Most of the Church’s Year of Faith will take place in 2013, and it comes just in time — because 2012 was the "Year of Faithlessness."
The year saw a surge in anti-religious sentiment that is beginning to look like a new atheistic ethos. It wasn’t just words either — the federal government took actions to curtail believers’ freedoms as atheists activated political operations in every state.
This year, the old stories about the "war on Christmas" seemed almost quaint. Atheists succeeded in stripping nursing homes of Christmas trees and erected billboards like the one in Times Square: "Keep the Merry — Dump the Myth." The billboard was part of an atheist "You Know It’s a Myth" anti-God campaign.
But atheists didn’t just proselytize in 2012. They also pressed to impose their beliefs legislatively. In this election year, attacks on the very idea of God entered political debate as never before.
The Jan. 25 edition of the U.K. Guardian proved to be a prelude of things to come. Because Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said that even those conceived in rape are children of God, the paper published this headline: "Rick Santorum thinks pregnancy through rape is God’s gift? Seriously?"
The same suggestion that the children of rape victims are somehow abandoned by God would be hurled at U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin in Missouri and Richard Mourdock in Indiana.
But it started with Santorum. Maureen Dowd ridiculed "Mullah Rick" as a fanatic for being a believing Catholic who accepts the teachings of the Church.
Perhaps that’s understandable in the year of the Health and Human Services’ contraception mandate — the Obama administration’s decision that "religious freedom" applies to what Catholics do with their time on weekends, not what they do with their money at work.
One group in support of the mandate was the Secular Coalition for America. Hundreds of its representatives went to Washington on March 23, 2012, to support the HHS mandate and other legislation, under the leadership of new executive director and former Republican lobbyist Edwina Rogers.
Rogers expressed her worldview in response to Legatus’ resistance to the federal government’s intrusion. "Every American is entitled to their personal religious beliefs and practices," she said, "but they do not have the right to impose them on others — including their employees — or ask for privileging from the government."
Translation: Secularism should be imposed on everyone in the public square; religious beliefs must be kept "personal" and private.
Atheists don’t consider this a rhetorical argument only; they consider it a blueprint for legislative change — and they are organized and efficient. The Secular Coalition for America spent the year reaching its goal of having a lobbying chapter in every state.
What sorts of changes might they make? Steubenville, Ohio, found out.
There, the Freedom From Religion Foundation lobbied successfully in July to remove the distinctive architecture of the Franciscan University chapel from the stylized skyline in the city’s logo.
Said the organization’s president, Annie Laurie Gaylor: "Crosses do not belong on the logos of American cities. We are not a ‘Christian nation’ or a theocracy, but were first among nations to adopt a secular constitution."
In other words, the organization that wants to force the people of Steubenville to pretend that the church isn’t part of their city’s architecture also wants to force Americans to pretend that God isn’t part of our nation’s founding structure.
But the most surprising political manifestation of the new atheist ethos happened at the Democratic National Convention. Party leaders earlier in the summer had updated the party platform and made two changes: The platform no longer called Jersualem the capital of Israel, and it no longer said workers had God-given potential.
After Christians and Jews objected, President Barack Obama himself arranged to put God and Jerusalem back in the platform.
The problem: When the party changed the language back, announcing the fix on the floor of the convention, the crowd erupted in boos. This was, in part, a reaction to the hastiness with which the change was made. But only in part. If a hasty change had been made to make the platform more pro-homosexual rights or pro-handicapped, it is hard to imagine loud boos erupting. But making it "pro-religion" — that was angrily denounced.
The secularist activity would have been alarming enough, if it hadn’t been punctuated by a bizarre act of violence. On Aug. 15, a homosexual-rights activist fired a gun inside Family Research Council’s Washington headquarters. No national news agencies connected the dots or raised any question with another bizarre terrorist act — atheist activist Jared Lee Loughner’s shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson the year before.
Heated Rhetoric
Of course, most atheists are nothing like their gun-wielding confreres. But it is astonishing that a media so keen on connecting harsh speech and acts of hatred in other spheres of life are so unwilling to pursue it in today’s aggressive secularism.
After all, harsh speech is becoming far more common from secularists on the left: This was the year that Chick-fil-A was banned from cities and targeted with campaigns of hatred because of the moral beliefs of its CEO.
Salon, a popular, self-identified liberal online publication, surprised Christians when it published a criticism of Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas’ faith. Wrote Mary Elizabeth Warren: "[A]fter her victory, one of the first responses that truly resonated for me was from a colleague who noted, ‘I would like her more if she were not so, so, so into Jesus.’"
That was one of several pieces Salon published friendly to the new atheistic ethos. One regretted that some secularists were supporting non-liberal causes: libertarianism, torture and racial profiling of Muslims.
But the harshest of Salon’s pieces was a book chapter from Adam Lee’s Daylight Atheism. Lee is a leading atheist commentator, and the book is a kind of manifesto of his philosophy. It compares the world’s great religions to the festering corpses from millennia ago that created fossil fuels.
"Instead of the compressed remains of long-dead living things, the religions that dominate our world today are made up of fossilized dogmas," he writes. "Religion, too, has its impurities, but instead of sulfur and mercury, humanity’s beliefs are contaminated with impurities of tribalism and xenophobia, fractions of hate and fanaticism and glorification of martyrdom."
The chapter helpfully catalogues the worldview that is on the march in our day.
"Religious conservatives oppose abortion, oppose birth control, oppose gay adoption, oppose same-sex marriage, oppose euthanasia — in short, they want to control how people are born, how they marry, how they raise families and how they die," he writes.
Ironically, he doesn’t see that blind certainty about secularism has led atheists to the killing of unborn children, forcing others to pay for their prophylactics, driving churches out of adoption assistance, abolishing marriage as a procreative institution and setting up incentives to kill the elderly.
For Greater Glory
There is no reason to despair, however. This is nothing Christians haven’t seen before, many times over. From France’s guillotines to Stalin’s gulags, from the Roman Colosseum to Tiananmen Square, secularists have always considered themselves the chosen enlightened who are here to make things right by opposing the embarrassing, oafish Christians.
It will probably get much worse before it gets any better, but it will get better. Secularist rage rises against Christians in waves, and once it crashes in its violent way, it always recedes, leaving calmer waters.
As Chicago Cardinal Francis George put it, "I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison, and his successor will die a martyr in the public square." But he added: "His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the Church has done so often in human history."
And while this year saw many low points in the battle for belief, it saw some great high points as well.
The movie For Greater Glory, which is as flawed as the Cristero movement itself, nonetheless brought public attention to the last time enlightened secularists were on the march on our continent — in Mexico — killing priests.
Hundreds of thousands of ralliers showed their support for religious freedom in hundreds of cities across the country at "Stand Up for Freedom" rallies, at the U.S. bishops’ Fortnight for Freedom or by flocking to "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day."
There is a thriving culture of young Catholics and Christians of all kinds. With the truth on their side, we will be surprised by how much they accomplish.
Atheists always follow the same cycle — peaceful beginnings grow to angry denouncements and, often, to violent force. But the Christian cycle of persecution, death and glorious resurrection is always more powerful — because it is founded in love and not hatred.
Tom Hoopes is writer in
residence at Benedictine College
in Atchison, Kansas.
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“The purpose of the Shrine of the Wood of the True Cross and its activities is to bring people close to the Cross of Christ that they may find comfort for their souls in these troublous times and protection against the powerful forces, political and other, that are tearing down the ideals of Christian living and substituting communistic, anti-social, and Godless ideals in their place. To further the range of our influence (which we do not intend to be political) we are conducting devotions to the Cross. We are persuaded that in this modern day when the forces of evil are using social and technological inventions to such great advantage to further their ends it is not only fitting but even a matter of obligation for us to use the same means to bring the blessings of the Cross of Christ and its teachings into the homes and hearts of thousands who must first hear the truth and the dangers of evil propaganda before they can believe the one and guard against the other.” Statement made in 1936 by Msgr. Thomas A. Carney, founding pastor, Shrine of the True Cross, Dickinson, Texas.
“Atheists succeeded in stripping nursing homes of Christmas trees”
Stop lying.
First, I assume you are talking about The Willows in Newhall, California? If not, please cite.
Second, insofar as The Willows, it wasn’t atheists, but the owners who initially prohibited a tree.
Third, the management says it was due to a misunderstanding between management and the staff; the tree was allowed.
You aren’t off to a good start—two lies in one sentence fragment.
“The Jan. 25 edition of the U.K. Guardian proved to be a prelude of things to come. Because Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said that even those conceived in rape are children of God, the paper published this headline: “Rick Santorum thinks pregnancy through rape is God’s gift? Seriously?”
The same suggestion that the children of rape victims are somehow abandoned by God would be hurled at U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin in Missouri and Richard Mourdock in Indiana.”
Hey, when politicians say stupid things, people will ridicule them for it.
“Rogers expressed her worldview in response to Legatus’ resistance to the federal government’s intrusion. “Every American is entitled to their personal religious beliefs and practices,” she said, “but they do not have the right to impose them on others — including their employees — or ask for privileging from the government.”
Translation: Secularism should be imposed on everyone in the public square; religious beliefs must be kept “personal” and private.”
Your “translation” is every bit as accurate as your Christmas tree lie.
“What sorts of changes might they make? Steubenville, Ohio, found out.
There, the Freedom From Religion Foundation lobbied successfully in July to remove the distinctive architecture of the Franciscan University chapel from the stylized skyline in the city’s logo.
Said the organization’s president, Annie Laurie Gaylor: “Crosses do not belong on the logos of American cities. We are not a ‘Christian nation’ or a theocracy, but were first among nations to adopt a secular constitution.”
In other words, the organization that wants to force the people of Steubenville to pretend that the church isn’t part of their city’s architecture also wants to force Americans to pretend that God isn’t part of our nation’s founding structure.”
Aww, your Christian hegemony is being pushed back. Too bad.
“Atheists always follow the same cycle — peaceful beginnings grow to angry denouncements and, often, to violent force. But the Christian cycle of persecution, death and glorious resurrection is always more powerful — because it is founded in love and not hatred.”
Check out death threats that atheists get when they sue public schools to take down a religious banner, or atheist billboards that get defaced.
Again, your lying is contradicted by reality.
(Most of the Church’s Year of Faith will take place in 2013, and it comes just in time — because 2012 was the “Year of Faithlessness.”)
Here is a suggestion for applying the Faith to our Catholic School System in the USA:
When my grandparents immigrated from Ireland in the early 1900s, the Church here in New Hampshire already had in place a parochial school system designed primarily for immigrants. However, these schools are now too expensive for today’s immigrants. The following is a brief history of how we accommodated immigrants in my diocese and how we should accommodate the new immigrants today.
The Parochial Schools of the diocese of Portland, Maine, which included the states of Maine and New Hampshire, began here in Manchester, N. H. during the 1850s. The site was St. Anne Church. The founders were Fr. William McDonald, pastor; Thomas Corcoran, teacher; and The Sisters of Mercy whose superior was Mother Frances Warde. The students were primarily Irish immigrants. Today, St. Anne Parish unified with St. Augustin Parish, serves the descendants of the Irish from St. Anne and the French Canadian from St. Augustin plus new immigrants including Hispanics, Vietnamese and Africans mostly from Sudan.
However, the Parochial Schools, now called Regional Catholic Schools, can no longer give first place to immigrants: they are too expensive. Can anything be done for today’s immigrants? Here is my suggestion:
A “preferential option for the poor” should be maintained in our Catholic Schools. If we find that we cannot afford to keep our schools open to the poor, the schools should be closed and the resources used for something else which can be kept open to the poor. We cannot allow our Church to become a church primarily for the middle-class and rich while throwing a bone to the poor. The priority should be given to the poor even if we have to let the middle-class and rich fend for themselves. Practically speaking, the Catholic Schools must close and the resources used for “Confraternity of Christian Doctrine” and other programs which can be kept open to the poor. Remember, the Church managed without Catholic Schools for centuries. We can get along without them today. The essential factor is to cultivate enough Faith to act in the Gospel Tradition, namely, THE POOR GET PRIORITY. The rich and middle-class are welcome too. But the poor come first. [ William Horan - Manchester, NH ]
NPR did an article “would you vote for an atheist?” a few weeks ago. After a bit of reflection, I had to say “no”. Why? Not because of their beliefs, but because of what these atheists are doing… they are constantly attacking and attacking. Catholics are not putting up billboards against Mormons, Muslims are not running around looking into schools making sure no one says a Christian prayer… rather it seems the atheists are the ones defined by their vitriol against everyone else.
Anyway, if you want to see societies where atheism is very popular, go to China and North Korea. I’ve never been; but I don’t think I would like to live there.
Brian Westley
Nice article, with some dead-on statements about Loughner, the Democratic convention, and some of the bizarre lawsuits being filed by extremists.
@Brian, I saw the original stories Tim referenced and found his observations correct. I stand by Tim’s article and position. It is a fact that atheists are attacking religious freedom in the pulic square; you know this to be true. Instead of trolling NCRegister, why don’t you find your inner “merry” and perform an act of charity in your solstice season of brotherly love. That is, unless you wish to represent all atheists as Ebenezer Scrooges.
Westley,
Death threats? I’m all ears about that. Don’t set a double standard, demanding citations from one and not providing some yourself. I’m curious to know which practicing Christians would send death threats to Atheist activists. From what I can tell, those “brave” atheists have little to fear from Christians for their activities. Christians on the other hand, have quite a bit to fear from Atheists for theirs. As the writer correctly pointed out, history, both recent and further back, sadly attests to this.
Taking down Christian imagery should not be seen as an act of diminishing Christian hegemony, but as an act of a secular absolutism. Atheists replace one gospel for another, their own. They proclaim that creation was an accident, men are beasts, morality is all relative, and that religion is reason for all the problems in the world. This is not an objective conclusion based on any real authority; it’s the subjective conclusion of an obnoxiously vocal minority. What that minority hopes to achieve by imposing its views on the rest of society, besides gaining recognition and dealing a blow to believers, is beyond me. Does one still achieve tolerance if one shouts down another group, removes their symbols, and belittles them? Is it enlightenment to deny them a conscience?
I pray for the atheist trolls who waylay the comment threads of Christian writers online. They’re very clear about what they hate, but they still have yet to reach a consensus on what they love, assuming they strive to have some purpose in life. They’ve settled for the easy argument, and repeat it ad nauseum. Christian readers and writers have to resist the temptation to do the same. Anger and blame will not solve the world’s problems, or even rectify people’s logic.
We need to remember: God is love. Christ is the Way. The Holy Spirit will be our guide if we open our hearts.
Go in peace.
One of the problems is the lack of disciplinary actions against Catholics who are pro-choice. First of all, they are not Catholics. To be a Catholic you have to believe in their teachings. There is no wiggle-room when it comes to abortion. I can’t believe that 50% of Catholics voted for Obama. He is trying to take away our religious liberties. Don’t tell me he is not, because at least 60 dioceses are suing his adm.
“Keep merry” “Dump the myth”. I didn’t know Santa Claus was for real, and Jesus wasn’t. Secondly, Santa Claus is a spinoff of St. Nicholas, a real person, a Catholic bishop. Tell the atheists that Santa means Saint. Should be change the names of cities such as, St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc?
Brian, I’m right with you. You were spot on.
2012 will be looked at as the good old days by religions. Young people are not leaving but they are not joining into churches. They will join the “nones” and religion will wither as old people die.
Athiests aren’t militant, just an abused minority fighting back in every way we can. Like gay people were but, happily, aren’t as much any more. As they gain equal rights (you might say they are equal now but you know you would be lying), we will take over as the last group to repress (druids notwithstanding).
Nones will grow, religion will lose it’s priveleged position. Democrats will remove god from their platform. Republicans will morf into tea partiers (or whatever name Grover Norquist gives them).
As I write this, Nostradomas has nothing on me (lol).
Be well, Rover.
This was one of the better articles I have read on the blows to the faithful this year. Thank you Mr. Hoopes. So glad you are in a position to influence our best hope for change, the students at Benedictine College.
Tom, thanks for the interesting article.
I, too, take hope. I’ve been granted the gift of despair that comes with a Godless life. I now seek God in all that I do - not just in the hour every Sunday that I spend at mass. This is tough to do, as Christ’s path is never an easy one. (Oh, it’s always simple, but never easy!) I think these distractions that the secular world throws in the path of the faithful are just that - mere distractions.
I will continue to seek to still my heart with the whisper of God. The world can prattle on. And yet I will seek to still my heart…
God be with you!
+Dan
Hey Brian Westley,
Are you saying that when Rick Santorum said children conceived in rape are children of God that was a stupid thing to say, deserving ridicule??? So if children conceived in rape are not children of God, what are they? Are they not human beings like you are? I think you do not understand your own dignity and worth as a human being. Otherwise you could never say that was a ridiculous thing to say. And it seems to me you are imposing your twisted view of yourself on these poor children and everyone else. Unfortunately, people who share your twisted view of human nature are responsible for the murder of 54 million Americans since 1973. It’s a holocaust worse than Nazi, Germany, or that imposed by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The victims of the American holocaust are unborn children. These are children who will never speak their first word, never enter the first grade, never give their mother a hug, never go on a first date, never graduate from college, never buy a car or a house (could have bought your house), never ask a girl to marry them. Never, never, never. 54 million Americans have lost their lives to abortion, have completely lost the opportunity to live at all, and all you can do is ridicule Rick Santorum? Never, never, never. There is clock that constantly repeats a similar word: “Forever, forever, forever, forever, forever.” It’s located in hell. I pray you will never, never, never have to stare at that clock for an eternity. God bless you. Susan Fox http://christsfaithfulwitness.blogspot.com
St. John of the Cross wrote that more then ever evil is showing its face but as evil continues to rise God reveals his treasures, wisdom, and Spirit to the world. We are right to say that evil continues to shadow over this world and that many of us continue to act out of hatred, fear, and vice but I cannot agree that 2012 was a year of faithlessness. If anything it could have been some of our finest hours in faith. Faith lingers in the darkness where we are right now. Evil is all around us that is evident but even the smallest light can overpower the dark. Faith for many of us in 2012 grew and the light shined even brighter for this world. We showed the world that we believe so deeply in our teachings that we will not change for anyone, regardless of the threats, persecutions, and suffering it brings. We move into this year with great faith and this Year of Faith I believe only reflects the Church and how we have entered the new year. Keep preaching the truth, keep loving our enemies and always keep Christ in our hearts
If I believed in a devil that was trying to suck the spiritual content out of America’s Christmas, I would believe it was holding its retirement celebration at the end of 2012. With Christmas shopping hitting a high point on Thanksgiving Day itself, and a news media consumed with the issue of Christmas decorations between barrages of commercials urging ever more buying to celebrate the season, I’d say its work was done.
“The movie For Greater Glory, which is as flawed as the Cristero movement itself, nonetheless brought public attention to the last time enlightened secularists were on the march on our continent — in Mexico — killing priests.”
Could you please elaborate on this statement? I’ve just seen the film yesterday and it was the first I had really been exposed to this time in history, although not that long ago and it so much of it seemed to echo the present…..Anyhow, more info about your statement is appreciated. I would love to learn more or be directed to some sources that accurately depict history. But from what I understand this war was was hidden from the public very well.
Westley (and Rover, I guess?),
Death threats? I’m all ears about that. Don’t set a double standard, demanding citations from one and not providing some yourself. I’m curious to know which practicing Christians would send death threats to Atheist activists. From what I can tell, those “brave” atheists have little to fear from Christians for their activities. Christians on the other hand, have quite a bit to fear from Atheists for theirs. As the writer correctly pointed out, history, both recent and further back, sadly attests to this.
Taking down Christian imagery should not be seen as an act of diminishing Christian hegemony, but as an act of a secular absolutism. Atheists replace one gospel for another, their own. They proclaim that creation was an accident, men are beasts, morality is all relative, and that religion is reason for all the problems in the world. This is not an objective conclusion based on any real authority; it’s the subjective conclusion of an obnoxiously vocal minority. What that minority hopes to achieve by imposing its views on the rest of society, besides gaining recognition and dealing a blow to believers, is beyond me. Does one still achieve tolerance if one shouts down another group, removes their symbols, and belittles them? Is it enlightenment to deny them a conscience?
I pray for the atheist trolls who waylay the comment threads of Christian writers online. They’re very clear about what they hate, but they still have yet to reach a consensus on what they love, assuming they strive to have some purpose in life. They’ve settled for the easy argument, and repeat it ad nauseum. Christian readers and writers have to resist the temptation to do the same. Anger and blame will not solve the world’s problems, or even rectify people’s logic.
We need to remember: God is love. Christ is the Way. The Holy Spirit will be our guide if we open our hearts.
Go in peace.
The early church thrived among pagan cultures because they saw how compassionate and helpful they were towards the poor, and how they built up societies. The (outwardly) Christian world today is more concerned about loyalty to the Republican party, trying to marry the stinginess and compassionlessness of oppressive economic policies with belief in God. This kind of hypocracy and Phariseeism is what is feeding anti-religioius sentiment among young people, many of whom are financially struggling and seeing so-called Christians allying themselves with a party that is bent on letting them fall through the cracks. Furthermore, focusing on gay marriage (of which no church is legally obliged to bless or perform I might add) as the ultimate evil, when so many of these young people come from homes broken by heterosexual adultery and noncommitted heterosexual fornication, and little is said or done about that by those calling themselves Christian, doesn’t sit well either. As for abortion, the GOP may try to work to try to get a child out of the womb, but once they’re out, they’ll support policies to leave that child starving and hungry(ex. opposition to the child tax credit). This makes many wonder if their pro-life stance is genuine or just a smokescreen. The list goes on and on, but hypocracy is what’s misleading people into anti-religious feeling.
Hypocracy, misplaced and Pharisiacal priorities and a lack of compassion for the poor and struggling are what are feeding anti-religious sentiment. It began with the “religious right” movement of the 1980’s and gained momentum in the 2000’s. Young people who are financially struggling see “Christian” politicians supporting policies that widen the gap between the rich and poor. A generation of young people from homes broken by heterosexual adultery and uncommitted fornication see politicians obsessed instead with gay marriage, when churches are in no way obliged to acknowledge, perform or bless them. Hypocracy, aided by a host of other factors as well, is feeding anti-religious sentiment among the young, and in the process, leading souls to hell…
Dear Tony,
Your comments show the truth of the kindly labels given for your positions: “low information voter.” While I share your sorrow over the divorce/adultery rate in the United States that causes untold suffering for our children, your invincible ignorance of what the Catholic Church has done to help broken families and women in crisis pregnancies is an utter tragedy. Every archdiocese I’ve encountered in the United States (and I’ve moved around a lot) supports crisis pregnancy centers. A large majority of Catholic parishes do as well. There are Catholics all over the United States involved in getting resources: doctors, housing, clothing to helpless women in crisis pregnancy situations. And that is what Republicans support: people helping people on the local level. That is biblical as well. Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” You can’t do that if government is “supposedly” taking care of everyone, while you sit on your easy chair. As an economist, I am appalled at the ignorance people have about our economic policies. The policies we are following now are designed to lower the standard of living of the poor and middle class. None of the recent tax deals will affect the rich. Our president doesn’t want to disturb his rich donors. Warren Buffet is still paying less taxes than his secretary. But I heard a sobbing mother this morning. She has two sets of twins below the age of three and she couldn’t afford the $135 a week in additional taxes imposed on her by OBAMA “care” and the social security tax hike. I can’t afford the additional taxes of Obamacare and the social security tax hike (I realize it was just a suspension of the normal social security tax for a while). The years under George Bush were very prosperous because of the tax cuts for everybody. When people have more money to spend, there are more jobs. The housing market faltered because of Presidents Jimmy Carter and BiIl Clinton, who in the name of eliminating the injustice of red lining actually forced banks to lend to minorities who could not repay the loan. I know the job report today said the unemployment was unchanged, but unemployment for the black population and women increased. Also for those in their 20s, the unemployment rate is 11 percent. My son is 24 with a bachelor’s in mathematics, and he can’t get a job. He isn’t even in the numbers because he never got a job out of college. We are going to see all the recent college graduates forced into poverty—low paying jobs at Walmart etc. for their entire lives because that is the only kind of employment this administration is creating, part time low paying jobs. What about the ones who had student loans? I know a young woman in poor health struggling to pay back $69,000 for a year and a half she spent at a Protestant university. She became Catholic, and not a minister so for a while she had to work driving heavy machinery at a Copper mine. That was the good old days. She was laid off under this administration. At the same time, the economy in Washington, D.C. is booming. The government is sucking up all the money from the private sector (everyone else). Washington D.C. is where the money is. None of their restaurants are closed. You are not seeing empty buildings in the local malls around D.C. Actually, tragically I see all the work being available with the government. I’ve even advised young people to try TSA. They are all over the place at the airport. Can you imagine, the best career opportunities now for young people are in checking ID and patting down travelers. (No offense intended if you are doing that work). My sister-in-law in Maryland works for Home Land Security. She had to leave her children for her job in Afghanistan. Yes, why is a woman working for HomeLand Security in Afghanistan? There has been a huge transfer of resources from the private sector where problems can be solved to the public sector. Have you spent time with poor people dependent on the government dole? I have, and they suffer. The red tape itself is horrific. I have spent hours listening to the complaints of a Viet Nam veteran suffering from the effects of agent orange as he struggled to get his medical bills paid through the VA. And soon we are going to be dependent on the government for health care? I remember one young man who had mental problems. His mother insisted he move closer to her. He changed counties. His monthly food allotment dropped from $185 a month to $54. Nobody can live on that. His friends were appalled. Listen to the stories of the poor people who fled Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. They lost everything, and the government isn’t a kind nor a generous benefactor.
I have to laugh when you say no church is forced to recognize gay marriage. Until recently, no church was forced to pay for contraception in opposition to its beliefs. Now we are. In Canada where the the gay marriage issue is more advanced, courageous Catholic bishops have been prosecuted for hate crimes because they preached what the Catholic Church taught about homosexuality. How long before you think the same thing will happen here?
The Catholic Church opposes gay marriage and paying for contraception because of the very evils you would like to see removed from our society. I remember meeting a woman who said she couldn’t come back to the Catholic Church. She said she was married, but a priest erroneously told her husband they could use contraception, so they did. As a result, (women become objects when they can be used at will with no consequences) they were divorced. When I met her she was living with a man. She could not leave him because she could not support herself. Contraception, divorce, homosexuality help lay the ground work for divorce, broken families, scarred children, ultimately poverty itself, the kind of poverty that forces a woman to live with a man so she can simply eat. The Catholic Church would like to save us from the pain and suffering of these conditions. There is no hypocrisy in this. God bless you. Susan Fox http://christsfaithfulwitness.blogspot com
“heterosexual adultery and uncommitted fornication” (and the proliferation thereof) can be blamed squarely on the birth control pill which was truly the scourge of the culture.
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Atheism is a cult. The old atheists who said, ’ I don’t believe ein a god’ and went on with their life. Enjoyed the Christian holidays and went about their other interests are being replaced by those who need to rally around a belief. A belief system, in fact. I would say they are forming a religion with common ways of thinking, ridiculing other belief systems and organizing, but with no God to worship, I think it simply falls under the definition of a cult.
Atheists are truly the out ignorant, close minded and angry people you will ever meet when their delicate little value system encounters a crucifix or a religious symbol. It reminds me of the demonic possession in the exorcist. But they are a force to battle as they don’t tolerate other values and beliefs, they are out to promote theirs and mock and ridicule ours. Make no doubt, theya re on the offensive are well funded, use legal threats and will win as long as the Christian majority, who actually does tolerate these values, doesn’t act.
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