Things could be worse. We could live in England.
Although our nation’s zeitgeist is growing more anti-Christian, we have yet to embrace the apostasy of our British brethren. So blasphemous are recent trends in England that Britons better pray that God saves more than just the Queen.
Not long ago posters appeared on London buses claiming, “There’s probably no God. So stop worrying and enjoy your life”. Now the National Secular Society (NSS) is issuing online certificates for Christians who want to de-baptize themselves.
(http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.ae71a038e9b3b47af4f0e9eac9598fd8.2b1&show_article=1) More than 100,000 people have reportedly downloaded the certificate, and according to NSS President Terry Sanderson the organization has already sold 1,500 of the documents at $4.35 apiece.
Some disavow their Christian baptism to protest a perceived increase in Roman Catholic political activism. Others argue that baptism was forced on them as young children and, thus, was not of their own choice. One individual even went so far as to label baptism a form of child abuse. NSS President Sanderson believes this push to de-baptize is a reaction to the “hostility” emanating from the 72% of Brits who define themselves as Christians–an odd accusation considering the rabid political correctness dominating British culture.
Similar de-baptizing efforts have emerged in Spain and Italy. According to a report in the International Herald Tribune, the Spanish high court ruled “in favor of a man from Valencia, Manuel Blat, saying that under data protection laws he could have the record of his baptism erased.” In Italy, “the Italian Union of Rationalists and Agnostics (UAAR) won a legal battle over the right to file for de-baptism in 2002". UAAR secretary Raffaele Carcano asserts that “more than 60,000 of these forms have been downloaded in the past four years and continue to be downloaded at a rate of about 2,000 per month.”
There is little doubt this de-baptizing crusade will find its way to our shores. Let’s just hope that when it arrives Americans remember Christ’s warning:
“But he that shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33)
Donald Tremblay
Catholic Agenda
Catholic Agenda
Showing posts with label Donald Tremblay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Donald Tremblay. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Marionettes?
I am not a conspiracy theorist.
I believe two commercial airliners, and not detonated explosives, destroyed the World Trade Center. UFOs, in my view, are not alien ships. Most are military aircraft; others are natural phenomena, such as solar light reflecting off the ice crystals in the earth’s upper atmosphere. I can accept that Oswald was the lone gunman just as easily as I can accept that there were others behind JFK’s assassination. Yet, despite my distrust of conspiracy theories, I confess that there are aspects of our current economic mess that leave me wondering whether we are marionettes at the mercy of global puppeteers.
$ On Thursday, March 5 Citigroup’s stock value dropped below the cost of a Lotto ticket. Just eight days later on Friday, March 13, Citigroup Chairman Richard Parsons announced that “the bank does not need any more capital injections from the government” because “it was profitable in the first two months of 2009.” (http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-finance/20090121/BUSINESS-US-CITIGROUP-PARSONS/) How exactly does a corporation earn profits while simultaneously watching its stock value drop below a dollar? How does a company go from owning a virtually worthless stock to no longer needing federal financial support in just eight days?
$ General Motors made a similar miraculous about-face in the span of a week. On March 6 GM’s auditor, Deloitte and Touche, announced that the car maker might not survive as a going concern because of “recurring losses from operations, stockholders' deficit and inability to generate sufficient cash flow to meet its obligations and sustain its operations." (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25146445-5017997,00.html) Yet, only six days later GM announced “that it will not need $2 billion in government funding that it previously requested for March.” (http://wot.motortrend.com/6484623/industry-news/gm-tells-presidential-task-force-to-keep-its-2-billion-cost-cutting-working/index.html) Imagine that. Going from near bankruptcy to no longer needing two billion dollars in less than a week. Remarkable.
Similar unusual recoveries have been reported for the retail sales and new home sales industries, recoveries that are so neat and convenient that they almost appear planned . . . And there are those who believe that they were.
The term New World Order (NWO) has surfaced often during the past few weeks, even among politicians. Conspiracy theorists assert that the New World Order is merely a euphemism for One World Government–a political system in which Americans would relinquish self-government, and many civil rights and liberties, to merge with the world community. One World Government opponents believe the U.S. government creates disasters and stokes public fears as a way to dupe Americans into voluntarily relinquishing their liberties. The Patriot Act is cited as an example. Fears of another 9-11 manipulated Americans into surrendering privacy rights. In other words freedoms are sacrificed for security. These same conspiracy theorists believe that this current global economic collapse is just the latest government orchestrated scheme to bring America closer to that One World Government.
Are these doomsayers crackpots? Do they have overactive imaginations?
Before you answer remember that just two days ago The Moscow Times announced the Kremlin’s plan to pitch world leaders on the creation of a global currency. Could a unified currency be the next stage in the formation of that One World Government?
For now I am willing to accept that this global collapse is solely the result of greed run amok; yet I cannot help but feel that there is a string tugging at my back.
Donald Tremblay
I believe two commercial airliners, and not detonated explosives, destroyed the World Trade Center. UFOs, in my view, are not alien ships. Most are military aircraft; others are natural phenomena, such as solar light reflecting off the ice crystals in the earth’s upper atmosphere. I can accept that Oswald was the lone gunman just as easily as I can accept that there were others behind JFK’s assassination. Yet, despite my distrust of conspiracy theories, I confess that there are aspects of our current economic mess that leave me wondering whether we are marionettes at the mercy of global puppeteers.
$ On Thursday, March 5 Citigroup’s stock value dropped below the cost of a Lotto ticket. Just eight days later on Friday, March 13, Citigroup Chairman Richard Parsons announced that “the bank does not need any more capital injections from the government” because “it was profitable in the first two months of 2009.” (http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-finance/20090121/BUSINESS-US-CITIGROUP-PARSONS/) How exactly does a corporation earn profits while simultaneously watching its stock value drop below a dollar? How does a company go from owning a virtually worthless stock to no longer needing federal financial support in just eight days?
$ General Motors made a similar miraculous about-face in the span of a week. On March 6 GM’s auditor, Deloitte and Touche, announced that the car maker might not survive as a going concern because of “recurring losses from operations, stockholders' deficit and inability to generate sufficient cash flow to meet its obligations and sustain its operations." (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25146445-5017997,00.html) Yet, only six days later GM announced “that it will not need $2 billion in government funding that it previously requested for March.” (http://wot.motortrend.com/6484623/industry-news/gm-tells-presidential-task-force-to-keep-its-2-billion-cost-cutting-working/index.html) Imagine that. Going from near bankruptcy to no longer needing two billion dollars in less than a week. Remarkable.
Similar unusual recoveries have been reported for the retail sales and new home sales industries, recoveries that are so neat and convenient that they almost appear planned . . . And there are those who believe that they were.
The term New World Order (NWO) has surfaced often during the past few weeks, even among politicians. Conspiracy theorists assert that the New World Order is merely a euphemism for One World Government–a political system in which Americans would relinquish self-government, and many civil rights and liberties, to merge with the world community. One World Government opponents believe the U.S. government creates disasters and stokes public fears as a way to dupe Americans into voluntarily relinquishing their liberties. The Patriot Act is cited as an example. Fears of another 9-11 manipulated Americans into surrendering privacy rights. In other words freedoms are sacrificed for security. These same conspiracy theorists believe that this current global economic collapse is just the latest government orchestrated scheme to bring America closer to that One World Government.
Are these doomsayers crackpots? Do they have overactive imaginations?
Before you answer remember that just two days ago The Moscow Times announced the Kremlin’s plan to pitch world leaders on the creation of a global currency. Could a unified currency be the next stage in the formation of that One World Government?
For now I am willing to accept that this global collapse is solely the result of greed run amok; yet I cannot help but feel that there is a string tugging at my back.
Donald Tremblay
Monday, February 9, 2009
Off Limits
For those Americans who still doubt that secularism is at war with religion, specifically Christianity, I suggest they review the section of the Pres Obama/Democratic Party “stimulus” package addressing federal financial support and colleges. One provision in this section earmarks federal money for the renovation of existing colleges and universities. However, according to Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law & Justice, “when you read a little bit further into this legislation, there's a specific prohibition on two things. One, if the university itself is a religiously based or faith-based institution, it does not qualify. And if the facility that is being renovated allows religious worship to take place, it also does not qualify." (http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=409082)
Any question as to whether this provision is just the latest attempt to remove religion from the public sector was answered when the Senate rejected South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint’s amendment requesting that the religious worship ban be removed from the provision.
Americans are learning quickly that our new president speaks with a forked-tongue. He has already backtracked on his pledge that officials will be barred from working on issues for which they have served as lobbyists. Now it appears that he is doing the same when it comes to his “openness” to faith. Or as Mat Staver, founder of the nonprofit litigation, education and policy organization Liberty Counsel tells OneNewsNow.com, “President Obama's idea of faith-based initiatives apparently is to remove faith from all initiatives."
Donald Tremblay
Any question as to whether this provision is just the latest attempt to remove religion from the public sector was answered when the Senate rejected South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint’s amendment requesting that the religious worship ban be removed from the provision.
Americans are learning quickly that our new president speaks with a forked-tongue. He has already backtracked on his pledge that officials will be barred from working on issues for which they have served as lobbyists. Now it appears that he is doing the same when it comes to his “openness” to faith. Or as Mat Staver, founder of the nonprofit litigation, education and policy organization Liberty Counsel tells OneNewsNow.com, “President Obama's idea of faith-based initiatives apparently is to remove faith from all initiatives."
Donald Tremblay
Monday, January 5, 2009
Its Alive
The science fiction genre has produced many classics, be it through literature, film, and even radio. Many of these tales are commentaries on Man’s abuse of its scientific knowledge. The narratives generally center around scientists who through dangerous experimentation create mutant life forms. In Frankenstein a scientist creates a murderous humanoid by generating life from dead tissue. In The Fly a scientist experiments on himself and creates a human-insect hybrid. More recently, although not a classic like the others, I Am Legend relates the tale of a scientist (Will Smith) who cures cancer and nearly wipes out human civilization in the process. His antidote for cancer is a mutation of the measles virus, which ultimately kills the cancer survivors or mutates them into cannibalistic, vampire-like creatures. Frightening? Sure. But not as frightening as the scientific realities we face today.
As if the ability to clone humans or create human-animal hybrids is not harrowing enough, there is word that some of the chemicals we have been dumping on our environment are mutating the male endocrine systems of the animal kingdom . . . and possibly the human kingdom as well. According to Illinois doctor Joseph Mercola, “Various studies are indicating that unregulated chemicals released into the environment are causing male animals and humans to take on feminine characteristics.” (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/01/01/males-of-all-species-are-becoming-more-female.aspx) How bad has it gotten? “In British lowland rivers, 50 percent of male fish were found to be growing eggs in their testes. Hermaphrodite polar bears have also been born.”
Here are a few of the chemical culprits mentioned by Dr. Mercola:
$ Phthalates -- Exposure to phthalates can lead to incomplete testicular descent in fetuses. Phthalates are found in vinyl flooring, detergents, automotive plastics, soap, shampoo, deodorants, fragrances, hair spray, nail polish, plastic bags, food packaging, garden hoses, inflatable toys, blood-storage bags, and intravenous medical tubing.
$ Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) -- Known to be potent endocrine disrupters, these chemicals affect gene expression by turning on or off certain genes, and interfere with the way your glandular system works. They mimic the female hormone estrogen, and have been implicated as one reason behind some marine species switching from male to female.
$ Methoxychlor and Vinclozin-- An insecticide and a fungicide respectively, have been found to cause changes to male mice born for as many as four subsequent generations after the initial exposure.
Are chemicals like these responsible for the rise in human male infertility? Is it possible that these “gender-benders,” as Dr. Mercola calls them, could be responsible for what seems to be a growing homosexual population in western society?
There is a reason Pride is considered the sin from which all others are born. The hubris Adam displayed by eating from the Tree of Knowledge is the same arrogance that we exhibit when we haphazardly manipulate science. In our utilitarian world we believe that whatever can be done, should be done. Humility is in short supply. We push the envelope daily, disregarding the likelihood of unintended consequences.
How ironic would it be if we pushed ourselves into extinction?
Donald Tremblay
As if the ability to clone humans or create human-animal hybrids is not harrowing enough, there is word that some of the chemicals we have been dumping on our environment are mutating the male endocrine systems of the animal kingdom . . . and possibly the human kingdom as well. According to Illinois doctor Joseph Mercola, “Various studies are indicating that unregulated chemicals released into the environment are causing male animals and humans to take on feminine characteristics.” (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/01/01/males-of-all-species-are-becoming-more-female.aspx) How bad has it gotten? “In British lowland rivers, 50 percent of male fish were found to be growing eggs in their testes. Hermaphrodite polar bears have also been born.”
Here are a few of the chemical culprits mentioned by Dr. Mercola:
$ Phthalates -- Exposure to phthalates can lead to incomplete testicular descent in fetuses. Phthalates are found in vinyl flooring, detergents, automotive plastics, soap, shampoo, deodorants, fragrances, hair spray, nail polish, plastic bags, food packaging, garden hoses, inflatable toys, blood-storage bags, and intravenous medical tubing.
$ Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) -- Known to be potent endocrine disrupters, these chemicals affect gene expression by turning on or off certain genes, and interfere with the way your glandular system works. They mimic the female hormone estrogen, and have been implicated as one reason behind some marine species switching from male to female.
$ Methoxychlor and Vinclozin-- An insecticide and a fungicide respectively, have been found to cause changes to male mice born for as many as four subsequent generations after the initial exposure.
Are chemicals like these responsible for the rise in human male infertility? Is it possible that these “gender-benders,” as Dr. Mercola calls them, could be responsible for what seems to be a growing homosexual population in western society?
There is a reason Pride is considered the sin from which all others are born. The hubris Adam displayed by eating from the Tree of Knowledge is the same arrogance that we exhibit when we haphazardly manipulate science. In our utilitarian world we believe that whatever can be done, should be done. Humility is in short supply. We push the envelope daily, disregarding the likelihood of unintended consequences.
How ironic would it be if we pushed ourselves into extinction?
Donald Tremblay
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas
1 And it came to pass, that in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled.
2 This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria.
3 And all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: because he was of the house and family of David,
5 To be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child.
6 And it came to pass, that when they were there, her days were accomplished, that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock.
9 And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear.
10 And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: 7 "Her firstborn"... The meaning is, not that she had afterward any other child; but it is a way of speech among the Hebrews, to call them also the firstborn, who are the only children. See annotation Matt. 1. 25.
11 For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying:
14 Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.
15 And it came to pass, after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another: Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath showed to us.
16 And they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
17 And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child.
18 And all that heard, wondered; and at those things that were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Luke 2: 1-20
Merry Christmas.
Donald Tremblay
2 This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria.
3 And all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: because he was of the house and family of David,
5 To be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child.
6 And it came to pass, that when they were there, her days were accomplished, that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock.
9 And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear.
10 And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: 7 "Her firstborn"... The meaning is, not that she had afterward any other child; but it is a way of speech among the Hebrews, to call them also the firstborn, who are the only children. See annotation Matt. 1. 25.
11 For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying:
14 Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.
15 And it came to pass, after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another: Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath showed to us.
16 And they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
17 And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child.
18 And all that heard, wondered; and at those things that were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Luke 2: 1-20
Merry Christmas.
Donald Tremblay
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown
Last night I watched my favorite Christmas special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, for the third time this year. As I listened to Charlie Brown rail against the commercialization of Christmas while pleading for someone–anyone–to explain “what Christmas is all about”, I realized that our national economic crisis has forced many Americans to confront the Truth of “what Christmas is all about”. Below is an example.
Each year St. Ephrem’s Church in Brooklyn, NY, decorates Christmas trees with cards containing the age and gender of a poor child who will have no gifts to open on Christmas morning. Some are orphans; others have families but no money. Parishioners who would like to help these children can take a card and buy an appropriate gift for that child. The gifts are collected and held on the Church’s altar. Last Sunday as I entered the Church for Sunday mass, I noticed that despite the current economic turmoil there were as many gifts on the altar as there had been in years past. It was comforting to see that although people may be hurting financially, they still want to thank God for giving Himself as a gift to Man. And what better way to repay that gift than by giving gifts to the less fortunate.
Keep in mind that these Catholics who donated are not people who have “of their abundance cast into the offerings of God” (Luke 21:4). They are Catholics who have donated despite having lost their jobs or watched their savings plummet because of the tanking stock market. As members of Christ’s flock they know it is their responsibility to take care of the less fortunate sheep.
Maybe it’s naive but based on the outpouring of help that I’ve witnessed, the next time Americans are asked to explain the true meaning of Christmas, I believe more of us–Catholic and otherwise–will respond as Linus did to Charlie Brown:
“And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock. 9 And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear. 10 And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people:
For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: 14 Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.”
Luke 2: 8-14)
Donald Tremblay
Each year St. Ephrem’s Church in Brooklyn, NY, decorates Christmas trees with cards containing the age and gender of a poor child who will have no gifts to open on Christmas morning. Some are orphans; others have families but no money. Parishioners who would like to help these children can take a card and buy an appropriate gift for that child. The gifts are collected and held on the Church’s altar. Last Sunday as I entered the Church for Sunday mass, I noticed that despite the current economic turmoil there were as many gifts on the altar as there had been in years past. It was comforting to see that although people may be hurting financially, they still want to thank God for giving Himself as a gift to Man. And what better way to repay that gift than by giving gifts to the less fortunate.
Keep in mind that these Catholics who donated are not people who have “of their abundance cast into the offerings of God” (Luke 21:4). They are Catholics who have donated despite having lost their jobs or watched their savings plummet because of the tanking stock market. As members of Christ’s flock they know it is their responsibility to take care of the less fortunate sheep.
Maybe it’s naive but based on the outpouring of help that I’ve witnessed, the next time Americans are asked to explain the true meaning of Christmas, I believe more of us–Catholic and otherwise–will respond as Linus did to Charlie Brown:
“And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock. 9 And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear. 10 And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people:
For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: 14 Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.”
Luke 2: 8-14)
Donald Tremblay
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
You Didn’t Hear This From Me, But . . . Merry Christmas
Well, it’s that time of the year again: time for Christ-phobes to complain about Christmas celebrations in public places. Once again we must endure weeks of whining about how seeing a Nativity scene and hearing the words “Merry Christmas” creates an exclusionary, hostile environment that leaves non-Christians feeling threatened. 2008’s first incidence of Christ-phobia takes place in Long Island, NY in the town of Patchogue.
On Nov 23 the town will hold its 15th annual boat parade along the Patchogue River. Last year the name of the parade was the Patchogue Christmas Boat Parade. This year the name has been changed to the Patchogue Holiday Boat Parade because of “complaints that the use of ‘Christmas’ seemed to make the parade less inclusive.” (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gfA-XFWFSZjLAt-oIzxwehAhx4xgD9409U000) Organizers tried to justify the change by arguing that “the parade has had several names over its roughly 15-year existence”, but one group who rejected that explanation is the Grucci fireworks company. Last year Grucci donated $5,000 of fireworks to the parade. This year the parade will get zilch:
“The company's vice president, Philip Butler, who has criticized the secularization of Christmas in the past, said parade organizers were ‘using all the themes of Christmas and plagiarizing all those themes.’"
Bravo to Grucci. Not only should Patchogue Christians boycott the parade, but they should spend that evening decorating their property with as many Nativity displays and “Merry Christmas” signs as they can fit.
Merry Christmas . . . and get ready for a ridiculous two months.
Donald Tremblay
Friday, October 24, 2008
It’s Just Business
Apparently there is an ethical code I am unaware of that allows people to act differently when conducting business than when they deal with people personally. It is okay to screw people, violate values, etc . . . because “it’s just business”. The bottom line is all that matters so morality has no place in business. Just ask those brokers who dabbled in derivatives and swaps, risking investors’ life savings for the chance to earn that ridiculous year-end bonus. Truly, greed makes people do strange things.
The Clarion Hotel in Cherry Hill, NJ and the Quality Inn in Maple Shade, NJ are offering discounts to women who stay with them after receiving abortions at local abortion facilities. (http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=30184&wf=rsscol).
“Based on reports from local citizens participating in the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil outside the Cherry Hill Women's Center, New Jersey Right to Life has confirmed that the Clarion Hotel in Cherry Hill offers a reduced rate of $59 for a room originally priced at $109 to those women who provide a receipt from the abortion mill that says they have to stay overnight. In addition, the Quality Inn in Maple Shade offers a discounted rate of $74.95 for a room originally priced at $99.99 and a free breakfast of eggs and pancakes for women who present a stamped pamphlet from the clinic.”
The Cherry Hill Women’s Center allegedly “performs abortions up to the sixth month of pregnancy” and is accused by Marie Tasy, Executive Director of New Jersey Right to Life, of having “a track record of aggressive advertisement in the Pennsylvania market to intentionally lure pregnant minor girls to the NJ abortion clinic in order to evade Pennsylvania's parental consent laws.”
Although this is just a guess, chances are both hotels are experiencing high vacancies and are looking at this as a gimmick to lure more guests. Some would say this advertising ploy is tasteless.
No, it’s just business.
Donald Tremblay
The Clarion Hotel in Cherry Hill, NJ and the Quality Inn in Maple Shade, NJ are offering discounts to women who stay with them after receiving abortions at local abortion facilities. (http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=30184&wf=rsscol).
“Based on reports from local citizens participating in the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil outside the Cherry Hill Women's Center, New Jersey Right to Life has confirmed that the Clarion Hotel in Cherry Hill offers a reduced rate of $59 for a room originally priced at $109 to those women who provide a receipt from the abortion mill that says they have to stay overnight. In addition, the Quality Inn in Maple Shade offers a discounted rate of $74.95 for a room originally priced at $99.99 and a free breakfast of eggs and pancakes for women who present a stamped pamphlet from the clinic.”
The Cherry Hill Women’s Center allegedly “performs abortions up to the sixth month of pregnancy” and is accused by Marie Tasy, Executive Director of New Jersey Right to Life, of having “a track record of aggressive advertisement in the Pennsylvania market to intentionally lure pregnant minor girls to the NJ abortion clinic in order to evade Pennsylvania's parental consent laws.”
Although this is just a guess, chances are both hotels are experiencing high vacancies and are looking at this as a gimmick to lure more guests. Some would say this advertising ploy is tasteless.
No, it’s just business.
Donald Tremblay
Friday, October 10, 2008
The Day of the Triffids
Case in point: We live in a world where with each passing year human life is further cheapened. Western society not only refuses to reject abortion, but seeks to spread its availability to developing nations. Assisted-suicide and euthanasia exist in Europe and are making inroads in the United States. Civil wars across Africa have killed millions, and now tens of thousands of Christians have been murdered by Hindus in India.
Yet, what is on the minds of the Swiss: plants rights.
According to the Wall Street Journal (“Switzerland's Green Power Revolution: Ethicists Ponder Plants' Rights”) Swiss scientists who genetically modify plants must now ensure that they are not “trampling on a plant's dignity”. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122359549477921201.html?mod=todays_us_page_one
Stop laughing.
Believe it or not the Swiss Parliament created a panel of various “experts” from a collection of disciplines—including philosophers, lawyers, geneticists and theologians—to “establish the meaning of flora's dignity”. Among the examples given by the panel of immoral behavior towards plants is “decapitation of wildflowers at the roadside without rational reason”.
Would that be a mortal sin or a venial sin?
After all if a young man is going to risk eternal torment for pulling a flower out of the ground to give to the woman he loves, he should at least be warned ahead of time.
Think the Swiss’ nuttiness ends here? Not quite. Here are a few other gems:
“Last month, Switzerland granted new rights to all ‘social animals.’ Prospective dog owners must take a four-hour course on pet care before they can buy a canine companion, while anglers must learn to catch fish humanely. Fish can't be kept in aquariums that are transparent on all sides. The fish need some shelter. Nor can goldfish be flushed down a toilet to an inglorious end; they must first be anesthetized with special chemicals, and then killed.”
Too bad the Swiss don’t have the same regard for the dignity of humans, as witnessed by their sanctioning of abortion and assisted suicide.
Perhaps the pro-life movement in Switzerland should change its approach: instead of arguing that a fetus is a human life, they should argue that it is a form of plant life. They’d receive more sympathy.
Donald Tremblay
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Christ is Above All- Including His Own Teachings
Mark Shea, senior content editor for Catholicexchange.com, wrote an interesting commentary for the Oct 5 issue of the National Catholic Register. (http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/16062/) “Denver’s Partisan Theology” is primarily a criticism of the Democratic Party’s pro-abortion platform. However, at the end of the essay while questioning the methods of anti- death penalty crusader Sister Helen Prejean, Shea explains the dangers of taking “a particular aspect of Church teaching and expand[ing] it into the entire faith.” As he correctly points out history is replete with instances of this.
For ex., “Expanding predestination into the Whole Faith got us Calvinism”. Here is a useful definition of Calvinism and predestination as provided by http://www.religioustolerance.org/calvinism.htm :
"Unconditional Election." This is the concept of predestination: that God has divided humanity into two groups. One group is "the elected." It includes all those whom God has chosen to make knowledgeable about himself. The rest will remain ignorant of God, and the Gospel. They are damned and will spend eternity in Hell without any hope of mercy or cessation of the extreme tortures. God made this selection before the universe was created, and thus before any humans existed. The ground or grounds that God uses to select the lucky few is unknown. What is known is that it is not through any good works on the part of the individual. It is not that he extends knowledge to some in order to find out who will accept salvation and who will not.
Another example given by Shea is that of exalting love of the poor: “Expanding the love of the poor into the Whole Faith led some misguided Catholics to embrace communism.” Who can forget the misguided disaster known as liberation theology?
“Impatience and a desire for results has led certain Christians, despairing of every other method, to turn to what they call "marxist analysis. . . . Let us recall the fact that atheism and the denial of the human person, his liberty and rights, are at the core of the Marxist theory. This theory, then, contains errors which directly threaten the truths of the faith regarding the eternal destiny of individual persons. Moreover, to attempt to integrate into theology an analysis whose criterion of interpretation depends on this atheistic conception is to involve oneself in terrible contradictions. What is more, this misunderstanding of the spiritual nature of the person leads to a total subordination of the person to the collectivity, and thus to the denial of the principles of a social and political life which is in keeping with human dignity.”
(Instruction on Certain Aspects of "Theology of Liberation" - Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, August 6, 1984 http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_df84lt.htm)
As Christians we must resist the temptation to elevate Christ’s teachings above Christ Himself. Christ was not Confucius. He was not simply a sage who developed a social philosophy for men to live in harmony. He was, and is, the Son of God:
“For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting. For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by him.” (John 3: 16-17)
And there is not a beatitude or commandment that takes precedence over this.
So by all means try and adhere to all of Christ’s teachings to the best of your ability . . . but remember: it is the Son of Man who gives those teachings their authority, and not the other way around.
For ex., “Expanding predestination into the Whole Faith got us Calvinism”. Here is a useful definition of Calvinism and predestination as provided by http://www.religioustolerance.org/calvinism.htm :
"Unconditional Election." This is the concept of predestination: that God has divided humanity into two groups. One group is "the elected." It includes all those whom God has chosen to make knowledgeable about himself. The rest will remain ignorant of God, and the Gospel. They are damned and will spend eternity in Hell without any hope of mercy or cessation of the extreme tortures. God made this selection before the universe was created, and thus before any humans existed. The ground or grounds that God uses to select the lucky few is unknown. What is known is that it is not through any good works on the part of the individual. It is not that he extends knowledge to some in order to find out who will accept salvation and who will not.
Another example given by Shea is that of exalting love of the poor: “Expanding the love of the poor into the Whole Faith led some misguided Catholics to embrace communism.” Who can forget the misguided disaster known as liberation theology?
“Impatience and a desire for results has led certain Christians, despairing of every other method, to turn to what they call "marxist analysis. . . . Let us recall the fact that atheism and the denial of the human person, his liberty and rights, are at the core of the Marxist theory. This theory, then, contains errors which directly threaten the truths of the faith regarding the eternal destiny of individual persons. Moreover, to attempt to integrate into theology an analysis whose criterion of interpretation depends on this atheistic conception is to involve oneself in terrible contradictions. What is more, this misunderstanding of the spiritual nature of the person leads to a total subordination of the person to the collectivity, and thus to the denial of the principles of a social and political life which is in keeping with human dignity.”
(Instruction on Certain Aspects of "Theology of Liberation" - Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, August 6, 1984 http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_df84lt.htm)
As Christians we must resist the temptation to elevate Christ’s teachings above Christ Himself. Christ was not Confucius. He was not simply a sage who developed a social philosophy for men to live in harmony. He was, and is, the Son of God:
“For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting. For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by him.” (John 3: 16-17)
And there is not a beatitude or commandment that takes precedence over this.
So by all means try and adhere to all of Christ’s teachings to the best of your ability . . . but remember: it is the Son of Man who gives those teachings their authority, and not the other way around.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The king and The King
When most people think of Elvis Presley they envision the 1957 teen who revolutionized music and sent girls swooning with his gyrating performances. Few of these people know how spiritual “The King of Rock-n-Roll” was and how he struggled daily to be closer to the “King of Kings”. Gospel was Elvis’ greatest musical love, which is fitting since despite his multitude of number #1 hits, he never won a Grammy Award until 1967 for “How Great Thou Art”.
Catholicexchange.com (http://www.catholicexchange.com/2008/09/27/113998/) has posted an interview with Dolores Hart, the actress who starred with Elvis in Loving You and King Creole before leaving Hollywood to become a cloistered Benedictine nun. Among the stories she tells is that of her and Elvis during the filming of King Creole:
When we were making King Creole, he had so many people after him — you couldn’t walk through the streets in New Orleans. It was like a circus. You would not believe the crowds. Policemen were everywhere. We had to go to hotel rooms to wait in between scenes. When we finally got to the site, we were ushered into the elevator, [and] in the hotel rooms. There would be boards built from one hotel to another. We crossed over to another hotel and would go down the elevator and enter another room. They’d bring us sandwiches. Elvis would open the Gideon Bible, as that was the version placed in the hotel rooms. Whatever passage he’d open it to, we would talk about it. He would ask me, “What do you think of this passage?”
In the estimation of many, including myself, Elvis was the greatest ballad singer in history. When he sang ballads (and gospel) his spiritual hunger for God shone through in his voice, his mannerisms, and his passion. It was as if a portion of his soul was spent with each note, each lyric.
Society idolizes celebrities. They are royalty. They are larger than life. Elvis’ life de-mythologizes that “Cult of Personality”. He was an incredibly gifted performer who brought joy to many. Yet he was also a sad, flawed individual desperate to be re-united with God and suffering the pains of that separation.
In other words, he was like you and I.
Catholicexchange.com (http://www.catholicexchange.com/2008/09/27/113998/) has posted an interview with Dolores Hart, the actress who starred with Elvis in Loving You and King Creole before leaving Hollywood to become a cloistered Benedictine nun. Among the stories she tells is that of her and Elvis during the filming of King Creole:
When we were making King Creole, he had so many people after him — you couldn’t walk through the streets in New Orleans. It was like a circus. You would not believe the crowds. Policemen were everywhere. We had to go to hotel rooms to wait in between scenes. When we finally got to the site, we were ushered into the elevator, [and] in the hotel rooms. There would be boards built from one hotel to another. We crossed over to another hotel and would go down the elevator and enter another room. They’d bring us sandwiches. Elvis would open the Gideon Bible, as that was the version placed in the hotel rooms. Whatever passage he’d open it to, we would talk about it. He would ask me, “What do you think of this passage?”
In the estimation of many, including myself, Elvis was the greatest ballad singer in history. When he sang ballads (and gospel) his spiritual hunger for God shone through in his voice, his mannerisms, and his passion. It was as if a portion of his soul was spent with each note, each lyric.
Society idolizes celebrities. They are royalty. They are larger than life. Elvis’ life de-mythologizes that “Cult of Personality”. He was an incredibly gifted performer who brought joy to many. Yet he was also a sad, flawed individual desperate to be re-united with God and suffering the pains of that separation.
In other words, he was like you and I.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Disposable
“If you're demented, you're wasting people's lives - your family's lives - and you're wasting the resources of the National Health Service." (http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=29538)
These are the words of Baroness Mary Helen Warnock, “regarded as Britain's leading moral philosopher” and often referred to as “the philosopher queen”. Lest anyone accuse her of inhumanity, Warnock spins suicide as altruistic: “There's nothing wrong with feeling you ought to do so [commit suicide] for the sake of others as well as yourself. In other contexts, sacrificing oneself for one's family would be considered good. I don't see what is so horrible about the motive of not wanting to be an increasing nuisance." Not surprisingly, Warnock’s views echo those of “prominent voices in Britain's House of Lords [who] continue to advocate for legalised euthanasia and assisted suicide.”
This is what passes for morality in our increasingly utilitarian Western culture.
Assisted-suicide supporters argue that suicide is voluntary and hence a personal decision beyond the reach of the state.
But let’s face it: once a human life’s continued existence is viewed as a drain or a nuisance, how long is it before that voluntary act becomes mandatory for the “good of society”? I was reminded of George Orwell’s classic Animal Farm as I read the above Catholic.org article. Farmer Jones mistreats the animals on the farm. The animals revolt and take over. Within no time the pigs take extra liberties for themselves, such as more food, and enlist the dogs to serve as their “muscle”. Ultimately, the pigs become more totalitarian than Farmer Jones ever was. No work of literature better expounds on the capacity of humanity to become that which it abhors, a point ably addressed in the Catholic.org piece.
“German officials in the 1930s instituted a program of mass euthanasia for persons the state considered undesirable, labeling them ‘lebensunwertes leben’: life unworthy of life and ‘useless eaters.’ Among the groups targeted for euthanasia were developmentally disabled people, disabled children, and elderly people suffering from dementia. In Nazi Germany's Aktion T4 programme, in which the gas chamber technology was developed, patients "judged incurably sick, by critical medical examination," were killed by physicians on the grounds that they were a burden to their families and to the state. After the war, the Nuremberg Trials found evidence that about 275,000 people had been euthanised.”
Sound familiar? And for those who argue that today’s assisted-suicide and euthanasia movements are motivated by empathy, be aware that the Nazi’s also tried to portray euthanasia as “a ‘compassionate’ solution for patients and their families”.
A society’s responsibility is to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Judging by the “philosopher queen’s” comments we have lost sight of this.
Donald Tremblay
These are the words of Baroness Mary Helen Warnock, “regarded as Britain's leading moral philosopher” and often referred to as “the philosopher queen”. Lest anyone accuse her of inhumanity, Warnock spins suicide as altruistic: “There's nothing wrong with feeling you ought to do so [commit suicide] for the sake of others as well as yourself. In other contexts, sacrificing oneself for one's family would be considered good. I don't see what is so horrible about the motive of not wanting to be an increasing nuisance." Not surprisingly, Warnock’s views echo those of “prominent voices in Britain's House of Lords [who] continue to advocate for legalised euthanasia and assisted suicide.”
This is what passes for morality in our increasingly utilitarian Western culture.
Assisted-suicide supporters argue that suicide is voluntary and hence a personal decision beyond the reach of the state.
But let’s face it: once a human life’s continued existence is viewed as a drain or a nuisance, how long is it before that voluntary act becomes mandatory for the “good of society”? I was reminded of George Orwell’s classic Animal Farm as I read the above Catholic.org article. Farmer Jones mistreats the animals on the farm. The animals revolt and take over. Within no time the pigs take extra liberties for themselves, such as more food, and enlist the dogs to serve as their “muscle”. Ultimately, the pigs become more totalitarian than Farmer Jones ever was. No work of literature better expounds on the capacity of humanity to become that which it abhors, a point ably addressed in the Catholic.org piece.
“German officials in the 1930s instituted a program of mass euthanasia for persons the state considered undesirable, labeling them ‘lebensunwertes leben’: life unworthy of life and ‘useless eaters.’ Among the groups targeted for euthanasia were developmentally disabled people, disabled children, and elderly people suffering from dementia. In Nazi Germany's Aktion T4 programme, in which the gas chamber technology was developed, patients "judged incurably sick, by critical medical examination," were killed by physicians on the grounds that they were a burden to their families and to the state. After the war, the Nuremberg Trials found evidence that about 275,000 people had been euthanised.”
Sound familiar? And for those who argue that today’s assisted-suicide and euthanasia movements are motivated by empathy, be aware that the Nazi’s also tried to portray euthanasia as “a ‘compassionate’ solution for patients and their families”.
A society’s responsibility is to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Judging by the “philosopher queen’s” comments we have lost sight of this.
Donald Tremblay
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Free Will and Death
Free Will. We use it to marry and have children, to accept or reject employment, even to elect public officials. Our life is a series of choices determined by the use of our Free Will. But should that same Free Will decide our death?
Since the appearance of “Dr. Death” Jack Kevorkian in the 1980s, the chorus of those supporting doctor-assisted suicide and euthanasia has grown markedly. Below is a definition of the two terms:
· Doctor-assisted suicide: The voluntary termination of one's own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician. Physician-assisted suicide is the practice of providing a competent patient with a prescription for medication for the patient to use with the primary intention of ending his or her own life. (http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=32841)
· Euthanasia: “The act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment.
The difference between the two is determined by who is the person administering the death act. If it is the patient, it is assisted-suicide; if it is by someone other than the patient, it is euthanasia.
Many argue that if we have Free Will in all other aspects of our lives, shouldn’t we also have it with respect to our deaths. In their view suffering is inhuman and an insult to the dignity of Man. “I shouldn’t have to suffer; nor should any of my loved ones have to suffer.”
The Church’s response to this plea for control over death is a resounding “No”.
A few days ago Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass in Lourdes to honor the 150 year anniversary of Mary’s apparitions to a 14-year-old girl and future saint, Bernadette Soubirous. The Mass was well-attended by the infirmed, who hoped to be cured by the site’s miraculous healing waters. During the Mass the Pope took the opportunity to speak out against assisted-suicide and euthanasia, making it clear that death can only come at “the hour chosen by God”. (http://www.kansascity.com/news/world/story/798631.html) Many will accuse the pontiff and the Catholic Church of insensitivity. The Church will be labeled antiquated and will be accused of ignoring Man’s pain. Nothing could be further from the Truth.
Man’s plight in this fallen state is one of suffering. We are racked by Sin and are confronted with daily crosses and trials. On most days we want to raise our fist to God and scream, “You don’t know what I’m going through.” But we can’t because we are Christians. Unlike any other religion that has existed on this earth, Christianity teaches the Incarnation. God became Man to live as a man. He experienced all the sufferings, temptations, and trials we undergo daily. And ultimately, he suffered the greatest indignity an individual can undergo: torture and abuse followed by murder at the hands of evil people. Yes, a Jew or a Muslim can accuse God of ignorance of Man’s condition, but we Christians cannot. Christ’s life, and most importantly his death, proves that our Lord understands our suffering first hand.
Perhaps nobody better understood how we imitate Christ most when we suffer than did Pope John Paul II. The final years of his life were spent battling Parkinson’s syndrome. With each day it became more difficult to control his movements and constant shaking. Nevertheless, he continued to travel, to meet the flock, and to be filmed by the media. Many cringed at the sight of the stricken pontiff, openly questioning whether he had any dignity. “Isn’t he embarrassed” they would ask?
No. He wasn’t. And he was teaching us that we shouldn’t be embarrassed either. Suffering is a part of the human condition, and as Pope Benedict XVI noted in his Lourdes Mass, “Dignity never abandons the sick person.” If suffering were de-humanizing then Christ would never have accepted crucifixion. His acceptance not only freed us from Sin, but provided us with an example of how we must accept suffering as redemptive. Yes, it is painful to suffer and to watch others suffer, but we must always remember: we did not give ourselves life; therefore, we cannot decide when that life should end. Only He who is responsible for life can decide the hour of death.
Donald Tremblay
Since the appearance of “Dr. Death” Jack Kevorkian in the 1980s, the chorus of those supporting doctor-assisted suicide and euthanasia has grown markedly. Below is a definition of the two terms:
· Doctor-assisted suicide: The voluntary termination of one's own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect assistance of a physician. Physician-assisted suicide is the practice of providing a competent patient with a prescription for medication for the patient to use with the primary intention of ending his or her own life. (http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=32841)
· Euthanasia: “The act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment.
The difference between the two is determined by who is the person administering the death act. If it is the patient, it is assisted-suicide; if it is by someone other than the patient, it is euthanasia.
Many argue that if we have Free Will in all other aspects of our lives, shouldn’t we also have it with respect to our deaths. In their view suffering is inhuman and an insult to the dignity of Man. “I shouldn’t have to suffer; nor should any of my loved ones have to suffer.”
The Church’s response to this plea for control over death is a resounding “No”.
A few days ago Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass in Lourdes to honor the 150 year anniversary of Mary’s apparitions to a 14-year-old girl and future saint, Bernadette Soubirous. The Mass was well-attended by the infirmed, who hoped to be cured by the site’s miraculous healing waters. During the Mass the Pope took the opportunity to speak out against assisted-suicide and euthanasia, making it clear that death can only come at “the hour chosen by God”. (http://www.kansascity.com/news/world/story/798631.html) Many will accuse the pontiff and the Catholic Church of insensitivity. The Church will be labeled antiquated and will be accused of ignoring Man’s pain. Nothing could be further from the Truth.
Man’s plight in this fallen state is one of suffering. We are racked by Sin and are confronted with daily crosses and trials. On most days we want to raise our fist to God and scream, “You don’t know what I’m going through.” But we can’t because we are Christians. Unlike any other religion that has existed on this earth, Christianity teaches the Incarnation. God became Man to live as a man. He experienced all the sufferings, temptations, and trials we undergo daily. And ultimately, he suffered the greatest indignity an individual can undergo: torture and abuse followed by murder at the hands of evil people. Yes, a Jew or a Muslim can accuse God of ignorance of Man’s condition, but we Christians cannot. Christ’s life, and most importantly his death, proves that our Lord understands our suffering first hand.
Perhaps nobody better understood how we imitate Christ most when we suffer than did Pope John Paul II. The final years of his life were spent battling Parkinson’s syndrome. With each day it became more difficult to control his movements and constant shaking. Nevertheless, he continued to travel, to meet the flock, and to be filmed by the media. Many cringed at the sight of the stricken pontiff, openly questioning whether he had any dignity. “Isn’t he embarrassed” they would ask?
No. He wasn’t. And he was teaching us that we shouldn’t be embarrassed either. Suffering is a part of the human condition, and as Pope Benedict XVI noted in his Lourdes Mass, “Dignity never abandons the sick person.” If suffering were de-humanizing then Christ would never have accepted crucifixion. His acceptance not only freed us from Sin, but provided us with an example of how we must accept suffering as redemptive. Yes, it is painful to suffer and to watch others suffer, but we must always remember: we did not give ourselves life; therefore, we cannot decide when that life should end. Only He who is responsible for life can decide the hour of death.
Donald Tremblay
Monday, September 8, 2008
Tattooed
I’m amazed at the number of people today, particularly women, who have tattoos. Personally I don’t think they make much sense. What enamors you today may not five or ten years from now. But to each his own, I guess.
The September 7, 2008, issue of the National Catholic Register asks an interesting question about tattoos: Are they moral? Does one deface the temple of the Holy Spirit when they add any tattoo, or does it depend on what tattoo is chosen? Is the morality of tattoos gender-specific?
One gentleman who regrets getting a tattoo is quoted in the article, Tattoo Taboos, comparing a tattoo to “putting graffiti on a work of art.” On the other hand another gentleman views his tattoos as an evangelizing ice-breaker. He has nearly 20 tattoos on his right forearm, including “Jesus wearing a crown of thorns, a pair of hands praying with a rosary, the angel of death, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and a vine.” Men have always worn tattoos, so any increase in their numbers is not as noticeable. The difference today is that the practice of “body art” has become fashionable, resulting in a staggering number of tattooed young women. (I confess: Although I may not like tattoos on a man, I find it especially distasteful on a woman. The female body is God’s most beautiful creation and adding artwork mars its beauty.)
Perhaps the gentleman with the 20 tattoos on his arm is correct and religious body art encourages spiritual inquiry . . . but I doubt it. One of the photos posted alongside the NCR article is of a young man with tattoos on both of his legs. On the calf of his left leg is the Virgin Mary, while on the right calf is St. Joseph holding the baby Jesus. More than honoring God or encouraging theological discussion, this “artistry” serves to draw attention to the wearer . . . which I believe is ultimately the goal of someone who gets a tattoo. And if that’s the case then a tattoo-wearer may not only be guilty of marring the body, but of surrendering to Pride as well.
The jury may still be out as to the morality of tattoos, but do yourself a favor regardless: If you want a visible expression of your faith, wear a cross or carry around a pair of rosary beads.
Donald Tremblay
The September 7, 2008, issue of the National Catholic Register asks an interesting question about tattoos: Are they moral? Does one deface the temple of the Holy Spirit when they add any tattoo, or does it depend on what tattoo is chosen? Is the morality of tattoos gender-specific?
One gentleman who regrets getting a tattoo is quoted in the article, Tattoo Taboos, comparing a tattoo to “putting graffiti on a work of art.” On the other hand another gentleman views his tattoos as an evangelizing ice-breaker. He has nearly 20 tattoos on his right forearm, including “Jesus wearing a crown of thorns, a pair of hands praying with a rosary, the angel of death, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and a vine.” Men have always worn tattoos, so any increase in their numbers is not as noticeable. The difference today is that the practice of “body art” has become fashionable, resulting in a staggering number of tattooed young women. (I confess: Although I may not like tattoos on a man, I find it especially distasteful on a woman. The female body is God’s most beautiful creation and adding artwork mars its beauty.)
Perhaps the gentleman with the 20 tattoos on his arm is correct and religious body art encourages spiritual inquiry . . . but I doubt it. One of the photos posted alongside the NCR article is of a young man with tattoos on both of his legs. On the calf of his left leg is the Virgin Mary, while on the right calf is St. Joseph holding the baby Jesus. More than honoring God or encouraging theological discussion, this “artistry” serves to draw attention to the wearer . . . which I believe is ultimately the goal of someone who gets a tattoo. And if that’s the case then a tattoo-wearer may not only be guilty of marring the body, but of surrendering to Pride as well.
The jury may still be out as to the morality of tattoos, but do yourself a favor regardless: If you want a visible expression of your faith, wear a cross or carry around a pair of rosary beads.
Donald Tremblay
Friday, August 22, 2008
The New Atheism
Yesterday, the Union of Catholic Asian News posted an article about the Universal Solidarity Movement (USM). (http://www.ucanews.com/2008/08/20/mirror-room-helps-people-discover-divinity-within-themselves/) According to its website, the Indian spiritual group defines itself as a movement “based on the spiritual foundations of all the world religions,” and its vision statement “promotes a paradigm shift from a narrow understanding of religiosity to a broad and liberative spirituality.” (And no, I don’t know what that means.)
The UCAN article focused mainly on the movement’s Meditation Room, which has elicited surprise from many worshippers who enter it for the first time. The room is empty, except for a ceiling fan, an overhead light . . . and a full-length mirror. No crucifix or Marian statue. No menorahs or postings of the Ten Commandments. No prayer rugs or incense. Just a mirror. And above the mirror is a sign written in English and Sanskrit. The English says, “God Within”. The Sanskrit is “Aham brahmasmi,” translated as “I am God”.
That’s right. “I am God”.
According to USM’s founder, Varghese Alengaden, staring at ourselves in the mirror is an effective way to learn that we are “the image of God”. Sister C. Lissy says that after initially laughing while staring at her own reflection, she realized that “God is within me, not in a church. I also realized I was confronting myself and this helped me behave better with others." USM’s director says that after a week “people become aware of ‘a divine presence’ there, and this divinity is exuded by your reflection, which in a way is just another image of God’”.
Today’s New Age spiritualities are a form of inverted atheism. Whereas throughout history an atheist was defined as one who disbelieves in God’s existence; today’s inverted atheists believe it is “Man” who is God. Believing that God is nothing more than an infinite source of energy that we all possess is no different than denying the existence of the one true God. Any system that denies the “Creator-creature” distinction is atheistic. It is why Pope John Paul II was correct years ago when he referred to Buddhism as atheistic. Belief in God presupposes an acceptance of a “Supreme Being”.
New Agers believe in something . . . but it isn’t God.
Donald Tremblay
The UCAN article focused mainly on the movement’s Meditation Room, which has elicited surprise from many worshippers who enter it for the first time. The room is empty, except for a ceiling fan, an overhead light . . . and a full-length mirror. No crucifix or Marian statue. No menorahs or postings of the Ten Commandments. No prayer rugs or incense. Just a mirror. And above the mirror is a sign written in English and Sanskrit. The English says, “God Within”. The Sanskrit is “Aham brahmasmi,” translated as “I am God”.
That’s right. “I am God”.
According to USM’s founder, Varghese Alengaden, staring at ourselves in the mirror is an effective way to learn that we are “the image of God”. Sister C. Lissy says that after initially laughing while staring at her own reflection, she realized that “God is within me, not in a church. I also realized I was confronting myself and this helped me behave better with others." USM’s director says that after a week “people become aware of ‘a divine presence’ there, and this divinity is exuded by your reflection, which in a way is just another image of God’”.
Today’s New Age spiritualities are a form of inverted atheism. Whereas throughout history an atheist was defined as one who disbelieves in God’s existence; today’s inverted atheists believe it is “Man” who is God. Believing that God is nothing more than an infinite source of energy that we all possess is no different than denying the existence of the one true God. Any system that denies the “Creator-creature” distinction is atheistic. It is why Pope John Paul II was correct years ago when he referred to Buddhism as atheistic. Belief in God presupposes an acceptance of a “Supreme Being”.
New Agers believe in something . . . but it isn’t God.
Donald Tremblay
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
We are the Author of Our Sins
An adage that irks me is, “Hate the sin; Love the sinner”. The clear implication is that the sin is distinct from the sinner, which encourages people to “view the sinner as a victim of his sin, rather than the author of the sin he commits”. (“Hate the Sin but Love the Sinner': Not Scriptural, Not Catholic Doctrine” by Erven Park , New Oxford Review, June 2006) This is a dangerous concept with eternal repercussions.
Separating the sin from the sinner implies that the offender is not damaged by his wrongful action. For ex., the man who slanders another needs to worry only about how the victim is hurt by his act—as if he himself is not adversely affected by it.
Quite the contrary, it is only by recognizing the sinner as the source of his sin that we can understand Canon Ripley’s warning that “sin is disastrous for both the soul and the body.” (This is the Faith, p 57) And as the catechism explains it, sin is like a snowball rolling down a hill, gathering speed and size as it travels:
“Sin creates a proclivity to sin; it engenders vice by repetition of the same acts. This results in perverse inclinations which cloud conscience and corrupt the concrete judgment of good and evil. Thus sin tends to reproduce itself and reinforce itself, but it cannot destroy the moral sense at its root.” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1865)
Only through penance (reconciliation) can the marred soul be healed. “Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion." (Catechism, 1422)
How can we ask for pardon if we don’t recognize ourselves as authors of our sin?
The biblical account of the stoning of an adulterer offers testimony to the importance of recognizing sinners as the source of their sin. An angry mob is on the verge of stoning an adulterer when Christ instructs, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” (John 8:7) Shamed, the angry mob disperses. Christ informs the woman that since nobody remains to condemn her, then neither will he. But he adds these departing words:
“Go, and now sin no more.” (John 8:11)
Christ’s warning is clear. He is telling the woman, “You may go, but do not assume that my words to the crowd were approval of your actions. You have sinned and are responsible for it. Do not offend my Father again.”
If hating the sin were enough, there would have been no need for this final warning.
Donald Tremblay
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Downloading the Adversary
Anyone who grew-up during the 1980s crack epidemic knows that Satan exists. I was raised in a NYC neighborhood that lies on the border of Brooklyn and Queens . As a teenager I remember the horror and sadness I felt watching guys from the neighborhood become shells of themselves under the influence of drugs like crack cocaine, cocaine, angel dust, etc . . . People remember crack cocaine most because of the violent crimes people committed while under its influence, but the other drugs were just as bad in their own ways. It’s a heartbreaking sight watching a 20-year-old man obliviously staring off into space because his brains had been fried from too many hits of angel dust and acid. Heroin is another wonderful drug. A friend of mine who graduated third in his high school was living in an abandoned building within a few years of graduation. Daily he could be seen hurriedly pacing the streets wearing his NY Rangers hockey jersey begging for money. It might be 90-degrees and humid, but he was still wearing that jersey.
Whatever the drug, the proof of its evil was in the eyes of the user. The haunting look branded an impression into your mind. Instantly, you recognized that there was nothing this person wouldn’t do to get his next fix.
I raise this issue today because of an ABCnews.com article that appeared over the weekend entitled, “Web Delivers New Worry for Parents: Digital Drugs”. (http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=5547519&page=1) According to the article, “websites are targeting your children with so-called digital drugs. These are audio files designed to induce drug-like effects. All your child needs is a music player and headphones.” I confess that I had never heard of digital drugs until I read this article. Apparently, they are based on something called binaural beats, which are “ambient sounds designed to affect your brain waves.”
The writer of the ABCnews.com article says she found sites on the web that “sell audio files (‘doses’) that supposedly mimic the effects of alcohol and marijuana. But it doesn't end there. You'll find doses that purportedly mimic the effects of LSD, crack, heroin and other hard drugs. There are also doses of a sexual nature. I even found ones that supposedly simulate heaven and hell.”
How appropriate that something which mimics drug use can simulate hell.
St. Paul warns us that “our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.” (Ephesians 6:12). Do not doubt for a moment that it is through mechanisms such as drugs, real and digital, that the Evil One attempts to destroy our young people. Protect your children by staying involved. Know the music they listen to, the friends they spend time with, and the websites they log onto. Don’t wait until that haunting look appears before you start asking questions.
Donald Tremblay
Whatever the drug, the proof of its evil was in the eyes of the user. The haunting look branded an impression into your mind. Instantly, you recognized that there was nothing this person wouldn’t do to get his next fix.
I raise this issue today because of an ABCnews.com article that appeared over the weekend entitled, “Web Delivers New Worry for Parents: Digital Drugs”. (http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=5547519&page=1) According to the article, “websites are targeting your children with so-called digital drugs. These are audio files designed to induce drug-like effects. All your child needs is a music player and headphones.” I confess that I had never heard of digital drugs until I read this article. Apparently, they are based on something called binaural beats, which are “ambient sounds designed to affect your brain waves.”
The writer of the ABCnews.com article says she found sites on the web that “sell audio files (‘doses’) that supposedly mimic the effects of alcohol and marijuana. But it doesn't end there. You'll find doses that purportedly mimic the effects of LSD, crack, heroin and other hard drugs. There are also doses of a sexual nature. I even found ones that supposedly simulate heaven and hell.”
How appropriate that something which mimics drug use can simulate hell.
St. Paul warns us that “our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.” (Ephesians 6:12). Do not doubt for a moment that it is through mechanisms such as drugs, real and digital, that the Evil One attempts to destroy our young people. Protect your children by staying involved. Know the music they listen to, the friends they spend time with, and the websites they log onto. Don’t wait until that haunting look appears before you start asking questions.
Donald Tremblay
Monday, August 11, 2008
Freedom...Even to be a Disgrace
A few weeks ago a depraved man used his internet web show to desecrate the Eucharist. Determined to flaunt his contempt for religion, University of Minnesota biology professor Paul Zachary Myers hammered a nail through the Eucharist and then threw it in the garbage. Many Catholics demanded that the university fire the self-proclaimed 'godless liberal'. (National Catholic Register, August 10, 2008) They argued that if he had used a swastika as the backdrop for his program or had walked around the set wearing a Klan hood, the university would have fired him instantly. And they are right. In today's politically correct climate certain groups are protected, while others can be denigrated without anyone raising an eyebrow. So I guess I am among those who want Myers fired, correct?
No.
I am incensed by what Myers did, but my reason for objecting to his dismissal has a lot to do with Matthew 5:25:
"Be at agreement with thy adversary betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him: lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison."
In this passage Jesus warns that we shouldn't assume that a third-party will side with us in our disagreements with others. We may confidently approach a judge believing that our case is guaranteed, only to walk away on the losing end of the judgment.
Our Lord’s instruction applies in this case. Sure what Myers did was offensive and his firing would elicit little sympathy from anyone. But if we as a society allow the “powers-that-be” to dismiss others because of their unpopular views, what is to stop others from applying that same litmus test against us when it is our views that are unpopular? And let's face it: the Church's views are hardly popular. As Jesus warns in Matthew, we may be the ones delivered to the judge and cast into prison. For example, a Myers dismissal would open the doors to many anti-Church groups who view the Church’s teachings as offensive, such as the homosexual lobby. What would prevent the homosexual lobby from demanding that the university dismiss Catholic professors because gays and lesbians find the Church’s views offensive?
A better approach than firing Myers would be to let the Law of Supply and Demand run its course. Catholics should widen the publicity net exposing Myers’ views and actions. As more people learn about his wickedness, fewer students will register for his courses and overall enrollment at the university may even suffer as parents opt to send their children elsewhere. Eventually, Myers will either realize that his own atheism doesn’t give him carte blanche to denigrate the faith of others, or he will be forced to slither away to his burrow, shamed into obscurity.
Donald Tremblay
No.
I am incensed by what Myers did, but my reason for objecting to his dismissal has a lot to do with Matthew 5:25:
"Be at agreement with thy adversary betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him: lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison."
In this passage Jesus warns that we shouldn't assume that a third-party will side with us in our disagreements with others. We may confidently approach a judge believing that our case is guaranteed, only to walk away on the losing end of the judgment.
Our Lord’s instruction applies in this case. Sure what Myers did was offensive and his firing would elicit little sympathy from anyone. But if we as a society allow the “powers-that-be” to dismiss others because of their unpopular views, what is to stop others from applying that same litmus test against us when it is our views that are unpopular? And let's face it: the Church's views are hardly popular. As Jesus warns in Matthew, we may be the ones delivered to the judge and cast into prison. For example, a Myers dismissal would open the doors to many anti-Church groups who view the Church’s teachings as offensive, such as the homosexual lobby. What would prevent the homosexual lobby from demanding that the university dismiss Catholic professors because gays and lesbians find the Church’s views offensive?
A better approach than firing Myers would be to let the Law of Supply and Demand run its course. Catholics should widen the publicity net exposing Myers’ views and actions. As more people learn about his wickedness, fewer students will register for his courses and overall enrollment at the university may even suffer as parents opt to send their children elsewhere. Eventually, Myers will either realize that his own atheism doesn’t give him carte blanche to denigrate the faith of others, or he will be forced to slither away to his burrow, shamed into obscurity.
Donald Tremblay
Friday, August 8, 2008
Cohabitation vs. Marriage
We’ve all heard it before: “Marriage is just a piece of paper. We don’t need a piece of paper to prove our love.” Or, “We’ve lived together for x years. It’s like we’re married.”
Wrong. No, it’s not.
Cohabitation is not marriage. There is a huge difference. Anyone who has stood at the altar and pledged his/her vows under the eyes of God, family and friends, and the Church can tell you that it is a commitment like no other in life.
It’s understandable why young people today would wish cohabitation and marriage were the same. In today’s world the chances of a new marriage ending in divorce are better than the betting odds you’d get from a Vegas Sports Book. And the financial strain on married couples who divorce can leave people in debt for years to come. Plus, theoretically, it seems logical that if you live with someone to confirm compatibility there’s a better chance of your relationship surviving. Well, as with many things in life, theories that sound great on paper often don’t survive the reality test. The New Oxford Review’s website has re-posted an article they ran in Sep 2007 entitled, “Cohabitation: Ten Facts”. (http://www.newoxfordreview.org/article.jsp?did=0907-schneider) It was written by Patrick Schneider II, M.D., M.P.H., who holds boards in family and geriatric medicine and who received a Masters in Public Health from Harvard University .
Here are some of the facts listed:
· One in ten [cohabitating couples] survives five or more years
· The rate of divorce among those who cohabit prior to marriage is nearly double (39 percent vs. 21 percent) that of couples who marry without prior cohabitation
· Cohabiting women often end up with the responsibilities of marriage -- particularly when it comes to caring for children -- without the legal protection (ibid.), while contributing more than 70 percent of the relationship's income
· A UCLA survey of 130 published studies found that marriages preceded by cohabitation were more prone to drug and alcohol problems
· Three-fourths of children involved in criminal activity were from cohabiting households
Marriage supporters are not surprised. There is a reason why the family, led by a married man and woman, has been the basic building block of every human society since the dawn of civilization. Why is marriage so much better than cohabitation, with or without the addition of children?
People cohabit because they fear commitment. Both sides enter the living arrangement with a (usually) unspoken agreement that they’ll “try it out”, and if it doesn’t work they’ll go their separate ways, no questions asked. The problem with this plan is that both partners live with one foot pointing to the exit. At the first sign of trouble their thought is, “How do I get out of this?” and not, “How do we get through this?”
Relationships do not work unless both parties are committed to one another. There will be many ups and downs in a relationship, and sometimes the downs can be very down. Standing on the altar and promising to remain “until death do us part” will be the single greatest commitment you will make in your life. I’ve heard cohabitants argue that they’ve bought a house together to show their commitment. It’s not the same thing. A house can be sold, proceeds split, with the partners going their separate ways as if the experience never happened. A “do-over” is not as easy when you’re married. Aside from the legal and financial ramifications of an ended marriage, there are emotional and spiritual ones as well. Even when there are legitimate reasons for a marriage to end, be it through infidelity or physical/mental abuse, both spouses will always remember that there was a time when, in front of God and their loved ones, they promised to stay united till death.
That’s an oath no individual can forget.
Donald Tremblay
Thursday, August 7, 2008
False Saviors
In my junior year of high school I took a course in American History. Late in the semester our teacher discussed World War II and Nazi Germany. Many of the students sat dumbfounded as he explained how Germany fell under the spell of Adolf Hitler. We couldn’t understand how a nation could deify a man and follow him as if he were the return of Jesus Christ.
As I watch people embarrassingly fawn over Barack Obama I begin to understand how this can happen.
Do not misunderstand me. I am not suggesting Obama is another Hitler. I am merely commenting on the ridiculous Messiah-like attention many Americans are showering the presidential candidate with. Think I’m exaggerating?
The July 27 edition of the Sunday NY Daily News published a story about former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Reggie Williams, who is trying to recover from multiple operations to replace his right knee. A photo of Williams walking in a leg brace accompanied the article. Written in marker across the straps of the brace is “Obama Heals”.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine’s Joe Klein jokingly explained what happened when two Obama supporters visited his house: “’When two activists rang my doorbell, I wondered whether they had taken Ecstasy. I was afraid that they might hug me.’"
· In a February 13, 2008 article entitled, “Obama-The Savior Superstar”, Le Monde journalist Corine Lesnes declared, “The United States is a country that prides itself on its insistence on the merits of individualism. Nothing is more embarrassing to this country than these great moments of collective obsession (shared, of course, with Super Bowl frenzy), where every critical faculty appears to have been abandoned in the service of a universal pursuit.
Mark Steyn, in his column for the blog Falling Panda, quotes Ezra Klein of The American Prospect: "Obama's finest speeches do not excite. They do not inform. They don't even really inspire. They elevate. They enmesh you in a grander moment, as if history has stopped flowing passively by, and, just for an instant, contracted around you, made you aware of its presence, and your role in it. He is not the Word made flesh, but the triumph of word over flesh, over color, over despair."
And let’s not forget Oprah Winfrey who at a December 2007 campaign rally in Iowa referred to Obama as “The One”.
There are many, many other examples. These are just a few.
I suppose this was inevitable given the secular society we’ve become. A secular society will yearn for secular heroes and saviors. For years many have compartmentalized God in their lives—that is those who haven’t outright rejected God as irrelevant or non-existent. We have figuratively pushed God from His throne and installed Man in His place. Whether it has been through worshipping New Age spiritualities that promise to unlock your inner god, or through embracing pseudo-psychologies that preach self-empowerment and self-actualization, our society’s self-worship has risen to levels never before seen in our nation’s history.
And now we have reached a new plateau: American citizens looking to a politician to lead them to the Promised Land.
Unbelievable.
How many times does history need to repeat itself before people realize that salvation is not of this world and that it will not be brought by any human other than he who was both God and man, our Lord Jesus Christ. Americans need to be reacquainted with John’s Gospel:
But Jesus did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men, and because he needed not that any should give testimony of man: for he knew what was in man. (John 2: 24-25)
Donald Tremblay
As I watch people embarrassingly fawn over Barack Obama I begin to understand how this can happen.
Do not misunderstand me. I am not suggesting Obama is another Hitler. I am merely commenting on the ridiculous Messiah-like attention many Americans are showering the presidential candidate with. Think I’m exaggerating?
The July 27 edition of the Sunday NY Daily News published a story about former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Reggie Williams, who is trying to recover from multiple operations to replace his right knee. A photo of Williams walking in a leg brace accompanied the article. Written in marker across the straps of the brace is “Obama Heals”.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine’s Joe Klein jokingly explained what happened when two Obama supporters visited his house: “’When two activists rang my doorbell, I wondered whether they had taken Ecstasy. I was afraid that they might hug me.’"
· In a February 13, 2008 article entitled, “Obama-The Savior Superstar”, Le Monde journalist Corine Lesnes declared, “The United States is a country that prides itself on its insistence on the merits of individualism. Nothing is more embarrassing to this country than these great moments of collective obsession (shared, of course, with Super Bowl frenzy), where every critical faculty appears to have been abandoned in the service of a universal pursuit.
Mark Steyn, in his column for the blog Falling Panda, quotes Ezra Klein of The American Prospect: "Obama's finest speeches do not excite. They do not inform. They don't even really inspire. They elevate. They enmesh you in a grander moment, as if history has stopped flowing passively by, and, just for an instant, contracted around you, made you aware of its presence, and your role in it. He is not the Word made flesh, but the triumph of word over flesh, over color, over despair."
And let’s not forget Oprah Winfrey who at a December 2007 campaign rally in Iowa referred to Obama as “The One”.
There are many, many other examples. These are just a few.
I suppose this was inevitable given the secular society we’ve become. A secular society will yearn for secular heroes and saviors. For years many have compartmentalized God in their lives—that is those who haven’t outright rejected God as irrelevant or non-existent. We have figuratively pushed God from His throne and installed Man in His place. Whether it has been through worshipping New Age spiritualities that promise to unlock your inner god, or through embracing pseudo-psychologies that preach self-empowerment and self-actualization, our society’s self-worship has risen to levels never before seen in our nation’s history.
And now we have reached a new plateau: American citizens looking to a politician to lead them to the Promised Land.
Unbelievable.
How many times does history need to repeat itself before people realize that salvation is not of this world and that it will not be brought by any human other than he who was both God and man, our Lord Jesus Christ. Americans need to be reacquainted with John’s Gospel:
But Jesus did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men, and because he needed not that any should give testimony of man: for he knew what was in man. (John 2: 24-25)
Donald Tremblay
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