[NYer]

Christopher Check is the executive vice president of The Rockford Institute.

This article first appeared in the June 2007 issue of Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture.

[NYer]

Pope Leo XIII
Gioacchino Pecci
20.II.1878 - 20.VII.1903

VATICAN LINK - to his Encyclicals, Apostolic Letters, etc.

[NYer]

Pope Leo XIII
Gioacchino Pecci
20.II.1878 - 20.VII.1903

VATICAN LINK - to his Encyclicals, Apostolic Letters, etc.

[marshmallow]

He questioned American values??

Bomb the Vatican!! Let's invade!! Nuke 'em!!

Hey Leo.........we got freedom, buddy. Take care of your altar boys, instead!!

**Standard Freeper "Macro" for replies to Catholic criticism of America. Available on request by Freepmail.

[Aquinasfan]

Americanism, doubtless more virulent in our day than it was in Leo’s, combines a collective sense of Christian exceptionalism (America as the “Shining City on a Hill”) with the hubristic conviction that America can draw up her own moral code—or, rather, a limitless number of moral codes, arising from each individual’s conscience. Acknowledging the heresy and its internal contradictions helps us understand why Americans today can insist that we are a Christian nation while indulging in all manner of public and private behavior that is decidedly not Christian, from delighting in degenerate diversions, to sanctioning the murder of children

Great article and a great encyclical.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Unfortunately, the reference to the "unjust war" indicates a belief in "Jewish influence" as the hidden cause of modern individualism. Plus the publication in which this appeared is militantly anti-Israel, as if Israel were the cause of all the things criticized.

I wonder if the publishers of this magazine have the same solicitude for Catholic Mexican Mestizos that they do for moslem Arabs?

And lest anyone think that my criticisms make me an apologist for modernism, please allow me to say that the implication of the remark about the "unjust war" hurts an otherwise worthy article that makes excellent points against the idea of the "true religion" constantly progressing and "improving" over time.

[wideawake]

A skewing factor in rates of evangelical divorce: how many evangelicals were divorced before they were born again and how many were divorced after?

[Jaded]

Bottom line....

Individualism is killing America

Socialism is killing Europe

Islam is killing everything

[SaltyJoe]

It makes sense. Two political parties that never really take society anywhere! They pretend to fight each other, but they might as well be going to the same club houses and drinking and eating at the same dinner table. Is our American leadership and power structure not interested in approaching the Altar of Our Lord? Are the powerful, in reality, just putting on a show of piety just win votes for a political system that will take us no where? Seems that Popes are very far ahead of their time or are they are merely wise enough to look at human history repeating itself!

Satan used polarizing politics to Crucify Jesus. Jesus warned us of bi-polar politics (Matthew 11):
16
"To what shall I compare this generation? 11 It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
17
'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.'
18
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.'
19
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is vindicated by her works."
20
Then he began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented.

It's a Satanic distraction tactic.

I think that the worst of “Americanism” heresy is essentially mob rule via gilded popularity to sell what is wicked to souls conditioned to sin's enslavement. When scientists are both encouraged to be skeptics yet have to accept consensus (like global warming and condoms being bullet proof) “Americanism” shows itself. When drive by media smears those who protect the innocent from militant perversion and infanticide, this too is "Amercanism" revealed. It’s unfortunate to the family name that gave us our nation’s name that it be dragged, not by a Pope, but by the wicked bent upon recruiting more sinners to be twice as fit for hell. "Americanism" losses its luster as it has made war by mockery of the Sacraments. Mockery has lost. A triumvirate of power may be very close to the Image of God, and flattery is the best form of compliment, but this bestial form of flattery will get us no where.

Perhaps by virtue of saints who’ve happened to be born in America this heresy can be relabeled? “Bestial Trinitary-like but Really Mob-ism”? Pope Leo must have known plenty in his lifetime to find fault in America. No other nation could have spawned such popularity for wickedness. Our media machine makes the forbidden fruit of sin appear pleasing to the eye. The Soviet empire collapsed upon itself because Atheism cannot float the human soul yet the better of Russia still survives having outlived much of the former wickedness. So be it for all heresy. What will God make of us after our heresies die? Will we rise like the best of the golden age of a post-Roman Empire? Our technology for record keeping and reexamination of all heresies may mean a strong society firmly based in a Sacramental Life. Sin may linger in the hard hearted, but that’s more proof of God’s Mercy rather than the strength of sin.

If we had to pick a former or new name, like the present Russians, to rid ourselves of the old ways, what would it be? It might be worth a list: United States of the New World, or how about US of Utopia (in the same Spirit that influenced St Thomas More...and to have a more accountable legal system). I think that this might be a serious precursor to how the Chinese will shed it's Communist heresies too.

If individuals must go through a Confirmation process, then so must society as a whole. Society dedicated to heresy is no society at all but a den of criminals doomed to self-destruction. Every society will have to recognize Jesus Christ for Who He IS. How many nations today have put His name in their national framework, printed His image on their money, and confirm themselves as a soul would Confirm their Faith? Thankfully, we have "In God We Trust" printed on our money. I think that we're not that far off from being closer to Jesus. It's still the Nature of God vs. ego arguments that get in society's way of leading the nation's collective will toward Redemption. But if our "Bill of Rights" neglects recognition of the Unborn and "life" and it's neglect is still taken advantage of in spite of our window-to-the-womb technology, then perhaps our national leadership prefers Justice over Merciful conversion? Would the "old summit" (Cumbre Vieja, Canary Is.) have to collapse via biblical catastrophe for a new summit to rise? Would San Andreas have to shake the snakes and scorpions into the sea? Will Rainier have to pop its top to bury Olympic humanism?

Maybe we'll see a lot to do with Reconciliation as the Gospel passage above shows Jesus rebuking cities who've witnessed great deeds and have yet to repent of their wickedness. As more is revealed about the hearts of global leadership, I think we'll see more in the same manner in which God revealed Pharaoh's heart to Moses and the Israelites in Exodus. Secularist leaders have no interest in losing popularity because so much of their power is falsely based in the appearance of popularity. But wickedness will continue being obstinate even in sight of spectacular miracles. We'd be well spared to only suffer leadership embarrassment of foolish secularists thinking that they're robed in the Sacraments (Matthew 22:11) when such secularists are more likely to be a Hans Christian Anderson character in the flesh (The Emperor's New Clothes).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor's_New_Clothes

Conversely, Righteousness will eagerly repent and immediately forgive offenses to receive forgiveness for themselves. This would be a great Hope.

[Youngstown]

Christopher Check is the executive vice president of The Rockford Institute.

And apparantly a Grade A crank who should read the Encyclical on which he wishes to comment - and base his comments solely on quotations from it.

The Encyclical in question condemns watering down doctrine to make it acceptable to converts. It does NOT deal with forms of government as the usual pinheads always attempt to assert.

To make my point, here are excerpts from another Encyclical by Pope Leo XIII:

LONGINQUE OCEANI

ON CATHOLICITY IN THE UNITED STATES

ENCYCLICAL OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIII, JANUARY 6, 1895

4. Nor, perchance did the fact which We now recall take place without some design of divine Providence. Precisely at the epoch when the American colonies, having, with Catholic aid, achieved liberty and independence, coalesced into a constitutional Republic the ecclesiastical hierarchy was happily established amongst you; and at the very time when the popular suffrage placed the great Washington at the helm of the Republic, the first bishop was set by apostolic authority over the American Church. The well-known friendship and familiar intercourse which subsisted between these two men seems to be an evidence that the United States ought to be conjoined in concord and amity with the Catholic Church. And not without cause; for without morality the State cannot endure -- a truth which that illustrious citizen of yours, whom We have just mentioned, with a keenness of insight worthy of his genius and statesmanship perceived and proclaimed. But the best and strongest support of morality is religion. She, by her very nature, guards and defends all the principles on which duties are founded, and setting before us the motives most powerful to influence us, commands us to live virtuously, and forbids us to transgress. Now what is the Church other than a legitimate society, founded bv the will and ordinance of Jesus Christ for the preservation of morality and the defence of religion? For this reason have We repeatedly endeavored, from the summit of the pontifical dignity, to inculcate that the Church, whilst directly and immediately aiming at the salvation of souls and the beatitude which is to be attained in heaven, is yet, even in the order of temporal things, the fountain of blessings so numerous and great that they could not have been greater or more numerous had the original purpose of her institution been the pursuit of happiness during the life which is spent on earth.

5. That your Republic is progressing and developing by giant strides is patent to all; and this holds good in religious matters also. For even as your cities. in the course of one century, have made a marvelous increase in wealth and power, so do we behold the Church, from scant and slender beginnings, grown with rapidity to be great and exceedingly flourishing. Now if, on the one hand, the increased riches and resources of your cities are justly attributed to the talents and active industry of the American people, on the other hand, the prosperous condition of Catholicity must be ascribed, first indeed, to the virtue, the ability, and the prudence of the bishops and clergy; but in so slight measure also, to the faith and generosity of the Catholic laity.

[redgolum]

What is interesting is that the Lutheran’s (and that includes the ELCA) and the RCC have similar and lower divorce rates. I suspect that part of it is that often both have rather in depth pre marital meetings with the priest/pastor.

That and in the more “conservative” parts of both confessions (for lack of a better term), we are really not an “American” church. We still do things differently than the mega church down the road.