What about one’s obligations to one’s own community, to try to preserve their freedom and the stability of one’s society? That is selfish, Mario Dorsonville would likely say. And with jihadis crossing the border recently, do the U.S. Catholic bishops feel any obligation to support measures that would protect Americans from jihad attacks? Apparently not. The message that the bishops are sending to Americans is simple: drop dead.
The U.S. Catholic bishops appear to be absolutely unconcerned about the following facts: Adnan Fazeli, a Muslim refugee brought to Maine by Catholic Charities, died waging jihad for the Islamic State. Somali Muslim migrant Mohammad Barry in February 2016 stabbed multiple patrons at a restaurant owned by an Israeli Arab Christian; Ahmad Khan Rahami, an Afghan Muslim migrant, in September 2016 set off bombs in New York City and New Jersey; Arcan Cetin, a Turkish Muslim migrant, in September 2016 murdered five people in a mall in Burlington, Washington; Dahir Adan, another Somali Muslim migrant, in October 2016 stabbed mall shoppers in St. Cloud while screaming “Allahu akbar”; and Abdul Razak Artan, yet another Somali Muslim migrant, in November 2016 injured nine people with car and knife attacks at Ohio State University. 72 jihad terrorists have come to the U.S. from the countries listed in Trump’s initial immigration ban.
What’s more, all of the jihadis who murdered 130 people in Paris in November 2015 had just entered Europe as refugees. In February 2015, the Islamic State boasted it would soon flood Europe with as many as 500,000 refugees. The Lebanese Education Minister said in September 2015 that there were 20,000 jihadis among the refugees in camps in his country. On May 10, 2016, Patrick Calvar, the head of France’s DGSI internal intelligence agency, said that the Islamic State was using migrant routes through the Balkans to get jihadis into Europe.
The bishops, of course, have 91 million reasons — indeed, 534 million reasons — to turn against the truth and disregard the safety and security of the American people: “In the Fiscal Year 2016, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) received more than $91 million in government funding for refugee resettlement. Over the past nine years, the USCCB has received a total of $534,788,660 in taxpayer dollars for refugee resettlement programs.”
With that kind of money involved, is it any surprise that the bishops want more “refugees,” and show no concern whatsoever for the possibility that they might be facilitating the entry of criminals and jihad terrorists?
“Leave them; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)
“The Catholic Church is urging President Biden to accept a lot more refugees,” by Charles Davis, Business Insider, April 19, 2021:
President Joe Biden may attend mass every Sunday, but when it comes to welcoming more refugees he has thus far been a disappointment to the Catholic Church.
Biden campaigned on establishing a more humane immigration system, promising, in particular, to restore a refugee resettlement program that had been systematically gutted by his predecessor. Soon after taking office, the first Catholic in the White House in more than 50 years announced plans to resettle as many as 125,000 refugees in fiscal year 2021, which begins October 1.
But last week the Biden administration disappointed immigrants and their allies when it informed Congress it was not committed to raising the ultra-low cap on refugee admissions set by the last White House. Left unchanged, just 15,000 people, at most, would be resettled by the end of the current fiscal year. For comparison, the US admitted over 200,000 refugees in 1980.
Bishop Mario Dorsonville, head of the US Conference on Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, said Monday the country can do a lot more to help the world’s most vulnerable
“The number of refugees who will be welcomed this year is far short of what we can do as a country and is not an adequate response to the immense resettlement need,” Dorsonville, an auxiliary bishop in Washington, DC, and himself an immigrant from Colombia, said in a statement.
The church frequently clashed with former President Donald Trump. US bishops accused him of seeking to “instigate panic in our communities” with mass deportations, and describing his efforts to practically eliminate refugee resettlement — he launched racist attacks on Somali refugees who had already come, while his adviser, Stephen Miller, advocated slashing admissions to zero — as “counter to our values as a nation of immigrants.”
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services is one of nine nonprofit organizations that partner with the US government to meet the needs of refugees who arrive in the country. Those seeking protection from war and repression deserve compassion and assistance, it teaches, citing the “mercy of Christ, who himself was a immigrant and child of refugees.”…
Honest Ali says
The pedophiles need more fresh meat.
Seriously, how can anybody be part of a pedophile church?
Do they really think pedophiles are going to guide them to Heaven?
Wellington says
With respect, Honest Ali, I think looking upon the Roman Catholic Church as a “pedophile church” is way too narrow of an assessment that is dedicated to the most fulsome perspective of an ecclesiastical institution that has lasted for two thousands years and has provided the world with such wonders as Gregorian Chant, the intellectual architecture of such great minds as Erigena, Anselm and Thomas Aquinas, Romanesque and Gothic architecture, the wonders of the Italian Renaissance in painting, sculpture and architecture, and the artistic counter by the Roman Catholic Church to the Protestant Reformation which is Baroque art. There is also the factor right here in America of the great contributions that Catholicism has made over the centuries to the establishment of hospitals and schools which have done enormous good.
May I respectfully ask you to consider this “matter” on a much broader scale than your post above indicates. I think regard for the truth demands it.
Wellington says
“…two thousand years…” and not “…two thousands years…” Damn that unwanted plural.
gravenimage says
+1
Simon says
Yes….not to mention that the majority of migrants coming from the south would be Catholics!
Carl says
Catholics—?-. In your dreams
Rob Porter says
Wellington – The fact is that the Catholic Church has to a large extent lost its way in the U.S. and Canada and, with a few exceptions, is poorly led. This starts at the top with Poe Francis. Some priests act in a manner, or live lives, that are clearly contrary to Biblical teaching, themselves homosexual supporting homosexuality, same-sex marriage, even abortion. These are not men of God, clearly frauds and should be expelled from the priesthood. How they imagine that their actions are pleasing to the Almighty is beyond me. Do they even believe in God? Marxist priests clearly do not. To them it’s just a job that provides income.
In respect of being Christian the Pope is a shockingly poor specimen and a traitor to persecuted Christians in Muslim lands. He panders to Islam and Muslims and in regard to both, talks an ignorant load of rubbish. Robert has made this much very clear. Catholics who provide finance to build mosques are clearly ‘out to lunch’ and so ignorant of Islam and its beliefs, not least toward Christians, that it’s beyond pathetic.
The Catholic school near where I live caters to a lot of the faddish secular nonsense that public schools support, thus ‘inclusion’ and ‘acceptance’ – of just about everything. So, no clear adherence to what the Bible instructs and God expects. Talk about ‘watered down’ Christianity, they’ve embraced it, but then, when these schools accept government funding they end up selling their soul.
Simon says
Not to mention the Inquisition….the slaughter of witches……the slaughter of the Albigensians…..and Cathars…..the support of Pavelic and the slaughter of non Catholics in Croatia during WW2……the “conversion” and subsequent slaughter of Amerindians Incas Aztecs etc etc…..
Dont get me wrong I love Gregorian Chant….will gaze in awe at a cathedral like York Minster but what defines the RC Church in my opinion atm is it’s almost total denial of child abuse….the coverups….the transfer of nonce priests to other dioceses ….and its pandering to Islam.
Rob Porter says
Simon – all too true. So much that was good, not least saving Europe from Islam through the crusades, is being undone and destroyed by frauds masquerading as Christians. This Mario Dorsonville is in my opinion a disgusting fool who does not deceive God with his mindless rubbish.
As Robert said in his quote: “Leave them; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14).
Wellington says
Simon: I did not maintain that Church officials have not done great wrongs through the centuries. My only reason replying as I did to Honest Ali was to indicate that referring to the Roman Catholic Church as the “pedophile church” is a very narrow perspective that does not take into account both the good and the bad. Besides, religions of all kinds have done terrible wrongs, none more so than Islam.
Gregory Ganser says
The one true faith, the Catholic church has done wonders since its inception and apostolic hand off and succession by the one true bridegroom, Jesus. However, since the years of Cardinals Dearden and Bernardin…and the massaging of the likes of Saul Alinsky, the hierarchy has sold the faithful and doctrine out under the bus to ally with the prestige and money of the government state. We need to call a spade a spade.
mortimer says
H.A., such sophomoric oversimplifications will not do. Most RCs are as much or more upset by pedophilia than you. In my estimation, there are far more pedophiles in ISLAM by a factor of 5.
As well, Saudi Arabia (is anyone surprised?) has one of the highest rape statistics taken by estimates.
The RC hierarchy is inundated with neo-Marxists who have no zeal for evangelizing the Muslims (that is there job), so they divert their energy to globalist and Marxist theories.
It should be remembered by these misguided clerics that the Tower of Babel was a sign that the Deity wanted a separation of the peoples. That is the divine plan. Globalism is thus blasphemous. Traditionally, national traditions have supported the religious life of their communities. Globalism will lead to godlessness. Just look at the globalist OLIGARCHS.
What we are seeing is a takeover of everything by globalist corporations who want populations to become interchangeable so that profit may be maximized. It’s difficult to see why the church leaders are going along with globalism unless they are also on the payroll.
There is really no
mortimer says
continuation: There is really no explanation for why the RC hierarchy wants to bring in hostile Muslims to RC countries. This is counter-intuitive.
THX 1138 says
There is a very logical explanation why the RC wants to bring in hostile Muslims to RC countries it’s called SUICIDAL ALTRUISM. Suicidal altruism is the highest virtue and duty of a Christian as exemplified by the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ for the redemption of depraved sinners. Suicidal altruism is the over-arching, ultimate, fundamental moral teaching of Jesus Christ.
“Christ, in terms of the Christian philosophy, is the human ideal. He personifies that which men should strive to emulate. Yet, according to the Christian mythology, he died on the cross not for his own sins but for the sins of the nonideal people. In other words, a man of perfect virtue was sacrificed for men who are vicious and who are expected or supposed to accept that sacrifice. If I were a Christian, nothing could make me more indignant than that: the notion of sacrificing the ideal to the nonideal, or virtue to vice. And it is in the name of that symbol that men are asked to sacrifice themselves for their inferiors. That is precisely how the symbolism is used….
Altruism holds death as its ultimate goal and standard of value….
Altruism declares that any action taken for the benefit of others is good, and any action taken for one’s own benefit is evil. Thus the beneficiary of an action is the only criterion of moral value—and so long as that beneficiary is anybody other than oneself, anything goes….
Even though altruism declares that “it is more blessed to give than to receive,” it does not work that way in practice. The givers are never blessed; the more they give, the more is demanded of them; complaints, reproaches and insults are the only response they get for practicing altruism’s virtues (or for their actual virtues). Altruism cannot permit a recognition of virtue; it cannot permit self-esteem or moral innocence. Guilt is altruism’s stock in trade, and the inducing of guilt is its only means of self-perpetuation. If the giver is not kept under a torrent of degrading, demeaning accusations, he might take a look around and put an end to the self-sacrificing. Altruists are concerned only with those who suffer—not with those who provide relief from suffering, not even enough to care whether they are able to survive. When no actual suffering can be found, the altruists are compelled to invent or manufacture it.” – Ayn Rand
gravenimage says
THX 1138, it is true that all too many–Christian and otherwise–consider this suicidal behavior virtue signaling.
Simon says
Yes….not to mention that the majority of migrants coming from the south would Catholics!
Wellington says
I now look upon the Roman Catholic Church as an enemy of truth, of Western Civilization in general, and of America in particular.
I honestly think that so much damage has been done to the Catholic Church since the debacle that was Vatican II (1962-1965) that it is irreversible damage. Pope Francis is “merely” a symptom of this damage, as is the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Though an agnostic, not a religious bone in my body, I respect the Judeo-Christian tradition, which played a major role in the development of the the greatest civilization in history, i.e., Western Civilization. Kudos also to the classical world of ancient Greece and Rome and to the best of the West in addition to Judeo-Christian and classical influence, for instance the Anglo-Saxon contribution to freedom above and beyond any Judeo-Christian and classical input. But now the best of the Judeo-Christian tradition is being destroyed by woke, ignorant Leftists and wishy-washy moderates in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church and by others as well.
This is my take on this immensely sad phenomenon and I stand by it fully. The Roman Catholic Church is either outright dying or morphing into something that will continue to exist but which will be inimical to Western Civilization—and most surely to freedom especially.
James Lincoln says
Wellington,
Excellent post, my compliments.
I was brought up Catholic and actually remember the Catholic Church prior to Vatican II. It seemed to take a little bit of time for the real damage to kick in after Vatican II.. That being said, I remain a devout Christian and have found alternatives to the Roman Catholic Church.
But even now, on rare occasion, I have attended a Catholic mass in a church run by a wonderful local parish priest. This particular priest, surprisingly, is not a big fan of the current Pope or the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
And you are correct, Judeo-Christian tradition is tragically being replaced by “woke” Leftism…
Wellington says
Thanks, James, for your reply. Something very terrible is going on, we live in the midst of it, and it does not bode well for the single finest civilization in all of history, i.e., Western Civilization.
Profoundly unfortunately, the current Roman Catholic Church is, not entirely of course but nonetheless quite significantly, contributing to a civilizational demise which is entirely avoidable if only proper knowledge, moral intelligence and common sense still “reigned.” Alas, they do not.
Glad I am no longer a Roman Catholic. It would break my heart if I still were. Must be breaking many Catholic hearts right now—a huge number of hearts.
gravenimage says
Good exchange.
Infidel says
There are ~100+ Christian sects/churches that Catholics could switch to for alternatives: they don’t have to remain tied to a pope that’s not just woke, but totally blind to something as evil as islam
Wellington says
True, Infidel, but, as Shakespeare observed in Much Ado About Nothing, everyone can master a grief but he that has it.
For a long-term Roman Catholic to break from their church and move to another Christian sect is for many such a person an excruciating ordeal because (and I know because I was brought up Catholic) for a Catholic Roman Catholicism is the true faith. Gut wrenching stuff here for many Catholics—actually know of several personally.
Mauricio says
True, Wellington. But you and I know that it is worth the effort and sacrifice.
For any roman catholic here frustrated about his church, and who still values the western religious traditions, I recently found the Western-rite Orthodoxy:
https://www.orthodoxwest.com/praise
Mauricio says
Correction:
https://www.orthodoxwest.com/praxis
gravenimage says
Alas, the Catholic Church is not the only Christian denomenation to embrace this suicidal madness.
THX 1138 says
Give credit where credit is due and blame where blame is due. Christianity gave the world the one-thousand years of the Christian Dark Ages. Thomas Aquinas introduced the rational philosophy of Aristotle to the Christian Dark Ages and that gave birth to the Renaissance, “renaissance” means the rebirth of reason and concern for life on earth, it does not mean the rebirth of Christian faith and mysticism.
“The [Christian] supernatural doctrines of the Middle Ages, . . . kept men huddling on the mud floors of their hovels, in terror that the devil might steal the soup they had worked eighteen hours to earn…. The [Christian] Middle Ages were an era of mysticism, ruled by blind faith and blind obedience to the dogma that faith is superior to reason.” – Ayn Rand
“The [Christian] medieval period, under the sway of such philosophers as Plotinus and Augustine, was an era dominated by Platonism. During much of this period Aristotle’s philosophy was almost unknown in the West…. The dominant [Christian] moralists had said that man must not seek his ultimate fulfillment on earth; that he must renounce the pleasures of this life, whether as a flesh-mortifying ascetic or as an abstemious toiler, for the sake of God, salvation, and the life to come.” – Objectivist philosopher Leonard Peikoff
“An entirely different view of man dominated the medieval Christian civilization. Man, according to Augustine, is “crooked and sordid, bespotted and ulcerous.” Medieval mystics regarded man as an evil creature whose body is loathsome because it is material, and whose mind is impotent because it is human. Hating man’s body, they said that pleasure is evil, and virtue consists of renunciation. Hating this earth, they said that it is a prison where man is doomed to pain, misery, calamity. Hating life, they said that death and escape into some other dimension is all that man could—and should—hope for.
Man as a helpless and depraved creature, was the basic theme of [Christian] medieval sculpture until the Gothic period, whether he was shown being pushed into Hell or accepted into Heaven.” – Mary Ann Sures
“Religion versus America” – by Objectivist philosopher Leonard Peikoff
https://ari.aynrand.org/issues/government-and-business/capitalism/religion-vs-america/
gravenimage says
Christianity was not respeonsible for the Dark Ages. It was in fact the church that preserved knowledge during this period.
gregbeetham says
Yes, the Dark Ages weren’t really dark, they were labelled that because the Roman Empire had fallen in about 470 AD and the only consolidating influence left was the Church it seemed at the time but then along came Charlemagne to right the ship of Europe and his eventual empire included most of Europe and a period of expansion of education and the preservation of Roman and Greek literature followed, and that endured for long after his death. He rescued the Pope from an invasion during his rule and eventually was bestowed the title of Emperor by him (although historians are divided on whether he wanted it). He spent nearly the entire time of his rule defending the new Kingdom/Empire from invaders from the East but education and commerce still flourished under his direction.
The Church ran most of the upper class education institutions where they taught Latin for those who wanted to become lawyers and doctors but which also opened up the classics of literature and philosophy to them, but the thing that also began the end of the domination of Religion over every facet of life was the first science, which was Astronomy.
The whole period after the fall of the Roman Empire and for the next thousand years is actually quite fascinating and far from ‘dark’.
gravenimage says
Greg, thanks for your reply.
Unfortunately, the “Dark Ages” really were pretty damn dark. Chaos reigned, cities emptied out, literacy fell drasticallhy, and the population cratered. Life for most people really was ‘nasty, brutish, and short”, as a later writer would say.
Charlemagne was a very impressive figure, and one of the first signs of hope after the fall of the Roman Empire–but his heirs were not able to maintain his empire for long. It was not until about the time of the Crusades that things began to stabalize somewhat in Europe. It was not until after the Renaissance that things began to progress–almost a thousand years after the fall of Rome.
And Islam had a hand in killing off the last vestiges of Roman culture, and acted to retard any recovery for several centuries.
A fine book on the subject is Henri Pirenne’s classic work “Mohammed and Charlemagne”.
Wellington says
I am not at all surprised, gravenimage, that you would mention Pirenne’s thesis, erudite friend that you are.
THX 1138 says
Preserve knowledge? No, the church HID and FORBADE knowledge. The Christian moralists despised any knowledge that contradicted their faith.
“To this is added another form of temptation more manifoldly dangerous. For besides that concupiscence of the flesh which consisteth in the delight of all senses and pleasures, wherein its slaves, who go far from Thee, waste and perish, the soul hath, through the same senses of the body, a certain vain and curious desire, veiled under the title of knowledge and learning, not of delighting in the flesh, but of making experiments through the flesh. The seat whereof being in the appetite of knowledge, and sight being the sense chiefly used for attaining knowledge, it is in Divine language called The lust of the eyes….
Notwithstanding, in how many most petty and contemptible things is our curiosity daily tempted, and how often we give way, who can recount?” – Augustine
“Religion versus America” – Leonard Peikoff
https://ari.aynrand.org/issues/government-and-business/capitalism/religion-vs-america/
gravenimage says
THX 1138, 2000 years of the Catholic Church is complex. In many cases the Catholic Church *did* preserve knowledge, especially during the early Middle Ages–this is a clear part of history. This does not mean that at other times–as in the case of Galileo–that they didn’t unfortunately violently oppress the furtherance of knowledge.
Rob Porter says
Wellington – Very well said, not least: “The Roman Catholic Church is either outright dying or morphing into something that will continue to exist, but which will be inimical to Western Civilization—and most surely to freedom especially.”
A few years ago a couple of Catholic friends tried to convince me to convert, but looking at the mess the Catholic Church had either become or was rapidly becoming, ended any consideration. That the RC Church continues to happily harbour Marxists and perverts condemns it. Too many Catholics embrace the nonsense that their’s is the only true church – when at the core it is rotting. This is their delusion. They’d be better off creating home churches.
Wellington says
Thanks for your reply, Rob Porter. Yes, it is very sad to see what has happened to the Catholic Church over the last some sixty years.
I might add that I don’t mind Catholics thinking and believing theirs is the true faith. One could argue why be a Catholic if you don’t believe this? But considering what has happened to the Church since the 1960’s, it approaches the risible to maintain this any longer.
andrew mckendrick says
I lived through Vatican 2.A phrase at the time among many Catholics was ..we are catering to the lukewarm and we know what Christ said he would do with them.
somehistory says
He should just take his load of balderdash and head on back from whence he came.
And comparing this year to 1980 is a bit much. So many invaders have arrived illegally since that year….so many in just the first few months in this year…it could easily reach the 1980 number and surpass it…because they just keep on coming and many are pregnant, ready to give birth as they cross. 200,000 invaders, easy peasy and then he can allow that many in “legal” so-called “refugees” and how many jobs are waiting for them?
“bishops” don’t know how to run their own business, but they can tell the government what to do to run the country. They and their caption idiot lust for mozlums…guess that’s the kind of “refugees” this fool is lusting on about.
somehistory says
captain idiot, not caption.
Infidel says
Dear Bishops, if we bring in muslim refugees, you’ll keep losing congregants to islam, and will ultimately have to either become imams, or find other lines of work altogether
curious george says
The more things change, the more they remain the same.
Follow the money!
The Apostle Paul said, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
– 1 Timothy 5:8
gravenimage says
US Catholic bishops urge Biden’s handlers to bring in more ‘refugees’
……………..
How many of them will be criminals, narcoterrorists, or Jihadists? Suicldal madness.
And it is not just these clueless Catholic bishops–Leftists in general are going nuts over Biden not bringing in even more invaders.
Jim says
The church leaders probably believe that Americans are invulnerable, they cannot be hurt by terrorists, so why not let terrorists into the country. The church can even reform them. In the past the church sold salvation for donations. I think that was one of the things Luther objected to. Now it seems to be the same. The government buys salvation by donations to the Church, which enables Biden and the left to virtue signal. The government never pays the bills, the printing presses pay much of it, the rest is buying on credit or taxing residents to pay the costs of Virtue. But of course Americans are not invulnerable. The left knows that, which is why they give themselves security services and build walled villas in expensive neighborhoods free from refugees. How many Muslims do Obama and Biden know? Probably the ones that are in the deep state and on their staffs, but not the ones who sneak across the border or hide in contingents of migrants.
gravenimage says
Most leftists refuse to believe that Muslims are a danger at all.
Andrew Blackadder says
More and more people are leaving the Church and returning to God..Lenny Bruce.
Doesnt the Catholic Church teach that Charity begins at home….
THX 1138 says
Charity is nice but suicidal altruism is higher than mere charity. Christianity teaches suicidal altruism. As Jesus Christ died to save depraved, worthless sinners, you should die to save depraved, evil, Muslims. It’s simply following the highest virtue and duty that Christ’s Crucifixion exemplifies. Death does not matter because if you sacrifice your life for Christ, Heaven is waiting for you after you die. A serious follower of Christ knows Heaven is waiting for him after he sacrifices his life for depraved Muslim sinners. You must not be a serious Christian, you must be a superficial, not-so-serious, dilettante, cafeteria, Christian.
You need to learn to take Christianity completely seriously.
“Christ, in terms of the Christian philosophy, is the human ideal. He personifies that which men should strive to emulate. Yet, according to the Christian mythology, he died on the cross not for his own sins but for the sins of the nonideal people. In other words, a man of perfect virtue was sacrificed for men who are vicious and who are expected or supposed to accept that sacrifice. If I were a Christian, nothing could make me more indignant than that: the notion of sacrificing the ideal to the nonideal, or virtue to vice. And it is in the name of that symbol that men are asked to sacrifice themselves for their inferiors. That is precisely how the symbolism is used.” – Ayn Rand
Mauricio says
THX 1138
There were no muslims when the human nature of Christ was on earth. That is why he said:
“In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.” (John 16:2)
If islam would have existed at that time, I am sure Christ would have given specific instructions on how to deal with them. Instead, he sent the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and his successors, so that they could lead the Church wisely, and deal with these issues at the appointed time.
Christ’s sacrifice was once and for all (Hebrews 10) so your claim that Christians need to foolishly sacrifice themselves for muslims doesn’t have any reasonable theological grounds.
THX 1138 says
My point is this, the Bible and Christianity can be interpreted in many, superficial, contradictory, selective ways, but when push comes to shove, when you take Christianity as a whole, and take its mystical, supernatural, other-worldly, claims, seriously, suicidal altruism with the reward of an eternal after-life, is its true and serious essence. The Pope and the RC Bishops have dedicated their lives to complete, consistent, serious, devotion to altruistic Christianity, they are not cafeteria Catholics or Cafeteria Christians.
The selfish, individual, enjoyment of life on earth, the selfish, individual, pursuit of happiness and wealth on earth, has NOTHING to do with seriously practiced, seriously understood Christianity. Christianity is other-worldly not this-worldly. The goal is Heaven in the after-life not the pursuit of happiness in this world.
“Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven [after you die]. Then come, follow me….
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [how did he love you, a depraved sinner? He committed suicidal altruism for you]…
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven…
this single command: You must love your neighbor as yourself….
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins….
My Kingdom is not of this earth… Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [after death]…
But I tell you, love your enemies…
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” – Jesus Christ
Mauricio says
THX 1138
You continue mentioning “suicidal altruism”. No Christian Church in this world thinks that suicide is a virtue; on the contrary, it is considered a mortal sin, even for the popeists. It transgresses the 6th commandment, and the 2nd most important Christian commandment that you mentioned:
“…Love your neighbor as yourself.”
For, how are you going to be able to love anyone if you don’t love yourself first?
Be careful not to end up like Jim Jones followers with this suicidal thing.
You mentioned:
“The Pope and the RC Bishops have dedicated their lives to complete, consistent, serious, devotion to altruistic Christianity, they are not cafeteria Catholics or Cafeteria Christians.”
Now you are defending them? I’m confused with your position. Anyways, your statement shows that you don’t read the jihadwatch news about the pope and RC bishops very often, and that you don’t know them or any other Christian very well.
“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6)
A real Christian wouldn’t show off how altruistic they are, like popeists usually do. They inherited this way of acting from Cesar and the roman empire: they were politically experts to portray an illusion to the peoples so that the peoples would like and adore them in return. This phenomenon is called “cesaropapism”.
Also, Christ points out that shepherds must give their life for THEIR sheep (it would be good if you read the parable of the good shepherd in John 10:1-16).
He insists to Peter to feed HIS sheep in John 21:15-17.
” …that a man lay down his life for HIS friends.” (John 15-13).
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for MANY.” (Mark 10:45 and Matthew 20:28). Many here doesn’t mean everyone but just the ones who will believe in him.
Even “love your neighbor”. By definition neighbor is the one next/close to you, not a senseless ideology located on the other side of the world.
Conclusion: the pope and his bishops are not doing well by blessing islam feasts and followers, or by inviting “thieves”(from the good Shepherd parable) or by providing them with mosques, etc. They need to take care of their own flock by preventing any confusion regarding islam and even educate them realistically on the matter. And they should give their lives before letting other Christians die at the hand of muslims.
OLD GUY says
You would think that the church would have learned from the loss of membership in Europe over the past decades of liberal ideologies. Open borders in Europe with mass migration of muslims has not improved the lives of the European citizens that now have to support these migrants, and deal with their criminal acts. While it maybe a christian thing to help others, you also need to help the citizens of your own community FIRST. Lets cure our homeless and drug addiction problems before we bring more people into our society.
THX 1138 says
“you also need to help the citizens of your own community FIRST.”
That would be SELFISH.
And selfishness we are all taught from birth is evil. Suicidal altruism is noble and virtuous. Self-preservation is selfish and therefore evil.
Saving others, living for others, and dying for others, is a higher virtue than lowly, selfish, self-preservation, so we are taught from the moment we are born.
spiro says
If the Roman Catholic church is so concerned about these people why not help them in there own countries instead of creating a draw to
Cause them to take a very dangerous journey
But that would require effort and maybe getting their hands dirty dealing with common people
Like Jesus did
No fancy cars
No fancy meetings
No fancy travel
No fancy housing
No fancy meals
Just service
Jesuits always told me Jesus was their example
THX 1138 says
Like Jesus did —- he died by suicidal altruism to save depraved sinners. If he died for us depraved sinners, surely we can die for depraved Muslims.
“Christ, in terms of the Christian philosophy, is the human ideal. He personifies that which men should strive to emulate. Yet, according to the Christian mythology, he died on the cross not for his own sins but for the sins of the nonideal people. In other words, a man of perfect virtue was sacrificed for men who are vicious and who are expected or supposed to accept that sacrifice. If I were a Christian, nothing could make me more indignant than that: the notion of sacrificing the ideal to the nonideal, or virtue to vice. And it is in the name of that symbol that men are asked to sacrifice themselves for their inferiors. That is precisely how the symbolism is used.” – Ayn Rand
Wellington says
Well, THX 1138, according to Christian doctrine Jesus was God and this is a huge difference from mere mortals dying to save “depraved Muslims.” Besides, though not religious myself, I don’t think the point of Jesus’ crucifixion was that Christians should thereafter get themselves crucified or experience some similar gruesome death. It was a one-time event Jesus’ crucifixion was.
Two other points: 1) Per Christian thinking, Jesus sacrificed Himself to save all mankind. A mere mortal cannot sacrifice himself to save all mankind; 2) Christianity was never meant to be a suicide pact.
James Lincoln says
Wellington,
As a devout Christian, that is the way that I understand it…
THX 1138 says
My point is this, the Bible and Christianity can be interpreted in many, superficial, contradictory, selective ways, but when push comes to shove, when you take Christianity as a whole, and take its mystical, supernatural, other-worldly, claims, seriously, suicidal altruism with the reward of an eternal after-life, is its true and serious essence. The Pope and the RC Bishops have dedicated their lives to complete, consistent, serious, devotion to altruistic Christianity, they are not cafeteria Catholics or Cafeteria Christians.
The selfish, individual, enjoyment of life on earth, the selfish, individual, pursuit of happiness and wealth on earth, has NOTHING to do with seriously practiced, seriously understood Christianity. Christianity is other-worldly not this-worldly. The goal is Heaven in the after-life not the pursuit of happiness in this world.
“Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven [after you die]. Then come, follow me….
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [how did he love you, a depraved sinner? He committed suicidal altruism for you]…
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven…
this single command: You must love your neighbor as yourself….
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins….
My Kingdom is not of this earth… Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [after death]…
But I tell you, love your enemies…
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” – Jesus Christ
Spiro says
Trx1138 drop the psycho Babel
Learn what Christianity really teaches
Mauricio says
+1