Pope Warns US Bishops of Radical Secularism, Threats to Religious Freedom Comments
Grave threats to the Church's public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres.The seriousness of these threats needs to be clearly appreciated at every level of ecclesial life. Of particular concern are certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion. Continue Reading
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Bulbajer, You are telling Carolyn if we became a Christian government, it would be an evil thing. I am very curious. What is there in Christianity that would be evil? Christian morality evil? Please enlighten me.
Carolyn, here are some sources for my statement on secularism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularism
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/secularism
I made my definition in my own words, but these sources pretty much cover what I tried to say. "The religious and secular do not agree." Not necessarily. Today, yes, in general there is a lot of conflict between religion and secularism. But the two are not mutually exclusive. Here's what I mean about religion in government: Say Representative Alpha views sheering sheep as immoral (sheering is just an example). Regardless of whether sheering sheep is moral or not, should Representative Alpha allow her conviction about sheering sheep to influence her policy in government? It depends. Where does that conviction come from? From morality? Then yes. Representative Alpha could view sheep sheering as morally wrong because the Church told her, a loved one showed her, or she found out for herself - as long as she personally thinks that sheep sheering is wrong (and she has considered other opinions), she has the right and duty to make anit-sheering part of her policy. But what if the conviction that sheep sheering is wrong doesn't come from morality? Say the Church told her that sheering is wrong, but it's not an issue of universal morality - something that anyone has the ability to recognize. In other words, it's part of Church doctrine that sheering sheep is wrong, but not because of anything to do with morality. If this is so, she can not allow her opinion to influence her policy because that would be theocracy. I know I must sound really confusing right now - I'm not entirely sure I get myself. Basically what I'm saying is that the government should allow religion to influence it just as any other source of morality would. (Now you can argue that all morality comes from God, and I'd agree, but not all morality is reflected by religious institutions. Even the Church admits this.) The government should not allow religion to influence it to the detriment of other religious groups. If this government became a Christian government oficially and legally, I can tell you that that would be very, very bad, based on how Christian theocracies and theocracies in general have done in the realm of morality. We are no more a Christian nation than we are an Anglo-Saxon nation; and yet we are both a Christian nation and an Anglo-Saxon nation, for Christians and Anglo-Saxons make up part of America.
The highest praise you may ascribe a modern person is to tell him or her how smart, cunning, bright and or intelligent he or she is. Intelligence has become the golden grail. The Academia the dispenser of this virtue and the means to achieve it relativism. Question everything. No absolutes. An increasing number of our priests striving to attain a masters degree or a PhD are exposed to these pernicious secular theories and their faith begins to falter. The equation is: "If you are a liberal (no absolutes) you must be intelligent. So no wonder. One of the tenants of this new system of auto-esteem declares that truth is found in consensus. Which brings to mind the mob shouting: "Barrabas, Barrabas!". What we need in the Church are priests an religious persons who strive for holiness and the resolute affirmation of the absolute: GOD. Better to be good than intelligent!
Today is the day of prayer for the legal protection of the unborn children. It is a day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and penance for violations to the dignity of human persons committed through acts of abortions. Pray for peace and justice for all, including our littlest brothers and sisters. That they may join us in this life. Is it against the government to serve the common good of all? Isn't the secular world all for that. Would you be willing to pray along with the Catholic Church and then follow through and cooperate with with God to make this happen? It would be God's will. Don't you want to work together?
No matter what relm you talk about secularism being in it is the same. We have a government that wants to keep God out. Even the people in government that say they are Catholic have a poorly formed sense of morality. We have a government that thinks that it can be self sufficient. They want athiestic morality. Which I think is an oxymoron. Morality comes from God, not us. The government wants to decide their own morality. The religious and secular do not agree. I don't know if it would be better to have a theocracy, but we have a government that does not recognize who is in charge. They put themselves above God or want Him out. Bulbajer, you said it is good to have religion in government, but only your kind. One with Christians that do not have a voice. Just sit there, because this is our place not yours. You say bad things happen when the church mixes with the state. Guess what! The state mixes with the belief of Christians all the time. Right now we have a president that is totally that disagrees with Church social teaching on the dignity of the person. He is taking away the rights of doctors to refuse to dispense birth control against their conscience. We have a leader of this great nation under God working for the Devil. He is only there because God allows it. His time is running out. I hope not much longer. We are called to take care of all of Gods creation, but animals get better treatment than the human person which God made in his likeness and image. Secular wants to keep God in his place. Christians need to take responsiblity to learn about their faith. We can not rely on Church leaders. The Church has never changed its teaching. Church leaders have met with the president and he refuses to listen their good advice and warnings. Whether someone chooses to believe or not, it does not change the fact that God exists. If you deny him, He says he will deny you. Scripture says, It is the fool that says there is no God. Our nation is not secure because it does not do what God requires. (Read Psalm 14 and 15). After that Read Psalm 16.
Evidently a radical secularism would refer to the exclusion of anything religious when making any decisions concerning most anything. God is not a factor in being? What are we all without God? An illusion possibly or a joke in time,meaningless animation,thinking it to be something when it is in fact nothing,because it (humanity),is subject to death,the end all for all beings.
Don't worry about anything as you only live until you die? Conclusion? To be radically a selfish human being really can't be "that bad"! What is life but to live for yourself and to support only those causes that work to ones own personal advantage. Selfishness,radical selfishness,must help us all to understand what radical secularism means. To remain inherently selfish is that freedom,radical secularism? You tell me? I am a fool,I guess,because God seems to be very much apart of His Creation,unselfish,as He is Eternal unselfish Love itself.
David, good post. I have to ask the question, what did we think was going to happen if Christians are so indifferent? If we aren't living our faith then we are just as guilty as being a secularist as those with no faith. This issue really isn't about the secular culture getting stronger, it has to do with the principle actors in the church getting weaker (clergy and laity). The lack of heroism from these two parties is the principle culprit of the mess we are in today.
We have been given many warnings. I wish more people knew about the messages that Mary has given. At Fatima, Lourdes and Medjugoria. She has been permitted by God to come to earth to lead all people to her son. The errors in which we live our lives are pulling us in the opposite the direction. We are ruled by a government that opposes God. Mary is pleading with her little children to turn to her son. She is a great advocate for us before God. She knows the will of our heavenly Father perfectly. she is the one that holds back His wrath on the world. How much longer that will be, who knows. We need to turn to her for help and listen. There are times when she appears weeping.
Bulbajer, Where are your references that go along with your comment. Everything everyone else is saying can be backed up. I try to give references to support what I post. That was not a good comment from mikem. He seems angry and was yelling the word truth. Everyone has an opinion. That doesn't matter. What does matter, is that you can back it up with. facts or it is not true. Truth can stand alone when challenged, but anything that opposes it does need to be backed with facts. I it can't it crumbles in the face of truth. Please back up your statements with references. have your heard of Matthew Kelly. He speaks of three prevailing philosophies. The Books title is Rediscovering Catholicism. The Three philosophies he names are individualism, hedonism, and minimalism. These can be all tied together and are all part of the radical secularism. Hedonism and minimalism were interesting, but what he says about individualism was what caught my attention. " This question is the creed of the philosophy we call Individualism, which is based on an ultimate concern for self. In the present climate, the most dominate trend governing the decision-making process, and therefore the formation of our cultural belief system, is individualism. No community whether it is as small as a family or as large as a nation, can grow strong by this attitude. Individualism always weakens the community and causes the whole to suffer. In every instance, Individualism is a cancerous growth. The social and political reforms of our age have exulted the individual in a way that is unhealthy for society as a whole. Under the pressure and guidance of special interest groups that represent only a fraction at large, the rights of the individual have been gradually elevated and ultimately placed above the rights of society as a whole. "(p.17). The fruits of individualism are greed, selfishness, and exploitation(p.18).
Carolyn, secularism can be taken different ways depending on the context. If you're talking about secularism in the context of religion, then it means atheist/agnostic. But when you're talking about government, secularism just means that the government doesn't base its decisions on religion. Which is a good thing unless theocracy is the goal. Should the government base its decisions on morality? Certainly. Is it good for people who work in the government to have religion? Yes. But when church mixes with state, bad things tend to happen. I don't think the state should be rooted in religion so much as common morality - morality that everyone can agree on, no matter what religion you are. Opposition to abortion, dedication to justice, and desire to help the poor aren't excluse to Christianity.