Social Justice groups such as JustFaith, CCHD, IAF

[michaeldemma]

Yes Mimi my reference to “pro choice” was a mistype. It should have read “unequivicably Pro LIFE”

Your note was very well put and reflects my feelings.

It is amazing how quiet our leadership and EWTN is on this subject. While they carry many other prolife programming. This one is skipped.

Thanks for your response and God Bless

 

[yayi238]

To Mimi

How do I get that flier you mentioned–the one that will help me explain about the problems with the groups funded by CCHD?
The collection for them is fast approaching and last week, because I’m a lector , I had to announce it.
We, the parishioners, were even asked to e-mail Congress re supporting the health care reform issue. This seems way too political an issue for the church to endorse–it’s just hidden in “social justice”. How can they justify such an announcement from the lectern which is right next to the altar?

 

[Mimi]

I thought this was good, from the Traditionalist Fish Eater’s web site;
fisheaters.com/modernist2catholicdictionary.html

Dissenter’s Dictionary

“social justice” is now the purpose of the Church, according to modernists.
In the real world, the true purpose of the Church is helping people repent
and come to Christ, and the offering of the seven Sacraments.

The modernist definition of “social justice,” instead of focusing on classic
Catholic teaching (such as the evils of usury, communism, materialism,
violations of the principles of subsidiarity and private property), usually
promotes statism, Marxism, illegal immigration, environmentalism outside the
bounds of Christian stewardship of the Earth, egalitarian feminism, the view
of sexuality as a matter of “lifestyle choice,” and the promotion of
contraception and, possibly, abortion.

Mimi

 

[Mimi]

(Perhaps this belongs in a different thread??)

This may have appeared previously, but even if so, is worth restating. This stuff goes really deep, not only affecting our Church, but our whole society & the Republic.

I was sorting through some saved stuff in my files and found this from Feb. '08:
americanthinker.com/2008/02/george_soros_and_the_alchemy_o.html

snippet:

And Mr. Soros, along with his “progressive” friends may stand at the ready to issue in their vision of America by strategically re-writing the Constitution.

In April 2005, Soros’ Open Society Institute was the primary sponsor of a conference at Yale Law School, called, “The Constitution in 2020.” The conference’s task was to produce “a progressive vision of what the Constitution ought to be”. (Emphasis mine.) When one sees references in progressive-speak about the “evolutionary character of constitutional law,” they are talking about changing the Constitution to formally enshrine their policy preferences so they can avoid the messy necessity of having to win elections. (Shadow Party; Horowitz and Poe; p. 71)

It would seem, then, that progressives stand at the threshold of fulfilling their wildest dreams right here on American shores. With a Republican Party in disarray, the economy seemingly poised on the brink of recession, one candidate with the charisma of a snake charmer and another master schemer as backup, and a new Constitution already being planned, what will stand in their way?

Conservatives (of any political stripe) need to get motivated.

 

[Tigg]

This is a somewhat dated article, but nonetheless still relevant as healthcare goes to the Senate, and afterall, is what all these social justice groups are promoting.

Wacky ‘Catholic social justice’ groups? Or worse?

……the article mentioned reports on a protest planned by the Catholic Peace Fellowship, the House of Grace Catholic Worker and the Philadelphia Catholic Worker, to pressure Justin Cardinal Rigali, the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, to explicitly endorse a version of Obamacare.

Such organizations fear that if the bishops persist in their demand that taxpayer funding not be used for most abortions, then people will be driven to oppose health care reform because of what the bishops are saying. Such organizations want to see universal health care reform legislation passed now and then, supposedly, worry about abortion later.

renewamerica.com/columns/brown/090922

IMHO, these groups need not fear that our bishops might upset the apple cart. Their mandatory insert stating that abortion funding must not be included, wasn’t even received by many parishes across the country in a timely manner. The House vote had already been taken.

What shame!

 

[Mimi]

Lest anyone have doubts as to whether Alinskyan Organizing is incompatible with Catholic social doctrine, here’s yet another article for ya from a FORMER member of Gamaliel.

Article Author: Rey Lopez-Calderon

For over 15 years, Rey López-Calderón has worked for the betterment of communities in Los Angeles, Orange County (CA), and Metropolitan Chicago. In addition to his work in community organizing with affiliates of both the Industrial Areas Foundation …

We organizers tend not to badmouth our colleagues in public. In some ways we protect our own. But the recent ACORN prostitution scandal has me worried about our profession.

big snip

…The idea of an international, faith-based organization that brings together people of all colors and creeds is certainly a noble cause. But the organization’s philosophy was flawed from day one. I worked for Gamaliel in the late 1990s up until 2001. This was about 8 years after Barack worked for them.

My former mentors, Greg Galluzzo and his wife Mary Gonzalez, took over the Gamaliel Foundation after breaking with the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), the organization founded by Saul Alinsky. Gamaliel’s leadership system was built on notes obtained from the IAF. They eventually modified the system, but to my knowledge they have never credited the IAF even for the initial iteration of the so-called Gamaliel model.

I have never seen such a strange and warped culture anywhere. Staff were pitted against each other by Galluzzo and Gonzalez. Galluzzo told me that he wanted organizers to be tough b_st_rds who could build power like the Conquistadors. His idea was not even Machiavellian (no virtù needed at all). He felt that organizers should fight fire with fire. In fact, Galluzzo used to give a cultish advanced training seminar titled “Walking the Edge of Immorality” where he repeatedly stated “the ends justifies the means” and nonchalantly told us that to have an impact on society we had to be willing to “lie, cheat, and steal for the greater good.” His concept of doing the good was completely Platonic — we could be shady to get power but once we had enough power, knowing the Good would be enough for us to make the right decisions. Too bad Galluzzo, a former Jesuit seminarian, skipped the course on Aristotle where he would have learned that character is a function of habit — i.e. doing shady things makes you shady whether or not you grasp the Good. The final straw for me was when Galluzzo sent out a weekly report with a reflection that we organizers needed to promote a noble myth to our churches that our work was about justice, God, and peace even though we really knew it was about power.

I left Gamaliel disillusioned and disgusted by what seemed to me to be pure evil. How could a faith-based organization operate under such a skewed, cynical view of the world? Where was God in that scheme? I should have exposed them then. I had a duty to do so. We can’t content ourselves with feelings of moral superiority while people with corrupt principles are out there building power. We ignore these bad apples to our own peril. We have to be willing to shake the tree, letting the rotten ones fall where the may. If we don’t do it ourselves, then the Media will surely do it for us!

No, one thing we know for sure is, we cannot trust the media to do it for us.

This is a piece I’m going to make sure gets circulated. I wonder if Rey Lopez-Calderon is willing to do a speaking tour of the US? He’s sure to be a hit at Tea Parties!

Mimi

 

[Mimi]

I think I will post this on a new thread under politics as well, so, hopefully, more will read it.
The article is clearly written, not lengthy and pertinent to our current political climate as well as what is happening in the Church:

marianland.com/marx01.html

excerpt from
MARXIST FUNDAMENTALS

by Prof. Libor Brom

From “Where is your America?” by IMPRIMIS of Hillsdale College, Hillsdale,
Michigan, 49242 Vol 11, No. 8., August 1982

The fact is that we live in a time of fateful challenges. As a people and a
nation we are under test.
This challenge is, of course, Marxism-Leninism. There is no mystery in its
strategies and tactics. It has always been concrete and spelled out in black
and white. It has also been openly and actively tested in the economic,
political, and ideological struggle for control around globe.
Lenin, the founder of the first Communist state, put it simply: “First we
will take Eastern Europe, then the masses of Asia. We will encircle the last
bastion of capitalism, the United States of America. We will not need to
fight. It will fall as a ripe fruit into our hands.” And, "We must practice
coexistence with other nations, until we are strong enough to take over by
means of world revolution… We are not pacifists. Conflict is inevitable.
Great political questions can be solved only through violence… It is
inconceivable that Communism and capitalism can exist side by side.
Inevitably one must perish.’’
(snip)

 

[Tigg]

More bad news, I’m afraid. Just received this - a labor advisor to the bishops and a member of the Sub-Committee on healthcare is an openly professed lesbian.

Does it get any crazier than this?

youtube.com/watch?v=Rq-KeN0-QSE

 

[Mimi]

It could get crazier, though I’m not sure how!

I do know that some of the Alinsky groups have Muslim members. How do they justify allying themselves with a group of Christians (unless it is just to infiltrate) since their idea of God/Allah is not the same as the Judeo-Christian concept?

From what I’ve read and seen (see What the West Needs to Know about Islam series on youtube):
youtube.com/watch?v=UQS_Wy8MKvw&feature=fvw

this is entirely believable.

Mimi

 

[ljpgoodwin]

Great news!!:thumbsup:
I have just heard that good Catholics from all around the country have really stepped up to the bat. The CCHD collections around the country were very robust. Thankfully the uncatechized, simple minded people who opposition to this wonderfully, deeply Catholic organization have so few real numbers or credibility with the average Catholic that they made no difference in the collection this year.
Imagine, some people think that heath insurance reform is “too political” to be mentioned from the pulpit. They wrap it in “pro life” issues as they do everything. Thankfully most Catholics can make the distinction between a pro-life issue and a poverty issue and see that it is one of the jobs of the Church to help people understand these complicated issues.
Maybe one day these people who call themselves “pro-life” will see that being pro-life also means being against the death penalty too; just as the CCC teaches. So many “pro-life” people are really not pro-life…they are anti-abortion. Which of course is a good thing; but they need to start calling themselves “anti-abortion” so they don’t get confused with real pro-life Catholics.

 

[ljpgoodwin]

To respond to a good Catholic observation by some good truly pro-life good Catholics some dioceses have included a pro-life module for JustFaith. Seeing as JustFaith is a good Catholic program with the aim of teaching good Catholics about good Catholic teaching on the causes and good Catholic solutions to poverty, the pro-life modules teaches about how people who live in poverty are more susceptible to be impacted by abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research and the death penalty. Thank God for the good Catholic program of JustFaith. It truly does a lot of good work. I think the best indication of just how effective it is can be seen in how uncomfortable it makes some people.

 

[Mimi]

This thread is not inquiring only about JustFaith. It sounds like you are an enthusiastic supporter of this group, ljpgoodwin.

To quote the O.P:

I wonder about motives. And it seems many social justice groups have more of a political agenda than a faith-building agenda.
I have found the JustFaith program listed as a “progressive anti-Catholic group”.

But to give our time, talent and treasure to any group, especially ones which purport to be Catholic (or Christian, for that matter), we need to see who funds it, who the founders are, and what the details are of what they teach. This is what prompted yayi238 to inquire.

1. Is the group’s founder a faithful Catholic? Ex: if the leaders or founders are members of any dissident groups, such as Call to Action, or Voice of the Faithful, that would raise a red flag for me.

The IAF (Industrial Areas Foundation) was founded by Saul Alinsky. We’ve written enough here about him and his ideology, so I won’t go into it again.

1. Who is the group’s main financial supporter? In the case of Alinsky groups, it’s been found to be connected to George Soros, a multi-billionaire and political manipulator on the world scene.
2. What other groups are they affiliated with? In the case of Alinsky groups, they are also linked to groups which promote an ultra-liberal agenda; i.e., pro-abortion groups such as Catholics for a Free Choice (pro-abortion), the Democratic Party, EMILY’s List (pro-abortion), NARAL Pro-Choice America, Planned Parenthood, and many others (pro-gay “marriage” rights, anti-war to name a few).

IMO, these associations are enough to make me find another group which more faithfully reflects Catholic values and tenets.

If you check back in this forum, you might find that JustFaith is linked to the IAF or some other group which claims it promotes “social justice”. That term itself has become a red flag in this country at this time.

Just because a certain group is effective is not in itself reason enough to look the other way if one wants to become involved and give support to it.

There are plenty of other solid Catholic groups out there to use. Each of us has an obligation to see that it is faithful to Church teachings, to the best of our ability.

You may continue to hide your head in the sand, lpjgoodwin, but it does not do good service to you or your fellow Catholics/the Church when presented with the truth and still continue your support of JustFaith.

God bless,
Mimi

 

[Mimi]

I think this thread has about run its course, but will post this link:

lesfemmes-thetruth.blogspot.com/
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Sixth Bishop Passed Up CCHD Collection
Bishop Edward J. Slattery of Tulsa, OK, is the sixth bishop who declined to support the CCHD collection this year. While the bishop held a collection that Sunday the funds were reserved for self-help projects within the diocese. Read more here. The bishops boycotting the collection included:

Bishop Robert J. Baker - Birmingham, Alabama LSN

Bishop John O. Barres - Allentown, Pennsylvania LSN

Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz - Lincoln, Nebraska LSN

Bishop Victor Galeone - St. Augustine, Florida Statement LSN

Bishop Robert C. Morlino - Madison, Wisconsin Statement LSN

Bishop Edward J. Slattery - Tulsa, Oklahoma

 

[Tigg]

Mimi - God Bless You!

for your previous post. Yes, many of our bishops are now **openly declaring **that SOMETHING is UTTERLY AMISS at the CCHD!

Thankfully most Catholics can make the distinction between a pro-life issue and a poverty issue and see that it is one of the jobs of the Church to help people understand these complicated issues.

Let’s sincerely hope they can, and to reiterate, the Magisterium throughout the centuries has **never **taught that poverty is an ill or moral equivalent to abortion, nor that the poor should be raised up and given preferential treatment within the Body of Christ. It is a myth and misconception to try to state that all life issues are equal.

The bishops themselves issued their declaration of this in their pastoral letter entitled “A Campaign in Support of Life,” which clarified the Consistent Ethic of Life – that Seamless Garment of Bernardin’s which has so greatly been misconstrued.

The bishops themselves write:

"Among important issues involving the dignity of human life with which the Church is concerned, **abortion necessarily plays a central role. **Abortion, the direct killing of an innocent human being, is always gravely immoral (The Gospel of Life, no. 57); its victims are the most vulnerable and defenseless members of the human family. It is imperative that those who are called to serve the least among us give urgent attention and priority to this issue of justice.

"This focus and the Church’s commitment to a consistent ethic of life complement one another. A consistent ethic of life, which explains the Church’s teaching at the level of moral principle—far from diminishing concern for abortion and euthanasia or equating all issues touching on the dignity of human life—recognizes instead the distinctive character of each issue while giving each its proper place within a coherent moral vision."

priestsforlife.org/articles/consistentethic.htm

I too, agree that this thread has completed it’s usefulness. Those faithful to authentic Church teaching will not be duped by the rhetoric of the liberal bishops who continue to confuse Liberation Theology with the Deposit of Faith as clarified by Church Councils over the centuries.

 

[ljpgoodwin]

Like I said; the opposition to CCHD is minimal. Only 6 bishops out of the 178 diocese of the U.S. said they would not be taking a CCHD collection. The reason for the minimal opposition is because this program is so totally Catholic from top to bottom. Seeing as CCHD is a good Catholic program, it does not operate out of a black and white world view. Thank God most Catholics don’t have a black and white view when it comes to these kinds of issues. They can see the Truth in shades of gray.

It is true that being Catholic means that we don’t hold to any one political party or claim to be conservative or liberal. The truth is that a good Catholic is both conservative and liberal. CCHD is an example of how the Church operates in the liberal arena. Opposition to abortion, the death penalty, euthanasia and stem cell research is an example of how the Church operates in the conservative arena.

As a good Catholic, I support both pro-life issues and anti-poverty issues (CCHD). For me it is not a political issue…it’s a human dignity issue. Anti-life and pro-poverty are anti-human dignity and therefore un-Catholic.

Please read Deus Caritas Est, Economic Justice for All, Caritas in Veritate and Rerum Novarum and go take some classes at a good Catholic university. The second biggest problem with Catholics in the U.S., after life issues, is bad or almost no catechesis. The biggest problem here in this blog is too much really bad catechesis. This blog sounds more like a Fundamentalist Evangelical Protestant blog than anything Catholic.

 

[jewells17]

You know…I don’t think Glenn Beck is Catholic, but he really did expose the leftist program of social justice groups! Apparently, these groups have alot of anti-American leftists that want America to be socialist. We just keep praying!

 

[ljpgoodwin]

Mimi said:

The bishops themselves issued their declaration of this in their pastoral letter entitled “A Campaign in Support of Life,” which clarified the Consistent Ethic of Life – that Seamless Garment of Bernardin’s which has so greatly been misconstrued. quote]

On the contrary, the bishops and the bible have always taught that the poor have a special place in God’s heart. If you have a digital bible, do a search for the word “poor” and see how much time Scripture spends talking/teaching about the poor, how much God loves the poor and what we are called to do to protect and help the poor. My New American Bible, which is the bible we use in the liturgy, has 163 verses devoted to the poor and the word ‘poor’ is written over 1000 times.
Read the documents I have mentioned in my previous post and you will get a head full of just how important it is for the non-poor to help out the poor. Sorry, I know you don’t like to hear this, but our salvation is in great part tied into how we treat the poor. Read THOMAS AQUINAS Summa Theologiae, 12ae, Q 109.
Please read only original source documents. Again, it’s a matter of good catechesis.

 

[maggiemay2u]

Great news!!:thumbsup:
I** have just heard that good Catholics from all around the country have really stepped up to the bat. The CCHD collections around the country were very robust. **T

Source please…I tried Google, Bing and Jeeves, and cannot find this information…thanks!

 

[ljpgoodwin]

You know…I don’t think Glenn Beck is Catholic, but he really did expose the leftist program of social justice groups! Apparently, these groups have alot of anti-American leftists that want America to be socialist. We just keep praying!

Here is a great example of someone who is unable to distinguish between what it means to be American and what it means to be Catholic. It seems that jewells thinks being “rightist” is the same a being Catholic. Good old Fox News again. The News station of “real Catholics.”

 

[ljpgoodwin]

Social justice and spirituality are not opposed to one another. Rather, they support one another. I have a prayer life so that I become aware of my transcendent destiny (sharing in the Life of God) AND so I know how to act and treat people in the Good Creation of God…the world.

I love God, so that means that I must love what He created.