The SSM Debate

Caravaggio's Beheading of St. John the Baptist-in St. John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta, Malta

Over on the Catholic Herald website, is an engaging debate on the ramifications of ssm. Now, what is missing in most of the comments being made seems to be a misunderstanding of three principles-one, the question of civil rights; two, the agenda of those pushing for ssm; the larger movement of culture away from Christian morals.

I refuse to use the word "values" as morals are not values. Morals for the Catholic are God's standards, given to each human being as natural law, by the fact that one is human, and, also, enshrined in Revealed law, the Ten Commandments. We also have the clarification of both in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the long teaching of the Church in the past 2,000 plus years. If one is confused as to the moral teaching of the Church on one of the four sins which cries out to God for vengeance, one only has to look at the many sources from the Teaching Magisterium of the Church.

The first point: Civil rights are given to men and woman as part of the dignity of being human. A "right" is given in the name of justice. Positive, or Divine Law set the rules for what is a right and what is not. The right to fair wages, fair trials, property and so on, are given because of the dignity of human beings, as creatures of God.

Sin, which is beneath the dignity of all men and women, has no rights. Therefore, such things as child molestation, rape, graft, embezzlement murder and so on have no right, and a state has a duty to protect civilians from criminal activity.

The problem is modern times has been the movement to give sin rights. Adultery now has a right, as most Protestant denominations follow civil law in recognizing marriage after divorce, without an annulment. For the Catholic, this situation does not require justice, but repentance. Abortion is legal, but unjust, an intrinsically evil sin, as is sodomy. Those wanting ssm want to change society and make it God-less.

Sadly, the secular society accepts serious sins, which merit damnation for some people, as rights. The thinking of some judges is that law is what a government decides, not God.

We live in post-Christian societies, with laws even the ancient pagan societies did not accept.

Second point: few on the CH site recognize the huge agenda of those pushing for ssm. This agenda goes back to Gramsci and his efforts to undermine Christian morality in order to promote the communist nation-state system. One can read the numerous posts I have on Gramsci on my blog.

How interesting it is that in the published letters of Gramsci from prison, and I have all the volumes, that his first note reminds his readers that the Catholic Church, even at that early date, was the only group of people who understood what was the real agenda of the Communist Manifesto. Gramsci saw clearly that the popes in his era "got it"--the awareness of the agenda to create a God-less, Church-less society. This is the current agenda of those pushing for ssm. Make no mistake about it. There is an agenda.

Third point: those who hate Christ and His Church have been pushing for societies which are against the Church since the persecutions in Jerusalem, which cause St. John to take Our Lady to Ephesus and which witnessed the martyrdom of St. James, and others. The Church has always had enemies, as those in darkness, who choose darkness, hate the light. They hate Christ, they hate us.

Many of those making comments on the CH website do not or do not want to see the big picture-which is the demise of Western Civilization, which was created by the Catholic Church, and the beginning of chaos and persecution for Catholics.

St. John the Baptist was beheaded for reminding Herod that he was living in adultery. 'Nuff said.