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Confessional Lutheran Perspective on the Mother of God as given by a Lutheran "father" of the Church, Arthur Piepkorn
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gurneyhalleck1
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Now let me take the Republican role, using your words. If the problems are caused by things that are mainly not in the school, but external, then spending more money in the school will not fix them. If you have a leak in your roof that ruined the rug, buyng a new rug won’t help.
If kids are not learning to read it makes sense to throw more resources at education, but the problems are not in the classroom. You said so. The kids are coming to class with the problems. They are handicapped by what goes on in their environments, at home, from TV, video games, diets, who knows what. How does the government fix broken families? If anything the government causes the problems.
Now take the example above. The real problems we have that are causing kids to come to school damaged and unable to learn are spiritual problems. We are spiritual beings. We are also broken spiritual beings. You can’t fix that by giving me a job, or teaching me about how a computer works. That will not make me spiritually whole, repair my broken soul. A spiritual problem requires a spiritual solution.
The government says it has no business getting involved there, right? And so do you say that. Its not the government’s job to tell you what is moral or not. But it does. They tell kids gay sex is not immoral and can be healthy, normal, happy, loving or whatever other bs. So you don’t want the Church telling the population what is moral and you end up with the government doing it. How is that working out? The answer is in your classroom.
**Grandfather, I agree as always with much of what you say but, as usual, you grab onto the give-up, we’re all lost, doom and gloom, no-answer mentality. Your thinking says, “since society is screwing our kids up, let’s not fund public education? Let’s not “throw money” at those ‘broken schools’ anymore and let’s just give up on the whole rotten thing.” HUH? So since the parents nowdays aren’t what they used to be and society is ruining much of our children we should CUT funding and just give up on public education? That’s looney, pure and simple. I’m sure you want a teach-to the test system or vouchers or the naive notion that we can all home-school our kids. Every post you have points out problems and cynically offers no solutions. Also, and I say this respectfully, I really do, you are not a teacher so you have no idea how hard it is to do this job. Just as I don’t understand the challenges of fire-fighters or priests or highway patrol guys, you cannot look from the outside and simply make blanket statements about education when you’re not deeply in it like me. I say that respectfully. We don’t teach that being gay is ok? Where in the heck did you grab that one from? I’ve never heard in my district or any district within 100 miles of here teaching the notion of gay sex and that stuff being acceptable. We don’t poison kids’ minds. As I told you, I teach more about the Old Testament, the Jewish people, Christ, the early Church, and the Bible overall with our excellent California social studies standards that many Sunday school teachers do. I have about 3/4 of my kids every year tell me that. They leave me with a depth of knowledge that far exceeded their Sunday school education. I teach values in my room, politeness, critical thinking, and a passion for history and education in general. Would cutting my funding and “throwing less money” at my salary and supply budget, etc. HELP me in my cause? Give me a break! I’m doing my part, period, and I’m doing it in the context of a secular classroom that you’d find illegitimate and worthless. Your outlook on America is so deeply cynical that you see no hope in anything. At least that’s how I read your replies to me. We are both Roman Catholics yet one would think we’re adversaries. I love my Church as do you. We can at least agree on that. But you have unrealistic expectations and views on the relationship between Church and State. I know that the Roman Catholic Church will never conquer America and bring a Papal White House so I work within the system; I also respect people who are different from me. For all I know, my protestant neighbors will enter Heaven before me or you. It’s arrogant to presume otherwise. You are 100% correct that it IS the role of religion to act as a watchdog on the abuses of the State. Abortion, euthanasia, cloning, in vitro, and so many other sick issues that are plaguing our culture need to be fought hard by the Church and I fully support them. America is very broken right now but it’s still the best ticket in town when compared to most other countries. I have to use the same old tired cliche, America, love it or leave it. Grandfather, if you hate it so much, why don’t you leave it? Put your money where your mouth is and go to the Philippines where my wife is from. Birth control is officially condemned there, abortion is illegal, and the Catholic Church actively engages in running much of the country. They also happen to have rampant corruption, sickening pollution, a TON of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, cohabitation all over the place, and a very lax attitude toward the gay lifestyle. What has Catholicism done for the Philippines? It’s been pretty ineffective despite the “official” doctrines taught there. Church and State is pretty blurry in my wife’s homeland yet they’re really no better than we are morally from what I’ve seen. If you look at Spain, France, and other Catholic nations historically, they’ve been pretty pitiful morally. You contention that Catholicism will save the day politically is a tough pill to swallow. We each need to accept Catholicism in our daily lives on a personal level and allow people to choose it for themselves. I stand by it. God bless you. **
If kids are not learning to read it makes sense to throw more resources at education, but the problems are not in the classroom. You said so. The kids are coming to class with the problems. They are handicapped by what goes on in their environments, at home, from TV, video games, diets, who knows what. How does the government fix broken families? If anything the government causes the problems.
Now take the example above. The real problems we have that are causing kids to come to school damaged and unable to learn are spiritual problems. We are spiritual beings. We are also broken spiritual beings. You can’t fix that by giving me a job, or teaching me about how a computer works. That will not make me spiritually whole, repair my broken soul. A spiritual problem requires a spiritual solution.
The government says it has no business getting involved there, right? And so do you say that. Its not the government’s job to tell you what is moral or not. But it does. They tell kids gay sex is not immoral and can be healthy, normal, happy, loving or whatever other bs. So you don’t want the Church telling the population what is moral and you end up with the government doing it. How is that working out? The answer is in your classroom.
**Grandfather, I agree as always with much of what you say but, as usual, you grab onto the give-up, we’re all lost, doom and gloom, no-answer mentality. Your thinking says, “since society is screwing our kids up, let’s not fund public education? Let’s not “throw money” at those ‘broken schools’ anymore and let’s just give up on the whole rotten thing.” HUH? So since the parents nowdays aren’t what they used to be and society is ruining much of our children we should CUT funding and just give up on public education? That’s looney, pure and simple. I’m sure you want a teach-to the test system or vouchers or the naive notion that we can all home-school our kids. Every post you have points out problems and cynically offers no solutions. Also, and I say this respectfully, I really do, you are not a teacher so you have no idea how hard it is to do this job. Just as I don’t understand the challenges of fire-fighters or priests or highway patrol guys, you cannot look from the outside and simply make blanket statements about education when you’re not deeply in it like me. I say that respectfully. We don’t teach that being gay is ok? Where in the heck did you grab that one from? I’ve never heard in my district or any district within 100 miles of here teaching the notion of gay sex and that stuff being acceptable. We don’t poison kids’ minds. As I told you, I teach more about the Old Testament, the Jewish people, Christ, the early Church, and the Bible overall with our excellent California social studies standards that many Sunday school teachers do. I have about 3/4 of my kids every year tell me that. They leave me with a depth of knowledge that far exceeded their Sunday school education. I teach values in my room, politeness, critical thinking, and a passion for history and education in general. Would cutting my funding and “throwing less money” at my salary and supply budget, etc. HELP me in my cause? Give me a break! I’m doing my part, period, and I’m doing it in the context of a secular classroom that you’d find illegitimate and worthless. Your outlook on America is so deeply cynical that you see no hope in anything. At least that’s how I read your replies to me. We are both Roman Catholics yet one would think we’re adversaries. I love my Church as do you. We can at least agree on that. But you have unrealistic expectations and views on the relationship between Church and State. I know that the Roman Catholic Church will never conquer America and bring a Papal White House so I work within the system; I also respect people who are different from me. For all I know, my protestant neighbors will enter Heaven before me or you. It’s arrogant to presume otherwise. You are 100% correct that it IS the role of religion to act as a watchdog on the abuses of the State. Abortion, euthanasia, cloning, in vitro, and so many other sick issues that are plaguing our culture need to be fought hard by the Church and I fully support them. America is very broken right now but it’s still the best ticket in town when compared to most other countries. I have to use the same old tired cliche, America, love it or leave it. Grandfather, if you hate it so much, why don’t you leave it? Put your money where your mouth is and go to the Philippines where my wife is from. Birth control is officially condemned there, abortion is illegal, and the Catholic Church actively engages in running much of the country. They also happen to have rampant corruption, sickening pollution, a TON of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, cohabitation all over the place, and a very lax attitude toward the gay lifestyle. What has Catholicism done for the Philippines? It’s been pretty ineffective despite the “official” doctrines taught there. Church and State is pretty blurry in my wife’s homeland yet they’re really no better than we are morally from what I’ve seen. If you look at Spain, France, and other Catholic nations historically, they’ve been pretty pitiful morally. You contention that Catholicism will save the day politically is a tough pill to swallow. We each need to accept Catholicism in our daily lives on a personal level and allow people to choose it for themselves. I stand by it. God bless you. **
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gurneyhalleck1
Guest
Do you want to live among people who know what morality is and strive to live it, or a bunch of pagans? We are building the city of God, not a pagan state. No one can be forced to accept truth, or the gift of faith, or it would not be a gift. But we pray thy kingdom come. That is our objective. If you want to build a secular state, go for it. That is what most people think we are. How do things look? Read your own post about what life is like for the kids in your class.
Do I want to live among “pagans” or Christians? What a bizarre and no-brainer of a question? Thanks, Grandfather, show me the all-Catholic, perfectly-following-the magesterium nation of papal saints and I’ll move there? What in the heck are you talking about? Where is this place? Sign me up! And yeah, of course we’re a secular state? We’re not run by one state religion so politically we ARE and ALWAYS HAVE BEEN a secular country? Religion is a private matter and should fuel our debates and morals but how can you seriously think America should be run by the Vatican? That’s just out-there…
But they are in great darkness.
Unfortunately there is much darkness right now. Agreed!
So you are saying that the problems are complex. It is more difficult to teach a kid to read when there is no one home, from a broken family, not properly fed, etc. Its all true, but the educational system, the methods, the disciplines, have all changed with the times also.
What methods and disciplines would you like returned or left unchanged? We might actually agree here. I’m not a liberal teacher by any stretch and I’m quite old-school. But being traditional doesn’t mean I want to dismantle public education completely and give-up.
Now let me take the Republican role, using your words. If the problems are caused by things that are mainly not in the school, but external, then spending more money in the school will not fix them. If you have a leak in your roof that ruined the rug, buyng a new rug won’t help.
Grandfather, your answer is to have no rug, give up, slip and fall and have a stroke, quiver around on the wet tile, and die. It’s easy to rip on the system when you have no counter-solution
If kids are not learning to read it makes sense to throw more resources at education, but the problems are not in the classroom. You said so. The kids are coming to class with the problems. They are handicapped by what goes on in their environments, at home, from TV, video games, diets, who knows what. How does the government fix broken families? If anything the government causes the problems.
Who said anything about the gov’t “fixing broken families?” I’m not trying to fix anyone? This isn’t a Huxley novel, it’s public education and I’m trying the best I can to teach kids who come with major social and religious, and moral handicaps. It’s not my job to enter their homes and “fix 'em” nor is it yours. We have free will and we work with what we’re given? Again, what’s YOUR solution?
Now take the example above. The real problems we have that are causing kids to come to school damaged and unable to learn are spiritual problems. We are spiritual beings. We are also broken spiritual beings. You can’t fix that by giving me a job, or teaching me about how a computer works. That will not make me spiritually whole, repair my broken soul. A spiritual problem requires a spiritual solution.
Man oh man, I couldn’t agree more! Nicely said. But again, how do you plan to FORCE the faith of Christ and good morals on these folks? We can’t? The gov’t can’t and neither can the Catholic Church that you and I both agree we love deeply. How do we do it?
The government says it has no business getting involved there, right? And so do you say that. Its not the government’s job to tell you what is moral or not. But it does. They tell kids gay sex is not immoral and can be healthy, normal, happy, loving or whatever other bs. So you don’t want the Church telling the population what is moral and you end up with the government doing it. How is that working out? The answer is in your classroom.
This is silly. Nobody preaches gay sex in schools anywhere around me or anywhere I know of. It might happen somewhere, probably has, but overall most teachers are not gay preachers. Oh, and by the way, when did I say, "I don’t want the Church telling the population what is moral and immoral? That’s nutty? OF COURSE I want the Church preaching, teaching and proclaiming Christ, the Catechism, and the faith of the Fathers to our population!!! Who ever said I want the Church stifled? I love our Church! I just don’t want them conquering the gov’t and taking away religious liberty. Are you saying that our Church cannot teach in a democratic country? Are you really saying that?
Do I want to live among “pagans” or Christians? What a bizarre and no-brainer of a question? Thanks, Grandfather, show me the all-Catholic, perfectly-following-the magesterium nation of papal saints and I’ll move there? What in the heck are you talking about? Where is this place? Sign me up! And yeah, of course we’re a secular state? We’re not run by one state religion so politically we ARE and ALWAYS HAVE BEEN a secular country? Religion is a private matter and should fuel our debates and morals but how can you seriously think America should be run by the Vatican? That’s just out-there…
But they are in great darkness.
Unfortunately there is much darkness right now. Agreed!
So you are saying that the problems are complex. It is more difficult to teach a kid to read when there is no one home, from a broken family, not properly fed, etc. Its all true, but the educational system, the methods, the disciplines, have all changed with the times also.
What methods and disciplines would you like returned or left unchanged? We might actually agree here. I’m not a liberal teacher by any stretch and I’m quite old-school. But being traditional doesn’t mean I want to dismantle public education completely and give-up.
Now let me take the Republican role, using your words. If the problems are caused by things that are mainly not in the school, but external, then spending more money in the school will not fix them. If you have a leak in your roof that ruined the rug, buyng a new rug won’t help.
Grandfather, your answer is to have no rug, give up, slip and fall and have a stroke, quiver around on the wet tile, and die. It’s easy to rip on the system when you have no counter-solution
If kids are not learning to read it makes sense to throw more resources at education, but the problems are not in the classroom. You said so. The kids are coming to class with the problems. They are handicapped by what goes on in their environments, at home, from TV, video games, diets, who knows what. How does the government fix broken families? If anything the government causes the problems.
Who said anything about the gov’t “fixing broken families?” I’m not trying to fix anyone? This isn’t a Huxley novel, it’s public education and I’m trying the best I can to teach kids who come with major social and religious, and moral handicaps. It’s not my job to enter their homes and “fix 'em” nor is it yours. We have free will and we work with what we’re given? Again, what’s YOUR solution?
Now take the example above. The real problems we have that are causing kids to come to school damaged and unable to learn are spiritual problems. We are spiritual beings. We are also broken spiritual beings. You can’t fix that by giving me a job, or teaching me about how a computer works. That will not make me spiritually whole, repair my broken soul. A spiritual problem requires a spiritual solution.
Man oh man, I couldn’t agree more! Nicely said. But again, how do you plan to FORCE the faith of Christ and good morals on these folks? We can’t? The gov’t can’t and neither can the Catholic Church that you and I both agree we love deeply. How do we do it?
The government says it has no business getting involved there, right? And so do you say that. Its not the government’s job to tell you what is moral or not. But it does. They tell kids gay sex is not immoral and can be healthy, normal, happy, loving or whatever other bs. So you don’t want the Church telling the population what is moral and you end up with the government doing it. How is that working out? The answer is in your classroom.
This is silly. Nobody preaches gay sex in schools anywhere around me or anywhere I know of. It might happen somewhere, probably has, but overall most teachers are not gay preachers. Oh, and by the way, when did I say, "I don’t want the Church telling the population what is moral and immoral? That’s nutty? OF COURSE I want the Church preaching, teaching and proclaiming Christ, the Catechism, and the faith of the Fathers to our population!!! Who ever said I want the Church stifled? I love our Church! I just don’t want them conquering the gov’t and taking away religious liberty. Are you saying that our Church cannot teach in a democratic country? Are you really saying that?
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gurneyhalleck1
Guest
I will say one last, final point that I see in your posts to me. You constantly draw a certain conclusion about me that is just not true: I want a secular culture that replaces parents, stifles and bans religion, and the State running our lives 100%
This is pure boloney. I am for limited gov’t and I do not support a wide host of secular issues that make me personally sick.
To be pro-democracy and for a separation of Church and State does not necessitate immorality in my theology or a desire to limit the voice of our Church or religious people. When Democrats have gone after many of Bush’s judicial appointees, most especially his wonderful Supreme Court choices who possess pro-life views, I have been furious! It is not the job of Senators to deny an appointee BECAUSE he is religious! Removing the Ten Commandment statues from courthouses is absurd. Roe vs. Wade is absurd. Forcing Catholic charities to fund birth control to workers is absurd. The list goes on and on!
Democracy is about having an opinion and having the right to have one. As you can read from my above statements, I am a conservative Christian man. Sadly our culture is losing Christ. Why is that? There are many reasons. Many of them are our faults, sadly. If we Catholics had done a better job in catechizing our children and being vigilant, maybe so many of our kids wouldn’t have jumped ship to secular humanism in the past 50 years? If we had fought harder and preached the Good News more effectively, maybe our culture wouldn’t have jumped on this bandwagon.
You are right when you say we are a fallen culture. Religion should inform our laws and our values. Right now our values are TOO secular. But the problem is, we cannot dismantle our system of a separation of Church and State out of nowhere and become a theocracy. That’s all I’m saying. We live in an imperfect, muffed-up system but it’s at least workable and changeable. I hope you and I can change it.
Do not judge me a secularist or anti-religious or a bad Catholic because I want to keep religion and the State separate. Would you like it if the Baptists took over as our state religion? They’re the majority in our country. Would you like that? I sure wouldn’t! A separation of Church and religion doesn’t mean a separation FROM religion. We can have a voice as religious folks but we can’t have a State-sponsored one Religion.
We’re on the same side, Grandfather. Pray for me and I’ll do the same for you.
This is pure boloney. I am for limited gov’t and I do not support a wide host of secular issues that make me personally sick.
To be pro-democracy and for a separation of Church and State does not necessitate immorality in my theology or a desire to limit the voice of our Church or religious people. When Democrats have gone after many of Bush’s judicial appointees, most especially his wonderful Supreme Court choices who possess pro-life views, I have been furious! It is not the job of Senators to deny an appointee BECAUSE he is religious! Removing the Ten Commandment statues from courthouses is absurd. Roe vs. Wade is absurd. Forcing Catholic charities to fund birth control to workers is absurd. The list goes on and on!
Democracy is about having an opinion and having the right to have one. As you can read from my above statements, I am a conservative Christian man. Sadly our culture is losing Christ. Why is that? There are many reasons. Many of them are our faults, sadly. If we Catholics had done a better job in catechizing our children and being vigilant, maybe so many of our kids wouldn’t have jumped ship to secular humanism in the past 50 years? If we had fought harder and preached the Good News more effectively, maybe our culture wouldn’t have jumped on this bandwagon.
You are right when you say we are a fallen culture. Religion should inform our laws and our values. Right now our values are TOO secular. But the problem is, we cannot dismantle our system of a separation of Church and State out of nowhere and become a theocracy. That’s all I’m saying. We live in an imperfect, muffed-up system but it’s at least workable and changeable. I hope you and I can change it.
Do not judge me a secularist or anti-religious or a bad Catholic because I want to keep religion and the State separate. Would you like it if the Baptists took over as our state religion? They’re the majority in our country. Would you like that? I sure wouldn’t! A separation of Church and religion doesn’t mean a separation FROM religion. We can have a voice as religious folks but we can’t have a State-sponsored one Religion.
We’re on the same side, Grandfather. Pray for me and I’ll do the same for you.
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grandfather
Guest
**Grandfather, I agree as always with much of what you say but, as usual, you grab onto the give-up, we’re all lost, doom and gloom, no-answer mentality. Your thinking says, “since society is screwing our kids up, let’s not fund public education? Let’s not “throw money” at those ‘broken schools’ anymore and let’s just give up on the whole rotten thing.” HUH? So since the parents nowdays aren’t what they used to be and society is ruining much of our children we should CUT funding and just give up on public education? That’s looney, pure and simple. **
This is really off topic. I sent my kids to public school, private school and home schooled. Their separation in age was 16 years. The kids who went to public school had the most problems. The oldest one went off the deep end and at 40 is still not doing real well. As I started taking my kids out of the environment that was causing the problem there was a public school teacher who was the most popular teacher in the high school. He was a devout Christian. Every year he was voted by the seniors to address them at graduation. He told me not to take my kids out of the school, because if all the good kids from good families left their influence would be gone. Someone had to remain behind, him, to try to save the troubled kids. He would not abandon them, but he understood why we were getting out. I would not put my kids in jeopardy, at risk. There is such a vast difference between home schooled kids and kids who are exposed to the things that go on in government schools. They learn more at home. The behavior problems are lesser and easier to deal with. I can’t save government shools. I pay for them and paid an enormous sacrifice to get my kids through school without them, because they were moral cesspools. When one daughter was in middle school in a small well of city a kid brought a gun to school. It was a big deal. The next year there were four or five such incidents, and it was kind of normal. A city an hour away had a massacre in the HS. If the system can’t keep guns out of middle school kids should stay home.
I’m sure you want a teach-to the test system or vouchers or the naive notion that we can all home-school our kids. Every post you have points out problems and cynically offers no solutions.
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grandfather
Guest
One is of men and the other established by God.But you have unrealistic expectations and views on the relationship between Church and State.
That is not the intention.I know that the Roman Catholic Church will never conquer America and bring a Papal White House so I work within the system;
Europe fell into chaos twice in the last century and eastern Europe was enslaved by an atheist ideology that slaughtered millions. Civilization hangs by a thread. There are spiritual things behind what we see. If chaos comes, keep the faith.America is very broken right now but it’s still the best ticket in town when compared to most other countries.
I love people not governments.I have to use the same old tired cliche, America, love it or leave it. Grandfather, if you hate it so much, why don’t you leave it?
Catholicism addresses spiritual realities, not political systems. In the examples you gave the teachings of the Church are not followed. People have freedom, or free will and if they choose not to follow the precepts of their religion in the Phillipines that does not mean the precepts or the religion is wrong. If I choose to sin that does not mean my religion is false. It means I failed to follow it.You contention that Catholicism will save the day politically is a tough pill to swallow.
That is precisely what God does.We each need to accept Catholicism in our daily lives on a personal level and allow people to choose it for themselves.
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gurneyhalleck1
Guest
My hope is in God. Political systems and ideologies come and go. God remains. The Church was here before this system we live under and she will be here when it is gone. You could have been a Christian living under Napoleon, Nero, Hitler, Stalin, or Obama. They can’t save you. You can be under a system of, by and for the people and that is the blind leading the blind. Without the truths that God reveals, or abandoning those truths, any society is doomed. Turn to God and be saved, mankind. That is not cynical or hopeless. It is our only hope. If you put your hope in the wrong thing you will be disappointed.
Yes, Grandfather, I hope you know that I’ve never disagreed with you on this! My hope is in God every bit as much. Also, I never thought that Bill Clinton, George Bush, Sarah Palin, or Obama could save me. I know that God is my salvation. I’m not putting my hope in any politician. I wouldn’t do that even if I were an atheist! (which I’m not!)
Yes, Grandfather, I hope you know that I’ve never disagreed with you on this! My hope is in God every bit as much. Also, I never thought that Bill Clinton, George Bush, Sarah Palin, or Obama could save me. I know that God is my salvation. I’m not putting my hope in any politician. I wouldn’t do that even if I were an atheist! (which I’m not!)
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gurneyhalleck1
Guest
One is of men and the other established by God.
We both already know this; nobody is telling you to worship the State or its ideology. We just have to work within a code of law and a secular system. It’s all we have right now.
Europe fell into chaos twice in the last century and eastern Europe was enslaved by an atheist ideology that slaughtered millions. Civilization hangs by a thread. There are spiritual things behind what we see. If chaos comes, keep the faith.
True, I already do.
I love people not governments.
We all do. I am not in love with my gov’t either. I’m very distrusting of the current administration and previous ones. I find it interesting how many hardcore Catholic friends I have who think just because Bush and his cronies are pro-life and have many pro-Catholic agendas that they are infallible, the war is ok, no-bid contracts are acceptible, war-profiteering is cool, leaving people in Katrina to hang on the vine and die, and economic apathy is ok! Bush is a crumb as was Clinton, Reagan, and all these other guys. I’m not in love with the gov’t.
Catholicism addresses spiritual realities, not political systems. In the examples you gave the teachings of the Church are not followed. People have freedom, or free will and if they choose not to follow the precepts of their religion in the Phillipines that does not mean the precepts or the religion is wrong. If I choose to sin that does not mean my religion is false. It means I failed to follow it.
This is stating the obvious, Grandfather. I would hope you know by now that I am not blaming the religion when individuals don’t embrace it. I’m simply saying that making Catholicism or any other denomination firmly in charge won’t work if society is corrupt and so sinful. My argument has been that we need to keep a sep. of church and state BUT that religion has to fight hard within that framework for justice, holiness, and moral fiber. I still am not sure what your argument is? You don’t want the Church running the state and you agree that it doesn’t work yet you trash the sep of church and state, too. You say there is no answer except God. Of course God is the solution to our religious life but we can’t go ask God or the Pope to run our country so what’s your answer? We both agree on Catholicism being the vessel of religious truth and justice and it’s our hope. We both agree secular culture is highly lost and sinful. We both agree that all Catholics and other Christians need to join together to fight abortion and the other crimes against humanity. We agree on so much. But can you imagine if Focus on the Family and all the other Christian groups (which you devalue because they’re protestant) just laid down their arms and said, "to heck with it, this country is hopeless, I’m done! We need to stick with our current system because it’s the best system in the world albeit DEEPLY flawed. We need to keep the system and reform from within through our voting, our protesting, our vocalizing our feelings, effort, and through helping one person at a time. Some people just give up, say they’ll pray for everybody, and that’s it. I think strong prayer and personal effort coupled with not giving up is the only solution.
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