This is excellent. When I was a child in California, we we taught that Father Serra was a great man. But now: "Here we must point out that there are obstacles in the way of our appreciating the witness of Junípero Serra. The biggest obstacle comes from an aggressive ideological campaign to discredit Serra and the whole missionary effort of the Franciscans in this state. They are portrayed as mere agents of an oppressive government that sought to destroy the Native American culture in California. While the scholarship behind these accusations is less than impressive, the campaign to discredit Serra has achieved great results in the public domain. If one tells a lie often enough, many people will come to believe that it is true. The view of the missionaries as oppressors is now taught to children in fourth and fifth grades in many public schools throughout the state. Moreover, Catholics themselves seem to have become indifferent towards Serra, perhaps even embarrassed by him. They are not sure whether these accusations are true, but they feel that Serra ought not to be emphasized as a role model for the faithful today.
"This is a terrible travesty. I believe that this whole dynamic is simply a particular manifestation of the war that our secular culture wages upon anything that pertains to the Christian faith in Jesus Christ. It should not surprise us that there is a campaign to discredit the holiness of a man whom the Church has declared possesses heroic virtue, therefore worthy of imitation in any age."
For shame.
Pinging someone from the Blessed Junipero Serra thread.
**The view of the missionaries as oppressors is now taught to children in fourth and fifth grades in many public schools throughout the state.**
Prayers for the people of California and for those committees who select the textbooks who do not portray the entire truth — just the anti-Catholic (supposed) truth that they want everyone to believe.