Let’s Just Get Along?
EDITORIAL
You are no doubt aware that the teaching office of the Catholic Church in Rome has taken, and continues to take, very strong stands against abortion, homosexual activity, premarital sex, artificial birth control, smutty sex education, assisted suicide, and such. You are also no doubt aware that you won’t hear about such things in the average parish in the U.S. — or if you do it’s the most perfunctory lip service, often followed by the bottom-line remark, “but follow your own conscience.” It’s carte-blanche Catholicism.
Many Catholics, not knowing what the Church actually stands for, fall for just about anything our decadent culture entices them with. Or, if they are dimly aware, they have no idea why the Church teaches as she does (for it isn’t explained), and they assume that what the Church teaches merely represents the old-fashioned opinions of an old Pole in Rome, opinions no more weighty than their own. And because what our culture is offering seems much more appealing, they go with the culture.
What all this amounts to is this: Many Catholics are being systematically robbed of their doctrine, moral resources, and intellectual heritage. In effect blindfolded, they’re left to stumble in the dark, prey to false prophets and the sirens of the world, not even knowing why they’re Catholic.
Why is this happening? Often our minds turn to the deliberate sabotage of magisterial teaching by hard-nosed dissenters. And that is much of the answer. Dissenters are doing immense damage.
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