Monday, August 29, 2011

A Catholic Sect Crazy Enough For The Teabaggers?

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Authoritarian religion & fascism: a match made in Heaven

Although the right-wing/Know Nothing faction of the Republican Party has traditionally been not just Protestant but vehemently anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic, things have changed lately. Right-wing bigots in charge of the GOP and the Tea Party are happy for whatever support they can get-- including Jews and Catholics. In fact, conservative Catholics-- I mean really, really conservative Catholics-- couldn't be better suited for the anti-Science dogma at the heart of modern right-wing movements like today's GOP. Extremists in the Catholic Church are rewarded for the kind of mindless, faith-based devotion that any authoritarian or totalitarian agenda like the Republicans' is dependent on. Yesterday Manya Brachear reported in the Chicago Tribune not on Catholics in politics but on Catholics who are unable to accept any science-based reality whatsoever. The Society of St. Pius X, for example, rejects most of the modernizing reforms made by the Vatican II council from 1962 to 1965.
A few conservative Roman Catholics are pointing to a dozen Bible verses and the church's original teachings as proof that Earth is the center of the universe, the view that was at the heart of the church's clash with Galileo Galilei four centuries ago.

...Those promoting geocentrism argue that heliocentrism, or the centuries-old consensus among scientists that Earth revolves around the sun, is a conspiracy to squelch the church's influence.

"Heliocentrism becomes dangerous if it is being propped up as the true system when, in fact, it is a false system," said Robert Sungenis, leader of a budding movement to get scientists to reconsider. "False information leads to false ideas, and false ideas lead to illicit and immoral actions — thus the state of the world today.… Prior to Galileo, the church was in full command of the world, and governments and academia were subservient to her."

...[S]upporters contend there is scientific evidence to support geocentrism, just as there is evidence to support the six-day story of creation in Genesis.

There is proof in Scripture that Earth is the center of the universe, Sungenis said. Among many verses, he cites Joshua 10:12-14 as definitive proof: "And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, while the nation took vengeance on its foe... The sun halted in the middle of the sky; not for a whole day did it resume its swift course."

But Ken Ham, founder of the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., said the Bible is silent on geocentrism.

"There's a big difference between looking at the origin of the planets, the solar system and the universe and looking at presently how they move and how they are interrelated," Ham said. "The Bible is neither geocentric or heliocentric. It does not give any specific information about the structure of the solar system."

Just as Ham challenges the foundation of natural history museums by disputing evolution, Sungenis challenges planetariums, most notably the Vatican Observatory.

Crackpots? Well, sure, but well-financed, well--armed, determined and... you know what Bob Dylan said about people who are certain that they have God on their side. The Southern Poverty Law Center considers the Society of St. Pius X a dangerous right-wing group that grew right out of Nazism. Founded by a psychotic French archbishop, Marcel Lefebvre in 1970, the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) is one of the most reactionary, anti-democratic elements in French politics, advocating a restoration of an absolute monarchy while condemning the French Revolution and everything it stood for (Liberté, égalité, fraternité). Lefebvre himself is a dedicated fascist and pro-Nazi supporter of the Vichy government of Philippe Pétain and the neo-Nazi National Front of Jean-Marie le Pen (something like a French version of our own teabaggers). In fact Lefebvre urged his supporters to vote for le Pen based on le Pen's unambiguous opposition to women's Choice. And their disdain for women goes beyond health issues... and, of course, beyond France. (Remember, this is the anti-Semitic cult Mel Gibson finances.)

Kansas recently elected an extreme right Catholic Opus Dei governor with SSPX sympathies, Sam Brownback. He was born into a normal Protestant family, moved to extreme evangelicalism and finally discovered something far more reactionary, the Opus Dei/SSPX branch of Catholicism. But in Kansas? You bet! Here's a 2008 report from Topeka on Good Morning America:
Just minutes before she was scheduled to referee a boy's varsity basketball game at St. Mary's Academy, Michelle Campbell was told she would not be allowed to work the game because she is a woman.

St. Mary's Academy, near Topeka, Kan., is a controversial religious school that follows older Roman Catholic laws, but many argue that religious beliefs does not give the school the right to discriminate.

"The policy of the school was that they indeed do not permit female officials to officiate the boys athletic contests at their school," said Gary Musselman, executive director of the Kansas State High School Athletics Association.

The school's policy-- straight from the SSPX hymnal-- is to not allow women to have authority over men. Perhaps that's the mentality that was behind the total melting away of Michele Bachmann's Republican Party support within days of Rick Perry entering the GOP presidential race.

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8 Comments:

At 4:37 AM, Blogger Bukko Boomeranger said...

And the next thing they do is start chipping away at the theory that the Earth is round!

P.S. I am not actually in existence, because I live on the continent of North America, which is not actually real, because the Theory of The New World was not mentioned in teh Holey Bibble.

 
At 5:31 AM, Blogger PurpleGirl said...

Michele Bachmann was raised within the Wisconsin Lutheran Synod, which is way more conservative than the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Both groups follow the idea that women can not have authority over. For example, a woman can be a teacher and have some authority over the small boys in a school (which will end as the boy grows up), but they can NOT be principals because then she would have authority over adult males.

It's one reason the Lutheran congregation I belonged to finally left the Missouri Synod in the schism during the 1980s.

 
At 7:23 AM, Blogger Romanitas Press said...

The person interviewed on the matter of geocentrism, James Philips, simply attends an SSPX chapel, but it he does not represent the religious congregation. In fact, heliocentrism is the standard science lesson taught in its schools.

Geocentrism is an interesting scientific theory, but it is not a matter of doctrine (as both Galileo -hence why he got into trouble with the Church -and Philips are trying to do).

So no Catholic is required to believe either heliocentrism or geocentrism, and in fact, neither theory can actually be conclusively proven, because determining such factors are all relative to motion.

 
At 4:36 PM, Blogger Romanitas Press said...

This press release was just posted on SSPX.ORG:

PLATTE CITY, MO (8-30-2011) A recent news report implied that the Priestly Society of St. Pius X promotes the scientific theory of geocentrism as a Catholic teaching based upon the Bible. The SSPX holds no such position.

The Church’s magisterium teaches that Catholics should not use Sacred Scripture to assert explanations about natural science, but may in good conscience hold to any particular cosmic theory. As a religious congregation of the Catholic Church, the SSPX holds to these principles and does not teach any solar scientific theory. click here to read more: http://sspx.org/district_news/sspx_and_the_solar_system_8-30-2011.htm.

 
At 1:16 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dr. Robert Sungenis who is cited in this article has provided a superb reply to it at his site www.galileowaswrong.com. The title of the reply is "Response to the Chicago Times on the Geocentrism Conference: Robert Sungenis"

 
At 10:08 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Correction to my previous post. Dr. Sungenis' reply is seen at www.galileowaswrong.blogspot.com.

 
At 12:25 PM, Blogger Catholic Mission said...

Tuesday, May 22, 2012
CARDINAL REJECTS THE INFALLIBILITY OF THE POPE AND ACCUSES THE SSPX

False accusatons against the Society of St.Pius X(SSPX) are being made by Cardinal Walter Brandmuller. He rejects the infalllibility of the popes ex cathedra, when he rejects the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. He then accuses the SSPX of rejecting the infalliblity of the popes and Vatican Council I.

On the issue of religious liberty and other religions, the cardinal says Vatican Council II was a ‘developmnent of doctrine’ In other words the ex cathedra dogma said every one needs to convert into the Church for salvation but Vatican Council II, for the cardinal, says everyone does not have to.This would mean Vatican Council II (LG 16) contradicts itself (AG 7) and also the thrice defined dogma.

The text of Cantate Domino, Council of Florence 1441 is included in the Council of Trent.Pope Pius XI referred to ‘the dogma’ the ‘infalllible teaching’.(Letter of the Holy Office 1949).For the cardinal however defined dogmas ‘develop’.

German Cardinal Walter Brandmuller and Italian Archbishop Agostino Marchetto spoke to reporters May 21 after presenting a book they wrote with Father Nicola Bux, "Pope Benedict XVI's Keys for Interpreting Vatican II" according to the Catholic News Service.

Strangely enough, the two most controversial documents" for the SSPX -- those on religious freedom and on relations with non-Christians -- "do not have a binding doctrinal content, so one can dialogue about them," the cardinal said.

Cardinal Brandmuller said that it must be kept in mind is the differing degree of acceptance and obedience Catholics owe to different types of church teaching, which range from absolutely embracing the teaching in the creed to accepting the principles of Catholic social teaching and trying to put them into practice in a variety of social and political situations, said the cardinal, who is the former president of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences.

The cardinal says the SSPX rejects the papal infallibility teaching of the First Vatican Council when it is really the Vatican Curia who assumes that the baptism of desire etc are exceptions to the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus and so also a negation of papal infallibility.They mean the pope was wrong for saying ex cathedra every one needs to convert into the Church when there are exceptions of the baptism of desire and invincible ignorance for them.-Lionel Andrades

Regarding SSPX, Vatican officials discuss levels of church teaching
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1202076.htm

 
At 7:00 AM, Blogger Catholic Mission said...

SSPX NOT CHECKMATED. THEY HAVE A TRUMP CARD AND A SECURE DOCTRINAL DEFENSE

There is a blog of Fra.Angelo (AirMaria) which says the Society of St.Pius X (SSPX) have been checkmated, they have no other option. They have to accept Vatican Council II (liberal version) or face the consequences.On this blog Fra.Angelo of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, has a post ‘SSPX on the brink’.

Fra.Angelo has formed his thinking, like so many Catholics, through the secular (anti Catholic) media.The SSPX are not checkmated yet. They have a secure defence, a trump card. The ace is in their hand.They can put down the winning card when they want to.They fought well for Catholic doctrine.Now it is this very doctrine which comes to their aid.

If they stay with doctrine firmly it must come to a point when their opponent is checkmated and says “To Hell with doctrine. You just say and do what we tell you”. Presently those who oppose the SSPX are still pretending that Vatican Council II and Catholic doctrine matters and that it supports them. Catholics like Fra.Angelo have fallen for the ruse.

If the SSPX accepts this false Israel-approved version of Vatican Council II they have lost.They are checkmated and Fra.Angelo would be correct.They will also have disowned Jesus.

The SSPX bishops alone can decide when and how they will play their trump card.They could accept Vatican Council II and later explain their interpretation, for example in Bishop Fellay’s case; once things have settled down he can explain his interpretation of Vatican Council II.

Or they could announce their version of Vatican Council II and let everybody else respond, in favour or against, in panic or calm.The three other bishops could use this approach. They could ask, ‘ Are you all saying that those saved in invincible ignorance and the baptism of desire are known to us in the present time? Please clarify this for us’.




If Lumen Gentium 16 (LG 16) on invincible ignorance and a good conscience does not contradict Ad Gentes 7 (AG 7) and if AG 7 does not contradict itself, then we can accept a Vatican Council II, a different one, but which is in agreement with the SSPX traditional position on ecumenism,Judaism and other religions.

This is the trump card.
continued
http://eucharistandmission.blogspot.it/2012/05/sspx-not-checkmated-they-have-trump.html

 

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