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CONTROVERSIES

 

ECUMENISM        Controversies:  Mass and Novus Ordo Traditionalism Sedevacantism Evolution Feminism Ecumenism Salvation Vatican II Pope JP II Misc

Swing's URI Article laying out the plans of the San Francisco based, United Religions Initiative, rebuked by the Vatican's Cardinal Arinze, but predictably supported by assorted other clerics. [And this related 'new age crisis' sort of article might also be interesting.]

 
 

Reflections on the Ecumenical Movement Cardinal Edward Cassidy, head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Vatican's head ecumenist, in a 1998 speech to British Methodists, laying out and defending ecumenism. "We have such a lot to thank God for: the change in our relationships over the last forty years . . . Those of us who are old enough need only to recall how things were in our youth. . . . We are now so much more aware of the ties that bind us together of our common baptism. . . . Our communion, though not yet all it should be, is nevertheless real."

 
 

The Ecumenism FAQ A particular Greek Orthodox FAQ essentially just calling ecumenism an outright heresy, and not something which should interest the 'true Catholic' church - namely, the Orthodox. Also see their numerous articles on their disagreement over the Balamand Statement of 1993.

 
 

Modern Ecumenism is a Fraud Criticism of the undefined term and movement, ecumenism: "The unfortunate Catholic laity, who certainly did not ask for this revolution, and who were totally unaware of what their leaders had in store for them were taken completely by surprise."

 
 

Catholic Truths From a Catholic Protestant remarks on a distrust with ecumenism, quoting an article by Paul Nixon who was critical of ecumenism.

 
 

Letter #51 to Friends and Benefactors SSPX Superior General's letter, back in OCT 1996, suggesting the general possibility that ecumenism might literally demand that certain teachings of past Councils no longer can be considered infallible and binding on Catholics: "All the Catholic Melkite bishops except two have signed . . . In plain English that means that the Uniates have ceased to exist and that they have fallen back into the Orthodox Schism! What is more, they no longer recognize as dogmas the infallible decisions made by all the ecumenical councils from 1050 onwards, they only recognize them as simple theological opinions... Our sources state that these bishops were quietly invited by the Vatican itself to make this profession of faith!"

 
 

Assisi Assessed "The basic principle behind syncretism is that all religions are of equal validity." From a Feeneyite site comes this article critical of ecumenism, the WCC, and JP II.

 
 

The Evil of Ecumenism Essay from the 'Mt. Read Friars' against ecumenism. "Ecumenism, in its metaphysical essence, is the greatest possible offense against God because it hides beneath its seemingly 'noble' exterior the most perfect expression of atheism: It denies God while actually claiming to believe in Him!" Also: "Mother Theresa who seeks only to make pagans better pagans . . " to which one could find this which begins with that, and this which suggests where it goes.

 
 

Suppression of Popular Devotions Noel Augustyn, from the New Oxford Review, May 1998, and his somewhat modernist assessment of the desacralization of various things, besides the liturgy: "One explanation may be the misunderstanding and mis-implementation of 'ecumenism' that has so vitiated Christian life as a whole . . . To promote Church unity it was thought that emphasis should be placed on what Catholics and our separated brethren have in common. . . . Yet - unexpectedly - what was not held in common was needlessly de-emphasized and, indeed, actively suppressed. . . . suppression of devotions has not only failed to advance ecumenism but has actually retarded it.

 
 

New Age Infiltration Cornelia Ferreira's criticism of the 1993 Balamand Statement, concerning the Orthodox Churches, hitting on much the same as just above, but also much else under her rubric of - doubletalk.

 
 

Lutheran-Catholic Accord John Vennari's criticism of JP II on the signing, 11 June 1999, of a final accord, a joint declaration, with the Lutheran World Federation on the proper understanding of the doctrine of justification.

 
 

WSJ Reflects General Confusion Criticism of a WSJ article that ran a few days ago (as of 10 NOV 99) which seemed to provide misleading information regarding the Lutheran-Catholic accord(s).

 
 
 
   

FEMINISM

Praying and Working for the Ordination of Women Luis T. Gutierrez arguing back in 1996 for female ordination. ". . . perhaps the priestly ordination of women would be like a new 'assumption' . . ., one more step forward in our pilgrimage toward the new Jerusalem."

 
 

Female Ordination Father Phil Bloom ('Sea Padre'), linking to Vatican documents on the issue, and with almost a tone of apology, nonetheless argues what he sees is the case against female ordination ('women ordination' (?)). Also CIN's take on why priests are called, Father.

 
 

What Really Happened at Cairo Long article giving the background, and then describing the goings on at the third UN International Conference on Population, held in Cairo in 1994. ". . . the most significant development at the Cairo conference may have been that of a shift in controlling paradigms: from 'population control' to 'the empowerment of women.' "

 
 

What Happened at Beijing Sort of the follow-on, to the article just above, by Prof. Mary Ann Glendon, on the UN's Fourth World Conference on Women, in Beijing. "We have not seen the last of the effort to make abortion a fundamental right, or of the attempt to depose heterosexual marriage and child-raising families from their traditionally preferred positions."

 
 

'Inclusive' Language Criticism of the very sort of 'fem-speak' promoted in the name of Vatican II. Author Roy Barkley writes, "Students in 'Women's Studies' departments take an author's standard use of pronouns as proof positive that he - or she - is hopelessly prejudiced against women. (Determining what's wrong with authors as measured by the crooked rod of political correctness is now the chief goal of literary study. . . .)."

 
 

RENEW 2000 From a critique by the liberal American bishops against the original RENEW program from 1986, down to the present RENEW 2000, various documents showing more than anything an heretical feminist basis for the program and the danger to the Catholic Faith.

 
 

Female Ordination, Again Raymond Taouk looks systematically at Holy Scriptures, and the writings of the Doctors and Popes, and makes a case against ordination of women to the Catholic priesthood.

 
   

EVOLUTION

Evolution and the Pope Rich Milne's defense of the Pope's remarks on evolution; in 1996 before the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Also see Stephen Smith's essay, toward the bottom of the page, where he discusses mistranslations and what the Pope supposedly really said.

 
 

The Modern Anti-Science Bro. Griffith criticizing institutional church acceptance of evolution, and quoting Fr. David Becker (outspoken critic of papal remarks on evolution), and also adding: "Many people are wandering without direction in the trackless wastes of the desert of evolutionary theory; they are misinformed by the evolution propaganda that fills the media and textbooks of our school systems."

 
 

We're all fallible Evangelical columnist, Cal Thomas, also defends the Pope against problematic translations of his public remarks on evolution.

 
   

John Paul II

Criticisms of JP II From the SSPX, an open letter to JP II, taking him to task for the Assisi meeting, and right up to the recent Lutheran 'accord'.

 
 

JP II on Heaven and Hell CRCs criticism of JP II's opinions concerning the nature of Heaven and Hell.

 
   

MISC

In Defense of Gerry For those who have always been a little suspicious of Karl Keating, for one reason or another, here David Flores takes Keating to task by for essentially calumniating his former employee and public speaker - Gerry Matatics.

 
 

The Perils of Government Charity Suggests the current pitfalls of government agencies taking over the formerly private 'social services', and even co-opting religion in favor of secularization.

 
 

The Ghosts of Surmanci From the Culture Wars/Fidelity Press site, E. Michael Jones chapter excerpt, from his full length book, on the supposed apparitions in Medjugorje, which began before the recent 'difficulties' of the last decade.

 
 

'Third Way' - Distributionism Once championed by Chesterton and Belloc as the answer to the abuse of both capitalism and socialism, now championed by the Third Way party in England. [There's also the more trendy catch-all usage of the term]

 
 

Science And Christianity Eugenie Scott's (not 'Gene' Scott) essay on how science and religion are not necessarily mortal enemies (as various 19th and now 20th century promoters of such a notion wanted) - that a scientist can be a scientist, without engaging in scientism.

 
 

Science And Faith List of links on the limits of science, the faith in various degress of various scientists; not necessarily all Catholic, but generally at least arguing a mere deism beyond the purely materialistic.

 
 

Mary Co-Redemptrix Vox Populi response to the theological commission of the Pontifical International Marian Academy, which claimed no pronouncement of the dogma of Mary as Co-Redemptrix would be forthcoming.

 
 

Letter on Abortion and Excommunication Pro-life Bishop Gracida, of Corpus Christi, Texas, in a 1990 pastoral letter discusses church law on abortion, and what a Catholic is to confess on the issue.

 
 

Catholic Universities Msgr. George Kelly, author of Battle for the American Church Revisited, in an article (maybe an early draft chapter) going into some of the recent specific schemes and histories of once Catholic colleges in fighting against orthodox Catholic teaching, and the efforts of one Joseph Cahill to help keep the Catholic Universities, Catholic.

 
 

John Brown Redux Dennis Teti on the historical comparison between abortionists trying to hang Salvi and others around the prolifer's neck, and slavers from a century ago trying to hang John Brown and similar kooks around the necks of the GOP and abolitionists.

 
 

Knuth on Bible Study Odd little diversion by famous mathematician and 'founder' computer scientist (and self-promoter), Prof. Donald Knuth, of Stanford Univ, in a God and Computers lecture at MIT (for Prof. Anne Forest's program), where he tries to extend his forced sampling method (which he compares with the superficial topic introductions of an undergrad 'liberal arts' education) to understanding the whole of Scripture, taking only chapters 3, verse 16, in any book of the Bible which contains such, and then researching in depth the extra-Biblical writings on these verses, and even related, by everyone from Aquinas (doesn't mention the Catena, though) to Calvin's Institutes. In this way, he gets a 'reasonable' understanding of Scripture, and context, and so on - he says. Indeed, he even suggests that some books could not be fairly sampled this way, but his exceptions only go so far as Ecclesiastes and The Psalter (?). See particularly lecture #2, Randomization and Religion, about one hour in when he starts answering questions from the audience.