On the Cosmology of Fireworks

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 07-05-18 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[ThomasMore]

To everything...there is a season... and a time to every purpose under heaven.

[HiTech RedNeck]

His “Mere Christianity” thesis was so successful at reaching across the particular theologies of various parts of Christendom that it was well received by both Catholics and Protestants. And at this, Lewis smiled. One amusing phenomenon Lewis noted was being pegged as coming from quite a different viewpoint than a source he was quoting. To him that underscored the commonalities between the various denominational followings of Christendom.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Quite so. Even the things we may not particularly like, are allowed for a reason.

[fwdude]

The creative nature of violence is the thesis.

My intent is to contrast this with the RCC’s consistent stance against most any war or violent law enforcement, including the border issues.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Maybe it’s a PINO problem rather than a RCC problem.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Catholic doctrine recognizes that immigration must be lawful (and thus enforcing law at the border is legitimate), and recognizes, as well, the just use of force by soldiers:

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a4.htm#2241

2241 "Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants' duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens."

`

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a5.htm#2310

2310 Public authorities, in this case, have the right and duty to impose on citizens the obligations necessary for national defense.

Those who are sworn to serve their country in the armed forces are servants of the security and freedom of nations. If they carry out their duty honorably, they truly contribute to the common good of the nation and the maintenance of peace.

Clearly, the doctrines of the Church strongly favor non-violent (political, economic, diplomatic) means over violent ones, and peacemaking over warmaking. However, law enforcement and national defense are never anathematized; to the contrary, they are recognized as contributing to the common good.

Note the ongoing problem we have with clergy ignoring the Catechism. Or, to put it another way, Catholic leadership being out of line with Catholic law.

[sparklite2]

Quite so. Even the things we may not particularly like, are allowed for a reason.

---

I have always said that when bad things happen to good people, it is always balanced out by having good things happen to bad people.

[HiTech RedNeck]

The rain falls upon the just and unjust.

Part of the story here is to illuminate what people will do under various circumstances. God may bring an earthly blessing to a committedly bad man simply to show how bad that man can get. Contrariwise, God may allow curses to fall upon a better man (with righteousness by faith, not absolute) to show how good that man can get.

[HiTech RedNeck]

As the bible says, “I am for peace, but they are for war.”

[HiTech RedNeck]

But that sounds like a pretty common sense way of looking at things. It doesn’t automatically endorse every measure that could possibly be taken (e.g. we generally don’t shoot unarmed intruders on forbidden land on sight) but does endorse taking some measures towards the end of securing the integrity of a country. The whole reason for a wall, if we reference Donald Trump’s vision, is to be able to put what he called “a big beautiful door” in that wall. If nobody can be vetted on the way in, if nobody can be warned about what the rules of the road will be and allowed to either leave and go their way or else assent, then we have an unsustainable chaos.

[HiTech RedNeck]

And the unsustainable chaos would understandably sour an entire everyman population on the idea of letting anybody in at all. A good wall is a must in order to have a good door.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Good walls make good neighbors -—and also good guests.

[HiTech RedNeck]

And it wasn’t without reason that when Nehemiah used his royal contacts to help Jerusalem rebuild its wall (which of course, had gates!) the completion was marked by a very grand party. Now Jerusalem could choose who got in; it wasn’t open for continual plunder but still could transact business.

I don’t know the reputation of the website that has the following, but in general it appears to have an evangelical view.

http://www.foundationsforfreedom.net/References/OT/Historical/Nehemiah/Nehemiah00HistorIntro.html

[Campion]

No, C.S. Lewis never became a Catholic, but was good friends with a number of them. One of his biographers said something to the effect that swimming the Tiber was just too far to go for someone who was a native of Belfast on the Protestant side of the tracks.