Showing posts with label Chruch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chruch. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Reverence in the Church and at Holy Communion
You all know that I have only just recently returned to the Catholic Church after 25 years in the Evangelical Church. When I left the Church so many years ago… we (Catholics) were turning away from some traditions (with small t) and norms in the Mass. Some of these changes were a very good thing, in my book, others I wondered and was quite puzzled about; I was a bit confused over them.
First, the Priest has turned around to enhance the idea that we are all gathering AROUND the ‘table of the Lord’. We are drawn into the ‘conversation’ and Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. No longer is it just for the Priest and God, but now we are actually invited into the most Holy Sacrifice - more intimately. THIS is TRULY a good thing! One of the other good things was the language of the Mass. As a child I had NO idea what was going on in the mass when it was in Latin, I never took Latin, so it was always foreign to me! I am sure that I was not alone. My older sister tells me that the missals contained both Latin and English on opposing pages. I wouldn’t know. Being one of eight children, my parents couldn’t afford missals for all of us. Once the language went to English, I remember being IMMEDIATELY drawn into the Mass, and when the New Alter was turned around, I could not only hear in English but witness and participate with my own eyes, my ears, my heart, soul and spirit more FULLY in the Liturgy.
However, other changes puzzled me. For example, ‘reverence’. We no longer knelt when receiving Holy Communion. Additionally, we were now receiving the Blessed Sacrament … the Eucharist in the Hand, then picking it up with our own fingers, and putting it in our mouth. I thought, wow, is the Eucharist no longer thought to be HOLY? Again, I am sure that I was not alone. I always liked receiving it on the tongue but I thought we should conform and be ‘progressive.’ Who am I to make the rules? At first people bowed and/or genuflected before receiving standing in the hand, but that became less and less. Receiving Communion started to become mundane and … seemed to me to be ‘cafeteria’ style communion. Upon, returning after 25 years, I see more evidence of change. VERY few people genuflect or profoundly bow (if physically unable to genuflect) before entering the pew. Nor do they genuflect when leaving or turning their back to the tabernacle where Jesus is present – Body, Blood, Soul, Spirit and Divinity in the Eucharist. This truly made me sad. I am especially sad when parents genuflect, but their children walk right by them as they do and slide into the pew. They are not ‘training them in the way they should grow.’ Do not get me wrong… it is not everyone who does this… but it is becoming the norm. I am sure; once the future gray heads replace the gray heads in the church today, I bet no one will be genuflecting at all. This I do not think is good. We are losing the sense of Holiness that was missing in the protestant churches I attended.
I DO NOT bring up this topic of reverence to start a movement and insist that everyone start Kneeling and receiving on the tongue; nor do I INSISTS you train your kids how I think you should. I bring this up to create an awareness of what the SACRED TEACHING of the Church is - universally. I have been told many times in the past that standing for Communion was the ‘new norm’. Well, that is really just in the USA. MOST of the rest of the Catholics in the world still receives Kneeling and on the Tongue. I was astonished. One of the reasons I was given for not kneeling to receive the Eucharist and receiving in the hand, was that, In the Eucharist; we are transformed, made like Christ when we receive communion. Therefore, we are all united in Christ and Christ is in us, Furthermore we, are all bringing Christ’s presence to all we meet. I was given this reason, as to why we do not need to kneel, bow, or receive on the tongue. It sounded ‘good’ but I was never comfortable with that stance. For me, I know that Christ is IN ME. AS I receive the Eucharist who is WHOLELY and COMPLETELY JESUS CHRIST PRESENT in the visible form of the Bread and Wine. He changes me and makes me more Christ like. Unlike a regular piece of bread that I eat where I take it in and make it a part of me… it is the opposite with Christ in the Eucharist. As I take HIM in to me at communion, HE changes me… into HIM, not the other way around. This makes me think that having reverence present in the Eucharist is just as much an obligation as it was in the 1950’s. Even though Christ comes into me, and gives me the grace to be more CHRSIT-LIKE and welcomes me into communion with the TRINITY, I in fact still am the mortal person named ‘Bill’. The EUCHARIST present in the Tabernacles of the World and right in my church is 100% JESUS CHRIST. Therefore, when I face or come into the church that holds the tabernacle that holds the EUCHARIST, that Holds MY LORD AND MY GOD, I feel blessed and in AWE of Him so I will bow as I come into his presence, before sitting down. I will bow before I turn my back to him, and I will bow to him before I leave and take Him in myself, after Holy Communion when I am sent forth at the end of Mass.
May I suggest to you that below are two links of videos that I came across reinforcing my understanding of faith and the church’s teaching on these subjects. I am glad the Church continues to hold high, her reverence for Christ Presence in the Eucharist. I ask you as we are coming to changes in the Mass this Dec. 2011, should we consider some more Returning to the Primary Norms of the Mass found in the UNIVERSAL CATHOLIC CHRUCH. I often wonder… did these changes contribute to the loss of so many Catholics like myself over the past 25-30 years? Do we need to take a second look, admit our error, and return to the Norms of the Roman Rite currently being demonstrated in Rome today? Again… I am NOT a revolutionist… I just miss the reverence of the Churches of my youth that created an atmosphere at church that was DIFFERENT from any other place I visited. This is a place where we come to be transformed… made HOLY… Set ASIDE… from the fancy-free and mundane nature of our society. When I was in the Evangelical Church… there was no mystery, not reverence… no real sense of Holiness or of being set apart. Upon my return, I still find that Holiness missing. Think about it, wont’ you? Pray about it? Talk about it and give it some thought.
Here are the video blogs about the Eucharist and how it should be received and what ‘permissions’ have been granted in its distribution. The first is form Cardinal Arenzie… a BRILLIANT CATHOLIC priest who is the Prefect of the Liturgy and Sacraments for Pope Benedict XVI. Please review them… there are additional links on these sites to study and explore on this and many other subjects.
Cardinal Arinze on Eucharist on Tongue and Kneeling and Standing in the Hand. Cardinal Arinze is the Apostolic Prefect for the Sacraments and Liturgy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap1KL2D5ae4&NR=1
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Discovering the Faith We Hope To Pass On.
Re: The Inheritance.
I came across a video on YouTube, where a Mr. Michael Voris talks about the “Inheritance”, a subject that is very near and dear to my heart. During the last 5 or 10 years of my journey, just before returning to the Catholic Church I began to ask questions about the protestant faith that I could not find answers to. It was déjà-vou all over again! When I was a young adult Catholic, I could not find the answers to question I had about the Catholic Faith either.
What were my questions? Well I will give you just three of the many.
1. The Evangelical church believes that ‘once saved always saved’. Yet, the more familiar I got with scripture I found instances that cast great doubt on this premise. Where is the Truth?
2. The Protestant church believes that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial, a symbolic remembrance of what happened 2000 years ago when Jesus paid the ultimate price for all of our sins.
3. The Protestant church believed that somewhere along the line in the first 3 or 4 centuries, the Catholic Church strayed from the true faith and it didn’t surface again until the Reformation of the 16th Century. It was then the true Church ‘surfaced’ in its fullness and grew into the Protestant faith. Where was the Church hiding during those ‘obscure’ years?
Once again, only now as a middle-aged adult I found myself questioning my faith. I questioned its validity just as I had done to the Catholic faith of my youth. I found myself reading scripture with great intensity. I prayed and prayed asking God to please help me find some truth. He had answered me so many times in the past; I knew that if I kept searching I would find the answers. I began to read world history hoping to find something. That led me to Church history and to my astonishment; I discovered some of the church fathers. The prayer and study of both History and Scripture began to bear fruit for me. In the letter to the Ephesians 2:12 Paul writes, “… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” This verse not only cast doubt on the notion of ‘once saved always saved’… but here the apostle was saying that we should continue to ‘WORK’ it out, also dispelling the premise that ‘WORKS’ had nothing to do with salvation… but that it is was by Grace alone. To make a long story short, I also noted in the beginning of the book of Revelation that John writes the letters to the seven Churches. He uses words and phrases like… ‘Do not be luke-warm, or I will spew you out of my mouth’; and ‘be careful that I do not strike your name from the book of life’. Again… casting doubt that once we are saved, we are always saved. The Protestants would argue that if your name were stricken from the ‘book of life’ that you were never really saved in the first place. You must not have made a real commitment to Christ. This did not make sense to me. This all required much more prayer, studying, and reading on my part. After about 2 years or so, I concluded that in fact, that we are SAVED by Grace but not by Grace alone. GOD took the first step and offered salvation to us by Grace; and that as we who choose to cooperate with it, we then go about on working it out. Look at Ephesians 2:10 the Apostle goes on.... “For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” In short the Grace of God and our cooperating with it to do the works and will of God will bring us to salvation. IT is both FAITH and WORKS. The two are so closely knit together that they are in-separable. The Grace comes in... because it is through God's Grace that initiates that salvation. WE respond by choosing to cooperate with it, or we can refuse to work with it.
Secondly, as a Protestant, I believed that the Lord’s Supper was a symbolic memorial. IT was not until I started reading the writings of the first popes and bishops of the church that I began to look at the Bread of Life discourse in Chapter 6 of John’s gospel in its true light. The Protestant church teaches that there were many heresies that surfaced in the church during the 3rd and 4th centuries. Therefore, the ‘true’ faith became obscure. I myself could never really put my finger on just where and when that happened. Once I started reading church history and almost a year along into my studying, I came across references in the third century to what was called the “Didache”. THIS document was instrumental in my returning to the church. It detailed “the Way” of the Twelve, the Teaching of the Twelve APOSTLES. It “blew me out of the water” … so to speak. It lays the foundation as to how one should live the "Way" of the Christian Faith, and How not to. It goes on and details what the Apostles taught about “The Thanksgiving” what we call the Eucharist. This document was forged while there were still some of the Apostles living. It was passed around the Church world and was considered sacred writing. Although it did not make it into the cannon of Scripture, it was still a very important and instrumental document of the early church. The ‘Didache’ gave me EARLY confirmation as to what the Gospels and the Catholic Church Teaches about the Lord's Supper. It confirmed that the Apostles themselves believed the ‘Thanksgiving’ was a sacrifice that was made present ... the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Finally, I would like to address my third concern about where the church was during those obscure years between… let us say the 4th century and the 16th centuries; until the Reformation. Well, I have to admit I never really got around to finding where the church was. Why you might ask? Well my friends, it was because as I read about History and found documents and writings of the early church fathers there was no need. Again… why you ask… because much of what I was reading was the Apostolic Tradition of the Catholic Church. In finding it, reading it, praying about it, I discovered that the Church was never hidden, never obscure, never was it obscured from the eyes and ears of man. The CHURCH has stood firm and sound on Peter, the ROCK, and the Gates of Hell have not and will NEVER prevail against it. I discovered for myself what the Protestant Church in fact denies; that you cannot have just Scripture alone. You must have the living, breathing, Spirit led Magisterium of the Church as guide. Without that rich Apostolic Tradition that was passed on by the Apostles, you only have half the Story. It must be set in the Context of that authoritative History; otherwise, it will be subject to whoever and whatever direction the winds of change will be blowing. The Catholic Church with the Holy Scripture that she gave us, along with the Apostolic Tradition handed down by the Apostles spans more than 2000 years. YES, that history contains evil men, greedy men, savage men, and self-righteous men, men in need of reform and especially in recent years with the grave sin of the sex abuse scandals. ALTHOUGH, Christ has used these ‘unclean vessels’ of poor reputation and character to guide The Body of CHRIST, the Church was always been visible and INTACT. Please, if you have never read of the Church Fathers, Doctors, early Popes and Saints who pledged their lives for YOU, The Holy Church… then you owe yourself the time to do so. Because, only after reading and truly understanding it all will you discover the FULLNESS and the context of Scripture and Tradition that make up the full deposit of the Catholic Faith. I am convinced that the FULLNESS of the Christian faith is found only in the One Holy Apostolic Church... the Catholic Church.
My Friends, there are those among us in the Catholic church and outside of it, who believe the Church is to ‘old fashion’ to ‘out of touch’, that it needs to come out of the ‘dark ages’ and come into the light of the 21st century. Let me say this…we do not own the Church and its teaching, it is the gift from Christ Himself; given and revealed to us through the Apostles. Therefore, we cannot change nor can we improve upon it. Doing so would only distort and demean the very truths about our faith. The Catholic Faith has stood the test of time and space in its ENTIRETY; and it will stand until the day the Lord Himself returns. The tenants of Sacred Scripture and Seared Tradition do not belong to me; they do not belong to you. They belong to the Entire body of the Church, the Communion of Saints. The faithful who have gone before us have preserved it for more than 2000 years so that today we will have it in its FULLNESS. It does not just belong to our generation. We are just the vessels who hold it for a while, until we too, pass it on to the next generation preserving it in its entirety. May God Bless and Keep the Catholic Church this day and always.
Please check out this link entitled… “Inheritance”. I found it very interesting. http://www.youtube.com/user/RealCatholicTV#p/u/1/6t-oydfasVc
I came across a video on YouTube, where a Mr. Michael Voris talks about the “Inheritance”, a subject that is very near and dear to my heart. During the last 5 or 10 years of my journey, just before returning to the Catholic Church I began to ask questions about the protestant faith that I could not find answers to. It was déjà-vou all over again! When I was a young adult Catholic, I could not find the answers to question I had about the Catholic Faith either.
What were my questions? Well I will give you just three of the many.
1. The Evangelical church believes that ‘once saved always saved’. Yet, the more familiar I got with scripture I found instances that cast great doubt on this premise. Where is the Truth?
2. The Protestant church believes that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial, a symbolic remembrance of what happened 2000 years ago when Jesus paid the ultimate price for all of our sins.
3. The Protestant church believed that somewhere along the line in the first 3 or 4 centuries, the Catholic Church strayed from the true faith and it didn’t surface again until the Reformation of the 16th Century. It was then the true Church ‘surfaced’ in its fullness and grew into the Protestant faith. Where was the Church hiding during those ‘obscure’ years?
Secondly, as a Protestant, I believed that the Lord’s Supper was a symbolic memorial. IT was not until I started reading the writings of the first popes and bishops of the church that I began to look at the Bread of Life discourse in Chapter 6 of John’s gospel in its true light. The Protestant church teaches that there were many heresies that surfaced in the church during the 3rd and 4th centuries. Therefore, the ‘true’ faith became obscure. I myself could never really put my finger on just where and when that happened. Once I started reading church history and almost a year along into my studying, I came across references in the third century to what was called the “Didache”. THIS document was instrumental in my returning to the church. It detailed “the Way” of the Twelve, the Teaching of the Twelve APOSTLES. It “blew me out of the water” … so to speak. It lays the foundation as to how one should live the "Way" of the Christian Faith, and How not to. It goes on and details what the Apostles taught about “The Thanksgiving” what we call the Eucharist. This document was forged while there were still some of the Apostles living. It was passed around the Church world and was considered sacred writing. Although it did not make it into the cannon of Scripture, it was still a very important and instrumental document of the early church. The ‘Didache’ gave me EARLY confirmation as to what the Gospels and the Catholic Church Teaches about the Lord's Supper. It confirmed that the Apostles themselves believed the ‘Thanksgiving’ was a sacrifice that was made present ... the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Finally, I would like to address my third concern about where the church was during those obscure years between… let us say the 4th century and the 16th centuries; until the Reformation. Well, I have to admit I never really got around to finding where the church was. Why you might ask? Well my friends, it was because as I read about History and found documents and writings of the early church fathers there was no need. Again… why you ask… because much of what I was reading was the Apostolic Tradition of the Catholic Church. In finding it, reading it, praying about it, I discovered that the Church was never hidden, never obscure, never was it obscured from the eyes and ears of man. The CHURCH has stood firm and sound on Peter, the ROCK, and the Gates of Hell have not and will NEVER prevail against it. I discovered for myself what the Protestant Church in fact denies; that you cannot have just Scripture alone. You must have the living, breathing, Spirit led Magisterium of the Church as guide. Without that rich Apostolic Tradition that was passed on by the Apostles, you only have half the Story. It must be set in the Context of that authoritative History; otherwise, it will be subject to whoever and whatever direction the winds of change will be blowing. The Catholic Church with the Holy Scripture that she gave us, along with the Apostolic Tradition handed down by the Apostles spans more than 2000 years. YES, that history contains evil men, greedy men, savage men, and self-righteous men, men in need of reform and especially in recent years with the grave sin of the sex abuse scandals. ALTHOUGH, Christ has used these ‘unclean vessels’ of poor reputation and character to guide The Body of CHRIST, the Church was always been visible and INTACT. Please, if you have never read of the Church Fathers, Doctors, early Popes and Saints who pledged their lives for YOU, The Holy Church… then you owe yourself the time to do so. Because, only after reading and truly understanding it all will you discover the FULLNESS and the context of Scripture and Tradition that make up the full deposit of the Catholic Faith. I am convinced that the FULLNESS of the Christian faith is found only in the One Holy Apostolic Church... the Catholic Church.
My Friends, there are those among us in the Catholic church and outside of it, who believe the Church is to ‘old fashion’ to ‘out of touch’, that it needs to come out of the ‘dark ages’ and come into the light of the 21st century. Let me say this…we do not own the Church and its teaching, it is the gift from Christ Himself; given and revealed to us through the Apostles. Therefore, we cannot change nor can we improve upon it. Doing so would only distort and demean the very truths about our faith. The Catholic Faith has stood the test of time and space in its ENTIRETY; and it will stand until the day the Lord Himself returns. The tenants of Sacred Scripture and Seared Tradition do not belong to me; they do not belong to you. They belong to the Entire body of the Church, the Communion of Saints. The faithful who have gone before us have preserved it for more than 2000 years so that today we will have it in its FULLNESS. It does not just belong to our generation. We are just the vessels who hold it for a while, until we too, pass it on to the next generation preserving it in its entirety. May God Bless and Keep the Catholic Church this day and always.
Until Next time May God Bless and Keep You,
BloggerBill
Please check out this link entitled… “Inheritance”. I found it very interesting. http://www.youtube.com/user/RealCatholicTV#p/u/1/6t-oydfasVc
Friday, March 25, 2011
The UN-itended Consequences
Re: Bishop Thomas J. Tobin warns Catholics On "Gay Marriage"
– “Abysmal” Catholic apathy must be overcome to oppose those who are
“fiercely determined” to impose homosexual “marriage,” -Bishop of Providence, Rhode Island Thomas J. Tobin has warned. Reasserting Catholic teaching on sexual morality, he also said that same-sex “marriage” will endanger religious freedom.
All Christians of every denomination, not just Catholics need to wake up and educate themselves about the issues of Homosexuality and 'Gay' Marriage. Media and society in general has been very good about telling us why ‘Gay Marriage’ should demand social acceptance and become Law. They have slowly over the past several decades 'desensitized' us into believing in their agenda. We need to once again, look at this issue with open minds and re-evaluate where this is all taking us! Then after careful examination of both sides, we need to take responsible action and make ourselves heard by our Representatives in Local, State, and Federal government. IF 'gay marriage' becomes the Law of the land, there will be untold UN-INTENDED consequences.
Our kids and young adults do not realize that they have been, and are being (dare I say) 'railroaded' by the ‘gay agenda’ in our public schools. Heck, most of their parents don’t realize it either. With the lack of say that parents have in the curriculum of our public schools, it is obvious why so many of our kids and young adults are convinced that we should all be tolerant of the gay lifestyle. I can be tolerant of their standards, so as long as THEY can be tolerant of my standards. However, the lines between tolerance, moral character, and truth (unless it is 'relative' truth) are quickly fading away. Like religion and God himself, moral character and ‘real’ TRUTH is no longer taught in our schools. Society has convinced so many of our kids and MANY adults, that this lifestyle and/or any sexual behavior is 'relative'. It is the mentality that "if I'm OK, and you're OK... then it must be OK." We are being desensitized and methodically stripped of all moral character in our society. We as a society need to do some serious RE-EVALUATION as to where this 'Gay Agenda" is taking us. (Yes, I am repeating myself… and for good reason!)
These activists have always been outspoken, very assertive, and pro active in their 'cause' for changing the hearts and minds of all society. They are now attempting, and are often succeeding in trying to make us all conform to their disordered thought processes. Do you remember that less than 60 years ago homosexuality was against the law and considered sodomy, a felony offense? By 2002, 36 states had repealed all sodomy laws or had them overturned by court rulings. NOW these activists are seeking too not only change our minds, they are seeking to change the oldest institution of the human race. They want to redefine for all persons of all times, the definition of Marriage. In doing so, I am sure that if they could they would convince us that they could change the NATURAL LAW in which 'marriage' has it's firm roots. Marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman who LOVE one another so much, that in nine months the two become three. This is the natural law, that is an intrinsic part of humanity and cannot be denied, nor should it be EVER be redefined by making a law that gives a group of individuals the right to include themselves in a way so foreign to the ‘eternal’ sacrament of marriage and family. Heck.... next thing you know... a son will want to marry his Mother. I have actually seen news clips of a man wanting to marry his DOG!
Are you aware of what will happen if this law legalizing ‘gay marriage’ is imposed on our society? The Authors of our great Constitution did not intend for the laws and courts of this great country to be used to strip MORALITY, truth, God, the Word of God, and religion from the public forum. In fact they are the ones who inscribed the words that we “… are endowed by their (our) CREATOR….” as the very basis of Our GREAT Society. Wake Up America! If those who support the ‘gay agenda’ are successful here is just a short list of the unintended consequences:
I only share these few here, but there are DOZENS and DOZENS more for you to consider. Go and Google it and get caught up with what is happening in our society. For them, it's all about the “ME” and is never about “US”, society as a whole.
I ask you all to pray for four things.
Thank you for visiting my blog. Until next time,
May God Bless and Keep you.
Check out these other articles that demonstrate what we have to look forward to if 'gay' marraige' becomes the Law of the land here in the US. (some of which are ALREADY law)
Christian foster couple lose 'homosexuality views' case
Gay-rights opponents have human rights too, Vatican delegate reminds UN
Law Forces Christian Adoption Groups to Close
Christian Doctor Loses Position over Gay Adoption View
Catholic adoption charity loses gay exemption bid
– “Abysmal” Catholic apathy must be overcome to oppose those who are
“fiercely determined” to impose homosexual “marriage,” -Bishop of Providence, Rhode Island Thomas J. Tobin has warned. Reasserting Catholic teaching on sexual morality, he also said that same-sex “marriage” will endanger religious freedom.
All Christians of every denomination, not just Catholics need to wake up and educate themselves about the issues of Homosexuality and 'Gay' Marriage. Media and society in general has been very good about telling us why ‘Gay Marriage’ should demand social acceptance and become Law. They have slowly over the past several decades 'desensitized' us into believing in their agenda. We need to once again, look at this issue with open minds and re-evaluate where this is all taking us! Then after careful examination of both sides, we need to take responsible action and make ourselves heard by our Representatives in Local, State, and Federal government. IF 'gay marriage' becomes the Law of the land, there will be untold UN-INTENDED consequences.
Our kids and young adults do not realize that they have been, and are being (dare I say) 'railroaded' by the ‘gay agenda’ in our public schools. Heck, most of their parents don’t realize it either. With the lack of say that parents have in the curriculum of our public schools, it is obvious why so many of our kids and young adults are convinced that we should all be tolerant of the gay lifestyle. I can be tolerant of their standards, so as long as THEY can be tolerant of my standards. However, the lines between tolerance, moral character, and truth (unless it is 'relative' truth) are quickly fading away. Like religion and God himself, moral character and ‘real’ TRUTH is no longer taught in our schools. Society has convinced so many of our kids and MANY adults, that this lifestyle and/or any sexual behavior is 'relative'. It is the mentality that "if I'm OK, and you're OK... then it must be OK." We are being desensitized and methodically stripped of all moral character in our society. We as a society need to do some serious RE-EVALUATION as to where this 'Gay Agenda" is taking us. (Yes, I am repeating myself… and for good reason!)
These activists have always been outspoken, very assertive, and pro active in their 'cause' for changing the hearts and minds of all society. They are now attempting, and are often succeeding in trying to make us all conform to their disordered thought processes. Do you remember that less than 60 years ago homosexuality was against the law and considered sodomy, a felony offense? By 2002, 36 states had repealed all sodomy laws or had them overturned by court rulings. NOW these activists are seeking too not only change our minds, they are seeking to change the oldest institution of the human race. They want to redefine for all persons of all times, the definition of Marriage. In doing so, I am sure that if they could they would convince us that they could change the NATURAL LAW in which 'marriage' has it's firm roots. Marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman who LOVE one another so much, that in nine months the two become three. This is the natural law, that is an intrinsic part of humanity and cannot be denied, nor should it be EVER be redefined by making a law that gives a group of individuals the right to include themselves in a way so foreign to the ‘eternal’ sacrament of marriage and family. Heck.... next thing you know... a son will want to marry his Mother. I have actually seen news clips of a man wanting to marry his DOG!
Are you aware of what will happen if this law legalizing ‘gay marriage’ is imposed on our society? The Authors of our great Constitution did not intend for the laws and courts of this great country to be used to strip MORALITY, truth, God, the Word of God, and religion from the public forum. In fact they are the ones who inscribed the words that we “… are endowed by their (our) CREATOR….” as the very basis of Our GREAT Society. Wake Up America! If those who support the ‘gay agenda’ are successful here is just a short list of the unintended consequences:
1. Every Christian, Jew, and Muslim or any other person of faith who truly supports sound theology will be branded a ‘bigot’, should they disagree with the law.
2. Every Church and Faith based organization may be, or eventually will be, required to employ someone even if their lifestyle in not compatible with the moral standards of the faith.
3. Churches (etc.) will be obliged to marry same sex couples whether they want to or not.
4. Christian adoption agencies will be forced out of business if they do not permit Gay couples to adopt from their agencies. (this is already law in many states) Recently in ENGLAND there was a heterosexual Married Couple who were refused permission to Foster Children because they refused to educate or allow ‘gay morality’ to be encouraged or taught in their home (check link below)
5. Preachers of the Gospel and faith based books like the Bible and Koran, who speak against homosexuality are liable and will be arrested.
5. Preachers of the Gospel and faith based books like the Bible and Koran, who speak against homosexuality are liable and will be arrested.
6. Bed and Breakfast operators will be held liable if they do not allow homosexual couples into their homes. (There are states that have pending lawsuits on this issue as I write this blog.)
I only share these few here, but there are DOZENS and DOZENS more for you to consider. Go and Google it and get caught up with what is happening in our society. For them, it's all about the “ME” and is never about “US”, society as a whole.
I ask you all to pray for four things.
1. Pray that God will let truth and moral character prevail as the Church and WE all strive to do our part.
2. Pray for those who author this 'disordered thinking' and agenda -that God will change their hearts & minds.
3. Pray for Our Country, and our elected officials, that they will lead us and return to the Faith of our Fathers where we will once again embrace the virtues of faith in God, truth, and the moral standard.
Thank you for visiting my blog. Until next time,
May God Bless and Keep you.
Check out these other articles that demonstrate what we have to look forward to if 'gay' marraige' becomes the Law of the land here in the US. (some of which are ALREADY law)
Christian foster couple lose 'homosexuality views' case
Gay-rights opponents have human rights too, Vatican delegate reminds UN
Law Forces Christian Adoption Groups to Close
Christian Doctor Loses Position over Gay Adoption View
Catholic adoption charity loses gay exemption bid
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sex Abuse IS NOT Exclusive To The Catholic Chruch
As a Roman Catholic, I am very conscious of the shame that the sex abuse scandal has brought to the Catholic Church. In this recent article from the NY Times dated March 12, 2011, the reporter brings to the written page a "REVELATION" of UNTHINKABLE proportions. This is an extensive article (more than 6 typed pages long) and was well researched and presented. I know there will be those who say that as a Catholic I am trying to divert attention from the Church's major scandal to the much bigger scandal in the public sector. However, they must also realize that no matter where this kind of behavior is found it MUST be rooted out and dealt with. While the Church has brought shame upon herself because of the sex abuse scandal, I am also very aware of the extensive steps the church has done to prevent such abuse in the Future. Unfortunately the public sector and our government has done absolutely nothing for the past 12 years about the extensive abuses found in these group homes, by counselors, hospitals, and especially in our public schools where the problem is worse than any other sector of society.
Charol Shakeshaft Ph.D., a scholar from Hofstra University completed a report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education, in compliance with the 2002 "No Child Left Behind Act" signed into law by President Bush. Between 6 and 10 percent of public school children across the country have been sexually abused or harassed by school employees and teachers. It is estimated that roughly 290,000 students experienced some sort of physical sexual abuse by a school employee from a single decade—1991-2000. That compares with about five decades of cases of abuses found in the church by clergy and religious. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a report on the nature and scope of their abuse problem, found almost 14,000 cases of abuse by about 4,000 priests and deacons since 1950 -2000. That is 290,000 over a NINE-YEAR period in the public schools vs. 14,000 over a FIFTY-YEAR period in the Catholic Church. Shakeshaft commented that such figures led her to contend: “…the physical sexual abuse of students in the schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests.” (To learn more Google: Charol Shakeshaft PhD. or go to the links at the end of this article.)
I hope you read the articles linked to this post. Look for yourself and learn the facts. Then write your state and federal representatives to insist on action. Thank you for listening. We must all be a part of the solution or we must confess to being a part of the problem.
Abused and Used At State-Run Homes
Sex Abuse by Teachers Said Worse Than Catholic Church
Until next time,
May God Bless and Keep You
Charol Shakeshaft Ph.D., a scholar from Hofstra University completed a report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education, in compliance with the 2002 "No Child Left Behind Act" signed into law by President Bush. Between 6 and 10 percent of public school children across the country have been sexually abused or harassed by school employees and teachers. It is estimated that roughly 290,000 students experienced some sort of physical sexual abuse by a school employee from a single decade—1991-2000. That compares with about five decades of cases of abuses found in the church by clergy and religious. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a report on the nature and scope of their abuse problem, found almost 14,000 cases of abuse by about 4,000 priests and deacons since 1950 -2000. That is 290,000 over a NINE-YEAR period in the public schools vs. 14,000 over a FIFTY-YEAR period in the Catholic Church. Shakeshaft commented that such figures led her to contend: “…the physical sexual abuse of students in the schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests.” (To learn more Google: Charol Shakeshaft PhD. or go to the links at the end of this article.)
I am also just as outraged by the level of media coverage that these articles have had -- or should I say - LACK of coverage. The media coverage of the Catholic priest abuse scandal is nearly COAST TO COAST and on every major network. Yet, whether they just want to turn a blind eye, or they are just anti-Catholic, or are maybe they are just too afraid of the Public worker/teacher Labor Unions …. There is NOTHING but DEAD SILENCE when it comes to the problem in our public schools. Even though I am Catholic, I am still an AMERICAN CITIZEN! WHERE is the public OUTCRY!? WHERE is the OUTRAGE!?!? AS a parent, I DO NOT have a problem if a priest who is guilty of sex abuse is removed and or jailed. I am also VERY concerned when there is NOTHING being done to protect the VICTIMS of these CRIMES by these public sector Perpetrators!
I hope you read the articles linked to this post. Look for yourself and learn the facts. Then write your state and federal representatives to insist on action. Thank you for listening. We must all be a part of the solution or we must confess to being a part of the problem.
Abused and Used At State-Run Homes
Sex Abuse by Teachers Said Worse Than Catholic Church
Until next time,
May God Bless and Keep You
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