. Mark my words, it won't be long before a similar mandate is made to accommodate gay marriage. Obama's mask was already pulled back months ago when he attempted to force churches to hire religious school teachers based on government standards rather than religious standards. (see story here) Thankfully, the Supreme Court swatted him down on that pretty hard in a 9 to 0 ruling against his argument. Nevertheless, the mask was pulled back a little and we got a peak at what was underneath. Yes, Obama is a tyrant, but it is the political system in Washington DC that gives him the power to actually be one. We can get rid of Obama in November, Lord willing, but that does not guarantee our safety. If we are lucky the man who replaces him will reverse his policies and give us four to eight years of peace. Again, that is if we are lucky. Who is to say however that the next man who occupies the Whitehouse will not do something worse than Obama!?! We have no guarantees. Why? Because we have created a system of government that makes corrupt politicians into tyrants, because it gives them all the necessary power to become this. We have created a system of government that can rule us with a iron fist. All it takes is a man in the Whitehouse willing to do it.
That the American experiment has failed there is no doubt. Just look at us! We have become everything our founding fathers despised and fought a bloody revolution to escape. We are their worst nightmare. The only question that remains is where do we go from here? Obviously, to remain on the course we are on is suicide. To my faithful Catholic readers, if you have tracked anything I've been writing for the last few years, you know what is to come eventually. After a period of trial the Great Monarch will come and give us some temporary relief from these sufferings until the advent of Antichrist. However, this does not absolve us from our responsibility to act in accordance with our beliefs now, in whatever limited way we are able. Lest we end up becoming like the dispensationalist Evangelicals who sit on their thumbs waiting for the mythical 'rapture' to sweep them away, we must act in accordance with our beliefs and become engaged in the public square. I point to Hungary as a recent example. For better or worse, Catholics in that country have seized control of their republic, much to the shock and condemnation of the Secularist European Union. They have instituted strict immigration laws (especially against Muslims), declared the place of Christianity in the founding of their culture, and made abortion and gay-marriage illegal! (read story here) Yes, it can be done here, and it should be done here, but anyone reading this knows it can't happen under the Secularised federal government in Washington DC. Any American reading this knows the cultural difference between various regions within the United States make this impossible for it to occur on a national level, and the Secularist federal government would never let it happen anyway. Any American reading this knows it CAN'T happen in the United States, unless some states take it upon themselves to secede and start over independently.
My regular readers know that I am a Catholic monarchist at heart, but they should also know that a truly godly monarchy is something that is given, not something that is made. By that I call into contrast the Biblical examples of David and Saul. King Saul was the first king of Israel. He was effectively 'elected' to be king by the people. In other words, they created a monarchy for themselves. The result of that was disastrous. King Saul went insane and led his kingdom into economic and military ruin. God then replaced him with a king of his own election. King David was elected by God, not the people, and he was given to the people by God. He was a king that was given and not made. So until God gives us a king of his own election, we are forced to deal with the republican system that currently exists in our present world. The Catholic Hungarians have chosen to tackle this problem head on. They have taken over their republic and are now in the process of trying to correct its course. Likewise, the people of Scotland are soon going to hold a secession referendum, in which the public will vote on whether or not to stay within the United Kingdom. We do not know what the outcome of this secession referendum will be, or even if successful, will it produce a country more conservative and traditional? Who knows! We can't fault the Scottish people for trying however. They know the problems are too big for the normal political processes (campaigns and elections) to fix. At least they are thinking outside the box. At least they are trying something different. The whole thing may go down in flames, but at least they are trying. That's more than I can say for most Americans. Until we start getting a little radical in dealing with radical Secularism, these radical Secularists are going to walk all over us. It's a fact. It's happening. Look around!
Until then, let us offer this suffering of our bishops up as a sacrifice to God. Many of them may soon go to prison for the Gospel's sake, and I thank God for every one who has the courage to do it. Yes, mistakes were made on their part that contributed to the problem, but they are making atonement for it right now, and before this is over, they will pay more than their fair share. I can only pray we all have the courage to stand with them during this time of suffering, and that if faced with prison ourselves for the Gospel's sake, we will have the courage to join them.
Originally posted back on July 3, 2009. I brought it back from the archives to shed some light on Obama's recent HHS mandate.... THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: It is the opinion of this blogger that alleged President Barack Obama is actively working to do everything he can to crack and split the U.S. Catholic Church in half. His appointment of exclusively pro-abortion Cafeteria Catholics to key positions in the government, coupled with the statements below demonstrate this beyond the shadow of a doubt. Allow me to elaborate....
Obama has a pro-choice Liberation Theology (i.e. "Christian" Socialism) agenda, and the only thing standing in the way is the U.S. Catholic Church, which officially opposes both. Unfortunately, the U.S. Catholic Church has been considerably weakened in recent years, plagued by sex-scandals (which only affected 5% of the clergy), and other scandals related to associations of the USCCB, coupled with a general liturgical crisis and poor catechises over the past four decades. The U.S. Catholic Church is ripe for schism, and President Barack Obama knows if such a thing were to happen, it would only help clear the way to push his agenda through. Nothing would serve the Obama administration better than a U.S. Catholic Church torn by infighting and reorganization.
There is nothing new about this strategy. It's been successfully employed in the past by Marxist regimes in Central and South America, where Liberation Theology (i.e. "Christian" Socialism) was born and has pitted the Catholic clergy and laity against each other in that region. Obama is doing the exact same thing here in the USA, except he's just a bit more subtle about it. It all starts with the appointment of dissenting Cafeteria Catholics (who agree with his pro-abortion Marxist goals) to key positions in government. Obama has made it clear that Catholics who actually believe and practice what the Church teaches on abortion and socialism are not welcome in his administration. In other words, Catholics who oppose the teachings of the Church will be rewarded with high level cabinet positions, while Catholics who adhere to Church teaching need not apply.
Okay, so what does this do?
Well, the U.S. Catholic Church is already split on social issues about 50/50. Approximately 50% of U.S. Catholics are what we call "practicing Catholics" (actually the number may be a little less than that, but about 50% rise to the occasion when the bishops call them to on key issues). The other 50% are what we call Cafeteria Catholics, and these are the dissenting group who may (or may not) regularly go to mass, and like to "pick and choose" which teachings of the Church they will follow, and which they will not. It's sort of like a "salad bar" approach to the Catholic faith. According to the Vatican, and the U.S. Catholic bishops, this Cafeteria Catholicism is unacceptable, and in some cases it causes those who practice it to put their status in the Church in jeopardy. In other words, Cafeteria Catholics aren't really good Catholics, they just say they are.
By exclusively putting Cafeteria Catholics in key government positions, Obama is pandering to the Cafeteria Catholic community, and in the United States, that's about 50% of all U.S. Catholics. Simultaneously he shields himself from any criticism of anti-Catholicism, because he has plausible deniability. As soon as the accusation is made, he can simply say that such charges are ridiculous because he's appointed more "Catholics" to government positions than any other president in recent memory. He won't bother to point out, of course, that these are only Catholics who oppose the teachings of the Catholic Church. His most recent nomination of a Cafeteria Catholic to the U.S. Supreme Court was his crowning achievement in implementing phase one of his plan to crack and split the U.S. Catholic Church in two.
Phase two is now underway. Barack Obama will embark on a media campaign, directly engaging U.S. Catholics, via press interviews and photo ops with the pope and various Catholic leaders. This is where the propaganda war goes into effect. What Obama started in appointments, he now follows through with in commentary. On July 2nd, Obama met with a Catholic press conference ahead of his July 10th meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. In that interview he had the following to say, among many other things, but the trigger lines I have bolded for clear recognition....
“When I was first becoming interested in social justice issues, the American bishops were talking about nuclear freezes and sanctuary for illegal immigrants and protesting U.S. policy in Latin America, and there was, I think, a very different set of perspectives that were represented, arising out of the Second Vatican. And then there was a decided shift that I think took place within — among Church officials. And, in some ways, that tracked changes in American society at large, or at least American politics... I think responses to my administration mirror tensions within the Church as a whole. Cardinal Bernardin was strongly pro-life, never shrank away from talking about that issue, but was very consistent in talking about a ‘seamless garment’ and a range of issues that were part and parcel of what he considered to be pro-life, that meant that he was concerned about poverty; he was concerned about how children were treated; he was concerned about the death penalty; he was concerned about foreign policy... and that part of the Catholic tradition is something that continues to inspire me.And I think that there have been times over the last decade or two where that more holistic tradition feels like it’s gotten buried under the abortion debate. Now, as a non-Catholic, it’s not up to me to try to resolve those tensions... All I can do is to affirm how that other tradition has made me, a non-Catholic, I think reflect on how I can be a better person and has had a powerful influence on my life. And that tells me that it might be a powerful way to move a broader set of values forward in American life generally.”
Okay, notice how Obama is trying to pit one side of Catholic Social teaching against another, and thereby trying to pit Cafeteria Catholics against practicing Catholics. He's lecturing the U.S. Catholic bishops (and ultimately the pope) on how Catholic emphasis on the holocaust of abortion is clouding the "larger" social teaching of the Church. In effect, he's telling the U.S. Catholic bishops (and the pope) that they ought to tone it down a bit on the abortion issue, so more Catholic Americans can "recognize" how much he supposedly agrees with the other aspects of Catholic social teaching. But does he really expect the pope and bishops to take his advice? Of course not! He may be a narcissist, but he's not stupid. Obama knows perfectly well that his supposed "advice" will fall on deaf ears with the pope and bishops, and in fact, he's counting on it. The comments are not intended for the pope and bishops. They're designed for the 50% of U.S. Cafeteria Catholics who would be more inclined to agree with him on the matter. The point here is to come across as seeming "reasonable" and "open to dialog." The idea being that he wants to paint the pope and U.S. Catholic bishops as being "unreasonable" and "stubborn." His coming photo op with the pope will be his capstone on this phase of the plan.
Notice, however, that Obama let the cat out of the bag with the second bolded comment. He said "I think responses to my administration mirror tensions within the Church as a whole." This is the wedge people. He just pointed out the very thing he hopes to exacerbate by his actions and comments. In this one comment he has revealed that he is all too aware of the catechises problem within the U.S. Catholic Church. He is mindful of the sad fact that the U.S. Catholic bishops have nearly lost control of half of their flock, and indeed some of those bishops are contributing to the problem. Then he goes on to lament how the Catholic bishops "unreasonable and stubborn" emphasis on abortion has "obscured" the "larger message" of Catholic social teaching, of which he claims to be in agreement on. We can expect a lot more comments like this in the near future, as this is the strategy folks. He's trying to paint the leaders of the Catholic Church as intolerant and unreasonable. Simultaneously, he's trying to make himself out to have a greater understanding of Catholic social teaching than the Church does. It's designed to drive the wedge deeper between Practicing Catholics and Cafeteria Catholics. It's designed to pit as many Catholics as he can against the leadership of the U.S. Catholic Church. It's designed to create a full-blown and all-out schism in the U.S. Catholic Church, and thus neutralize the influence of U.S. Catholic bishops on the 2012 election, and any major issue of his agenda that comes up between now and then.
Of course, the last thing Obama will let us know is that he really doesn't agree with the Catholic Church on ANY of it's social teaching. That's the dirty little secret. You see, Catholic social teaching on poverty and fairness is based on the principle of SUBSIDIARITY. Essentially it's an anti-Marxist principle. The idea of subsidiarity is that it's immoral for larger government functions to take over and perform the roles of smaller entities (state, city, local, neighborhood, family, parish church, private charity, etc.) when those entities are perfectly capable of performing those functions for themselves. The larger government entities should instead refrain from direct interference (i.e. micro-management) and instead attempt to coordinate efforts between them, to help things run more smoothly. In other words, the American principles of limited government and federalism are consistent with the Catholic principle of subsidiarity, while the Marxist principles of huge government and micro-management are not. Unfortunately, the kind of Liberation Theology Obama believes in is Marxist in principle, and flies in the face of subsidiarity. The Social Teaching of the Catholic Church is very clear that all social principles are based on subsidiarity, and subsidiarity is the "hinge" upon which all Catholic Social Justice turns.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The following statement was sent to me by Dr. Michael Hill, president of the League of the South, an organisation promoting the cultural, economic and political independence of Dixieland...
League of the South statement on Obama's attack on Christians:
9 February 2012
The League of the South abhors President Barack Obama's heavy-handed diktat that would require Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, to purchase (and Christian institutions to provide) health insurance plans that cover sterilizations and artificial contraceptives, including those that induce abortions.
League President, Dr. Michael Hill, noted that "Southerners have respect for human life, in all its stages, as a gift from God. Life should be preserved, nurtured, and protected. What this regime demands is that we support a culture of death. I can assure Mr. Obama that the traditional South will never be complicit in such an enormity. We revere the tenets of our common, historic Christian faith and acknowledge its supremacy over man-made laws, judgements, and opinions. No regime can force us to abandon our conscience on this matter."
No political organisation in the United States has come out with such a strong statement in support of the U.S. Catholic Church's holy crusade against the Obama administration's HHS mandate.
This latest affront to the religious freedom of Catholics, coupled with multiple other assaults against everything the Catholic Church teaches, including a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court sanctioning the defamation of the Catholic Church by the city government of San Francisco, has made it painfully clear that the United States federal government (as a whole), seated in Washington DC, has become an anti-Catholic institution. Many of its recent international wars have been condemned by the Vatican. Its policy of assisting those who persecute Christians in North Africa and the Middle East is reprehensible. Now we have this string of assaults on the freedom and dignity of Catholics (as well as other Christians) here in the United States. This is the proverbial 'straw that broke the camel's back.'
I have for over a year now educated the readers of this blog on the history of northern (federal) aggression against the Southern people of Dixieland. The continual defamation of Southern heritage and culture is an ongoing scourge that has never relented since 1861. I invite my readers to examine the 'Dixie' topic on this blog and see for yourselves. The United States federal government is a tyrannical empire, far worse than that of King George III, which spawned the American Revolution. This latest assault by the Obama administration's HHS mandate is just the latest link in a long chain of abuses.
For this reason, I (The Catholic Knight) now seek the full cultural, economic and political INDEPENDENCE of Dixieland. Only a robust and credible secession and independence movement within the United States can compel Washington DC to reform its wicked and anti-Christian ways. Within the next 48 hours I shall submit my application for membership within the League of the South. I am calling upon all faithful Catholics who live within the thirteen original states of the Confederacy to do the same. (see application here) Please assist me in bringing more Catholics into this fine organisation. There are already many Catholics in leadership positions within it. I am also asking other Catholics who do not live in the South to consider supporting this cause as well. You don't need to be a Southerner to support Southern independence. Sometimes we Catholics just have to do something because it's the 'right thing to do.' Southern independence will inevitably result in greater freedom for states within other parts of the Union, namely because the federal government will seek to avoid a repeat secession/independence movement elsewhere. Finally, I am asking for my international audience to join us in this struggle by supporting our peaceful independence movement with your prayers and by supporting the League of the South in any other way you can.
We are the PEOPLE OF DIXIELAND. Our patron is Saint Andrew. May God free the South!
The flag of our people, our culture and our nation. Dixieland
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I rarely venture outside the blogosphere as The Catholic Knight (TCK), but in this particular case I felt the cause was worthy enough and the people were certainly friendly enough. It was the Obama administration's recent HHS mandate against the Catholic Church that finally pushed me over the line. The gloves are off now. No longer will I tolerate this wicked government in Washington DC. Henceforth, I will seek the independence of my people. So I granted an audio interview with the Southern Nationalist Network, or SNN, which is a news and commentary outlet chronicling the rise of the new Southern nationalist movement in Dixie.
My regular readers know I am a Dixie Nationalist, a son of the South by heritage, and like the Scottish independence movement in the UK, I anticipate the day when our nation can finally be liberated from this imperial regime in the US.
You can hear the audio interview at this link: Podcast: The Catholic Knight. Now you can finally hear the voice behind this blog.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The following is an open letter from 'The Catholic Knight' to all Catholic bishops in the United States of America. Please forward this letter to your local bishop. I write this as a faithful Catholic husband and father....
Your Excellencies,
During this time when we fight for religious freedom against our own government's HHS mandate, I would like to call your attention to a common problem we face in our Catholic families.
The culture of death is pervasive. Our wives are under tremendous pressure to use artificial birth control, and this at times translates into pressure on we husbands as well. To better foster the culture of life in our own Catholic families we require the following assistance from the Church...
Regular and consistent Sunday homilies (from each and every priest) against the evils of abortion, sterilisation and artificial contraception.
Regular and consistent Sunday homilies (from each and every priest) on the nature of marriage in God's economy, along with the Christian roles of husband and wife in the home.
More open and frequent discussion on natural family planning in marriage support ministries.
Family assistance in the form of scholarships for Catholic schools and the creation of good home-school cooperatives that are interconnected with regular Catholic schools.
Inner parish networking for 'work at home' jobs designed to assist career home-makers.
In other words your excellencies, what we are crying out for is HELP! The Church has done very well instructing us on what needs to be done, but has performed very poorly on assisting us in the process. I believe it is this very circumstance that has done much to contribute to the culture of death that has penetrated Catholic families, and thereby assisted the Obama administration in this wicked and diabolical move to curtail the religious freedom of conscience within the Church.
We are with you 100% in this fight against the federal government's HHS mandate. Regardless of the outcome, we hope your excellencies will use this sad conflict as an opportunity to reform and save Catholic families in the United States.
(CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Benedict XVI warned today of a “grave threat” to religious liberty in the United States that requires American Catholics to respond with intelligence and courage.
“It is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres,” he said Jan. 19 in an address to a group of American bishops visiting the Vatican.
The Pope said he was particularly concerned with “certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion.”..
(Star-Telegram) - The United States is a nation founded on the principle of life, liberty and justice for all. Throughout the history of this great nation, the religious communities and those in posts of civil authority have recognized that free practice of religious belief is foundational to our country.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...." But in recent days the latest salvo in the attack on religious freedom was fired by the Obama administration and, sadly, by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic.
On Jan. 20, Sebelius announced the administration's decision to mandate the inclusion of particular health services in insurance coverage that would result in Catholic institutions having to provide coverage that violates Catholic Church teaching and, therefore, Catholic conscience.
The HHS ruling requires that sterilization and contraception, including controversial abortifacients, be among the "preventive services" coverage in almost every healthcare plan available to Americans, including health plans offered by religious organizations.
(CNA/EWTN News) - Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, head of the U.S. bishops' conference, says the Obama administration has revoked the religious freedom of groups that do not regard women's fertility as as “disease.”
“The Catholic Church defends religious liberty, including freedom of conscience, for everyone,” the New York archbishop and conference president wrote in a Jan. 25 Wall Street Journal editorial, addressing the government's final decision to require contraception coverage in most new health plans.
With this decision, the cardinal-designate wrote, “the Obama administration has failed to show the same respect for the consciences of Catholics and others who object to treating pregnancy as a disease.”
On Jan. 20 the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed it would impose the contraception coverage mandate on most religious institutions, with a narrow exception for groups whose main purpose is the “inculcation of religious values” among people of the same faith.
“Even Jesus and his disciples would not qualify for the exemption,” Cardinal-designate Dolan noted, “because they were committed to serve those of other faiths.”
Health and Human Services finalized the contraceptive mandate just days before the annual March for Life, an event that mourns the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision...
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: In what is threatening to become the story of the 21st century, religious freedom is being lost (particularly for Catholics) in the United States of America. The culprit is in 'how' the courts and the legislatures interpret the term 'religious freedom.' In that, the judges and politicians are interpreting 'religious freedom' strictly in terms of religious worship, meaning freedom to engage in the ceremonial rites of one's choice. While religious conscience, the freedom to morally act according to one's beliefs, is being ignored. The latest case with the Obama administration and the HHS is just another link in a long chain of offences. This however, is Obama's second attempt to take what had been a state and local conflict to the national level.
Previously, Catholic Charities have been shut down in a few states throughout the Union, due to the Church's refusal to adopt children to homosexual couples. Furthermore, the City of San Francisco, one of the most homosexual-friendly cities in the nation, has openly condemned the Catholic Church in an official statement, calling upon Catholics to openly rebel against Church teaching. The United States Supreme Court has sanctioned this action, allowing the city statement to stand, without any fines or penalties.
Now, the Obama administration has made two direct attempts to undermine and attack the inner workings of religious institutions in America. The first was in the form of forcing churches to hire women and doctrinal dissenters to teaching positions within religious schools. Thankfully, the Supreme Court struck this down unanimously (9 to 0) in what was a humiliating defeat to the Obama administration. With that failure behind them, the Obama administration has pushed ahead full-speed toward forcing all religious institutions (especially the Catholic Church) to provide medical services that directly contradict religious conscience. The administration knows this and that is why it is doing this. By pushing forward in driving a wedge between religious worship and religious conscience, the administration knows it can make inroads into controlling religious institutions within the United States, with the long-term eventuality of defining 'orthodoxy' for them.
Catholic bishops across the United States are unifying against this clear threat to religious freedom that is presently under way. Catholics are being urged to contact their congressional representatives and demand a stop to this assault on religious liberty. Non-Catholic Christians would be wise to join them.
(California Catholic Daily) - When Sonoma County Pro-Life advertised its annual Rally for Life held last Sunday, it promised that its keynote speaker -- Santa Rosa Bishop Robert Vasa -- “is sure to challenge and inspire us all.” Bishop Vasa did not let them down.
“Any government leader, particularly those who claim to be Christian, who claim to be pro-choice, is unworthy of public office,” Bishop Vasa told the rally at Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa on Jan. 22. “Absolutely unworthy and absolutely unfit for public office.”
Politicians who support abortion are “as guilty of abortion as those who choose it themselves,” he said. And Roe v. Wade, said Bishop Vasa, was an “illicit and invalid” decision.
Because of its pro-abortion policies, said Bishop Vasa, the U.S. is no longer “the land of the free and the home of the brave. It's a land of the imprisoned and the home of the cowards.”
The bishop’s remarks, reported the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, brought cheers from a crowd of about 100 people who gathered in the afternoon rain to hear his speech.
“Vasa suggested such leaders who publicly hold such a position shouldn't accept communion at Mass,” reported the Press Democrat. “He also said they could be excommunicated, or banished from the church through their actions.”
“In some ways, they excommunicate themselves,” the Press Democrat quoted the bishop as saying in an interview following his speech....
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: While the excommunication scene above, from the film 'Becket,' seems a little 'over the top' with pomp and circumstance, I do think it accurately conveys the sentiments of most faithful Catholics today, particularly in the United States and Europe. How long must we endure the Church's tolerance of these scandals? How long will it be before the bishops finally say enough is enough? How many more millions of babies must die before the hierarchy FINALLY does its job? We are just sheep, but they are the shepherds. They carry the crosier for a reason. When will they finally drive out the wolves from among us!?! Your comments?
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I originally posted this on February 10, 2011. Now in face of the most recent developments regarding Catholic healthcare in the United States, it seems even more urgent. So I am posting it again, hoping that my readers will take it upon themselves to start writing their bishops to get something done about this....
-------------------------------- February 10, 2011
Medi-Share is an Evangelical Christian alternative to medical insurance, and it works! Basically the whole concept is based on the Biblical Christian model of shared responsibility and brotherly love.
Medi-Share is not medical insurance. It is a sharing technique in which monthly "share" funds are transferred between participants as the needs arise. It is what some might call a "Healthshare Cooperative" between Christians. Medi-Share does not guarantee that medical bills will be paid, hence the reason why it's not medical insurance, but nevertheless medical bills do seem to get paid anyway.
The reason why I'm bringing this up is because the Evangelicals are on to something here. They've discovered a way to bring an ancient Christian concept into the modern world. Unlike the Amish, who use a similar system on a more primitive level to pay for their medical needs, this method works for people living in the modern world and in secular life. It's a novel concept that is putting Catholics to shame and it's high time I think some of us look into this seriously.
I say a "Catholic version" because Medi-Share was designed by Evangelicals primarily for Evangelicals, as can be demonstrated by their online Statement of Faith which each new member must sign on to in order to join. On the surface it may seem there is no direct inconsistency with the tenets of this creed and the Catholic faith, but because of the way it's worded, it would give some Catholics pause for concern. That's fine though. Medi-Share can have their Evangelical Statement of Faith, because in the end I believe the Catholic Church here in the United States can build a much bigger and better system, far more robust and able to handle a much bigger pool of participants. This is why I am calling upon all of my readers to act now by doing the following.
Write a brief letter (no more than two short paragraphs) explaining that we need a Catholic version of this type of healthshare cooperative here in the United States, and that it needs the full backing of the U.S. Catholic bishops. Be sure to include a link to the website - http://mychristiancare.org/
Send a copy of this letter to three key people: (1) your local bishop, (2) your parish priest and (3) the Grand Knight of your nearest Knights of Columbus council. Contact information for your local bishop can be obtained off your diocesan website. Contact information for your parish priest can usually be obtained from the phonebook or by simply visiting the parish office. Contact information for your nearest Knight of Columbus council can be obtained here.
Send a copy of this letter to The Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Carl A. Anderson via email using this address: info@kofc.org Be sure to type in the subject line "c/o Carl A. Anderson."
