Stupid religious tricks…
And other bull$#!@.
Eat, Pray, Love. Oprah is promoting this book by Elizabeth Gilbert- in fact, yesterday she just did another show on the book. It is a best seller which is apparently liberating women from whatever keeps them back from self-pleasuring themselves with the freedoms they are missing out on in life. (Not a few end up leaving their husbands as the author had.) You can read a review of the new age spiritual classic here.
Anagrammatic coincidence.
The so-called war on Christmas is fought on many fronts. One familiar enemy of Christmas has always been the Evangelical/Fundamentalist Christians, once known as Puritans. For these folks, any tradition associated with Christmas that smacks of Roman-ism is deemed satanic. (And Catholics are worried about “The Golden Compass” maligning the Church!)
Writing on his blog, author John Shore claims that Santa is Satan: “And Santa being Satan certainly explains a lot. For one, it explains the red suit. It also explains the flying reindeer. Remember how scary the flying monkeys were in The Wizard of Oz? Clearly, making mammals fly is an earmark of the malevolent. And seriously, what would you rather have flying over you: a 50-pound monkey, or a 500-pound reindeer? That wide-brimmed hat the Wicked Witch of the West wears might protect her from monkey droppings, but is it really going to help against a team of reindeer flying overhead?” - Read more.
As every good Christian ought to know, Santa traces his origins to St. Nicholas - and he is definitely not the anti-Christ. I’m not saying the commercialized version of santa Shore describes has much to do with the Catholic saint, but he certainly is not a danger to children’s souls either. Christian parents, especially Catholics, should have enough faith to be able to differentiate the reality from the myth for their kids - at an appropriate age. All too often religious people imagine the devil in the wrong places and disguises… while he is busy fitting-in elswhere.
Circumventing authority.
Gay activists in the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis are making an issue over Archbishop Nienstedt’s authority to defend faith and morals for Catholic faithful. These unhappy people, otherwise known as dissident Catholics, are writing letters of resistance to the editors of various newspapers, calling television news to document protests, while using their blogs to put pressure upon the Church to change Her traditional teaching regarding homosexual sexual activity.
Many of these people are the same ones who insist there is no gay agenda to change culture, the Church, or the world. Ah! But there is an agenda. On one “Catholic” blog site, which is against just about anything that is traditionally Roman Catholic (such as papalism- as the author refers to it), I found an offering suggesting ways dissidents may discreetly circumvent authority. The presentation was given by a sister of the nearly extinct order of women religious known as the Sisters of St. Joseph.
How to dress up in sheep’s clothing - strategies for the wolf.
What follows is from a local gay activist’s weblog: “Sponsored by the Homophobia and Heterosexism Working Group of the Justice Commission of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Sister Jeannine’s talk was entitled “Transforming Hierarchical Structures,” and offered a number of “guiding principles” for such transformation within the Catholic Church, along with some concrete strategies by which this much needed transformation can and is being achieved.
1. Active compliance: when we work actively with those within the hierarchical system and abide by whatever decision comes about. We make our position known but nevertheless comply. In this way the hierarchy at least knows of an alternative position and seeds of change may well have been planted.
2. Creative circumvention: when we follow the letter of the hierarchical law but not its spirit. An example: Lay people, forbidden to preach during Mass, give a “talk” before or after Mass.
3. Prophetic obedience: when one follows in the tradition of Jesus and the prophets and publicly name and confront structures that are oppressive to people.” - The Wild Reed
“Homophobia and Heterosexism Working Group of the Justice Commission of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet” - HUH?
No earth-shaking revelation from Sr. Jeannine, to be sure. However, the above excerpt from The Wild Reed helps to demonstrate that these people spend a great deal of time researching ways in which to circumvent Church teaching. Through a more in-depth examination of the literature disseminated by a couple of the organizations associated with this local movement, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the extent to which these people immerse themselves in gay studies programs and ongoing education, comprising questionable academic and scientific research as regards homosexuality. The group seems to be very well equipped and organized in their assault upon Church teaching and discipline. Riding the coat-tails of a well-established reputation, once enjoyed by the formerly vibrant order of the Sisters of St. Joseph, these false teachers have created a convenient platform from which to carry on their battle. Yet hopefully, not for long.
- Nunsense , Oddities , Popular culture , Rubbish , Weblogs
December 6th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Not only a sinfully sad waste of time, energy & $$$, but a danger to many souls…
Thanks for the warnings, Terry - & the prayer need brewing regarding these situations.
December 6th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
I worry a great deal about some of the Orders of nuns in St. Louis these days. An acquaintance of mine has an elder Aunt who is a Precious Blood nun. Her parish is the liberal-leaning St. Pius the Vth parish on south Grand Ave., whose real estate is front & center of the annual Gay Pride Parade down Grand Avenue. My acquaintance told me that, after Sunday Mass on the day of the parade last summer, this nun exclaimed “let’s go out to the street & show them our support!” ?!?! We also have Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondolet. I sincerely hope the upcoming JPII generation sees through these false “prophets” or they’ll end up following them right off a cliff.
December 6th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
In the Highland Villager, the local neighborhood paper, the Religious Notes section (p.23) has some events that are not to be missed. One of the many “interesting” programs at the Wisdom Ways Center for Spirituality at the Carondelet Center at St. Kate’s is the Winter Solstice: Drumming and Celtic Shamanic Ceremony 6:30-9:30pm, Thursday through Saturday, December 20-22 ($20)
Santa, Schmanta. Give me a Shaman.
December 6th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
I guess there has been an update:
John Shore
Writer, Editor, Author
“Santa. Satan. Anagrammatic Coincidence? No.
(The astonishing number of pretty darn hostile comments it has inspired people to leave me here compels me to say that this piece is meant as humor, as [I daresay] anyone who actually reads the thing is bound to see. Please rest assured that …I am not so slow as to have ever actually confused Santa Claus with Satan. I love Santa Claus. I’m entirely pro-Santa Claus. I have Santa Clausi all over my house. I understand that the reason ….”
I guess sometimes we all need to learn correct time & season to flex our sense of humor …
Earlier this week I read a very to-the-point type of article written by a 19-yr young lady who is considering religious life and what she sadly encountered. I applaud the young lady for being observant and taking to pen to seek explanation.
Jennifer Fionnait Orchard’s article:
http://www.clmagazine.org/backissues/2007novdec_40-42sisters oflifeordeath.pdf
Let’s be grateful for the other sisters who are working in the vineyard … such as the Sisters of Life [http://sistersoflife.org/vm.htm]
” … Our vocation as consecrated religious allows us to be the voice and agent of Christ’s tender love and mercy to these women and their little ones. We strive to bring His peace, the gift of hope and a “beginning joy” to each of these women God sends our way, even amidst what the women themselves readily admit are “non-ideal circumstances.” We have witnessed the truth that “life is always a good” as we have watched it slowly but surely blossom forth in so many of these courageous women with a heart faithful to the call to love.”
Amen
December 6th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Paula - I hope Mr. Shore didn’t take my mention to be hostile - LOL! Yeah - the John Shore thing was dumb - and I do like dumb humor. Nevertheless, not a few fundamentalists - some of them Catholic - suck that stuff up. And Michael Indiscriminate Brown bites on everthing and anything with the word satan or occult in it.
My really serious focus regarding stupid religious tricks was the 3rd segment of the post.
December 6th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Agree, especially on “indiscriminate” … however, the 3rd segment I would label more as “manoeuvre warfare” —
“… term used by military theorists for a concept of warfare that advocates attempting to defeat an adversary by incapacitating their decision-making through shock and disruption brought about by movement…”
December 6th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Excellent post, Terry. The one that really stood out for me(because of the Christmas season) was the Fundamentalists view of Christmas, who see a satanic involvement in some of the most beloved traditions of Christianity. They especially become more militant if we talk about the Roman Catholic Church.
“All too often religious people imagine the devil in the wrong places and disguises… while he is busy fitting-in elsewhere.”
Excellent. Beautifully put.
God bless and May Christ be born in you (instead of just “Merry Christmas).
Tom
December 6th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
If these nuns want to circumvent the hierarchy they should just leave the Catholic Church!!! WHY do they stay?????
December 7th, 2007 at 6:47 am
As a convert to Catholicism from the Campbellite Church of Christ, this is my first time to ever actually enjoy the religious aspect of Christmas. the CoC doesn’t celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday because the Bible doesn’t explicitly authorize it. That and it’s too “Catholic.”
December 7th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Great post, Terry!
December 7th, 2007 at 10:07 am
Good one, from start to finish.
On this Elizabeth Gilbert person? I talk to myself. I talk to trees. I’ll even talk to the computer and radio. ( NB: I’m the only one that ever talked back to myself. The trees, etc. remained silent. ) I would, however, draw the line well before “making friends” with sheetrock.
December 7th, 2007 at 11:00 am
Oh the sisters at my poor alma mater St. Kates!!?! My poor soul goes into all sorts of consternations regarding this sad, dissenting order! O how I pray for a loving and thorough cleansing of our church of the filth of dissent and heresy. Either obey or leave? I’ll echo Swiss Miss “Why do they stay??”
We cannot serve two masters. If we do not serve the Lord then whom do we serve?? You have one guess….