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Monday, August 24, 2020

White European Males

Someone in the comments of my previous article, “Roman Catholicism is the source of damage in our culture today”, suggested that I was “sounding like the Westboro kooks who think they're the only 20 people who are pure enough to be saved”.

I assure you that I am not intending to sound this way. I’m not going to be like Martin Luther, throwing ink wells at the devil in his room, and nor am I going to go into screeds about “know nothings”.

Instead I am taking seriously some of the things that the Roman Catholic Church officially says, the way they have positioned themselves “in the world”. I’m looking at their history, and political philosophy and I am trying to understand how this country, a mere 30 years after the fall of communism in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, can have so many agitators working to implement socialism today.

It’s “white European males” who find themselves at the bottom of all the “intersectionality” charts these days – It is “white European males” who are said by those on “the left” to be responsible for most of the evils in the world. I look at Roman Catholicism, which undoubtedly, for hundreds of years, was the primary intellectual environment for “white European males”, and I’m saying to myself, “I wonder if there’s a connection”.

With all of this in mind, I am an enthusiastic Trump voter who believes that the left/right divide has aligned itself on the person of Donald Trump, precisely because Trump is not an ideological person. He calls himself a “counter-puncher”, and it is purely an act of Providence, I am sure, that the United States finds itself today with a “political left” that is almost wholly united in its zeal against Trump.

So the “conservativism” that we see in Trump is almost purely a response by him to “counter-punch” against “the political left”, which at a political level includes virtually all Democrats, some “NeverTrump” Republicans, and some high-minded Christians who will never vote for someone who is less pure in his personal life than, say, John Piper. And which, at a cultural level, includes the news media, most colleges and universities, lots and lots of younger people who are just caught up in “the spirit of the age” (which is largely embodied by “wokism”).

In 2016, I had many conversations with fellow Triablogue writers, to the effect that Trump wasn’t conservative, that he would show his liberal side. And he has done so with his recent pronouncement that he is the most “gay-friendly” president in history – a thing that makes me cringe, but I try to understand it in context.

With that said, I still think voting for Trump is the best way to address the most immediate problems that we face today, particularly in the US. While it’s a big world, and there are many “enemies” (including Islam, Communist China, biological warfare, nefarious former KGB agents, and even mere apathy) I think “wokism” (which I am using as a catch-all phrase to include its intellectual parent, Marxism, and its like-minded relatives that we know as “Critical theory”, “Cultural Marxism”, Critical Race Theory”, “intersectionality”, “anti-Racism” “cancel culture”, and things like that), is the greatest threat to our country today.

And again I say this from the perspective of a Christian, “in the world but not of the world”, looking at what I can do, in the Romans 13 sense, “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities”, in a land in which “we the people” are tasked with something like “self-government” through institutions that have been set up to function in a realm where concepts of “Republic” and “democracy” are in the forefront.

I’m not going to claim I have all the answers here. I have a lot of questions. I’ve haven’t written much lately, but I’ve been reading a lot, and I want to share what I’m learning.

We live in a culture where “white European males” are the ones who have come out at the bottom of the intersectionality charts. They and their paternalism are seen to be the greatest evils that the world is facing today.

There’s a saying, I don’t know if it’s true, that “a definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again, and expecting different results”. If that’s the case, it doesn’t seem to me that we want to move back in the direction of Roman Catholicism, and in fact, while we want to look for Christian solutions, we certainly don’t want, moving forward, to repeat the mistakes of the past.

26 comments:

  1. The fact that white men are someone ranked at the bottom by the people who yammer on about inclusion and equality seems almost comical, if it weren't so scary. A woman, a Hispanic guy, and a white guy were talking at work. The white guy several times would respond by saying something to the effect that since he's a white guy, he has no opinion on what they were discussing.

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    1. FC, you are exactly right: it is both comical and scary. The reason it is so frightening is because there are angry mobs on the streets, and their ideological masters in the media and universities, telling them how to behave. Peoples lives and livelihoods are at risk. And that's just the beginning of it.

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    2. Did you forget your second amendment rights, your concealed carry permit, and your trusty neighborhood watch of white former cops with guns? Why are so scared?

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  2. I read both posts, and it seems to me that Romanism is certainly *one* manifestation of the spirit of anti-christ in the world, and it's arguable, I think, that it's historically one of the most virulent and dangerous anti-christ systems Satan has ever devised and birthed. The Reformers were right in their withering criticisms of the myriad blasphemies of the "One True Church".

    Many undiscerning Christians mistakenly think Vatican 2 "reformed" the Roman church, but it didn't.

    Interestingly Rome is so synergistic and malleable she can parasitize upon almost any religious system such that as the spirit of the age moves on from post-modernism to base paganism - as it's been doing for some time if anyone is paying attention - Rome will be right at home since her roots are deeply pagan.

    Like a spiritual cockroach she'll survive and continue scurrying about in darkness polluting everything she touches until the Lord Jesus returns and slays her with the breath of his coming.

    Even so, come Lord Jesus.

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    1. If you think Catholics need to be reformed, how about the jerry falwells of the protestant league?

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    2. Yes both Catholics and the Falwells of the world are wrong and need to be reformed.

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    3. Difference is evangelicals call out the Falwells of the world. But catholics don't call out their own any where near as much. They have a long track record of trying to actively cover up their sexual scandals for example.

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    4. John (and Coram)--

      Beginning with the pontificate of John XXIII, Catholicism gave up on anti-modernism, and, in the wake of Vatican II, it became--more or less--just another mainstream Protestant denomination. 90% of American Catholicism is basically secular progressive. And the other 10% hold views of Scripture incompatible with theological conservatism. Along with such a stance comes a susceptibility to political liberalism (and some of the prominent, ostensibly "conservative" Catholic apologists continue to embrace the Democratic Party).

      But traditional religious movements, like other human institutions, always trend in a humanistic, leftward direction. Catholicism has. Protestantism in general has. Evangelicalism has. Even Reformed Evangelicalism has. (Look at Piper, Mohler, Dever, Chandler, Moore, Platt, Duncan, Sauls, etc.)

      "We have met the enemy, and he is us."

      And this has been happening for a very long time. Seminaries at Harvard, Yale, Andover, and Hartford started out Reformed and Evangelical. A few short generations after the death of Jonathan Edwards, and this was no longer the case.

      I don't think you can blame Catholicism for the human condition.

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    5. Eric, I've responded on the other thread, but not here. To put it bluntly, it is the Roman Catholic mastery of the art of language manipulation that is "the source of all of our troubles". It worked for Rome to gain the papacy, it worked for Rome to hold onto the papacy, it is the trick to which Rome resorted in order to try and defeat the Reformation. It is the trick that the Wokists have learned, and by which they are manipulating people via cultural "concerns" today. It is not "the religion" itself, but the undercurrent of "how to manipulate" that is where I am headed with all of this.

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    6. @Eric & Jack, I was careful to say Rome is *one* manifestation of the spirit of anti-christ in the world. Strangely your responses seem eager to point out that there are *others*...well...yes, but John's 2 posts were about Romanism, so what's your point?

      No one here disagrees that Rome isn't the *only* source of corruption in the world.

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  3. Perhaps I misunderstood your original post, but I'm not sure this one clarified it.

    Roman Catholicism is not unified on political issues. There are ultra-conservative sects and religious orders like Opus Dei as well as more liberal groups like the Jesuits.

    None of them, as far as I know (and I went to a Jesuit school), have preached on or been behind this new religion of "white guilt" whereby one's race is an original sin from which there is no redemption. And it is a new religion. They use words like "good" and "evil" and even "salvation" even as they mock the possibility of the existence of God.

    The people behind these are generally white, educated atheists or agnostics, and as certain as they seem about their convictions, they never seem to believe them enough to do things like resigning from their well-paid university positions for the benefit of a person of color (or someone else deemed an "oppressed minority"). It's similar to how the SPLC (always on the lookout for "hate groups") is, itself, comprised of misogynists and racists (at least according to the reports of former and current employees). Just a bunch of cynical, lying hypocrites.

    I have no idea where this all comes from. When I attended school, the Jesuits were about as pro-free-speech as one could get. This doesn't align with the current culture where people are digging up mildly offensive things others have said ten years ago with the intent of destroying their lives and livelihoods.

    So .. I agree that there's an absolutely toxic spirit alive in America today. I just don't see it coming from Catholicism.

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    1. James, sorry I missed your comment here. I did not say that the toxic spirit was actually coming from Catholicism. Just saying that the same kind of skeptical thinking that worked to undermine Protestantism after the Reformation is the same kind of thinking (i.e., was a model for, a source for) the kind of thinking behind the "wokism" that is causing the agitation today.

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  4. In the USA, 43% are Protestants, 20% are Catholics, 23% are unaffiliated... and somehow Roman Catholics are to blame for the faults in our society today. Maybe its the ineffectiveness of the Protestant churches and their members to live up to their faith.
    I know Steve Hays is anti-Catholic but he's reasonable. Triablogue is losing its touch. I miss reading Steve's wacky but within reason arguments.
    As to Donald, he is what he is. He cannot be informed or reformed by any institution. It is a pity that evangelicals are taking advantage of his lack of ideology. They love him now because he's president. They better not throw him under the bus when he's not. They better invite him to speak every Sunday. You have to send him a birthday card every year, JB if you really love the guy.
    When the rich are taxed at 90%, when minimum wage is at 25% per hour so the lowly among us dont have to work 80 hours a week for basic needs, when college tuition is at 1000 dollars a year so all can get a decent college education without being burdened by debt, when healthcare isn't controlled by the insurance companies who have bankrupt americans, when the lobby groups dont influence our politicians, when wealthy corporations cannot finance their candidate's campaign, when teachers get paid much more, when schools get more funding... if that is socialism, why are you against that? Are socialists also gay and baby killers?
    If a white guy cannot freely express his opinion in front of his minority coworkers, welcome to the club. Now you feel what the marginalized feels. If they didn't appreciate you before, they wouldn't now that they have found their voice. White European guys now have to be more smarter to be noticed.

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    1. Are you insinuating the white guy isn't as smart as his other coworkers because of the color of his skin? What a racist.

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    2. Did you see the previous post where we Evangelicals disagreed with Johns arguments? Lots of people thought John tried to prove too much with catholicism including me. But that doesn't mean Catholicism doesn't share some of the blame. Maybe we can agree catholics share 20% of the blame. You good with that?

      No one can match Steve Hays, I was shocked he died, but you're saying Triablogue is losing its touch based on one post or one person. Mmmkay. Triablogue wont be the same without him but other guys seem pretty sharp to me and I still benefit from reading them.

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    3. DQ, as I've mentioned her and on the other thread now, it is more than just the "religion" that is the danger. It is the method of manipulation they have used, which is being used today. Rome is indeed the "teacher" of evil, for those who are paying attention.

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    4. “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”, usually attributed to Joseph Goebbels. Brave New World was published in 1932. 1984 was published in 1948. Maybe the Roman Catholics pioneered these ideas and such, but most of this has been main stream for quite a while now.

      The real issue is that Postmodernism has finally reached critical mass in our culture. Right and wrong are now seen a matters of opinion. Mass belief in Postmodernism creates the perfect environment for things like the big lie, doublespeak, etc. to actually be effective.

      It is not too hard to imagine George Orwell and Alduous Huxley telling us that their books were meant as a warning, not an instruction manual.

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    5. John, OK I look forward to your demonstrating its the roman catholics method of manipulation that has such a big and main role in leftism today as opposed to all the others who have been teaching and using their own methods of manipulation.

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  5. Hey John,
    Sorry I am late and just saw this this morning. (8-26-2020)
    Your 2 recent articles and the comment boxes were very interesting at pulling me into reading them.

    I think you got closer to the root, along with Jason Engwer's comment about the wrong views of God Himself, with this, in the comment box, rather than the title and article itself (Roman Catholicism is the source of damage . . . ) Even though there is a lot of truth to what you are saying, but the title was definitely provocative and catchy and made me want to read it.

    but I think you got closer in the combox when there was some push-back:

    "Where I'm headed with this is not the *religion* per se, but the use of the religion as a tool of manipulation.

    And I will hope to show that Roman Catholicism (and maybe some of its predecessors in the rhetoric of the Roman empire) learned how to use language and rhetoric to unwittingly control how discussions play out.

    That is where I'm hoping to go with this. "Leftists", "wokists", are putting an academic sheen on some very bad concepts. And they are doing it via the manipulation of language, and even the manipulation of concepts."

    Yes, you hit it there.

    Manipulation of language along with mass marketing into the culture. (Today's Leftism, "Wokeness" - controlling education, media, TV, big tech, etc.)

    This goes back to "ex opere operato", baptismal regeneration (thinking that performing the ceremony causes forgiveness and regeneration)
    and Ignatius Loyola's famous saying # 13 in Rules for Thinking with the Church: "Whatever we (the Roman Church) say is black, but if it appears to your eyes that it is white, you are required to believe that it is black."

    To keep ourselves right in all things, we ought to hold fast to this
    principle: What I see as white, I would believe to be black if the
    hierarchical Church would thus determine it.

    Roman Apologists do the same kind of manipulation of language by CCC # 841 and 847 when they try to explain them and how they don't contradict everything prior to Vatican 2.

    It all goes back to the manipulations of the times when the State Church, ex opere operato priestly powers, baptismal regeneration and infant baptism (the Roman Version) came together at the Council of Orange 529 AD. (process from Constantine / Theodosius to Orange 529)

    see my comments at Allan Ruhl's recent article and also the two links to an article I wrote years ago at Beggar's All.

    "Between Orange and Trent" at Beggar's All.

    Allan Ruhl's recent post - see the comment box.
    http://allanruhl.com/apostasy-trent-or-constantinople/#comments

    Lord willing, when I have time, I am going to write something more organized on this.

    thanks for your articles that stimulate a lot of thinking.

    Charismatics and Pentecostals also manipulate language and think that by saying words with conviction that they cause God to do something.

    Modern life is controlled and manipulated by marketing and slick stuff. (TV, Media, etc.)

    Chick-fil-A, at first, did not do much marketing. The product sold itself for years. (before the cows, etc.)

    MacDonald's "happy meal" = slick packaging with a toy = but not much substance inside. Children care more about the colorful packaging, the toy, and the playground than eating anything of substance. (vegetables, nutritious food)

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  6. @JB: Rome is indeed the "teacher" of evil... You seem to forget the first ecumenical councils of the non Jewish triune church were run by Romans and for Romans. Protestants came from Roman Emperor Constantine's faith.

    @Theflyingcouch: What a racist... Now that reminds me of how Steve calls Rauser and Tuggy. So much for being Christ-like. More smarter to be noticed is self-explanatory.

    @DQ: Maybe we can agree catholics share 20% of the blame... Steve didnt teach you well, young one. The true triune will never admit to any mistake in his arguments. Better to call it a mystery.

    @KenTemple: manipulation of language, and even the manipulation of concepts... Hmmm, reminds me of how the early triune church proved how Jesus can be both human and divine. Dont tell me those churches were leftists and socialists. Are you telling me that rightists are not smart enough to manipulate language and concepts?

    @somerandomguy: Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth... Just how FACTS NEWS run their channel, all for the glory of the white Jesus and the white God.



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    1. @ Jack and the Beanstalk
      Athanasius (Egyptian, before the Arab Muslim conquests) and Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine (Berber) were not "white", yet defended the Trinity and Deity of Christ based on Scripture. Not manipulation; just the clear truth from Scripture - "Thy Word is Truth" - John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16 - "all Scripture is God-breathed".

      Certainly other "rightists" (your terminology) can manipulate language, but the last 50 years in the west - that prize goes to the Left / Democrats / LGBT agenda, intersectionality, Marxism, University education, Race-baiters, Mainstream Media, etc.

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    3. Jack, you are merely parroting false media reports about Trump and Covid Hoax. Minimum wage costs jobs in small companies. You are way off topic.

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    4. Looks like Jack and the Beanstalk is just Gil Christ under another screen name. His bad reasoning doesn't reflect well on his anti-Trinitarianism, nor does his disregard for the rules of the blog.

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    5. Ken, thanks for your comments here! I'm not even sure who Allan Ruhl is. I've found your "Between Orange and Trent" post, for anyone who is interested (I'll have to look at that when I have some time).

      https://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/2011/06/between-orange-and-trent.html

      That was a long time ago!

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  7. Allan Ruhl is A traditional Canadian Roman Catholic who is consistent to pre-Vatican II theology. (He has a blog and interacts with Muslims also and a lot of his stuff is good, except of course were Protestantism disagrees with his Roman Catholicism.

    Check out his article that I linked to above and also the comments that we are making in the COM box.

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