Churches Are Last Protection Against Tyranny

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 12:11 AM By Dan
Let us pray for Archbishop Gomez as never before. He is God’s man for us here in Los Angeles.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 12:53 AM By SoCal
ObamaCare in general, and the HHS Mandate in particular, was never about healthcare: never was it about health insurance for the poor and uninsured; it was always about the federal government seizing control not only of the health care of individuals but also nationalizing those state and local health programs already in place. ObamaCare was, first and last, a power grab by the federal government at the expense of states, local governments, and individual Americans. So please, let’s not imitate Captain Renault in Casablanca — shocked, shocked to discover that Barack Obama has violated our First-Amendment right to freedom of religion! In fact, that specific mandate was at the heart of ObamaCare tyranny: a frontal assault on the Catholic church in particular, which is so virulently hated by the gay-activist and feminist wings of the Left. The only element of this policy that should shock anyone is the unbelievably hamfisted way that Obama decreed it: A politically savvy politician would have patiently held off until after the election, giving himself two years to allow the furor to die down. Instead, the president once again mistook unanimity among his left-liberal friends for a Progressivist “consensus” among the American people; he lives in a bubble of epistemic closure, talking only to true-blue believers on the left.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 5:00 AM By Ted
SoCal, you are right. There has never been a more important issue before us than Obama’s attempts to quash Religious Liberty. He stands a fair chance of being reelected, and this cannot happen. With no further incentive to moderate his agenda in a second term, he would use every power he has and try to grab some more from wherever he can to push the all-powerful state right down our throats. i am not the one to judge whether he is evil, but his agenda is obviously evil. He must be stopped by being thrown out of office. It is a turning point, the next few months. We cannot – as a free country – survive unless his agenda is repudiated. He will impose tyranny, he is trying now.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 5:39 AM By Ed
The people are beginning to realize this whole issue is not about “health care” but rather it is about raw power. Obama is a disciple of Saul Alinsky, who in his Rules for Radicals stated that power is all that matters. SoCal has it 100% correct; the government doesn’t care whether health care is better or cheaper or more accessible to the poor. The government just wants to be in control. By the way, in Rules for Radicals, Alinsky praised Lucifer as the first successful “community organizer.” If Obama is re-elected, he will come back at the Church with a vengence. All faithful Catholics need to do everything in their power to ensure the defeat of Obama in November. Pray that our bishops and priests can educate the laity about what is at stake this year.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 7:04 AM By MacDonald
The Catholic Faith was outlawed in the earliest days of America, just as it had been in Ireland during English occupation. Priests had to hide their identity to provide the Sacraments for the faithful. The struggle goes on.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 7:15 AM By MacDonald
Mexico, too, persecuted the Church, forbidding the celebration of Mass, and making it illegal for Nuns to wear habits, or Priests to wear the Roman collar. Our fight goes on even in these “modern” days…

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 7:27 AM By Bob
AJCU statement on change to HHS mandate for religious institutions Washington, DC – The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) acknowledges and appreciates the compromise that President Obama has made to accommodate religious institutions in regard to the birth control mandate under the Affordable Care Act. We commend the Obama Administration for its willingness to work with us on moving toward a solution, and we look forward to working out the details of these new regulations with the White House. February 10, 2012

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 8:12 AM By charlio
“Many individual Catholics … have united in opposition.” Most don’t, however; an estimated 70% still practice contraception. We’re told they’re invincibly ignorant, never having been taught the truth. The Obama Administration’s guiding spirit, satan, is very clever about how to divide the Catholic Church, striking us at our weakest point. They have lost the public debate about abortion; but they can take advantage of the fact that Catholics have never been taught the reasoning behind Humanae Vitae. Chiesa Espresso Online carried an article on this (“Ego te absolvo. The Catholic Route to Birth Control”, 9-8-2010). In the rural Italian region of Veneto, the area most faithful to the faith, during the early 20th century truth that contraception is objectively sinful was not taught by the Church, out of concern for arousing prurient interest. “I will spread dung on your faces, dung from your feasts … you have turned aside from the way, and have caused many to stumble by your instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts. I, therefore, have made you contemptible and base before all the people, for you do not keep my ways, but show partiality in your instruction.” Malachi 2:3, 8-9. The American Bishops should seize the day, issue a series of instructions to be read from all the pulpits, conveying the clear and beautiful teaching of the truth and meaning of human sexuality. This may be the reason the Lord has rescued us from our folly.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 8:54 AM By Harry
The archbishop says he is inspired by the unified reaction from our Catholic community, including Catholic Institutions and individuals. He is also gladdened that religious groups outside the Catholic Church have joined in. We all should be inspired by that. Thank God for it. It is important that we lay people visibly and vocally stand behind our bishops who have taken a brave stand. We should organize prayer vigils and novenas. We should be prepared to pray outside government buildings. We should inundate our legislators with letters, phone calls, emails etc., to let them know where we stand. Fr. Pavone is advocating ‘public rallies, protests, and acts of civil disobedience’. Read about it on the lifesitenews website (‘Fr. Frank Pavone: No compromise’). He says Priests for Life is helping to organize these. I believe we are all called upon to join in that endeavor. It is not enough just to be ‘convinced’ the administration is wrong, or to decide to vote in a certain way in November. Our convictions must find expression in meaningful and effective ways. Otherwise we fail to bear witness as Christ would want us to do. The archbishop underscores the importance of the battle when he says ‘Our freedom to carry out our mission is totally threatened by this new mandate’. Let us rise to the challenge and overcome that threat.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 9:14 AM By PEGGY
The Catholic Church requires “SUBSIDIARITY” – CCC 1883, 1885, 1894, 2209. The Federal Government is not the answer to most problems, but the source of many problems. This is confirmed when the Obama Administration ignores the US Constitution. Catholics (including Bishops) should not ask the Federal Government to become our God and do everything for us. The Bishops need to publically require that all Priests, and Laity read the CCC, so Catholics will know the truth of what they are required to adhere to regarding abortion inducing drugs, contracptives, et al.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 10:24 AM By goodcause
Whoever carries the Catholic vote wins the White House, goin back several decades. Obama grabbed 54% of it in 2008. Let’s see what the faithful do this November.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 11:15 AM By JMJ
I have a religious book that was used in the Catholic High Schools “RELIGION: DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE” by Fr. Francis B. Cassilly, S.J. printed by the Loyola University Press with the original copyrights 1926, 1931 and 1934 and everyday I read a few pages (never to old to re-learn about our Religion) and a few days ago I came onto these pages: Page 107 #21 ARE WE BOUND O OBEY WICKED AND UNJUST LAWS? How is that for a title! The answer of course: NO!! As it says, “The Apostles, when ordered by the JEWISH COUNCIL (my highlights) to refrain from teaching the doctrine of Christ, REFUSED TO OBEY (original highlights), saying: “We ought to obey God rather then men”. There of course, is more, but on page 109 # 23 there is the comment saying that we Americans should be deeply grateful to God (of which I am) that we live in a country where WE HAVE REGLIOUS FREEDOM( original highlights), and we should do all in our power to further the passing and enforcement of good laws, and to PREVENT THE ENACTMENT OF UNJUST OR ILL-TIMED MEASURES (highlights, mine). Sorry that this is so long, but, God does and gives us things when we need them and these truths are needed now, especially when we have so many people rolling over and playing dead. WE NEED TO STOP OBAMANISM, NOW!!!! Isn’t Archbishop Gomez great. This shows that not all is rotten out there in California. How many of our Bishops and Priests and true nuns will be tried by fire if Obama gets control of the White House once again? Pray, Pray & Pray some more. +JMJ+

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 1:29 PM By Bud 
Abortion should not be confused with contraception for many reasons. Abortion is an act of murder and destruction. Contraception is just that and like it or not is practiced by the majority of Catholics. After the Vatican Council, it was treated as a matter of conscience and/or expedience. I do believe for the most part this was not challenged by our bishops and priests. I also believe that this is one of the major reasons so many Catholics have left the Church.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 1:50 PM By Tracy
If you haven’t already, I encourage everyone to read Paul A. Rahe’s articles posted on “Ricochet.com” Today, Feb. 14 and last Friday,Feb. 10th. In these two articles Rahe gives us the historical facts of how our Bishops actions over the past 80 years have lead us to where we are today. Today’s article especially focuses on the contribution of Cardinal Bernadine’s powerful influence in what we have and are suffering.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 3:45 PM By Don Guillermo
Hopefully, our American bishops have learned by now that accommodation of governments is a failed tactic. The State respects power and perceives Church accommodation as weakness. It gladdens me that our bishops are finally standing up to the State. If regimes can be shown through moral and preferably legal means that they cannot govern without the Church’s cooperation, then and only then will they respect the Church.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 4:19 PM By Camille
Now that Bishop Gomez has spoken out it is our turn to insist that our own diocesan Bishop – whoever he may be – require his pastors to address this issue from the pulpit, now.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 5:02 PM By Juergensen
There is an elephant in the room. It is the sad fact that before Obama launched this direct attack on the Church, the bishops were largely silent as regards this monster. Had Obama simply waited until after the election to impose these new regulations on the Church, we would have heard virtually nothing from the bishops on Obama. Oh, wait, I stand corrected. We have heard from the bishops on Obama. Their USCCB tells us we can vote for this absolute abortionist by simply having the “intent” not to support abortion when we pull the lever for him (Sec. 34, “Faithful Citizenship”). Which raises an interesting question: If Obama’s affinity for abortion can be so cavalierly overlooked by Catholics in the voting booth, voting him into office while not “intending” to support abortion, why can’t the USCCB comply with Obama’s mandate while not “intending” to support contraception? Alas, the fruit of Section 34 of “Faithful Citizenship.”

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 6:08 PM By RR
Juergensen: Great points and reasoning in your post at 5:02 PM!

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 8:30 PM By Cody in Tucson
Arch Gomez says “The Church’s mission in our society is to teach, heal and to care for others; to pray and to lead our neighbors to God”, oh REALLY! Well I guess that is why many clergy are not real concerned with the saving of souls! Arch Gomez also says “They believed religion was essential for democracy to flourish because religion instills the values and virtues people need for self-government”, REALLY! A founder was asked what kind of government was established by our country’s founders and the answer was “a REPUBLIC if you can keep it”! Other founders called a democracy “MOB RULE”. If Arch Gomez wants to live in a “democracy” then how does he like the ‘RULES’ coming from the ‘MOB’?

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 9:17 PM By JLS
Just think what great pleasures of the world, the flesh and the devil a Catholic could have as long as they did not intend to sin.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 9:20 PM By JLS
So, Bud, your post says? A. Contraception is ok because people use it. B. Catholic left the Church because of contraception and the bishops said nothing and that also people should use their conscience. Bud, you’d make a good politician and if you were a bishop, then you’d have a hospital named after you.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2012 11:37 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
The sad truth is the Bishops’ chickens in their ammoral support of the Demoncrat Party are now coming to roost! I hope and pray that is not too late and that the Bishops actually grow some backbone and faiith. Gomez has really done NOTHING to correct the sad situation in the Archdiocese of Lost Angels. If you don’t beleive me, just go to the Religious Education Website and read the list of of at best heterodox, and at worst out and out heretic speakers. God bless, yours in Their Hearts, Kenneth M. Fisher

Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012 1:20 AM By Peggy
For a clear picture of why we are facing the HHS mandate, google Paul Rahe and his column on the “American Catholicism’s Pact With the Devil”.

Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012 6:27 AM By NANCY
The Bishop’s main role is to teach. So where is the “CATECHISM of the CATHOLIC CHURCH, Second Edition” on their Diocese and Parish web sites? How are they publically encouraging all Catholics and those interested in the Faith to read/study the CCC – so that people will get the entire truth without the possiblity of human error. Why the suppression of the CCC in many Diocese? Contact your Bishop and Parish Priest to find out why – – – – – if they truly want us to know the Faith without error.

Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012 10:12 AM By gordianknot
This Bishop has the biggest litigation going on against Planned Parenthood in his own city and appears to be doing nothing about it.

Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012 12:20 PM By Catherine
We are talking about our immortal souls and the immortal souls of others. Isn’t our faith much more important than money? Who would ever choose to be upset with the sadness of those investors who trusted Bernie Madoff with their entire life savings. Let everyone ask themselves how they would react if after years of fleecing, Bernie now admitted that he sees the light and that he wants to take your trust and your money for reinvestment. No one would call anyone names for wanting to scrutinize the authentic motives of Bernie. In fact, one would say that an individual would be foolish to just blindly trust again when someone has been so derelict in their duty of trust when it came to handling their entire life savings.The final state of each and every individual soul is much more important than our monetary life savings and although we do want our bishops to speak up and be united, please do not criticize those who are not as Juergensen excellently expressed (Euphoric). There have been years of dereliction and as Ken Fisher reminds us about the terrible heterodox speakers who are still being welcomed at Religious Ed Congress. If we want a favor or the blessing of Almighty God to stand up to Obama’s oppression shouldn’t 2 Chronicles 7:14 matter? “If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Our Lord is asking for humility in admitting that Obama should not have been supported by his shepherds, Our Lord is asking for repentance for those who call themselves Catholic but voted for this promoter of killing the unborn. Our Lord is asking us to change from our wicked ways and to not allow heterodox wolves to destroy his Church. How can Our Lord heal our land and our nation if our stiff necked people do not even acknowledge that they have been stiff necked? United means united to all of the Magisterial teachings!

Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012 4:17 PM By JonJ
Personally, I find it comical that on one hand the Church celebrates its role as a “defender against tyranny”, while many on here want to use more and more state force to compel others to obey Catholic morality. Some seem even puzzled by the notion that we should respect the free will of our fellow men, as if that state forcing other members of the human race fulfills the needs of “respecting free will”. So that, human governments are then free to compel where Christ himself chose not to do so.

Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012 6:07 PM By JLS
JonJ, you continue, as ever, to use the word “Church” to mean whatever suits your argument at the time. This has been explained clearly to you in the past, but you continue to attempt to manipulate. You also presume that force is always tyrannical. Then you butcher “free will” by implying it has some meaning that it does not. Then you ridicule the intellect by pretending that free will and “compel” cannot both live in the same town. It looks as though your planned shoot out is going to be between free will and compel. And you lie again, having ignored the factual evidence debunking your retarded idea that Christ does no violence. Why do you delude yourself, JonJ? Since you have defended sodomy, then my guess is that sodomy has darkened your mind, and led you into a state of confusion: Thus, this would explain why you keep beating your head against the wall of reason in a fruitless attempt to create self justification out of thin air … kind of an imitation of God creating something out of nothing. Vanity, JonJ, is your undoing. Repent and live.

Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012 6:17 PM By Bruce
Oddly, the bishop’s statement is mainly secular and centered on the government’s imposition of tyranny and taking away our individual rights. Granted, he is correct and I’d like to add that this latest Obama and demoncrats attack (nationally regarding Obamacare but internationally regarding his executive order to cast aside the Mexico City Agreement which prevented US taxpayer money from funding international infant genocide) is against God’s pro-creation and thereby makes the United States the laughing stock of the world. Why? Because our government is trying to impose the image of our bright shining city/beacon of hope, freedom, and security on a hill with a compassion for all people’s rights in the world even to the point of allowing and protecting dangerous illegal immigrant criminals and their religion of death to enter and thrive within our national borders. Even dim-witted nations can see the facade, that there truly is no government compassion nor protection for the most innocent victims in our nation, our youngest and most defenseless citizens against infant genocide. What the bishop does not say and should, is that abortion and the use of contraceptives and abortificants is against God’s commandment “Thou shalt not kill” and that to do so constitutes a mortal sin.

Posted Thursday, February 16, 2012 12:26 PM By Tota Tua
it is government by, for and of the people, NOT by Executive Order or Mandate – that is the even bigger problem.

Posted Thursday, February 16, 2012 4:41 PM By JonJ
JLS, your constant pretense to reason is your vanity. I have come to my position on state force, by studying Church history. Most of the worst mistakes of the Church have been based on using government or worldly authority (mostly during the middle ages) to bring people to what they believed to be conformity to God. Unfortunately, often these things had worldly side benefits to the decision maker or the decision maker’s secular family. Some policies were clearly based on some other, darker impulses, such as the practice of torturing suspected heretics in order to win confessions. Others were based simply on poor reasoning, such as the practice of Trial by Ordeal. You must now accept your own shortcomings with regard to reason.

Posted Thursday, February 16, 2012 6:19 PM By JLS
Nice try, JonJ, but false once again. No doubt I have vanity problems, but reason is not one of them. Your faulty reason implies that since the Church has been involved in secular government, and such govts are sometimes bad, then the Church is bad for being involved. What crap, JonJ. Go take a course in reason.

Posted Friday, February 17, 2012 10:18 AM By gordianknot
Good arguments from all above contributors but the smell of sulphur is in Los Angeles and this bishop is not doing anything in the media nor his own newsletters. The big litigation against PParenthood in California has been going on for many years through Mahoney and Gomez and they have not done anything, not even a word. Is that Catholicism?

Posted Friday, February 17, 2012 12:18 PM By Allen
PLANTIFF: The argument set forth by the state of Connecticut stated that it would be a criminal act if anyone is caught utilizing any type of device that would prevent conception. Connecticut had to prove to the court that its law was an essential one, but, in the end, the state failed to prove this, and the law was struck down as applied. ACCUSED: Griswold and Buxton both made an appeal to the Supreme Court of Errors of Connecticut, and made a claim that the law established in Connecticut in 1879 was a violation of the U.S. Constitution. The Connecticut court later on upheld the conviction, and Griswold and Dr. Buxton appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the case was then later on reviewed in 1965. ARGUMENTS OF THE PLANTIFF AND THE ACCUSED: The Supreme Court, in the end, had made the decision that a state choosing to abolish contraceptives was to be considered a violation of the right to martial privacy, and was not allowed to be put into effect against married couples. This verdict had resulted from a 7 – 2 decision written by Justice William O. Douglas. Justice Douglas had argued that the specific assurances found in the Bill of Rights carry with them a general “right to privacy” that cannot be breached. SUPREME COURT DECISION “Griswold v. Connecticut (1965).”

Posted Friday, February 17, 2012 12:27 PM By Allen
. In the 1965 case of Griswold vs. Connecticut, this case has been focused on a Connecticut law that resulted in a criminal charge being placed against an individual who chose to use birth control. The law, created in the late 1870’s, mainly stated that anyone who used a drug, or any type of implement for the purpose of preventing pregnancy would be subjected to a fine of $40.00, or being put into prison for approximately two months. Estelle Griswold, the executive director of Planned Parenthood league of Connecticut, and Dr. Charles Lee Buxton, a doctor and professor at Yale Medical School, were both placed under arrest and fined for $100.00 when they were found guilty for accessory to supplying illegal forms of pregnancy prevention.

Posted Friday, February 17, 2012 5:13 PM By JonJ
JLS, first you call me a liar, then you repeat a continued pattern of lying about my sexuality, and then you top that off with another lie by saying that I think the Church is “bad”. Let’s be very clear, I think that, on balance, the church has been a force for good throughout its history. The Church was put in a very difficult position following the collapse of Rome, since the conquered lands were left to be ruled by a bunch of barbarian semi-nomadic tribesmen. To prevent an even further collapse, the Church needed to step in simply because they were pretty much the only organized group who could do so. The Church also had a coterie of educated Priests, brothers and monks, who were badly needed to simply make the resulting remnants of an ordered state function (badly). You had a host of barbarian kings trying to rule walled cities with settled farming communities. And, most of these kings and nobles could not themselves read. Also, given the collapse of the money economy (which started in the latter days of Rome), the only way the barbarian kings could support the church was to give them lands to rule. That put the Church in the position of a feudal overlord, with tremendous worldly power. Most of the terrible errors made by the church through those long years resulted from the temptations of holding that worldly power. Some of those bad acts were the responsibility of prelates abusing their power. But others were widespread policies that continued for generations (see the above references to torture and trial by ordeal). The Church, I believe was forced to assume a less than optimal role for itself, to prevent a complete collapse. However, I also believe that some incongruent concepts from that exceptional era, still infect religious thought. One of these ideas is the top down notion of authority with God; Church; King; Nobles; Peasants; Children. With each level responsible for forcing moral obedience of those beneath them.

Posted Friday, February 17, 2012 5:57 PM By JonJ
(cont) Thus, you get the strange result that Jesus did not use divine power to enforce his will which most theologians see as “respecting human free will”. Yet, at the same time, human authorities are supposed to force the populace beneath them to “obey god” using state force. Somehow, these human authorities seem even less enjoined from exercising force than God himself. Instead, I think the proper behavior is even MORE restraint, since we lack both the omniscience and the omnipotence of God. Unlike God, human authorities WILL make errors in enforcement, and will allow evil to creep into our decision-making processes, leading to abuse of power. Now, as to my supposed “lie” about Jesus not using force; you are completely making this up from thin air. I have very accurately stated that Jesus, while on earth incarnated as man, did not use state force to ensure compliance with his gospel. I also believe, that as God incarnated as Man, Christ’s behavior while a man on earth is humankind’s best role model. We should not attempt to behave like God the Father in the old testament since we lack His omniscience, or even the exalted Jesus who entered heaven. Trying to do so is indulging in the sin of hubris. Your examples of divine force related in the old testament are NOT actions by God incarnated as Man. (P.S. Just to be very clear, I think the US bishops are correct with respect to the Obamacare requirements about contraception—its a 1st amendment issue in law, and constrains Catholics’ ability to act).

Posted Friday, February 17, 2012 6:22 PM By Allen
Just an after thought. President Obama was 3-4 years old at the time of the Griswold v. Connecticut decision.

Posted Friday, February 17, 2012 7:50 PM By gordianknot
The Church also stood by silently during Roe v Wade and that facilitated the passage of that pivotal decision by SCOTUS. Do we have to rely on evangelicals and protestants to carry the banner for us? Bishops have a much higher moral obligation than us.

Posted Friday, February 17, 2012 8:36 PM By JLS
Tota Tua, interesting history lesson @ 12:26.

Posted Monday, February 20, 2012 1:40 PM By JLS
Hit wrong buttion, don’t know if my unfinished post was submitted. Jist of it: Santorum is now reportedly saying that birth control including contraception should be widely available.

Posted Monday, February 20, 2012 11:22 PM By Abeca Christian
JLS you are losing me bud, what in the world are you reading these days???

Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 12:57 AM By Kenneth M. Fisher
JLS, 1:40 PM I don’t believe what you wrote above is factually true. Please quote verse and title if you can. God bless, yours in Their Hearts, Kenneth M. Fisher