Posted on 06/27/2003 11:31:19 AM PDT by Antoninus
Friends,
In light of recent national and international events, it should be clear to most of you that the Christian underpinnings of western civilization are being knocked out from under our feet. Recent acts of judicial fiat in both Canada and in our own country have made it abundantly clear that the "post-Christian" world envisioned by anti-Christian radicals for centuries now may be close at hand.
Rather than continuing to scratch and claw our own eyes out over our differences (which will not, by the way, be resolved on this forum) I suggest that we call a temporary truce. Nearly all of us have the same cultural values including an abhorrence for abortion, a desire to raise our children free from intrusive and pervasive immorality, a revulsion at the "gay" deathstyle, and a desire to express our religious convictions publicly without threat of punishment.
If we continue on our current trajectory, is there any doubt that Christians will be reduced to the status of second class citizens? There are already whiffs of persecution emanating from Canada and some European countries. Are you truly prepared to face this threat if it arrives here? Of course, there is something to be said for being imprisoned and stripped of your family and possessions for expressing your Christian beliefs. But how many of us in our soft communities are ready to face the same trials that routinely confronted our early saints?
I maintain that there is much we can do to turn the tide. First and foremost, taking a cue from the citizens of Nineveh, we should put on sack-cloth and ashes (at least figuratively, if not literally) and seek personal repentence. Second, we must get active. If you're already active, prepare to become moreso.
The activity I'm proposing is not simply political, though that is a part of it. It needs to be evangelical--I accuse myself and my Church in general of going mainly soft on this issue. Indeed, many of the most celebrated evangelical Catholics are converts (!) And for you Evangelical Protestants, I challenge you to turn your fervor away from trying to convert pious and believing Catholics and train your theological cannons on the great and growing mass of secularized, sexualized youth. In short, I believe that a new, powerful burst of evangelization is the only thing that can save Western civilization from the otherwise unavoidable implosion of anarchy.
At any rate, if you think I'm being ridiculous or overstating the problem, just imagine we were back in 1990 and I told you that within 15 years, the Supreme Court would declare sodomy to be a constitutional right and that Canada would consider two homosexual men the moral equivalent of marriage.
If we unite, we can win. If we stay divided, we cede the victory to the forces of darkness. Your choice.
John answered him, saying: Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, who followeth not us: and we forbade him. But Jesus said: Do not forbid him. For there is no man that doth a miracle in my name and can soon speak ill of me. For he that is not against you is for you. (Mark 9:38)
Findings?
Of 150 posts, only 4-5 to the News Forum, none of them directly engaging the culture wars.
But dozens in the Religion Forum which fully support my posts on this thread about you.
You've got plenty of time to mock and insult fellow Christians, even on this thread calling for a Truce, yet none to aid your fellow Christians fighting the real enemies of Christ.
And despite any so-called "whining" on my part in the News Forum, I and other faithful Catholic Christians continue to fight the culture of death bullies there while you cowards continue to hide out here in the Religion Forum Ghetto expending your energies attacking those Christians who are actually doing something to battle the onslaught of paganism and undermining of Christian belief and morality.
Becky, you're a good decent girl. Too bad you're so unevenly yoked.
You need to watch what you say when you speak of my husband to me, buster. One more remark about him addressed to me and I hit the abuse button. People like you are the ones that give all Christians a black eye, hypocrite.
Becky
Be my guest, hit the abuse button. But first review your posting habits and those of your Mack, and you will see that everything I've said on this thread is true.
As long as my account is active, I'll call them as I see them; even non-Catholics have agreed with my assessment of Mack. You might have a bit of subjective involvement though, so your views on Mack might be biased.
(It would be a relief to be banned, though.)
So make sure you lay the blame for loss of common courtesy on this thread at his feet, not mine.
Yeah well there are plenty of Catholics
That is very likely the case, but you don't speak for them.
Of 150 posts, only 4-5 to the News Forum, none of them directly engaging the culture wars.
But dozens in the Religion Forum which mock and insult fellow Christians, even on this thread calling for a Truce.
That is very likely the case, but you don't speak for them.
Don't have to, they tell me all the time you are an embarrassment to them, they speak for themselfs.
BigMack
Duh... that's the point you moron. You're the one that said non-catholics agree with you about Mack. DO YOU SPEAK FOR THEM.
And I am not fielding Macks posts. You said something directly too me in your post. Your hypocrisy is showing more and more, you should quit while your behind:)
Becky
I agree. However, Jesus prepared his disciples so they wouldn't stumble. Today's church is prepared for the rapture, and unprepared for persecution.
I once taught a class on persecution. Halfway through the class, I stopped and looked around at the glum faces. I jokingly rebuked them, giving them the verses that call for us to rejoice in such testing. An interesting experience.
I agree. However, Jesus prepared his disciples so they wouldn't stumble. Today's church is prepared for the rapture, and unprepared for persecution.
I once taught a class on persecution. Halfway through the class, I stopped and looked around at the glum faces. I jokingly rebuked them, giving them the verses that call for us to rejoice in such testing. An interesting experience.
Sure.
Well, then we are both being called an embarassment then by our own. Your protestant brethren frequently apologize to me for your embarassing behavior here. Guess we both better give up then.
No, they speak for themselves, when they write to apologize to me about his malice, and assure me he does not represent them. That was my point, you moron. I've received several such regarding this thread alone. You are a decent enough girl, but Mack is a continual embarassment.
I see on average 90 patients a week. I get into "sensitive" discussions with about 75% of them, and have lost patients over some of these discussions. For instance, some women don't appreciate being informed by their podiatrist that their birth control pill is causing them to abort their babies.
I write guest editorials on these issues in our local and regional papers, as well as numerous letters to editors. I witness to and pray with my patients daily, and I'm well known for it here. I've have helped folks come to a personal relationship with Jesus as their Lord while seeing them as patients.
I'm published in nationally circulated Catholic periodicals on these "sensitive" issues.
I'm targeted by the local gay priests association because of my stance on these issues, who have requested that our bishop sue me, mentioning me by name, because of my outspoken position on these issues.
I just got off the phone with a fellow Catholic, discussing the possibility of suing my bishop because of his public slander against me and my peer over local homosexual priests issues.
I'm up to my eyeballs in this stuff, and the little time I spend here is simply a reflection of the massive amount of time I spend on the culture wars and evangelization locally.
Mack, you and me are dead meat and destined for Foxe's Book of Martyrs if he ever gets the kind of dark-ages power he has condoned and encouraged in the past. I'm not joking. He has bloodlust.
Grand Inquisitor of Free Republic AND Judge of my eternal destiny!
Wow! Bloodlust and all-knowing, power-hungry JUDGE too.
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