Thursday, October 12, 2017

Let's not muddy things for the world's sake

The Church universal...yes, we've had a few setbacks in our reunion efforts, and there's certainly no solving them all in a single blog post. However, since Faith is an integral part of American conservatism, this seems like as good a time as any to pinpoint a few problematic areas and perhaps assist towards a general course correction...
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. ~ 2 Timothy 4:3-4
There's a difference between compassionately professing to a lost culture and incorporating said lost culture into the credence of the Church. When the latter is attempted, which we're seeing far too often these days, inroads of progress are not accomplished, but rather we find grave heresies abound...
TheResurgent: Karen Oliveto, the so-called lesbian “bishop,” recently gave her weekly message to those under her guidance, tutelage, and counsel, in which she:
  1. Said Jesus struggled with bigotries and prejudices.
  2. Implied Jesus was ignorant and confused about his mission on earth.
  3. Separates Jesus from His divinity, undermining the notion of the Trinity.
This is what happens when a church loses its way – when it becomes enamored with the fine sounding arguments of men and embraces the spirit of the age instead of the spirit of truth.
Though it may conflict with the culture of any given time (particularly that of our modern secularized world) and consequently denied, the living truth nevertheless remains timeless. Even when biology and reason bear witness to that truth, we see so many turn away to embrace fads, emotions and worldly deceptions. So, as compassionate Believers, we're called not to debase the sinner, nor to embrace the sin, but to recognize the reality of truth, while striving to live towards that which is righteous. A common morality has always demonstrated that, and, God Willing, more will continue speaking to this truth...
LifeSiteNews: Those who doubt the existence of hell, despite Our Lady of Fatima showing its horrors to three Portuguese shepherd children 100 years ago, can nevertheless see a “living reflection of hell” in abortion, euthanasia, and homosexuality, said San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.

Archbishop Cordileone made his remarks during a homily last weekend as he consecrated his Archdiocese to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

He recalled during his October 7 homily the great evils witnessed in the past 100 years, including the great world wars, death camps, numerous genocides, and Christian persecution.

“Who would dare to say that such barbarity is not a mocking of God?” he asked.

Cordileone listed legal abortion as one of the many genocides.

“And then there is the attack on innocent human life: Our own land has been soiled by the blood of innocent children in what has become a deadly epidemic tantamount to a genocide on life in the womb,” he said.

“And now we are increasingly witnessing the abandonment of our suffering brothers and sisters at the other end of life’s journey,” he added, in a reference to euthanasia and assisted suicide of the elderly.

The Archbishop went on to list legal homosexual “marriage,” and made a reference to Pride Parades, as ways in which God is mocked.

“And even in our own city of St. Francis, we see … the celebration and even exaltation of the vulgar and the blasphemous, mocking God’s beautiful plan in how He created us, in our very bodies, for communion with one another and Himself,” he said.

“God is roundly mocked in our very streets, and it is met with approval and applause in our community – and yet, we remain silent,” he added.
Whether it be this method of communication or another, I think we can all agree that silence is no longer an option, particularly when misguidance seen in the former falls into direct conflict with the reality of the latter.

It certainly confuses the faithful follower when those chosen to lead falsely do so. Choosing the wiser path is set apart by turning away from scripturally diagnosed sin, not relishing in it. That ideal should guide us towards honest teachings and drive us away from apostasy.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Look, we are certain to stumble many times over in our pursuit of righteousness. We are after all flawed, imperfect, miserable offenders who continuously fall short of the Glory of God; yet even so, we need never forget that we are set aside by Him as a reflection and found worthy of His saving Grace, and that makes the eternal vigilance of such a pursuit all the more worthwhile. Please, let's not simultaneously muddy things for the world's sake.