How to counter the LGBT/leftist onslaught?

[jcrichton]

Well – of course! That’s absolutely right; the faith is not an ideology – the faith is the truth.

I made use of the terms “ideological battle” as a shorthand for the battle between Truth and error that is being carried out in society. As you point out, though, it was a bit of a misnomer, for the reasons you’ve just cited.

I agree with much of what you’ve said. Especially, I believe that people crave truth and that most people respond to love and respect. Making use of charity when we evangelize is indeed a crucial thing to keep in mind.

However, I also do believe that we need to be militant about the faith. About the social teachings. As you point out above, they are the truth, so we need to stand for them and defend them like our eternal lives depend on it. Driving around a bus with social teachings is indeed a form of PR – but then, the left uses PR so aggressively precisely because they know that it works. If the Lord and the Apostles had not done PR for God’s kingdom, so to speak, a third of the world’s population wouldn’t be Catholic today.

So if you ask me, I believe that prayer, witness and charity are vitally important. However, I’m also quite convinced that we need more activism in the Church, and especially among the laity. If we are the Church Militant, then we need to militate against the evil that’s taking over our society.

Hi!

…this is in deed a problem with “Catholics;” while in the Catholic Church they are lazy and complaisant… it seems that they only become active and militant when they leave the Church… which is ironic because their militancy and activity often becomes an anti-Catholic crusade.

…the non-Catholic Christians… well they are into division and conquest… often aligning themselves with “social justice” rather than Christian Teachings…

…so the battle Christendom faces is glum in deed–only few and far between skirmishes can be won in such a way…

…once, adultery, fornication and all sorts or immoral acts were known to be repudiated by God; once, divorce was unheard off; once, contraception was understood to be sin; once, homosexuality was known to be anti-God; once, gender and sex fluidity was unthought of… Christians, including “Catholics” saw the light of the world and they’ve embraced its sciences and formulation… the Call they hear is no longer “Stand for Christ;” what they hear now is “stand with man.”

I say this not as recrimination, but as a challenge to Christendom.

It is high time that the laity and the clergy put the fire under the caldron of the “Church Militant!”

It is not in vain that Scriptures warn that “not all who call Me Lord, Lord, will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven,” and, when they put forth: "“Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?” and Jesus, flat out answers: “I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men!’”

Why?

The Warning is clear:

“…since you are… lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth.”

St. Paul put’s it this way:

21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot take your share at the table of the Lord and at the table of demons.

(1 Corinthians 10:21)
…and:

16 As you know, a man who goes with a prostitute is one body with her, since the two, as it is said, become one flesh. 17 But anyone who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. 18 Keep away from fornication. All the other sins are committed outside the body; but to fornicate is to sin against your own body. 19 Your body, you know, is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you since you received him from God. You are not your own property; 20 you have been bought and paid for. That is why you should use your body for the glory of God.

(1 Corinthians 6:16-20)
…during Israel’s trek, in the Old Testament, we find Yahweh God complaining of Israel’s adulterous behavior as she sought idols to supplant the One True God, will Christians be found less guilty for espousing themselves with the world and warring against the King of kings?

Slothfulness was considered one of the 7 deadly sins… do we recall what happened to the servant that simply buried the talent entrusted to him?

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[jcrichton]

I think that analysis is 100% correct. That is exactly what is going on.

I think this other analysis is, also, very accurate.

These are the things that have brought us here, the two major causes of our current crisis. First, the immoral governments and activists that keep pushing these unjust, perverse agendas and seeking to destroy the faith insofar as the faith opposes their ends. And second, there’s the laxitude of Christians in knowing, embracing, proclaiming and defending the truth. These are the problems that have gotten us in this mess.

I love the battle plan and the guidelines for action that you propose. Really great stuff.

Now I wonder how we can come together and actually apply these necessary corrective measures in a spirit of unity.

Hi!

…this is the easy and the hard part…

…it is easy because Christians have been doing it from Jesus’ Missionary’s days… what is it that Jesus Taught?: “your righteousness/justice must be greater than the masters of the law”

It means that those who Fellowship with and in Jesus must adhere to the Commandments and be the Salt and Light of the world… remember the query about who should be the leader/first amongst the Apostles? Jesus explained that the first should serve the rest, that the one thinking of himself to be set above should serve all as if they were above him…

Throughout time the Church accepted this challenge as she Serve the need of all, including those who were persecuting and oppressing her… the hospitals, the schools, the religious centers… all were created around and in the midst of the hatred of Christ and of the Church.

…people (world culture) sought God and they volunteered to Serve–in deed some of the most wealthy “lost” their sons and daughters to Christ…

…we have lost that fervor… we have lost that sense of obligation to be God’s Stewards… we complaint about the world going to hell in a handbasket while providing the materials and the manpower to manufacture that handbasket!

…the hard part…

Stop aspiring for the temporal things; Scriptures tell us that to be a friend to the world is to be in enmity with God… Jesus demanded that if we do not “hate” ourselves (our existence) we cannot be His Disciples… the correlation is that if we attach ourselves to the world and that which it holds we cannot be authentic Christians and we will be enemies of God.

So we must Serve God with our lives–everything we do must reflect that!

That’s the hard part; giving God control of our lives; Serving as God’s Stewards for the sake of humanity and for the sake of Salvation.

How do we do it?

Implementation!

Each and every person that claims to be a Christian must put his/her talents to work Serving God at the local level, at the township level, at the city level, at the state level, at the national level…

Here’s St. Paul’s admonishment:

4:17 In particular, I want to urge you in the name of the Lord, not to go on living the aimless kind of life that pagans live. 18 Intellectually they are in the dark, and they are estranged from the life of God, without knowledge because they have shut their hearts to it. 19 Their sense of right and wrong once dulled, they have abandoned themselves to sexuality and eagerly pursue a career of indecency of every kind…

22 You must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires. 23 Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution 24 so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of the truth…

28 Anyone who was a thief must stop stealing; he should try to find some useful manual work instead, and be able to do some good by helping others that are in need. 29 Guard against foul talk; let your words be for the improvement of others, as occasion offers, and do good to your listeners, 30 otherwise you will only be grieving the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal for you to be set free when the day comes. 31 Never have grudges against others, or lose your temper, or raise your voice to anybody, or call each other names, or allow any sort of spitefulness. 32 Be friends with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.

(Ephesians 4:17-32)
We are to align ourselves to Christ and we are to Follow His Prescription to Walk in the Light.

It is interesting that St. Paul singles out thievery… every time that we serve ourselves instead of God we are robbing God of an opportunity to work marvels through us and in us!

The key points: Be Holy, Unite in Christ, Serve God through the Church and through society at large.

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[ELance]

They are heretics, and this we ought them to name. Shall they not burn forever screaming in hell? Why ought we to heed of such wretches? My brothers, you speak of many hundred year herebefore. Of yore God felled twain borough of sinners, Sodom and Gomorrah. The printing press and Luther and his men have struck at the church till it can do nought but speak words, where once them we harrowed, fettered, and slew. The Church never changed, but Luther, and man tasted the engine so he tasted the fruit. The instruments and devices, the printing press, the motorcars, and the electricity, changed the world, but they shall end, for the engines ail the mother, and the sores she cannot heal. Men cannot go in most towns without a car, and of some evil is each man who in his car goes to the other man, but to speak hot words. Yea, far has the church fallen, but St. Stylite dwelled on a pillar for a few score year, though afar abade sodomites and whores. Lao Tzu said: “When the times are against a man, he drifts with the wind.” If the clerics may not pen the heretics and burn from them the life already have they made a truce with the devil. What say you, brothers? I shall keep my temple from them foul, and pray yet for their flesh unburned.

 

[jcrichton]

They are heretics, and this we ought them to name. Shall they not burn forever screaming in hell? Why ought we to heed of such wretches? My brothers, you speak of many hundred year herebefore. Of yore God felled twain borough of sinners, Sodom and Gomorrah. The printing press and Luther and his men have struck at the church till it can do nought but speak words, where once them we harrowed, fettered, and slew. The Church never changed, but Luther, and man tasted the engine so he tasted the fruit. The instruments and devices, the printing press, the motorcars, and the electricity, changed the world, but they shall end, for the engines ail the mother, and the sores she cannot heal. Men cannot go in most towns without a car, and of some evil is each man who in his car goes to the other man, but to speak hot words. Yea, far has the church fallen, but St. Stylite dwelled on a pillar for a few score year, though afar abade sodomites and whores. Lao Tzu said: “When the times are against a man, he drifts with the wind.” If the clerics may not pen the heretics and burn from them the life already have they made a truce with the devil. What say you, brothers? I shall keep my temple from them foul, and pray yet for their flesh unburned.

Hi!

…interesting citing… could you expand on your presentation?

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[Dorothy]

Grim ideological battle?!? Hmmmm. I suppose if you see it that way then you may have perhaps fallen into the trap that was intended.The trap I refer to is picking an ideological battle. As soon as you admit that we are arguing over ideology then you have already lost.

The Catholic faith is NOT an ideology. It is instead a universal truth that is available for all who seek it. Sort of like the study of physics. The natural laws are there for you to understand if you so choose.The truths of Christ are there and speak for themselves through our church.

People naturally crave truth and we must be there for them when they come to need that truth. In the mean time pray for your own strength to simply be a light to the world that displays the truth of Christ in a world that so badly needs it.

Jesus told us that people would reject us like they rejected him. But not everyone rejected Jesus. Focus on the few. Teach to the top. Don’t let the turkeys get you down.

Stand up for religious freedom. But realize that not everyone shares your Catholic beliefs. Jesus respected that choosing him was an act of free will. We must respect that God made the world that way. Jesus never coerced. He offered and accepted love.

I promise you that all people respond to love and respect. So we start with that. Then they find out we are Catholic. Then some of the social teachings can make sense to people. But when they see the social teachings without first seeing the love, the message is lost.

Driving around a bus with social teachings on it is a form of PR and people have a right to reject it. We are so inundated with people wanting to press their PR on us that it gets tiring to everyone. Let’s not fight that way.

Thank you for your post!

 

[Darryl_B]

Hello, all. I don’t know about you, but I’m outraged/terrified at the incredible aggression that we’ve been seeing from the anti-christian left over the past few years.

Here’s a quick summary of the overall trends I notice:

• The LGBT crowd is convincing the world that Christians and specifically Catholics are the villains of this story, simply because we hold to the revealed truth about sodomy and similar forms of sexual dysfunction.
• Meanwhile, the pro-abortion crowd has been quite successful promoting the claim that the Catholic Church is against women’s freedom.
• Catholics and Christians in general are being fired from their jobs, harrassed, fined, jailed, and even physically assaulted for proclaiming the truth about these issues. (See what liberals are doing to the Freedom Bus if you want a recent reminder.)
• Massive social media companies such as Google, DeviantArt, Facebook, and Twitter are deploying attrition tactics to gain more converts for these twisted ideologies on a daily basis.
• All over the world, activist pro-LGBT legislation is having our children indoctrinated into the SOGI ideology, and passing “gag laws” that impose criminal penalties on anybody who dares contradict the Rainbow Fuhrer.
• Catholic voices are being systematically ridiculed, marginalized and criminalized worldwide.

So the question is… what are we to do? How can we, as lay Catholics, come up with effective strategies or tactics to do our part in the culture wars, and fight for the Kingdom of God in the midst of this grim ideological battle?

It is the fine art of victimology.

 

[Cherripeeps]

Dude. I feel so freaking lonely right now.

The Leftists are rallying together and presenting a unified activist front to destroy the Kingdom of God.

Meanwhile we talk about how what they’re doing is very wrong and very effective, but I’ve yet to see any workable proposals on how we the Catholic laity can rally together in some kind of unified apostolate with specific and concrete tactics to militate against the ideologies of error. Everybody wants to just pray and vote and do the “silent witness” thing and keep on railing against the evilness of the left. Why are Catholics so freaking lazy? Gaaaaah.

 

[Markie_Boy]

Dude. I feel so freaking lonely right now.

The Leftists are rallying together and presenting a unified activist front to destroy the Kingdom of God.

Meanwhile we talk about how what they’re doing is very wrong and very effective, but I’ve yet to see any workable proposals on how we the Catholic laity can rally together in some kind of unified apostolate with specific and concrete tactics to militate against the ideologies of error.** Everybody wants to just pray and vote and do the “silent witness” thing and keep on railing against the evilness of the left. **Why are Catholics so freaking lazy? Gaaaaah.

I hear you - that’s a lot of the Church in my area.

In a parish of 150-200 I can find probably 10 people that are active and willing to do something. So I’m trying to pull them together and do something. Here we have to work past the liberals that are inside the Church first.

Praying - excellent
Vote - only helps if they vote properly - and from what I have found even some of the clergy don’t do this in our area
Silent Witness - you must live it before you can preach it, but “lifestyle evangelism approach” has turned the Great Commission in to the Great Omission for most Catholics.

 

[Otar_Mendes]

I’m not gonna discuss this topic in general coz it’s neither my place. nor my intention.

However, this imediately caught my eye:

The LGBT crowd is convincing the world that Christians and specifically Catholics are the **villains **of this story, simply because we hold to the revealed truth about **sodomy **and similar forms of sexual dysfunction.

Maybe they got some reason to call you that huh?

 

[jcrichton]

Dude. I feel so freaking lonely right now.

The Leftists are rallying together and presenting a unified activist front to destroy the Kingdom of God.

Meanwhile we talk about how what they’re doing is very wrong and very effective, but I’ve yet to see any workable proposals on how we the Catholic laity can rally together in some kind of unified apostolate with specific and concrete tactics to militate against the ideologies of error. Everybody wants to just pray and vote and do the “silent witness” thing and keep on railing against the evilness of the left. Why are Catholics so freaking lazy? Gaaaaah.

Hi!

…Catholicism is not a political agency… so Catholics are not able to form bodies that will counter punch/arrest social/political movements.

…why Pray?

…why did Jesus spend so much time in Prayer–He is God, so there’s nothing that He could not resolved on His own–without the need of Prayer… but the Incarnate Word Came to the world to Facilitate our inheritance… as the Older Brother, He would serve as an example of everything that we must do and is expect of us: ‘there’s no greater love than to give one’s Life for a friend…’ (paraphrased)

…have you noticed how angered these “social justice fighters” are? Is it because they are on the side of justice or is it because they want things their when and when they want them?

…can we, Catholics and non-Catholic Christians, be in Fellowship with Christ if we emulate the world?

It is not about empowering ourselves and meeting them on the streets rally vs. rally.

It is about Representing Christ–that is being alter Christus. But this Begins at home–in ourselves.

You want to effect the world? Live the Sacraments; own up to Christ in every fiber of your existence–this means you Become Christ… to the Church (local and national and international bodies)… to your family… to your friends… to your neighbors… to your acquaintances… to your employer/employees… to your “enemies…”

…people are lazy… people love comfort… people hate confrontation (unless they have some gain and the upper hand)… people love coasting by, feeling superior, bragging, adulation…

…print some flyers about a block party with food and beer… hundreds, if not thousands, will come

…invite people to Mass, Bible Study, Catechesis, Prayer, Catholic Community Awareness and Prevention Program… few, even those who qualify themselves as staunch Catholics will respond positively… even fewer will show!

…this is the reality of the Narrow Gate vs. the Wide Gate.

…Jesus did not warn, in vain, about the selection of those who while found together will be separated… some will be shocked to find that they did not meet Christ’s Demands and Expectations…

You feel alone because… well… it’s lonely at the top… right now your zealousness for the Faith puts at odds with the world and even those who claim to be Christians… this is good (and it’s bad); this means that you are aware of your Commitment to Christ… this is bad (and good) because it means that you must gather the others around you… you must be that Salt/Light that motivates the world–which may even include the Clergy.

Plans come and go… without implementations they simply get confined to “wish lists.”

…from the energy you project, you seem to be a young person… this, to me, is of great Promise… how concrete do you want things to be? Right here and right now?

…are you a blogger, do you have many acquaintances, are you actively involved in your local parish, are you bilingual (Mexico–but your English seems far from ESL)…?

Start a campaign about the Faith… get your family members, friends, fellow parishioners, and acquaintances involved!

…ever noticed the Jehovah Witnesses? …these people are so confused about God it is surprising they still refer to themselves as Believers… but they are resolved to campaign and win over the multitudes…

…do you know how they and other non-Catholics see “Catholics?”

…as fish in a barrel!

…and they are right, in part; Catholics are the easiest prey in the world… they stand for almost nothing and they fall for almost anything!

…this is your campaign… awareness of the Faith… the Church has, for too long, relied on the religiosity of the culture (world culture); even when the greatest persecutions were unleashed against the Church people had a thirst for God and the Truth… today there’s still that thirst for the Truth but man’s heart has grown cold, filled with greed, apathy, confusion… the ole: “if you build it, they will come” does not work anymore…

Your campaign can bring Faith (Knowledge of Yahweh God) to the world… it is the New Evangelization…

…but it starts from a position of Hope not despair…

…you are not alone… everyone allover feel the same dread, the same thirst, the same emptiness, the same impotence, the same unquenchable desire to Be in God. …yeah, there would be those who would reject this notion… but the reality is that even atheist would not fight as hard as they do against a God they do not believe exists if they did not share in that anthropological hub!

…I love Scriptures and writing… so if I can be of assistance just let me know!

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[jcrichton]

I hear you - that’s a lot of the Church in my area.

In a parish of 150-200 I can find probably 10 people that are active and willing to do something. So I’m trying to pull them together and do something. Here we have to work past the liberals that are inside the Church first.

Praying - excellent
Vote - only helps if they vote properly - and from what I have found even some of the clergy don’t do this in our area
Silent Witness - you must live it before you can preach it, but “lifestyle evangelism approach” has turned the Great Commission in to the Great Omission for most Catholics.

Hi, Markie!

This is the greatest problem in the Church–people want to “claim” the Faith without Obeying the Faith… the Ten Commandments have been relegated to the ten options which are superseded by the dictate of “conscience.”

Priests, Nuns, and Laity defending unrighteousness for the sake of “social justice;” Catholics and non-Catholics silencing the Word of God through “correctness,” “fairness,” “sensibilities,” and “it’s the law.”

…it all translates to ‘do as you will, God loves you just as you want to be.’

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[jcrichton]

I’m not gonna discuss this topic in general coz it’s neither my place. nor my intention.

However, this imediately caught my eye:

Maybe they got some reason to call you that huh?

Hi!

…yeah, and if you oppose homosexuality it’s because you’re a closet homosexual!

…ever heard of “reversed psychology?”

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[mkoopman]

Probably the answer is don’t counter it. All you will get is your fora globbed by mindless zombies with egos that know what is right. Our conscience teaches what is right when it is well formed. Humility is the nutrient of the unborn conscience but in today’s environment the government will force a partial birth abortion on it.

Live Catholic, do what is right and encounter the other in love. It may not convert them or lead them to God but at least you may have the satisfaction in knowing you could irritate them as much is they bother you, right?

 

[Otar_Mendes]

Hi!

…yeah, and if you oppose homosexuality it’s because you’re a closet homosexual!

…ever heard of “reversed psychology?”

Maran atha!

Angel

What? Your reply is somewhat amusing. This is not what I was implying.

 

[mathematoons]

I don’t think we can do anything about the secular left. In Biblical times, the Gospel was new; now, it has been known and rejected, and seen as something that has been tried and found wanting. It is impossible for Western culture to turn back to Jesus (see Hebrews 6:4-8). We can no more stop the left than we can stop a tsunami. The question is, how do we deal with the fact that our culture is dying?

 

[jcrichton]

What? Your reply is somewhat amusing. This is not what I was implying.

Hi, Otar!

…sorry for having misunderstood your statement… I’ve heard so many takes on this that I thought you meant that they were being judged (rejected out of malice).

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[jcrichton]

I don’t think we can do anything about the secular left. In Biblical times, the Gospel was new; now, it has been known and rejected, and seen as something that has been tried and found wanting. It is impossible for Western culture to turn back to Jesus (see Hebrews 6:4-8). We can no more stop the left than we can stop a tsunami. The question is, how do we deal with the fact that our culture is dying?

Hi!

…first, Hebrews is not saying that the apostate cannot turn back to God; it is saying that it is impossible for them to be reconverted (taught what they already know) or reinitiated (re-Receive Baptism for the forgiveness of sin/regeneration); they can always turn from their apostasy and Reconcile themselves to God through the Sacrament of Confession and by rejecting their anti-God stance.

…yet, as you’ve state, we cannot turn their minds/hearts back to God… the best we can do is Love them… we can do this by maintaining our Affiliation with Yahweh God: Be Holy for I AM HOLY!

…by Teaching them… we must Live the Sacraments and teach our children, our parents, our extended relatives, our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers, our peers, and yes, even our “enemies” the Christian Life: Love Yahweh God Above all and your neighbor as yourself!

…and we must share Church Doctrine with the world.

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[Danjabo]

I completely relate to the OP. It is enough to make me despair.

Only God can turn things around but we have to participate. But if society, and even most Christians (and many Catholics), have become so misled that they cannot accept the Truth anymore, what can we do?

 

[Catholic13]

Don’t let them push the “*****homosexuality doesn’t harm anyone” narrative. It’s a lie that it doesnt harm anyone.

*****homosexuality=gay acts and gay marriage.

 

[jcrichton]

I completely relate to the OP. It is enough to make me despair.

Only God can turn things around but we have to participate. But if society, and even most Christians (and many Catholics), have become so misled that they cannot accept the Truth anymore, what can we do?

Hi!

…Jesus gave us the answer some two thousand years ago:

15 But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother. 16 And if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more: that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. 17 And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.

(St. Matthew 18:15-17)…and:

14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words: going forth out of that house or city shake off the dust from your feet. 15 Amen I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. 16 Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves.

(St. Matthew 10:14-16)
…but the problem lies not in the world or the corruption that constantly assails the Church but in the Believers’ Stand… do we Stand for Christ or do we embrace the world?

Maran atha!

Angel