Posted on 01/10/2014 5:28:10 PM PST by Mrs. Don-o
Justice Sonia Sotomayor's recent ruling, issuing a stay on the fines for the Little Sisters of the Poor, struck some people in violent ways. One blogger, Jamie Stiehm writing for U.S. News, seems to think that Sotomayor outed herself as that most crass and small minded of people: a Catholic! This was certainly not a predictable outcome in the minds of those progressives who celebrated the elevation of the first "wise Latina" to the highest court in the land. She was supposed to stay on the reservation, of course, voting reliably to uphold the foundations of liberal orthodoxy, whenever they were threatened.
In the progressive worldview, contraception and abortion are to women what breathing and eating are to men: absolute necessities of life. Waivers are being handed out right and left for Obamacare victims, but no waivers for nuns. And if Justice Sotomayor stands up for the religious liberty of these noble women, well "she's just a good Catholic girl," in the snarky tone of Stiehm's blog post. In her opinion, that court is now the "Catholic Supreme Court," and it hates women.
In a rant of old fashioned anti-Catholic bigotry, of which there is a long history in the United States, we learn several scary things. "Catholics often try to impose their beliefs on you, me, public discourse and institutions. Especially if 'you' are female." And that when Thomas Jefferson championed the separation of church and state, he was "thinking particularly of pernicious Rome." Rome remains pernicious, apparently. The Little Sisters, who, by the way, take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in order to slave their lives away taking care of the indigent elderly, are terribly wily, and "seemingly innocent." And the big bad Catholic archbishops have painted a bullseye on the foreheads American females: "Their principal target for years on end has been squelching women and girls."
The kind of contempt the author spreads on the heads of Catholics, if written about any other group, would have her immediately barred from polite society, and justifiably. In her mind, there is a noble sisterhood, comprising at least her and Nancy Pelosi. Women who disagree with them are not sisters, though they may be nuns. As a wise Latina myself, I feel very sorry for Justice Sotomayor. She thought she was being celebrated for herself and her achievements in the face of societal barriers that should have kept a Hispanic woman down. It turns out she was just a token after all. Now that she has sided with religious liberty over liberal pieties, she has been unceremoniously dumped from the sisterhood.
I think that Justice Sotomayor understands something that Ms. Stiehm may never get. Governments that wish to preserve a truly pluralistic society must act with great delicacy and even tenderness when it comes to the conscientious scruples of its citizens. It is not necessary to share those scruples or even understand them. Progressives believe with all their soul that women's sexual liberty, untrammeled by copays or unwanted children, trumps any other "good," including religious freedom. They are free to propose that idea in the public square, and they do so with all the power of Hollywood, MTV and higher education behind them. They have the administration on their side, most newspapers and most TV stations. But they don't have most of the citizens of this country, they don't have the Catholic Church and they may have lost Justice Sotomayor.
-— Can you tell me more about the church’s claim to be “pillar and foundation of truth”? -—
It’s in the Bible.
Jesus also said, “if he won’t listen to the church, treat him as a pagan or tax collector.”
This passage is loaded with significance.
First, we know that Christ had established a visible church during His life on earth. Moreover, His Church must teach with His authority, otherwise It could contradict Him.
Finally, we also know that “the gates of hell” will not prevail against His Church, so Christ’s visible Church must still exist.
It does appear to be an appeal to something still believed. I might have been more direct about it, like saying “This Anti-Catholic Contempt Makes No Sense.”
I get a lot of slings and arrows when I cross the aisle and talk about such things. My fellow Protestants consider me a possible heretic, in with Mystery Babylon, and other such fun accusations. The Catholics think I’m raking treasured tradition carelessly over the coals. Like I said. When I follow where I believe Christ is going, I don’t get a lot of earthly friends. Those I do get, tend to be trans-denominationalists like I am.
OK, follow you so far.
I think when it got tied to a denomination the usefulness of the claim went to hades. Because that was splitting what never should have been split. If we are going to consider it now, we would consider the church “collectively” and that means that Baptists have part of the picture, Catholics have part of the picture, Orthodox have part of the picture, etc. Which is exactly what I see.
Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
Anyhow. The “Catholic” part of the question is not new. There was once one unified church and then there was the Orthodox/Catholic schism. Each presumed its piece had that sole privilege, rather than conceding that the split would compromise the ability to practically do things this church could have done. This doesn’t mean the “gates of hell” has prevailed against the church as a whole. It just means it has earthly troubles. It WILL reunite, if only in heaven.
Now with the Protestants and their Bible connection to the ancient church’s witness arises another issue. I hold the Bible connection as valid and able to carry the blessed salvational witness to new Christians. Others obviously disagree.
Anyhow, splits are Bad Things.
I might even have the nerve of viewing the Protestant revolution as God’s way of providing the path to undo the split! It was easy to make catcalls about Protestants when they first appeared. No more.
Whether or not you agree, we should all pray for the unity that Christ desired.
I hold to the earthly physically split, spiritually united model. It’s as visible as any human beings are. I don’t like the term “invisible church” as it brings to mind chapels filled with the brethren of Casper the Friendly Ghost in invisible mode :-).
The church discipline commands of Christ are carried out in various ways among the actual denominations. They are not carried out perfectly, but our love isn’t perfect either. (”If you love Me you will keep My commandments.”)
I see absolutism being asserted in a domain where it is not applicable. The absolutism is in the destining power of Christ. In my honest/humble opinion.
And of course yes. Like the hymn goes, “We pray that all unity will one day be restored.” I believe the Evangelical model will embrace the other parts if there is not a cataclysm like a rapture first.
Even if those requests are for something we COULD do ourselves or SHOULD do ourselves?
You may have a point; as the Rack, boiling oil, bonfires and the Iron Maiden didn't do much good.
Then someone will NOT forgive your ignorance as they may believe it is bigotry.
Is that a MORMON hymn? ;^)
“The Catholic church has never changed their teaching about the importance of Our Blessed Mother and her importance in the Holy Family.
No WONDER folks who understand the BIBLE get on your case! “
Ah, but respectfully, you seemed to have missed quite a few passages and episodes. Ponder the fact what Luke says of Mary: ALL generations shall call me blessed. Which presumably includes you! Ponder that Mary also knew that Jesus would be able to do something at that wedding feast of Cana — that He would be able to fix the situation of running out of wine. Ponder the finding in the temple, after they’d lost Him and then found Him, they were puzzled “But Mary kept these things in her heart.” And remember the bible records in the same passage that Jesus was also obedient to Mary and Joseph — being the perfect son, He honored his parents to keep the commandment. Ponder that Jesus entrusted the care of Mary to His favorite, the Apostle, John. [Curious, no, if Mary supposedly had “other sons and daughters that John’s help would have had to be needed.] Also consider the importance of the position of “queen mother.” Not only in our own times in places like England, but in ancient times too. Numerous examples from the old testament given here: http://www.salvationhistory.com/studies/lesson/queen_mother_crowned_in_glory — also consider Revelations — 12 — can there be ANY doubt the woman in question is Mary who gave birth to Jesus? So I don’t know why you are belittling her proper place. God didn’t just use a disposable any womb will do for His son. Like anyone, she needed a Savior, but God chose to save her in a special way, which is more than He did for any of us! He came to save us too. But if you’re thinking “Mary was just another woman” you couldn’t be more wrong.
Appreciate your support. Yes, we’ve all got to plow together to end abortion. I can appreciate the Protestant difficulty with the rosary. I expect it’s the Hail Mary prayer. But you needn’t worry. I think you most likely don’t have a problem with the first part of it i.e. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.” That part is lifted from Luke, and no protestant would argue that Jesus was not blessed. I suspect it’s the second part protestants have difficulty with. i.e. “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” Presumably it’s not “holy Mary” as I doubt any of you think her in hell. “Mother of God” is an affirmation of the TRINITY itself. It doesn’t mean she is a god herself, or came before Him in heavenly “time.” It is simply saying that as the second person of the trinity, HE is God, and she happens to be his mother. The average Catholic 6 year old has no problem with this concept, but why it perplexes a protestant, I don’t know. [Although, AFAIK some high church Anglicans also say the Hail Mary. And of course, Orthodox have no problem with the concept either. ] “pray for us now, and at the hour of our death.” 2 things probably bother you about that — i.e. chiefly that the dead can pray for us. Certainly it is by grace of God that she and all the other saints hear our prayers. Revelations tells us in 5:8 of the saints in heaven offering our prayers to God under the form of “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” And remember incense is often used in Catholic and ORthodox liturgy (as well as Anglican) because it symbolizes prayers being offered up. But if the saints in heaven are offering our prayers to God, then they must be aware of our prayers. They are aware of our petitions and present them to God by interceding for us. In the same way I can’t think of any Protestants who don’t also ask for their friends on earth to pray too for a particular cause. Think how powerful our friends in heaven are too to offer up our prayers!!!
And don’t forget Mary, being Jesus’s mother gets her special voice in his heart. Think of what it means to ask her to pray for you “at the hour of our death” — she’s asking our Lord to have mercy on our souls and save us! The mother of the King from Ancient times has been most powerful - and don’t forget Jesus, being the perfect son of the Law, honored and kept all the commandments. So He’s going to pay special attention to her requests. [see this article for a laundry list of passages from the old testament where we see the king’s mother as a person of special regard: [and Jesus, you’d agree, is undoubtedly king!] http://www.salvationhistory.com/studies/lesson/queen_mother_crowned_in_glory
You were quite right about the hail Mary being a place holder for other prayers. Monks in their cells ran through all 150 prayers of the psalms. Of course, common people, didn’t have time for this having to work and raise families. So over time the rosary was developed from folk custom. There are 5 decades, in a rosary. And there is a cycle of the rosary with 5 mysteries to be meditated on when each rosary is said. The Joyous mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, the Glorious ones. Also with each decade an Our Father which you know, and the “Glory be” — which you may not know but would have no problem with. It runs “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.”
Hope that helps. But again, you’re right — the atheists and the godless in government, like Obama, are doing their best to divide us when we must stand firmly together re: abortion and other matters we agree on. Satan always tries divide and conquer.
>> No Room in Polite Society for Anti-Catholic Contempt
No will among the arrogant to ally with Catholics fighting the Regime, fighting abortion, funding hospitals, funding charities, fighting the good fight for the last two millennium...
Nice piece
But I think the bigotry today is directed at any doctrinaire Christ believer
“Can you tell me more about the church’s claim to be “pillar and foundation of truth”?”
1 Timothy 3:15 — “but if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the CHURCH of the living God, the PILLAR AND FOUNDATION OF TRUTH.
You’re welcome. Take it up with Timothy. And of course Jesus who didn’t just throw down a NT yelling “Good luck, y’all as He ascended! Matthew: 16:18-18 — “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I build my CHURCH, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.” And ponder that when God renames someone [like he did Abram to Abraham, etc.] He does so for a big important reason! So Jesus definitely founded a church. Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to figure out which church that is. In my own estimation, I want to see which church goes back to Peter. I’ve come up with only one conclusion. Doesn’t mean others won’t be saved. They can be. But I want to reach out and have the fullness of the faith. Now it doesn’t mean there aren’t sinners in the church. ALL of the people in the church sin. It’s man’s nature. But we seek reconciliation and the sacraments. We can be forgiven. And do our best to try again. Popes go to confession too! “Infallible” in doctrine, doesn’t mean you are impeccable in sin!
>> those poor picked on catholics
Are you begging us to reciprocate?
The latter being far less common than the former here
I don't really see a rise in anti Jewishness of late outside usual black or Muslim suspects.... though media loves the claim tea party is by default...Beck harps this too....nazis on the rise alarm..ala Beck..I think he has yarmulke envy
However.... Christian bashing and working to secularize America?
Likely ...Jews....secular ones....have always been up for it.....more than anyone.....maybe....liberal northern protestants too...the big L gang...and UCC
Calling them on it gets one scorned even here but its hard denying my Observations and personal experience
Secular Jews don't like religious Jews much either...
And BTW....since when is it wrong to be contemptuous or angry towards those who feel like wise to you?
Is it OK to be contemptuous of Islam?
Farrakhan?
Osteen?
Benny Hinn?
Reverend Ike?
Jim Jones?
Abe Foxman?
Ruth Ginsberg or Mark Potok or Harvey Weinstein?
In my humble opinion in our culture only believing Christians are under attack
Not Jews....not Islam...not Moonies....not Scientlogists or Hindus etc
To just dismiss this with relativist opines is an inaccurate reflection of our relative reality
I am frankly shocked to witness the war on adherent Christendom in America and the west since my youth in the 60s
It is astounding and no one else is bring deconstructed like we are
And as we collapse....so goes our nation
I suppose it all turns on what constitutes polite society these days.
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