Fake Priests for Show in Japan

11 Responses

Eliss Villavicencio Higashiyama, on October 22, 2012 at 12:44 am said:

Father Joe, I live in Japan and seeing these false weddings is actually a bit painful for me. You can’t buy everything, and certainly can’t buy a Christian sacrament. I would like to know if there has been a petition signed at all, at least to let the Japanese be aware that the Catholic church is not a theatre. My husband is actually Japanese, and he tells me that if the Church makes an appeal to the Emperor (who is separated from the government), it would make sense and maybe some people will acknowledge the petition for a bit of respect. It is a case of misinformation, people don’t understand the Catholic Church is more than a romantic setting for a wedding. I honestly do get very frustrated by it. I know there is free-will, but I don’t think our sacrament should be mocked just for personal pleasure.
Horatio, on August 8, 2012 at 5:51 am said:

SECULAR HUMANISM – THE TRUE SALVATION OF MANKIND!

FATHER JOE: Secular humanists have no defined moral compass. They would defend the rights of a few by stripping them from many. If grandma is getting old, they would refuse her medical care and save resources for the more productive young. If it is expensive to keep grandpa on the machine he needs to live, they would pull the plug and justify such euthanasia as a mercy by putting him out of his misery. If missy is pregnant but cannot bare the thought of adoption and that her child might be raised by strangers, they would encourage the murderous “kindness” of abortion over adoption. God save us from such instances of false compassion!

The Catholic Church demonizes unwed mothers…

FATHER JOE: The Church is involved with the Gabriel Project to help such women in keeping their children. While we cannot dismiss sin, we certainly understand weakness. The Church offers counsel, healing and support. We demonize no one, not even you.

The Catholic Church preys on the elderly for their estates…

FATHER JOE: Sometimes people of faith, particularly when there is little family or everyone is well off, will remember the Church in their wills. There is nothing wrong about this. Would you force them to do something else with their money and resources? The Catholic Church has many social programs for the elderly and poor. We operate Catholic Charities, hospitals and nursing homes. We give people hope as their days in this world grow short. You would offer them nothing. We prey on no one; but many sacrifices are made for those who need us.

The Catholic Church pretends to care for poor children while in reality favoring the offspring of the rich…

FATHER JOE: Most of the Church is in the Third World. Catholic Charities is the largest private charity organization in the world. We educate children and give them a future. Many of our inner-city schools have few Catholics, but we want to make a difference with the young so that they will have a fair chance. Your flaming rhetoric is wrong and deeply prejudicial. What have you done for poor children? Most of our priests have come from poor families, me included. You really do not know what you are talking about.

2,000 years of hypocrisy. Mother Theresa was glad that poverty existed – it gives the Church in Rome a reason to exist.

FATHER JOE: We have always been a Church of sinners and saints. The gravity is with the saints and their wonderful witness for the ages. You blacken the name of the late Mother Teresa who, along with her sisters, showed the loving compassion to a hurting world. Jesus also brought healing to others. He established a Church to perpetuate his saving work. Of course, the main reason or purpose of the Church is the forgiveness of sins and the healing of souls.

Christianity – a Continuation of Pagan Superstition: Isis is Mary. Horus is Jesus.

FATHER JOE: You play these games, I suppose finding some delight that a priest might take some time to respond to your rude calumny and bigotry. Jesus and Mary have no connection to the ancient pagan cults, as now I see you have moved toward Egyptian mythology. Jesus is the long awaited Jewish Messiah and the Christ. He is God made man and the Savior. Mary is his Mother and at the Cross, given to us as the Mother of all the redeemed. But why am I even trying to discuss this. You do not care. You did not come here for a reasonable discussion. Like so many of your ilk, you are a cyber troll. Since this is a form of spamming, that is where you remarks in the future will be delegated… to the spam or junk folder. You are a pathetic figure. My identity is known. But you seek to hide in anonymity. I suppose that makes you a coward. Of course, anonymity on the Internet is often compromised and your ignorance and bigotry may haunt you.

Jenkins – Your true religion is the Pagan Religion of your Ancestors. You betray them by adhering to the cult of desert deities. I accuse you of TREASON and willful disobedience. You will light a fire to Odin in repentance!

FATHER JOE: You may know the names of ancient mythical deities, even those of the Vikings, but such shows nothing of true knowledge and wisdom. The Judeo-Christian faith is a rich tradition and gives us the history of salvation. I am proud of our fathers and mothers of faith. I betray nothing. How can you accuse me given that you believe in nothing except yourself? Your sins and bigotry are the ignition for a fire that threatens your eternity. I pray that you will walk in the Light of Christ and not run madly into furnace of perdition. Repent and believe!

I see that you now resort to implied threats. “Compromised anonymity”.

FATHER JOE: No threat is implied, only warnings… in reference to God and his justice and to your cowardice on the internet. If you keep going around trying to pick fights with people, one day you are going to run into someone savvy enough to identify you and expose your sins. If you have nothing for which to be ashamed, then tell us all who you are and stop hiding behind an alias. But you will not do this. It is easy to be nasty and to feign smarts when you hide in the shadows. Have you ever been in a dark room of a house infested with roaches? Turn on the light and they start running for cover. My suspicion about you is that you would run for cover. What would people think of you if they were to know that you bully believers on the internet for fun?

You are angry. Bitter. Seeking revenge.

FATHER JOE: Not bitter, and you have done no real harm to me so I have no motive for revenge, even if I were the type of person to seek such things. No, but you have upset me. It troubles me that there are still people in the world who think as you do. I have nothing against atheists or people of other faiths; my objection is to bigots like you who seem to get a sadistic satisfaction in deriding the faith of others. There is nothing here of an authentic discussion or debate. All you have to offer are insults. Maybe that is the only thing you have to give? I had hoped that my response might make you second-guess yourself or effect some positive change in you. I really pity you and that is where the bulk of my upset rests.

In the real world. That IS your true religion. Stamping out the free-thinking non-conformist.

FATHER JOE: I am fully engaged in the real world, and do so without wearing a mask. Catholicism is faith seeking understanding. Yours is ignorance seeking slander. You can think whatever you like, but are you really thinking? Freedom does not mean absolute license. Thinking means reasoning, not rambling ridicule. The Catholic Christian today is the ultimate non-conformist. Society takes for granted many things for which the faithful Catholic must be a sign of contradiction. Artificial contraception, abortion, homosexual and lesbian relationships, divorce and remarriage, the occult and new age religion, radical feminism, etc. are all taken for granted as permissible by contemporary society. Those who oppose such things are increasingly marginalized and their speech is silenced. Everything is tolerated but traditional values and faith. Liberals argue that everyone should have a voice; but, when a conservative voice from Catholic orthodoxy speaks up— he is labeled with hate-speech. You and such people would love to see the Catholic Church removed entirely from the public forum. Just as Hitler sought to eliminate the Jews, the new fascists would delight in seeing the light of Catholic Christian faith once-and-for-all extinguished.

The fact that you are a priest responding to my legitimate queries and statements gives me no extra pleasure. I do not recognize your status. I’ve had better discussions with bishops, if you must know. Of various denominations.

FATHER JOE: It is true that you do not “respect” my status, but the very reason you are here is because I am a priest with a blog that speaks to topics of faith. Anonymous attacks on other clergy does not surprise me, although I find it hard or impossible to believe that you had better discussions since you could not even hold your own in the attack against my blog and the Catholic religion. I have no idea about your title or even your real name. You are a sniper, a troll, a religious spammer. These are not real discussions. Rather, you make raids and I respond by showing up what you are. Notice that? We might not know who you are fake name-Horatio fake email-(fakepriestyeah@gmail.com); but your words, views and style certainly say something about WHAT you are. And that you have to live with; we do not.

You might be a bum or a billionaire or a priest. It does not matter. There was no Resurrection. There were no miracles. There was no Virgin Birth. Christianity clearly evolved from Paganism. And just to show you that I am no “troll”, I shall leave this site. Take heed: Liberate yourself from idolatry and the neo-Paganism of Catholicism.

FATHER JOE:

But our states of life do matter for they speak to our credibility. As an anonymous spammer, you have none. It is amazing what technology allows. I live on the Eastern seaboard of the United States and you can slam people with your bigotry from the other side of the planet. Sometimes the new science fails us and makes us no smarter… or at least no more polite. I believe in the Virgin Birth. You have no evidence to the contrary. Christianity is the offshoot of Judaism and is the fulfillment of the covenant God made with his people. This part of the chronology is a fact and you are quite wrong or fraudulent in your history about the Church’s roots. And yes, you are a troll. You keep coming back again and again with pot shots. You are addicted. You cannot stop yourself. That is why so many have banned you. You make yourself unwelcome. I wonder if you do that with physical people— that is if you ever leave your computer and walk in the sun. I hope you have a few friends, at least. Now you promise to “leave this site,” well, I hope so, at least until you have learned a few real facts and a lot better manners.

The idolatry is yours because as an atheist, you have made yourself into the measure of all things. So look into a mirror and pay homage. But, know that the false god looking back at you neither speaks the truth nor has the power to save you. You are like the ancient pagan emperors of Rome, minus the empire, of course. They declared themselves divine and demanded worship. Their word, no matter how ridiculous, became law. Well, you have no subjects so you must be a lonely and foolish deity with NO NAME who aimlessly shouts his falsehoods to which no one will listen.—Praying for you, Father Joseph Jenkins
Horatio, on August 8, 2012 at 1:01 am said:

Jesus was born in the Fall. The Bible says so. Jesus was a non-White, Feet the colour of bronze, curly hair. The Bible says so. The pictures of Jesus that you display in your so-called churches are false. J.C. was not a blonde, blue-eyed American.

MITHRA!

FATHER JOE: The depictions of Jesus and the Holy Family in my church are only the color of wood. I have been in parishes where such depictions were cast as our brothers and sisters of African ancestry. Oriental Catholic churches sometimes depict the figures with Asian features. Christ did not die just for blond-haired, blue-eyed, white people. Such demonstrates an element of racism in your self-deception toward Christian faith. You make accidentals more important than essentials. It is possible that our Lord was born in the Autumn. We really do not know for sure. We have no physical details about Jesus. Even ancient Jews probably had many skin color variations. The faith says that he took his humanity from Mary. We do not know about his hair color. Of course, given exposure to the sun, he probably had tanned skin. While I doubt he had blue eyes, he could also have had brown or hazel. Early depictions of Jesus show him short-haired and clean-shaven. Later he was imaged with long hair and a beard, like a sage. It is enough to know that he shared our humanity and to embrace his redemptive work on our behalf. As for Mithra, it is not topical to this discussion. The church did not forfeit the truth about herself or Christ because of any hellinization. Although I must say that I think the MOTHRA connection has some useful entertainment value. Which is more than anything else you have said.
Horatio, on August 7, 2012 at 11:26 am said:

It’s MITHRA, not Mothra!

FATHER JOE: Too bad, given that the butterfly is a symbol of Christ, entering the tomb (cocoon) and rising from the dead (emerging with wings). I guess I gave you too much credit for creativity. Rather, you are just parroting the same old slurs of past bigots. There are few if any real parallels to ancient pagan religion and the revelation of God in Jesus Christ.
Horatio, on August 7, 2012 at 8:18 am said:

I believe that you are a modern-day incarnation of Father Coughlin.

MAY MOTHRA PROTECT YOU!
Horatio, on August 7, 2012 at 8:12 am said:

“The sacramental are visible signs instituted by Christ to give grace.”–Father Joe

This is meaningless mumbo-jumbo. You argue from an irrational basis: that a man died and unlike other men, came back to life. This is un-natural. This is a vestige of pagan superstition. An irrational belief that men are not responsible for their actions, but are at the mercy of SUPER-BEINGS. Pawns of Fate. Cringing cowards that must fear the darkness.

FATHER JOE: We are not entirely in charge. Those who feel that men are their own masters will eventually encounter situations beyond their control. We are limited by nature, by our weaknesses and by other men. Jesus died and rose from the dead. He was not just another man, but is God among us. Men still have the freedom to say yes or no to God and to his gift of life. Such is where we exercise our responsibility. We are not puppets but God’s children. Children are not oppressed or abused by obedience to a parent. Indeed, a good parent makes rules to safeguard and to nurture the children. God is our heavenly Father and he does the same. God does not take away the effects of sin (concupiscence, suffering and death) that were of our making. Rather, in Jesus Christ he is in solidarity with mankind. He overcomes these dark mysteries on the human side of the equation. Sin and death are now conquered but not undone. Such awaits the final judgment and consummation of all things. We do not fear the darkness but allow the Light of the World to shine in our lives.

Your comments on condoms are equally absurd. Family planning is common sense. It raises the human and moral standards of living of everyone involved by limiting poverty and allowing women a role in the use of their own bodies. Your Church is a cult of control, unable to mind its own business. It is also a private religious organisation, so Catholics should stop yammering about Obama’s ‘socialized medicine’.

FATHER JOE: Your view of contraception is much like that of Communist China with the forced-abortion policy. You see it as a means to social engineering. One cannot safeguard human rights by violating them. If families want or need to space births, then they can follow NFP which is 98% effective and spares the woman the risk of chemicals in her body. The Christian religion teaches both doctrines of faith and of morals. The Church has the right to transmit the faith. However, as a true leftist, like many in the current executive government administration, you would NOT respect religious speech and even dictate to the Church what it can and cannot teach and do. You would silence the Church and remove her voice from the public forum. You are a genuine fascist. The American bishops have long supported national healthcare and were involved with its beginnings; however, the Church must object to practices that violate the sanctity of life and the marital act. The new HHS mandate would make people pay deductibles on life-saving medicine but give away contraceptives and abortifacients for free. It is ridiculous and encourages irresponsible behavior. It would also force upwards the price for necessary and life-saving drugs.

Thee is no such thing as ‘apostasy’. I’m not a believer so I can’t be an apostate.

FATHER JOE: You could have fooled me, given the references to the faith and intimations that you had read the Bible. Of course, maybe you only read bible snippets and the negative critiques of others about the Scriptures? If you were baptized, even as a child, then you are an apostate.

Your adoration of Mary has no Biblical sanction. Mary is a Christian version of Isis, and Egyptian Pagan Goddess. Her iconography, a breastfeeding woman, clearly comes from Pagan sources. So is the idea that a mortal woman mated with a god. Clearly a Pagan borrowing. See Hercules and other Greek heroes. As for “natural law”, it does not include fairy-tales and the supernatural.

FATHER JOE: What do you care of biblical sanctions? You are such a hypocrite. Jesus gave Mary to our emissary John at the Cross. Sacred Tradition tells us that she was regarded highly by the early Church as a spiritual Mother. Catholicism believes, if you do not know, in two fonts of revelation: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. The Gentiles converts did indeed take old statues of mother-goddesses and replace the names upon them with references to the Virgin Mother of God, Mary. The Church Christianized the pagan world, not the other way around. Mary neither mated with a God nor had carnal relations. She was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit. This is quite different from the ancient pagan myths. Miracles can either work with or above natural law. For instance, the birth of John the Baptist was improbable but not impossible given the age of his parents; the birth of Jesus would be deemed naturally impossible given that Mary remained a virgin and the child was male. However, God can make the impossible possible. The resurrection from the dead would also fit into the category of the supernatural. Dead people, those who are really and truly dead, usually remain dead. But Christ showed with the restoration of Lazarus and especially with his own Easter event, that he had power over life and death.

As for documents, humankind existed for millenia before the existance of documents. Unsettled wandering people did NOT practise monogamy. Have you heard of polyandry, polygamy, and numerous other ways that men and women co-habited? You betray a remarkable ignorance of anthropology.

FATHER JOE: I know full-well the various ways in which primitive men and women are said to have lived. I have taken courses in the development and the migration of ancient peoples. However, I also believe that there is a development or movement toward the truth. God revealed himself to the extent that men and women had the capacity to understand. Many things were tolerated in the past due to human ignorance. Archbishop DiNoia in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was my instructor in graduate school. One such class was on this topic, Christian Anthropology. What courses have you taken? Are you a so-called smart-atheist or just a smart-mouth one? The ignorance so far is all yours. You have given no facts, just allegations and false charges.

Genesis is an allegory, not a historical document. May as well believe that puking Shinto Gods created the landmasses of modern-day Japan with their vomit.

FATHER JOE: Even allegory can teach the truth and ancient documents of any sort have historical meaning. Connections to the Gilgamesh Epic and the biblical flood say a lot about the confidence of God’s people that their covenant with the Almighty would not be forgotten. Sin brings punishment but God shows himself as merciful. The teaching of first parents and the primordial rebellion are the essential elements in the story of Adam and Eve. Catholics are not strict fundamentalists and neither were the ancient Jews: note that there were two stories of creation and that differing details did not trouble people of faith.

Islam is as false as any superstition. Religion is modern-day superstition, a REFUSAL to seek out knowledge. An arrogant notion that, in the Catholic case, all was revealed 2,000 years ago and nothing further can be learned or gained. Your Church insists on a MONOPOLY of spirituality. A MONOPOLY of rite and faith.

FATHER JOE: Christianity, in a sense, might be viewed as the end of religion in that nothing else compares to it and that it offers the definitive revelation of God and salvation in Jesus Christ. One might also say that Catholic Christianity is the truest religion. Such are elements of our faith and not meant to be derogatory to the religious sentiments, or the lack thereof, of those held by others. We believe that the deposit of faith is passed down and that through theological reflection we come to a better understanding of these mysteries. Learning is not stagnant for Catholic Christians. Further, with the expansion of our understanding of nature and creation (which works with and not against the sciences) faith is enhanced, not discredited. Scripture is not meant to be a secular history book or a science manual. An old maxim is that “the Bible teaches us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.”

You live in a DEMON-HAUNTED world. May AHURA MAZDA protect you!

FATHER JOE:

Ah, MAZDA Zoom Zoom! Hum, maybe not…

I do not doubt the presence of the demonic in the world. I also do not underestimate human iniquity. How could it be otherwise while there are cases of oppression, abuse, crime, murder and war? But there are also acts of kindness, charity and efforts at justice. It is in this regard that God has not abandoned his creation. There is still goodness and hope. Philosophically, the myth of Ahuramazda is not strictly about a false deity but about something more akin to a creative demiurge. God by definition is all-powerful and this false deity of Zoroastrianism was not that. Christianity would judge such an entity as impossible since the creation of something from nothing requires infinite power. In any case, I know you mention this name only to mock. But it is my nature to attempt educating even the most mean-spirited and ignorant. While I may not agree with every theory or premise, The Teaching Company offers some good courses that you might find beneficial. I am a long term fan. One of many that is in my library is taught by Professor Brian M. Fagan, Ph.D. of Cambridge University. The course is entitled, Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations. The research and speculation is quite intriguing. Faith is a gift. But we can at least be smart… be smart, and hopefully, more polite.
Horatio, on August 7, 2012 at 2:18 am said:

Your parishioners, American Roman Catholics, are very concerned with externals.

FATHER JOE: The sacramental are visible signs instituted by Chist to give grace.

I am sorry to say this but Catholics have a poor record of reading the Bible.

FATHER JOE: The Catholic Church is the Mother of the Bible. At Hippo, Carthage and Trent the Church established and reiterated the biblical canon. Catholics might not be good at chapter and verse, but those who go to Mass hear all of the New Testament and the most important parts of the Old. Most parishes also have bible study groups.

They leave that to the priests. That is an ignorant way to be religious.

FATHER JOE: Every ordained priest is an “alterchristos” or a man who participates in the high priesthood of Jesus Christ. Christ established his apostles and they in turn passed on their authority to bishops and priests. Confidence in Christ’s shepherds is not ignorance.

J.F.K.’s mom is notorious for claiming that ONLY priests should read the Bible, not parishioners.

FATHER JOE: She is certainly not an authority on the Church. Her sentiment simply means that many do not know how to properly interpret God’s Word. We have many scholarly commentaries to help readers today.

That is TOTAL ignorance! Every man, if he be a true Christian, should read the Bible on his own. There is no priest or Bishop who can claim primacy in interpreting the Bible.

FATHER JOE: Given your own lack of belief, such an attitude has not done you much good. You do not interpret the Bible. You reject it and the saving faith.

Joshua Ben Joseph (Christ) was not a Roman Catholic. He is not returning. He was not divine. He did not Rise From The Dead.

FATHER JOE: Here my case is proven. You commit apostasy. Jesus instituted the Catholic Church and all the apostles were the first Catholic bishops. Jesus suffered, died and rised from the tomb. Many witnesses testified to this truth. Some died to proclaim this truth. He has promised to return to judge the living and the dead. Jesus is God because only God could make proper reparation for the infinite offense of sin. Only God could could traverse the distance between death and life. Jesus is the pontifex or bridge from this world to the heavenly Father. Mary conceived Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now Jesus gives us Mary. The Mother of the Redeemer has become the Mother of all the Redeemed.

Joshua was a good Jewish boy.

FATHER JOE: Yes, but he was also God come among us. After thirty years of a quite life with his family, he would engage in three years of ministry. These three years would redirect the course of human history. Nothing would be the same, ever.

I encourage you to independantly study all philosophies and religions. Becoming a priest in the faith of your family is nothing but conformity and TRIBALISM.

FATHER JOE: I spent many years studying philosophy, history, theology amd so much more. I took classes in comparative religions. I have read the Bible with faith and the Koran for better appreciation of others. My library is also filled with books and dvds on science, everything from astronomy to evolutionary studies. I am no fool. But I tire of arguing with them.
Horatio, on August 7, 2012 at 2:06 am said:

You are arguing from authority and scripture. Your ideas are not a-priori CORRECT just because they are Church doctrine. Quoting scripture, likewise. You will have to convince me of your arguments, using REASON, rather than relying on out-of-date myths and the say-so of a German in Rome. “Our Lord tells us” is a very weak way to begin a debate. It is an ‘argumentum ad hominem’. So what if Joshua said such-and-such?

FATHER JOE: You make no argument from reason to refute. You simply spout what you think. You reject Church authority. You reject natural law and philosophical reasoning. You reject the authority of Scripture. What is left, your unsubstantiated theories? Man’s nature has not changed and the moral law is not open to whimsy. In any case, my intent here is not to convince you, but refutation for other readers. One cannot debate in a sensible fashion with angry bigots. Your attacks against the Holy Father and claims that I am an ecclesial automaton are what constitute the true “ad hominem” argumentation here. You cannot even get this right. It signifies not an argument against one’s principles or position but is an attack against the person. You attack me and the Pope because you are bankrupt of ideas to offer a proper discussion. In return, I will concede in frustration making a devilish response toward the end of your last comment.

You are also way off base concerning monogamy. It did not exist prior to humankind settling down and inventing the notion of property. This is a fact. Monogamy is not a natural state, but grew up out of property relations.

FATHER JOE: We have ancient documents that speak about marriage and fidelity. Where are your facts that polygamy was the rule before the ownership of property? Many things happened in pre-history and yet even there we find hints of the family. The fact that bestial people prior to genuine civilization may have mated like animals does not mean that such was befitting human dignity. Some scientists argue that monogamy became more the norm as man realized his role as a social creature in community. Children benefited from a monogamous couple, a definite father and mother. Such becomes a crucial element in the social contract between people. The husband and wife with their children become the basic building block to a healthy society. Such is still the case.

Religion came along afterwards to sanctify this, just as it sanctifies whatever ideology holds power. Islam allows plural marriage because that is what Islamic men want. Rules exist to enable the powerful. Rules are changed to satisfy the powerful.

FATHER JOE: Islam is false religion. However, very few men in Islamic society have more than one wife. Rules change but only while there is ignorance of the truth. When the rules of nature are broken, there is evil. Believers would rightly call this sin. The Catholic Church was willing to allow an entire nation slip away, England, because a king wanted to divorce his wife for a younger and more fertile woman. It was wrong and no Pope could make it right. Several murders later, and martyrs too, it became clear that the Church took the high ground. The seed to the Anglican church is adultery and murder. I would not call that a good start. We can try to change rules, as politicians often do, but the law of nature— God’s law— is immutable. As an atheist you do not believe this. It seems from what you write, you only believe in yourself and your own short-sightedness.

Your defense of slavery is abominable. You are defending the Bible and jumping through hoops in order to do so. Shame on you! If the Bible is wrong about slavery, and I believe that it is, you should admit it. But of course, your Bishop won’t allow it.

FATHER JOE: Who is defending slavery? I am only saying that the servitude seen in the Bible and in Europe was often very different from the harsh American variety of slavery. The Popes condemned slavery long before the institution was eradicated in the United States. Indeed, they defended the humanity of the indigenous peoples.

You spend about 25 lines in defending the Pope in Rome and about 2 or 3 in condemning contraception. If the Pope in Rome were to alter his stance on condoms you would follow him – in LOCK-STEP. Or perhaps that would be a GOOSE-STEP. You Catholics are more concerned with your institution than Faith.

FATHER JOE: The Pope cannot change Church teaching about condomistic intercourse. As I said before, the Pope is not God. All Christian churches condemned contraception until 1930 when the Anglicans voted to allow it for married couples. They were wrong to do so. Condomistic intercourse has been defined as intrinsically immoral. Contraceptive intercourse is not a true marital act. It neither furthers the procreative end nor the union itself. It short-circuits the mutual surrender and self-offering that is a necessary component of the union of persons in marriage. Human beings should not be reduced to animals in heat. Sexual activity is not merely recreation but is the expression of persons in fidelity and sacrificial love. It is a love that is open to life— both in terms of children and mutual fidelity.

To say that you are “an instrument of God” is meaningless. It is unconvincing, trite and unsatisfactory. There is no Devil. There is no Hell. Except for other people, especially those who claim a monopoly on spirituality based on myths and legends.

FATHER JOE: You would offer people nothing better; indeed, you offer them nothing at all. There may be some element of truth in many religions, albeit mixed with error. As a Catholic priest, I believe that the Catholic Church was instituted by Christ and that Christ was (and is) God. I believe that everything necessary for salvation subsists in the Catholic Church. The answers of the Christian faith give meaning to my life and to many others. While there is certainly a subjective element, I also believe that it is a religion based profoundly on the truth. It reflects the reality of things, both in this world and in the world unseen. It is also a religion that seeks complementarities in truth— science, philosophy and theology.

Telling me that the Pope in Rome is “protected by the Holy Spirit” means what, exactly? Should I tremble at the “fact” that Benedict has an open channel to an alien Being. He doesn’t. Not a single human being has ever had contact with any sentient species beyond Earth.

FATHER JOE: This is the blog of a priest and so I naturally discuss matters from the perspective of faith. We believe that God guides the Church in his truth. But God is no alien sentient being. The very concept of the Christian God evades such delineation. God is not alien but intimately aligned to us and our lives. He is the ground of our own existence. God is not simply self-aware, he knows us and everything that is. We view God as the Creator. He is a pure Spirit. He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit— three divine persons in one divine nature. We use analogies to scratch at the divine mystery. God the Father knows himself in a perfect and infinite way, thus generating for all eternity, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son. We have many words; God has but one Word and that Word inculcates everything and is divine. Between the Father and the Son there is an infinite goodwill or Love. Generated for all eternity, this Love is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God. The Second Person of the Trinity becomes a human being and joins himself to his creation. God writes his Word on human flesh. Sin and death came into the world because of a primordial rebellion. Christ as the God-man can offer perfect atonement for sin. His resurrection from the dead gives us the hope of a share in eternal life. God as Creator keeps us in existence at every moment. If he were to forget us for even a moment, we would cease to exist, indeed, we never would have existed. God is not a being but “esse” or “to be” itself. He is immutable, perfect, eternal, omniscient, and omnipotent. The devil is viewed as an angelic or spiritual creature that rejected God’s sovereignty over him. Like you, he preferred his own light to the one who is the Light of the World. Yours is the foolishness. Christianity gives meaning for the soul and to our lives. You offer nothing but the cold of oblivion. There is no hope in your path.

Your Jesus is just another PAGAN DEMI-GOD, with one divine and one human parent. You are just a Pagan with a thin veneer of monotheism. Christianity is a mass delusion.

FATHER JOE:

Again, you have no facts, just your mindless and nasty opinions. You are the one who is apparently subscribing for a return to pagan morals. How many women did your father have? Did you call them all mother? Did you know your mother? Since you deride monotheism and marriage, did you share such sentiments with your family? How many partners have you seduced and thrown away? There are very real, practical and TERRIBLE consequences to what you argue.

Monogamy is the better way, the more human way. What happened in your personal life to make you think otherwise?

I feel very sorry for you. You are an object of pity.
Stan, on August 3, 2012 at 4:52 pm said:

I think Westerners should make fake shinto shrines in their countries and make fool of this religion that is based on superstitions and in which Japanese themselves usually don’t believe. Then, we would hear their screams, asking for excuses and claiming they are victims of the same old same old argument: that’s Japan bashing.

See how they don’t care of airing music band wearing SS uniforms, selling Adolph Hitler costumes in some hard-discount stores, or how they use on a regular basis christian sisters as an object of fantasy in numbers of porn movies and you will know what is Japan.

So how to be surprised they fake so easily christian ceremonies ? It’s all about money, egoism and childish behaviour (McArthur called Japanese a “people of 12 years old” at the end of his mission in Japan, he did know what he was talking about).
Horatio, on August 3, 2012 at 3:05 am said:

You are putting the cart BEFORE the horse. Monogamy began as a means of determining rightful offspring in order to bequeath property and money. The basis for monogamy is economic. It was only later that religion ‘sanctified’ this, putting a spiritual gloss on what is still an economic transaction. You are the ignorant one, I am sorry to say. I know how to read the Bible. It confirms and endorses economic reality, which for a long time included slavery and polygamy. Because of this, I DENOUNCE the Bible.

FATHER JOE:

Our Lord tells us that monogamy is the natural pattern established in Genesis with our first parents in the garden. He also argues against divorce which is a repudiation of the serial polygamy practiced by modern Western society. The basis for monogamy is not economics. Any such Marxist interpretation of the human person is utterly repugnant to Christians and others who share our values about the married state. Rather, the source is nature itself. Human weakness and ignorance has often led to this model being compromised, even by the ancient patriarchs, but such was not what God directly intended. We are called to move beyond any such “hardness of hearts” and to be a people who preserve fidelity and our promises. Divine positive law is in harmony with natural law. The natural bond is raised up to the level of a sacrament where the faithfulness of the spouses signifies our devotion and obedience to God himself. The spouses see the Lord in the beloved. This makes any adultery into a variation of idolatry.

There is ample evidence how multiple wives caused serious issues in ancient times. Often there was one wife who took center stage. The others were as interlopers. Man’s passions might run amuck and he might fear for his daily bread; but, marriage was always intended as a loving partnership between one man and one woman where the two become ONE flesh.

Slavery in the Bible was not the same as American slavery. They were often regarded as persons with rights. This is very different from the brutal generational slavery where families were separated and people were treated as objects or property, but not as full persons or human beings. The seeds of freedom planted in the Scriptures would work against the institution of slavery. All were called to know the Lord and to membership in the family of faith.

Religion follows and endorses existing power and sexual relationships, not the other way around. The African-American community has a saying that I advise you to consider: “There ain’t no Romance without Finance.”

FATHER JOE: Catholic Christianity brought an end to divorce that was tolerated by the Jews and in ancient Roman society. Catholic Christianity brought an end to the overt practice of multiple wives that was practiced in much of the pagan world, although not very popular even in the old Rome. Finances are important and couples should have the resources to maintain their households. Love is not enough by itself. There must be discipline and the abilities to live out the married state.

99% of American Catholic women have used contraceptives. Celibate virgins (although 1% of priests worldwide have been convicted of paedophilia) like yourself and the Hitler Jugend member Pope in Rome have no right to attempt to control women’s bodies. It is NONE of your business. You do not have the right to tell any woman what to do with her reproductive organs.

FATHER JOE:

It may be that a majority of couples today use artificial contraception; but that does not in itself invalidate the objective truth about the matter and the danger they pose to marriages and the sanctity of life. How do you know 99% anyway? Have you spied into the millions of bedrooms to know? You make your figures up and spout your words of hate.

The Holy Father was pressed into service as most German boys were during World War II; and yet, you insult him and many other good Catholics there as if they were guilty of Hitler’s sins. His father opposed Hitler and the family had to move several times because of his public stances. All the German teens were required to join the Hitler Youth, even though the Catholic Church complained. Young Ratzinger was inducted at 14 against his will. He stayed a year and then left as soon as he was allowed. Later he was drafted but deserted a couple of years later without firing a shot. He loved his country, but not Nazism.

As for the issue of abortion, the Church certainly believes in the autonomy and the integrity of bodily persons. However, this also includes the rights of the unborn man or woman. He or she is alive and also has rights. The rights of one person should not trump those of others.

You also have no personal opinions. Your bishop controls you and WOE unto you if you should disobey. I can’t take you seriously because if the Pope in Rome were to shift his position, so would you. You are a tool being used by others.

FATHER JOE:

I have many personal opinions. No one controls my mind or my life. I am no robot. I believe freely in the Catholic faith. Religious assent and obedience are also freely offered. I have made promises and I aim to keep them.

The Pope is not God. Many thought Church teaching would change in the 1960’s and 70’s regarding contraception. It did not, despite the many theologians on the other side. The Pope does not manufacture truth but interprets it. He passes on the deposit of faith. He is protected by the Holy Spirit in making formal pronouncements on faith and morals for all to believe. But such infallibility is limited and is Christ’s great gift to his Church.

I hope that I am an instrument of God. I wonder who is manipulating you— no doubt he has horns, a pointy tail and a pitchfork.
Horatio, on August 2, 2012 at 7:54 am said:

The Catholic Church has no monopoly on ANY so-called sacrements. Marriage (monogamy) is older than religion. It exists to enable a man to know who his offspring are, which is important when you want to pass on money and property. Read Engels. The Bible is somewhat lacking.

FATHER JOE: I have read Engels, Marx, Lenin, Stalin and Mao. I am not impressed by dialectical materialism and its view of the human person. Soviet communism allowed the evil of abortion as far back as the 1920’s and attempted to reduce marriage to a mere social construct licensed by the state. Chinese communism allows the state to intrude into marriages and to practice enforced abortion against the will of parents. True marriage is never served where there is no respect for persons and the sanctity of life. Many in the U.S. today would similarly minimize and bankrupt marriage to an ordinary contractual agreement, and one that can be terminated at will. The Catholic view of marriage is quite different. It is viewed first as a natural relationship ordered between a man and woman. Marriage is a basic building block of human society. Christian marriage is raised up to the level of a sacrament; in otherwords, it is a “covenant” between the spouses and with God. It is foundational to the family which is the “Little Church” were we receive our formation in faith and morals. Essential elements are fidelity (until death do us part) and procreation. We believe that Christian marriage gives grace and that spouses should be help-mates to each other in the advancement of holiness. They support each other in a common life. Wives are to love husbands just as the Church loves and obeys Christ. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the Church (who endures the Cross for her). Christian marital love is sacrificial. Finally, the Bible is both the word of men and the inspired Word of God. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God is the primary author. I suspect you neither understand “how” to read the Bible nor have really tried. That would explain what quickly comes across in your rash comment, bigotry and ignorance.