Posted on 08/27/2010 11:45:13 AM PDT by Hank Kerchief
The ultimate intention of Catholicism is the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire. That has always been the ambition, at least covertly, but now it is being promoted overtly and openly.
The purpose of this article is only to make that intention clear. It is not a criticism of Catholics or Catholicism (unless you happen to think a Catholic dictatorship is not a good thing).
The most important point is to understand that when a Catholic talks about liberty or freedom, it is not individual liberty that is meant, not the freedom to live one's life as a responsible individual with the freedom to believe as one chooses, not the freedom to pursue happiness, not the freedom to produce and keep what one has produced as their property. What Catholicism means by freedom, is freedom to be a Catholic, in obedience to the dictates of Rome.
The Intentions Made Plain
The following is from the book Revolution and Counter-Revolution:
|
"B. Catholic Culture and Civilization
"Therefore, the ideal of the Counter-Revolution is to restore and promote Catholic culture and civilization. This theme would not be sufficiently enunciated if it did not contain a definition of what we understand by Catholic culture and Catholic civilization. We realize that the terms civilization and culture are used in many different senses. Obviously, it is not our intention here to take a position on a question of terminology. We limit ourselves to using these words as relatively precise labels to indicate certain realities. We are more concerned with providing a sound idea of these realities than with debating terminology.
"A soul in the state of grace possesses all virtues to a greater or lesser degree. Illuminated by faith, it has the elements to form the only true vision of the universe.
"The fundamental element of Catholic culture is the vision of the universe elaborated according to the doctrine of the Church. This culture includes not only the learning, that is, the possession of the information needed for such an elaboration, but also the analysis and coordination of this information according to Catholic doctrine. This culture is not restricted to the theological, philosophical, or scientific field, but encompasses the breadth of human knowledge; it is reflected in the arts and implies the affirmation of values that permeate all aspects of life.
"Catholic civilization is the structuring of all human relations, of all human institutions, and of the State itself according to the doctrine of the Church.
|
Got that? "Catholic civilization is the structuring of all human relations, of all human institutions, and of the State itself according to the doctrine of the Church." The other name for this is called "totalitarianism," the complete rule of every aspect of life.
This book and WEB sites like that where it is found are spreading like wildfire. These people do not believe the hope of America is the restoration of the liberties the founders sought to guarantee, these people believe the only hope for America is Fatima. Really!
In Their Own Words
The following is from the site, "RealCatholicTV." It is a plain call for a "benevolent dictatorship, a Catholic monarch;" their own words. They even suggest that when the "Lord's Payer," is recited, it is just such a Catholic dictatorship that is being prayed for.
[View video in original here or on Youtube. Will not show in FR.]
Two Comments
First, in this country, freedom of speech means that anyone may express any view no matter how much anyone else disagrees with that view, or is offended by it. I totally defend that meaning of freedom of speech.
This is what Catholics believe, and quite frankly, I do not see how any consistent Catholic could disagree with it, though I suspect some may. I have no objection to their promoting those views, because it is what they believe. Quite frankly I am delighted they are expressing them openly. For one thing, it makes it much easier to understand Catholic dialog, and what they mean by the words they use.
Secondly, I think if their views were actually implemented, it would mean the end true freedom, of course, but I do not believe there is any such danger.
In any case, I don’t understand those who presume to know the state of another’s soul, who presume, and judge, and condemn, all the while having no real knowledge!
May Christ convert them!
See? I can do it too! It's certainly a lot easier than actual argument and debate and thought. ;-)
There's no way you can know who might have experienced what -- they left teachings, not personal records of their interior life.
The Psalmist Christ quoted on the Cross would appear to have experienced the dark night of the soul, or something akin to it (and that's not the only example from Psalms).
I'm not sure why you bring mysticism in here, though often those who experience the dark night of the soul are mystics. A mystic is one who has a direct experience of God -- can you say that, by that definition, Paul's conversion was not a mystical experience?
There have been, I think, Franciscan theologians who held that Christ did not have to die on the Cross or at all, that the Incarnation would have been enough. There have been different theological attempts to explain how human salvation was won by Christ, arguments about "atonement" vs. "redemption." None of them exhausts the reality, which remains a mystery beyond our understanding.
Calvinism, it seems to me (and I grant that all I know of Calvinism I've learned on FR), seems to try to fit everything into a two-dimensional diagram, like the schematic of a car's electrical system, completely amenable to human understanding, no matter what has to be lopped off or ignored to make it fit . . .
As I say, this is just my impression from FR, my only source.
God did a mighty act in her life! Though this discussion does suggest the question of why love of neighbor (certainly important as the second great commandment) is so curiously lacking in Calvinism, at best reduced to "charitable works", in HarleyD's phrase?
Maybe tangentially related (or maybe not), but I am curious as to how you interpret the verse:
And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
Your quote from Calvin contradicts the assertion you adduce it to prove.
What? Not "a difficult concept to grasp"? You feel you "grasp" (as opposed to believe) the concept of the infinite, eternal, almighty God becoming incarnate in an obscure Jewish girl, member of an obscure and not especially prepossessing tribe? You "grasp" the meeting of Time and Eternity? The Arians and Nestorians (and probably others) had a great deal of trouble grasping it.
I believe that the problem here is that there is no clear understanding of “redemptive suffering”...that which Paul makes reference to when he writes of “making up what is wanting in the sufferings of Christ.”
There is also a lack of understanding of the Four Senses of Scripture, which are literal, allegorical, anagogical, and moral.
Trying to understand the meaning of the “dark night” without the help of these senses of Scriptural understanding isn’t going to work very well and make it almost impossible to get to even a minimum point of “discussion”.
No, since I have not unpacked my scanning electron microscope which would be required for something of that size.
See post 6629 for the answer...
Jesus the Christ is the answer. Give up the pagan bloodthirsty Jovian god that Calvinists worship.
Really? Your posts indicate complete confusion as to who Jesus is, why He Incarnated, how He Incarnated, the role of Mary and the outcome of the Incarnation.
After she had completed her task, her part in Scripture is diminished considerably to the point where Jesus corrects a woman who is looking for his mother when He tells her that believers are His real family.
Sure. Jesus giving Mary's care to John and Mary being present at Pentecost are meaningless.
I do have problems with elevating this simple Jewish girl to Queen of the Universe” and “wife of the Holy Spirit” and “co-Redeemer” and “Dispensatrix of all graces” and “Mediator between God and men”...
We Catholics find this statement very funny. It is like watching a small child using adult language as if he were an adult, without understanding anything about it at all. So much for the claim of received faith. I don't know if the faith was received, it was simply recorded faultily, or there is no understanding of it.
Perhaps someday, with the grace of God, all Calvinist pagans will give up their blood lust and become Christian.
This is so 8th grade.
First, I'm more confused about your understanding of will than I was before -- it sounds confused and self-contradictory. From other comments on the thread, I don't seem to be the only one who had this reaction. Maybe you'll want to try it again, from the top?
Second: Of course, your understanding of the Church's teaching seems equally confused. I can only speak for the western Church, but in a nutshell: results of the Fall, in addition to "Sin and Death and Misery, Death's Harbinger," the powers of the soul, traditionally named as memory, intellect and will, were weakened -- not destroyed, making it more difficult to apprehend the Truth and act on it.
Third, perhaps you're not aware that Trent reiterated its condemnations of Pelagianism and and semi-Pelagianism as well as condemning the Calvinist view.
Interesting comments.
I think that John 3:16 and other verses make it clear that Christ came out of love, NOT anger. The Trinity is three Persons, but one Mind. If the Son loves us, so does the Father and Christ made is clear throughout the Gospels that He loved everyone.
As far as the other questions, I think it is impossible for us to know for certain. Had God simply decided to forgive our sins and grant us eternal life as an act of His Will, there is certainly no reason that He could not have done this. It’s clear that when He asked in the garden if the cup could pass that the answer was no, but we don’t know the entire reason given.
It would be foolish to believe that ANY aspect of His life was inconsequential. How could the Crucifixion be inconsequential when you consider that He told us that WE had to take up our own crosses and come after Him? How could the Resurrection be inconsequential when you consider that His promise to us is eternal life with Him?
“”There have been, I think, Franciscan theologians who held that Christ did not have to die on the Cross or at all, that the Incarnation would have been enough.””
You’re correct.(Blessed Johns Duns Scotus come to mind). We must realize that God did not have to do anything at all since we are not deserving in the first place and since sin is no fault of God.
The late Fr William Most wrote about this.
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/most/getwork.cfm?worknum=160
“He could have been content with the incarnation in a palace since, again, any act of an Infinite Person is infinite in value. But the Father wanted not only to be able to forgive, but to forgive lavishly. (The priest in giving absolution, can wipe out even a lifetime of dreadful sins in a moment: “I absolve you.”) So He went beyond the incarnation in a palace, to the stable, beyond an incarnation with only a prayer, to the horrible death of the cross. The first thing Jesus had to say to His Apostles when He first came after His resurrection was “Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them.” He had just paid a terrible price for that forgiveness. He could hardly wait, we might say, to make that concretely possible.
....So immense was the love of the Father and the Son that as long as there was any way to make things more rich for our race, and more rich for objective goodness, it seems He would not stop short of using it. He could have, as we said, used any religious act done by any ordinary person for the whole of redemption, though it would be finite.”-Fr William Most
“”Calvinism, it seems to me (and I grant that all I know of Calvinism I’ve learned on FR), seems to try to fit everything into a two-dimensional diagram, like the schematic of a car’s electrical system, completely amenable to human understanding, no matter what has to be lopped off or ignored to make it fit””
That is an outstanding analogy,my friend
Maybe your remark should have been directed at Judith.
I said "Good night, Judith," since it was late and I was leaving the thread, and she inexplicably responded "Oh? What makes you say that?"
Seems that nonsensical comments like that do nothing for the discussion other than to add a snotty, "8th grade" tone.
You have often asserted that you know what Catholics think and believe, having been one yourself. Are you now losing confidence, do you honestly not know what we think, or were you just being rhetorical?
She is implying that you are lying. Its another attempt to circumvent and finesse the rules. I think we should all use "crude and looney" as a code word for lying.
God bless you, Dr. E. I, too, thought your “Good night” was sarcastic and 8th grade. A simple “Good night” seems somehow too kind and courteous for you, given your remarks on the thread.
Incredulity has long since left this forum. Without needing to name any names we all know that there are a number of anti-Catholic posters who are proven serial liars. It is evident that they maintain a listing of repeatedly disproven anti-Catholic accusations that they insert into any Catholic topic thread to bait Catholics and slander the Church. The pattern has been repeated often enough that I am able to predict which slur will come up next, based upon the length of time since it was last raised, and which of the anti-Catholics will raise it. It really makes them look pathetic.
On this one statement I will agree with you. The Catholic Church teaches that one must continually work and demonstrate their grace and that their Salvation is not assured until the moment of their death. Calvinism teaches that works and deeds do not matter since all is predestined. When presented with this clear choice Calvinists choose the lazy path.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.