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| Screenshot of Manhattan Declaration iPhone App |
In the name of tolerance, tolerance is being abolished; this is a real threat we face.The "humanist" agenda marches on at a staggering pace. ("Humanist" is a term that has been appropriated by the atheist community to make their position seem less radical.) This past week brings two new shocking developments.
– Pope Benedict XVI in "Light of the World"
- An iPhone application that is in support of the Manhattan Declaration was removed from the iTunes Store apparently on the grounds that it promotes “homophobia” and that its supporters are “anti-gay.”
- The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a well known civil rights group, has classified the Family Research Council and several other organizations as a “hate groups” because these groups are “anti-gay.”
The new re-definition of "anti-gay" includes anyone who believes that marriage should be exclusively between a man and a woman, and also anyone who believes that sex between people of the same gender is morally wrong. This would label most Christians as "anti-gay" and would also label the explicit biblical teachings of St. Paul against homosexuality as "hate speech".
For radical gay activists to make such statements is not really new, but for mainstream organizations such as SPLC and Apple to fully endorse such positions is very significant. Strategically, I think this is a huge mistake for gay activists. They are being egged on by the "humanists", who are just using gays as a sort of shock troop to promote their agenda.
This is another in a series of proxy attacks launched by the "humanists" against the Church. Abortion, gay marriage, gays in the military, the proliferation of pornography... these are the artillery of the "humanist" campaign which seeks to destroy the Church through a constant bombardment.
The "humanists" seek to polarize society. They welcome a popular backlash against gays, since this would only increase the anti-Christian feelings among many gay activists and their "liberal" allies. They seek to drown out in hostile rhetoric the Church's teachings of love towards those who have fallen into the trap of a homosexual life.
The "humanists" seek to create a full-fledged cultural war that pits the Church against secular society. They seek to radicalize the discussion to the point where the Church's merciful voice is drowned out in a sea of accusations and counter-accusations.
It would be a mistake for Christians to engage in argument with the "humanists" on their terms. While we must fully defend the Church against attacks, we should at the same time be very careful not to be provoked into abandoning our Christian principles of love and compassion.
Jesus, I trust in You!
Further reading:
What a nice way to end an article, with "Jesus, I trust in You!"
ReplyDeleteThere is a constant force pushing down Christianity, mocking it. That's why faith is precious gift to not be deceived.
I want to share an interview with you, It's Anne Rice on CBN.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XXCpcSHjXU&feature=related
:)
Dear Ride. Thank you so much for sharing with me the interview with Anne Rice. Her words are beautiful. When she speaks of "surrendering" to God, it is truly heartfelt. Today, I felt myself drifting in my faith and experiencing doubt. And this interview was just what I needed. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe painting with the words "Jesus, I trust in You!" is the depiction of a vision by St. Maria Faustina Kowalska. This is part of her Divine Mercy revelation. Another part, that many Catholics are familiar with, is the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. I have just begun reading her Diary. Every page seems full of divine revelation. She is a truly extraordinary mystic who speaks so plainly and clearly of her visions.
She received her vision for the Divine Mercy painting on Feb 22, 1931. She died and was reborn, and went to Heaven on October 5, 1938 at the age of 33. She suffered poor health for many years due to tuberculosis. She came from a poor simple family in Poland. She only had 3 years of education, and yet her writing is very clear and profound.
From the Diary of Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska:
<< February 22, 1931. In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand (was ) raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord: my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me, "Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel and (then) throughout the world." >>
Hi Ride. I did some reading on Anne Rice. She has apparently suffered her ups and downs with Christianity and Catholicism. One of her most recent statements is:
ReplyDelete“In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.”
It seems that she never completely "surrendered" as she claims. Its not easy to commit to Christianity. Maybe she didn't realize what she was committing to at the time. It requires great sacrifice and humility. One of the toughest things is to give up control and to become a "slave of Christ", as St. Paul said (Rom 1:1).
And Christ tells us that we cannot serve two masters (Matt 6:24). Secular humanism is in complete opposition to Christianity. So it seems that Anne has made her choice for now as to who she will "surrender" to and serve.
With regards to the Manhattan Declaration, Apple has come out with an official statement:
ReplyDelete"We removed the Manhattan Declaration app from the App Store because it violates our developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people."
This statement says nothing and says everything at the same time. It does not even define the "large groups of people", and yet it is clear that this refers to homosexuals. It does not specify what it finds to be "offensive" about the Manhattan Declaration, and yet this is a clear rejection of the Christian principle that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.
Would Apple be so quick to act if the offended groups were Christians? It's worth repeating the words of Pope Benedict XVI:
"In the name of tolerance, tolerance is being abolished; this is a real threat we face."
Anne Rice is a pro-gay rights and rabid Christian hater. She posts several times a well anti-Christian articles and calls anyone who is for traditional Christian moral a hate monger.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODSn25eyTKQ
Hi Grace. Thanks for posting the link to Anne Rice on Good Morning America. Although she says that she is not anti-Catholic, her message is very definitively a classic attack on Catholicism. At one point she says that she is not Christian, but then she turns right around and says she believes in Christ. And while she is generous enough to include among the Christians that she detests some conservative Protestants, I think this is a sort of ploy to take the emphasis of her core anti-Catholicism.
ReplyDeleteHer version of Christianity is one that most Humanists (except for the very hard core radical atheists) would feel very comfortable with. In fact she is sort of a throw back to the start of the Humanist movement, when it was more of a Christianity-lite.
For Catholics, Rice's ad hoc Christianity is not that much of a problem to deal with. We can clearly see the heresies that she is preaching. (Or at least we should be able to if we are at all familiar with the teachings of the Church.) Her approach is really meant to draw in Protestants that have a very loose connection to Christianity – the so-called "liberal" Christians. Souls that are wandering and lost and searching for a middle ground between the teachings of Jesus Christ and those of the secular culture.
She is a charming enchantress that seeks to tempt those lost souls further away from Christ. Yes, temptation is always pleasant to look at and soothing to the ear. It is the easy path that leads us astray.
"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
Matthew 7:13-14