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Interesting from a number of views . . .

(3 posts)
  • Started 8 months ago by wljewell
  • Latest reply from wljewell

wljewell - Member
God loves you . Please read this essay (http://www.the-american-interest.com/ai2/article.cfm?Id=289&MId=14) and comment. Father Neuhaus of FirstThings in his 'On the Square' directed me to it. Father Neuhaus' added take is here (http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=925). Remember, I love you, too . In our delighted glory in our Infant King, Pristinus Sapienter (wljewell @catholicexchange.com or ... yahoo.com)
Posted 8 months ago #
pouliot - Member
Re: P.S.'s post:

From the essay:

"...the real threat to our national security may be our own lack of faith in ourselves, meaning not just faith in a God who has a special care for America, but faith in the American national enterprise itself, in whatever form."

I'm not comfortable with the implication in this that God favors the US either becasue of, or despite, its past behavior.  (The rain falls on the just and the unjust.)  Yet, the writer is not trying to make a religious statement.  Perhaps that makes the easy presumption behind the statement that much more unsettling.

And:

"The United States is still far from being a decadent country. And you cannot blame the American public from becoming disenchanted with a war that has gone on for so long and been so badly handled. The question is, in what direction—relative to our current and future adversaries—are we headed? Argue the question as we may, one thing is clear: We’re fated to find out."

First the decadence question.  Of course the US is decadent.  Who is kidding whom.  It is about five to ten years along a path to its demise which may take 100 years to be fully recognized.

Also, a bit of "Monday morning quaterbacking" in this part of the article. 

After all, wouild the US citizenry have accepted the engagement had it had evolved along the different lines the writer seems to be encouraging by the statement?

Perhaps later on, will afford time for Fr. Neuhaus' take.

Regards,
Old Sigma (Cradle Catholic [Latin rite] & generally inveterate amateur)
Posted 8 months ago #
wljewell - Member
God loves you . So, pouliot, you don't think that God favors every nation, and grants more profound favor to the nations most obedient to His will? Of God's favors vis-a-vis America, to be born here in America is a great grace from God's will - in part because of the nation it is. America's decadence is a thing constantly 'in the air'. That is, one more determinedly principled leader, like a Reagan, and one more determined Constitutionally determinative SCOTUS justice, and much of the decadence begins to dissipate. We are very far from Roman-empire degeneracy, and, not being ‘imperial’, still rather heavily guarded by our republican form of government. For example, abortion, for all its MSM-purported grip on the culture is so tenuously connected to us, the pro-abortion crowd grasps at every straw (-man, lie, obfuscation, legal maneuver, etc.) because they aren't so sure that their brand of decadence is going to stick. Moreover, persons, families, communities, etc., are beginning to rise up against pornography that can be just handed to children via typical internet links. To see a typical politician’s connection here, how long will it take the pols at every level to realize that if ‘porn must be sold’ – not just dumped out – that there is tax revenue just sitting there. And, 'R'-rated movies have long fared very poorly compared to more family-friendly rated movies. Some recent indie-produced movies, and more and more, are genuinely Christian without getting preachy. They are getting solid audiences who seem affected positively by the positive messages. And, do pardon my detection of a sniff of anti-American odor about your ‘prescience’ that we are but a decade away from demise. I gave some evidence counter your prediction. Can we have yours in support? Remember, I love you, too . In our delighted glory in our Infant King, Pristinus Sapienter (wljewell @catholicexchange.com or ... yahoo.com)
Posted 8 months ago #

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