Latest on the Slow Suicide of the West

British police tell a convert from Islam to Christianity who has been threatened by local Muslims that he should stop being a crusader and move to another place.

Mushy Muslim Mind Melt. Bye bye England. Tragic. Follow the source:

A British citizen who converted to Christianity from Islam and then complained to police when locals threatened to burn his house down was told by officers to “stop being a crusader”, according to a new report.

Nissar Hussein, 43, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, who was born and raised in Britain, converted from Islam to Christianity with his wife, Qubra, in 1996. The report says that he was subjected to a number of attacks and, after being told that his house would be burnt down if he did not repent and return to Islam, reported the threat to the police. It says he was told that such threats were rarely carried out and the police officer told him to “stop being a crusader and move to another place”. A few days later the unoccupied house next door was set on fire.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a British human rights organisation whose president is the former Cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken, is calling on the UN and the international community to take action against nations and communities that punish apostasy.

Its report, No Place to Call Home, claims that apostates from Islam are subject to “gross and wideranging human rights abuses”. It adds that in countries such as Britain, with large Muslim populations in a Westernised culture, the demand to maintain a Muslim identity is intense. “When identities are precarious, their enforcement will take an aggressive form.”

Pope Benedict on Religious Liberty

The Holy Father just finished his address to the United Nations General Assembly. My friends we need to take this to heart. Don’t let the secularists shut you up.

It is inconceivable, then, that believers should have to suppress a part of themselves - their faith - in order to be active citizens. It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one’s rights. The rights associated with religion are all the more in need of protection if they are considered to clash with a prevailing secular ideology or with majority religious positions of an exclusive nature. The full guarantee of religious liberty cannot be limited to the free exercise of worship, but has to give due consideration to the public dimension of religion, and hence to the possibility of believers playing their part in building the social order. Indeed, they actually do so, for example through their influential and generous involvement in a vast network of initiatives which extend from Universities, scientific institutions and schools to health care agencies and charitable organizations in the service of the poorest and most marginalized. Refusal to recognize the contribution to society that is rooted in the religious dimension and in the quest for the Absolute - by its nature, expressing communion between persons - would effectively privilege an individualistic approach, and would fragment the unity of the person.

The Spirit of Chivarly in Action

Hartford Courant photo by Shana Surek, 7/26/07

Peter Wolfgang, the executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut will be at our Holy Hour tomorrow night (Thursday, April 17) and after will speak about his work. We have always conceived the spirit of the Knights of Lepanto to be one of both prayer and action, and this spirit is exemplified by Peter and his colleague Larry Taffner.

Many of us know and appreciate the work FIC does, because we know how hard the anti-family and anti-life forces work to undermine traditional values, and we also know that without FIC, those forces would have been far more successful than they have been up to now.

Anyone who has spent even a modicum of time at the capital in Hartford knows how the same-sex marriage lobbyists walk around the State House as if they run the place and yet their schemes have been so often thwarted by the persistent efforts of just a couple of guys at FIC who keep up the fight everyday, while the rest of us show up now and again for the easy stuff. The efforts of those who donate, or show up at rallies and lobbying days, who volunteer to stuff envelopes and flood the legislature phone boards with calls to their legislators are not to be minimized; however, few of us realize how quickly Connecticut would be overrun by those who hate our values if it weren’t for a couple of guys that just won’t quit.

The fact is that the day to day work on the ground, in the State House and in the midst of enemies is being done by a couple of guys who bear up under the weight and keep going. This is a real knighthood, where men of honor do the right thing, no matter what the cost in the face of hopeless odds and push forward.

I really am urging the guys local to Connecticut to make the effort to come and pray with us during the holy hour and to hear Peter speak afterward. He really needs your prayer and support.

MaryVictrix News: Holy Hour, Catholic Action and KL Formation

Several things or going on this week. First of all, I am on my way up to our friary in Maine NY, Mount St. Francis to visit our friars there before my trip to Rome during the first part of May. I will be there for our general chapter, which will conclude on Pentecost. Please pray for our community during this important time.

I will be back for the Third Thursday Night Holy Hour for the Fathers of our Families (program). This will be the third holy hour of the novena which will conclude in October just before the presidential election.

I have long encouraged the Knights of Lepanto to engage in Catholic action and our Third Thursday Meetings have been oriented in that direction. It is, however, far more important to pray and I have not wanted to neglect this. Hence the novena.

This particular month, I have invited Peter Wolfgang of the Family Institute of Connecticut to speak following the holy. I will be putting up a post shortly on the work of Peter at FIC. I am inviting all local men to come and learn more about how you can help to protect marriage and family life in Connecticut.

Thirdly, on Saturday, April 19 I will be directing a day of recollection at the friary for the Knights of Lepanto, specifically for all the first year members who are in need of their basic formation. This is open to all those who are formal MIM members and who attend the Knights’ meetings, including those who have already finished the first year formation and would like to review or just attend for their spiritual benefit.

We are planning on an early day, so that the whole Saturday is not shot for the guys who have stuff to do around the house. WE BEGIN AT 8:30 AM.

Here are the topics I will be covering on Saturday:

1. What is the group, The Knights of Lepanto? (Article 1 and 2, KL Directory)

• History
• The Name
• Nature and Purpose

2. Is there such a Thing as Catholic Masculinity?

• The Problem within the Family and the Church
• The Fatherhood of God
• Reclaiming Masculinity and Fatherhood

3. Do Grown Men Need Our Lady?

• The Imitation of Christ
• Mary and the Church
• Motherhood and Femininity

The Field of Candidates

Don’t be drinking anything when you open this.

My sentiments exactly.

Charlton Heston RIP

Moses meets God.

Great movie, and an excellent illustration of chivarly. Raymond de Souza used this movie for that purpose in one the the retreats he gave to the Knights of Lepanto.

The Oprahfication of Gender Identity

I debated whether I would say anything at all about this and just decided that I must. St. Paul makes a rather paradoxical statement in regard to the discussion among Christians of the sin of impurity:

But fornication and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is fitting among saints. . . . Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret; but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light (Ephes. 5:3, 11-13).

Several times in this passage he says not to even name or mention the shameful deeds of impurity, but on the other hand he also commands the followers of Jesus to expose such deeds to the light. Perhaps the explanation is this: when such sins are committed in secret, we should not bring the scandal to light, but when they flagrantly committed before all to see, then it is necessary to overcome the scandal already given. Thus this post.

When I heard about the “pregnant man” my inclination was to leave well enough alone. But since the issue has been “Oprahfied,” and spread to the four winds, I figure its time to say something. It is also an issue appropos to this blog, as gender identity must be presumed if it is at all possible to speak of masculinity and femininity.

Political Theology

The Master speaks:

I don’t think it [a same-sex union] should be called marriage, but I think that it is a legal right that they should have that is recognized by the state,” said Obama. “If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans.

He is jokingly being referred to as the Messiah. Or is it a joke? Or is he something else? Lord of the World comes to mind:

“Towards the close of the fourth verse, a figure in a plain dark suit was observed ascending the steps of the platform. For a moment this attracted no attention, but when it was seen that a sudden movement had broken out among the delegates, the singing began to falter; and it ceased altogether as the figure, after a slight inclination to right and left, passed up the further steps that led to the rostrum. Then occurred a curious incident. The organist aloft at first did not seem to understand, and continued playing, but a sound broke out from the crowd resembling a kind of groan, and instantly he ceased. But no cheering followed. Instead a profound silence dominated in an instant the huge throng; this, by some strange magnetism, communicated itself to those without the building, and when Mr. FELSENBURGH uttered his first words, it was in a stillness that was like a living thing. We leave the explanation of this phenomenon to the expert in psychology.

“Of his actual words we have nothing to say. So far as we are aware no reporter made notes at the moment; but the speech, delivered in Esperanto, was a very simple one, and very short. It consisted of a brief announcement of the great fact of Universal Brotherhood, a congratulation to all who were yet alive to witness this consummation of history; and, at the end, an ascription of praise to that Spirit of the World whose incarnation was now accomplished.

“So much we can say; but we can say nothing as to the impression of the personality who stood there. In appearance the man seemed to be about thirty-three years of age, clean-shaven, upright, with white hair and dark eyes and brows; he stood motionless with his hands on the rail, he made but one gesture that drew a kind of sob from the crowd, he spoke these words slowly, distinctly, and in a clear voice; then he stood waiting.

“There was no response but a sigh which sounded in the ears of at least one who heard it as if the whole world drew breath for the first time; and then that strange heart-shaking silence fell again. Many were weeping silently, the lips of thousands moved without a sound, and all faces were turned to that simple figure, as if the hope of every soul were centred there. So, if we may believe it, the eyes of many, centuries ago, were turned on one known now to history as JESUS OF NAZARETH (Book II, chapter 1).

Never mind that the Sermon on the Mount says little–oh yes, actually NOTHING–about homosexuality, but of course the Messiah need not explain his use of Scripture. Never mind that the first chapter of Romans is only obscure to someone who has not read St. Paul, after all, he’s the Messiah. Sigh . . .

When Our Lord referred to his followers as His sheep, it was no compliment. Anyone who has been around sheep knows that they are really, really dumb. Fortunately, Our Lord is the Good Shepherd. One who fools with Sacred Scripture has not entered by the gate but is a “thief or robber” or worse. Hopefully, the sheep are at least smart enough to recognize the true Shepherd’s voice.

Proud Liberal

Woooops!

Well, We knew that.

Dangerous Dad

David Parker is a man’s man, a go-getter and a defender of the innocence of his children. He has not counted the cost, but has gone to the ends of the earth to make sure that the pro-gay marriage, homosexual teachers in Massachusetts don’t have the right to indoctrinate children in public schools into the homosexual lifestyle.

If you doubt that the morals of children are being corrupted via the gay lifestyle by homosexual teachers in Massachusetts where same-sex marriage is legal, then let me attest to the fact that it is happening. Teachers are instructing young children in the mechanics of homosexual acts. I would be happy to provide evidence of the fact to anyone interested. I will not post the link here, as sometimes young people frequent this blog.

Here is part of the article linked to above about David Parker’s plight:

A Massachusetts father who was handcuffed and arrested after objecting to teachers and school managers indoctrinating his 5-year-old son in the homosexual lifestyle will be appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn his case because of the “national significance” of the precedent.

“[Unless the case is overturned,] it now would allow teachers in elementary schools to influence children into any views they wanted to, behind the backs of parents, to a captive audience, and against the will of the parents if need be,” David Parker told WND.