The usual Open Thread rules apply: be concise, be charitable and, above all, be amusing!
Open Thread
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
It’s Will Durant, so Jesus doesn’t get the credit, Peter and Paul do as the proto-church’s historical “great men.” A nod followed by a sigh. It’d be better if his perspective was “God vs. man and God wins, to the benefit of man”. But I’ll reluctantly settle for “Church vs. State and Church wins, to the benefit of ‘society’ “.
As you read through the volumes you see the fallen away Catholic returning to his roots:
“There is no greater drama in human record than the sight of a few Christians, scorned or oppressed by a succession of emperors, bearing all trials with a fierce tenacity, multiplying quietly, building order while their enemies generated chaos, fighting the sword with the word, brutality with hope, and at last defeating the strongest state that history has known. Caesar and Christ had met in the arena, and Christ had won.”
It doesn’t suprise me that he returned to the Faith prior to his death.
Book recommendation: “Sin and Its Consequences” by Henry Cardinal Manning. Very good explanation of sin, what it does to us, and how to get out of the grips of sin. I was greatly surprised by the quality of the book, I had only thought of Cardinal Manning as St. John Newman’s “thorn in the side” person. I forgot about the quality of that OxBridge education back-in-the-day.
Has anyone wondered how easily Hamas was able to catch Israel off guard on October 7, 2023? And does anyone know of any Israeli investigation into the intelligence and security failures?
There have been several and the official one is still underway. Bottom line they blew it. Hard to believe considering the prowess of the Mossad, but it has happened before, most notably at the beginning of the Yom Kippur War which caught the Israelis with their pants down.
It gives those who espouse conspiracy theories that Bibi let this happen so he has an excuse to indulge in warmongering bloodlust a lot of ammunition.
The groyper crowd doesn’t need much to build a conspiracy theory around.
Groypers gotta groyp.
The person I know who subscribes to such ideas also thinks the moon landing was faked. There are plenty of people who believe we had previous knowledge about 911 and let it happen in order to usher in the DHS (through the Patriot Act).
I’m just guessing here, but I bet some people think we let the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor for warmongering purposes.
There are similar “theories” surrounding the Covid pandemic. I find it easier (and less disturbing) to believe there are individuals who will quickly take advantage of disastrous events than to entertain the thinking that western governments will knowingly allow their own citizens to endure unthinkable suffering for political power and profit. I’m cynical, not paranoid (no matter what everyone says behind my back!)
all men, mankind are Patriots, statesmen and/or politicians. The Patriot will gladly lay down his life for his country/nation. The statesman will work himself to grant Justice and freedom to all mankind. The politician raises taxes to care for himself.
Pope Leo XIV did not include Putin and/or Xi (sp) in his call for peace on earth to men of good will.
The muslims attacked Vienna on their way to make St. Peters in Rome a mosque. They called St. Peters in Rome the Golden Apple. They were stopped by King John Sobieski III at Vienna.
I would much rather see St. Peters in Rome become a refuge for illegal invaders than a mosque.
I wonder how much money George Soros gave the Vatican.