From Some Catholic Intellectuals: It's Time to End Democracy


Methodist professor and columnist Mark Tooley discussed recently a group of Catholic "intellectuals" (I put that in quotes because I follow one or two of them and they don't think very deeply about anything) who observe the sinful nature of U.S. society and have concluded the problem is democracy. People vote into office individuals who do not follow the wise and Godly principles of Catholic theology. 

The term used for this body of thought is integralism. Its advocates conclude the U.S. democracy was doomed from the start because it did not require the tenets of Catholic teaching which God intended for the nation. As a result the moral fabric is declining and needs to be reset on the correct path.

It goes without saying these Catholics have fellow travelers among conservative Protestants. To both groups the sooner we stop elections, free speech and freedom of religion the sooner our nation can be saved from moral peril. 

The link lists a large group of advocates for this view. It is a little disconcerting to think all could believe in such garbage.

In reading about this, appreciation comes to mind for the Constitution and its authors in the 1700's. While not connected to other societies and continents as we are today, they understood the human mind. They knew if very religious people are given an inch they take a mile. They wanted all the religious zealots to fight among themselves with none endorsed by the nation's government.

Tooley points to an irony in the Catholic group's cause. Their purpose is to put in place a non-elected Catholic government. They believed this was a divine intent. As Tooley points out, the founding fathers had little use for Catholics. Some had traveled to Europe and circulated among Catholics. While friendly with them they concluded the Catholic faith was both foreign and strange. Their civic religion, were there one, revolved around the Protestant concept to the common good.

There was no desire to make any special room for Catholicism in the U.S.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Maybe the "Original Sin" Should be Reassigned

Image
We can all agree most Catholic priests are fine people and not guilty of sexual abuse. What Catholics must face, however, it that their church harbors executives who are dishonest . There is an incredible story about the Argentine Bishop Zanchetta. The Pope worked with him in Argentina and they are considered friends. Around 2015 Zanchetta sent nude pictures of himself and they began circulating world wide. He also was too friendly with young seminarians and some left because of him.  Three different officials say they made formal complaints to the Vatican about Zanchetta between 2015 and 2017. Yet, in 2018, the Vatican claimed it was unaware of any complaints about Zanchetta. This might be a good time to repeat the Catholic hierarchy claims to have the sole authority handed down from Jesus to what the faith stands for. It condemns as sinners those who practice birth control, have abortions and gay sexual relationships. Handing the hierarchy this responsibility would make som
Read more

The Religious Capitol Invaders May Yet Win

Image
So much about U.S. society and religion can be learned from the Civil War and what happened afterwards. After its defeat, the South started a myth about the unethical soldiers from the North. The South fought for principles of God and states rights. The North did not. It was the South, this propaganda told the country, that had the high moral ground.  The Capitol invaders, encouraged by Trump, swallowed the myth that Biden's election was stolen. Thus, they think they held and still hold the high moral ground. This was reinforced by the cross and prayers during the invasion. Even with Trump is gone, we will see political opportunists like Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley stroking crowds and feeding the same lies as Trump. Like "the South will rise again" these gullible followers will talk of victory over the unclean. After the Civil War the South rallied around the phrase, Lost Cause. For decades, and maybe to this day, there are ceremonies remembering fallen martyrs, Re
Read more

Father Frank Pavone, the Ultimate Crook

Image
Recently, the Vatican defrocked Frank Pavone. His diehard fans are outraged. This is because he cleverly manipulated his fans and the press all the while living well from donations and, apparently, abusing some women. By making abortion the "sin" of the century, and himself the main opposition to this one sin, he himself could get away with any sin he pleased.  As the link points out, Pavone was the perfect priest for the Trump era. Trump is so self-important laws have no role in his life. He felt accountable to no one. Women were there to be had. Pavone and Trump are interchangeable.  Pavone was very successful raising money. In his mind, abortion was so important in Catholic beliefs and he was so important in anti-abortion the money he raised opposing it was his to do with what he liked. The Catholic Church, the brand name he used to raise this money, thought the money belonged to it. When he gave the Vatican the bird, it gave him walking papers. With polls showing the majo
Read more