Posted on 08/04/2007 4:16:39 AM PDT by GFritsch
The recent legislative refusal to put same-sex “marriage” in Massachusetts on the ballot has prompted some to question the need to oppose any measures involving public morality. After all, they reason, life goes on regardless of the outcome.
As one prominent Catholic couple rejoicing over the ballot initiative’s defeat wrote in a Boston Herald editorial: “On May 17, 2004, the day marriage was made legal for everyone in Massachusetts, we looked out our window to see - contrary to apocalyptic predictions - that the sun had actually risen. Life went on quite normally not only that day, but every day since.”1
Indeed, those who defend public morality seem given to apocalyptic predictions. They see dire consequences far into the future that never seem to arrive. And through it all, life goes on. So many appear willing to live and let live as the most horrible aberrant lifestyles co-exist side-by-side with traditional families.
The Issue of Homosexuality This impression of stability is especially true in the debate over same-sex “marriage” or the acceptance of homosexual behavior. Controversy rages, yet society seems immune to the effects of moral decadence.
There is great opposition to same-sex “marriage” in the United States as evidenced by petitions, amendment votes and other traditional marriage initiatives that have shown an amazing capacity on the part of grassroots activists to stop such “marriages” from becoming law.
However, these efforts face great obstacles. Activists fight a domineering subculture that uses every artifice of manipulation of public opinion to achieve its goals. It challenges and desensitizes Americans, pushing the envelope to ever more shocking levels. And yet through it all, the sun still rises.
Thus, year after year, cities worldwide are the scenes of so-called Gay Pride parades where the most shocking displays offending against Christian morality and public decency are witnessed. It is a situation where unnatural vice is seen as a source of “pride” and these celebrations are but a way to make this pride manifest before all.
The Catholic Position
The gravity of such offenses is aggravated yet more by the Catholic Church’s consistent teaching about homosexuality which could not clash more frontally with this subculture. Not only is the practice of the homosexual act “intrinsically disordered,” as affirms the Catechism, but it is also grievously sinful. Saints, moralists and theologians have reaffirmed the extra gravity of this sin against nature throughout the Church’s 2000 year history.
And yet many Catholics and politicians yielding to this subculture openly defy the Catholic position with apparent and disconcerting impunity. In so doing, they adopt an intimidating attitude toward the Holy See which seeks to make the Church retreat in face of this sin and prevent the Church from accomplishing Her teaching and sanctifying mission.
In fact, it can be observed that, in face of all this controversy, ordinary life in America goes inexorably on. Nothing seems to shake the impression of an immense stability and prosperity that has so dominated American life.
A Real Order of Stability
Such an overwhelming sensation of stability creates the impression of futility in opposing moral deviation. Those who promise fire and brimstone as punishment are always greatly disappointed. Lightning bolts rarely strike down offenders.
That is to say that there is an element of truth in America’s immense stability. It is rooted in the fact that the very order of the Universe is enormously stable and normally does not suffer catastrophic disasters.
Observing the heavens, the personal experience of all is a prodigious order that, since creation, moves with incredible regularity. On its part, the earth mirrors that same regularity in its rotations and the seasons that normally follow their course.
Of course, disasters do happen on earth. However, they are the exceptions and not the rule. Overflowing rivers inevitably return to their banks. Volcanoes return to their slumber. Earthquakes desist in their rattling. In this way, the order of the universe presents an enormous stability to man.
It is only proper that this stability should fill men with respect, admiration and security. God created this stable order for man to feel secure. In His infinite goodness, He wanted all men to have during their short time on Earth this feeling of security that provides the atmosphere for the normal development of the individual and the practice of virtue.
This regularity finds resonance inside man himself. All that is orderly inside man exults seeing the surrounding order of the universe. All the senses feel great joy and well-being, perceiving an order that corresponds to a profound order inside man himself.
Taking Conclusions
From this stability, man comes to understand that, through reason, he can know science which in turn allows man to understand and harness nature to serve him and improve upon his life. Regular objective observance of reality is the basis of all development and true progress of man.
Yet from this observation, one can easily take wrong conclusions.
Based on this stable empirical order, modern materialists developed a technical notion of progress. They reduced the material advantages derived from their understanding of the universe into an end rather than a means.
The stability of reason and science led to the idea of universal progress so much a part of secular modernity. It was a naturalist notion of an order of the universe maintained without God or Faith. From this was deduced the conclusion that progress, despite occasional inconveniences, will never be derailed.
Despite the instability of these post 9/11 times, this attitude still prevails. It is a notion of stability that is based on individual experience; it is little reasoned but profoundly felt.
It is this strong feeling of stability that so confounds the activist who defends public morality and logically reasons that acts have consequences.
Another Notion of Stability
Thus, it is true that the impression of an enormous stability has some basis in reality. However, it is not the entire story.
There is another aspect of this stability that is profoundly reasonable and explains the need to defend public morality.
And that aspect is that the idea of an eternal stability is an illusion. The stable order just described is real but it can also be precarious. It depends on man’s fidelity to God and the natural order He established. It is enough for man to break seriously with this natural order for that stability, which seemed so unshakable, to come tumbling down to the ground.
Examples Given
This is something that can be verified on a personal level. The normal lives of men are stable as long as one makes a reasonable effort to practice virtue. However, that stability is precarious when vice is introduced. By seriously breaking one’s link with virtue, through, for example, the vice of drug addition, stability can easily degenerate into permanent personal disaster. The same can be said for personal adherence to civil law. The minute a person puts himself seriously outside the law, his stability, which seems so unshakable, is lost and his life is precipitated into disorder and drastic change.
And so it is also with morality in society, that is to say, the regulation of free actions with the view of perfecting man’s rational nature. As long as the links with God and the natural order are maintained, one can expect a certain stability. However, the minute that society lets go and seriously gives in to its passions, that order is precarious. It can suddenly come tumbling down with unexpected rapidity toward ruin.
Some might object that moral law is knowable to reason and therefore it is not necessary to be linked to God. However, the Catholic Church has ever affirmed that religion and morality are essentially linked. Without religion, the complete observance of moral law is impossible. This is because part of the moral law prescribes duties to God Himself and helps man sense the obligations imposed by the Divine will. In addition, man’s fallen nature causes him to lack complete control over the passions, thus inclining him to sin, so that, unless supported by Divine aid, man is unable to observe the full moral law for any length of time.
Indeed, once society breaks that precarious link, all things are possible. Scriptures says deep calls unto deep.2 History is full of examples of decadent societies that suddenly crumbled. Empires that seemed undefeatable have been reduced to ruins. It is not unreasonable to think that America, that has always assumed that it is somehow vaccinated against disaster, can also fall victim to catastrophe.
A Broken Link?
One might further object that the present state of morality has reached such a deplorable state that the precarious link with God and the natural order has already been broken.
While it is true that iniquity appears to reign everywhere, it is also true that things often take a long time to collapse. The human body, for example, can show amazing resilience in resisting years of abuse before finally succumbing to death. So, also societies can be mired in decadence for decades before collapsing.
The fact remains that after long deterioration, there often is a breaking point in the link with the natural order which determines a breakdown.
The Activist’s Role
It is here that the activist is vindicated for defending a higher moral law. He is motivated to fight in view of avoiding an impending danger caused by abandoning morals. While the activist ironically may use apocalyptic imagery, he actually seeks to maintain the link with God and the order He established and thus keep society as a whole from tumbling down.
On a practical level, the effect of sin necessarily is disorder since it places men outside the order proper to his nature. The greater the number and degree of sin, the greater is the concrete effect upon society as a whole.
However, beyond these mere practical considerations, Saint Augustine teaches that man is judged and punished for his sins individually in the afterlife. However since nations have no afterlife, the collective sins of nations are punished on earth.3 Thus, when the sins of nations reach an apogee, God exercises His justice upon them. As Our Lady of Fatima warned, the punishments for sin include war, famine, and the persecution of the Church.
That same God Who is the creator and maintainer of the enormously stable universal order holds that order in a delicate balance depending on the solidity of man’s fidelity to Him.
To the activist, the fact that the sun rises with regularity is not a proof of God’s indifference towards man’s transgressions. Rather, it fills him with admiration and respect for God’s goodness.
However, he has a lively and continuous notion of the precariousness of the order of things. It is the prism through which he interprets events. Mindful of the lessons of history, he is consumed with zeal to maintain the delicate link between God and society and fights tooth and nail to prevent any advance, regardless of how small, that would jeopardize this stability.
Thus, in the present Cultural War, it is not enough to be concerned only with individual sins. The Catholic must work to prevent the nation from abandoning natural and divine law. One must fight to maintain the moral infrastructure of customs, laws and institutions that safeguard public morality.
And when iniquity prevails, the prayers of the faithful must rise up to God asking Divine Aid, imploring His mercy lest that precarious link be severed and that immense and benevolent stability be shattered.
God's law is currently being mocked in the blasphemous film The Ten. Click here for details and to register your protest.
But at what cost?
What’s the big deal not shaming that 16 year old pregnant school girl? Nothing, until YEARS later millions become a widespread catastrophe for all.
What’s the big deal with legalizing (or not prosecuting) Pedro down the street who’s a nice guy? Nothing, except years later, and millions Pedros later, the cost to the economy and the culture is staggering.
What’s the big deal with Bob and Larry tying the knot? Wait and see the implications for taxation, insurance, immigration (marry your friends and bring them in), polygamy etc...
Pass your stupid laws now and don’t worry about unintended consequences. Yes, the sun will shine tomorrow on the morons and the rest of us.
The problem is that it takes decades for the full effect of a moral lapse to be felt. And even then, the adverse consequences might be accepted as normal or inevitable. And could one accurately trace the outcome to that lapse? Of course, if all 50 states legalized gay marriage the sun would rise tomorrow. But what would the effect be a hundred years later? The society we live in is a complex system—no one factor by itself will cause catastrophe, but a conglomeration of them will. The biggest problem I see is a falling birthrate among Caucasians, which will invite the third world in to fill the vacuum. If we can assimilate these people fine. If we can’t, we will end up another corrupt, banana republic where laws are selectively enforced based on ethnicitiy or wealth. Right now I’d bet more on the latter than the former.
Yes, equally.
It's difficult for me to believe that a majority of Americans are blinded to the effect all this 'progressive' (retrogressive) activity has on their lives.
We have millions of children now who are parented by an imbecilic welfare recipient who hasn't a clue who the fathers of her children are.
In an Eisenhower administration nearly 2 million illegals were rounded up and deported. We need to get these 15 million plus rounded up, along with their anchor babies, and shove them back across the border being careful to bar the gate behind them.
As far as homosexuals are concerned, I do believe most Americans are sick enough to puke over their sordid, perverted lives being paraded on the streets during events which proclaim their pride.
Our elite limousine liberal class work overtime on this very goal.
Democrats and Republicans (by and larage) jump in and out of bed together in a frenetic activity very much like that found in your average whorehouse. They believe that by watering down our economy: getting rid of the all-important manufacturing base and calling hamburger flipping a newly created job, that we can be more easily folded into something that resembles the EU.
The big problem with that elitist crap is that in the case of Europe, with the exception of the increasing muslim population, there isn't a country quite like Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, etc. in the mix.
As a Catholic who listens and reads avidly, I am afraid the Church WILL eventually retreat. Catholic kids go to public schools, absorb liberal propaganda; their (lack of) thinking will surely factor into the state of the Mother Church in the decades ahead.
Tolerance is the new golden calf.
history reveals several civilizations which fell because they rotted from within. The Roman Empire being one. Several weaknesses came into play in Rome but the most devastating was the loss on morals, with the widespread practice of homosexual behavior playing a critical part. They lost their center and the house came crashing down.
Are we following Rome’s example??
Some say “yes.” Others ask “where’s the closest public rest room!”
This person truly lives in a different world than me, to not see the damaging effects of the 60's sexual revolution.
Honestly, I think exporting our manufacturing base is the fault of the business community. They think if they can build widget X for in Indonesia for 20% of what it costs in the US, their profits will go sky high. And they will—for a time (decades even). But eventually the piper will have to be paid. We can’t all work for the Government or exist on Government handouts forever.
As a hetero-guy, it is still hard for me to believe that anyone would find homosexual behavior appealing. From the depths of my soul, I find little that is more repugnant (well, pedophellia). Yet I am convinced that many people today are talking themselves into being Gay. Its just amazing to me.
It is a mystery to me also that anyone is even inclined to that lifestyle. And their numbers aren’t that great. The “valid” statistics reveal it is only 2% of the population that engage is this behavior, men more than women. The activists claim it’s 10% but there is no basis for that figure, as it has been proven inaccurate often.
So how can such a small percentage be causing such huge changes in the culture?
Just remember the fall of the Roman Empire!!
As a hetero-guy, it is still hard for me to believe that anyone would find homosexual behavior appealing.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
For that same reason I wanted to believe the stories about homosexuality being genetic. I simply cannot imagine someone making a conscious decision to be queer!
The demise of Christ's Church on earth began around 45 years ago when Vatican II was convened.
All Christianity at one time looked to the Roman Catholic Church for some guidance in matters of faith and morals. That leadership was abrogated when the largely American bishops decided that what they had in this country was a franchise. The franchise from Rome had no strings attached so they made it up as they went along.
Allowing openly homosexual seminarians that then received 'priestly' orders and went forth to sew their perversion was one of the errors for which they will owe an accounting on Judgement Day. Another was to taking the Novus Ordo mass down to new levels of sacrilege with clown, balloon, folk masses and etc. etc.
The Church has indeed retreated due largely to a 'progressive' clergy from top to bottom.
Hopefully Jesus Christ will inspire the Church fathers to rejoin the crusade against satan.
The return to the dignified, respecful and traditional rite of worship would be most welcome.
It seems that with these self-loathing lefties, any culture is desirable as long as it is not the culture here. Little do they realize the misery and destruction of wealth their policies would cause should they be allowed to be in control even for a short period of time.
But at what cost? Everything. Even worse, everything where it could not be recovered, rebuilt or reconstituted. In the US we have enough trouble with government cutting liberty away a little at a time. We have enough trouble clawing our way back, the few times we can. Look at the so-called “Assault Weapons” ban. If this law had not sunset, we could not get the votes to repeal it. We may barely have the votes to keep it from being reintroduced.
Further, and most importantly, we have many fine young people who are willing to lay down their lives to preserve our liberties. But when society if full of people whose moral conduct that is repulsive, and is full of immigrants who just came here for a job, will energetic young men be willing to sign up to lay down their lives to protect the “right” gays to have random sex in a bath house? Not me.
People will only be willing to lay down their lives to protect values and institutions that they deem worth more than their lives to protect. When those institutions no longer garner that value in the minds of a sufficient number of military-aged people, we will not be able to raise a force willing to protect the nation.
So, life does not go on regardless. Moral standing can be strength or it can be like termites, eating away at our strength.
The huge reduction in our manufacturing base is quietly killing this nation contrary to what Nafta-nuts think and say. The government is our enemy here. With all the strangling edicts emanating from the central government legislative body composed of liberal pansies, industry hasn't much of a chance.
That being said, it will become increasingly difficult for Americans to purchase all these Chinese goods that hit our shores. It's only a matter of time.
I believe the tendency begins when some become sexually aware and experimentation with members of one's own sex commences. Homosexual behavior as an adult lifestyle springs from that.
Homosexuals are a threat to polite organized society as their goal appears to be getting their clammy hands on our children. Moreover, they become deranged and contribute to the statistical data that proves most mass murderers were, indeed, homosexuals.
Desecration of churches by homosexual activists prove that deep down most are atheists who think satan offers more than any belief in God.
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