Showing posts with label anti-catholicism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anti-catholicism. Show all posts

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Prayer, Love, and Fred Phelps

Fred Phelps died Wednesday, March 19, 2014, of natural causes. He was 84. He was the "God Hates Fags/God Hates You" pastor.

According to a CNN article, quite a few folks called him 'the most hated man in America.'1

I do not agree with Mr. Phelps' beliefs, and think his followers' habit of disrupting funerals was wrong. But I do not hate Fred Phelps. I'll explain why in a bit.


(ABC News, via FoxNews.com, used w/o permission)


(Reuters photo, via FoxNews.com, used w/o permission)

Mr. Phelps' regrettable slogans gained national attention, thanks in part to the untiring efforts of his disciples and the signs they carried. I think Mr. Phelps legacy will endure, at least for a short while.

Prayer Couldn't Hurt


(From Thomas Cole, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)

I have prayed that Mr. Phelps will rest in eternal light, and find in death the peace which seems to have eluded him in life.

No pressure, but if praying for him seems like a good idea, you might find these words suitable: or not.
Eternal rest, grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
That's an English translation of an old prayer for the dead. When said for more than one person, it goes like this, if memory serves:
Requiem Aeternam dona eis, Domine Requiem, et lux perpetua luceat eis: Requiescant in pace. Requiem. Amen.
We use the English version of that prayer in the parish church down the street, by the way.

Love, Reason, and Being Catholic

I do not hate Fred Phelps, or his followers. My beliefs won't allow that.

For Catholics, there are two basic rules:
We're also told that we can make reasoned decisions: and should act as if our love matters. (Catechism, 1731-1767)

Feeling all warm and fuzzy about my neighbor is okay, but it's not required. I've written about emotions, reason, and getting a grip a few times, including:
What the Catholic Church says about folks who are homosexual is not what Fred Phelps preached. For starters, we're not allowed to hate anybody.

We believe what Jesus said:
"For God so loved the world that he gave 7 his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn 8 the world, but that the world might be saved through him. "
(John 3:16-17)

Driving Drunk, Getting a Grip

I haven't seen one of those "friends don't let friends drive drunk" public service announcements for years. The phrase has become a cliche, but the idea is still valid.

Sometimes being a friend means not letting your friend do something stupid, and potentially destructive: even if the friend really wants to drive.

Now, about human beings, sex, and getting a grip — We come in two basic models: male and female. Human sexuality is basically good. How we use our sexuality can be good, or not. (Genesis 1:27-31; Catechism, 2331-2391)

Some acts are wrong, no matter what. For example, deliberately killing an innocent person is always wrong: no matter how angry I might be. Legitimate self-defense is okay, and that's another topic. (Catechism, 2261, 2263-2269)

Homosexual acts are wrong, but experiencing a disordered desire is not. (Catechism, 2357-2359)

As a Catholic, I must love my neighbor: no exceptions.

Unjust discrimination is not "love:"
"The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition."
(Catechism, 2357)

Westboro (Kansas) Baptist Church — Familiar Beliefs

News media coverage of the Westboro (Kansas) Baptist Church often focused on their "God hates fags" belief. There's more to their gospel of hate, though.

When I visited their website a few years back, I found an all-too-familiar attitude toward Catholicism:
"...We will say every time we come to a catholic church (aka whore house) we will remind you that Priests Rape Children...."
("Westboro Baptist Church Picket Schedule," godhatesfags.com, (from Google cache November 8, 2010))
Some of my take on the "pedophile priest" story and America's cultural baggage:

(From Thomas Nast, via Wikimedia Commons, used without permission.)

"Bad Seed?"

My native culture encourages the belief that "bad seed" exist: people who are born evil. There's a (very) little truth to it.

We live with the consequences of our first parents' disobedience, and have "an inclination toward evil and death."

That's why we baptize infants, and celebrate Easter. We live in a fallen world, there is hope, and that's yet another topic. Topics. (Catechism, 402-412, 638-655)

Sin is very real. Its roots are beyond this world, we are all affected. But each of us is created "in the image of God," a good creature who is free to reason: and choose good or evil. (Catechism, 355-368, 385, 387, 391-395, 1730-1738)

Some of us make appallingly bad choices: but although I may identify what a person does as a "grave offense," I must leave judgment of the person who commits the act to God. (Catechism, 1861)

Presenting Christianity as a seething cauldron of hatred is far from a good deed.

However, I am not going to pronounce judgment on Fred Phelps, or those who follow him. I've got enough on my spiritual rap sheet already, without adding violations of Matthew 7:1.

Besides, there's Luke 18:10-14. The man who "prayed to himself" isn't a good role model.

Now that I'm in the last half of my life, the endgame is more obviously important. My intent and goal is to die "... in God's grace and friendship ... perfectly purified...." (Matthew 7:5, Romans 2:1-11, Hebrews 9:27, Catechism, 1021-1022, 1023, 1749-1756, 1777-1782, 1861, 2283)

With my backlog of shortcomings, that goal seems optimistic, at best.

I will be pleasantly surprised — and astonished — if I don't do time in Purgatory.

And that's yet again another topic. (Catechism, 1030-1032)

Related posts:
1 Excerpt from the news:
"Westboro church founder Fred Phelps dies" Daniel Burke, CNN (March 21, 2014)

"Fred Phelps -- the founding pastor of a Kansas church known for its virulently anti-gay protests at public events, including military funerals -- has died, the church said Thursday.

"The 84-year-old died of natural causes at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday, according to church spokesman Steve Drain.

"Phelps founded Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, in 1955 and molded it in his fire-and-brimstone image. Many members of the small congregation are related to Phelps through blood or marriage....

"...According to Westboro, the church has picketed more than 53,000 events, ranging from Lady Gaga concerts to funerals for slain U.S. soldiers. Typically, a dozen or so church members -- including small children -- will brandish signs that say 'God Hates Fags' and 'Thank God for Dead Soldiers.'

"Phelps was often called 'the most hated man in America,' a label he seemed to relish...."
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Preventing Sexual Abuse: "...A Race Without a Finish..."

Civil authority comes with responsibility. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1897-1904)

The stakes are much higher for priests. (Catechism, 553, 1348, 1448, 2686)

One of the world's 407,000 or so Catholic priests misusing their position and authority would be one too many. That said, the recurring pedophile priest story, as presented on old-school news media, is a trifle - - - imaginative.

Sex, Love, and Neighbors

"Abuse report finds few allegations against clergy in 2012"
CNA (May 11, 2013)

"The latest report on child protection in the U.S. Catholic Church found a total of 11 credible allegations of abuse of minors by diocesan clergy in 2012, with a 20 percent decrease in the numbers of new credible abuse allegations about incidents in the past 60 years...."
Since some American subcultures have odd notions about Catholics or religion in general, and sex, here's a quick look at what the Catholic Church says:1
Maybe you know a Catholic who says sex is icky, that hating some group of people is okay, or has other goofy ideas. Some of the billion or so living Catholics don't know our faith very well: a sad situation, but all too real.

Finally, about rape: Forcing someone to have sex is bad; someone who is responsible for children raping those children is really bad. (Catechism, 2356)

Cleaning up a Mess: Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCYP)

"Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, the U.S. bishops' conference president, said in reaction to the report that Catholic bishops renew their 'steadfast resolution' not to lessen their commitment to protect children and young people.

" 'We seek with equal determination to promote healing and reconciliation for those harmed in the past, and to assure that our audits continue to be credible and maintain accountability in our shared promise to protect and our pledge to heal,' Cardinal Dolan said May 10, the U.S. bishops' conference reports.

"The 2012 report on the implementation of the U.S. bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People was authored for the National Review Board and for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops by the bishops' Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection...."
(CNA)
Again, one rape is bad: one too many. Some priests really did force children, youth, and adults, into sexual acts. One incident like that would be one too many.

Despite culturally-normative assumptions in my native land, the Catholic Church does not promote rape, prostitution, or adultery. We do organize Bingo games, and that's another topic. (November 18, 2012)

Abuse, Yes; Widespread, No; Recent, Not So Much

"...The report, drawing from the Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, found 11 credible allegations that diocesan clergy and one credible accusation that a member of a religious order or institute committed offenses against minors in 2012. This represents a slight increase from the seven credible abuse allegations concerning the years 2010-2011...."
(CNA)
About 59 hundredths of one percent of the 53,000 Catholic priests and deacons in America were accused of sexual abuse in 2012. Yet again, one such incident would be one too many.

Many of those individuals will not be punished, either by American courts or by the Catholic Church: because they're dead. That's not too surprising, since most of the alleged incidents happened in the '70s and '80's: three or four decades ago.

Yes, there were worse things than Disco.2

Dead Abusers, Living Victims

That CNA article includes quite a few statistics. That sort of thing fascinates me, your experience may vary.

Here's a sort of summary of what that CPCYP report says about reporting dioceses and eparchies3 in America:
  • There are more than
    • 38,000 priests
    • 15,000 deacons
  • During 2012
    • 390 new credible allegations
      • Made against 313 diocesan priests or deacons
        • Mainly concerning claims from the seventies or eighties
      • One percent of the allegations concern permanent deacons
      • About 60 percent of accused perpetrators had prior allegations against them
      • Most of the accused have
        • Died or
        • Been removed from ministry
    • In diocesan allegations
      • About 84 percent of abuse victims were male
      • Abuse disproportionately began when victims were aged 10-14
      • Only about one in ten allegations were
        • Considered unsubstantiated or
        • Determined to be false
      • Costs totaled almost $113 million
        • Legal settlements
        • Attorney fees
        • Therapy for victims
        • Offender support
    • Religious orders and institutes
      • 74 new credible abuse allegations reported
        • About half were made against someone who had been accused earlier
      • financial costs of abuse totaled $20,100,000
  • People who have undergone safe environment training
    • Over 99 percent of priests, deacons and educators at Catholic institutions
    • Close to 98 percent of candidates for ordination
    • Almost
      • 98 percent of church volunteers
      • 97 percent of church employees
The report covers years from 2004 to 2012. Of those nine years, cleaning up the mess left by abuse was least  expensive in 2012; most expensive in 2007, at $500,000,000 for that year.

Suspicion and Burning Crosses

That's more of an estimate, than a solid number, since child protection programs have a lot of staff turnover. Worse, most diceses and eparchies weren't willing to let Stonebridge Business Partners do on-site audits. Considering America's tradition of anti-Catholicism, I think I understand their diffidence, and that's yet another topic.

Still, expecting the auditors to work only with what dioceses and eparchies tell them allows too much room for suspicion. My opinion.

Then there's flat-out refusal to cooperate:
"...The Diocese of Lincoln and five Eastern Catholic eparchies have refused to be audited and are not in compliance with the bishops' charter for child protection. The Dioceses of Lake Charles, La., Tulsa, Okla. and Baker, Ore. were each found non-compliant with one requirement of the charter...."
(CNA)
Although it's been a century or more since killing Catholics, burning our property, or planting a burning cross in front of a Catholic Church were popular pastimes among some American subcultures: that sort of thing tends to leave an impression. Even so, I hope those dioceses are doing an extremely good job of policing their own folks.

I suspect that one reason for the Catholic Church apparent inaction on claims of sexual abuse was that it was hard to tell the difference between sincere allegations and the sort of weird Maria Monk stories and Thomas Nast attitudes. (September 26, 2008)

Now that we know the problem is real, there's work to be done. Lots of work.
"...Al J. Notzon, III, chairman of the National Review Board overseeing the audit, stressed the importance of keeping good records and involving parishes in the auditing process.

" 'Abuse happened in the parishes where our children learn and live their young, growing faith,' Notzon said. 'What we have come to see is that protecting children from sexual abuse is a race without a finish and more rather than less effort is necessary to keep this sacred responsibility front and center.'"
(CNA)
Related posts:
1 Background:
More, about Social Justice
2 I have nothing against Disco as music, but I was there in its heyday: and remember hearing disco over and over and over again. After a while, the appeal of its boom-boom beat fades a trifle.

3 An eparchy is a diocese of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Papal Infallibility and the Comics

The humor in today's Non Sequitur comic strip depends on a fairly common misunderstanding of Catholic belief:


(from Non Sequitur, Wiley Miller, via GoComics.com, used w/o permission)

I read Wiley Miller's Non Sequitur comic regularly, although I don't always agree with Mr. Miller's personal philosophy. Today's strip plays with an assumption about the Catholic Church that may be more common in the English-speaking world than elsewhere: and that's another topic.(December 5, 2011)

Some of the world's billion-plus living Catholics may believe that the Pope can't make mistakes. That's not what "papal infallibility" means.

I'm not angry or upset about Mr. Miller's joke, by the way. More topics.

Perfect Popes? No Such Thing

Some Popes are recognized Saints. Some were anything but saintly. We hit rough spots in papal quality, about five hundred and a thousand years back, and that's almost another topic.1

I decided to become a Catholic after learning who currently held the authority my Lord gave Peter. I also realized that the Catholic Church had endured, without a break in continuity, for two millennia. Human organizations don't do that.

The Catholic Church has had help. (January 13, 2011)

Infallibility

Very simply,2 infallibility is strictly limited to a particular sort of formal declaration made by the:
  • Pope
    • Comes with being Pope
    • Applies when the Pope
      • Proclaims that a doctrine of faith or morals is to be held
        • By definitive act
        • In his official capacity
    (Code of Canon Law, Book III, 749 §1)
  • College of Bishops
    • Exercising the Magisterium
      • As teachers and judges of faith and morals
    • Speaking for the entire Church
    • Agree that a particular proposition is to be held definitively
    • This authority may be performed
      • In an ecumenical council
      • When dispersed throughout the world
        • But preserving the bond of communion among themselves
        • With the successor of Peter
    (Code of Canon Law, Book III, 749 §2)
No doctrine is infallible unless these conditions are obviously met. (Code of Canon Law, Book III, 749 §3)

Rules and Outside Help

Rules like the Code of Canon Law are important, and serve to define how the Catholic Church works.

But I don't think any set of rules could keep humans from mismanaging an organization into oblivion, given time. As I said before, we've had help.

"Divine assistance" is what holds up the Church, and papal infallibility. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 888-892)

That's an extreme claim. But after two millennia of wildly improbable survival, I'm inclined to believe what the Church says.

More:
Related posts:
1 The 265 successors to Peter:
2 A tip of the hat to Jordan Henderson, on Google+, for pointing out that my outline leaves out - quite a bit. Books could be - and have been - written about the doctrine of infallibility. My intention was to give a very quick overview of the doctrine. I recommend further reading, starting with resources listed under "More", above: or use the Vatican's Google-powered search function.
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Sunday, January 6, 2013

Content to be 'Out of Step'

I think tolerance is a good idea.

I also think that "tolerance" doesn't mean making criticism of a government's policies a crime. At least, it shouldn't.

This puts me at odds with folks who are trying to save America from my kind. From their point of view, people like me are dangerous.

I'm a practicing Catholic.

As a Catholic, I must:
  • Support religious freedom
    (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2104-2109)
    • For everybody
      (Catechism, 2106)
  • Take an active part in public life
    (Catechism, 1915)
  • Contribute to the good of society
    • In a spirit of
      • Truth
      • Justice
      • Solidarity
      • Freedom
    (Catechism, 2239)
  • Submit to legitimate authorities
    • Refuse obedience to civil authorities
      • When their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience
      (Catechism, 2242)
    (Catechism, 2239)
If that's not what you've heard, I'm not surprised.

Assumptions About 'Those People'

If you've been watching American media during the last few decades, you've probably noticed that that serious Catholics and Protestants are often shown as:
  • Simpletons
    • Backwards
    • Mentally simple
    • Haters of science
  • Hypocrites
  • Self-righteous
  • Old-fashioned
From the establishment1 point of view, Catholics like me are worse than most.

The stereotype Catholic is plagued by:
  • Neurotic guilt
  • Aversion or hatred of sexuality
  • Being in a sexist institution
  • Being stuck in the past
    • With too many rules
  • Being authoritarian
  • Having clergy who were
    • Sexually repressed
    • Homosexuals
    • Pedophiles
Oddly enough, the Catholic Church is reviled because it's presumably run by and for homosexuals - and because it supposedly doesn't support homosexuals. Oh, well.

I pulled that list of media stereotypes from a post by Charles Pope, the pastor of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian in Washington, D.C. He's concerned about how Christians, particularly Catholics, are being portrayed. I think he's got a point.

Stereotypes, Action Movies, and Public Policy

A stereotype is "a conventional or formulaic conception or image." (Princeton's WordNet)

Stereotypes have their place. For example, action movies with stereotyped characters can devote more time to explosions and gunfire. Folks watching "The Terminator" don't expect the complexities of "Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola." I don't anyway.

I have no problem with stereotypes in movies. I like light entertainment to be just that: light. When I want trenchant characterization, I'll re-read Macbeth or Othello. And that's another topic or two.

When stereotypes are mistaken for reality: that's when I get concerned.

Five Stages of Religious Persecution

"Some thoughts on the five stages of religious persecution."
Monsignor Charles Pope, Archdiocese of Washington (November 11, 2012)

"It is rare that a respected segment of American life would become vilified and hated overnight. The usual transformation from respect to vilification goes in stages which grow in intensity. And hereby the Church, once a respected aspect of American life, along with the Protestant denominations has become increasingly marginalized and hated by many. It may help us to review these stages of persecution since it would seem that things are going to get more difficult for the Church in the years ahead. Generally there are distinguished five basic stages of persecution...."
I recommend reading that post. It's of particular interest to Catholics, but I think this is a situation where 'my end of the boat isn't sinking' isn't a sensible attitude: if it ever is.

Monsignor Charles Pope's stages are:
  1. Stereotyping the targeted group
  2. Vilifying the targeted group for alleged crimes or misconduct
  3. Marginalizing the targeted group’s role in society
  4. Criminalizing the targeted group or its works
  5. Persecuting the targeted group outright
I mentioned stereotyping earlier.

As Monsignor Charles Pope wrote, "not everyone engages in this stereotyping to the same degree." The problem is that "the general climate of this sort of stereotyping sets the foundation for the next stage."

Welcome to the Fourth Stage

Skipping ahead to the fourth stage, criminalizing the targeted group, here's a selection of recent headlines. I'm particularly concerned with what's happening in my native land, but there's trouble all over:
Maybe I shouldn't complain. Things could be worse:

Concerned, But Hopeful

I remember when an entrenched American establishment was collapsing. I've been over this before:
"...America is Okay - - -

"I like some aspects of today's America: the comparative prosperity many of us enjoy; immigrants continuing to bring new ideas and enthusiasm; and a degree of freedom.

"I particularly like being free to express opinions, even if the folks in charge don't approve.

"- - - And We Can Do Better

"This is far from Western civilization's, and America's, most tranquil era. If I was satisfied with the status quo, I'd probably be upset.

"Some of the reforms 'those crazy kids' like me worked for didn't turn out as advertised. I think we can do better.

"I also remember the 'good old days' when the establishment was a great deal paler, and nearly all male. I really don't want to go back to the 'good old days.' My memory's too good...."
(December 14, 2012)

"...Back in the '60s, 'the establishment' was mostly white, almost all male, and either WASP or trying to be sufficiently WASPish. I suppose there's a sort of sadly futile and misplaced valor in actions like blocking the door of Foster Auditorium: but folks who wanted to keep non-WASPs in their place were wrong, and were losing.

"Before that, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) chief counsel had said: 'After all, the KKK is an old American institution.'1 Instead of looking into the Ku Klux Klan's actions, HUAC went commie-hunting in the Federal Writers Project.

"Like I said, I don't miss the 'good old days.' At all...."
(February 12, 2012)
I am very concerned about the hostility toward faith that I see in America's cultural leadership. But I think we have a very good chance of recovering the right to act as if God matters.

Until then:
"...I'm content to be 'out of step' with whatever philosophies are popular today. I think it's more important to be in step with my Lord. That's why I became a Catholic. I'm content to be part of the Church that's rooted in eternity, under the authority my Lord gave Peter,3 marching through time toward a city that hasn't been built yet...."
(April 1, 2012)
More:
Related posts, getting a grip about:
1 America's 'establishment,' folks whose wealth, influence, or political power give them some degree of control over a society, aren't the pale men of my youth. Today's lot look different, have different preferences, and use different slogans: but they display the same unwillingness to endure views other than their own:
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Sunday, October 28, 2012

"Press On:" Bill Gates, Calvin Coolidge, and Bartimaeus

Readings for October 28, 2012, 30th Sunday in Ordinary time 2012:

30th Sunday in Ordinary time 2012

By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas
October 28, 2012

I would like to share with you today three separate topics. The first one from a document received from Rome by Benedict the 16th's reflection on the year of faith. The second topic is from Francis Cardinal George referring to October as the month of the most holy Rosary and also a little about the apparitions of Our Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima. Third will be a brief reflection on the blind man Bartimaeus from the Gospel of today.

The holy father on his Wednesdays general audience, he continues his catechesis on the year of faith, this is what he says, "Dear brothers and sisters, in our series of Catholic catechesis for the year of faith we now consider the nature of faith more than simply knowledge about God, faith is a living encounter with Him. Through faith we come to know and love God, who reveals Himself in the Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ, and in so doing reveals the deepest meaning and truth of our human existence.

Faith offers us sure hope and direction amid the spiritual confusion of our times. Before all else, faith is a divine gift which enables us to open our hearts and minds to God's word and, through baptism, to share in his divine life within the community of the Church. Yet faith is also a profoundly human act, engaging our intelligence and our freedom. When we welcome God's invitation and gift, our lives and the world around us, are transformed. May this year of faith help us to live our faith fully, and to invite others to hear about faith in God's word, opening their hearts to the Eternal life which faith promises.

Part two: October is the month of the most holy Rosary, a devotion associated in modern times with apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima in 1917, which she always requests in these private revelations that echo the public revelation in the gospel: "repent, the kingdom of God is at hand."

From that time when untold millions came to a violent death through war and atrocities to violent even to contemplate has taken place to the present day. However Mary did promise that her Immaculate Heart would triumph. This promise, too, echoes the gospel itself: the risen Christ is victorious even over sin and death. There is a question to be contemplated, and that is, why have entire civilizations seem to have been faded out of history?, and who will be next? Remember the words of Mother Teresa, any nation that kills and destroys the unborn cannot continue to stand as a nation!

Consider too the present political campaign that has brought to the surface of our public life the anti-religious sentiment, much of it explicit the anti-Catholic, that has been growing in this country for several decades, the secularization of our culture is a much larger issue then political causes or the outcome of the current electoral campaign, important though that is.

Some of you will recall it is from this sentiment that Cardinal George made this statement: "I am correctly quoted as saying that I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square." What is omitted from the report is a final phrase I added about the Bishop who follows the possible last martyred Bishop: "his successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church is done so often in human history." He goes on to say, what I said is not "prophetic" but away to force people to think outside of the usual categories that limit and sometimes poison both private and public discourse." The heading for this article is simply, "The Wrong Side of History" I will leave now, this second part, to your reflection and meditation.

Bill Gates failed in his first business. But he learned from the experience and started of another business, which he called Microsoft. Persistence pays off.

Pres. Calvin Coolidge once said, "nothing in the world can take the place of persistence, talent will not, genius will not, education will not, persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

Long before Bill Gates and Calvin Coolidge, Bartimaeus was putting persistence into practice. He wanted to have his vision restored, and nothing was going to stop him. He first had to get in front of the crowd's lining the street. He found his way to the front, and sat on the side of the road to await the coming of the one who could heal him. When he heard the crowd coming, he began to call out to Jesus, when people tried to silence him Bartimaeus called out the louder, "Son of David have pity on me." What do you want me to do for you? Jesus asks. The blind man replies, Mater I want to see! The response of the master is simply, go your way your faith has saved you!

I'm sure that all of us at one time or another can relate to the blind Bartimaeus, for blindness is not only in the eye but with our relationship to our God and to one another. This simple little story of the blind man can cause all of us to reflect on any area of blindness that we know exists in each of our natures and likewise can holler and call, Lord Jesus son of David have mercy on me!
'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.
More reflections:
Related posts:
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Sunday, September 2, 2012

Ignorance, Attitudes, and the Catholic Church

"There are not a hundred people in America who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions of people who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church - which is, of course, quite a different thing."
(Bishop Fulton Sheen, Foreword to Radio Replies Vol. 1, (1938) page ix, via Wikiquote)
On my way to becoming a Catholic, I found out that most of what I 'knew' about the Catholic Church was either at least four centuries out of date, or simply wrong.

In a way, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one:
"...To most non-Catholics and nominal Catholics, the Church remains a virtual unknown. University students leave their colleges and universities with fragmented and absurd views about Catholic Church history...."
("The New Atheism," Sr. Joan L. Roccasalvo, Congregation of St. Joseph, via CNA)

Clueless About Catholicism: An Old Tradition

It's not just American academia that's clueless about the Catholic Church. America's early cultural history is solidly English and Protestant. That's not all bad news.

For example, the Magna Carta and English Parliament may have helped start the notion that 'consent of the governed' was okay.

On the other hand, Henry VIII made himself "Protector and Supreme Head of the Church of England," a sort of mini-pope. After that, being Catholic in England was occasionally lethal. (June 22, 2012, March 7, 2012)

It didn't take long before English assumptions about the Church got -- imaginative is mild way to put it. (December 5, 2011)

Under the circumstances, I think my country's fairly consistent record of tolerating 'Papists' is both remarkable and laudable.

Ignorance, Bliss, and Politics

Thomas Gray added "ignorance is bliss" to the English vocabulary in the 1740s. ("Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College") I'm pretty sure that Gray was expressing a nostalgic mood: not claiming that ignorance is a good idea.

November's election involves serious issues, including whether or not:
  • Americans should be allowed to act as if faith matters
  • Taxpayers should pay a government agency to have non-taxpayers killed
Complicating this debate, a practicing Catholic is running for Vice-President.

Even without issues like abortion and religious freedom in play, having one of 'those people' running for a White House post is going to stir up all-too-familiar reactions:

Educated and Unaware

An ignorant person isn't necessarily stupid. The ignorant person may be very intelligent, but:
  1. Uneducated in general
    • Lacking knowledge or sophistication
  2. Uneducated in the fundamentals of a given art or branch of learning
    • Lacking knowledge of a specific field
  3. Unaware because of a lack of
    • Relevant information
    • Knowledge
    (Princeton's WordNet)
Where the Catholic Church is concerned, I think it's #3 that accounts for most of the ignorance Sister Roccasalvo wrote about:1
"...University students leave their colleges and universities with fragmented and absurd views about Catholic Church history. Their ignorance, however, does not prevent them from critiquing and ridiculing the Church as though they were expert church historians...."
("The New Atheism," Sr. Joan L. Roccasalvo, Congregation of St. Joseph, via CNA)

A Tradition We Can Do Without

In a way, I almost sympathize with Americans who feel angry and hurt because Catholics in America act as if our faith matters.

The America I grew up in was a nation where important folks were either WASPs, or able to look and act sufficiently WASPish to pass for 'regular Americans.'

That's changed: and is still changing. I don't mind: partly because I remember the 'good old days,' and am glad they're never coming back.

I don't think 'change for the sake of change' is a good idea, or that traditions are always a bad idea. America's traditional attitude toward the Catholic Church, though: that's a tradition I think we can do without.2

Curing Ignorance

This may sound simplistic, but I think knowledge is a cure for ignorance.

It'll take a long time for most Americans to understand what the Catholic Church is: or at least why it's not a threat to national security.

A major obstacle, I think, is that so many Americans 'know' things that simply aren't true about the Church. I'm cautiously optimistic, though.

I think America is going through a change that's as big as what we experienced in the '60s. Folks will be looking for answers that make sense.

When I started learning what the Church actually said, the answers made sense. I didn't always like what I learned, but I couldn't argue with the logic.

'My Mind's Made Up: Don't Confuse Me With the Facts'

Some folks may decide that they don't want to know 'too much' about the Church. Others may not be able to believe anyone except the little circle of friends, acquaintances, and 'experts' they've grown accustomed to.

I'm pretty sure that most folks are able to learn: and that many are willing to pick up new ideas.

Even if I didn't think that was so, I'd have to tell folks about Jesus: and why loving God, loving my neighbors, and seeing everyone as my neighbor is a good idea. Matthew 28:19 didn't give us the option of keeping quiet.

Somewhat-related posts:
1 Excerpt:
"The New Atheism"
Sr. Joan L. Roccasalvo, C.S.J., The Way of Beauty column, CNA (Catholic News Agenchy) (August 29, 2012)

"...For Christians, Jesus Christ, humanity's redeemer, is the glory of God. Christianity's mandate is twofold: love of God and love of neighbor.

"Catholicism insists on wholeness - the whole God, the whole Christ, the complete community, the whole personality, the whole man and woman. (K. Adam, 'The Spirit of Catholicism,' 11) Catholicism has the power of assimilation of all that is beautiful, true, and good; it is creative, productive, and original.

"Nothing remains outside the Church's integral teaching: the purpose and destiny of every human being, sports and physical fitness, social justice, science and the arts, the care of the environment, the sanctity of human life, human sexuality, marriage, and the family. Our creed, our sacramental worship, our code of behavior, and prayer encapsulate Catholic faith. Moreover, the way of Catholic living is firmly grounded in reason leading to faith. There is a Catholic view about everything, regardless of topic.

"Wholeness and holiness are two interrelated aspects of one's life. Both are made up of a thousand trifles, but wholeness and holiness are no trifles....

"...Like the members of the symphony orchestra, Catholics are in the public view. A private Catholic is a misnomer. To be a member of the Catholic Church is always and everywhere to be a Christèd person and an ambassador for the Church.....

"...To most non-Catholics and nominal Catholics, the Church remains a virtual unknown. University students leave their colleges and universities with fragmented and absurd views about Catholic Church history. Their ignorance, however, does not prevent them from critiquing and ridiculing the Church as though they were expert church historians. In fact, their ignorance comes to the fore when they indulge in wholly trivial, vague, and often nonsensical notions about 'the greatest religious and political creation known to history.' These observations were made in 1911 by the influential Protestant scholar and historian Adolf von Harnack (quoted in K. Adam, 'The Spirit of Catholicism,' 13). His remarks however are as relevant today as they were one hundred years ago, and perhaps even more so....."
2 Examples of an all-too-common attitude toward the Catholic Church:


(From Thomas Nast Portfolio, Ohio State University, used w/o permission.)
"The American River Ganges, a cartoon by Thomas Nast showing bishops attacking public schools, with connivance of Boss Tweed. Harper's Weekly, September 30, 1871." (Wikipedia)


(from H.E. Fowler, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission)
"Crowley, Jeremiah J. (1913) 'The Pope: Chief of White Slavers High Priest of Intrigue,' p. 430"

From ''Klansmen: Guardians of Liberty'', 1926. Published by the Pillar of Fire Church in Zarephath, NJ. Copyright was not renewed.
(Pillar of Fire Church, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission)
"From ''Klansmen: Guardians of Liberty'', 1926. Published by the Pillar of Fire Church in Zarephath, NJ...."


(Chick Publications, via FoxNews.com, used w/o permission)
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Friday, August 24, 2012

'Think Nice Thoughts About Eugenics,' and Good News

I tend to take the principles of eugenics personally, since I'm 'unfit' from some points of view. (February 3, 2009) An Italian book about eugenics could be an effort to restore public acceptance of the term, the result of shoddy scholarship, or 'none of the above.'

On happier notes: an American judge has dismissed an attempt to sue the Vatican; and an Olympic medalist showed 'world class' off the field.
  1. Eugenics: 'It Can't Happen Here?'
  2. Suing the Holy See: Dismissed
  3. Good News From Spain
Some folks seem to think that science is evil. Others seem equally convinced that religion requires believers to be willfully ignorant.

I don't agree with either view. On the other hand, I can see how the notions might seem plausible.

Some Victorian-era intellectual fashions with "scientific" trappings could be related to a later effort to remove 'unfit' folks from Europe's gene pool. Some painfully religious folks don't seem to like much of anything that's happened since around 1850.

But I don't think a systematic study of God's creation leads inevitably to Dachau and the Tuskegee experiments. And I certainly don't think faith requires ignorance.

1. Eugenics: 'It Can't Happen Here?'

What Allied troops found when they reached places like Dachau and Auschwitz was unpleasant, to put it mildly.

Photographs, accounts by survivors, and documentation of what 'improving the race' actually involved were a serious public relations problem for supporters of eugenics.

Dealing with Unpleasant Realities - or Not

One approach is to claim that the systematic extermination of Jews, Poles, and other 'inferior' people, never happened. There's simply too much evidence for more than the most dedicated believers to take the claim seriously. It's a perennial favorite, though: and that's almost another topic.

Another, more successful, approach has been to drop the word "eugenics," and present abortion as a matter of 'compassion.' When I was a youth, "quality of life" was supposed to be a good reason for killing the unfit.

I didn't buy it: partly because I wasn't leading a 'quality lifestyle.' I preferred being alive, anyway: and still do.

Rehabilitating Eugenics?

"Eugenics," that good old-fashioned word for ridding the world of 'unfit' people, may become fashionable again. I hope not: but it's possible.

A bioethics expert, Carlo Alberto Defanti, has a good idea. He thinks it's a good idea to learn from history. How he applied that idea, that's another matter. His new book, "Eugenetica: un tabù contemporaneo. Storia di un'idea controversa" ("Eugenics: a contemporary taboo. History of a controversial idea"), doesn't quite tell the whole story about applied eugenics.

Some linguistic oddities in this article indicate that it's a translation into English, and that is another topic.
"Through the darkness"
Lucetta Scaraffia, L'Osservatore Romano, via News.va (August 22, 2012)

"Carlo Alberto Defanti, a neurologist and expert in bioethics, has written a book called Eugenetica: un tabù contemporaneo. Storia di un'idea controversa (Turin, Codice edizioni, 2012, 309 pages, € 23) [Eugenics, a contemporary taboo. History of a controversial idea], with the courageous intention of clarifying a doubt that is spreading in our society and that we often seek unsuccessfully to eliminate: 'whether or not the horrors of the so-called Nazi euthanasia', then those of the Shoah, were a possible off-shoot of eugenics.

"Defanti rightly thinks that to answer this question it is necessary to go back to the 19th century, to the birth of eugenics in Darwin's England and to the rapid dissemination of this new science in the Western countries, even including Nazi Germany. It is not the first time that Defanti tackles an important aspect of bioethical reflection: the need for historical reflection for a better understanding of certain issues, such as euthanasia.

"Reconstructing the history of eugenics is no easy undertaking, despite the many studies on the topic that have been published in recent decades, because it involved a sort of scientific trend which then often became political policy. In turn this spread successfully in the Western countries...."
Defanti's book may or may not be translated into English and sold here in America. I think we can count on his ideas making the rounds on this side of the Atlantic, though. I put a longer excerpt from the article at the end of this post1 - and recommend reading it on News.va's website.

Don't Worry, But Don't Look at Sweden

Basically, Defanti says that eugenics and what happened in in Germany during during the national socialist administration aren't connected. He also says that nice democracies don't have to worry, because eugenics is okay and what happened in Germany didn't have anything to do with genetic issues.

I'm over-simplifying, of course.

Apparently Defanti has taken a sophisticated approach to the 'Dachau didn't happen' argument. Instead of denying that lots of folks were killed because they weren't sufficiently pure, Defanti simply ignores inconvenient facts:
"...Defanti's bibliography, moreover, has vast lacunae, especially regarding the application of eugenic ideas in the United States and in the Scandinavian democracies. If he had read Colla and Dotti's on eugenic practices in Sweden, for example, he would have seen that social democracy can also exercise an oppressive bio-power over the weak, and especially over lonely and poor women, which is damaging to personal freedom. It is they, in fact, and not the sick, who accounted for more than 80 per cent of the victims of sterilization and eugenic abortion policies...."
(Lucetta Scaraffia, L'Osservatore Romano, via News.va)

"Lacunae?!"

I know what "lacunae" are: thanks to knowing a little Latin; a year studying for a Library Science degree; being Catholic; and loving language. "Lacunae" are more than one lacuna, and "lacuna" means "a blank gap or missing part." (Princeton's WordNet) In other words, there are big holes in Defanti's bibliography.

Too bad: because his basic idea, that it's a good idea to look at the history of an idea, is sensible.

2. Suing the Holy See: Dismissed

Yes, I know about the 'pedophile priests' What some priests did over the last half-century was a bad thing. Moving on.

America's cultural assumptions about the vast riches of the Vatican may or may not have been part of the motive for this effort to extract money from Rome.

I know that victims of abuse are hurting. I also know that dioceses in America are paying for what a few individuals did - in this case, about five decades back.

It's very regrettable that some folks got hurt. Justice needs to be served. On the other hand, I don't think justice means shaking down whoever is thought to have the most money.
"Federal judge dismisses abuse lawsuit against Vatican"
Kevin J. Jones, CNA/EWTN News (August 21, 2012)

"A federal judge dismissed a sex abuse lawsuit against the Holy See on grounds that the Vatican was not an employer of the accused ex-priest and cannot be held financially liable for the abuse.

"Jeffrey Lena, counsel for the Holy See, told CNA on Aug. 21 that the ruling is 'particularly important.'

"It follows a years-long legal examination of whether the Vatican has sovereign immunity protecting it from such lawsuits.

"On Monday U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman in Portland, Ore. ruled that the laicized Servite priest Andrew Ronan, who allegedly molested the plaintiff as a teenager in 1965 and 1966, did not have an employee-employer relationship with the Vatican...."
Some bishops did shield some abusive priests. That was wrong. The notion that the Catholic Church is dedicated to protecting icky people? It's popular in some circles, but not true. "Laicization" is a technical term for kicking someone out of the priesthood:
"...He [Jeffrey Lena] said that only the Servite order knew of the abuse until it petitioned for the laicization of Fr. Ronan in 1966.

"When the Holy See learned of the abuse, Lena said, 'it dismissed Ronan from the clerical state very quickly, in just five weeks.'..."
(Kevin J. Jones, CNA/EWTN News)

America's Hate Affair With the Catholic Church

I'm an American citizen, and think this country is a good place to live. Our national and regional cultures have room for improvement, though. I think, and hope, that my native country's attitude toward the Catholic Church will continue to mellow.

Practicing Catholicism has never been officially criminalized, but some 'real Americans' probably would have supported a Constitutional amendment prohibiting papists from becoming citizens.

Traditional antipathy toward Catholicism will almost certainly change. Meanwhile, I think it's prudent for Catholics living in America to avoid living down to expectations: which doesn't mean accepting the status quo, and that's yet another topic.


(From Thomas Nast Portfolio, Ohio State University, used w/o permission.)
"The American River Ganges, a cartoon by Thomas Nast showing bishops attacking public schools, with connivance of Boss Tweed. Harper's Weekly, September 30, 1871." (Wikipedia)


(from H.E. Fowler, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission)
"Crowley, Jeremiah J. (1913) 'The Pope: Chief of White Slavers High Priest of Intrigue,' p. 430"

From ''Klansmen: Guardians of Liberty'', 1926. Published by the Pillar of Fire Church in Zarephath, NJ. Copyright was not renewed.
(Pillar of Fire Church, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission)
"From ''Klansmen: Guardians of Liberty'', 1926. Published by the Pillar of Fire Church in Zarephath, NJ...."


(Chick Publications, via FoxNews.com, used w/o permission)

3. Good News From Spain

"Spanish swimmer dedicates Olympic medals to Virgin Mary"
CNA/EWTN News (August 17, 2012)

"Spanish swimmer Mireia Belmonte offered her two silver medals from the London 2012 Olympic Games to Our Lady of Monserrat in Barcelona.

"The 21-year-old - who won silver in the 800 meter free-style and the 200 meter butterfly - posed for a picture before the image of Our Lady of Monserrat and posted the photo on her Twitter account, which has grown from 7,000 followers to 56,000.

"In an Aug. 4 press conference, Belmonte, the only Spanish swimmer to win two medals in London, said both were of 'equal value' to her.

" 'One cost a little bit more effort than the other because it was a longer race,' she recalled. 'But all of my rivals were very tough and before it starts you don't know what is going to happen because everyone is very strong.'..."
It's good to see an athlete with this attitude. Very good.

Related posts:
1 Excerpt from the news:
"Through the darkness"
Lucetta Scaraffia, L'Osservatore Romano, via News.va (August 22, 2012)

"Carlo Alberto Defanti, a neurologist and expert in bioethics, has written a book called Eugenetica: un tabù contemporaneo. Storia di un'idea controversa (Turin, Codice edizioni, 2012, 309 pages, € 23) [Eugenics, a contemporary taboo. History of a controversial idea], with the courageous intention of clarifying a doubt that is spreading in our society and that we often seek unsuccessfully to eliminate: 'whether or not the horrors of the so-called Nazi euthanasia', then those of the Shoah, were a possible off-shoot of eugenics.

"Defanti rightly thinks that to answer this question it is necessary to go back to the 19th century, to the birth of eugenics in Darwin's England and to the rapid dissemination of this new science in the Western countries, even including Nazi Germany. It is not the first time that Defanti tackles an important aspect of bioethical reflection: the need for historical reflection for a better understanding of certain issues, such as euthanasia.

"Reconstructing the history of eugenics is no easy undertaking, despite the many studies on the topic that have been published in recent decades, because it involved a sort of scientific trend which then often became political policy. In turn this spread successfully in the Western countries....

"...Defanti's bibliography, moreover, has vast lacunae, especially regarding the application of eugenic ideas in the United States and in the Scandinavian democracies. If he had read Colla and Dotti's on eugenic practices in Sweden, for example, he would have seen that social democracy can also exercise an oppressive bio-power over the weak, and especially over lonely and poor women, which is damaging to personal freedom. It is they, in fact, and not the sick, who accounted for more than 80 per cent of the victims of sterilization and eugenic abortion policies. And he would have realized that financial reasons (that is, complaints about the cost of care for the sick) constitute the first and most widespread reason for the eugenic practices implemented by democratic governments.

"The author's certainty that we in democratic regimes are not in danger from Nazi-type eugenics is therefore belied by history. Yet, while the conclusion of the book – which would like to dispel the fears that hover around a eugenic use of science today – is far from convincing, Defanti's idea that to judge the present we must review the past and, in particular, come to grips with the ghost of Nazi eugenics, is interesting."
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Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.