Crisis Magazine: A New Devastating Critique of the Global Sexual Revolution

"It is quite remarkable that we are fighting the same battle from before the French Revolution, the fight between sexual license and sexual morality. The fight has been non-stop. Sometimes we are winning, other times, like now, we are losing."

-Austin Ruse,  Crisis Magazine.

Crisis Magazine: A New Devastating Critique of the Global Sexual Revolution

The link above is to a remarkable article about a powerful book that analyzes the roots of the sexual revolution and its resulting destruction all around us. The most eye opening part of this article is that the immoral sexual ideology of today's progressive movement can trace its roots to cultural Marxism and arguably as far back as before the French Revolution. The battle between sexual license and morality really goes back to the serpent in the garden convincing our first parents that they could be like God and determine for themselves what is right or wrong. 

I recommend this book as well as Takedown: From Communists to Progressives, How the Left Has Sabotaged Family and Marriage by Paul Kengor, Ph.D. Both these books provide the reader a much better perspective of what is really driving the LGBTQ agenda in today's culture and the historical roots of this revolution.

My hope is that books and other media like this will be successful in waking people up to the madness around us before it is too late.

The Catholic Vote and The Non-Negotiable Moral Principles

With Election Day approaching, I think its important to clarify what Pope Benedict XVI has called the non-negotiable moral principles. I want to first start with a letter that was published recently in my local newspaper, The Providence Journal by a self identified "Catholic" voter.

My conscience as a Catholic voter

Conscience and voting have been the the topic of concern throughout the Catholic community as well as many other religious communities. Seeking to establish a clear and informed conscience, I have concluded:
* To gut many safety-net programs for the poor, the handicapped and the elderly would be contrary to the Vatican II declaration of "preferential option for the poor."

* To force us as citizens to make the lives of illegal immigrants who have not committed any other crime in our country so miserable that "they will want to leave on their own," flies in the face of our commitment to charity and the corporal works of mercy.

* To remove the long-overdue opportunities for so many more of our citizens to receive health care is blatantly unjust in our democratic society. Trying to justify this just to satisfy a "teaching" that all contraceptives are either a means of abortion or at least contrary to the unfounded notion that intercourse between husband and wife must be with the accepted knowledge that a pregnancy might result is wrong.

Our Catholic leaders' role is to persuade; not to control. And the range of persuasion is to its own and those who might be interested. Many Catholic institutions employ large numbers of non-catholic people.

* To believe that running our country like a huge corporation will result in millions of new jobs, increase in wages and major reduction of debt in four years is, to say the least, unrealistic.

* To think that our modern world of global communication and myriads of governments and religions will be convinced by military domination is naive and dangerous.

Thus with a clear and informed conscience (which my Catholic Church teaches is the bottom line for any decision-making) I will vote for another term for President Obama.

Ray H__.

This is my reply letter which was published the following day:

Catholic Teachings 

This is in response to the letter by Ray H__ , “A Catholic's Vote”, published on the Providence Journal on October 31, 2012. While the issues of safety net programs for the poor, illegal immigration, and healthcare are all very important, Mr. Hodges own remarks demonstrate that his conscience is not as well informed on Catholic doctrine as he thinks it is.

Pope Benedict XVI has stated repeatedly that there are three non-negotiable moral principles that should come before all other issues in politics. Those principles are the protection of human life, the protection of traditional marriage and family, and religious freedoms. President Obama has failed miserably on these three issues. Ray H. is correct that the Catholic Church teaches about the primacy of the conscience. But that applies to a conscience well formed by Catholic teachings grounded in moral and natural law. By this standard, no Catholic in good conscience can justify voting for Obama because of his disregard for these moral principles.

Secondly, Ray H__'s comments such as “gutting safety net programs” and removing healthcare demonstrates that his political beliefs are not formed by the Catholic Church or Vatican II documents but by the falsehoods of a Presidential administration that has been an abysmal failure over the last four years.

Rob A.

I shared this to highlight how so many Catholics are in denial , misinformed, or poorly catechized about these moral issues. I agree that issues like aiding the poor, illegal immigration, and healthcare are all very important matters which deserve consideration when voting. However, the three non-negotiable moral principles, mentioned in my letter above, are the foundation stones which all others are built upon. When these are not properly respect and come under attack, society and all other issues will greatly falter as is clearly evidenced by what is happening in our nation today.

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI as well as Blessed John Paul II have spoken and written extensively on the utmost importance of these moral principles. Unfortunately many Catholics and non-Catholics alike have yet to open their minds and hearts to this truth. Please pray for our nation during these final days before the election that all people and especially our newly elected leaders will embrace these principles and rebuild a culture of life. I have included links below to a voting guide on EWTN.com based on these moral principles and to a speech given by Pope Benedict in 2006 in Europe regarding these same issues. Please share this information with others.

Voting and the Non-Negotiable Moral Principles

Pope Benedict XVI's Address to European People's Party

The Line in the Sand

By now everyone has probably heard about the disappointing ruling by the Supreme Court and Chief Justice Roberts inexplicable decision to support Obamacare. While I would have preferred seeing this so called Affordable Care Act completely struck down, the SCOTUS decision upholding Obamacare will serve a greater purpose in defending religious freedoms in the long term.

If this healthcare overhaul was struck down, the HHS Mandate lawsuit would have also ended since the mandate itself would no longer be in effect. However, the question of religious freedom would have gone unanswered. The current administration has set a dangerous precedent by infringing on religious freedoms to further its political and ideological agenda. The lawsuits against the mandate will now continue and hopefully end with the Supreme Court definitively ending this abuse of power and disregard of religious freedoms by the President.

How can we be so hopeful that the Supreme Court will make the right decision in regards to religious freedoms? As reported by Michelle Baumann of Catholic News Agency: (emphasis mine)

[Hannah Smith, Senior Counsel, The Beckett Fund] pointed to the majority opinion, penned by Chief Justice John Roberts, which states, “Even if the taxing power enables Congress to impose a tax on not obtaining health insurance, any tax must still comply with other requirements in the Constitution.”

The opinion of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan, was even more explicit, she said.

Ginsberg wrote, “A mandate to purchase a particular product would be unconstitutional if, for example, the edict impermissibly abridged the freedom of speech, interfered with the free exercise of religion, or infringed on a liberty interest protected by the Due Process Clause.”

The direct mention of religious freedom as a reason to find such a mandate unconstitutional is a hopeful sign in the battle over the contraception requirement, Smith said.

She explained that these two statements are “essential” in suggesting that the court may strike down the contraception mandate if asked to rule on it, a positive indication for defenders of religious freedom.

The line in the sand has been drawn. The current administration is now even more emboldened with this Supreme Court victory. This can become a defining moment in history for us as Catholics. By coming together and supporting our Bishops in this battle, we can truly show the world what  it means to be "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic".

Even though the Fortnight for Freedom is over, the battle continues. There are several things that we can all do to help our Bishops in this fight. First, we must pray and fast for religious freedom. Secondly, speak out publicly in favor of the Church and against this HHS mandate. By this I mean call and write to your elected officials and write to your local newspapers. You can also write about it on your blogs and social media sites. We need to get the truth out to counter the lies in the media. This isn't just some "Catholic thing" about contraception or abortion. This is about protecting the religious freedoms of every citizen in this country. In this battle, we are all Catholics. Finally, take the time to educate yourself on Obamacare, the HHS Mandate and how this impacts our freedoms. This will help you better understand the issues when you vote and allow you to better defend the position of the Catholic Church on this matter.

The line in the sand has been drawn. The question is now do we stand and fight or do we stick our head in the sand and ignore it?

Obama Announces He Supports Gay Marriage

From CNN: Obama Announces He Supports Gay Marriage

Does the above story really surprise anyone? I don't believe that his position on gay marriage has "evolved" at all. The truth is he didn't have the backbone to take a stand on this issue until he was finally backed into a corner by remarks by Joe Biden and others in his cabinet. As far back as 1996, Obama was on record supporting gay marriage. More recently, Obama's repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and his push to end the Defense of Marriage Act made it very clear what he thought of traditional marriage. Also in 2009, Obama criticized supporters of traditional families as trying to "enshrine discrimination in the Constitution" and "holding on to  outworn arguments and old attitudes". Make no mistake about it, Obama holds very radical views on religious freedom, marriage, family, and even human life.

To put it bluntly, it is unconscionable for any Catholic to vote for Barack Obama. While there may be issues where he is in agreement with Catholic doctrine, absolutely nothing outweighs his stances on the intrinsic evils of abortion and gay marriage and his blatant attacks on religious freedoms. I cannot fathom any circumstances that would justify a Catholic voting for Obama. The problem here is that too many Catholics are not educated enough in their faith and don't fully understand the Church's teachings on these critical issues.

This is a crucial point in our nation's history. Never before has a sitting president been so opposed to the teachings of the Catholic Church on marriage, family, and human life. With the upcoming election, we have the opportunity to right this ship and get our nation off of the deadly course it's on right now. This isn't about being a "progressive catholic" or "liberal catholic" or "conservative catholic" or a "traditional catholic". This is about being a Catholic first and foremost and standing shoulder to shoulder with our Bishops and priests as well as our brothers and sisters from other denominations to defend our faith and families.

I strongly encourage you to read "Our First Most Cherished Liberty" by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It is a powerful document that details the current threat to our religious freedoms by the the recent HHS mandate, gay marriage laws, and even illegal immigration laws. It is very important that we as Catholics educate ourselves and share these truths with as many people as possible. Our Church and our faith are under attack and we can't afford to be complacent. To quote Roger Cardinal Mahoney in the above Bishop's statement, "this must be fought against with all the energies the Catholic community can muster."

Will you vote the values that will stand the test of fire?

The Most Anti-Catholic Administration in History

The title of this post is pretty blunt, but as time goes on, it is becoming increasingly obvious. The latest headlines just further prove my point:

• Obama administration refuses to change contraception mandate
• HHS Rejects Compro­­mise, Embraces Abortion Lobby 
• Conscience, Denied
• Health plans ordered to cover birth control without co-pays 
• Obama admin: birth control mandate is final; bishops vow to fight

All of the above links are reporting that the Obama administration and the Secretary of Health and Human Services have refused to change the new requirement for all health plans to cover sterilization and birth control, some of which are known abortifacients. While churches are covered by a very narrow exemption, organizations such as Catholic hospitals and universities will be forced to violate their religious beliefs.

This comes on the heels of the Hosanna-Tabor decision by the Supreme Court where, against the wishes of the Obama administration, the court upheld the ministerial exemption to anti-discrimination  laws. This allows church the freedom to decide who they hire to teach their faith. The Obama administration appeared that they were ready to use anti-discrimination laws as a backdoor to influence who churches hire as ministers and priests.

The disgusting behavior of the Obama Administration in both these cases should outrage all Christians and especially Catholics. Never in the history of our country has our religious freedoms been attacked as they are today. It is unbridled arrogance and thirst for power on the part of our elected officials that allow them to slowly erode our religious liberties to benefit their own personal agendas. It doesn't seem so far fetched to imagine a United States where religion is under the thumb of the state much like we see in communist countries today. This is the path were we are headed if we don't take a stand today. This attack on our faith has become so obvious that our Bishops and the Pope have been increasingly vocal in their concerns:

 Pope: America is “increasingly hostile to Christianity”

If you think I may be exaggerating in my statements above, read what our Holy Father said recently concerning these attacks:

The Pope was emphatic in insisting that the threat posed by current trends threatens not only Christianity but “humanity itself.” He said: “To the extent that some current cultural trends contain elements that would curtail the proclamation of these truths, whether constricting it within the limits of a merely scientific rationality, or suppressing it in the name of political power or majority rule, they represent a threat not just to Christian faith, but also to humanity itself and to the deepest truth about our being and ultimate vocation, our relationship to God.”

The Battlelines Have Been Drawn

US bishops’ lawyers accuse Obama Administration of ‘an unprecedented attack on religious liberty’

This is really only the beginning. Over the last several years under the current administration, we have seen a gradual erosion of religious liberties. We have witnessed this with forcing the acceptance of gay marriage on the state and federal level, and now with this mandatory coverage of contraception with its dangerously narrow religious exemption clause.

I seriously feel that this is only the beginning and it will get much worse. Christians, and especially Catholics, will continue to be marginalized and forced to choose between their faith and obeying the law. Unless we wake up soon and finally take a stand for our faith, we will be sliding down that slippery slope with increasing speed.

Related articles

• Catholic doctors' group launches petition against contraception mandate
• Obama Administration Mandates Catholic Agencies Cover Early Abortion Drugs and Education–Leftist Catholics Mum or Supportive

Forced To Accept Immorality

Stacy Trasancos at Accepting Abundance wrote a great commentary on her experience as a practicing Catholic and mother of young children, having to face the immorality our society finds acceptable. Specifically, she mentions her children encountering public displays of affection among gays in a local park in her town.

As expected the gay-rights crowd, whose mantra is tolerance, have flooded her blog with comments attacking her and even making threats against her and her family. In other words, they refuse to tolerate her beliefs and her rights to free speech. As Mark Shea, in his own unique way, states on his blog: "Tolerance is not enough. You. MUST. Approve. And you MUST force your daughter to approve as well."

Stacy responded bravely to these attacks with two more posts on her blog, You duped me, O LORD and Accepting Evangelization.  In the latter posting, she discusses one important lesson she learned from these ugly attacks. It is an important lesson all Catholics should remember:

Be willing to suffer, but know that you in fact may not. Grace will conquer suffering and turn it into rejoicing. And that, dear fellow Catholics, will make you never want to give up or shut up! It will instill in you an abundance of joy that will bless you in ways you will not even expect.

Thank you Stacy for having the courage to speak the truth and to stand by our faith. May God bless you and please continue your good work.

Please click on the links above to visit Stacy's blog and to leave words of encouragement and support for her.

Related articles

• Gay Brownshirts on the March
• Stacy is under attack from the "tolerant" left. Please go show her your support  
• The ‘Gay Rights’ Community’s Jihad Against Stacy Trasancos

God in the Public Square

As I sit here and write this, our society is witnessing the growing effects of when the spiritual and the secular collide. The Federal government and several states are in political battles to defund abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. The homosexual agenda and the fight for gay marriage continues to spread to more states. The common theme I see in debates between those on both sides of these issues is whether or not our faith has a place in politics. I have personally witnessed this in discussions I had regarding gay marriage and abortion. Countless times I have been told to "keep my religion to myself" and to "stop acting like the taliban and shoving my beliefs down the throats of others". I have also been told many times that I have lost touch with reality by believing in an "imaginary friend in the sky and a fairy tale book written thousands of years ago".

It does little to help the situation when many of our politicians, who claim to be Christians, openly profess that it is their duty to separate their private beliefs from their public office. They usually go on to quote JFK's famous campaign speech about his religion as if were scripture. The truth is that for many years our culture has slowly but deliberately been pushing Christianity out of the mainstream and into the sidelines. It has become extremely politically incorrect to even mention the name of Christ in public. How ironic is it that the same so called "progressive" mindset that is advocating homosexuals to come out of the closet and live openly, is also behind the push to shove Christianity in the closet as if it were something to be ashamed about. Let me be clear here. This is not meant to be a tirade blaming homosexuals for all the ills in society. My point here is that our culture has turned 180 degrees to where it is now taboo and even shameful to openly live your life as a Christian. Any mention of our faith as our guide in our personal and political beliefs is met with scorn and accusations of extremism and bigotry.

As a Catholic and a father of three, I am deeply troubled by the legacy of moral decay we will be leaving our children and grandchildren if we as Catholics continue to remain silent. The reason that this secularism has been so successful in marginalizing Christianity is because many Christians leave their faith at home or at Church and not live it openly. Positive change in our society will only come about when we stop being afraid to let our faith permeate every area of our life both public and private. Father Larry Richards once said that God is either the God of everything in our life or he is the God of nothing. The point of that statement is that we can't compartmentalize God. Our faith in Him has to be a part of everything we do. Unfortunately many Catholics and Christians are allowing God to be marginalized and any mention of Him to be removed from our society. The results of that have been disastrous.

I started thinking about all of this more deeply after reading Men of faith should be involved in politics -- Moses is proof by Bryan Fischer and Be Brave - Be Uncomplicatedly Catholic. These articles raise two important points that many of Catholics seem to have forgotten. The first is that as Christians, God expects us to get involved with politics. The author used Moses as an example. I also see John the Baptist, and the Apostles as examples. John the Baptist and most of the Apostles were martyred because they dared to challenge the political leaders of that time by proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. These saints challenged unjust and oppressive anti-Christian rulers and willingly gave up their lives for their faith. Yet here we are 2,000 years later and we are afraid to publicly stand for our Church teachings because we don't want to be seen as intolerant or politically incorrect.

The second point comes from Be Brave - Be Uncomplicatedly Catholic, which is a review of the book The Courage to be Catholic: Crisis, Reform, and the Future of the Church by George Weigel. In his book Weigel writes: 

“The answer to the current crisis will not be found in ‘Catholic Lite.’ It will only be found in a classic Catholicism — a Catholicism with the courage to be countercultural, a Catholicism that has reclaimed the wisdom of the past in order to face the corruption of the present and create a renewed future, a Catholicism that risks the high adventure of fidelity.”

This goes hand in hand with what I have been thinking about. Unless we have the courage to be authentically Catholic - which means living in stark contrast to the culture around us - we are part of the problem and not the solution. As Catholics, God calls us to share His message not only through words but how we live our lives. Our actions will often have more impact than just our words. This includes speaking out and opposing our political leaders when they are advocating laws that are contrary to God's natural and moral law.

The truth is that our society today wants to shove our faith and our God in the closet and out of the public square. This hostile society wants us, as Christians, to be silent and just fall in line with everyone else. But God wants us to remember that only a dead fish goes with the current. Our duty as Catholics is to swim against that current and wake up this culture that has become intoxicated on its own "freedoms". It is our moral obligation to remind this culture that freedom is not right to do anything you want but the ability to do what is right.

Christian Persecution

As you can probably guess by reading this blog, I am no fan of the mainstream media here in the United States. This is due to the obvious bias and distortion of facts in journalism today. What I am about to post here is probably one of the worst examples of this poor reporting that I have ever seen. Take a look at these stories from MSNBC and  CNN below:

Elected president's forces storm Gbagbo's residence in Ivory Coast

Gbagbo negotiating surrender, Ivory Coast foreign minister says

Please keep in mind this last line of the last paragraph in the CNN article above:

In one of the bloodiest incidents yet, the International Committee of the Red Cross reported the killings of 800 people last week in the western cocoa-producing town of Duekoue.

Now please take a look at some of the stories in the links below:

Reprisals rock Ivory Coast after strongman deposed

MASSACRE: MUSLIM TROOPS SLAUGHTER 1,000 CHRISTIANS IN IVORY COAST

Rebel Forces Target Catholic Priests in Ivory Coast – Church Facilities Destroyed

Atrocities at Catholic mission in Ivory Coast a sign of things to come

More Than 1,000 Shot and Hacked to Death in Ivory Coast Town

Massacre of 800 to 1,000 Catholics in Ivory Coast likely work of Islamists

The next Rwanda? ‘In all districts of Abidjan there is gunfire’

The difference between the CNN/MSNBC report and these stories from alternative sources is that CNN and MSNBC, in their politically correct blindness, neglect to mention that this massacre of 800 to 1000 civilians in the Ivory Coast occurred in a Catholic mission. These victims were predominantly Catholics and Christians, and the murders responsible were mainly from Muslim tribes. In their rush to support the Obama backed new leader of the Ivory Coast, these so-called journalist willingly ignored the fact that these tribes are using the political turmoil to cover their motivations for an ethnic and religious war in the Ivory Coast. 

It disgusts me that the news media of this country either don't care or don't find it news worthy when Catholics and Christians are being forced from their homes and raped and murdered by Muslim tribes. Now I am not condemning all Muslims or all of Islam. I realize those responsible for inciting these horrific acts are only interested in spreading their radical views of Islam. My point is that the media is quick to condemn anyone who portrays Islam in an unflattering light, such as the preacher burning the Koran recently. Our media is leading this insane charge to coddle and protect anything remotely tied to Islam, while attacking and completely disrespecting anything Christian. This goes far beyond the tragic events of the Ivory Coast. While heralding the regime changes and new goverments in countries like Egypt, again these journalists completely ignore the fact that Catholics and Coptic Christians are being forced from their homes, attacked, jailed and their chruches bombed by this aggressive radical Muslim element that is now gaining control of these governments. Just look at the articles below for examples of this. When was the last time that CNN, MSNBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, NBC, or the New York Times reported these truths?

Egyptian Army Attacks Coptic Monastery

Iraqi Christians search for havens

This negligence and distortion of truth by the mainstream media is criminal in my opinion. There is no excuse for this deplorable behavior by these journalists. To ignore the persecution of thousands of Christians in Africa and the Middle East all in the name of ratings and political correctness, makes these news organizations complicit in these horrible crimes against these innocent civilians. By suppressing the truth, these reporters are helping these crimes go unnoticed and unpunished.

Please pray for our Christian and Catholic brothers and sisters in these regions of Africa and the Middle East. Pray for God's comfort, strength, and healing for these victims. Pray also for God's mercy for the conversion of those that allow these crimes to happen.

The Inevitable Collision of Gay Marriage and Religious Rights

This is a video that anyone on the fence about gay marriage should watch. This is a talk given by Rhode Island attorney Scott Spear gave to the Knights of Columbus in Providence. I have had the privilege of hearing Mr. Spears in person on two occasions. This is a powerful presentation that I hope will open eyes to the looming legal threat that the gay marriage agenda is to our faith.

Thanks be to God that same sex marriage was defeated in Maryland. We are in the middle of this battle again in Rhode Island and the fight is far from over in other states as well. The erosion of religious freedoms has already begun in several states and in Europe. Do a quick search on the web and you will see headlines about children, as young as kindergarten, indoctrinated in the gay agenda in public schools against their parents wishes. Catholic Charities as been attacked in some states for upholding Catholic teaching against same sex marriage. A Christian couple that own a bed and breakfast in England is being sued for not allowing a gay couple to share a bed because it is against their faith. It each of these cases, those opposing same sex marriage are accused of bigotry and discrimination. As Attorney Spears discusses in the video, institutions such as Christian Churches, that were at the forefront in the battle for civil rights in the 60's are now being charged with discrimination as same sex marriage laws take hold in our society. This collision course of gay marriage and religious freedoms is not some exaggeration or conspiracy theory. It is happening right before our eyes and will get worse as long as we remain silent. Please watch the video and pass it along to others.

Thanks to Air Maria for this video.

Abortion, Gay Marriage, Teachers, and Healthcare

I want to ask for your prayers for us in the state of Rhode Island. We are gearing up for the latest round in the battle to preserve traditional marriage. A hearing was scheduled this week at the state house for the judiciary committee to review a bill that would legalize gay marriage. This committee has to approve it before it goes before the full assembly for a vote. Fortunately, the hearing was postponed because of a snowstorm. (I'd like to think it was God casting His vote on the side of traditional marriage.) However, the gay marriage advocates were quick to get it rescheduled for next week.

In years past, we had a Catholic governor as well a speaker of the house and several state representatives who opposed gay marriage. This year, our new governor, who won with only 36% of the vote, advocates gay marriage. We have also lost some key allies in the state house as well as now having an openly gay speaker of the house. It's easy to see how personal agendas have pushed gay marriage to the top of the list of legislative priorities in a state with double digit unemployment, nearly bankrupt cities and towns, and decaying schools.

The Providence Journal had an interesting article this morning on the upcoming hearing and planned gay marriage rally. These particular paragraphs really jumped out at me:

“Please wear red to show your support for equality,” said an e-mail that the advocacy group, Ocean State Action, issued this week to draw attention to the event.

Members of Ocean State Action include Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island, the National Organization for Women Rhode Island Chapter (RI NOW), the Sierra Club and a host of unions, including the Association of University Professors Rhode Island Chapter, Hotel Employees Restaurant Employees Local 217, the National Association of Social Workers RI (NASW), National Education Association RI (NEARI), the New England Health Care Employees Union District 1199 SEIU, United Auto Workers Region 9A (UAW) and the United Nurses & Allied Professionals (UNAP).

It's pretty interesting that Planned Parenthood and NOW are behind this gay marriage push since they also advocate the murder of millions of unborn each year through abortion. It really should come as no surprise since they, like gay marriage advocates, want to separate the sacred gift of sexuality from its true purpose of uniting a married couple through the procreation of children, which is the embodiment of their love for one another.

The environmentalist group Sierra Club, advocates keeping abortion legal and views it as birth control as part of their view that couples should be limited to only two children as a remedy to their mythical problem of overpopulation. I guess allowing gays to marry is one way to confront overpopulation, since there is no way they can conceive naturally.

I find it most disturbing that groups like unions for teachers, college professors, nurses and other health care professionals are also assisting this push for gay marriage. These are the same people that we entrust our children to in the classrooms and our health care to in the hospitals. Yet they are trying to advance an unhealthy and destructive lifestyle while at the same time also aligning with those that advocate and profit from the killing of innocent lives.

On a related note, a Rhode Island legislator introduced a bill that would allow citizens to vote on whether or not to legalize gay marriage on the 2012 ballot. I agree with the National Organization for Marriage on this being a fair and just course of action because over 80% of Rhode Islanders polled want this on the ballot. However, because gay marriage advocates know that in every state where this has been on the ballot, traditional marriage has been upheld. They know they can only win this by the legislature or the courts forcing this on the citizens of this state. Since we have an openly gay speaker of the House, I don't expect this gay marriage referendum bill to ever get a fair hearing.

I ask for your prayers for Rhode Island as well as other states that are once again entering into this battle to protect traditional marriage and families. Despite what the media or the advocates are telling us, with the help of God, we can win this battle. Also if you are in the area, please attend the hearing on February 9 at the State House in Providence, RI at 4 pm to show your support for God's model of marriage and families.

Priest to Catholic voters: Stop being stupid!

My first reaction about this statement from Fr. Father Richard Perozich of San Diego is: WOW! This priest has some serious guts. Why can't more bishops and priests do what God called them to do and lead their flocks like this priest? Thank you Fr. Perozich for being a true priest of Christ and boldly telling Catholics everywhere what they should have been told long ago. Too many Catholics blindly follow Catholic-in-name-only politicians who promise economic prosperity and supposed "social justice". But the ultimate price for this is the lives of the unborn and the destruction of the family.

I have tried to stay away from politics in this blog, but as we approach election day, I felt I had to speak up. I am disgusted with moral decay of this nation. It causes me to fear greatly for the future of my children and grandchildren. I feel as if I don't even recognize this society any longer. In my 40 year life span, our society has declined to where human life holds little value and supporting traditional families is bigotry. Our nation was founded on Christian principles and Catholics are the largest religious denomination in this country. Yet we continue to vote for those who promote death and sexual immorality to our children. This is nothing short of insanity. We have politicians and huge corporations publicly supporting groups like Planned Parenthood and the Human Rights Campaign, which are responsible for promoting abortions, sexual immorality and anti-Christian bigotry. Yet we foolish Christians are afraid to speak up against this evil for fear of being "intolerant" or "bigotted" or "politically incorrect". We keep selling ourselves and our children's future to these politicians for promises of "hope", "change" and financial gain. Before you go and vote this season, read Fr. Richard Perozich's statement and then spend time thinking about what it means to vote as a Catholic should.

Thank you to Matt Abbot and RenewAmerica for spreading this important message.

Priest to Catholic voters: Stop being stupid!

Elections are coming up November 2, 2010. Catholics must engage in the political process to form a nation that reflects the values held by Christ's followers. Learn who you are and act like a Christian. 1 Peter 2.9 But you are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises" of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Your job is to announce to the whole world that Jesus is the anointed King of God's everlasting reign — and to offer all men His salvation given by grace and received by faith. One forum in which you do this is politics. Politics comes from the words pole and polarity. Poles are opposite ends of an idea, of a temporal structure, or of a force.

Catholics, even though we live in a country and are citizens of that country, have a higher calling and responsibility to God and to our neighbor to promote God's truth even when others hate it, reject it, and hate us for proclaiming it. We are citizens in an earthly realm, but more importantly we are citizens of the new kingdom of heaven with Jesus as the Lord, His laws as our prime way of life, and called to live them and to promote them even to unbelievers.

We live in a society where many people with power, possessions, and prestige are promoting ideas that are not founded in Christ. In order to promote their ideas over ours, they tell us we must stay in our churches, keep our religion to ourselves, and that their idea of separation of the church from the state (which does not exist in our American Constitution as they say it does) trumps any ideas we might have, so we have to shut up.

And Catholics sheepishly keep quiet and vote for men and women who promote evil.

Christian Persecution and a Catholicism of Resistance

I have admired for some time Archbishop Charles Chaput of the Archdiocese of Denver. He is an outspoken shepherd who is not afraid to stand up for true orthodox Catholic teachings. He recently addressed the Canon Law Association of Slovakia where it was apparent that he has also become a prophetic voice for our times.

A Catholicism of Resistance: Archbishop Charles Chaput's Prophetic Voice

In the article above, Deacon Keith Fournier highlights Archbishop Chaput's speech. I strongly recommend that you read the entire article, as it is well worth the time. The Archbishop's words are powerful as he boldly describes the growing threats to Christianity, in particular, a "state-encouraged atheism". He also suggests what we as Catholics can do to truly live our faith and oppose this "secularization" and "de-Christianization" in our society. At the end of the article, there is a link where you can read his entire address. It is a lengthy read, but very eye-opening and worth the time. I pasted below two excerpts from Archbishop Chaput's speech that I thought were brillant and extremely accurate.

 We face an aggressively secular political vision and a consumerist economic model that result - in practice, if not in explicit intent -- in a new kind of state-encouraged atheism. To put it another way: The Enlightenment-derived worldview that gave rise to the great murder ideologies of the last century remains very much alive. Its language is softer, its intentions seem kinder, and its face is friendlier. But its underlying impulse hasn't changed -- i.e., the dream of building a society apart from God; a world where men and women might live wholly sufficient unto themselves, satisfying their needs and desires through their own ingenuity. This vision presumes a frankly "post-Christian" world ruled by rationality, technology and good social engineering. Religion has a place in this worldview, but only as an individual lifestyle accessory. People are free to worship and believe whatever they want, so long as they keep their beliefs to themselves and do not presume to intrude their religious idiosyncrasies on the workings of government, the economy, or culture.

We live in a time when the Church is called to be a believing community of resistance. We need to call things by their true names. We need to fight the evils we see. And most importantly, we must not delude ourselves into thinking that by going along with the voices of secularism and de-Christianization we can somehow mitigate or change things. Only the Truth can set men free. We need to be apostles of Jesus Christ and the Truth he incarnates.