Health Care Reform Nothing is Perfect in this Life nor in Politics

The USCCB has been in favor of universal heath care for years. Unfortunately, the Stupak amendment itself could not pass in the Senate. So, we have a new health care policy in this country, unprecedented. But not perfect. The Bishops and we lambs cannot be happy until abortion is eliminated.
The executive order signed by Precedent Obama, the comments of Tony Perkins and others not withstanding, signals the President's commitment to passage of health care. He signed the order with figuratively speaking a gun held to his head.
An executive order it is even so. and it must be honored and it does limit or hold to the ban of federal funding for abortion. this is good but not good enough.
The larger question is does this, and it does, signal that Obama will backdown on abortion, even though it will cost him votes.
As for Tony Perkins. He is a fundie their agenda is very different from that of our bishops. He and those he speaks for want no health, nor a reduction in poverty, if it is brought about by government. Their aim, their fundamental goal is the destruction of the Catholic Church and the USA. Make no mistake about it, although the USCCB is in agreement with the likes of Tony Perkins, they and those of us who follow them as our shepards are not in agreement with the fundamentalist movement on other issues, including the other life issues that have to do with capital punishment, and the elimination of poverty.

Let us not forget that Tony Perkins and those like him, although as Catholics we share a common ground on abortion and the government sanctioning of the disorder of homosexuality as a right, we do not share either their fundamental socio-political via which includes world domination and the elimination of Catholicism. After all they believe that the Pope is the anti-Christ.

We must not let our common ground with such people nor should we let ecumenism blind us in our duty to see and tell the truth and evangelizes them.

It is our duty and our right as confirmed Catholics to evangelizes the evangelicals. President Obama Gave in. He signed the executive order. He signaled his willingness to change on this issue of abortion. What has Tony Perkins signaled his willingness to change?

Civil Rights for the conceived NOW!

copyright 2010 Fred Celio

Jack Chick and the Fundie Threat to Catholicism

Recently I was asked the following question, and I felt compelled to respond:

Have you ever seen those psychotic Christian comic pamphlets that get left in phone booths?
I only saw one up close once, but it scared me to death to think that anyone so full of hate could say they were spreading the message of Christianity. Who is responsible for those things?

They are produced by a fundie, and have nothing to do with Christianity. Fundamentalism is a socio political movement, that seeks world domination through the imposition of a conservative agenda, by they and they alone know right from wrong. Their use of religion and the bible are only to support this agenda. Though fundamentalism is not limited to "Christian" but also exits within Islam (I think a case can be made that all of Islam is fundamentalist) the goal, techniques, and if not all the tactics are the same. Basically to scare people into their way of thinking and gain political power in order to forward their socio-political agenda, which includes an extreme conservative ideology, which they have the exclusive understanding of and adherence to moral teachings which cannot be argued with nor deviated from, since in the manner that they use religion these extreme views are "God’s” law". So far they have only been able to influence politics in the US on a limited scale particularly conservative politicians, who have mostly cozyed up to them and given lip service to some of their ideas in order to get votes.
However, should they ever come to full power themselves, they would first eliminate the homosexuals, and then the Catholic church.
Fundamentalism hates Catholicism, because it is the true Church that Jesus founded, and although Catholic doctrine is in line with some eliminates of the fundamentalist would view like ending abortion and putting a stop to gay marriage. Their agreements with the church is only on limited issues, for example their socio-political view does not take into account the fullness of what it means to be pro-life, they thus remain in favor of capital punishment, and believe those in poverty are their by their own choice; both of these perspectives are at odds with catholic doctrine and the teaching of Jesus Christ, but are in line with the fundamentalist agenda.
With fundies it is the socio-political point of view that is fundamental and they bend, misinterpret, misrepresent, or thus "use" scripture to support their fundamental socio-political agenda or new world order.

Chick Publications operated by Jack Chick is one arm of this radical and dangerous movement.
see http://www.chick.com/default.asp. This is where these comic book style tracts come from. They are a form of indoctrination for the young, and have nothing to do with Christianity, the bible, or God.

You are rightly scared to death. This movement is very real and not limited to Islam. They are a very dangerous movement and strike at the very heart of true Christian values and our American ideals of freedom, and individual rights.

As Catholic it is my duty to tell the truth, and I stand up to these and others like them in the name of the great Saints and Patrons, Sts. Michael the archangel and John Capistran.

What's to stop "scripture alone" from becoming "scripture means whatever I want it to mean"?

A friend asked the question:

What's to stop "scripture alone" from becoming "scripture means whatever I want it to mean"?

Nothing.

Luther made each individual a pope/magisterium unto himself forgetting exegesis, and starting with himself. Once Luther was free to interpret the Bible as he saw fit then all were. Therefore, something which can mean anything is logically ultimately meaningless. Thus also by inference rendering his on concept and the heresy of sola scripture also meaningless. How can something that can ultimately mean what ever the reader syas it means be the final authority it, thus makes each individual the final authority, and thus not only the pope but their own and magestrium and ultimately theri own god.

Therefore it can be concluded that protestantism actually marked the introduction of moral relativism or at least opened the door for such.
The ultimate abuse of this are the fundamentalists or Evangelicals as some including themselves euphemistically call themselves, where it is the socio-political that is fundamental and scripture, and yes even tradition, is bent in service to the foundational soci-political point of view.

Since we catholics agree with some tenets like banning abortion, and the serious disturbance that constitutes homosexuality, fundamentalism takes on an aire of legitimacy within some catholic circles, one that it does not serve and subverts the intent of John Paul II's comments on ecumenism.

We Catholics are the bearers of the truth and thus the leaders, not the followers, and we cannot let ourselves be lead astray by those who ultimately have a contempt for us and thus for the truth, just because they have the correct political view on two issues.

I see many latching on to the correctness of the fundies views on abortion and homosexuality (however, I have not seen them show love of individual homosexuals, for without the sacraments and the grace provided, how can any human seriously claim to love the sinner and hate the sin) and accepting their whole point of view, which is clearly outside of catholic doctrine on the basic of christian principles.

This is a sad situation of our time, but we can see the devil's hand here, picking off individual catholics with a hand full of truth, and a bucket of lies.

http://www.stmichaelgodsknight.com

copyright Fred Celio 2009

What do we say to Protestants about the Bible?

So many of us these days are friends with protestants, even some of us feel close to the so called evangelical or fundamentalist Christian movement – the fundies. It is true the fundies are with us on the evil of abortion, and it is also true that we are related to them through the sacrament of baptism. They were baptised into the kingdom of God/Heaven on earth -- the Catholic Church aka the Christian Church universal.

I have thought about the evangelical or fundamentalist movement a great deal, and I do have some things to say about it. I also have had first hand experience, having been part of the Calvary Chapel sect of the fundamentalist movement. I'll tell you right now you know what it means to be persecuted if you sit around listening to them bash Catholics before and after their prayer breakfasts, Wednesday night prayer meetings, and Sunday "services." Make no mistake about it, John Paull II's encyclical on ecumenism not withstanding, we must remember that THEY are out to convert or "save" us. And they love luring folks away from the church that Jesus founded. So, we need to take the lead in our encounters, friendships etc. We can be kind but firm in our knowledge of the Truth. I have been accused of being a little too firm, but to me they are in a house that is on fire, and it would no be loving to try and coax them out. In fact I yell "fire" get out.

Today I would just like to share with you an allegory or “parable” if you will, that I hope illustrates one of the heresies of Protestantism and fundamentalism in particular. That is their doctrine of sola scriptura , i.e., The bible first last and always. They say if it is not in the bible according to their strict arbitrary literal understanding, then it is not Christian and is thus valueless. They are of course hard pressed, when ask for the chapter and verse of things they value like say the “the sinners prayer”.

It is important to remember that inherent in our ecumenism is evangelization, and that we Catholics are the leaders, by virtue of our knowledge of the truth. They are joined to us by baptism but in evangelizing it is important that we make known to them, and it is incumbent upon us to make them aware, of just what that means, and what it does not mean. Ecumenism does not excuse the heresy. It excuses many from blame for the original heresy of their particular sect or root.

Nor does ecumenism excuse us from our duty to tell the truth. And the truth is that after baptism, if one does not receive absolution in the manner prescribed by Jesus, and documented by us in the Gospels (which by the way are Catholic documents) then one is no longer a member of the kingdom of God/Heaven on earth. That is we lose our salvation.

It is our obligation to evangelize them from a kind yet firm position, grounded in our knowledge of the truth.

And I'm tired of hearing that Catholics don't know the bible -- it's our book -- we are they only ones who do know it. Every week or every day at mass if one is fortunate enough to be so situated as to attend daily mass, we have the scripture read to us and explained to us by one trained with expert first hand knowledge of it's meaning and dedicated to us for that purpose. There are no fundie pastors that I have met or heard that know the bible better than a Catholic priest.

So here's my little allegory. I call it sola scriptura?

Sola Scriptura ?

Go get a copy of the marine corp. manual, take it home study it. Don't forget to rip out the five chapters that contradict what you are doing. Get other people together to study it, implement it in your life, get the people who you study it with to implement it in there lives. Oh, don’t forget to get your official marine corps manual concordance, so you can look up words and phrases like “simper fi”, “Iwo Jima”, “Helmet”, “Grenade”, and “Honor”, etc. Now does this make you guys marines? I think not.You are missing pretty much everything that it means to be a marine. You haven't had the training that they have done for years you don't have the history -- the understanding of what it means to BE a marine as passed on from the founder of the marine corp to his first lieutenants and on down through the ranks through the years – the direct link to the founder of the marine corp. and writers of the manual, nor do you have the word of mouth testimony (those unwritten instructions that the founder himself – who by the way did not write the manual -- passed on to his first lieutenants, things the marines have been doing for years), nor do you have the true meaning of what the manual says. Because, of course, outside of the marine corp., the manual is MEANINGLESS.People who belong to bible studying fellowships who believe in the doctrine of solely scripture, scripture first, scripture only -- sola scriptura are no more Christians than are the people who got together to study the marine manual are marines. Now that you and your friends have studied the marine corp manual. Go out in front of a marine corp. recruiting station and as people walk in hand them a tract from the manual and get them to come join you. Go to a marine corp. camp and do the same thing see if they will join you marine corp. manual studying fellowship. But don't call yourselves that. Call yourselves, "marines". Go to the veterans day parade and hand out tracts from the manual there, and tell them to come to your marine barracks. Let people know that you have the way that all they have to do is study the manual with you and they too can be marines.Oh yes and erect marine corp. manual studying colleges and graduate what?Experts in misunderstanding the marine corp. manual.And OHHHH yes don't forget to call yourselves not just marines but "heroes(saints)", because after all everyone who is part of your marine corp., manual studying fellowship is a "hero(saint)", after all the manual says that doesn't it? Forget about honoring real marine “Heroes(Saints)” like Colonel Louis C. Plain and Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone; or Gunnery Sergeant Donald A. Levesque (RET); or Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham ... etc.; for after all the manual tells us not to do that, right?Then, go up to a real marine (if you dare) tell them what you are doing, and ask them what is wrong with it?

Copyright Fred Celio 2009