On the Dignity of the Human Person

“Creation of Adam“ by Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1510

World War III for Christians

For as long as I can remember there have been fictional stories of government plots to do grievous harm to the populations they are intended to serve.  Stories such as Soylent Green and Blade Runner depict a world in decay because of overpopulation.  It has long been a topic used to strike fear into the hearts of people, especially those living in affluent environments. 

We have seen the response from those in authority.  In the United States population control was first attempted on a limited scale through the use of Eugenics back in 1880s [1] and continued following Nazi Germany’s program during World War II.  While not specifically aimed at “improving the race” near universal availability of contraceptive drugs and devices and legalized abortion on demand serve a similar purpose.  They have been brokered as means by which women can control their lives.  In practice, they are a means to reduce population pressure, especially among the poor and ethnic minority populations.  The implication of the policies that have surfaced demanding these services be offered without cost through government sponsorship (see HHS Mandate) is that people are no better than animals who cannot control their reproductive urges. 

This mentality, seeing people as no better than animals has recently been demonstrated in another area.  In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the mayor (Jack Seiler) has implemented a law that forbids feeding the homeless.  Implying that; “If we don’t feed them (like bears) they won’t stay.”  Oh, that’s not the official reason.  The official reason is that the must go through a government agency to get food.  In the wake of this ordinance, a 90 year old man (Arnold Abbott) was arrested for violating this law.

It is the fundamental and universal pronouncement of the Church and, indeed, all who claim to follow Christ, that the human life is precious, divinely given, and needs to be treated with respect. (see CCC 1700 and others)  Jesus makes it clear in the Bible that each individual is precious (Luke 15:1-7 among others).  Yet, in the name of health, or in the name of service, government agencies are working diligently to insure that they control the population; they control reproduction.

This is clearly not just a problem in the United States of America.  We see much clearer and more visible evidence of the attempt to control and reduce human population on a global scale.  The biggest poster project that has gained almost universal support is the Climate Change topic.  Although the impact of the human species on the world’s ecosystems is undeniable; many in the scientific community claim it is principally responsible for global warming.  These claims we should add, cannot be validly supported by scientific evidence. (We are reminded of a quote from a very good friend who holds a PhD in Math with a specialty in statistics.  He once told me that when he was asked to provide an interpretation of statistical data his frequent response was “What would you like it to say?”)  We are sure that Climate Change will become the rallying cry for population control in the near future.  After all, no one can expect humans to behave differently from animals when it comes to breeding.

China has already implemented the “One Child” law and there is global pressure (especially from the United Nations) to adopt similar population control measures.  “Enlightened” European countries have gone a bit further down the road paved by Soylent Green and Blade Runner.  The cry for “Death with Dignity” has shaped public policy in many countries where assisted suicide has joined abortion and sterilization as a institutionally supported means of population control.

We have seen attacks on the Catholic Church’s position on birth control by the United Nations in the past (the hierarchy in that august body, which your tax dollars support, really hates the Church).  The leadership of the UN has its own agenda as seen recently in a report issued by the Bishops of Kenya.  According to the Bishops, WHO and the UN have been “spiking” tetanus vaccines with an agent (Beta- HCG)  that causes the recipient to have multiple miscarriages and frequently sterilizes the woman so vaccinated.  

The challenge for the faithful Christian is clear.  As global population increases threaten those in power, they will find ways of eliminating the value of the human person.  Our children’s children may one day face mandatory sterilization or have to apply to some government agency for permission to have a child.  Freedom to share God’s great gift in creating life may be stripped.  We cannot sit on the sidelines now.  Please show your outrage when you can and vote with the reminder of Christ’s love of the lost sheep.  It is they who will be the first and most vulnerable targests.

Pax

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[1] Although not academically recognized as valid, Wikipedia does provide some validated references on Eugenics.

The Face of the American Catholic – Catechized but Not Evangelized

In a recent discussion with a group of professional Pastoral Associates we were discussing what was being done in our parish to teach various age groups about Church doctrine related to marriage and family issues.  At the end of a very productive discussion the statement as made – “I think we agree that we do a pretty good job at catechizing but we are not evangelizing.”  That one statement started a thought process that leads me to reflect on the situation in which the Church finds herself in the United States.

In recent blog posts Deacon Greg Kendra and the guys over at Shameless Popery both commented on Stephen Colbert taking over for David Letterman on CBS’s Late Night.  They note that the late night viewing options are now all hosted by purported Catholics and on the surface this could be seen as a trend.  We note with some embarrassment that our Vice President, Joe Biden and out-going Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius also claim (or are claimed) to be Catholic in spite of their active attacks on key elements of Church teaching. 

It is not surprising that Catholics occupy a large number of very public positions in government and the media.  We are after all the largest Christian group in the world accounting for nearly 25% of the US population.  Protestant groups still outnumber us as a total percent of the US Population at 46% but their identity is not as prominent and less likely to be stated as an identifier of moral or political position.  With numbers like those, would you think that, as a nation, we would be leading the charge globally for Christian Morality?  But this is obviously not the case.  As we all know the fastest growing group, according to the last census were the “None’s”- those who had no religious affiliation at all.  We think these numbers may be under-reported.

Or, is it something else?  Is it that, while most Catholics know what the Church teaches and believes, those teachings and moral ideals are not considered relevant when they take their place in society?  That means that while they have been catechized, they have not been evangelized.  They know in their heads what the Church teaches on subjects like marriage, the definition of family, and the dignity of the human person.  But that head knowledge has never made it to the heart. 

The lack of acceptance of Church teaching by such a large portion of those professing to be Catholic should give us all pause for thought.  Why would a person say “I’m Catholic” but support pro-abortion groups?  Why would a person like Kathleen Sebelius not only support but propose government policies that forced faithful Catholics to abandon their faith and conscience?  Why would our Vice-President say he had come to believe that the definition of marriage, held since the beginning of recorded history, be changed to include individuals who believe that sexual preferences should be given the same status as religion?

The only possible reason must be that those who profess our faith but knowingly act contrary to it have never been evangelized – have never truly accepted the Lord and his Bride, the Church.  What is most frustrating to this deacon is the Lord calls us to love these misguided souls.  On one level I accept and understand this requirement.  I pray for those who persecute me, that they might see truth and come back to the faith they profess.  On the other hand I feel we must stand up against these same people and say we are the people they promised to serve and that separation of Church and State does not mean removal of the Christian values upon which our country was founded.

I do not have any solution for the state we find ourselves in.  I only pray that we can evangelize the catechized and return to a moral foundation laid in a bygone era.

Pax

On Slavery in the World

On Slavery in the World

One of the more difficult topics I struggle with in conversation with more liberal folks I deal with in my secular role is the subject of same-sex marriage.  There have been a number of really good books put out to deal with this subject form the Catholic Church’s perspective but we are dealing with a very sophisticated and well entrenched lobby that includes a number of national organizations that have some deep pockets.  Every time members of the Church raises a public hand and says, “Hey, wait a minute, that’s not right” or “The Church is not against the person – it is against immoral actions.”  Up pops one of the vocal minority with the well-polished rhetoric supplied by GLAAD or one of the other so-called Gay Rights groups.

Around the academically dominated environment in which I principally minister, more often than not I get called a “hater” or similar derogatory name implying that I am closed minded and backward in my world view.  I take serious issue with this since I am not the one voicing hate-speech and intolerance.  It seems ironic that society in general listens to these rants.  Perhaps it is because the media supports this jaundiced view but the fact remains, as Cardinal Dolan recently stated; “We lost the advertising war for the traditional view of marriage."

I’d like to propose a sound bite of my own to those who claim that traditional marriage is nothing more than recognition that two “people” love one another; that any group so attracted by mutual affection is in a sense a family.  A major reason I do not believe we should accept such bonds as equivalent to the heterosexual is, bluntly, I do not believe slavery is moral.

You may ask how I reached that statement from the debate on marriage.  I was reading a recent refutation of a New York Times article “The Latest Sham Science on Gay Parenting” in Crisis Magazine. It attacked an article written by Nicholas Kristof in support of same-sex marriage citing an Australian study he said “An Australian study found gay parenting had better outcomes on average, apparently because gay couples don’t have kids by accident.” I counted to 10 and said a “Hail Mary.” 

The article was well written and straight forward.  As usual, in the comments section there was a prominent voice of gay activism using the typical rhetoric referred to above.  This individual proposed that gay couples were better parents because they had to actively work to adopt them (as if children that are conceived in the normal way is somehow a side-effect of an action rather than the intent).  In this case, fortunately there was a well-schooled apologist also in the thread pointing to the fact that most gay couples who really want to have children go to fertility clinics or surrogates to achieve genetic continuity (that is they want their own genes involved in the progeny). 

Back to my statement: Slavery is not morally acceptable.  Let’s define slavery – “Condition in which one human being is owned by another.” (from Webster’s On-line Dictionary)  What can you call it when a person or couple go into a business and pay money to produce a child, a child who has no say in the matter of who pays for them?  It is akin to slavery and in 1965 the Second Vatican Council described slavery, without qualification, as an infamy that dishonored the Creator and poisoned human society/

The next time someone comes after you on the notion of same-sex marriage, just tell them that you oppose it because you don’t approve of slavery.

 

Pax

Vanishing Christians

For the past few millennia there has been a cycle of violence between Christian/Hebrews and Islam.  This, of course, was predicted in scripture (Genesis 16:12) and has come to pass.  We have come to the point in the cycle where once again a radical minority of this group has adopted the view that anyone not of their faith must either convert to it or die.  The fact that this violent minority is gaining strength is of great concern to Christians (and Hebrews).  But the world has changed.  These violent outbursts aimed at establishing secular states controlled by Islamic law have been seen by most of the non-religious governments of the world as being focused on regime change rather than violent evangelization of whole regions.

Perhaps it is because people of deep faith no longer occupy leadership positions in civil government or perhaps those that do are blinded by the political rather than the faith based issues facing places like Syria, Egypt and Nigeria.  For those of us who hear daily of Christians being murdered, churches being burned, and the general dismissal of the outcry by governments we can see that which is not obvious to those whose only ambition is political.  We see the battle raging between Christians and Islamists and wonder what to do.

At least in the case of the US government, there are a string of mistakes with regard to upsetting the delicate balance in the Middle East (if not on the African contentment as well).  Three glaring examples of missteps include the ouster of Saddam Husain in Iraq and support of those rebelling in Syria and the blind eye turned to Egypt as the Moslem Brotherhood assumed control.  In all three cases no one at the State Department asked the question; what happens to the minority Christian populations if we support a change to the status quo?  In hind sight, if they know or recognize what has happened they will not admit their mistakes.

Here is the dilemma we face.  Should we turn the other cheek and accept persecution as our lot?  Or should we do all in our power to resist?  It is the same question with any evil perpetrated by a person or organization.  Do we pray that the evil goes away or do we act?  There is the guidance from one of the great saints of our Church, Ignatius of Loyola, who famously said; “We must pray as if it were all up to God, but work as if it were all up to us.” 

The question we must ask is; How far does this exhortation extend and, morally, to what extent can one physically protect one’s self or another from physical violence?  Do we advocate sending military forces to protect populations, even though the dictatorial government is not a democracy or do we pray that the slaughter will end? One thing is certain, if we do nothing there will be no Christians left in places were Moslem extremists and Christian communities currently co-exist.   We pray for guidance on this point.

Pax