Time For Faithful Christians To Stand Together Against Error

10/28/2012

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common morality which has guided social progress.

In fact, it was these very insights which have helped to free people from the bondage of disordered appetites and unshackle them from the tyrannies - personal and social - rooted in sin and the structures which it fosters.

It has been the Christian vision of the human person, the family, the just society and the true common good that has helped to overcome the slaveries which arose from flawed pagan ideologies and superstitions.

From its birth, the Christian Church has been sent into cultures and societies filled with people who thought they were "progressive", when they were anything but.

Many of those cultures practiced primitive forms of abortion and even "exposure", a practice of leaving unwanted children on rocks to be eaten by birds of prey or picked up by slave traders.

Ancient Christian manuscripts such as the Didache (the Teaching of the Twelve), the accounts of Justin Martyr and other early sources, expose cultures - not unlike the one in which we live - where people were treated as property, "freedom" was perceived as a power over others and unrestrained license masqueraded as liberty.

The early Christians did not back down from contending with the pagans of old. They knew then - and we must reassert in our own day - that what is at stake are two competing visions of the human person, human freedom, human flourishing and human progress.

The early Christians demonstrated the superiority of their claims by their compelling witness of life. So must we. They lived in monogamous marriages, raised their children to be faithful Christians and good citizens, and went into the world of their age offering a new way to live.

This "way" (which is what they first called the early Church) presented a very different worldview than the one that the pagans embraced. As a result, they sometimes stirred up hostility. Some of them were martyred in the red martyrdom of shed blood.

Countless more joined the train of what use to be called "white martyrdom", living lives of sacrificial witness and service in the culture, working hard and staying faithful to the end of a long life spent in missionary toil.

Slowly, not only were small numbers of "pagans" converted and baptized, but eventually their leaders and entire Nations followed suit. Resultantly, the Christian worldview began to influence the social order.

The "clash of freedoms" continued, but the climate changed significantly. It was the Christian faith and the practices of these early Christians that began to win the hearts of men and women.

Cultures once embracing pagan practices, such as plural marriage, active homosexual practice, exposure of infants and abortion began to change dramatically. This dynamic continued for centuries.

Christianity taught such novel concepts as the dignity of every person and their equality before the One God. The Christians proclaimed the dignity of women, the dignity of chaste marriage and the sanctity of the family.

Christians insisted that freedom must be exercised with reference to an objective moral code, a law higher than the emperor, or the sifting sands of public opinion; a Natural Law which could be known by all men and women, through the exercise of reason, because it was written on the human heart.

Christians presented a coherent and compelling answer to the existential questions that plagued the ancients such as why we existed and how we got here. What was the purpose of life? Questions like how evil came into the world and why we could not always make right choices? What force seemed to move us toward evil and how we could be set free from its power?

Christian philosophy began to flourish and the arts also flourished under the Christian worldview. Philosophies of government and economic theory began to be influenced by these principles derived from a Christian worldview. It offers the same genuine liberation to the contemporary age.

Some say we live in a post modern age; indeed others call it a "post Christian" age. I will not use either description. If anything, it is a pre-Christian age, ripe for the "New Evangelization" of the Church. The future belongs to the Church.

The message and gifts she holds for every age pave the road of true progress. The contemporary re-emergence of ancient paganism, even embraced by some within some Christian communities, is not the path to freedom and flourishing but to misery. It must be exposed, opposed and rejected.

Fortunately for Catholic Christians, we have a "Magisterium", a teaching office, which, continuing the apostolic mission, guards the deposit of faith against heresy in both doctrine and practice. Many of our friends in other Christian communities do not.

We need to pray for the faithful Christians within every community in our own day. Together we must rededicate ourselves to standing "Against Heresies" by proclaiming the Truth which alone sets all men and women free.

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: error, heresy, heterodoxy, mere christianity, faithful, apologetics, Deacon Keith Fournier

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1 - 6 of 6 Comments

Dan
7 months ago
I agree with much of this article, but I'm worried that the modern approach to Ecumenism surrenders too much. I don't mean to be one of those Traditionalists calling for the re-fighting of the protestant reformation, that the author refered to, but in a sense it's necessary. The errors of the ELCA in 2009 are only possible because of the errors of Martin Luther almost 500 years ago. Sure, there are Lutheran denominations that firmly reject the ELCA's pro-gay stance, but these same denominations still refer to the Vicar of Christ as the anti-Christ, so are they any better? No matter how brilliant he was, C.S. Lewis does not get to define Christian orthodoxy. Holy Mother Church does. When we start labeling heretical sects as orthodox, we have problems. And yes, it is heresy to deny transubstantiation, papal infallibility, the intercession of the Saints, the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, and the Sacrament of Penance. We might agree on political issues, but we can't pretend these soul damning heresies don't exist.
Theresa H.
7 months ago
No doubt about it, the time is come for Catholics to speak up. If we keep our faith under a bushel-basket, we will play into the schemes of those who would be rid of us. Jesus told us about coming persecution; it has happened all through the centuries. In this nation that ensconced Christian Principles (Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness) in its Founding documents, it is evident that our time has come to "not be silent" before Kings [and Presidents] (Lk 21:12), but to confess our faith before all men--including the sanctity of all human life at whatever stage, from conception to natural death. Our "smarts" are seemingly unbounded in science, technology, etc., but we have abandoned the love of Wisdom and Virtue and GOD!
Spiritus Gladius
7 months ago
Good article.
Angelo
7 months ago
I am a Traditionalist Catholic in union with the Holy Father. I have never spoken out against the Second Vatican Council. I have for years bemoaned false Ecumenism. Here Deacon Keith Fournier presents a good example of what true Ecumenism is. I would like to read more articles like this. And I wish the SSPX would also read this article, then maybe they will understand the true Ecumenism called for by the Council. And stop judging the Council by the false Ecumenism.
abey
7 months ago
Error begets error & if this error be visible along the way, then at the beginning the error though not visible can said to have been fundamentally flawed & to this error, called "Gay Agenda" in the beliefs(to the pagan) , is seen clearly as the Marker, to the division between the True & the False. The difference between the Apostolic & the Apostate faiths. Where the former is to the truth of the Apostolic Faith in Christ, the latter is to the untuths of the Adversary that which is corrupted, reflecting the Adversary himself to his fall from the Grace. The adversary who is but dust before the Almighty God, by his error was trying to unsurp the Authority of Christ against His words "All power & authority have been given unto me by my Father". Thus the grave "Desire" of the Adversary is to the rebellion which is to the "Disobedience" .against this Authority. The very same disobedience he got off Eve in the garden, against Christ & against Man created in the image of the Christ, who by the life & death to the subsequent Resurrection proved His Humbleness before The Father. As for the Gnostic beliefs evolving from the false gospels, the word "Gnosis" is to hidden meanings, is nothing but trying to get into the mind of God in the corruptions, the fruit of which is but to the corruptions of ones own mind into the origins of the Corruptions in reflecting the mind of the adversary itself, all in all against the simplicity of the mind of Christ.
Paul-Emile Leray
7 months ago
Excellent! One tactic people often use to defame beliefs, arguments, positions, is to first attack the person by trying to paint him as a baffoon. It happens in politics, debates, in almost anything containing an "us versus them" dichotomous type of perceived relationship. Aristotle: "the unmoved Mover". He was wise and intelligent. St. Augustine and St. Aquinas were highly wise and intelligent. Many great composers and writers were highly gifted, often composing music or writing to glorify God. Shakespeare, a biblical expert, is considered by any sane human being to have been highly gifted. Einstein and Albert Schweitzer were considered pretty sharp fellows. No, Christians and Catholics are not stupid. As a matter of fact, many of the daily things agnostics and atheists use were invented by Catholics. Bravo to Deacon Keith, also to the gentleman in the video presentation for his comments. There is a big difference between debate and dialogue. Debate is about winning, regardless of being right and truthful. Dialogue? This, if done properly, seeks truth; with intellectual integrity. It is also open to criticism. I, too, am sometimes tired of being laughed at and ridiculed for pursuing lines of theology and philosophy. No, philosophy is not a waste of time. And yes, philosophy is worth more than the paper the degree is written on. And some billionaires happened to have studied philosophy as well, as with some former presidents of America; for those who see life from nothing more than "financial/economic" or "power/control/status" perspectives. And then? Then, I keep reminding myself that no matter how hard the road might be; we all end up with the 2 scoops of raisin bran on top of the coffin or the perspective of the urn! In other words, the sophists and ridiculing types on this planet don't escape death either and they too will be judged. (whether they believe in God or not) Wonderful! And then? Then, they can explain their positions, theories, their ideologies: to God. And He does not get fooled and does not like sophistry and manipulations; Jesus certainly showed that through some encounters with the Pharisees, did he not?
Paul-Emile Leray

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