Lisa Fabrizio
Cafeteria constitutionalists
By Lisa Fabrizio
Those of us who are faithful Catholics have the misfortune of coexisting with those of our brethren who are not in communion with all the teachings of the Church. Some of these folks attend Mass each week, while most haven't seen the inside of a church in years, yet feel compelled to identify themselves as Catholics; one would suppose, for the sole purpose of being interviewed by the New York Times.
I will not rehash the grievances of these Catholics-In-Name-Only, but suffice to say that they involve the Church's failure to have evolved sufficiently enough to approve of the current proclivities toward the sins they wish to commit. They would seek to contravene the immutable truths of our Founder who said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away." They favor modern mores over timeless truths.
In much the same way, America is now experiencing this inclination of a large number of citizens to disregard the founding principles that underpin our nation in favor of their own ideas of what our government is and should do; all the while insisting that they support and defend our Constitution. It is at times like these that non-Catholics share with us our frustration when reading the opinions of our brethren who pick and choose which, if any, precepts of the Faith they might respect.
And the most perplexing aspect of all this is that these liberals who constantly trumpet diversity, have a chilling disdain for the fact that both the Church and the U.S. are truly melting pots open to all men and women on Earth — who are willing to obey the rules.
And so must we deal with those who lay claim to an America that in many ways would be unrecognizable to those who crafted the greatest founding document in the history of world governance. The scandal of their perversion of that document is surpassed only by their phony allegiance to it when convenient.
They love to extol the separation of powers when Republicans are in office, yet deem recess appointments as entirely necessary when one of their own in the Oval Office must combat the party of 'no.' They execute tortuous twistings of phrases like "high crimes and misdemeanors" while ignoring the simple, straightforward words of the Second Amendment. They use the commerce clause to circumvent the will of the people for any and all abominations — including the murder of unborn children — they cannot achieve at the ballot box or via their fellow travelers in the federal court system.
But perhaps there is no abuse of the Constitution more galling than when liberals of all stripes trumpet the virtues of the First Amendment to defend the rights of atheists to prohibit the free exercise of religious liberty for Christians, but as a virtual get-out-of-jail card for Muslims. When oh when will liberals get it? The real religion of peace is that which bears the name of the One who counseled against violence and revenge; the One who advised his followers to render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar; that is, to be obedient to the laws of the state if they are not in opposition to the laws of God.
And when we speak of America as founded in the Judeo-Christian tradition, this is precisely what is meant; our founders dreamed of a nation established in obedience to the laws of nature and of nature's God.
Those who do not understand how liberals can claim to love America while disdaining the simple and direct strictures of the Constitution, need only look to so-called Christian sects that support and even employ as preachers, practicing homosexuals and others living in direct contravention of specific biblical admonitions against same. In the case of the Anglican Church, this fact alone is driving many true believers into the arms of Rome; in much the same way as the deliberate flaunting of our Constitution by the Obama Administration is fattening the membership of the Tea Parties with otherwise non-political Americans.
The reason is the same: there remain in this world people who cling to eternal principles as rock-solid and worthy of adherence, while there are others who proceed from the nauseating viewpoint that all progress is good and we must therefore change with the times. Contrary to the views expressed in the 1960s, this way of life is not liberating, but is every bit as stifling as the chains of any tyrant. As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger warned shortly before his election as Vicar of Rome, "We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires."
Almost immediately after he assumed the Chair of St. Peter, faithful Catholics printed bumper stickers with an image of Pope Benedict XVI with the caption, 'The cafeteria is closed.' Let's pray that the same message will be delivered to our liberal brethren come November: Love our Constitution or leave it alone.
© Lisa Fabrizio
September 24, 2010
Those of us who are faithful Catholics have the misfortune of coexisting with those of our brethren who are not in communion with all the teachings of the Church. Some of these folks attend Mass each week, while most haven't seen the inside of a church in years, yet feel compelled to identify themselves as Catholics; one would suppose, for the sole purpose of being interviewed by the New York Times.
I will not rehash the grievances of these Catholics-In-Name-Only, but suffice to say that they involve the Church's failure to have evolved sufficiently enough to approve of the current proclivities toward the sins they wish to commit. They would seek to contravene the immutable truths of our Founder who said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away." They favor modern mores over timeless truths.
In much the same way, America is now experiencing this inclination of a large number of citizens to disregard the founding principles that underpin our nation in favor of their own ideas of what our government is and should do; all the while insisting that they support and defend our Constitution. It is at times like these that non-Catholics share with us our frustration when reading the opinions of our brethren who pick and choose which, if any, precepts of the Faith they might respect.
And the most perplexing aspect of all this is that these liberals who constantly trumpet diversity, have a chilling disdain for the fact that both the Church and the U.S. are truly melting pots open to all men and women on Earth — who are willing to obey the rules.
And so must we deal with those who lay claim to an America that in many ways would be unrecognizable to those who crafted the greatest founding document in the history of world governance. The scandal of their perversion of that document is surpassed only by their phony allegiance to it when convenient.
They love to extol the separation of powers when Republicans are in office, yet deem recess appointments as entirely necessary when one of their own in the Oval Office must combat the party of 'no.' They execute tortuous twistings of phrases like "high crimes and misdemeanors" while ignoring the simple, straightforward words of the Second Amendment. They use the commerce clause to circumvent the will of the people for any and all abominations — including the murder of unborn children — they cannot achieve at the ballot box or via their fellow travelers in the federal court system.
But perhaps there is no abuse of the Constitution more galling than when liberals of all stripes trumpet the virtues of the First Amendment to defend the rights of atheists to prohibit the free exercise of religious liberty for Christians, but as a virtual get-out-of-jail card for Muslims. When oh when will liberals get it? The real religion of peace is that which bears the name of the One who counseled against violence and revenge; the One who advised his followers to render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar; that is, to be obedient to the laws of the state if they are not in opposition to the laws of God.
And when we speak of America as founded in the Judeo-Christian tradition, this is precisely what is meant; our founders dreamed of a nation established in obedience to the laws of nature and of nature's God.
Those who do not understand how liberals can claim to love America while disdaining the simple and direct strictures of the Constitution, need only look to so-called Christian sects that support and even employ as preachers, practicing homosexuals and others living in direct contravention of specific biblical admonitions against same. In the case of the Anglican Church, this fact alone is driving many true believers into the arms of Rome; in much the same way as the deliberate flaunting of our Constitution by the Obama Administration is fattening the membership of the Tea Parties with otherwise non-political Americans.
The reason is the same: there remain in this world people who cling to eternal principles as rock-solid and worthy of adherence, while there are others who proceed from the nauseating viewpoint that all progress is good and we must therefore change with the times. Contrary to the views expressed in the 1960s, this way of life is not liberating, but is every bit as stifling as the chains of any tyrant. As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger warned shortly before his election as Vicar of Rome, "We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires."
Almost immediately after he assumed the Chair of St. Peter, faithful Catholics printed bumper stickers with an image of Pope Benedict XVI with the caption, 'The cafeteria is closed.' Let's pray that the same message will be delivered to our liberal brethren come November: Love our Constitution or leave it alone.
© Lisa Fabrizio
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
