cecelia:
This movement has been allowed to use semantic engineering and employ such words as “discrimination” and “tolerance,” “rights” and “equality” to legitimize actions that are gravely disordered.
You are exactly right. Keep in mind, though, that Catholics do the same thing when they condemn each other in their hearts under the code word “accountability.”
If you really think about it, the whole point of the living Good News is to remove the automatic accountability that comes with sin.
Condemning each other, judging each other, and kicking each other and/or their children out of the sand box, are all gravely disordered actions which Christ adamantly taught against and which are all legitimized with the “accountability” code word as I mentioned, and yet another much more sinister and subtle code word, “unity.”
If we propose unity by kicking people out, then we are performing religious cleansing which we vilify when people from religions where there are lots of brown people do it. Sometimes we even go to war against people who would bring about religious unity by killing those who don’t believe as they do.
Let’s take a look in the mirror and see if we might be able to understand the truth of Christ’s teaching that by the measure we judge others, so shall we be judged.
If we are against ethnic or religious cleansing, then let’s make sure we don’t participate. If we think it’s OK to cast aside children because they have sinful parents, then we really shouldn’t be at war at all, but should be like the mother of a 9/11 bomber who praised Allah that her son was able to do so much for his faith. Are we jealous that we are not as effective at them at eliminating dissent – or do we realize that our solution,like theirs, is more evil than the problem? How many would rejoice if the Twin Towers had been populated by nothing but cafeteria Catholics? I bet Terry Shaivo was not fully assenting, but we gave her a pass and think it’s wrong to deny her nutrition. In complete disregard for Jesus’ example, his teachings about His Body, and his words, “father forgive them for they know not what they do” we wish those who are not as mentally fit regarding Catholic dogma as we are to cut themselves off from the Bread of Life.
I know I’m making extreme comparisons, but that is because I’m assuming (perhaps wrongly) that orthodox Catholics are concerned with absolute principles. If you say it’s OK to wish for children with disobedient parents and/or possible wrong ideas about the Truth to be thrown out of our family, then you either have to embrace the spiritual consistency of Al-Quaida, or admit you are the biggest relativistic cafeteria Catholic of them all. Which is it? I can’t wait for somebody to tell me that my comparisons, though admittedly provocative, are invalid. They are provocative because it seems they have to be to pound against the ever-present barrier between the spiritual mind and the carnal mind.
Alan
**
Not us, I gather. 