Friday, June 26, 2015

Protestantism's Moral Relativism the Cause of Supreme's Ruling on Marriage

Protestantism has been protesting moral truth for almost 500 years. Evangelical and Fundamentalist Protestants have been protesting each other. Each sees truth in their own eyes and have rejected the infallible truth that God gave the Church. That's why there are tens of thousands of interpretations of the Bible resulting in as many denominations, each refusing the other. So, such Christians, even Catholics who dissent from Church teaching, have no station to complain of the Supreme's ruling on marriage. Like Protestants, the Supremes interpret things as they want. There is no standard. Welcome to Protestant America...and The Scandal of Christianity. 

Friday, June 12, 2015

A Christin's Life is Like Architectural Hand-Lettering

Modeling our life after good architectural lettering provides some simple and clear techniques for living the good life:

1. Honor the legibility and consistency of your moral life above all else.

2. Use guide lines (rubrics, hedges) to ensure uniformity and clarity in all your decisions.

3. Emphasize in your outward actions your inward motivations of love and compassion.

4. Give your actions a slight upward tilt to convey hope.

5. Curve your judgments like a balloon to provide fullness and dignity.

6. Be attentive to the space and time between what you say and what you do. Be accountable.

(Inspired by Matthew Frederick's 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School)

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Spoiled, Bumblebee

Imagine these lyrics sung by a five-year old daughter confronting her parents in the aisle of a toy store... at the speed and to the tune of Rimsky-Korsakov's “The Flight of the Bumblebee.” Can you do it in 1 min: 49 seconds?

Spoiled Little Girl:
Daddy!
Can I have it?
Oh, I need it!
Can I have it?
Will you get it for me, daddy?
I can’t live without it, daddy.
It’s so pretty and I love it.
Will you buy me what I covet?
I’ll be good, I promise daddy?
...if you let me have it now.
Please dad. Now I need it!
And I want it!
Can’t believe you never bought it.
It’s the newest in the set...
...and it’s the bestest of the best.
There’s not a toy I love more...
...in this entire toy store.
And this doll is so sublime.
But for a limited time.

Determined Dad:
No! No! No! No! No! No!
No! No! No! No! No! No!
No! No! No! No! No! No!

Spoiled Little Girl:
I’ll go ask my mom, and
...then I’ll tell on you, ‘cause
You are being very mean to me.
(she finds mommy in the next aisle)
Mommy, can I have it?
Oh, I need it can I have it?
Will you get it for me, Mommy?
I can’t live without it, mommy.
It’s so pretty and I love it.
Will you buy me what I covet?
I’ll be good I promise.

Patient Mother:
Tell me what did daddy say?
Tell me what did daddy say?

Spoiled Little Girl:
Daddy, daddy he said, “No!”
But he was being very mean.
(Sob)
You never let me have it.
What I want you never get me.
You don’t like me!
You don’t love me!
And you wish you never had me!
If you loved me then you’d buy it.
But instead you make me cry.
It happens every single time.
I don’t know why I even try.
I’m gonna fuss and scream and shout.
And then I’ll whine and moan and pout.
And then I’ll pitch a little fit.
And then my eyes I’m gonna squint.
I’m gonna lay here on the floor.
'Cause you don’t love me anymore.
You never buy me any stuff.
And when you do it’s not enough.
What did I ever do except to.
Love and honor you?
You never let me have my way.

Fit to Be Tied Daddy:
You never listen anyway.
You’ve got at least a dozen dolls like this at home.
You never play with them.
They sit there all alone.

Spoiled Little Girl:
(Tantrum interlude)

That's It Daddy:
You can act this way while we’re inside the store.
'Cause the cameras.
They are all set to record.
But when we get into the van.
I’m gonna whip your little can.
Unless you get up off the floor.
'Cause I can’t take it anymore.
Instead of buying that new doll.
We can go home and play some ball.
So, let’s go home.

SPOILED BUMBLE BEE
David Lewis Crawford, on his music CD
DOUBLE DOG DARE
Family Songs from a Whimsical Heart
"Approved Therapy for Parents and Grandparents"

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Do Catholics Read the Bible?

Excerpt from the book version of

What Catholics Really Believe 
by Dr. Ray Guarendi & Fr. Kevin Fete 

Chapter 2. The Bible 

DRG (Dr. Ray Guarendi): Thank you. Why can't Catholics read the Bible for themselves?

FKF (Fr. Kevin Fete ): First of all, the perception is that Catholics don't read the Bible, and that is not true. That's a falsehood. Catholics, first of all, come to Church, and they hear the passages of the Scripture - Old Testament, New Testament, and the Gospel - at every Mass. They are preached the Gospel message in the homilies that are prepared for them by the priest and delivered during the Mass. There are Bible study groups in many, many of the parishes and many of the homes and amongst the families of the Catholic believing community.

What we have concern with isn't that people read or do not read the Scriptures, but do become their own authority with regard to how the Bible is interpreted. And there's where we have the concern, wanting people to stay within the context of the Scripture themselves and within the Tradition of the Church.

http://www.ninevehscrossing.com/WCRB-3UP.php 

Original Production Catholic Television Network, 
Youngstown, Ohio.
Producer – Dr. Ray Guarendi
Director – Rev. Jeff Mickler
Post Enhancement and Production by SWC Films
Producer – Stan Williams
Editor – Michael Sroka
Answer Guide – Dave Armstrong
Editor – Stanley D. Williams, PH.D.

 

Friday, June 5, 2015

MONOGAMY, ONCE A GOOD IDEA, NOW RULED ILLEGAL


IT'S ABOUT GRAVITY

In a previous post the headline read: "Gravity, once a good idea, now ruled illegal."

I claimed that "gravity" and "marriage" were and are similarly defined by Natural Law. One reader took exception and said that "marriage" was an invention of man. I countered that the term "marriage" was indeed an invention of man, much like the term "gravity." But that the essence of both were scientifically defined by certain unalterable rules, which, if ignored, had undesirable consequences for the health and sustenance of the species.

In the previous post, I cited "unitive" and "procreative" as the two concepts enshrined in Catholic teaching that suggested where scientists should look for evidence of the natural law effect of a heterosexual couple's sexual union.