MGB:_Now this is Distincticly Catholic. Click the link to Good Friday standards, wonderfully presented.
Friday, March 30, 2018
Thursday, March 29, 2018
In this triduum, let us not rush to the end of the story
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/triduum-let-us-not-rush-end-story
MGB:_I will leave it Garry Wills to make the point that no one was ordained on Holy Thurday. We all know that whatever happened on Good Friday was as God wanted it, because Jesus is risen. We can also trust that our own afterlife will be something we can cope with, rather than annihilation before the face of God. Back to Thursday, Jesus promised not to eat of the fruit of the vine until he did so in the Father’s Kingdom, yet he did so drink in John’s Gospel. Someoe has explaining to do beyond healing on the Sabbath. MSW cited Brideshead Revisited. I am going to go with Law and Order.
The Damnation Trial of Jesus of Nazareth - A One Act Play
Setting: 21st Century American Courtroom, with Oak Paneling (much like you find in The People's Court or Law and Order). There are two bailiffs, Michael and Gabriel. The Ten Commandments are behind the Dias.
Time: 3:15 pm, Good Friday
GABRIEL: Oyez, Oyez, The Court of Final Judgment is now in Session, the Honorable Moses presiding.
Moses enters.
MOSES: Call the first case.
GABRIEL: The case of Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus enters, helped in by Uriel and Raphael. Jesus is run down, older in a dirty white robe showing signs of recent crucifixion
LUCIFER: Lucifer, the tester for the prosecution.
ELIJAH (John the Baptist): Objection to opposing counsel.
LUCIFIER: Your honor, my identification with Set is a product of Zoroastrianism, not of Hebrew scripture.
MOSES: Objection overruled, I will not hold the slanderous views of defense counsel or his client against him, as they are the product of misinformation and not deliberate.
ELIJAH: Your honor, request my client immediately be allowed into Paradise as the Messiah. The blind now see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the mute speak and the dead rise under his ministrations.
LUCIFER: The prosecution stipulates the good works and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, however we must object on the grounds that in his last day he proved to be a false prophet.
UPROAR IN THE COURT
MOSES: Order, Order, I will have order. These is a serious charge, which you must stipulate - and be quick about it. It is Passover weekend and my presence is required at Seder.
LUCIFER: I call Matthew, Mark and Luke
MATTHEW: I will speak for the three of us. Mark was the scribe of Peter and Luke for Paul, who gained his knowledge from our teaching. Peter and I were witnesses.
LUCIFER: Very good. Last evening, describe what was said at table at the end of the Seder.
MATTHEW: Jesus took some bread, and when he said the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples. Take and eat, he said, this is my body. Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them. Drink all of you form this, he said, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. From now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in the kingdom of my Father. (Matthew 26:26-29)
LUCIFER: And what happened the next day.
MATTHEW: When they reached a place called Golgotha, that is, the place of the skull, they gave him wine to drink mixed with gall, which he tasted but refused to drink. (Matthew 27:33-35)
ELIJAH: I move for dismissal, as clearly my client kept his word.
LUCIFER: It is not so simple as that, I call John, son of Zebedee and Mary Salome, the defendant's nephew. John, describe what you saw at the foot of the cross.
JOHN: Jesus said: I thirst. A jar full of vinegar stood there, so putting a sponge soaked in the vinegar on a hyssop stick they held it up to his mouth. After he took the vinegar he said, It is accomplished and bowing his head he gave up his spirit. (John 19: 28-30)
LUCIFER: The prosecution rests.
ELIJAH: John, what occurred prior to the taking of the vinegar.
JOHN: Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near, Jesus said to his mother, Woman, this is your son. Then to the disciple he said, This is your mother. (John 19:25-26)
ELIJAH: The defense calls Mark.
MARK: And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which means My God, my God, why have you deserted me? When some of those who stood by heard this, they said, Listen, he is calling on Elijah. (Mark 15:33-35)
ELIJAH: It was at this point that Jesus took the fruit of the vine.
LUCIFER: Then you admit he did drink it.
ELIJAH: We so stipulate.
UPROAR
MOSES: I will have order. Counsel, please explain yourself.
ELIJAH: When he spoke with his mother and with John, Jesus gives up everything he was, both human and divine. Mary and John were the two main people in His life. Mary holds a unique place in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She was and is his most beloved friend, as well as his most perfect creature. Even before his birth, she begins his message of social justice in the Magnificant to her cousin Elizabeth. More importantly, she symbolizes to him the very essence of his most unique self. Because of the way he was conceived, she is the physical manifestation of both his human and his divine origins, which he knew of originally through her telling of the story of his birth. I expect that she could not look at him in her grief. In like manner, John was the symbol for his mission, and for all who would believe in him. John was the last disciple, as all the others had fled. By giving John up to his mother, he both abandons and joins us. He is utterly emptied. At this moment his identity as God-man, son of the Virgin, his role as savior and teacher, are all gone! He has now been reduced to a state of complete isolation and hopelessness. It is a state that, as God, he does not know. Only by emptying himself and accepting this suffering does he ever know the despair and separation from God that each and every sinner feels.
The mechanism for human salvation must be understandable to humans, as it is for humans. As presented above, the origins of our salvation are obvious. Jesus suffered for God to know human suffering first hand. With this knowledge, he reaches out the suffering sinner and offers salvation. This suffering is what saves those who believe in him.
Jesus' passion helps us understand God, as well. To save man in this way God must be a Trinity. Without His humanity, the Son of God could not experience the abandonment of the crucifixion. If he had suffered abandonment in His purely divine form existence or all would have ended.
The passion also helps Christians understand the perfection of God. The essence of salvation is what it does for the sinner, not what it does for God. It was not a blood offering to satisfy an angry God. God is not moved by anything! An angry God is not perfect, as that anger is moved by the actions of mere creatures, both in sinful man and in His sinless Son, who became a creature. The unmoved Will of God is His Love, which is a free gift without hint of anger.
The God Christians come to in faith is not some distant icon of perfection, but a God who, in Jesus, shares the experience of isolation. Humans do not reach God on our own, so he comes to them in their pain. Understanding this, people understand the meaning of salvation, because it makes right in our hearts what sin makes wrong.
What is the proof of this proposition? The scriptures show that the Kingdom of God had come when Jesus drank from the fruit of the vine on the cross at the moment of his death. He had promised at the Last Supper that he would not drink of the fruit of the vine until he did it with us in his Father's kingdom, yet the scripture is clear that he took the wine on the cross. For salvation to be effective, it is accomplished without blemish. Had Jesus taken the wine before the completion of salvation, he would have rendered it impure and void. This, of course, is not so. Christianity is not some colossal practical joke with a secret meaning saying that we were all just kidding or some divine exercise in prophetic ticket punching. This is the proof Christians need to believe that the passion was real for Jesus, and that in it he joins mankind, not as a sin offering, but as a fellow sufferer. Ultimately, the proof is born out by the Resurrection, which shows that Jesus, who drank of the fruit of the vine just before his death, was justified by God. Christians are confident that as he died as they die, they will rise as he rose.
The passion also shows Christians how to seal their salvation. They seal it in his Blood, which comes to them through the fruit of the vine. Whenever Christians drink of His Blood in Communion, we share in the second covenant. This removes all taint of sin, and brings them back to God. They come back to Him in confidence, because they know that He knows the emptiness and pain of the sinner. God loved mankind so much that He sought the pain it feels when it is apart from Him. As Christians drink His Blood at the altar, they share in the kingdom and fulfill his command. For he said ...if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. (John 6:53)
The Defense rests.
MOSES: Well done, counsel. Case dismissed. Now, I believe my term of office is completed. I will continue as prosecutor.
JESUS: We thank you for your service. Next case.
MOSES: Bring forward the two thieves. My Lord, these men were crucified for thievery, sedition, murder the elder for taunting you on the cross.
JESUS: I am familiar with this case. My prior promise to the younger stands. For your faith when all others saw differently, Today, you shall be with me in paradise. Court is adjourned! I have but a few days until I must return to the world at Easter.
MGB:_I will leave it Garry Wills to make the point that no one was ordained on Holy Thurday. We all know that whatever happened on Good Friday was as God wanted it, because Jesus is risen. We can also trust that our own afterlife will be something we can cope with, rather than annihilation before the face of God. Back to Thursday, Jesus promised not to eat of the fruit of the vine until he did so in the Father’s Kingdom, yet he did so drink in John’s Gospel. Someoe has explaining to do beyond healing on the Sabbath. MSW cited Brideshead Revisited. I am going to go with Law and Order.
The Damnation Trial of Jesus of Nazareth - A One Act Play
Setting: 21st Century American Courtroom, with Oak Paneling (much like you find in The People's Court or Law and Order). There are two bailiffs, Michael and Gabriel. The Ten Commandments are behind the Dias.
Time: 3:15 pm, Good Friday
GABRIEL: Oyez, Oyez, The Court of Final Judgment is now in Session, the Honorable Moses presiding.
Moses enters.
MOSES: Call the first case.
GABRIEL: The case of Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus enters, helped in by Uriel and Raphael. Jesus is run down, older in a dirty white robe showing signs of recent crucifixion
LUCIFER: Lucifer, the tester for the prosecution.
ELIJAH (John the Baptist): Objection to opposing counsel.
LUCIFIER: Your honor, my identification with Set is a product of Zoroastrianism, not of Hebrew scripture.
MOSES: Objection overruled, I will not hold the slanderous views of defense counsel or his client against him, as they are the product of misinformation and not deliberate.
ELIJAH: Your honor, request my client immediately be allowed into Paradise as the Messiah. The blind now see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the mute speak and the dead rise under his ministrations.
LUCIFER: The prosecution stipulates the good works and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, however we must object on the grounds that in his last day he proved to be a false prophet.
UPROAR IN THE COURT
MOSES: Order, Order, I will have order. These is a serious charge, which you must stipulate - and be quick about it. It is Passover weekend and my presence is required at Seder.
LUCIFER: I call Matthew, Mark and Luke
MATTHEW: I will speak for the three of us. Mark was the scribe of Peter and Luke for Paul, who gained his knowledge from our teaching. Peter and I were witnesses.
LUCIFER: Very good. Last evening, describe what was said at table at the end of the Seder.
MATTHEW: Jesus took some bread, and when he said the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples. Take and eat, he said, this is my body. Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them. Drink all of you form this, he said, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. From now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in the kingdom of my Father. (Matthew 26:26-29)
LUCIFER: And what happened the next day.
MATTHEW: When they reached a place called Golgotha, that is, the place of the skull, they gave him wine to drink mixed with gall, which he tasted but refused to drink. (Matthew 27:33-35)
ELIJAH: I move for dismissal, as clearly my client kept his word.
LUCIFER: It is not so simple as that, I call John, son of Zebedee and Mary Salome, the defendant's nephew. John, describe what you saw at the foot of the cross.
JOHN: Jesus said: I thirst. A jar full of vinegar stood there, so putting a sponge soaked in the vinegar on a hyssop stick they held it up to his mouth. After he took the vinegar he said, It is accomplished and bowing his head he gave up his spirit. (John 19: 28-30)
LUCIFER: The prosecution rests.
ELIJAH: John, what occurred prior to the taking of the vinegar.
JOHN: Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near, Jesus said to his mother, Woman, this is your son. Then to the disciple he said, This is your mother. (John 19:25-26)
ELIJAH: The defense calls Mark.
MARK: And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which means My God, my God, why have you deserted me? When some of those who stood by heard this, they said, Listen, he is calling on Elijah. (Mark 15:33-35)
ELIJAH: It was at this point that Jesus took the fruit of the vine.
LUCIFER: Then you admit he did drink it.
ELIJAH: We so stipulate.
UPROAR
MOSES: I will have order. Counsel, please explain yourself.
ELIJAH: When he spoke with his mother and with John, Jesus gives up everything he was, both human and divine. Mary and John were the two main people in His life. Mary holds a unique place in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She was and is his most beloved friend, as well as his most perfect creature. Even before his birth, she begins his message of social justice in the Magnificant to her cousin Elizabeth. More importantly, she symbolizes to him the very essence of his most unique self. Because of the way he was conceived, she is the physical manifestation of both his human and his divine origins, which he knew of originally through her telling of the story of his birth. I expect that she could not look at him in her grief. In like manner, John was the symbol for his mission, and for all who would believe in him. John was the last disciple, as all the others had fled. By giving John up to his mother, he both abandons and joins us. He is utterly emptied. At this moment his identity as God-man, son of the Virgin, his role as savior and teacher, are all gone! He has now been reduced to a state of complete isolation and hopelessness. It is a state that, as God, he does not know. Only by emptying himself and accepting this suffering does he ever know the despair and separation from God that each and every sinner feels.
The mechanism for human salvation must be understandable to humans, as it is for humans. As presented above, the origins of our salvation are obvious. Jesus suffered for God to know human suffering first hand. With this knowledge, he reaches out the suffering sinner and offers salvation. This suffering is what saves those who believe in him.
Jesus' passion helps us understand God, as well. To save man in this way God must be a Trinity. Without His humanity, the Son of God could not experience the abandonment of the crucifixion. If he had suffered abandonment in His purely divine form existence or all would have ended.
The passion also helps Christians understand the perfection of God. The essence of salvation is what it does for the sinner, not what it does for God. It was not a blood offering to satisfy an angry God. God is not moved by anything! An angry God is not perfect, as that anger is moved by the actions of mere creatures, both in sinful man and in His sinless Son, who became a creature. The unmoved Will of God is His Love, which is a free gift without hint of anger.
The God Christians come to in faith is not some distant icon of perfection, but a God who, in Jesus, shares the experience of isolation. Humans do not reach God on our own, so he comes to them in their pain. Understanding this, people understand the meaning of salvation, because it makes right in our hearts what sin makes wrong.
What is the proof of this proposition? The scriptures show that the Kingdom of God had come when Jesus drank from the fruit of the vine on the cross at the moment of his death. He had promised at the Last Supper that he would not drink of the fruit of the vine until he did it with us in his Father's kingdom, yet the scripture is clear that he took the wine on the cross. For salvation to be effective, it is accomplished without blemish. Had Jesus taken the wine before the completion of salvation, he would have rendered it impure and void. This, of course, is not so. Christianity is not some colossal practical joke with a secret meaning saying that we were all just kidding or some divine exercise in prophetic ticket punching. This is the proof Christians need to believe that the passion was real for Jesus, and that in it he joins mankind, not as a sin offering, but as a fellow sufferer. Ultimately, the proof is born out by the Resurrection, which shows that Jesus, who drank of the fruit of the vine just before his death, was justified by God. Christians are confident that as he died as they die, they will rise as he rose.
The passion also shows Christians how to seal their salvation. They seal it in his Blood, which comes to them through the fruit of the vine. Whenever Christians drink of His Blood in Communion, we share in the second covenant. This removes all taint of sin, and brings them back to God. They come back to Him in confidence, because they know that He knows the emptiness and pain of the sinner. God loved mankind so much that He sought the pain it feels when it is apart from Him. As Christians drink His Blood at the altar, they share in the kingdom and fulfill his command. For he said ...if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. (John 6:53)
The Defense rests.
MOSES: Well done, counsel. Case dismissed. Now, I believe my term of office is completed. I will continue as prosecutor.
JESUS: We thank you for your service. Next case.
MOSES: Bring forward the two thieves. My Lord, these men were crucified for thievery, sedition, murder the elder for taunting you on the cross.
JESUS: I am familiar with this case. My prior promise to the younger stands. For your faith when all others saw differently, Today, you shall be with me in paradise. Court is adjourned! I have but a few days until I must return to the world at Easter.
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Dolan's frustration with Democrats yields divisive Wall Street Journal op-ed
https://www.ncronline.org/news/politics/distinctly-catholic/dolans-frustration-democrats-yields-divisive-wall-street-journal
MGB: The problem with Dolan and MSW is that they think of the issue in terms of results rather than rights or law. They think that if we just go back to a pre-Roe vision of rights, states will sort it out, or the Catholic Conference in each state will successfully push for a pro-life position. They see one party taking that side and another that won't, although they wish it would. It's not that easy.
Slavery had the same basic issue, not in terms of personhood, but with the desire for states to have the final say individally. That quirk led to the Civil War. The same rebel states reserved the right to define citizenship for Freedmen, and not in a good way. Both positions led to the 14th Amendment, which takes state-by-state personhood decisions away and gives them to the federal government. Experience has shown that on segregation, Latino righths, contraception, abortion, women's rights and gay rights, the 14th Amendment is wise indeed. It is good law and it is why Roe will never be overturned on jursidcitional grounds. No federal court, lest of all theh Supreme Court, will ever adopt the novel legal view that Justice Scalia held that this is possible.
The pro-life movement uses the language of rights for personhood, as it should. The Amendment puts the enforcement of those rights with Congress and no one else and if it does declare the unborn as citizens then it is not abortion that is the crime, it is infanticide, with all the relevant punishments for doctor AND mother. If the pro-life movement cannot accept the latter, the issue is over. There is simply no logical way to change the status quo. They might go to 20 weeks, but not much further. 25 is saner. Of course, if they pass anything, the fundraising and GOTV for both parties dries up, which will hurt the GOP more, as well as the special relationship it has with bishops like Cardinal Dolan.
Of course, if abortion rights were taken off the table as an issue, then there would be absolutely no reason not to unionize any Catholic school that took state money. These schools can already become charter schools, but cannot take tax credits. The bigger problem is the Blaine Amendments, but as a civil rights case, their appeal in federal court would be a slam dunk, especially after the recent Missouri case (although it was more limited).
The issue is not principles, it is coalition politics. For too long, the pro-lifers have been reeling the Church in and the Church has swam willingly to the hook. It need not be that way. Just look at the reality of Roe.
MGB: The problem with Dolan and MSW is that they think of the issue in terms of results rather than rights or law. They think that if we just go back to a pre-Roe vision of rights, states will sort it out, or the Catholic Conference in each state will successfully push for a pro-life position. They see one party taking that side and another that won't, although they wish it would. It's not that easy.
Slavery had the same basic issue, not in terms of personhood, but with the desire for states to have the final say individally. That quirk led to the Civil War. The same rebel states reserved the right to define citizenship for Freedmen, and not in a good way. Both positions led to the 14th Amendment, which takes state-by-state personhood decisions away and gives them to the federal government. Experience has shown that on segregation, Latino righths, contraception, abortion, women's rights and gay rights, the 14th Amendment is wise indeed. It is good law and it is why Roe will never be overturned on jursidcitional grounds. No federal court, lest of all theh Supreme Court, will ever adopt the novel legal view that Justice Scalia held that this is possible.
The pro-life movement uses the language of rights for personhood, as it should. The Amendment puts the enforcement of those rights with Congress and no one else and if it does declare the unborn as citizens then it is not abortion that is the crime, it is infanticide, with all the relevant punishments for doctor AND mother. If the pro-life movement cannot accept the latter, the issue is over. There is simply no logical way to change the status quo. They might go to 20 weeks, but not much further. 25 is saner. Of course, if they pass anything, the fundraising and GOTV for both parties dries up, which will hurt the GOP more, as well as the special relationship it has with bishops like Cardinal Dolan.
Of course, if abortion rights were taken off the table as an issue, then there would be absolutely no reason not to unionize any Catholic school that took state money. These schools can already become charter schools, but cannot take tax credits. The bigger problem is the Blaine Amendments, but as a civil rights case, their appeal in federal court would be a slam dunk, especially after the recent Missouri case (although it was more limited).
The issue is not principles, it is coalition politics. For too long, the pro-lifers have been reeling the Church in and the Church has swam willingly to the hook. It need not be that way. Just look at the reality of Roe.
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Links for 3/27/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-32718
MGB: Young people are forced into extended childhood by doting parents and an economic system that will not pay them to gear up for life like they once did in their mid-teens. In tragedy, their true talents come out. They are as adult as any of us if we let them be that way. Sadly, being shot at tends to end childhood as well.
Good for Cardinal O'Malley and shame on Cardinal Dolan for his deliberately bad timing slamming Democrats for actually understanding the law on abortion and realizing it probably makes sense. That he feels he must give the world a Republican moment is the kind of reverse Simony the pro-life movement is known for.
The NRA would have been better off to remain silent for the last week and the next two. Sometimes getting your face on the air is the stupid thing to do. Reactionary idiots just can't help themselves sometime (as above with Dolan).
Connolly's book shows that the desire for socialism is not really about the money. It is about human dignity for all workers, including women who would be priests. The resistance to seeing that last bit is why secularists still poo-poo Christianity. That is on us, not on them.
It was good to see the union signs at the Lamb victory announcement. Happy days are here again.
Tillerson forgot that you can't all the boss a moron, especially a mean-spirited one. He was a CEO for too long, which means everyone was nice to him, including the press. Welcome to the real world, Rex.
Links to my usual Good Friday meditations have been posted at xianleft.blogspot.com
MGB: Young people are forced into extended childhood by doting parents and an economic system that will not pay them to gear up for life like they once did in their mid-teens. In tragedy, their true talents come out. They are as adult as any of us if we let them be that way. Sadly, being shot at tends to end childhood as well.
Good for Cardinal O'Malley and shame on Cardinal Dolan for his deliberately bad timing slamming Democrats for actually understanding the law on abortion and realizing it probably makes sense. That he feels he must give the world a Republican moment is the kind of reverse Simony the pro-life movement is known for.
The NRA would have been better off to remain silent for the last week and the next two. Sometimes getting your face on the air is the stupid thing to do. Reactionary idiots just can't help themselves sometime (as above with Dolan).
Connolly's book shows that the desire for socialism is not really about the money. It is about human dignity for all workers, including women who would be priests. The resistance to seeing that last bit is why secularists still poo-poo Christianity. That is on us, not on them.
It was good to see the union signs at the Lamb victory announcement. Happy days are here again.
Tillerson forgot that you can't all the boss a moron, especially a mean-spirited one. He was a CEO for too long, which means everyone was nice to him, including the press. Welcome to the real world, Rex.
Links to my usual Good Friday meditations have been posted at xianleft.blogspot.com
Monday, March 26, 2018
Beauty and sin: Latest 'Pope' episode lives with Renaissance paradox
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/beauty-and-sin-latest-pope-episode-lives-renaissance-paradox
MGB:_Was the Renaissance papacy corrupt? What else would you call adopting a theology that Jesus bought off an angry God with his death and that you can join in the transaction by purchasing indulgences that would build the Church and keep the Pope and his Curia in fancy clothes. Sadly, there are those who continue to run with the mighty and angry God scenario, especially with regard to sexuality, even after the paint has dried on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. A more realistic theology, that Christ came to feel our emptiness on the cross as an act of solidarity simply does not sell indulgences in the same way.
The Prosperity Gospel, which may have been at play to, is make the servant of God rich and God will make you rich, could have also been in play in Italy. Both themes are demonic.
The power politics of Pope Alexander may have been necessary, but he could have accomplished them with the title of Emperor rather than Pope. Until Francis, Popes continued to wear the imperial red of the royal house. It is a clue that must not be overlooked in judging their deeds
MGB:_Was the Renaissance papacy corrupt? What else would you call adopting a theology that Jesus bought off an angry God with his death and that you can join in the transaction by purchasing indulgences that would build the Church and keep the Pope and his Curia in fancy clothes. Sadly, there are those who continue to run with the mighty and angry God scenario, especially with regard to sexuality, even after the paint has dried on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. A more realistic theology, that Christ came to feel our emptiness on the cross as an act of solidarity simply does not sell indulgences in the same way.
The Prosperity Gospel, which may have been at play to, is make the servant of God rich and God will make you rich, could have also been in play in Italy. Both themes are demonic.
The power politics of Pope Alexander may have been necessary, but he could have accomplished them with the title of Emperor rather than Pope. Until Francis, Popes continued to wear the imperial red of the royal house. It is a clue that must not be overlooked in judging their deeds
Friday, March 23, 2018
Latest Democratic election victories shed light on culture-war campaigning
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/latest-democratic-election-victories-shed-light-culture-war
MGB:_There are two and two issues that matter right now, taxes and impeachment. To get the former, we have to do the latter: both Trump and Pence. Whether we can get Pence past the Senate is iffy, but Trump is going. If the GOP is smart and suddenly brave after primary season ends, they will shoot their own dog-faced boys.
20 week abortions are barbaric but they not done for trivial reasons. If we want to stop them for Downs’ Syndrome children, then we must get socialistic in our level of support for their families, including respite care and economic support for these children, and all the disabled who have never worked much above current levels, which are obscenely low. Barring that level of support, any pregnancy at that point should only be aborted via induction. In Catholic hospitals, that leaves some time for Baptism before the child is allowed to die.
Chopping the child up or killing it in the womb before delivering it by sucking out its brain should be banned, although this is more easily said than done with hydrocephalic children, although not all cases are fatal. C-Sections seem the only option, which also means hospitalization. For late term abortions, Catholic bishops must stop being squeamish. If they don’t deliver, abortion mills will.
A 20-week bill is possible, but it must ground itself in the ability of Congress to enforce the 14th Amendment, including defining the beginning of personhood. This would make late term abortions outside the necessary exceptions Infanticide. Abortion prior to personhood will never be banned because of privacy rights, nor should it be. The law should include the provisions above and one last important one, a tax credit, distributed with pay, of $1000 per month per child. Sadly, right to lifers consider this making them pay for other people’s sexuality. So much for the whole pro-life thing. Such a bill must be bipartisan, but it won’t happen because all those donors and volunteers go away if the issue is truly settled.
As is, this issue is really not important. We don’t even know if Gorsuch will follow Kennedy (and Roberts and Alito) on this issue or side with Thomas, who could be the lone pro-life vote. We know for certain that once the Mueller report is released, Trump won’t get another Justice and sooner or later he will be gone, with or without Pence. Then the question is up to Pelosi, who can stay Speaker or put Biden, Clinton or Sanders in on the chance that Pence is implicated and removed.
As for NARAL, they have too much churn to remember that the best way to fight the Pro-Life-movement is not meet them on the field of argument but to rightly point out that their goal is more election Republicans than saving unborn lives. This is why NARAL looks askance at Pro-Life Democrats. So does the misnamed Susan B. Anthony Fund, which is pure Republicanism.
MGB:_There are two and two issues that matter right now, taxes and impeachment. To get the former, we have to do the latter: both Trump and Pence. Whether we can get Pence past the Senate is iffy, but Trump is going. If the GOP is smart and suddenly brave after primary season ends, they will shoot their own dog-faced boys.
20 week abortions are barbaric but they not done for trivial reasons. If we want to stop them for Downs’ Syndrome children, then we must get socialistic in our level of support for their families, including respite care and economic support for these children, and all the disabled who have never worked much above current levels, which are obscenely low. Barring that level of support, any pregnancy at that point should only be aborted via induction. In Catholic hospitals, that leaves some time for Baptism before the child is allowed to die.
Chopping the child up or killing it in the womb before delivering it by sucking out its brain should be banned, although this is more easily said than done with hydrocephalic children, although not all cases are fatal. C-Sections seem the only option, which also means hospitalization. For late term abortions, Catholic bishops must stop being squeamish. If they don’t deliver, abortion mills will.
A 20-week bill is possible, but it must ground itself in the ability of Congress to enforce the 14th Amendment, including defining the beginning of personhood. This would make late term abortions outside the necessary exceptions Infanticide. Abortion prior to personhood will never be banned because of privacy rights, nor should it be. The law should include the provisions above and one last important one, a tax credit, distributed with pay, of $1000 per month per child. Sadly, right to lifers consider this making them pay for other people’s sexuality. So much for the whole pro-life thing. Such a bill must be bipartisan, but it won’t happen because all those donors and volunteers go away if the issue is truly settled.
As is, this issue is really not important. We don’t even know if Gorsuch will follow Kennedy (and Roberts and Alito) on this issue or side with Thomas, who could be the lone pro-life vote. We know for certain that once the Mueller report is released, Trump won’t get another Justice and sooner or later he will be gone, with or without Pence. Then the question is up to Pelosi, who can stay Speaker or put Biden, Clinton or Sanders in on the chance that Pence is implicated and removed.
As for NARAL, they have too much churn to remember that the best way to fight the Pro-Life-movement is not meet them on the field of argument but to rightly point out that their goal is more election Republicans than saving unborn lives. This is why NARAL looks askance at Pro-Life Democrats. So does the misnamed Susan B. Anthony Fund, which is pure Republicanism.
Links for 3/22/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-32218
MGB:_Thank you to Winright for highlighting the belief that Francis may increase the power of national Churches, which of course would, if true, make us more like the Orthodox. The only evidence on these lines is the Group of 8 cardinals from each continent, who might also be good candidates for Patriarchs in Orthodoxy. His second piece shows that Francis was right for the times, or maybe has helped shape them a bit.
MGB:_Thank you to Winright for highlighting the belief that Francis may increase the power of national Churches, which of course would, if true, make us more like the Orthodox. The only evidence on these lines is the Group of 8 cardinals from each continent, who might also be good candidates for Patriarchs in Orthodoxy. His second piece shows that Francis was right for the times, or maybe has helped shape them a bit.
Baumann shows
quite well how attitudes on divorce are as much about cultural identity (what Trump
would call Branding) and gives a good summary of the doctrine involved, as well
as the record of discontinuity in the Church. I made similar points in blog post
on some of these issues yesterday, giving mentio to the Syllabi on Errors and Veritas
Slendor, which I am currentlyY annotating.
Both the underground
and Abolitionism marked the District, which post-Reconstruction Southern Senators
used to get even later on and for almost a century.
Republicans are
afraid of Trump-loving reactionary voters at primary time, since they value their
jobs more than the nation. At some point, after primary season, they will realize
that they will either have to shoot their rabid dog or go down in flames. Whether
they push him to resign, rule him disabled or impeach him is a detail.
MSW’s snark about
the Clintons is why many in Black Lives Matter felt no urgency in supporting her,
never dreaming that Trump would win. Some deliberately sent a signal by staying
home and Clinton did not go out of her way to get them, say by picking a different
VP. That Clinton thinks it was about misogyny rather than race (and Bill) speaks
volumes.
Brugger is a
big wig in the pro-life movement, showing its partisan color rather well. It is
about coalition, not justice for the unborn. His argument is not far from Douthat’s
and is everything that Baumann criticizes.
I agree that bringing up any right-winger is a waste of time if they never
wish to be convinced. Indeed, his analysis shows he is a stranger to what has gone
on in parishes for the last 30 years. As
a pro-life bigwig, of course the othter NCR will give him bandwidth. The question
is, why do it too? Probably because it is easy to criticize the other side or note
their whining rather than uplifting other ”obscure” colleagues who more than make
up for their lack of credentails with provocative argument. There is a difference
between replying to casual comments and bringing up and addressing longer, more
complete reposts.
Crown Prince
Mohammed surely notes that the United States, with Canada, is reaching oil independence
if the price is right, which makes it harder not to justify going after Wahabi extremists
who fund and justify al Queda and Daesh. Their invulerability to our cruise missles
goes away should their be another attack on America. It is smart of him to stop
that from happening. Palaces are obvious targets.
The reason other
countries have beautiful facilities, infrastructure and good health care is that
they raise lots of money with value added taxes and socialize these things, which
are privatized in the United States (both healthcare and airline terminals in our
libertarian paradise). If you want what they have, Feel the Bern!
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Douthat's Francis book is poorly sourced, inadequate journalism
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/douthats-francis-book-poorly-sourced-inadequate-journalism
MGB: It is no shock that the sources Ross relies upon would give him a skewed version of what happened at the Synods. Michael haunted the breaks and his sources were inside. Ross's sources mostly want the Church of the past, not a Church of the future. Francis is not an illness to be suffered through. He is already the change the Church needs. No amount of whining from the St. John Paul generation can change that. Indeed, the truth is that the Pastor-by-Pastor approach is ancient in the Church. It goes back to Easter Sunday and the gift of the Spirit to each confessor, including those who pray with a sinful friend who unburdens himself, as in the Book of James. More recently, confessors were been hearing confessions from remarried Catholics long before Benedict became Pope. The reality is that the Synods brought this out into the open and let everyone know that returning to full Communion was available.
Douthat reports spin in his book, not facts, and the spin as a Traditionalist, or more accurately, an Anachronist bias, judging all by a Church that never was. As for St. John Paul seeking ressourcement for the Council and the modern Church, this belies the fact that then Father Karol was a leading obstructionist in the Council. Tigers do not change their stripes that much.
Ressourcement requires courage in correcting people's understanding of scripture. That takes courage and Popes are trained in consensus, not bravery. Francis could have corrected the bad proof texting on divorce. He did not. We are likely stuck with the current practice of sin first, reconcile later rather than admitting that there is no sin in the already divorced finding love again. The continued bias against homosexuals is more active and will therefore fall faster, much to the dismay of Cupich. Douthat and Williams.
Douthat and the Anachronists write about infallibility as a restriction against change rather than the responsibility to make it as our knowledge changes. That is no way to move into the future. That is living in the past. Veritas Splendor is the Syllabus of Errors of its day. It was designed to be a way back, not a way forward. When will the CDF learn that you cannot canonize epistemic method?
The future is definitely not in the scrupulous sexual morality of an asexual clergy. While I generally don't favor forcibly outing anyone's sexual orientation, when they are so unaware of how it impacts their view of teaching as applicable to my sexuality as a hetero male, I cannot stay silent, especially when it takes the conversation away from adding vigor to the Church's teaching on bringing about the Kingdom of God for the benefit of the poor and the worker.
The comparison between Trump and Francis shows that Douthat has not understanding of the way his own reactionary mind works. Of course, Francis is the best thing that happened to reactionaries, who don't really say anything new, but react to gains by the left, which is why Trump came to react to Obama and Burke et al to Francis. Sometimes your value is a function of the enemies you make. Francis is of great value. This book? It falls in the same category of garbage as anything written by Limbaugh. I pity those who think that is a complement to to Douthat.
MGB: It is no shock that the sources Ross relies upon would give him a skewed version of what happened at the Synods. Michael haunted the breaks and his sources were inside. Ross's sources mostly want the Church of the past, not a Church of the future. Francis is not an illness to be suffered through. He is already the change the Church needs. No amount of whining from the St. John Paul generation can change that. Indeed, the truth is that the Pastor-by-Pastor approach is ancient in the Church. It goes back to Easter Sunday and the gift of the Spirit to each confessor, including those who pray with a sinful friend who unburdens himself, as in the Book of James. More recently, confessors were been hearing confessions from remarried Catholics long before Benedict became Pope. The reality is that the Synods brought this out into the open and let everyone know that returning to full Communion was available.
Douthat reports spin in his book, not facts, and the spin as a Traditionalist, or more accurately, an Anachronist bias, judging all by a Church that never was. As for St. John Paul seeking ressourcement for the Council and the modern Church, this belies the fact that then Father Karol was a leading obstructionist in the Council. Tigers do not change their stripes that much.
Ressourcement requires courage in correcting people's understanding of scripture. That takes courage and Popes are trained in consensus, not bravery. Francis could have corrected the bad proof texting on divorce. He did not. We are likely stuck with the current practice of sin first, reconcile later rather than admitting that there is no sin in the already divorced finding love again. The continued bias against homosexuals is more active and will therefore fall faster, much to the dismay of Cupich. Douthat and Williams.
Douthat and the Anachronists write about infallibility as a restriction against change rather than the responsibility to make it as our knowledge changes. That is no way to move into the future. That is living in the past. Veritas Splendor is the Syllabus of Errors of its day. It was designed to be a way back, not a way forward. When will the CDF learn that you cannot canonize epistemic method?
The future is definitely not in the scrupulous sexual morality of an asexual clergy. While I generally don't favor forcibly outing anyone's sexual orientation, when they are so unaware of how it impacts their view of teaching as applicable to my sexuality as a hetero male, I cannot stay silent, especially when it takes the conversation away from adding vigor to the Church's teaching on bringing about the Kingdom of God for the benefit of the poor and the worker.
The comparison between Trump and Francis shows that Douthat has not understanding of the way his own reactionary mind works. Of course, Francis is the best thing that happened to reactionaries, who don't really say anything new, but react to gains by the left, which is why Trump came to react to Obama and Burke et al to Francis. Sometimes your value is a function of the enemies you make. Francis is of great value. This book? It falls in the same category of garbage as anything written by Limbaugh. I pity those who think that is a complement to to Douthat.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Links for 3/20/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-32018
MGB: Libertarianism justifies the rule of few over the many, provided the few have natural merit, which was formerly proven in battle but now it crucible is finance. Trump is their Alpha Dog, no matter how authoritarian he sounds. The Church has its own set of alpha dogs, although their authoritarianism is more hierarchical. When you are one of the little people, it is the same either way, although if you are desperate you will accept help from a variety of places. Of course, there is the other libertarianism about freedom of inquiry and morality reflecting the nature of man rather than God. That was already baptized before Augustine sold us to the Neo-Platonists, but we can have them removed.
Mayor is the farm team. Governors, Senators and Generals tend to win and be re-elected, although the success rate for Senators is roughly half. Two other categories of not will be Tycoon and Revolutionary (which we will need to clean up after Trump).
Atheist philosopher Daniel Dennett considers memes a viral life form. If we are winning people with memes, it sounds like a manipulation.
Neo-liberalism is where Democratic politicians seek money from rich people to sell out the poor economically while emoting with them. The Clintons were masters of that. It is the antidote to losing elections to the Republicans. It should not be continued in the post-Trump era (or in the event Dems don’t take back the Congress, impeach and remove him, in which case Pelosi, Clinton or Biden will be President, provided Pence is implicated too and the GOP is too weak to get rid of Trump at the cost of leaving Pence alone).
Rex is essentially arguing for the old practices on divorce because not doing so would violate the Catholic brand identity. This is that part where I told so about Catholics on the right being fine baptizing libertarianism and neo-liberalism, anything for the rich and their money. FNS happens when Francis removes the Neo-Platonists and their odd Stoic sexuality.
I don’t see Lamb as anything but a slightly centrist Democrat, as if most Republican donor don’t share his views on abortion identically. Most Democrats too. The proof of his mettle is when the Susan B. Anthony Fund (as inaptly named an organization as there ever was) puts him on their hit list.
MGB: Libertarianism justifies the rule of few over the many, provided the few have natural merit, which was formerly proven in battle but now it crucible is finance. Trump is their Alpha Dog, no matter how authoritarian he sounds. The Church has its own set of alpha dogs, although their authoritarianism is more hierarchical. When you are one of the little people, it is the same either way, although if you are desperate you will accept help from a variety of places. Of course, there is the other libertarianism about freedom of inquiry and morality reflecting the nature of man rather than God. That was already baptized before Augustine sold us to the Neo-Platonists, but we can have them removed.
Mayor is the farm team. Governors, Senators and Generals tend to win and be re-elected, although the success rate for Senators is roughly half. Two other categories of not will be Tycoon and Revolutionary (which we will need to clean up after Trump).
Atheist philosopher Daniel Dennett considers memes a viral life form. If we are winning people with memes, it sounds like a manipulation.
Neo-liberalism is where Democratic politicians seek money from rich people to sell out the poor economically while emoting with them. The Clintons were masters of that. It is the antidote to losing elections to the Republicans. It should not be continued in the post-Trump era (or in the event Dems don’t take back the Congress, impeach and remove him, in which case Pelosi, Clinton or Biden will be President, provided Pence is implicated too and the GOP is too weak to get rid of Trump at the cost of leaving Pence alone).
Rex is essentially arguing for the old practices on divorce because not doing so would violate the Catholic brand identity. This is that part where I told so about Catholics on the right being fine baptizing libertarianism and neo-liberalism, anything for the rich and their money. FNS happens when Francis removes the Neo-Platonists and their odd Stoic sexuality.
I don’t see Lamb as anything but a slightly centrist Democrat, as if most Republican donor don’t share his views on abortion identically. Most Democrats too. The proof of his mettle is when the Susan B. Anthony Fund (as inaptly named an organization as there ever was) puts him on their hit list.
Monday, March 19, 2018
Part 2 of 'Pope' series on CNN takes on resignations, power struggles
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/part-2-pope-series-cnn-takes-resignations-power-struggles
MGB:_I do wish they had included Garry Wills and left out Professor Butler. Rev. MacCulloch was probably asking a rhetorical question about two popes as a way to bring in the 11th Century crisis of the antipopes, all of whom were deposed and replaced with a new pope. Even earlier, the papacy was as much about filling the power vacuum that was left when Constantine moved the seat of empire to Constantinople, creating with the an Ecumencial Patriarchy in what was called New Rome (and still is). He could not quite get away with proclaiming it the See of Peter, and he did not have reach to suppress the Roman patriarchy, leaving a theocracy in his wake which was more courtly than sacred.
As for Benedict, he was wise to both retire and not step on Francis’ heels. He was not a statesman as much as a scholar. To complete the story, adding a discuion of Pio Nono and the surrender of the Papal States would have been in order, as well as some of the ways that Pius tried to hold back modernity and how those ripples led St. John Paul to not resign, as well as being the source of the opposition to Vatican II (and St. John Paul’s role in it). I suspect these topics were left out because they could easily take an hour (especially if CNN addresses the sex abuse scandal, in which case they must call Garry.
MGB:_I do wish they had included Garry Wills and left out Professor Butler. Rev. MacCulloch was probably asking a rhetorical question about two popes as a way to bring in the 11th Century crisis of the antipopes, all of whom were deposed and replaced with a new pope. Even earlier, the papacy was as much about filling the power vacuum that was left when Constantine moved the seat of empire to Constantinople, creating with the an Ecumencial Patriarchy in what was called New Rome (and still is). He could not quite get away with proclaiming it the See of Peter, and he did not have reach to suppress the Roman patriarchy, leaving a theocracy in his wake which was more courtly than sacred.
As for Benedict, he was wise to both retire and not step on Francis’ heels. He was not a statesman as much as a scholar. To complete the story, adding a discuion of Pio Nono and the surrender of the Papal States would have been in order, as well as some of the ways that Pius tried to hold back modernity and how those ripples led St. John Paul to not resign, as well as being the source of the opposition to Vatican II (and St. John Paul’s role in it). I suspect these topics were left out because they could easily take an hour (especially if CNN addresses the sex abuse scandal, in which case they must call Garry.
Friday, March 16, 2018
In Conor Lamb's victory in Pennsylvania, labor tilted the race
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/conor-lambs-victory-pennsylvania-labor-tilted-race
MGB:_On abortion, Lamb adopted the standard Catholic line, which actually reflects Vatican II document Dignitas Humane, that Catholics cannot be commanded to Catholicize a secular nation, respecting the freedoms of their non-Catholic and Catholic fellow citizens. While this position is correct, it is weak tea. As a lawyer, Lamb could have explained by Roe is not going anywhere, and indeed why it should not. In doing so he could identify the extent to which the pro-life movement has become, and has always been, a Republican electoral operation. Sadly, few politicians have that kind of courage, as they are afraid that calling out the bishops would alienate Catholic voters..
When Republicans have control over Congress and the ability to use the nuclear option, they demure from realistic abortion legislation that includes the magic words in the 14th Amendment that allow them to extend personhood to 20 weeks (although 25 is a better marker). Still, his position was good enough to win election and will win him re-election easy in a non-gerrymandered district where being publicly pro-choice does matter.
The pro-choice movement should stand its ground until the pro-lifers throw in a $1000 per child per month child tax credit. Conservatives hate such a provision because they don’t-want to pay for the fertility of others and they will let the unborn die rather than doing so. I have no use for such people and neither should the Democratic Party.
Abortion will never be illegal in the United States because if the fetus is recognized as a person under law, the crime becomes infanticide and the penalties are clear for all concerned. In abortion, the fetus is not a recognized person so it has no rights except as property and its freedom from being aborted by the government. With no rights, there are no remedies, as it should be. Anything else is an assault on women’s rights, an area where the Church could use some improvement, starting with ordaining some. Indeed, until women are ordained, the Catholic Church has no credibility on abortion.
The GOP found that running a pro-life, anti-immigrant (and pro-Trumpist) Republican does not work in a union district, although sadly it works just fine in the South, Midwest and West. As redistricting happens, the Republican challenger may move to the more conservative district. If he remains anti-labor, it won’t help him and a flip-flop will be too noticeable. He’s done.
Most districts have lost their labor presence. PA-18 has not. Lamb is from there and his pro-union chops are not an act. Sadly, until much of the country is re-radicalized toward organized labor and other cooperative methods of worker power, this win is not as repeatable as Trumka would like. We have work to do and it should not be distracted by arguments on an issue on which no one wants progress, lest it hurt their fundraising.
For workers to win at the ballot box they must win at work. It is time to Occupy Capitalism from the inside, starting with worker owned firms. With that base, the only thing the Republicans have is the Culture Wars and there are many out there who will argue back at them. While it is good for fundraising to organize on these issues, at some point the best strategy is to declare victory and call out your opponent as a scammer. While compromise is doable on abortion, it will essentially baptize the status quo, at least in the first trimester. Gay rights are essentially settled, with the Second Circuit supporting the concept that employee discrimination based on sexual orientation is already covered in law, both in the statute and the creation of gays and lesbians as a privileged class. In short order, the Church must stop firing gays who get married and Hosanna-Tabor will not help them. Leaving the Democratic Party over either abortion or gay rights is an empty gesture because these issues are or soon will be settled law.
The main cultural issue left is immigration and we will fight that one all day and into the night, as well as police who feel they can shoot unarmed children because they fear they might be armed.
The rabid FoxNews Republican base is mostly dying out, although there are white evangelicals who continue with what they have been told because they don’t know any better. Elections help them learn, so the culture wars on race and immigration are still useful. So is outing Trump’s racism against Obama as his reason for running. Laying that bare can only help, as will the completion of the Mueller probe. If the current Congress will not act on this information, it is quite clear that the next one will. Lancing that boil is the first step to healing.
As for Mrs. Pelosi, if Mr. Mueller has dirt on the Vice President, she will either become President or place the next President in the Speaker’s chair. How she handles this issue will determine what the party will look like for the next few years, although ultimately the radicalization of workers is much more important to the future of the Party (which may shed some neo-liberals) and the nation as a whole
MGB:_On abortion, Lamb adopted the standard Catholic line, which actually reflects Vatican II document Dignitas Humane, that Catholics cannot be commanded to Catholicize a secular nation, respecting the freedoms of their non-Catholic and Catholic fellow citizens. While this position is correct, it is weak tea. As a lawyer, Lamb could have explained by Roe is not going anywhere, and indeed why it should not. In doing so he could identify the extent to which the pro-life movement has become, and has always been, a Republican electoral operation. Sadly, few politicians have that kind of courage, as they are afraid that calling out the bishops would alienate Catholic voters..
When Republicans have control over Congress and the ability to use the nuclear option, they demure from realistic abortion legislation that includes the magic words in the 14th Amendment that allow them to extend personhood to 20 weeks (although 25 is a better marker). Still, his position was good enough to win election and will win him re-election easy in a non-gerrymandered district where being publicly pro-choice does matter.
The pro-choice movement should stand its ground until the pro-lifers throw in a $1000 per child per month child tax credit. Conservatives hate such a provision because they don’t-want to pay for the fertility of others and they will let the unborn die rather than doing so. I have no use for such people and neither should the Democratic Party.
Abortion will never be illegal in the United States because if the fetus is recognized as a person under law, the crime becomes infanticide and the penalties are clear for all concerned. In abortion, the fetus is not a recognized person so it has no rights except as property and its freedom from being aborted by the government. With no rights, there are no remedies, as it should be. Anything else is an assault on women’s rights, an area where the Church could use some improvement, starting with ordaining some. Indeed, until women are ordained, the Catholic Church has no credibility on abortion.
The GOP found that running a pro-life, anti-immigrant (and pro-Trumpist) Republican does not work in a union district, although sadly it works just fine in the South, Midwest and West. As redistricting happens, the Republican challenger may move to the more conservative district. If he remains anti-labor, it won’t help him and a flip-flop will be too noticeable. He’s done.
Most districts have lost their labor presence. PA-18 has not. Lamb is from there and his pro-union chops are not an act. Sadly, until much of the country is re-radicalized toward organized labor and other cooperative methods of worker power, this win is not as repeatable as Trumka would like. We have work to do and it should not be distracted by arguments on an issue on which no one wants progress, lest it hurt their fundraising.
For workers to win at the ballot box they must win at work. It is time to Occupy Capitalism from the inside, starting with worker owned firms. With that base, the only thing the Republicans have is the Culture Wars and there are many out there who will argue back at them. While it is good for fundraising to organize on these issues, at some point the best strategy is to declare victory and call out your opponent as a scammer. While compromise is doable on abortion, it will essentially baptize the status quo, at least in the first trimester. Gay rights are essentially settled, with the Second Circuit supporting the concept that employee discrimination based on sexual orientation is already covered in law, both in the statute and the creation of gays and lesbians as a privileged class. In short order, the Church must stop firing gays who get married and Hosanna-Tabor will not help them. Leaving the Democratic Party over either abortion or gay rights is an empty gesture because these issues are or soon will be settled law.
The main cultural issue left is immigration and we will fight that one all day and into the night, as well as police who feel they can shoot unarmed children because they fear they might be armed.
The rabid FoxNews Republican base is mostly dying out, although there are white evangelicals who continue with what they have been told because they don’t know any better. Elections help them learn, so the culture wars on race and immigration are still useful. So is outing Trump’s racism against Obama as his reason for running. Laying that bare can only help, as will the completion of the Mueller probe. If the current Congress will not act on this information, it is quite clear that the next one will. Lancing that boil is the first step to healing.
As for Mrs. Pelosi, if Mr. Mueller has dirt on the Vice President, she will either become President or place the next President in the Speaker’s chair. How she handles this issue will determine what the party will look like for the next few years, although ultimately the radicalization of workers is much more important to the future of the Party (which may shed some neo-liberals) and the nation as a whole
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Links for 3/15/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-31518
MGB:_A good civics class frees the mind. The activism of these students shows that at least some of them have read Noam, as well as their teachers. It is also obvious that they were not fed the usual southern trash of Confederate History.
Stiglitz is good. He likes his Chomsky too. For the next Secretary, I was thinking Bruce Bartlett or Michael Graetz for what they propose on Tax Reform.
It is good the Trumka-Tobin event is getting ink. FoxNews won’t cover it except to curse Tobin. I wonder if EWTN and LifeSite will add their usual snark?
An artist can certainly pay tribute to the thought and culture of the Church without believing. Aesthetics are about beauty and its individual perceptions, not universal truth.
Happy Anniversary Pope Francis, may your next five be as confounding to the enemies of mercy as the last five.
Also see the article by Chris Ladd on White Evangelicals that was pulled from Forbes. Also Corey Robin’s book on the Reactionary Mind. Trump is a feature, not a flaw, which is why so many think he is doing a good job, when objectively he is failing badly and heading for prison.
Bravo to CLINIC and Bishop Pepe on the latter’s retirement. This shows that while advocacy is important, direct help is essential.
MGB:_A good civics class frees the mind. The activism of these students shows that at least some of them have read Noam, as well as their teachers. It is also obvious that they were not fed the usual southern trash of Confederate History.
Stiglitz is good. He likes his Chomsky too. For the next Secretary, I was thinking Bruce Bartlett or Michael Graetz for what they propose on Tax Reform.
It is good the Trumka-Tobin event is getting ink. FoxNews won’t cover it except to curse Tobin. I wonder if EWTN and LifeSite will add their usual snark?
An artist can certainly pay tribute to the thought and culture of the Church without believing. Aesthetics are about beauty and its individual perceptions, not universal truth.
Happy Anniversary Pope Francis, may your next five be as confounding to the enemies of mercy as the last five.
Also see the article by Chris Ladd on White Evangelicals that was pulled from Forbes. Also Corey Robin’s book on the Reactionary Mind. Trump is a feature, not a flaw, which is why so many think he is doing a good job, when objectively he is failing badly and heading for prison.
Bravo to CLINIC and Bishop Pepe on the latter’s retirement. This shows that while advocacy is important, direct help is essential.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Reaching young 'nones' will take an authentic evangelizing voice
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/reaching-young-nones-will-take-authentic-evangelizing-voice
MGB:_I would not call the situation of the Nones dire. As Matthew 25 makes clear, it is not affiliation which grants justification, it is action toward the least of these. I do not see that the Nones are doing less for Jesus hidden among their fellows. Indeed, they appear to do more.
It is the Church that is in trouble. Theology and morality are conversations, not facts, and they are renewed with each generation. When the conversation stops happening, it is gone. That is why the old headline ”Is God Dead?” is so important. While God is eternal, what we say about him is not. It is always time bound and something in our discussion is turning off both the young and, to an extent we don’t realize, their parents. Their parents are the ones who left the faith in college and came back to give their kids the Sacraments (as Chris Hitchens would say, just in case) and now prefer brunch to Church on Sundays. As Jesus would say about the Kingdom of God in the parable of the Sewer, the soil was not deep.
Until the late 60s, there was social pressure to go to Mass each week. Indeed, if your children were in Catholic School, it was expected. People lived near their parents and siblings and would visit on Sunday and remark on which Mass they attended. If you lived at home, you went. There was no option. That pressure has largely disappeared.
A large factor is the emptying of the convents, who used to provide slave labor to parish schools. While some parishes still have Nuns, there are not enough to keep most parish schools afloat, so students who would have had their example have gone to CCD, which is not enough for real immersion, and so have become Nones. This has left us with the problem of a more conservative parish environment, which alienates everyone else.
What we teach about Jesus, especially the Passion, as well as Original Sin, must change. The Eden myth was about blame, not disobedience, and the antidote is forgiveness and acceptance of the other (and the hierarchy has a long way to go on that front). The meaning of Eloi, Eloi, lama sabbacthani needs to be fleshed out, because it is central to understanding that the Sacrifice of Christ was a vision quest and not a payment for our fallen natures. In other words, the teachings of St. Anselm and the resulting moralism ARE NOT WORTH SAVING! Neither is the Relativism of Papal Infallibility, which gives us group truth and damns the rest. Vatican II was supposed to exorcise the demon, but did not, given St. John Paul and Pope Emeritus Benedict.
As I stated earlier, None move onto social action and responsibility. They just don’t source it in the Church, which is entirely the Chruch’s fault, especially when they ignore these issues or denounce those who raise them (and this is way beyond the Church’s original sin of child abuse).
The reality is that educated Catholics know more, especially about sex, which is a problem for the Church’s message. Indeed, they know more than the clergy, many of whom suffer from what used to be called an attachment disorder but is now simply another orientation, Asexuality. Aces in the hierarchy believed that their disordered feelings were the height of morality. That is simply not the case, from birth control and married sexuality to sacred continence to homosexuality to the ordination of women. Sadly, they are immune to the type of self-criticism that would have them do what it takes to reverse their errors: ordain married people and women, gay and straight and rethink sexual morality. Notice which comes first. Want to excite the Nones. Open ordination to everyone.
Abortion is the other issue. I am not arguing for a change in doctrine, aside from recognizing that for fairly obvious reasons, were Aristotle alive today he would say that life begins at gastrulation, which does not argue for legal protection at that point. The reality is that under a 14th Amendment milieu, Roe was rightly decided and the antidote for using viability as a marker for when abortion becomes infanticide is the Congress moving that marker (and only Congress). Without strong leadership, that will never happen because both sides benefit too much from fundraising on this issue, not to mention volunteer recruitment.
The problem is when the Bishops started going too far and equating opposition to banning abortion (support for abortion is irrelevant, it is the law and there is no bill in Congress to change it, other bills are unconstitutional) to actually promoting abortion as a solution to problem pregnancies. These are very different questions and equating them has had many ignore the bishops or leave the Church rather than actually changing their position, which is nonsense. Indeed, it is kind of a reverse Simoney were the Bishop have sold their office to the Republican Party, and for more reasons than abortion. We know who these bishops are and where they are. They need a bit of correction from Rome or different duties. They alienate more Nones than the unborn they would save.
Divorce is the another thing that alienates Nones. Many have parents who have divorced and remarried. While regularizing the second union is a start, recognition that some marriages may or may not have been flawed at the outset need to be ended, with one party at fault, would go a long way in moving from superstition to social reality. Even if you can almost certainly rationalize what was wrong from the beginning, it does not bring closure to the end. Religious divorce that blames one party, denying them future marriage rights unless forgiven by the damaged party, while freeing the other unconditionally, would be an improvement over the recent pay for play regime of annulments.
The identification of the Church with sexual purity is a way of fetishizing morality. It is the kind of inward looking nonsense that pushes charity and justice to the side. The Nones won’t have it anymore and neither will the rest of us.
MGB:_I would not call the situation of the Nones dire. As Matthew 25 makes clear, it is not affiliation which grants justification, it is action toward the least of these. I do not see that the Nones are doing less for Jesus hidden among their fellows. Indeed, they appear to do more.
It is the Church that is in trouble. Theology and morality are conversations, not facts, and they are renewed with each generation. When the conversation stops happening, it is gone. That is why the old headline ”Is God Dead?” is so important. While God is eternal, what we say about him is not. It is always time bound and something in our discussion is turning off both the young and, to an extent we don’t realize, their parents. Their parents are the ones who left the faith in college and came back to give their kids the Sacraments (as Chris Hitchens would say, just in case) and now prefer brunch to Church on Sundays. As Jesus would say about the Kingdom of God in the parable of the Sewer, the soil was not deep.
Until the late 60s, there was social pressure to go to Mass each week. Indeed, if your children were in Catholic School, it was expected. People lived near their parents and siblings and would visit on Sunday and remark on which Mass they attended. If you lived at home, you went. There was no option. That pressure has largely disappeared.
A large factor is the emptying of the convents, who used to provide slave labor to parish schools. While some parishes still have Nuns, there are not enough to keep most parish schools afloat, so students who would have had their example have gone to CCD, which is not enough for real immersion, and so have become Nones. This has left us with the problem of a more conservative parish environment, which alienates everyone else.
What we teach about Jesus, especially the Passion, as well as Original Sin, must change. The Eden myth was about blame, not disobedience, and the antidote is forgiveness and acceptance of the other (and the hierarchy has a long way to go on that front). The meaning of Eloi, Eloi, lama sabbacthani needs to be fleshed out, because it is central to understanding that the Sacrifice of Christ was a vision quest and not a payment for our fallen natures. In other words, the teachings of St. Anselm and the resulting moralism ARE NOT WORTH SAVING! Neither is the Relativism of Papal Infallibility, which gives us group truth and damns the rest. Vatican II was supposed to exorcise the demon, but did not, given St. John Paul and Pope Emeritus Benedict.
As I stated earlier, None move onto social action and responsibility. They just don’t source it in the Church, which is entirely the Chruch’s fault, especially when they ignore these issues or denounce those who raise them (and this is way beyond the Church’s original sin of child abuse).
The reality is that educated Catholics know more, especially about sex, which is a problem for the Church’s message. Indeed, they know more than the clergy, many of whom suffer from what used to be called an attachment disorder but is now simply another orientation, Asexuality. Aces in the hierarchy believed that their disordered feelings were the height of morality. That is simply not the case, from birth control and married sexuality to sacred continence to homosexuality to the ordination of women. Sadly, they are immune to the type of self-criticism that would have them do what it takes to reverse their errors: ordain married people and women, gay and straight and rethink sexual morality. Notice which comes first. Want to excite the Nones. Open ordination to everyone.
Abortion is the other issue. I am not arguing for a change in doctrine, aside from recognizing that for fairly obvious reasons, were Aristotle alive today he would say that life begins at gastrulation, which does not argue for legal protection at that point. The reality is that under a 14th Amendment milieu, Roe was rightly decided and the antidote for using viability as a marker for when abortion becomes infanticide is the Congress moving that marker (and only Congress). Without strong leadership, that will never happen because both sides benefit too much from fundraising on this issue, not to mention volunteer recruitment.
The problem is when the Bishops started going too far and equating opposition to banning abortion (support for abortion is irrelevant, it is the law and there is no bill in Congress to change it, other bills are unconstitutional) to actually promoting abortion as a solution to problem pregnancies. These are very different questions and equating them has had many ignore the bishops or leave the Church rather than actually changing their position, which is nonsense. Indeed, it is kind of a reverse Simoney were the Bishop have sold their office to the Republican Party, and for more reasons than abortion. We know who these bishops are and where they are. They need a bit of correction from Rome or different duties. They alienate more Nones than the unborn they would save.
Divorce is the another thing that alienates Nones. Many have parents who have divorced and remarried. While regularizing the second union is a start, recognition that some marriages may or may not have been flawed at the outset need to be ended, with one party at fault, would go a long way in moving from superstition to social reality. Even if you can almost certainly rationalize what was wrong from the beginning, it does not bring closure to the end. Religious divorce that blames one party, denying them future marriage rights unless forgiven by the damaged party, while freeing the other unconditionally, would be an improvement over the recent pay for play regime of annulments.
The identification of the Church with sexual purity is a way of fetishizing morality. It is the kind of inward looking nonsense that pushes charity and justice to the side. The Nones won’t have it anymore and neither will the rest of us.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Links for 3/13/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-31318
MGB:_Trump is a bigot. Dealing with him like his positions are based in knowledge is a waste of time. He will make no deal that makes any sense.
After Trump, a socialist is exactly what we need, especially to deal with warming. Sadly, Sanders is more Social Democrat than hard core socialist. He is closer to Benedict than Marx. Trump country is where he can do the most good. They need to hear what he has to say.
Sacred Heart in Detroit is a St. John Paul bastion of counter-reformation. They need to be told that there is life after Trent and Vatican I. The term Anachronist applies rather well to it and to the author.
Give Mr. Dudley the Captain Obvious award.
Kenya will find it easier to put up solar panels than Trump, who believes in protectionism more than alternative energy.
The story of organized labor in the South is not pretty. You cannot leave strikers hungry and expect them to stick with you and you cannot insist on supporting segregation as a deal breaker. There was plenty of blame on both sides. Hopefully Sanders can forge a new try.
If Archbishop Naumann is talking about the consistent ethic of life, his USCCB staff may flee. For many of them, raising doubt on the links to the GOP is high heresy.
MGB:_Trump is a bigot. Dealing with him like his positions are based in knowledge is a waste of time. He will make no deal that makes any sense.
After Trump, a socialist is exactly what we need, especially to deal with warming. Sadly, Sanders is more Social Democrat than hard core socialist. He is closer to Benedict than Marx. Trump country is where he can do the most good. They need to hear what he has to say.
Sacred Heart in Detroit is a St. John Paul bastion of counter-reformation. They need to be told that there is life after Trent and Vatican I. The term Anachronist applies rather well to it and to the author.
Give Mr. Dudley the Captain Obvious award.
Kenya will find it easier to put up solar panels than Trump, who believes in protectionism more than alternative energy.
The story of organized labor in the South is not pretty. You cannot leave strikers hungry and expect them to stick with you and you cannot insist on supporting segregation as a deal breaker. There was plenty of blame on both sides. Hopefully Sanders can forge a new try.
If Archbishop Naumann is talking about the consistent ethic of life, his USCCB staff may flee. For many of them, raising doubt on the links to the GOP is high heresy.
Monday, March 12, 2018
CNN's 'Pope' series invites nitpicking, but has its merits as well
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/cnns-pope-series-invites-nitpicking-has-its-merits-well
MGB:_I do not trust CNN with the topic. This was more a topic for-the History Channel (pre-UFO) or the now defunct Discovery Civilization Channel. Obviously missing from the cast of analysts are Garry Wills and Fr. Hans Kung. Indeed, with them, you don’t need anyone else, except maybe MSW to argue conservatively or Bill Donohue or Fr. Raymond Aroyo as a devotionalist foil. The fight over papal history is almost as interesting as the history itself
MGB:_I do not trust CNN with the topic. This was more a topic for-the History Channel (pre-UFO) or the now defunct Discovery Civilization Channel. Obviously missing from the cast of analysts are Garry Wills and Fr. Hans Kung. Indeed, with them, you don’t need anyone else, except maybe MSW to argue conservatively or Bill Donohue or Fr. Raymond Aroyo as a devotionalist foil. The fight over papal history is almost as interesting as the history itself
Friday, March 9, 2018
Despite campaign to discredit him, Francis strikes a chord with workers
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/despite-campaign-discredit-him-francis-strikes-chord-workers
MGB: That conservatives are more tribal is not really news. Sadly, people are reacting to what others say rather than taking their own look at Francis, or God forbid, looking at their own views to see if they might be wrong about such things as global warming, the danger of wealth and privilege and a preference for rigor over mercy. It is not the Holy Father who needs to "pivot" to pander to conservatives. Cardinal Cupich seems to agree about the tribalism. We cannot but notice the other NCR and EWTN. Can the Knights be far behind? At least most bishops are cagier, although a majority is probably in the wrong camp, as the election for Pro-Life Chair of the Conference shows.
The Trumpka event is interesting. This Pope has allowed labor to again focus more on worker solidarity and less on solidarity between each member union. I bet no one mentioned abortion rights, even though that is a major NEA plank (and the NEA is quite well represented at Democratic conventions among the female delegates, which is half). It is amazing how much our policy discussions are as much ritual as inquiry. That Francis is familiar with the rituals of the left on immigration and the environment is what attracts the left to him and repels the tribalists on the right, among them the Bishop of Springfield who seems to think he can outlast Francis. The fact that the American cardinals are with Francis should give him pause, but does not.
That people are inspired by the Trumka event is not a shock. It is more than liberal solidarity behind these issues. It is the emergence of the Kingdom of God when we most need it in the age of Trump.
MGB: That conservatives are more tribal is not really news. Sadly, people are reacting to what others say rather than taking their own look at Francis, or God forbid, looking at their own views to see if they might be wrong about such things as global warming, the danger of wealth and privilege and a preference for rigor over mercy. It is not the Holy Father who needs to "pivot" to pander to conservatives. Cardinal Cupich seems to agree about the tribalism. We cannot but notice the other NCR and EWTN. Can the Knights be far behind? At least most bishops are cagier, although a majority is probably in the wrong camp, as the election for Pro-Life Chair of the Conference shows.
The Trumpka event is interesting. This Pope has allowed labor to again focus more on worker solidarity and less on solidarity between each member union. I bet no one mentioned abortion rights, even though that is a major NEA plank (and the NEA is quite well represented at Democratic conventions among the female delegates, which is half). It is amazing how much our policy discussions are as much ritual as inquiry. That Francis is familiar with the rituals of the left on immigration and the environment is what attracts the left to him and repels the tribalists on the right, among them the Bishop of Springfield who seems to think he can outlast Francis. The fact that the American cardinals are with Francis should give him pause, but does not.
That people are inspired by the Trumka event is not a shock. It is more than liberal solidarity behind these issues. It is the emergence of the Kingdom of God when we most need it in the age of Trump.
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Links for 3/8/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-3818
MGB: It is good to highlight the reasonable voices about Cardinal Wuerl's teaching Magisterium. Focusing on the dissidents sucks the oxygen out of the room, mostly because they speak from such a vengeful place.
It was time for Bibi to go when he built his wall without negotiating boundaries first and dealing with the north, part of which must likely be part of a Palestinian nation.
Let us hope that the trend toward neutral commissions drawing legislative boundaries takes the urgency out of winning certain elections, aside from the task of governing, of course.
The reason the Gringos did not line up for the meat packing jobs is the lack of a union. Put in a union and migrants won't be hired in the first place, because no one will hire migrant workers with rights to fair wages and working conditions.
Late term abortions are tragedy, not an issue and Catholic teaching, with it's belief that God will punish us for preferring the mother's health when the child has no chance of life, is not helping. Too many Democrats have the wrong donors and it shows on financial legislation. It is why Hillary did not have the full support of some in the party. The reason that Hillary lost was that certain segments of the African American political community were not thrilled with some of Mr. Clinton's reforms. They did not think that staying home would give Trump the election and Clinton had no idea that she did not have their support. Black Votes Matter.
MGB: It is good to highlight the reasonable voices about Cardinal Wuerl's teaching Magisterium. Focusing on the dissidents sucks the oxygen out of the room, mostly because they speak from such a vengeful place.
It was time for Bibi to go when he built his wall without negotiating boundaries first and dealing with the north, part of which must likely be part of a Palestinian nation.
Let us hope that the trend toward neutral commissions drawing legislative boundaries takes the urgency out of winning certain elections, aside from the task of governing, of course.
The reason the Gringos did not line up for the meat packing jobs is the lack of a union. Put in a union and migrants won't be hired in the first place, because no one will hire migrant workers with rights to fair wages and working conditions.
Late term abortions are tragedy, not an issue and Catholic teaching, with it's belief that God will punish us for preferring the mother's health when the child has no chance of life, is not helping. Too many Democrats have the wrong donors and it shows on financial legislation. It is why Hillary did not have the full support of some in the party. The reason that Hillary lost was that certain segments of the African American political community were not thrilled with some of Mr. Clinton's reforms. They did not think that staying home would give Trump the election and Clinton had no idea that she did not have their support. Black Votes Matter.
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Libertarians get social teaching wrong in book on Francis
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/libertarians-get-social-teaching-wrong-book-francis
MGB: I suspect that Whaples thinks the term slave labor is not apt, because no one was forcing these workers to come back to work. I don't think Whaples understands work in that part of the world. He certainly does not understand hierarchical capitalism, whether it be in Bangladesh or in the factor in Carolina where everyone died in a fire because the exit doors were padlocked, although I am sure the libertarian plant manager saved his own skin first.
Capitalism is capitalism, whether it is in Bangladesh or the now defunct state capitalism of Russia (where success was based on political skill, not results). They all extract value from workers and give it to owners and the CEO. He who makes the rules gets the gold (the corollary to the golden rule).
CEOs are not fellow workers that bid for their jobs based on pure information against other interested bidders, preferably among fellow managers. They are celebrities who, more often than not, manipulate the operations of the firm to maximize their own wealth. That they are necessary is an article of faith from Edmund Burke to Hayek to Rand to Trump, for which they skim wages below what a free economy would pay. Why? Because they can. Freedom for the one over the all. Nice.
Samuel Gregg knows nothing of economics, although he is good at mouthing the ideology. The fact is that Argentina would have recovered quickly with a bit sounder money but also with higher taxes on its libertarian elites and more social spending. Those ideas work in Argentina as well as they do here (they did under Obama and will under the huge deficits Trump is about preside over). Austerity and its evil twin, supply side economics leading to asset inflation, both lead to ruin, the latter more quickly than the former. Actually, austerity is great at keeping the assets of the rich protected, so it is the same mess.
Martinez needs to actually read Catholic Social Teaching. While the pining for the traditional Catholic family of two opposite sex parents and a good job for the father is quaint, from Leo through Benedict, there is a unifying thread of social democracy that gets stronger with time, highlighting the responsibility of the state to use taxation to fill in gaps in family income. Even libertarian Milton Friedman agreed with that strategy in his Negative Income Tax, although social democracy gives such payments to everyone, not just the poor. Conservatives resist the VAT because they fear such a thing would be expanded to everyone and would therefore reduce the available stock of low wage labor who could be commanded in the workplace with impunity. Inequality, you see, is a requirement in the libertarian mind for power by the elites and Libertarianism is nothing if not elitist. Regardless, Francis seems to understand this bit of economics. The authors of this volume do not. Austrian economics is for those who do not really understand economics at all. Also, if Trump is not a wannabe totalitarian, there is no such thing as one.
(and lest any Trolls argue, I was a contributing editor in a libertarian journal, so I know of what I speak)
The Fall is a mythical parable about blame. We have private property because two people cannot own the same thing at the same time, unless they agree to joint ownership. That has to do with political theory about the need for the state to record and defend property, lest people take up arms against each other. Locke, not Pope Leo. The state also allows capitalistic limited liability ownership, which is the 14th Amendment and corporate personhood and dutch tulip markets. Romney, not Benedict.
This book is not about the idolatry of the market, as capitalism controls rather than relies on such things. It is about idolatry for wealth, and we all know what Jesus said about the difficulty of the wealthy man achieving the Kingdom of God. These writers do not help the wealthy man do that, they egg him on into perdition.
These authors are not doing their patrons any favors. You cannot bluff God.
MGB: I suspect that Whaples thinks the term slave labor is not apt, because no one was forcing these workers to come back to work. I don't think Whaples understands work in that part of the world. He certainly does not understand hierarchical capitalism, whether it be in Bangladesh or in the factor in Carolina where everyone died in a fire because the exit doors were padlocked, although I am sure the libertarian plant manager saved his own skin first.
Capitalism is capitalism, whether it is in Bangladesh or the now defunct state capitalism of Russia (where success was based on political skill, not results). They all extract value from workers and give it to owners and the CEO. He who makes the rules gets the gold (the corollary to the golden rule).
CEOs are not fellow workers that bid for their jobs based on pure information against other interested bidders, preferably among fellow managers. They are celebrities who, more often than not, manipulate the operations of the firm to maximize their own wealth. That they are necessary is an article of faith from Edmund Burke to Hayek to Rand to Trump, for which they skim wages below what a free economy would pay. Why? Because they can. Freedom for the one over the all. Nice.
Samuel Gregg knows nothing of economics, although he is good at mouthing the ideology. The fact is that Argentina would have recovered quickly with a bit sounder money but also with higher taxes on its libertarian elites and more social spending. Those ideas work in Argentina as well as they do here (they did under Obama and will under the huge deficits Trump is about preside over). Austerity and its evil twin, supply side economics leading to asset inflation, both lead to ruin, the latter more quickly than the former. Actually, austerity is great at keeping the assets of the rich protected, so it is the same mess.
Martinez needs to actually read Catholic Social Teaching. While the pining for the traditional Catholic family of two opposite sex parents and a good job for the father is quaint, from Leo through Benedict, there is a unifying thread of social democracy that gets stronger with time, highlighting the responsibility of the state to use taxation to fill in gaps in family income. Even libertarian Milton Friedman agreed with that strategy in his Negative Income Tax, although social democracy gives such payments to everyone, not just the poor. Conservatives resist the VAT because they fear such a thing would be expanded to everyone and would therefore reduce the available stock of low wage labor who could be commanded in the workplace with impunity. Inequality, you see, is a requirement in the libertarian mind for power by the elites and Libertarianism is nothing if not elitist. Regardless, Francis seems to understand this bit of economics. The authors of this volume do not. Austrian economics is for those who do not really understand economics at all. Also, if Trump is not a wannabe totalitarian, there is no such thing as one.
(and lest any Trolls argue, I was a contributing editor in a libertarian journal, so I know of what I speak)
The Fall is a mythical parable about blame. We have private property because two people cannot own the same thing at the same time, unless they agree to joint ownership. That has to do with political theory about the need for the state to record and defend property, lest people take up arms against each other. Locke, not Pope Leo. The state also allows capitalistic limited liability ownership, which is the 14th Amendment and corporate personhood and dutch tulip markets. Romney, not Benedict.
This book is not about the idolatry of the market, as capitalism controls rather than relies on such things. It is about idolatry for wealth, and we all know what Jesus said about the difficulty of the wealthy man achieving the Kingdom of God. These writers do not help the wealthy man do that, they egg him on into perdition.
These authors are not doing their patrons any favors. You cannot bluff God.
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Links for 3/6/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-3618
MGB: The question is how Roberts will vote. He usually sides with defending the law, but if he does not the ideologues will give a victory to the reactionaries. I am not sure I mind. The Union movement needs to be spurred back into radical territory, getting in touch with its revolutionary roots. The current movement is mostly part of a system which prevents basic change. Let them die and be replaced with real worker ownership and empowerment. Among socialists writers, there has been a resurgence in strategic thinking. The remainder of the union movement could help, but they will get more from us than we get from them.
Still waiting for the results of the Chile visit. They must be made public.
Mulvaney was an idiot in Congress. Some things never change. This is one occasion where we hope that the staff subverts his efforts. If they do not, expect bad mortgages and high gas prices to return.
St. John Paul was a dissenter during the Council and certainly did not encourage the spirit of Vatican II. He attracted priests and bishops who shared his views on the authority of the Church, as expressed in Veritas Splendor, which is the natural heir to the Syllabi of Errors of Pius IX and X. It is a reactionary epistemology quite at variance with the openness to inquiry of Vatican II, where a third of the bishops prized faith as loyalty over faith as abandonment to the will of God as continually discovered by the Church. Francis is of the latter, St. John Paul and Benedict the former, as is Weigel.
I don't watch Arroyo, who is more Republican and Reverend at this point. DACA is easy to fix. Just give all undocumented immigrants the visa they qualify for, such as student or H-1B, up to and including citizenship, if they meet all requirements except current legal status. Of course, what is obvious is too easy for those who operate in bad faith.
The witness of the survivors is perfectly timed. I doubt the blessing of rifles by the Unification Church was anything but bad timing. I would like to think that no one is that stupid, but then I hear about the antics at FoxNews.
MGB: The question is how Roberts will vote. He usually sides with defending the law, but if he does not the ideologues will give a victory to the reactionaries. I am not sure I mind. The Union movement needs to be spurred back into radical territory, getting in touch with its revolutionary roots. The current movement is mostly part of a system which prevents basic change. Let them die and be replaced with real worker ownership and empowerment. Among socialists writers, there has been a resurgence in strategic thinking. The remainder of the union movement could help, but they will get more from us than we get from them.
Still waiting for the results of the Chile visit. They must be made public.
Mulvaney was an idiot in Congress. Some things never change. This is one occasion where we hope that the staff subverts his efforts. If they do not, expect bad mortgages and high gas prices to return.
St. John Paul was a dissenter during the Council and certainly did not encourage the spirit of Vatican II. He attracted priests and bishops who shared his views on the authority of the Church, as expressed in Veritas Splendor, which is the natural heir to the Syllabi of Errors of Pius IX and X. It is a reactionary epistemology quite at variance with the openness to inquiry of Vatican II, where a third of the bishops prized faith as loyalty over faith as abandonment to the will of God as continually discovered by the Church. Francis is of the latter, St. John Paul and Benedict the former, as is Weigel.
I don't watch Arroyo, who is more Republican and Reverend at this point. DACA is easy to fix. Just give all undocumented immigrants the visa they qualify for, such as student or H-1B, up to and including citizenship, if they meet all requirements except current legal status. Of course, what is obvious is too easy for those who operate in bad faith.
The witness of the survivors is perfectly timed. I doubt the blessing of rifles by the Unification Church was anything but bad timing. I would like to think that no one is that stupid, but then I hear about the antics at FoxNews.
Monday, March 5, 2018
Cardinal Wuerl's pastoral plan on 'Amoris Laetitia' points the way forward
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/cardinal-wuerls-pastoral-plan-amoris-laetitia-points-way-forward
MGB:_Paradigm shifts are possible because, while our morality is said to be God-given, it is given within our understanding, not God’s. The lack of humility of those who think that they are sure of God’s will is striking. That they think that they are defend God, that God needs defend and that they are capable of the task is the stuff of comic opera. Gilbert and Sullivan, call your office.
AL was not a paradigm shift. More than one couple that I know had similiar difficulties, all of which were resolved by their parish priest or a priest who was a family friend, long before Amoris was ever published or the Synod on the Family convened. The Pope and our Archbishop are simply doing what has been done pastorally for decades. They are merely calling notice to it, taking it out of the shadows and celebrating it as an example for us all, for it is not just a set of reactionary clergy, but also reacationary people in the pews who must be educated.
The age old dogma on worthiness to receive from Corinthinians should be clarified, because it is the result of anachronistic proof texting. Unworthy reception of Communion did not mean out of a state of grace, because that term of art did not exist in the early Church. It had to do with non-belief in the Eucharist. Sadly, receiving under those cirumstances is all too common among those badly catechized, including some curial bishops who no longer believe but say Mass anyway. While Augustine assures us that the sacrament is valid, it is still horrible for them to live a lie.
I am glad for this teaching, as well as the modernization of the annulment process, as I sadly have need of it. We shall see how the ex-wife reacts, as the process, more than a divorce, imporesses upon the divorcing spouse that the marriage has ended. While we do not call it Catholic divorce, the term still seems appropriate. Indeed, when a marriage ends, the defect may not be original. No marriage survives without unselfishness, which is a grace of the sacrament that must be maintained. No one enters a marriage with that grace fully developed. Some marriages, especially those with addiction, abuse or adultery need to be ended and the person who was victimized in the marriage has an absolute right to marry again, regardless of EWTN’s opinion. The victimizers do not, but without admitting that cause for divorce exists, the Church cannot stop them.
Has the Church gone far enough, including with gay and lesbian marrieds. Absolutely not. They often have children who are being pastorally ignored bacause of hatred of their parents. It is not on their parents to change, but those with indignation in their hearts. They imagine that God shares this scorn. They are sadly mistaken.
MGB:_Paradigm shifts are possible because, while our morality is said to be God-given, it is given within our understanding, not God’s. The lack of humility of those who think that they are sure of God’s will is striking. That they think that they are defend God, that God needs defend and that they are capable of the task is the stuff of comic opera. Gilbert and Sullivan, call your office.
AL was not a paradigm shift. More than one couple that I know had similiar difficulties, all of which were resolved by their parish priest or a priest who was a family friend, long before Amoris was ever published or the Synod on the Family convened. The Pope and our Archbishop are simply doing what has been done pastorally for decades. They are merely calling notice to it, taking it out of the shadows and celebrating it as an example for us all, for it is not just a set of reactionary clergy, but also reacationary people in the pews who must be educated.
The age old dogma on worthiness to receive from Corinthinians should be clarified, because it is the result of anachronistic proof texting. Unworthy reception of Communion did not mean out of a state of grace, because that term of art did not exist in the early Church. It had to do with non-belief in the Eucharist. Sadly, receiving under those cirumstances is all too common among those badly catechized, including some curial bishops who no longer believe but say Mass anyway. While Augustine assures us that the sacrament is valid, it is still horrible for them to live a lie.
I am glad for this teaching, as well as the modernization of the annulment process, as I sadly have need of it. We shall see how the ex-wife reacts, as the process, more than a divorce, imporesses upon the divorcing spouse that the marriage has ended. While we do not call it Catholic divorce, the term still seems appropriate. Indeed, when a marriage ends, the defect may not be original. No marriage survives without unselfishness, which is a grace of the sacrament that must be maintained. No one enters a marriage with that grace fully developed. Some marriages, especially those with addiction, abuse or adultery need to be ended and the person who was victimized in the marriage has an absolute right to marry again, regardless of EWTN’s opinion. The victimizers do not, but without admitting that cause for divorce exists, the Church cannot stop them.
Has the Church gone far enough, including with gay and lesbian marrieds. Absolutely not. They often have children who are being pastorally ignored bacause of hatred of their parents. It is not on their parents to change, but those with indignation in their hearts. They imagine that God shares this scorn. They are sadly mistaken.
Friday, March 2, 2018
Shaun Casey's legacy on religion in US diplomacy dismantled
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/shaun-caseys-legacy-religion-us-diplomacy-dismantled
MGB:_Intelligence and analysis is a CIA job. Military intelligence likely studies it as well, just see the doctoral work of General Patraeus. This office is there for the symbolism. I doubt it is ”in the loop.” Of course, prior to Iraq, not even the CIA was in the loop because Cheney was only looking for confirming information with which he could convince the President. Cheney did the war for the oil. He muffed that too, but should State have an office of energy diplomacy? I am sure someone analyzes it, but everyone looks to CIA and military sources and maybe DOE.
We know Trump is an idiot and that he is hollowing out the entire State Department, not just the religious office. Still, he still has former Governor of Kansas, Sam Brownback, as Ambassador for Religioius Affairs. What could go wrong? He is a Catholic, but he seems to be a fundamentalist as well.
Eventually, another administration will put the Depertment back together with this office. Nothing in government is ever lost as long as it is sent to the archives.
That the office dealing with anti-Semitism has moved may not be a bad thing if it is now in equal voice to the one that monitors Palestinian affairs. Careful MSW, your neo-conservatism is showing. What is needed more is an office for Roma affairs, which would really get the Israelis uptight once they consider claims that the Roma are the lost tribes of Israel.
MGB:_Intelligence and analysis is a CIA job. Military intelligence likely studies it as well, just see the doctoral work of General Patraeus. This office is there for the symbolism. I doubt it is ”in the loop.” Of course, prior to Iraq, not even the CIA was in the loop because Cheney was only looking for confirming information with which he could convince the President. Cheney did the war for the oil. He muffed that too, but should State have an office of energy diplomacy? I am sure someone analyzes it, but everyone looks to CIA and military sources and maybe DOE.
We know Trump is an idiot and that he is hollowing out the entire State Department, not just the religious office. Still, he still has former Governor of Kansas, Sam Brownback, as Ambassador for Religioius Affairs. What could go wrong? He is a Catholic, but he seems to be a fundamentalist as well.
Eventually, another administration will put the Depertment back together with this office. Nothing in government is ever lost as long as it is sent to the archives.
That the office dealing with anti-Semitism has moved may not be a bad thing if it is now in equal voice to the one that monitors Palestinian affairs. Careful MSW, your neo-conservatism is showing. What is needed more is an office for Roma affairs, which would really get the Israelis uptight once they consider claims that the Roma are the lost tribes of Israel.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Links for 3/1/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-3118
MGB:_The Ergo does not necessarily follow, since it was not at question. That Pruitt is a man of easy virtue where capitalism is concerned has never been in doubt. The same can be said for many Catholics as well.
Tipping points are still a fairy tale. The water is coming to boil slowly until we notice it is too hot and too late. No species would ever die off if it could notice the small changes and react. Norse maps show that my village in Norway farmed Baffin Island, which was named Hellelands. That is pretty warm.
Anti-Semitism has always thrived in Europe, the home of Neanderthal man. Hopefully Antifa and the government will control it. That is no more justification for abusing Palestinians (just the opposite). Notice that the same idiots (with the government) also persecute Roma people.
Right-wing intellectualism grabs a fact that sounds like it is in their favor and runs with it regardless of its relevence. Sadly, FoxNews has trained majority of voters to do the same.
Clean clothes are a blessing to the homeless. God bless the Pope and the Milwaukee laundromat that follows him.
MGB:_The Ergo does not necessarily follow, since it was not at question. That Pruitt is a man of easy virtue where capitalism is concerned has never been in doubt. The same can be said for many Catholics as well.
Tipping points are still a fairy tale. The water is coming to boil slowly until we notice it is too hot and too late. No species would ever die off if it could notice the small changes and react. Norse maps show that my village in Norway farmed Baffin Island, which was named Hellelands. That is pretty warm.
Anti-Semitism has always thrived in Europe, the home of Neanderthal man. Hopefully Antifa and the government will control it. That is no more justification for abusing Palestinians (just the opposite). Notice that the same idiots (with the government) also persecute Roma people.
Right-wing intellectualism grabs a fact that sounds like it is in their favor and runs with it regardless of its relevence. Sadly, FoxNews has trained majority of voters to do the same.
Clean clothes are a blessing to the homeless. God bless the Pope and the Milwaukee laundromat that follows him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)