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:
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"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.
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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.
Ah, no it doesn’t.
And she started again.
That's not what she said. According to her own words, she died without faith.
Christ says otherwise.
But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God." -- Luke 12:8-9"Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
At the moment of her death she may have received faith in Christ and believed. We will never know. But we do know that for 40-plus years before that moment she said she had lost her faith and doubted God's existence and had stopped praying.
And yet she never stopped serving Him.
Of course she had. She said she didn't believe in Him. So her work was in service to something or someone else -- to herself, to her admirers, to her employers, to the TV crews who followed her, to history, to any number of things, all excluding the one she should have been confident she was serving - Jesus Christ.
As a Unitarian Old Reg may not profess to the Nicene Creed as Unitarians deny the Trinity.
This is my view on the will:
There is no such thing as "free will" by which a man can make a choice of which one he wants. We are slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness.
...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,
According to the above passage of scripture (and others) our will is not "weakened" but we have become slaves to it. If anyone would doubt this then simply try not to sin.
Third, perhaps you're not aware that Trent reiterated its condemnations of Pelagianism and and semi-Pelagianism
This is from Theopedia:
Now how does this differ from Catholic doctrine?
Which pretty much sums up the traditional Lutheran teaching. We can not come to God by our own reason or strength, but we reject God and choose not to follow him.
You can't save yourself, but you can damn yourself.
Also very true. Granted, the Germanies of the day were the laughing stock of military prowness, but the split and resulting confusion did weaken Europe.
Semi-Pelagianism claims that man can make the first move, under his own steam, so to speak.
Our wills are bound to do the things that God wants us to do-not always perfect or all at once but always progressing.
There is no such thing as "free will" by which a man can make a choice of which one he wants.
If our wills are bound to do the things God wants us to do," but it's not always perfect, what is the source of the imperfection?
And what of people who grew up Christian? Who never knew anything else?
I still maintain "slaves" is figurative.
Excellent post.
I have always believed that Martin Luther was a very pious man who wanted nothing more than to live as an Augustinian monk and scholar. He asked some legitimate questions about the hypocrisy he saw among many priests and the matter escalated. He eventually became a pawn in a power struggle.
A posthumous autobiography would be a big best seller.
I pray you never experience an event or conditions that severely try your faith. And that if you do, you and those around you have more mercy and less judgement than shown in your post.
Christ says otherwise.
According to you. Then there's St. Peter and the crowing cock.
No, we cannot look at another's life and say, "if that happened to me, I wouldn't..."
We don't know what our trials will be and whether we will pass them or fail, until we do.
Only God knows. Only He is the judge of our trials.
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
hmm... why would you say that the Germanies of the 15th and 16th centuries were a laughing stock? Yes, the Poles had defeated the Teutonic knights at Grunwald in 1410, but the knights army included many mercenaries of varied nationalities.
Wow. So much for assurance of Christ's faithfulness in the RCC.
Of course we don't know what trials are ahead of us. But with God's grace through faith in Christ, we can be sure God will bring nothing to us that will overcome us. With Him, all things are possible.
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." -- 1 Corinthians 10:13
Why is Christ so confident in John 16:33 when He tells us the world is filled with tribulations, but that we shouldn't worry?
Because He has overcome the world. He is certain of His righteousness and He knows whom God has covered in that righteousness -- those who believe.
Therefore, our confidence that we will surmount the hills and pass through the valleys is not based on our strength, righteousness or obedience, but on Christ's strength, righteousness and obedience, mercifully imputed to us. Rome just doesn't believe Him.
"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil." -- 2 Thess. 3:3
Christ will either "keep us from evil," or He won't.
Further, when Christ tells us to be careful how we judge, He is not telling us not to discern right from wrong. Three verses later He says, "first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
So Christ is saying to know the truth before we speak the truth to someone else.
Because consider what Jesus says in John 7...
"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." -- John 7:24
Jesus is instructing men to judge according to His word.
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." -- John 7:37-38 "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Drink not His literal blood, but the "living waters" of the Holy Spirit, as Scripture tells us.
Now THAT is a sin of presumption. 8~)
All men experience trials and pain. It's the human condition. How we respond to those trials and pain is what matters; whether we succumb to despair or whether we trust in the Lord to bring us through them.
And that if you do, you and those around you have more mercy and less judgement than shown in your post.
No one is judging Mother Teresa except herself. We are simply reading her words to learn that for over 40 years she didn't believe in God and, according to her own words, she had lost her faith and stopped praying.
Again, while it is certainly possible she could have had one of those "death-bed conversions" RCs are so fond of, the reality is she was a lost woman adrift in terrible doubts. Given a choice between someone who works but doesn't believe and one who believes but doesn't work, what does Scripture say?
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." -- Romans 4:4-5"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Not only did Mother Teresa not believe the truth, she actively preached against the truth by saying all religions are equal.
Certainly we should all have compassion on such a hard-working woman. But as far as her salvation goes, she is to be pitied.
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
How do you know that? Did she confess to you after she died?
She questioned the God we created, and rightfully so. Again, it's easy for fat cats who have it made to believe, but living in the ghettos of India and the reality of life there would test anyone's faith.
If she doubted the fairytale that's understandable, for anyone living there would. Despite that, she persevered in her work of mercy. If she stopped believing in God and salvation, then her perseverance is that much more commendable, because she did not expect any rewards, but did what she did for love's sake, and love's sake only.
She did not sit in her comfy air conditioned homes, or go to churches all dressedup and perfumed, or sent her donations like the hypocrites do. Like a saint of biblical times, who walked among the lepers, and lived the life of poverty in the hell of Calcutta to comfort the sick and the dying, whose only "fault" is the accident of birth.
What she did is a lot more than 99.99% of self-styled Christians will ever do in the name of Christ. If anyone is saved, Mother Theresa is a good candidate to be among them, for Christ—whom you consider your God—says "blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
How does this square with the Lutheran doctirnes of total depravity which denies the free will, and the unconditional election of the elect?
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