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Stooges for Secularism
American Spectator ^ | May 24, 2020 | George Neumayr

Posted on 05/24/2020 3:30:40 PM PDT by ebb tide

Stooges for Secularism

The hierarchy defers to the state.

Donald Trump wants to open up churches more than some church leaders do. No sooner had he proposed that churches be deemed “essential” services than some church leaders began criticizing him. At CNN, Father Edward Beck quickly penned a column saying “Mr. President, we don’t need to open churches to practice our faith.”

Beck argues:

No one is prohibiting the free exercise of religion. Though we are in the teeth of a pandemic, in which a very dangerous coronavirus can be transmitted by, among other things, close physical proximity, people can and do continue to worship, albeit in temporarily altered circumstances and in novel ways. To use the “freedom of religion” argument to demand carte blanche the opening of religious venues is to proffer a fallacious argument that can potentially lead to physical harm and, in the worst case, death.

Such statements by religious figures are music to the ears of secularists, who have used this crisis as an opportunity to mistreat the religious. The secularists have used the submissiveness of the hierarchy against the faithful, saying to them in effect: If your leaders don’t object to the closing of churches, why should you?

(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...


TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; Worship
KEYWORDS: francisbishops; francischism; gramsci; stooges; wolves
In a different age, church leaders would have rushed to back a president who called their services “essential.” In this wilting age, church leaders instead accept their marginalized status and bow before leaders who treat them as irrelevant. People will look back at this crisis and laugh that it was the barbers, not the bishops, who pushed back against the lockdown.
1 posted on 05/24/2020 3:30:40 PM PDT by ebb tide
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To: Al Hitan; Coleus; DuncanWaring; Fedora; irishjuggler; Jaded; JoeFromSidney; kalee; markomalley; ...

Ping


2 posted on 05/24/2020 3:31:37 PM PDT by ebb tide (We have a rogue curia in Rome.)
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To: ebb tide

Beck...
https://www.newwaysministry.org/2016/07/09/apologies-are-good-actions-are-better/


3 posted on 05/24/2020 3:44:42 PM PDT by Ouchthatonehurt
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To: ebb tide

A fellow congregant, the wife of a lay leader, from my church appointed to check on me (along with others) called me to day. As we chatted about when we would reopen for live worship, I let her know how disappointed I was with the stance of the United Methodist Church’s Virginia Conference—because they are being even more reticent than our slughead governor. In other states with other denominations, the church leaders are fighting for the faith. But the UMC, at least its Virginia Conference, is showing me that they are in step with the Democrat-Media Complex.


4 posted on 05/24/2020 3:47:07 PM PDT by Lysandru
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To: ebb tide

I have no words for ministers who want their church to be shut down by the government.


5 posted on 05/24/2020 3:50:23 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
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To: ebb tide

Secularism is the ONLY reason this faux pandemic is even a thing. In times past people did not value their skin over their freedom. But this bunch of fat, lazy, intellectually bereft underworked, oversexed, marginally thoughtful dolts wilt in fear at the very mention of death. I can tell you this. My grandfather would have burned down the capital building before he would submit to this stupidity. All these freedom loving sheeple who would rather get a government check instead of go to work and accept a teeny, tiny itty bitty nothing risk of perhaps dying but probably catching the covid cold and never even knowing they have it. Pfffffffft. I have no idea why they bothered to conquer the Japanese Empire and the Third Reich so these little snowflakes could carry on the legacy left to us. Sad.


6 posted on 05/24/2020 3:55:53 PM PDT by DariusBane (Liberty and Risk. Flip sides of the same coin. So how much risk will YOU accept? Vive Deo et Vives)
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To: ebb tide
New Ways Ministry? Is CNN really trying to get people to think this is a mainline (real) church? It's for homos and queers!! No wonder they had this "pastor" on to bash Trump. That's all they wanted...
7 posted on 05/24/2020 4:02:40 PM PDT by jeffc (The U.S. media are our enemy)
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Cardinal Dolan cautious on reopening churches

There will be no Sunday masses at St. Patrick’s Cathedral or any churches throughout the archdiocese in the immediate future. as Cardinal Timothy Dolan walks through a political minefield of what President Trump wants versus what Gov. Cuomo wants.

8 posted on 05/24/2020 4:10:34 PM PDT by ebb tide (We have a rogue curia in Rome.)
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To: ebb tide

Many people are weak...weak in practice and weak in principle . I am glad I am older so I won’t have to see this collapse of freedom, the embrace of fear...and acceptance of general nitwittery as a way of life. Pathetic .


9 posted on 05/24/2020 4:14:58 PM PDT by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp???)
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To: ebb tide

Any church that doesn’t want to open can stay closed, right? Any church that wants to open can impose whatever safety measures they want, right?

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...“

What’s so difficult to understand?

Leaders can request people stay home. They can recommend social distancing and mask wear, but they have no authority to prevent churches from opening. Even if one believes government can override the Bill of Rights in very well defined and limited situations, like during emergencies, one cannot unequally apply the law. If it’s OK for people to congregate in grocery stores, it’s OK for them to congregate in church.


10 posted on 05/24/2020 4:17:58 PM PDT by CitizenUSA (Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.)
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To: ebb tide

Ask actual Christian churches. Go to the Pentecostal, or Baptists especially in the minority areas. They will break down doors to go to worship.


11 posted on 05/24/2020 4:18:45 PM PDT by Glad2bnuts (“If there are no absolutes by which to judge society, then society is absolute.” Francis Schaeffer)
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To: ebb tide

Cardinal Dolan will never be confused with Cardinal O’Connor.


12 posted on 05/24/2020 4:18:46 PM PDT by allendale (.)
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To: Glad2bnuts

We have, and we will again.


13 posted on 05/24/2020 4:35:48 PM PDT by Ponyexpress9790
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To: ebb tide

The CDC has reasonable guidelines including social distancing. It is a lie to say Trump’s position is “carte blanche” opening. There shouldn’t be discrimination against religious believers, plus the lockdown was supposed to be to flatten the curve, before the authorities changed the goalposts.


14 posted on 05/24/2020 4:52:54 PM PDT by Unam Sanctam
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To: Lysandru

A church I used to attend is very liberal and all in for the Democrat agenda. They fully support the lockdown. I suspect a majority do not really believe in Christ’s divinity.


15 posted on 05/24/2020 4:54:09 PM PDT by colorado tanker
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To: ebb tide

Want to know the difference between a conservative and a liberal?
The conservative says you can go if you want to.
The liberal says you can’t go because someone might get sick.


16 posted on 05/24/2020 5:09:10 PM PDT by pacpam (action=consequence and applies in all cases - friend of victory)
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To: CitizenUSA

“Any church that doesn’t want to open can stay closed, right? Any church that wants to open can impose whatever safety measures they want, right?”

No, President Trump said not only are all churches required to open, but everyone must go to church. I know it’s true because I heard it on CNN. At least that’s what they acted like that’s what he said.


17 posted on 05/24/2020 5:14:19 PM PDT by suthener
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To: ebb tide

Re open the churches for people want to go back into their church to worship and hear the word.

No one with a gun will force any people to attend any church that is open.

However, cops with guns are now keeping us from attending our closed churches to hear, “Love thy neighbor!”

They trust me to go to Ace, HD, Target, Safeway, Walmart and Costco. Last week I even drove to the car wash and had a vehicle washed and filled with gas.

Yet at 81, I can not be trusted to go to my church for most of my adult life for my spiritual health and well being.


18 posted on 05/24/2020 6:31:50 PM PDT by Grampa Dave ( The CHICOM/PRCNN, controllers of America's Fake news media, CDCNN, WHO, are the Deep Staters!))
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To: DariusBane

Dead Center (X)


19 posted on 05/24/2020 6:35:18 PM PDT by Glad2bnuts (“If there are no absolutes by which to judge society, then society is absolute.” Francis Schaeffer)
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To: ebb tide

Erm, what happened to worrying about what God wants?


20 posted on 05/25/2020 11:02:19 PM PDT by ApplegateRanch (Love me, love my guns!)
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