The National Catholic Register reports that a new law has been enacted in Little Britain, on whom it seems the sun does nothing but set, prohibiting Catholic teachers in Catholic schools from teaching Catholic doctrine to Catholic students. It's easy to guess the specifics. The British Duma is not exercised over that most revolutionary of Catholic and Christian affirmations, that the God through whom all things were made took flesh of the Virgin and became man -- a doctrine that John Adams, alas, once called pernicious. Catholics may talk all they want about that, because that is thought to be irrelevant. But they may not talk about the sin of sodomy, lest they offend the feelings of those people -- some lonely and unfortunate, some simply confused, some wilfully perverse -- who are committed to the sin, and who demand that they be free from criticism for it. The law, apparently, has been pushed by a woman member of the Blair cabinet, a Catholic and, what's more, a supernumerary of Opus Dei. She's delighted by the innovation, as is her fellow Catholic Mrs. Blair.
And so it is that the hard-won freedom of speech, and the even harder-won freedom to exercise one's faith, are dismissed as inconsequential, or rather are put to death, for what exactly? For what great boon to civilization? Even if you disagree with faithful Christians on this matter, is such a law really worth the ruin it must bring? [Emphasis mine -- RD]. For it is unimaginable that freedom of speech, once so blithely abrogated, will be respected and safeguarded in all other instances. And these freedoms are, as our own Declaration suggests, inalienable from man as a rational creature. Or perhaps we now consider instead that man is a creature distinguished not by the mind, but by regions further south, and for that reason we must keep tight control on what he thinks and says and teaches, but that he can copulate as he pleases is a right so precious that all others must cede to it.
What puzzles me is the fecklessness of it all, and the colossal historical ignorance. Rights like these were paid for in blood, and there are even now many millions of people across the earth who know nothing of them. But the rights are traded away for what is either a passing madness, or a late stage in the sexual and cultural collapse of the west -- it must prove to be one or the other.
One thing I respect about Andrew Sullivan's position in the matter is that even as he execrates traditional Christian teaching on homosexuality, he opposes attempts to criminalize speech advocating that teaching. One recalls the well-known exchange from the Robert Bolt play "A Man for All Seasons," about the danger of abrogating settled law to wipe out evil. William Roper has told Sir Thomas More that he would cut down every law in England to get at the Devil. More responds:
Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat?
This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down (and you're just the man to do it!), do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then?
Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
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"Hate Crimes" Bills lay the foundation for the further outlawing of Christians and the Gospel and New Testament. That is to say, outlawing Christianity as the Apostles and Disciples believed it. massresistance.org is under intense pressure from Gay Groups to have them shut down.
That the enemies of Christians are so not out in the open is somewhat a good thing. But it is more enlightening to visit Gay "anti-hate" websites (to see what they have in store for Christians) from their own words and actions. Federal Bill HR 1592 (sponsored by "Liberal" Democrats of course) lays the solid foundation for criminalizing anything a Christian (or others) say in opposition to homosexualiy, cross-dressing and transsexualism.
And as you can see from England, this goes into our Churches and schools also. Go to Gay sites to see what they have in store for Christians and anyone that opposes the promotion of homosexuality and its offshoot sexuality. hatecrime.org This site, like so many others, is to silence any opposition to promoting homosexuality and bi-sexuality and other personal sexual practices. It is anti-Christian through and through, making hate organizations out of very good people. It mocks any attempt to bring light on what the Gay Agenda actually is.
People like The Traditional Values Coalition, Concerned Women of America and Focus On the Family are denounced by GLBT groups non-stop.
Not one of these groups support violence against anyone for any reason. If these groups are hateful, then so is the New Testament and the Gospel. Which of course is exactly what many Gays and Lesbians seem to believe and promote. Though there is absolutely no violence proposed against homosexuals. They are free to go. In England, LGBT's are urged to report Christians that oppose homosexuality, as committing a crime. In America "hate crimes" laws are used to silence and prosecute Christians that will not submit to Gay authority over them. I urge any Christian that thinks we are not being targeted by Liberals and Progressives for persecution, to open their eyes to the facts that "hate crimes" legislation" is for outlawing Christianity. Liberals and Progressives and their Secualar Humanism on one side and the Islamic Jihadists on the other. It is time for the Church to bond together against those rallied against us, and pray like we never have before. It is a blessing to see so many different denominations, catholics and Protestants coming together to pray against these evil people aiming to harm us all. Only God can rescue us from these forces aligned by "powers and principalities" to silence and destroy us.
Let us all apply Psalm 51 to our lives. Let us always strive to continue to be peaaceful as we oppose the evil so willing to harm us.
Jiminy-jumped-up-christmas. A slipperier slope I never did encounter in writing. "...that he can copulate as he pleases is a right so precious that all others must cede to it." What a joke.
Thanks, Rob. I appreciate the information. You're right that I dislike much of what Esolen says, but I'm afraid I also just don't like the way he says it. (Is is possible that you like him partly because you agree with him?) Actually, I first encountered Esolen because I read that he had done a new translation of Dante. I love Dante but unfortunately, I've never learned Italian. So I've read him in several versions. Going from terza rima into English never quite works, so I'm always looking for yet another version, to see how the new guy will solve the problems. I googled Esolen to learn more about him. After seeing what he did with his native language, I have not rushed out to buy the translation. Though I suppose I'll give it a chance, eventually. Point being, I didn't approach Esolen from a partisan standpoint originally, but from a literary one. Even though I disagree with your critical judgment in this case, I do respect it in general. I wish I could agree with you more often, but at least I get the pleasure of disagreeing with someone who handles words and ideas well.
(Is is possible that you like him partly because you agree with him?) I guess it's possible, although I do like what I consider good writing whatever its source; I love reading Wendell Berry even on those occasions when I disagree with him, and one of my favorite short story writers is Thomas Ligotti, whose world view I couldn't disagree with more.
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