Perspectives of a Wanderer

For centuries, the Catholic Church was the center of life for many.  In fact, it was not uncommon for a town’s Catholic Church to be built on or near the town’s square until the Protestant Revolt either seized the church or relegated it to another part of the town.

Historically, a town square was also a meeting place where both goods and ideas were exchanged.   It is the exchange of ideas that I am more interested in.

Until recently, the exchange of ideas in the town square was, for the most part, free and open.  This seems to no longer be the case.  In fact, there is not an open hostility towards the free expression of religion ideas particularly Christian and especially Catholic ideas.

For a couple of months now, I have exploring ideas for discussion groups on-line.  These have ranged from a narrow as a single topic like Distributism to more general like Catholic Moral and Social teaching.

It was my general disgust with the current state of the town square and my disenchantment with other “Catholic Forums” to explore a more general social/discussion group that would emphasize true Catholic teachings and ideas.   Essentially, an electronic Catholic Town Square.

I am starting to put my ideas down on “paper” and, hopefully, start the design of an actual site(s).  I have not finalized where the site(s) will be (although I have a couple prime ideas in mind).  The one will be very easy and will mainly be a “discussion group” and as exposure to the final site to be developed.  That will be more expansive and will include not only a discussion forum, but also a true social and informational site.

Saying that.  I do not expect or want this “town square” to remain in cyberspace.  I fully expect this to, eventually, blossom into actual town squares.  That is, to recapture actual town squares for evangelization of people to the Catholic faith.

Consider the following statements:

“Without God, man neither knows which way to go, nor even understands who he is.”

And

“Man cannot bring about his own progress unaided, because by himself he cannot establish an authentic humanism. Only if we are aware of our calling, as individuals and as a community, to be part of God’s family as his sons and daughters, will we be able to generate a new vision and muster new energy in the service of a truly integral humanism.”

These two statements are part of the beginning of the Conclusion for the latest encyclical, Caritas In Veritate, of Pope Benedict XVI.

We are seeing the fruits of a Godless society today with the increasingly spreading infection of the plagues of Relativism, Socialism, Liberalism, and Global Capitalism.  Although these have festered through out the past two thousand years, they have been kept in check, for the most part, by the ever present emphasis of God’s natural law in the formation of the morals and man’s “positive” law.

These checks started to crack with the Protestant Revolt and continued to grow with the Industrial Revolution.  These two events allowed the plagues of Relativism and Global Capitalism to eventually gain a foothold in society.  These, in turn eventually allowed the other plagues of Socialism (a direct reaction to Capitalism), Materialism, and Liberalism to eventually spread their infection in society.

With these plagues let loose, those who were/are infected saw the dangers of God to their plagues.  This has given rise to the outright assault on God by those infected.  It started out slowly with preventing the Church from endorsing candidates and taking prayer out of school and has grown to the point where even talking about morality based on God’s Natural Law is being criminalized.  How long are we going to take it before we say “no more”?

I say “no more” has arrived.  We must start ignoring the restraints being forced on us by those infected.  In fact, we must put God back into society any way and every way possible.

Although we must be charitable to them, we must not do anything to encourage their continued infection with these plagues.  Whenever and wherever possible, we must shun buying good and services from those infected.  We must find alternatives, including setting up a competing “white market” economy, to their businesses.

In addition, we must put forth our own candidates and/or parties for office that will promote, not hinder restoring God to society staring locally and going from there.

Finally, we must not only “talk the talk” but also “walk the walk”.  That is, we must live a life with God as its center, not just give “lip serve”.  By providing examples on how to live, we provide a much more effective witness to God.

Things must change or society will implode from the weight the plagues destroying its foundation.   This must start immediately if there is to be any hope for society.

On thing I did not bring up in “Is Man Meant for Urban Living?” is the question: Is urban Living even healthy.  It is my opinion that the general health of urban dwellers is much lower than it is for people living in smaller towns and rural areas.   There are a number of reasons I say this:

1. Pollution – There is not refuting that the pollution in urban areas is much worse than smaller towns and rural areas.  And where does that pollution go? Yes, right into our bodies.   Oh, people will say that cities are going green with more parks, but the pollution is still there.  And that is only outside.  They say that indoor are is even worse. And where do most people work in urban areas? You guessed it, in buildings.  Yes, there is pollution in rural areas, but there is, for most cases, a lot less.
2. Sedentary Lifestyle – One of the “advantages” advocates of city living tout is the various “activities” people can do.  Yes, there is a lot to do, but the majority of it is not “active”, it is sitting and watching other people.  I do not call that active.  In addition, everything is nearby or you have to drive to it.  Little exercise there.  And again, there is work.  Paper pushing for the majority of urban dwellers is not work.  Yes, people say they exercise, but that may be for one hour a day, in dirty air.   Kind of negates the possible benefits.  In rural area, much of the work is outside (especially if you live on a farm) and that is also your exercise.   Yes, there are people who work indoors in rural and small towns, but many of those people go home and do work around the yard or even tend a small (or even larger) garden.
3. Poor diet - This kind of goes with #2, but I decided to separate it.  Another of the “advantages” advocates of city living tout is the variety of foods one can eat.  Yeah tight, most of it is either fast (i.e. fat) food or, if it is more upscale, is made with rich sauces or in portions not meant for one meal.  Yes, there are restaurants in rural areas.  In fact, I have a distant cousin who runs one, but restaurant dining is much less frequent.  You cook your own food, much if you may grow or raise yourself.  I know when I cook myself; it is a lot healthier and a lot less fat.
4. My final point in this diatribe is kind of related to point #1, but it is a different type of pollution. And that is Diseases. With the close proximity of people to each other, diseases (both viral and bacteria based) spread more easily.  You see the effect of that in offices. One person comes down with something and soon it spreads to the whole office.  In addition, it seems that once one catches something, it lingers for much longer and you are liable to catch it again and again due to mutations in the strains going around.
   .
   This is exceptionally troubling with people talking about the Swine Flu “pandemic” going on.  It is not even flu season and this thing is spreading.   Would it spread as much is people were more spread out?  I am not a doctor, but I have a feeling the answer would be no for a couple of reason.  The first is obvious; the close proximity makes it spread faster.  The second is that, in my opinion, people are relatively healthier in rural and small town settings due to the combination of the first three points

I heard on the radio that most big cities are experiencing a resurgence of population.  This does not bode well for a large portion of the human population.   All it will take is some pandemic worse than the current Swine Flu “pandemic” to cause mass deaths.  And, with the increase global interconnection of society, this pandemic can easily spread from one urban area to another.

Yes, moving to a rural area is not a panacea and will not completely protect one from every ill that plagues urban society, but one will probably healthier in the long run.

The plagues of Relativism, Materialism, and Liberalism (along with Socialism and Global Capitalism) are so rampant that they have desensitized most to the point where they are unable to recognize them for what they are and how they are rotting away society to a point where it is about to, if not already, implode.

A reminder of that came from a tweet from Catholic Vote:

BK gets gross. Critics Cringe at Ad for Burger King’s Latest Sandwich http://shar.es/53U3 HT @PattiArmstrong

The tweet referenced a Foxnews article not the new Burger King ad for their new sandwich.  With out getting too graphic, the ad borders on the filth a certain segment of the “entertainment” industry that is so rampant in these days.

It reminded me on how nothing seems to shock people anymore.  Just a couple of years ago, this ad would not even be considered.  Now, it almost gets a yawn.

This is what the societal plagues have done.  It makes perversion the norm and morality the perversion.   We must fight back against anyone who promotes this.

I, for one, am now boycotting Burger King until they pull the ad and apologize.  The same tactic worked on Ford and McDonalds, it will work here.

But we must not stop there.  We must shun all of the plagues.  Alternatives must be found to replace those who promote the perversions so rampant in society.  If it means going with out certain good until those alternative are found or created, so be it.

We must come together in solidarity as a community to build a society free of Relativism, Materialism, Liberalism, Socialism and Global Capitalism.

While reading a well-known Catholic Forum, I came across the following thread (original post included):

Why is the Church heading back to the Dark Ages?

It seems lately;i.e.( Latin Mass) the Church is moving backwards. We are in the 21st century! Why go back to a language people don’t understand. This is how to lose more and more Catholics.

It seems the OP is under the impression that the Latin Mass (also know as the Extra Ordinary Form of the Mass or the Tridentine Mass), of which I regularly attend, is going backwards.  I do not believe it is the case.  In fact, I believe it is just the opposite.

This has gotten me to thinking, should we revive some of the old disciplines (No matter what some say, Dogma and Doctrines need not go back since the did not change after Vatican II) that were in place before Vatican II.   Things have become too lax and the penalties do not fit the offenses when it comes to dissent and scandals.  The Notre Dame scandal, so called “Catholic” politicians, and liturgical abuses in the Ordinary Form of the Mass (also known as the New Mass) are three prime examples of what I am talking about.

Lets take a look at all three starting with the last one since it involves the OP’s post.  For me, going back to the Old Mass is not going back.  I hear complaints even from the ones who do not like the Old Mass that they do not like the “liberties” taken by both the Priests and the Laity.  For me, that is the reason I chose my current parish (Assumption Grotto).  The New Mass is celebrated with many disciplines of the Old Mass (ad Orientum using the High Altar, Chant, Latin, and receiving on the tongue while kneeling at the Altar Rail with no EMHC’s).  For me, this was refreshing since it practically eliminates the abuses that we have seen.  As for the Extraordinary Form, it took awhile to get use to it, but now I prefer it to the Ordinary Form.  In fact, I would like to see the Ordinary Form changed to become more like the Extra Ordinary Form and become a third type Extra Ordinary Form along with the High and Low Mass.

Now, for the first two since they are practically interchangeable since dissent and scandal go hand in hand.  We need to get these dissenters under control and I do not believe the current system is capable of doing so.   Now, what I am going to suggest is really going to ruffle some feathers, but I think it is the only way for the Church to reassert control.

BRING BACK THE INQUISITION!!!

Yes, I said it.  We need to set up a formal and visible body to bring those to would go against the Church to justice quickly and I believe that an Inquisition type system would accomplish this.    If this is going “Old School” back to the “Dark Ages”, so be it.  Something must be done.  However, even this will be ineffective if the threat and the severity of the sanction are not increased.  In many cases, I believe that excommunication would be and should be a proper sanction to hand out for some of the dissent and scandals plaguing the Church (especially when it come to the support of abortion by “Catholic” politicians, doctors, nurses, lawyers…).

There are other things I would like to see brought back like some of the old devotions, but that is for another post.  We first need to get things under control before more is done.

Going back to the Dark Ages?

OH Yeah!  Lets do it.

I have been reading The Catholic Worker Movement by Mark and Louise Zwick and just completed the chapter “The Common Good vs Individualism”.  In the chapter, this passage stood out:

Peter and Dorothy especially quoted Tawney’s Religion and the Rise of Modern Capitalism, which shows the dramatic changes in concepts away from the common good. Tawney contended that what happened in the historical process generated by the Reformation was the movement of the focus of exchange from the social solidarity group (common good) to the individual. He argued that the social character of wealth that had been the essence of medieval doctrine was lost through the unexpected development of economic individualism that sprang to a large extent from the notion of private interpretation of Sacred Scripture. In their eagerness to rid the world of the corruption of the Catholic Church at the time, the reformers replaced the church teaching of solidarity with the teaching of individual salvation without good works. As Tawney put it, “Individualism in religion led insensibly, if not quite logically, to an individualist morality, and an individualist morality to a disparagement of the significance of the social fabric as compared with personal character.”

In England and in the young United States, with time and pressure from merchants, Puritanism (the outgrowth of Calvinism) added a “halo of ethical sanctification to the appeal of economic expediency, and offered a moral creed in which the duties of religion and the calls of business ended their long estrangement in an unanticipated reconciliation.” Gradually, the Reformation idea that individual conscience decides led to the practical conclusion that might be thought of as whatever works, whatever is comfortable, whatever makes a profit. Those in trade argued that “business affairs should be left to be settled by businessmen, unhampered by the intrusions of an antiquated morality or by misconceived arguments of public policy.” Economics became separated from ethics. The contrast with earlier Christian teaching on the sin of avarice is striking. The church had always taught that greed, the implementation of the desire to gain more and more wealth, was one of the capital sins, and the idea of acquiring wealth was limited by a body of moral rules imposed under the sanction of religious authority. (pg 141-142)

I would tend to agree in the above assessment.  Protestantism has fragmented Christianity to the point where, in some cases, it is completely detached from its roots.  This allows for the the individual to interpret what Christianity is to fit with what they want, not what  it is.  This individualism is what has given root to the social ills of Relativism and Materialism (via Capitalism).

Furthermore, earlier in the chapter, Peter Maurin (one of the founders of the Catholic Workers Movement with Dorothy Day) believed that “socialism would not have existed if not for the excesses of capitalism (pg 135).  I would tend to agree with this premise also since tends to be a backlash when there are excesses in any system.

With Socialism and Global Capitalism combining forces these day with their incestuous relationship, I think we may be starting to see  a backlash to both systems.  What replaces it will depend on who presents the best alternative.   I believe by combining aspects of the Distributism, Catholic Workers, and Catholic Land movements (along with some others which I have not researched yet), I think we Catholics could provide a viable alternatives to both Socialism and Capitalism.

Another good example of Socialism and Global Capitalism are in an incestuous relationship.  From the Distributist Review:

Handmade Toy Alliance

Handmade toys may soon be illegal in the United States.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that they would already be illegal, if toymakers and others hadn’t gotten together and fought back. Now they need our help.

Illegal handmade toys?

Illegal handmade toys may sound like an embarrassing attempt at satire. Or the more embarrassing ravings of an unembarrassed consipracy theorist. But it’s the sober fact. As the toymakers explain:

Read more

A large Chinese Company cause the toy scare and what does the US do? Go after the Chinese? No, they go after the little person in the US that competes with the Chinese Company. This is a perfect example of Socialism and Global Capitalism conspiring for domination. This is also why they both must be stopped and replaced by a Governmental/Economic/and Societal structure based on Catholic Social and Moral Doctrines.

I am starting to come to the realization that the solution to society’s ills due to rampant Relativism, Materialism, Capitalism, Liberalism, and Socialism may lay in the Catholic movements of the past.

There have been a number of times where western civilization went astray or was in imminent danger of collapse.  Some of these include the fall of Rome, the Black Death of the 14th century and the protestant revolt.  It was the Catholic Church that either held civilization together or brought it back to the Truth. Even in other time where the circumstances were not that dire, the Catholic Church has been there to right the way when things have gotten off track.

Today’s situation is much like the time around the fall of the Roman Empire.  Immorality was rampant and the “barbarians” were invading.  Today it is a little different though.  The “barbarians” are causing the immorality.  Yes, I am calling the Relativists, Materialists, Capitalists, Liberals, and Socialists the “barbarians” of today’s world.

Now, back to the movements and how they may help.  There have been many throughout the last 2,000 years and we must explore which one can do the most good today.  When looking at the movement, we must not only look at the ones that were a resounding success, but ones that had little or no success and even those that were utter and complete failures.  What did not work in the past, may work now.

Three that I am exploring right now are relatively new movements.  They are the Catholic Workers, Catholic Land, and Distributism movements.  I am exploring these since mainly related to the economic ills brought on my Capitalism, Socialism and Materialism.  I truly believe that much, if not all the answers, to the economic destruction and injustices can be found in three movements.

As for the social decay brought on by all of the aforementioned, I am still searching for keys to solve those.  Part of the solution probably can be found in the three movements, but I still see the need to look further.

The solution and/or solutions need to be found soon or a second “fall of Rome” is in the future.

Yes, we are at war, and the enemy is “Legion”.

The forces of evil are taking many forms today. Whether it be Relativism, Socialism, Liberalism, Materialism, or even Global Capitalism, all are aligned against the moral and social teachings of the Catholic Church and are trying to drive us away from the Church. Their perversions have infested the world and we must be the defenders against them

We must completely reject all of these even if it means persecution. This means the complete opposition and refusal to comply with unjust man made “positive law”, rejection of excessive material cravings, and refusal to do business with or even associate with those who subscribe to the above perversions. This is the defensive part of the war.

The offensive part of the war is the Crusade of Evangelization we must all partake in to convert people over to our way of thinking. This crusade has a two-pronged attack.

The first is how we live our lives. You have heard of the quote: “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words”. This means we must live our lives according to the teaching of Our Lord and his Church. If we do not live accordingly, we will lose the war at this point

The second is a very active evangelization. Yes, what I am talking about can be considered proselytism, and you know what, you are right because it is. We must take the truth to the enemy and get in their faces. Of course, there are some things that must not do.  Those things include:

• Forcing people to convert
• Providing physical benefits in hopes that recipients will be open to listening
• Providing physical benefits only to those willing to listen
• Providing physical benefits only who convert

What we must do is preach the Truth to all, both those who are willing to listen and to those who are hardened to the Word of God.  We must use the public square as our pulpit at every chance we get.

The battle will be long, but we must in it for the long run.  All of us are called to do battle in varying degrees.

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

To tell you the truth, I am starting to get sick of those who say we should not “impose our beliefs” on them while at the same time, they have no qualms about shoving their immorality down our throats.

More and more, our right to be Catholics and to live by the Moral and Social Teachings of the Catholic Church are being violated by the immorality and perversions of the Relativists/Socialists/Liberals who are trying to impose their despotic rule on the rest of us.

Maybe it is time we push back and demand they abide by the Natural Laws of our Lord as taught by the Catholic Church.  At the same time, we will also declare that their unjust man-made “Positive Laws”, which are in conflict with God’s Natural Law, are null and void.

Yes, I know many will say that we are not being “Christian” by doing so but, so what.   Being Catholic does not mean that we are suppose to be their doormat.