Bishop: When religion is kept out of public life, trouble ensues

[FollowChrist34]

On the other hand, Sharia law has worked out really well

Christianity isn’t Sharia law. It’s as incompatible with Sharia law as it is with Nazism or Communism.

 

[Dave_Noonan]

It’s not a farce. The compliants are legitimate.

Yes, attorneys are going to make their monies, but if one is really concerned about it, then one ought to look into supporting tort reform.

So it doesn’t bother you that Archbishop Cordileone has been paying for contraception for a long time on one hand (by his own admission and seemingly without protest) but now speaking out against having to pay for it on the other? This makes no sense to me.

 

[Flagstone]

It would seem some of the the most secular places in the world are the most advanced e.g. Scandinavia, while the most religious e.g. Afghanistan, Pakistan etc. are the most backward. The same seems to hold true in the U.S. e.g. the secular Pacific Northwest as opposed to the Bible Belt with its heritage of slavery and Jim Crow.

 

[MacBP]

It would seem some of the the most secular places in the world are the most advanced e.g. Scandinavia, while the most religious e.g. Afghanistan, Pakistan etc. are the most backward. The same seems to hold true in the U.S. e.g. the secular Pacific Northwest as opposed to the Bible Belt with its heritage of slavery and Jim Crow.

Conversely, the comparatively atheistic Soviet Union, North Korea, and China are hardly models of a happy, productive state. The US, despite the direction it’s heading, remains relatively religious and is a pretty swell place to live.

It’s also worth noting that you may need to be more specific in your use of the word advance. It is true that Scandinavia is more economically prosperous then, say, South America. However, it’s also true many “backwards” nations have a much richer family life and community.Note, for example, that despite Sweden’s reputation for being progressive they have the world’s 14th highest suicide rate (source; if you’re going to shoot it down for being cited from Wikipedia, note that the values are cited from elsewhere).

 

[commenter]

Amen.

I really must shake my head when I hear of people trying to perform a public ‘satanic mass’ in the name of ‘religious freedom’ … it’s just madness I believe.

I believe people should be saying the obvious, “If you don’t believe, than why do it? and if you do believe, you should know better.” not saying “we better allow it or else it’s double standards regarding religious freedom.”

It’s just as Peter Kreeft has said I believe -

“No culture in history has ever embraced moral relativism and survived. Our own culture, therefore, will either (1) be the first, and disprove history’s clearest lesson, or (2) persist in its relativism and die, or (3) repent of its relativism and live. There is no other option.” - Peter Kreeft

The stone that the builders tossed aside has now become the cornerstone. - Psalm 118:22

Jesus is that cornerstone, and I believe society is trying to toss Him aside, I believe they fail to see that He is the cornerstone to our society. So lets be sure to defend Him in the public square because when Christ is kept out of public life, I believe trouble ensues.

"An utterly fascinating illustration of this duping of ourselves is the latest arts building opened at Ohio State University, the Wexner Center for the Performing Arts, another one of our chimerical exploits in the name of intellectual advance. Newsweek branded this building “America’s first deconstructionist building.” It’s white scaffolding, red brick turrets, and Colorado grass pods evoke a double take. But puzzlement only intensifies when you enter the building, for inside you encounter stairways that go nowhere, pillars that hang from the ceiling without purpose, and angled surfaces configured to create a sense of vertigo. The architect, we are duly informed, designed this building to reflect life itself-senseless and incoherent-and the “capriciousness of the rules that organize the built world.” When the rationale was explained to me, I had just one question: Did he do the same with the foundation?

The laughter in response to my question unmasked the double standard our deconstructionists espouse. And that is precisely the double standard of atheism! It is possible to dress up and romanticize our bizarre experiments in social restructuring while disavowing truth or absolutes. But one dares not play such deadly games with the foundations of good thinking." - Ravi Zacharias

For a good fictional prophecy of what this means, read “That Hideous Strength” the third novel in C S Lewis’ space trilogy. About the same time (1940s) his non fictional “The Abolition of Man” covers the same prophetic view. He saw it coming.

 

[commenter]

There are no non-religious people or causes. Secular Humanism is a religion, based on the deification of humanity and social progress, which definition they redefine as they want to. People in the religion of Secular Humanism dominated most of higher education for many years, but only in the last several decades have come to dominate the Media, which now dominates most Western societies, including nowadays politics.

Secular Humanists are not “against religion” they want to stifle only those with religious views different from theirs. Secular Humanists want to impose their own religious views on society as a whole.

 

[Flagstone]

Conversely, the comparatively atheistic Soviet Union, North Korea, and China are hardly models of a happy, productive state. The US, despite the direction it’s heading, remains relatively religious and is a pretty swell place to live.

It’s also worth noting that you may need to be more specific in your use of the word advance. It is true that Scandinavia is more economically prosperous then, say, South America. However, it’s also true many “backwards” nations have a much richer family life and community.Note, for example, that despite Sweden’s reputation for being progressive they have the world’s 14th highest suicide rate (source; if you’re going to shoot it down for being cited from Wikipedia, note that the values are cited from elsewhere).

The U.S.S.R. ,North Korea, and China were(are) totalitarian regimes. I don’t think happiness can be imposed on a people. As far as the suicide rate is concerned I think there are many different factors that can affect it. I will note however that on the list you referenced, Lithuania had the second highest suicide rate, a devoutly Catholic nation.

 

[Flagstone]

There are no non-religious people or causes. Secular Humanism is a religion, based on the deification of humanity and social progress, which definition they redefine as they want to. People in the religion of Secular Humanism dominated most of higher education for many years, but only in the last several decades have come to dominate the Media, which now dominates most Western societies, including nowadays politics.

Secular Humanists are not “against religion” they want to stifle only those with religious views different from theirs. Secular Humanists want to impose their own religious views on society as a whole.

Maybe the Secular Humanists should try to get tax exempt status.

 

[commenter]

Maybe the Secular Humanists should try to get tax exempt status.

A few decades ago they won the right to use that religion as exemption from the draft, as foundation for their pacifist beliefs. They do have ethical or humanist centers that do get the tax exemption. Unitarian-Universalist churches are of course tax exempt.

They often can play the “religion” card both ways. They can demand to be included in some debates or forums, where various religions are presented, for instance, at colleges. But their materials are not excluded from public schools the way anything remotely Christian would be.

The media often “looks at” religion (Christianity, Islam, Judaism), sometimes favorably. But clearly the media is one place, looking at Catholicism, or the Mosque, “over there”. But where is the media standing? The media rarely “looks at” secular humanism, because that is where the media is, that is the viewpoint the media itself has. That’s why the media applauds churches when they support the media’s favorite political causes, and is critical or sarcastic when churches refer to angels.

Clergy who support the “Peace and Justice” agenda of the media are labelled as “pastoral” and “compassionate” (would make a good bishop!). Clergy who teach Christian doctrine, or refer to the supernatural aspect of religion, are labelled as “hardliners” or “distant from the people”. I am glad my bishop is appointed by someone who lives outside the USA, who doesn’t have to obey the secular humanist media which invariably shapes the “democratic” processes of some denominations.

 

[MacBP]

The U.S.S.R. ,North Korea, and China were(are) totalitarian regimes. I don’t think happiness can be imposed on a people. As far as the suicide rate is concerned I think there are many different factors that can affect it. I will note however that on the list you referenced, Lithuania had the second highest suicide rate, a devoutly Catholic nation.

Sure, I happily concede that the countries I listed aren’t the best representative of a Godless (I’m using the term descriptively not pejoratively here) society but I think it’s also fair to say that Afghanistan and Pakistan aren’t the best representation of a religious society. In for all countries listed there are plenty of other factors which can be used to explain that countries misery.

As for suicide, Lithuania may not be as devoutly Catholic as you might suppose (according to this link only 56% of Lithuanians believe in a personal God). Putting aside that question, I merely wanted to point out that less people seem to find their lives unbearable in such backwards countries Pakistan and Afghanistan then in Sweden and Norway. Clearly, “advanced” is a matter of perspective.