Category: Controversies

“Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath
and a glass of good wine.”
–St. Thomas Aquinas
I’ve seen that quotation many places, but without reference to the source. I approve of the sentiment, but it doesn’t sound very Thomistic to me. Anyone want to venture an opinion?

British military historian John Keegan writes about how the media needs to drop the drama and take a lesson from history. We could have either bombed the Iraqis into totally submission as we did to the Germans and the Japanese at the end of WWII, or we deal with the chaos that ensued by occupying a land that was not totally subjugated and demoralized in defeat. Clearly the latter would have been unjust, so we’re left with the former. That isn’t Keegan’s point, however. He says not all wars ended neatly and what is happening in Iraq is to be expected.

…the serried ranks of self-appointed strategic commentators who currently dominate the written and visual media’s treatment of the Iraq story, have a duty to stop indulging their emotions and start remembering a bit of post-war history. Iraq 2004 is not Greece 1945, not Indochina 1946-54, not Algeria 1953-62 and certainly not “Vietnam”.

Read the whole thing – it’s quite good! Link via Fr. Mattew at SoDakMonk

That is to say, “Come, coreligionists! Into the handbasket! We’re going to Hell!”

ST. CATHARINES, Ontario — The Anglican Church of Canada approved a measure Thursday to “affirm the integrity and sanctity of committed adult same sex relationships.”
The move stops short of authorizing dioceses to hold same-sex blessing ceremonies, but is still likely to complicate efforts aimed at unifying the 77 million-member Anglican Communion. The worldwide Anglican body is deeply divided over homosexuality.
Delegates to a national church meeting handed the victory to supporters of gays and lesbians as a consolation prize the morning after they voted to delay any national go-ahead on church blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples till 2007 and possibly 2010.
The “integrity and sanctity” measure was approved by a show of hands.

Sanctity is now determined through democratic means. How convenient!

The California Supreme Court ruled that “Catholic Charities of Sacramento is not a religious institution and as such must provide coverage of contraceptives for its workers.” Why?

…Catholic Charities does not qualify as a religious employer because it offers secular services to the public without regard for the recipients’ beliefs and without preaching about Catholic values. Catholics do not make up either a majority of its employees or a majority of the recipients of its services.

Of course this is ludicrous, so ludicrous in fact that some new derivative of the word “ludicrous” must be used to describe it. We shall say it is “ludicricious.” Aside from the ludicriciousness of the Court’s decision, I believe that Catholic charities of any kind should always, in the course of their work, preach the Gospel. Too often Catholic social justice activity looks like government service. Material needs are provided without respect to spiritual needs. Actually, I know some parishes here in Arlington where social justice is basically income redistribution. What I mean to say is that it is ludicricious for a Catholic institution to not preach the Gospel. If anything, put some pamphlets by the door for Christ’s sake! For Christ’s sake indeed.

One of the reflex principles of ethics states that, when there is a question about the morality of an act, the morally safer course must be followed. With respect to abortion, stem cell research, and any issue dealing with pre-born humans, the morally safer course must be followed. Once cells begin dividing, absent a miscarriage before birth, the only result is a living, breathing human baby. The morally safer course is to ensure the baby safely comes to term. Of course, pro-aborts would have us believe there is no doubt that the embryo is not human life.

In his support for stem-cell research, Orrin “Don’t count your Hatches before they chicken” Hatch states that after discussing the matter with all manner of experts: religious, ethicists, and scientists, he can’t believe that a mass of cells in a petri dish is human life. That is absurd. Medicial technology allows a fertilized embryo to be placed inside a woman so the baby can come to term. When does it become human life? When placed inside the mother? When it is born?

Fr. Stanley Jaki wrote a fascinating essay on the Galileo controversy called “Galileo Lessons”. In the last section he addresses modern technological advances and the question of abortion vis-a-vis the Church. He brilliantly connects Galileo’s statement upon signing his confession to the question of the continuance of the human embryo. “And yet it moves.”

The Jaki book is worth getting just for those last few pages.