Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 7/6/19

• Catholicism and the American Revolution

Americans celebrated Independence Day this past Thursday and the Catholic media invariably trotted out articles about Charles Carroll of Maryland, the Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence (see above graphic), and boasted of Catholicism’s alleged support of religious freedom. What these articles conveniently fail to mention is that religious freedom was non-existent in Latin American and European countries where the Catholic church dominated, and that popes issued formal declarations condemning democratic forms of government and freedom of religion right up until the end of the nineteenth-century (e.g., pope Leo XIII’s condemnation of “Americanism” in his apostolic letter Testem Benevolentiae, January 22, 1899).

• “Ongoing mass exit of Catholics from the church”

The American Catholic church already had a problem retaining its membership prior to the year-long scandal tsunami that began with the outing of predator cardinal, Ted McCarrick, and the New Jersey state investigation of Catholic clerical abuse that touched off similar state probes throughout the country. One year later, we’re beginning to see the results. What is going to happen to these disillusioned Catholic souls? Is the evangelical church reaching out to them with the Gospel of grace?

• Catholic priest asked child “vulgar” questions during confession

Catholic confessors (priests who hears confessions) are taught in seminary to question their penitents about very private thoughts and activities to ensure they make a “good” (aka full) confession. The dangers were/are as obvious as the nose on your face. Imagine a Catholic priest probing your spouse or child about their impure thoughts and acts. That’s standard in Catholic confessionals. The manuals used in Catholic seminaries to instruct priests in confessional interrogation are written in Latin and are not available to the laity. “Penitents often fall into the hands of priests who, under the pretense of confession, commit acts which are not fit to be mentioned.” – Erasmus, 16th-century Catholic theologian.

• The ‘Amazon Synod’: The Latest Outrage for Faithful Catholics
• ‘The Situation is Dramatic’: On the Papal Letter to Catholics in Germany

Pope Francis and his allies walk a tightrope. On the one hand, they encourage liberalizing initiatives like the Amazon Synod, yet they don’t want the progressive vanguard, including the German bishops, to break totally free from church tradition and Vatican oversight.

• My Respect for Protestants / Catholic Ecumenical Principles

We spent eight months examining Dave Armstrong’s book, “The Catholic Verses,” in which the Catholic apologist attempted to convince the reader that the Bible supports the Catholic salvation system of sacramental grace and merit. Find the index to my rebuttals here. In the article above, Armstrong boasts that Catholics take a much more “charitable” approach towards their Protestant “separated brethren” than they receive in return. Of course, Catholics believe that committed Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and even atheists can also merit Heaven, so it’s understandable why they might be offended by Bible-believers who proclaim there is no salvation outside of by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.

• Amazon stops selling books by Catholic psychologist amid LGBT activist pressure

I don’t recommend any books by authors propagating the Catholic works-gospel, but I include this article as an observation of another example of the unrelenting LGBT steamroller.

• New Atheist Chick-fil-A Competitor Only Open On Sundays (satire)

Since my company moved across town a year ago, I no longer have access to our region’s only Chick-fil-A. That’s a GOOD chicken sandwich! That sauce! Oh, my.