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The Culture Wars: Former Christians Running Away [Alert]
Catholic Culture.org ^ | August 28, 2007 | Jeff Mirus

Posted on 08/28/2007 5:32:33 PM PDT by Salvation

The Culture Wars: Former Christians Running Away

Posted Aug. 28, 2007 4:25 PM || by Dr. Jeff Mirus || category Commentary

The Thomas More Law Center gets involved in a lot of striking cases. Yesterday the non-profit legal group announced that it will represent citizens opposed to the opening of an Islamic academy by the New York City Department of Education.

The Khalil Gibran International Academy is slated to open with public funds on September 4th for the purpose of immersing students in Islamic culture. The Academy’s Board of Advisors includes fundamentalist Islamist imams and other members with ties to militant Islamic organizations which make no secret of their desire to dominate the United States.

In the announcement of its involvement in the case, Thomas More Law Center notes that “New York City School Chancellor, Joel Klein, who is aggressively promoting this Islamic school, is the same person who refused to allow two Christian students, a second and a fourth grader, to display a nativity scene.” The Center also notes that other publicly-funded Islamic schools have appeared in several communities across the country despite the frequency with which Islamic mosques and schools have been used as depositories for anti-American, anti-Christian and anti-Jewish propaganda distributed by Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, several public universities are reported to have constructed footbaths to facilitate Muslim prayer rituals.

I will leave to others the task of discerning whether Islamic schools create a significant security threat. What I find significant in all this is not that Muslims should want to establish schools, but that public officials have in some places bent over backwards to support Muslim schools while at the same time recoiling in horror from any expression of Christianity anywhere public funds are at work. There is a pattern here which emerges only when people are so blinded by their rebellion against former values that they subconsciously evaluate every option in terms of its ability to widen the gap.

This is the same pattern which was so much at work in the refusal of liberal Americans, a generation ago, to see anything wrong with Communism. For that matter, it is the same pattern exhibited by the many so-called Catholic intellectuals who have systematically dismantled Catholic institutions and, above all, destroyed moral theology. These enormous blind spots and otherwise inexplicable behavior patterns are in fact easily explained by an age-old psychological truism: When we have committed ourselves to a way of life which our former faith threatens, we reflexively tend to support whatever will help deaden our consciences. Now this alternative way of life, to put the matter plainly, involves moral turpitude. Hence the subconscious need to dull the conscience becomes a powerful cultural force.

America, in some ways, remains a Christian nation, but she has also become in many ways a former Christian nation. It is well to remember that the culture wars are not being fought primarily between serious Christians and high-minded pagans, but between serious Christians and former Christians. Regardless of nominal affiliations, the two camps are defined by those who are committed to Christian moral principles and those who, in their personal, familial or social backgrounds, used to be. In any case, the critical fact is that these former Christians are still, morally, running away. In the culture wars, it is this spiritual motion which explains most things most of the time.



TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events; Moral Issues; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: catholic; catholiclist; communism; culturewars; islam; khalilgibranacademy
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This should be a lively discussion!
1 posted on 08/28/2007 5:32:37 PM PDT by Salvation
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To: All
**
The Khalil Gibran International Academy is slated to open with public funds on September 4th for the purpose of immersing students in Islamic culture.
**

Is this how you want your tax dollars spent? Coming to a neighborhood near you?

2 posted on 08/28/2007 5:35:09 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: nickcarraway; sandyeggo; Lady In Blue; NYer; american colleen; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; ...
Catholic Discussion Ping!

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Catholic Discussion Ping List.

3 posted on 08/28/2007 5:38:26 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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New York City’s school chancellor wants an Islamic public school
4 posted on 08/28/2007 5:40:41 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: All

**The Thomas More Law Center gets involved in a lot of striking cases. Yesterday the non-profit legal group announced that it will represent citizens opposed to the opening of an Islamic academy by the New York City Department of Education. **

Working for the Christians and against the group that is trying to open this with public funds — yours and mine!


5 posted on 08/28/2007 5:48:24 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Salvation

I am so glad that Thomas More Law Center is taking this one on. Talk about an abomination. And tax-payer funded? This is obscene. Go TMLC.


6 posted on 08/28/2007 6:40:51 PM PDT by bboop (Stealth Tutor)
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To: 2ndMostConservativeBrdMember; afraidfortherepublic; Alas; al_c; american colleen; annalex; ...
NYC Principal at Center of 'Intifada' T-Shirt Controversy Resigns
 
why would a Jewish chancellor, mayor and teachers' union president want to push an Islamic School
 
more to the story is this:
 
The principal of a controversial city-funded Arab-themed school abruptly resigned yesterday after she ignited a firestorm by saying there was nothing wrong with T-shirts that said “Intifada NYC.”  Pressure for Debbie Almontaser’s ouster had mounted all week since her tortured explanation that “intifada” was a message of empowerment. The inflammatory statement was about Arab women in New York City “shaking off oppression” and not supporting the Palestinian uprising that killed thousands, she said.
 
http://stopthemadrassa.wordpress.com/
 
Did JFK "Steal" from Gibran the Words for his "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You" quote?
New York City’s school chancellor wants an Islamic public school
NYC Principal at Center of 'Intifada' T-Shirt Controversy Resigns



7 posted on 08/28/2007 7:01:21 PM PDT by Coleus (Pro Deo et Patria)
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To: Salvation

I believe there is a similar public school focusing on Jews in New York City. And of course, the Harvey Milk school for GLBT kids.


8 posted on 08/28/2007 7:04:39 PM PDT by Incorrigible (If I lead, follow me; If I pause, push me; If I retreat, kill me.)
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To: Incorrigible

I the gay and lesbian school also supported by taxpayer dollars?


9 posted on 08/28/2007 7:20:26 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Coleus; xzins; Alouette; NYer

How about this solution?

All the Catholic Schools get tax-payer money.
All the Baptist Schools get tax-payer money,
All the Jewish Schools get tax-payer money?


10 posted on 08/28/2007 7:22:37 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: All; Huber; scripter

**How about this solution?

All the Catholic Schools get tax-payer money.
All the Baptist Schools get tax-payer money,
All the Jewish Schools get tax-payer money?**

I did not mean to leave out any other denominational schools, but I certainly didn’t include them, did I? My mistake.


11 posted on 08/28/2007 7:24:56 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Salvation

Some great insights. yes, he nails it: apostate Christians versus Christians. The problem being that many of these apostates insist on calling themselves Catholics.


12 posted on 08/28/2007 8:03:10 PM PDT by RobbyS ( CHIRHO)
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To: Salvation

Is it an ethnic Arab school, or an Islamic school?

If it is the first, you have to remember that half of the Arab population in the US are not Muslim but Christians (mainly Copts and Maronite Christians from Lebanon).

But if it is Islamic, then it will include not just “Arabs” but Iranians, Somalis, Black Muslims, Indonesians, and yuppie converts.


13 posted on 08/28/2007 8:04:35 PM PDT by LadyDoc (liberals only love politically correct poor people)
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To: LadyDoc

There was a thread posted yesterday on the news forum that said “Islamic School.”

Now whether the media got it correct remains to be seen. LOL!


14 posted on 08/28/2007 8:14:22 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Salvation

The liberals continue their Kulturkampf.


15 posted on 08/28/2007 8:14:40 PM PDT by Between the Lines (I am very cognizant of my fallibility, sinfulness, and other limitations.)
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To: LadyDoc

From the article:
**The Law Center claims the school is nothing more than a thinly disguised incubator for Islamist radicalization.**


16 posted on 08/28/2007 8:17:08 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Salvation
What I find significant in all this is not that Muslims should want to establish schools, but that public officials have in some places bent over backwards to support Muslim schools while at the same time recoiling in horror from any expression of Christianity anywhere public funds are at work.

Simple cowardice. Islam slits the throats of people that oppose it, and Christianity does not.

To rationalize this cowardice, the wussified left wing looks for examples of Christians being mean and blows them out of proportion, and looks for examples of Muslims being nice and also blows them out of proportion.

Islam is an evil blood thirsty religion plain and simple. Christianity is a good gentle religion, plain and simple. Nice Muslims are bad at following Mohammad just as cruel Christians are bad at following Jesus.

17 posted on 08/28/2007 8:42:40 PM PDT by AndyTheBear (Disastrous social experimentation is the opiate of elitist snobs.)
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To: Coleus
...since her tortured explanation that “intifada” was a message of empowerment...

Well she is right about that, it is a message of empowerment. Once all us infidels are slaughtered like dogs, they will have empowered themselves.

18 posted on 08/28/2007 8:47:54 PM PDT by AndyTheBear (Disastrous social experimentation is the opiate of elitist snobs.)
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To: Salvation

It’s part of the New York City School District. Yes, you’re tax dollars pay for it!

http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/02/M586/default.htm


19 posted on 08/28/2007 9:32:55 PM PDT by Incorrigible (If I lead, follow me; If I pause, push me; If I retreat, kill me.)
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To: Salvation
What I find significant in all this is not that Muslims should want to establish schools, but that public officials have in some places bent over backwards to support Muslim schools while at the same time recoiling in horror from any expression of Christianity anywhere public funds are at work.<\I>

Many non-Christians seem to be able to sense truth and have a fear of it. Muslims give them no cause for fear.

20 posted on 08/28/2007 9:48:59 PM PDT by ThomasThomas
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