lifesitenews--2020-01-29--German bishops’ working doc calls for approval of contraception, homosexuality, women’s ordination

January 29 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The working documents in preparation for the assemblies of the German bishops ’ “ Synodal Path ” defend the use of contraception , the practice of masturbation , and an active homosexual lifestyle .
Additionally , neither the question of the ordination of women nor that of making celibacy optional for priests is taken off the table .
In 2019 , four panels of experts were preparing working documents to serve as the basis for discussion among the participants of the Synodal Path , a process that begins Jan. 30 .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Church in Germany would , in fact , be reinvented , in spite of claims to the contrary made by Cardinal Reinhard Marx .
The head of the German Bishops ’ Conference had stated in an interview that the Synodal Path does not want to “ reinvent the Church.
” With the first assembly being scheduled for the end of January and the beginning of February , the two-year long “ Synodal Path ” is focusing on sexual morality , the lifestyle of priests , women in the Church , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documents essentially follow the agenda of Professor Eberhard Schockenhoff to loosen the Church 's moral teaching , which he outlined for the German bishops at their conference last March .
The working document ’ s chapter dealing with sexual morality is revealingly titled , “ On the further development of Catholic teaching on sexuality.
” The document demands sexual morality must develop “ on the basis of insights of the human sciences , including the life experience [ … ] of ( faithful ) loving people.
” The document describes that relying on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sociology , anthropology , ” would open up the many prohibitions of sexual morality as proposed by the teaching authority of the Church , “ which sees sexual activity only within marriage , and still directed strongly towards procreation.
” Consequently , the document justifies the use of contraception , the practice of masturbation , and an active homosexual lifestyle .
Regarding contraception , the document states , “ Not every sexual act must remain open to procreation : the principle of responsible parenthood is extended to include the element of family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means of contraception appropriate to the respective life situation .
Family planning , even by means of artificial contraception , is not a hostile act , but supports the right of a couple to make a responsible joint decision on the number of children , the intervals between births and the concrete means of family planning.
” The Catechism of the Catholic Church , on the other hand , refers to the encyclical Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI , teaching “ that ‘ each and every marriage act must remain open ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life.
’ ” The Catechism adds , “ This particular doctrine , expounded on numerous occasions by the Magisterium , is based on the inseparable connection , established by God , which man on his own initiative may not break , between the unitive significance and the procreative significance which are both inherent to the marriage act.
” Pope John Paul II wrote in Familiaris Consortio , “ When couples , by means of recourse to contraception , separate these two meanings that God the Creator has inscribed in the being of man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their sexual communion , they act as ‘ arbiters ’ of the divine plan and they ‘ manipulate ’ and degrade human sexuality – and with it themselves and their married partner – by altering its value of ‘ total ’ self-giving.
” Without using the term “ masturbation , ” the working document in preparation of the Synodal Path in Germany states , “ The joyful experience of one ’ s own body ( self sex ) can also mean a responsible approach to one ’ s own sexuality.
” Again , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , “ ‘ Both the Magisterium of the Church , in the course of a constant tradition , and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action.
’ ‘ The deliberate use of the sexual faculty , for whatever reason , outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose.
’ For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of ‘ the sexual relationship which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved.
’ ” Finally , according to the working document , “ homosexual acts also realize positive meaningful values , insofar as they are an expression of friendship , reliability , loyalty and support in life.
” Homosexuality , it adds , should no longer be considered as intrinsically evil .
A blessing of homosexual unions is not excluded by the working document .
These statements also contradict the teaching of the Church as expressed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ Basing itself on Sacred Scripture , which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity , tradition has always declared that ‘ homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.
’ They are contrary to the natural law .
They close the sexual act to the gift of life .
They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity .
Under no circumstances can they be approved.
” Signaling where the church in Germany is headed , Cardinal Marx , who is the head of the German Bishops ' Conference , stated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homosexuals belong to the Church ’ s “ sacramental community ” and has defended “ blessing ” homosexual couples .
The working document on sexual morality includes a number of charts .
The left column of the charts always presents the majority opinion within the panel of experts .
Without fail , the majority opinion is liberal and progressive , which is then also reflected in the actual positions of the working document , as described .
While the other working documents are more careful in putting forward controversial positions , none of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken off the table .
The document on the role of women in the Church says that not only should women participate more in the life of the Church , but the “ question of the sacramental ordination of women needs to be asked.
” In this context , the documents poses the question , “ Is there even the possibility of achieving certainty about the will of God on this subject with human power of cognition ?
” Then , the document asks about the degree of authority of the magisterial documents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spent within the document on the question of female deacons , advocating for a “ revival of the tradition of the ordination of deaconesses.
” Regarding women priests , Pope John Paul II had declared already in 1994 , “ Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents , at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force.
” He added , “ Wherefore , in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance , a matter which pertains to the Church ’ s divine constitution itself , in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church ’ s faithful.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of priests mentioned the question of female priests , too , but referred it to the panel studying the role of women in the Church .
However , when it comes to priests being unmarried , the document asks , while not giving any answers , “ Is celibacy the only lifestyle suitable to the nature of the priesthood ?
” Only recently , Cardinal Gerhard Müller , former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , had admitted that celibacy is not absolutely required by the nature of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say that “ it arises in the most intimate appropriateness from the nature of this sacrament as a representation of Christ as the bridegroom of his bride , the church and the head of his body , the Church , in the power of his mission and his form of life of the total gift of self to God.
” “ Fundamentally , the church has to work towards a celibate priesthood , ” he said .
Müller also emphasized that even in the early Church , celibacy was the norm , adding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ departing from the tradition of the early Church , and by no means in its continuation – it was allowed to priests and deacons by the Quinisext Council ( 691/692 ) , which was characteristically held in the imperial palace and not in a church , to continue married life.
” The first assembly of the Synodal Path will take place in Frankfurt , in the heart of Germany , from January 30 to February 1 .
Roughly 230 people are members of the assembly , including all bishops in Germany , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catholics and other organizations .
Earlier this month , an international coalition of lay Catholics called Acies ordinata mobilized in Munich to silently pray in “ firm protest against the German Episcopal Conference and its President ” Cardinal Marx on account of the prelates ’ plan to embark on the controversial “ synodal path .
”

January 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The working documents in preparation for the assemblies of the German bishops’ “Synodal Path” defend the use of contraception, the practice of masturbation, and an active homosexual lifestyle. Additionally, neither the question of the ordination of women nor that of making celibacy optional for priests is taken off the table.
In 2019, four panels of experts were preparing working documents to serve as the basis for discussion among the participants of the Synodal Path, a process that begins Jan. 30. A careful study of those four documents reveals that the Church in Germany would, in fact, be reinvented, in spite of claims to the contrary made by Cardinal Reinhard Marx.
The head of the German Bishops’ Conference had stated in an interview that the Synodal Path does not want to “reinvent the Church.” With the first assembly being scheduled for the end of January and the beginning of February, the two-year long “Synodal Path” is focusing on sexual morality, the lifestyle of priests, women in the Church, and the abuse of power. The working documents essentially follow the agenda of Professor Eberhard Schockenhoff to loosen the Church's moral teaching, which he outlined for the German bishops at their conference last March.
The working document’s chapter dealing with sexual morality is revealingly titled, “On the further development of Catholic teaching on sexuality.” The document demands sexual morality must develop “on the basis of insights of the human sciences, including the life experience […] of (faithful) loving people.”
The document describes that relying on the human sciences, namely “psychology, sociology, anthropology,” would open up the many prohibitions of sexual morality as proposed by the teaching authority of the Church, “which sees sexual activity only within marriage, and still directed strongly towards procreation.”
Consequently, the document justifies the use of contraception, the practice of masturbation, and an active homosexual lifestyle.
Regarding contraception, the document states, “Not every sexual act must remain open to procreation: the principle of responsible parenthood is extended to include the element of family planning through the free choice of a means of contraception appropriate to the respective life situation. Family planning, even by means of artificial contraception, is not a hostile act, but supports the right of a couple to make a responsible joint decision on the number of children, the intervals between births and the concrete means of family planning.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, on the other hand, refers to the encyclical Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI, teaching “that ‘each and every marriage act must remain open ‘per se’ to the transmission of life.’” The Catechism adds, “This particular doctrine, expounded on numerous occasions by the Magisterium, is based on the inseparable connection, established by God, which man on his own initiative may not break, between the unitive significance and the procreative significance which are both inherent to the marriage act.”
Pope John Paul II wrote in Familiaris Consortio, “When couples, by means of recourse to contraception, separate these two meanings that God the Creator has inscribed in the being of man and woman and in the dynamism of their sexual communion, they act as ‘arbiters’ of the divine plan and they ‘manipulate’ and degrade human sexuality – and with it themselves and their married partner – by altering its value of ‘total’ self-giving.”
Without using the term “masturbation,” the working document in preparation of the Synodal Path in Germany states, “The joyful experience of one’s own body (self sex) can also mean a responsible approach to one’s own sexuality.”
Again, the Catechism teaches on this, quoting from a document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “‘Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action.’ ‘The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose.’ For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of ‘the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved.’”
Finally, according to the working document, “homosexual acts also realize positive meaningful values, insofar as they are an expression of friendship, reliability, loyalty and support in life.” Homosexuality, it adds, should no longer be considered as intrinsically evil. A blessing of homosexual unions is not excluded by the working document.
These statements also contradict the teaching of the Church as expressed in the Catechism. There, it says, “Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that ‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.’ They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.”
Signaling where the church in Germany is headed,Cardinal Marx, who is the head of the German Bishops' Conference, stated in an interview earlier this month that homosexuals belong to the Church’s “sacramental community” and has defended “blessing” homosexual couples.
The working document on sexual morality includes a number of charts. The left column of the charts always presents the majority opinion within the panel of experts. Without fail, the majority opinion is liberal and progressive, which is then also reflected in the actual positions of the working document, as described.
While the other working documents are more careful in putting forward controversial positions, none of today’s hot button issues are taken off the table. The document on the role of women in the Church says that not only should women participate more in the life of the Church, but the “question of the sacramental ordination of women needs to be asked.”
In this context, the documents poses the question, “Is there even the possibility of achieving certainty about the will of God on this subject with human power of cognition?” Then, the document asks about the degree of authority of the magisterial documents on this question.
Considerable time is spent within the document on the question of female deacons, advocating for a “revival of the tradition of the ordination of deaconesses.”
Regarding women priests, Pope John Paul II had declared already in 1994, “Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents, at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church’s judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force.”
He added, “Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.”
The panel of experts focusing on the lifestyle of priests mentioned the question of female priests, too, but referred it to the panel studying the role of women in the Church. However, when it comes to priests being unmarried, the document asks, while not giving any answers, “Is celibacy the only lifestyle suitable to the nature of the priesthood?”
Only recently, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, had admitted that celibacy is not absolutely required by the nature of the priesthood,” but went on to say that “it arises in the most intimate appropriateness from the nature of this sacrament as a representation of Christ as the bridegroom of his bride, the church and the head of his body, the Church, in the power of his mission and his form of life of the total gift of self to God.”
“Fundamentally, the church has to work towards a celibate priesthood,” he said.
Müller also emphasized that even in the early Church, celibacy was the norm, adding, “In the Eastern Church – departing from the tradition of the early Church, and by no means in its continuation – it was allowed to priests and deacons by the Quinisext Council (691/692), which was characteristically held in the imperial palace and not in a church, to continue married life.”
The first assembly of the Synodal Path will take place in Frankfurt, in the heart of Germany, from January 30 to February 1. Roughly 230 people are members of the assembly, including all bishops in Germany, but also representing the Central Committee of German Catholics and other organizations.
Earlier this month, an international coalition of lay Catholics called Acies ordinata mobilized in Munich to silently pray in “firm protest against the German Episcopal Conference and its President” Cardinal Marx on account of the prelates’ plan to embark on the controversial “synodal path.”
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lifesitenews--2020-01-29--Texas mom who wanted to ‘transition’ 7-year-old son to girl loses again in court

DALLAS , Texas , January 29 , 2019 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A Dallas judge , ruling in the case of a mother trying to turn her 7-year-old son into a “ girl , ” upheld a previous court ruling that made both the boy ’ s parents have joint conservatorship over him .
Judge Mary Brown not only denied Anne Georgulas ’ request that the case revert to an October jury ruling that would have likely resulted in the mother being granted sole managing conservatorship , but the judge made it an official order that both parents have joint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In a case that received national attention , a mother and a father battled over custody of their two twin boys .
The father , Jeffery Younger , argued that he needed some say in the medical decision making for the boys as the mother , Dr. Anne Georgulas , had enrolled one of the 7-year-old boys in school under the name “ Luna ” and medical records indicated the mother was pursuing a medical gender “ transition ” for the boy .
On October 21 , a jury initially ruled against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for sole managing conservatorship .
The jury also ruled that the decision making authority for the boys should rest in one person , known as sole managing conservatorship .
The jury was not given the ability to specify who the sole managing conservator of the boys should be if it wasn ’ t Mr .
Younger .
The jury ’ s ruling sparked public outcry , attracting the attention of Texas Governor Greg Abbott , the Texas Attorney General , Senator Ted Cruz , and many other political and influential figures .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judge Kim Cooks issued her ruling granting both parents joint decision-making rights .
There were many other provisions to the ruling , which can be found in full here .
One notable provision was the alteration of custody to 50/50 custody once approved by a counselor .
On November 5 , Dr. Georgulas challenged Judge Cooks ’ ruling and had requested the court be forced to conform to the jury ’ s initial October ruling .
In court today , Judge Mary Brown denied Dr. Georgulas motion to conform to the jury verdict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an official order .
Today , Judge Brown ruled on three motions , a motion to enter Judge Cooks ’ order , a motion to conform to the jury ruling , and a motion to disqualify the parental coordinator .
Judge Brown was hearing the case as Judge Cooks was recused from the case at the request of Dr. Georgulas .
The motion to enter Judge Cooks ’ order was filed by Mr .
Younger and his lawyer Mr. Odeneal .
This motion requested that Judge Cooks ’ ruling be signed and made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motion to conform to the jury ’ s ruling and the motion to disqualify the parental coordinator were filed by Dr. Georgulas and her lawyer Ms. Janicek .
The motion to conform to the jury ’ s ruling argued that Judge Cooks had no legal right to grant Mr .
Younger joint managing conservatorship since the jury had ruled there should be a sole managing conservator and it should not be Mr .
Younger .
Therefore , the motion argued , “ the court contravened the jury ’ s answers , ” something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do .
In court today , Dr. Georgulas ’ attorney argued that Judge Cooks ’ ruling was invalid and unenforceable , requesting that the court return to the prior order .
The prior order also maintained Mr.
Younger ’ s minimum possession schedule ensuring the boys didn ’ t stay with him on any school nights .
She also argued that since the jury ruled in favor of a sole managing conservator for the boys and did not grant Mr .
Younger that right , that therefore they implicity granted it to Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a jury does not understand the nuances of conservatorship and could have been thinking of granting the sole managing conservatorship to the court , to CPS , or even to the amicus himself .
In the state of Texas a sole managing conservator is responsible for making all decisions relating to a minor , ie , treatment decisions , educational decisions , if they can enlist in the armed forces , etc .
Dr. Georgulas ’ attorney also filed the motion requesting that the parenting coordinator appointed in Judge Cooks ’ ruling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amicus attorney , Stacey Dunlop , to be the parenting coordinator , or mediator between Dr. Georgulas and Mr .
Younger for serious decisions pertaining to the boys in which they do not agree .
The argument to disqualify the parenting coordinator centered mainly around the concern that he becomes a tie breaker rather than a mediator and would then ultimately be making most of the difficult decisions for the twin boys .
Judge Brown ruled against this motion to disqualify Mr. Dunlop as the parenting coordinator .
Dr. Georgulas ’ lawyer told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a new trial .
She argued that Judge Cooks ’ ruling and now the new order was not authorized based on the jury ’ s verdict , nor is it enforceable .

The judge made it an official order that both parents be involved in James Younger's medical decisions.
DALLAS, Texas, January 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A Dallas judge, ruling in the case of a mother trying to turn her 7-year-old son into a “girl,” upheld a previous court ruling that made both the boy’s parents have joint conservatorship over him.
Judge Mary Brown not only denied Anne Georgulas’ request that the case revert to an October jury ruling that would have likely resulted in the mother being granted sole managing conservatorship, but the judge made it an official order that both parents have joint conservatorship over their son, James Younger.
Georgulas’ attorney vowed to challenge the ruling.
In a case that received national attention, a mother and a father battled over custody of their two twin boys. The father, Jeffery Younger, argued that he needed some say in the medical decision making for the boys as the mother, Dr. Anne Georgulas, had enrolled one of the 7-year-old boys in school under the name “Luna” and medical records indicated the mother was pursuing a medical gender “transition” for the boy.
On October 21, a jury initially ruled against Mr. Younger, denying his request for sole managing conservatorship. The jury also ruled that the decision making authority for the boys should rest in one person, known as sole managing conservatorship. The jury was not given the ability to specify who the sole managing conservator of the boys should be if it wasn’t Mr. Younger.
The jury’s ruling sparked public outcry, attracting the attention of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Attorney General, Senator Ted Cruz, and many other political and influential figures.
In a closed hearing on October 24, Judge Kim Cooks issued her ruling granting both parents joint decision-making rights. There were many other provisions to the ruling, which can be found in full here. One notable provision was the alteration of custody to 50/50 custody once approved by a counselor.
On November 5, Dr. Georgulas challenged Judge Cooks’ ruling and had requested the court be forced to conform to the jury’s initial October ruling.
In court today, Judge Mary Brown denied Dr. Georgulas motion to conform to the jury verdict and entered Judge Cooks’ ruling as an official order.
Today, Judge Brown ruled on three motions, a motion to enter Judge Cooks’ order, a motion to conform to the jury ruling, and a motion to disqualify the parental coordinator. Judge Brown was hearing the case as Judge Cooks was recused from the case at the request of Dr. Georgulas.
The motion to enter Judge Cooks’ order was filed by Mr. Younger and his lawyer Mr. Odeneal. This motion requested that Judge Cooks’ ruling be signed and made into a legally binding order.
The motion to conform to the jury’s ruling and the motion to disqualify the parental coordinator were filed by Dr. Georgulas and her lawyer Ms. Janicek. The motion to conform to the jury’s ruling argued that Judge Cooks had no legal right to grant Mr. Younger joint managing conservatorship since the jury had ruled there should be a sole managing conservator and it should not be Mr. Younger. Therefore, the motion argued, “the court contravened the jury’s answers,” something it was “not authorized” to do.
In court today, Dr. Georgulas’ attorney argued that Judge Cooks’ ruling was invalid and unenforceable, requesting that the court return to the prior order. The prior order also maintained Mr. Younger’s minimum possession schedule ensuring the boys didn’t stay with him on any school nights.
She also argued that since the jury ruled in favor of a sole managing conservator for the boys and did not grant Mr. Younger that right, that therefore they implicity granted it to Dr. Georgulas. The amicus attorney pointed out that a jury does not understand the nuances of conservatorship and could have been thinking of granting the sole managing conservatorship to the court, to CPS, or even to the amicus himself.
In the state of Texas a sole managing conservator is responsible for making all decisions relating to a minor, ie, treatment decisions, educational decisions, if they can enlist in the armed forces, etc.
Dr. Georgulas’ attorney also filed the motion requesting that the parenting coordinator appointed in Judge Cooks’ ruling be disqualified. Judge Cooks appointed the amicus attorney, Stacey Dunlop, to be the parenting coordinator, or mediator between Dr. Georgulas and Mr. Younger for serious decisions pertaining to the boys in which they do not agree.
The argument to disqualify the parenting coordinator centered mainly around the concern that he becomes a tie breaker rather than a mediator and would then ultimately be making most of the difficult decisions for the twin boys.
Judge Brown ruled against this motion to disqualify Mr. Dunlop as the parenting coordinator.
Dr. Georgulas’ lawyer told the court she would bring a motion for a new trial. She argued that Judge Cooks’ ruling and now the new order was not authorized based on the jury’s verdict, nor is it enforceable.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-29--Even more Sanders staffers caught endorsing violence, extremism

January 29 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The conservative investigative outlet Project Veritas has released yet another video identifying a third and fourth organizer with Sen. Bernie Sanders ’ presidential campaign as proponents of far-left movements who openly pine for “ militancy ” against their political enemies .
Mason Baird and Daniel Taylor are field organizers for the socialist candidate ’ s South Carolina campaign , who spoke openly with an undercover journalist about attracting “ truly radical people , ” including anarchists and Marxists , who are “ obviously ” not “ outward facing ” in the Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is just to … build a coalition , ” Baird says .
“ Their politics fall outside of the American norm , so their politics are Marxist/Leninist , they ’ re Anarchists , so these types of folks they have more of a mind for ‘ direct action ’ for engaging in politics outside of the electoral system.
” Baird expresses a desire to “ nationalize ” Facebook , Google , and YouTube as a boon to “ education stuff , ” to “ abolish landlords , ” and to see a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is working together to strip power away from capitalists and preferably directing violence toward property.
” This “ militant labor movement ” would be willing to “ just destroy property and things like that , ” but even that might have to give way to unspecified “ other means ” if insufficient to achieve his goals .
“ We don ’ t have to kill ( landlords ) , ” he added , “ that ’ s my feeling ; I think it ’ s damaging to the soul , but um , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( the Russian Revolution ) I would hope to avoid.
” Like the last two Sanders campaign staffers covered by Project Veritas , Martin Weissgerber and Kyle Jurek , Baird claims the ills of the Soviet gulags ( labor prison camps ) are “ exaggerated ” in the United States , as are the “ persecution of the kulaks ” – millions of whom were directly and indirectly killed , robbed , and/or driven from their homes under Joseph Stalin .
Taylor , the other South Carolina Sanders organizer , suggests the Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizations ” such as the violent Antifa movement “ on the back burner for now ” because they “ don ’ t want to scare people off , ” but he also suggests the campaign is “ mak ( ing ) plans for extreme action ” regardless of whether Sanders wins or loses .
Though not elaborating on what form “ extreme action ” might take , Taylor boasts that Sanders himself “ has a history of protest ” and “ has been out there standing on the picket lines and doing that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absolutely think he ’ d definitely endorse that kind of action because sometimes that ’ s what you have to do to get it done.
” Project Veritas ’ previous videos reveal Sanders staffers Weissgerber and Jurek openly fantasizing about government control of the private sector , punishing their perceived political enemies , downplaying the human rights abuses of the old Soviet Union , and even expressing openness to political violence .
So far , the Sanders campaign has dismissed such revelations as “ political gossip .
”

Two field campaign managers say they want to recruit 'truly radical people,' anarchists and Marxists.
January 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The conservative investigative outlet Project Veritas has released yet another video identifying a third and fourth organizer with Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign as proponents of far-left movements who openly pine for “militancy” against their political enemies.
Mason Baird and Daniel Taylor are field organizers for the socialist candidate’s South Carolina campaign, who spoke openly with an undercover journalist about attracting “truly radical people,” including anarchists and Marxists, who are “obviously” not “outward facing” in the Sanders camp.
“I think the goal is just to … build a coalition,” Baird says. “Their politics fall outside of the American norm, so their politics are Marxist/Leninist, they’re Anarchists, so these types of folks they have more of a mind for ‘direct action’ for engaging in politics outside of the electoral system.”
Baird expresses a desire to “nationalize” Facebook, Google, and YouTube as a boon to “education stuff,” to “abolish landlords,” and to see a “federal government and labor union movement that is working together to strip power away from capitalists and preferably directing violence toward property.”
This “militant labor movement” would be willing to “just destroy property and things like that,” but even that might have to give way to unspecified “other means” if insufficient to achieve his goals. “We don’t have to kill (landlords),” he added, “that’s my feeling; I think it’s damaging to the soul, but um, there were plenty of excesses in 1917 (the Russian Revolution) I would hope to avoid.”
Like the last two Sanders campaign staffers covered by Project Veritas, Martin Weissgerber and Kyle Jurek, Baird claims the ills of the Soviet gulags (labor prison camps) are “exaggerated” in the United States, as are the “persecution of the kulaks” – millions of whom were directly and indirectly killed, robbed, and/or driven from their homes under Joseph Stalin.
Taylor, the other South Carolina Sanders organizer, suggests the Sanders campaign was keeping the “more extreme organizations” such as the violent Antifa movement “on the back burner for now” because they “don’t want to scare people off,” but he also suggests the campaign is “mak(ing) plans for extreme action” regardless of whether Sanders wins or loses.
Though not elaborating on what form “extreme action” might take, Taylor boasts that Sanders himself “has a history of protest” and “has been out there standing on the picket lines and doing that uncomfortable stuff,” so “I absolutely think he’d definitely endorse that kind of action because sometimes that’s what you have to do to get it done.”
Project Veritas’ previous videos reveal Sanders staffers Weissgerber and Jurek openly fantasizing about government control of the private sector, punishing their perceived political enemies, downplaying the human rights abuses of the old Soviet Union, and even expressing openness to political violence. So far, the Sanders campaign has dismissed such revelations as “political gossip.”
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lifesitenews--2020-01-29--Man conceived in rape: You’re not pro-life if you’d make ‘exception’ to kill people like me

SAN FRANCISCO , California January 29 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Thirty years ago , during her junior year in college , Kathy Folan was raped by an acquaintance , but her story ––and that of the son who was created that night and whom she gave up for adoption–– is a powerful , riveting tale of God ’ s grace .
“ I was so filled with shame , I didn ’ t tell a soul , ” and tried to forget about it , Folan told the crowd gathered for the Walk for Life West Coast in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month later , she began experiencing nausea and slowly began to realize she might be pregnant from being raped .
A pregnancy test confirmed what she suspected .
During those minutes , Folan wondered what her parents , friends , and professors would think , and even questioned if anyone would ever want to marry her .
As I turned the stick over , I saw the two lines which meant my fear had come true .
I was in a state of shock and panic , yet in that same moment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ newly created human being that God entrusted to me .
Knowing how I would disappoint my parents , it took me eleven days of daily calls to finally tell them .
In the end , despite her trepidation , Folan ’ s parents responded with love and support , and so did others .
Folan then began a search for a family to adopt her unborn child , and was introduced to a Maryland couple , Barry and Liz Sullivan , who flew to Folan ’ s hometown , Spokane , Washington to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s grace , recounting how although the Sullivans were in Maryland , and she was in Spokane , “ we were independently inspired to name the baby Nathan , which means ‘ a gift from God.
’ ” She also noted the grace that came at the moment of Nathan ’ s birth , after having begun to waver in her decision to give him up for adoption .
Both Folan and her parents , who had grown sorrowful at the pending departure of their grandchild , were surprised with an overwhelming sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she attributes as a gift of the Holy Spirit .
Nathan was with Folan for the first six days of his life , and on day four , he was baptized into the Catholic faith with all three parents ––Kathy Folan and Barry and Liz Sullivan–– present .
Folan offered two more examples of God ’ s grace which flowed from her decision to choose life ––choosing adoption–– for her Nathan .
I went back to college less than two months after his birth and I visited the Sullivan family when Nathan was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a family I could not provide , I knew then with 100 % certainty that I had made the right decision for him .
Two weeks after I returned from that trip , completely at peace with my decision , I met the man of my dreams who is now my husband of almost twenty five years .
He fell in love with me the instant he heard my story .
He chose life .
Folan spoke lovingly and with great admiration for the man Nathan has grown up to be : Barry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turned out so beautifully is that our trust in God and what has been best for Nathan was at the core of our relationship .
Nathan has an incredible resume , including Eagle Scout and National Merit Scholar .
He inspired our boys to join the Boy Scouts , so they could be just like their older brother .
And now he is a successful businessman .
While his CV is impressive , what is most important is the love he has for all who meet him .
His faith is most important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a selfless , strong , great Catholic man , and he too fights for choosing life .
His is definitely a life worth living , as is every life .
His birth mom thinks Nathan ’ s existence challenges the popular notion that rape should be an exception to abortion restrictions .
Nathan : When you say rape exception , you ’ re talking about me To the delight of the crowd , when Folan completed her remarks , her son Nathan walked out from the wings and joined her on stage .

'Life is life, no exceptions. Life is a gift, no exceptions. Life is precious, no exceptions,' said Nathan at the Westcoast Walk For Life.
SAN FRANCISCO, California January 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Thirty years ago, during her junior year in college, Kathy Folan was raped by an acquaintance, but her story ––and that of the son who was created that night and whom she gave up for adoption–– is a powerful, riveting tale of God’s grace.
“I was so filled with shame, I didn’t tell a soul,” and tried to forget about it, Folan told the crowd gathered for the Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco on Jan. 25.
A month later, she began experiencing nausea and slowly began to realize she might be pregnant from being raped. A pregnancy test confirmed what she suspected.
The three minutes that I sat on the edge of my bathtub waiting for the results were some of the longest minutes of my life. If it were positive, my nearly perfect, all-American, well-planned life would be over.
During those minutes, Folan wondered what her parents, friends, and professors would think, and even questioned if anyone would ever want to marry her.
As I turned the stick over, I saw the two lines which meant my fear had come true. I was in a state of shock and panic, yet in that same moment, I recognized the intrinsic dignity of this newly created human being that God entrusted to me. Knowing how I would disappoint my parents, it took me eleven days of daily calls to finally tell them.
In the end, despite her trepidation, Folan’s parents responded with love and support, and so did others.
Folan then began a search for a family to adopt her unborn child, and was introduced to a Maryland couple, Barry and Liz Sullivan, who flew to Folan’s hometown, Spokane, Washington to meet her.
We all immediately ‘clicked,’ as though we had known each other forever. This was the beginning of many miracles, little providential graces, that accompanied my decision to choose life.
Folan illustrated God’s grace, recounting how although the Sullivans were in Maryland, and she was in Spokane, “we were independently inspired to name the baby Nathan, which means ‘a gift from God.’”
I also knew that I was meant to be the vessel that brought him into this world, and they were meant to be his parents.
She also noted the grace that came at the moment of Nathan’s birth, after having begun to waver in her decision to give him up for adoption. Both Folan and her parents, who had grown sorrowful at the pending departure of their grandchild, were surprised with an overwhelming sense of peace with her decision, which she attributes as a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Nathan was with Folan for the first six days of his life, and on day four, he was baptized into the Catholic faith with all three parents ––Kathy Folan and Barry and Liz Sullivan–– present.
Folan offered two more examples of God’s grace which flowed from her decision to choose life ––choosing adoption–– for her Nathan.
I went back to college less than two months after his birth and I visited the Sullivan family when Nathan was ten months old. Seeing him with a family I could not provide, I knew then with 100% certainty that I had made the right decision for him. Two weeks after I returned from that trip, completely at peace with my decision, I met the man of my dreams who is now my husband of almost twenty five years. He fell in love with me the instant he heard my story. He chose life.
Folan spoke lovingly and with great admiration for the man Nathan has grown up to be:
Barry once said that the reason our story turned out so beautifully is that our trust in God and what has been best for Nathan was at the core of our relationship. Nathan has an incredible resume, including Eagle Scout and National Merit Scholar. He inspired our boys to join the Boy Scouts, so they could be just like their older brother. And now he is a successful businessman. While his CV is impressive, what is most important is the love he has for all who meet him. His faith is most important in his life, and he is a selfless, strong, great Catholic man, and he too fights for choosing life. His is definitely a life worth living, as is every life.
His birth mom thinks Nathan’s existence challenges the popular notion that rape should be an exception to abortion restrictions.
Giving birth to Nathan did not destroy my life, as the abortion side would like you to think is the only [possible] outcome, but [instead] gave reason to a painful experience. He is the beauty that came out of a very dark place.
Nathan: When you say rape exception, you’re talking about me
To the delight of the crowd, when Folan completed her remarks, her son Nathan walked out from the wings and joined her on stage.
He said:
Often when you hear the pro-life/pro-abortion debate, what is disheartening is that even some of those who identify as pro-life make a little exception. You’ve heard it before … “I am pro-life except, except in cases of rape.” I want everyone to realize ––especially the ‘excepters’–– that you’re talking about me, and everyone like me. Life is life, no exceptions. Life is a gift, no exceptions. Life is precious, no exceptions. How I was conceived, doesn’t define who I am. What has formed me is the courageous choice of my birth mother and my adoptive parents: They chose adoption, she chose life. And every blessing I’ve had flows from this choice.
Nathan concluded:
We are called to build the pro-life generation by living pro-life lives, and to witness to those around us so that they can see it and live it as well. We must not leave a legacy of endings, but rather a legacy of beginnings and hope.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-29--Petition calls for Super Bowl boycott for airing ad with drag queens

January 29 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A petition started by LifeSite is calling on people to boycott the Super Bowl this year , in protest over Fox allowing an ad featuring drag queens during the football showdown .
In a new low for the Super Bowl , drag queens will appear in an ad , or series of ads , for Sabra Hummus , an Israeli company .
“ While two men dressed up as women to sell hummus may seem innocuous , the Super Bowl should be a family-friendly environment where sexually-charged ads are ruled ‘ out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Schittl , one of LifeSite ’ s campaign coordinators .
Since launching the ad yesterday , it has already been signed by 14,000 people .
Schittl said the ad is just the latest efforts by the mainstream media and their fellow LGBT activists , to normalize drag queens .
“ To the average person , drag queens may seem harmless because these men imitate women in the most exaggerated of ways , usually passing for comedic caricature .
But , drag queens are part of a morally dangerous ideology , which seeks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of human nature and the reality that there are only two sexes , male and female , ” said Schittl .
“ In this way , they help to promote gender ideology and other fantasist beliefs , ” he added .
Lately , the Drag Queen Story Hour phenomenon has been meeting with opposition in almost every corner of the country .
“ Parents instinctively want to protect their children from adult men who want to read to their children , while dressed up as women .
They know that there is something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Schittl .
“ What many people don ’ t know is that many drag queens have other ‘ jobs ’ in the ‘ adult entertainment industry , ’ and that some are convicted sex offenders , which makes the appearance of drag queens at an event like the Super Bowl incompatible with family and children , ” he added .
Many contend that the Super Bowl should be a family-friendly event , especially because so many children play and watch football .
“ Fans are really disappointed that Fox – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ type of ad , ” said Schittl .
“ But , if enough people pledge to boycott this year , that will be a catalyst for change , so , that , next year , it will again be safe for children to watch the Super Bowl.
” The petition encourages Christian parents to boycott the Super Bowl this year , and send a message to Fox and to their advertisers that family is more important than football , and that the Lord 's Day should be kept holy .
CLICK HERE to @ @ @ @ @ @

'Fans are really disappointed that Fox – of all channels – would allow this type of ad.'
PETITION: Boycott the Super Bowl for airing ad with drag queens. Sign the petition here.
January 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A petition started by LifeSite is calling on people to boycott the Super Bowl this year, in protest over Fox allowing an ad featuring drag queens during the football showdown.
In a new low for the Super Bowl, drag queens will appear in an ad, or series of ads, for Sabra Hummus, an Israeli company.
“While two men dressed up as women to sell hummus may seem innocuous, the Super Bowl should be a family-friendly environment where sexually-charged ads are ruled ‘out of bounds,’” said Scott Schittl, one of LifeSite’s campaign coordinators.
Since launching the ad yesterday, it has already been signed by 14,000 people.
Schittl said the ad is just the latest efforts by the mainstream media and their fellow LGBT activists, to normalize drag queens.
“To the average person, drag queens may seem harmless because these men imitate women in the most exaggerated of ways, usually passing for comedic caricature. But, drag queens are part of a morally dangerous ideology, which seeks to confuse young minds as to the reality of human nature and the reality that there are only two sexes, male and female,” said Schittl.
“In this way, they help to promote gender ideology and other fantasist beliefs,” he added.
Lately, the Drag Queen Story Hour phenomenon has been meeting with opposition in almost every corner of the country.
“Parents instinctively want to protect their children from adult men who want to read to their children, while dressed up as women. They know that there is something intrinsically sexual about this type of encounter,” said Schittl.
“What many people don’t know is that many drag queens have other ‘jobs’ in the ‘adult entertainment industry,’ and that some are convicted sex offenders, which makes the appearance of drag queens at an event like the Super Bowl incompatible with family and children,” he added.
Many contend that the Super Bowl should be a family-friendly event, especially because so many children play and watch football.
“Fans are really disappointed that Fox – of all channels – would allow this type of ad,” said Schittl. “But, if enough people pledge to boycott this year, that will be a catalyst for change, so, that, next year, it will again be safe for children to watch the Super Bowl.”
The petition encourages Christian parents to boycott the Super Bowl this year, and send a message to Fox and to their advertisers that family is more important than football, and that the Lord's Day should be kept holy.
CLICK HERE to read and sign the petition.
Sabra Hummus’ customer service: https://contact.pepsico.com/sabra
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lifesitenews--2020-01-29--WATCH: CNN mocks Trump supporters, Republicans turn it into powerful political ad

January 29 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A few weeks ago , I wrote in this space that all the progressives really have to do to win enough votes to retake the presidency is to prove that they don ’ t hate social conservatives—but that this was simply too much to ask .
Exhibit A is a recent exchange on CNN , which I ’ m sure that you—and millions of others—have already seen by now .
It features host Don Lemon , GOP strategist Rick Wilson , and New York Times contributor Wajahat Ali chortling uproariously as they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wilson kicked off the mockery by making fun of Trump ’ s intelligence which , considering the president ’ s habit of calling people dumb ( his response to this clip was to call Lemon “ the dumbest man on television ” ) , is fair game , if you want to stoop to that level .
“ Donald Trump couldn ’ t find Ukraine on a map if you had the letter ‘ U ’ and a picture of an actual , physical crane , ” Wilson stated .
“ [ Pompeo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defined by ignorance of the world .
So that ’ s partly him playing to their base and playing to their audience : the credulous boomer rube demo.
” As Don Lemon erupted into laughter , Wilson and Ali got specific as to who that “ credulous boomer rube demo ” is , exactly , trading jokes in thick faux Southern accents .
“ You elitists with your geography and your maps and your spelling , ” chuckled Ali .
“ Your math and your readin ’ , ” Wilson rejoined .
Don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ himself together with great difficulty , wiping tears from his eyes : “ Give me a second , hold on .
That was good , sorry .
I needed that.
” In less than two minutes of television , the exchange perfectly highlighted the stark American divide : media commentators and a GOP establishment man displaying their total contempt for stupid , illiterate Southerners who are simply too dumb to know how to vote .
As the backlash mounted , Lemon attempted to deliver a non-apology , and Rick Wilson responded by stating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tough guy ‘ f*** your feelings ’ crowd demonstrates that what really drives them is a grinding social anxiety fueled by a weaponized and monetized outrage machine.
” Actually , what Wilson demonstrated is that millions of voters are actually driven by the fact that they believe the media , the progressives , and even the GOP establishment ( as represented by folks like Wilson ) hold them in utter contempt , and that this was a revealing moment where the mask slipped .
Many suspect that these are the sorts of hilarious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like to do with their Democrat friends in the Hamptons , away from the cameras .
After all , Wilson wasn ’ t making fun of Trump .
Trump doesn ’ t have a Southern accent .
He was mocking people Hillary Clinton called the “ deplorables.
” It is mind-boggling that someone like Wilson , who is apparently a strategist of sorts , does not see how damaging his chuckle-fest with Ali and Lemon actually was .
The GOP turned the exchange into a powerful ad within three days , featuring the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re forced to tolerate in order to attain the political positions they clearly feel they deserve .
As Harvard Law School professor Adrian Vermeule noted on Twitter : “ It ’ s perfectly rational for ordinary Americans to reject any possibility that this class should rule them , even if the alternative is Donald Trump.
” Rod Dreher put it more bluntly : “ [ T ] raditional Southern culture is shame-honor culture .
Millions more people have now seen that clip than saw it on CNN .
When Southern white people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know they are being mocked as Southerners .
There is not a single person who voted for Trump , or who is considering voting for him in 2020 , who will watch Rick Wilson , Don Lemon , and Wajahat Ali making fun of them like that and think , ‘ Well , I guess I better vote for the Democrat so these CNN people won ’ t poke fun at me.
’ But there are a lot of them who will crawl over broken glass to hit that trio of…smirkers where it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Office.
” The fact is that the elites simply do not understand Middle America , and what they do know they don ’ t like .
Rural America is about as foreign to them as Pakistan , and it constantly irritates them that these folks have a say in how the country is run .
You ’ d think that the election of Donald Trump might have warned them that they should be listening a bit closer , but many simply refuse to admit that they might be at fault ( Bill Maher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dislike Trump but not his supporters , is a notable exception . )
Watching the CNN exchange reminded me of a column by Anne Bauer in the Washington Post back in 2018 , titled : “ I was a Yankee liberal .
It took moving to Arkansas for me to understand my biases.
” After a family tragedy , Bauer wrote , she and her husband looked into moving away from the city and into the country .
“ [ O ] n a chilly , silver January day , we drove into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she wrote .
“ Though neither or us could put a finger on why , exactly , this felt like our place .
Back home people were flummoxed : I hear them say a lot about white , rural Christians who reject outsiders and ‘ cling to their guns.
’ ” Bauer soon discovered the irony of that bias : “ [ W ] hat city folk don ’ t know is how beautiful it is here , and by that I mean way more than you imagine .
We ’ re surrounded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , forest , shining lakes and mysterious twisting roads .
The wide-open sky brings every bird formation and low-hanging planet into relief .
One Sunday in August , after yoga , we went to Home Depot .
There was an old truck in the parking lot with a large American flag stuck upright in the bed and a handmade sign about the virtues of patriotism and God .
Since our daughter joined the Navy , everything about the military makes me miss her .
And the constant evangelizing feels like a threat to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as people approached her to chat and drew her in with her warmth , Bauer realized she had misjudged these “ white , rural Christians , ” and that her views of them had been caricatures .
Her crowd back home had been very diverse , but when she really thought about it , “ One group of people we didn ’ t know well , to be honest , was conventional Christians .
I saw their narrative as limiting and judgmental .
But when I examined my feelings , they made no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and for that matter , vegan friends could be just as dogmatic .
This was a particular bias , the kind I claimed not to have.
” For the divide between the American elites and the “ other ” America to be bridged , it will take a willingness on all sides to actually consider our biases—and consider the possibility that on some things , at least , we might be wrong .
Anne Bauer had to move to the South to realize that her biases clouded her view of her fellow citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mockery and contempt we saw from Don Lemon and Rick Wilson on CNN would be a good start .
But if the election of Donald Trump didn ’ t teach them that lesson , then perhaps it will take a second term to do the trick .

January 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A few weeks ago, I wrote in this space that all the progressives really have to do to win enough votes to retake the presidency is to prove that they don’t hate social conservatives—but that this was simply too much to ask. Exhibit A is a recent exchange on CNN, which I’m sure that you—and millions of others—have already seen by now. It features host Don Lemon, GOP strategist Rick Wilson, and New York Times contributor Wajahat Ali chortling uproariously as they mock Southern voters and Trump supporters.
Wilson kicked off the mockery by making fun of Trump’s intelligence which, considering the president’s habit of calling people dumb (his response to this clip was to call Lemon “the dumbest man on television”), is fair game, if you want to stoop to that level. “Donald Trump couldn’t find Ukraine on a map if you had the letter ‘U’ and a picture of an actual, physical crane,” Wilson stated. “[Pompeo] knows that this is an administration defined by ignorance of the world. So that’s partly him playing to their base and playing to their audience: the credulous boomer rube demo.”
More Proof that CNN is utter trash, and hates half the country. Rick Wilson: those dumb southern guys liking trump hur durr durr Don Lemon: laughing out of controlpic.twitter.com/y3U7Zaw8Sh — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) January 28, 2020
As Don Lemon erupted into laughter, Wilson and Ali got specific as to who that “credulous boomer rube demo” is, exactly, trading jokes in thick faux Southern accents. “You elitists with your geography and your maps and your spelling,” chuckled Ali. “Your math and your readin’,” Wilson rejoined. Don Lemon finally ended the segment, pulling himself together with great difficulty, wiping tears from his eyes: “Give me a second, hold on. That was good, sorry. I needed that.”
Follow Jonathon van Maren on Facebook
In less than two minutes of television, the exchange perfectly highlighted the stark American divide: media commentators and a GOP establishment man displaying their total contempt for stupid, illiterate Southerners who are simply too dumb to know how to vote. As the backlash mounted, Lemon attempted to deliver a non-apology, and Rick Wilson responded by stating that “Once again, the MAGA tough guy ‘f*** your feelings’ crowd demonstrates that what really drives them is a grinding social anxiety fueled by a weaponized and monetized outrage machine.”
Actually, what Wilson demonstrated is that millions of voters are actually driven by the fact that they believe the media, the progressives, and even the GOP establishment (as represented by folks like Wilson) hold them in utter contempt, and that this was a revealing moment where the mask slipped. Many suspect that these are the sorts of hilarious impressions that the GOP country club crowd like to do with their Democrat friends in the Hamptons, away from the cameras. After all, Wilson wasn’t making fun of Trump. Trump doesn’t have a Southern accent. He was mocking people Hillary Clinton called the “deplorables.”
It is mind-boggling that someone like Wilson, who is apparently a strategist of sorts, does not see how damaging his chuckle-fest with Ali and Lemon actually was. The GOP turned the exchange into a powerful ad within three days, featuring the elites sneering at the fellow Americans they’re forced to tolerate in order to attain the political positions they clearly feel they deserve. As Harvard Law School professor Adrian Vermeule noted on Twitter: “It’s perfectly rational for ordinary Americans to reject any possibility that this class should rule them, even if the alternative is Donald Trump.”
Rod Dreher put it more bluntly: “[T]raditional Southern culture is shame-honor culture. Millions more people have now seen that clip than saw it on CNN. When Southern white people who voted Trump see it, they know they are being mocked as Southerners. There is not a single person who voted for Trump, or who is considering voting for him in 2020, who will watch Rick Wilson, Don Lemon, and Wajahat Ali making fun of them like that and think, ‘Well, I guess I better vote for the Democrat so these CNN people won’t poke fun at me.’ But there are a lot of them who will crawl over broken glass to hit that trio of…smirkers where it hurts the most: in the Oval Office.”
The fact is that the elites simply do not understand Middle America, and what they do know they don’t like. Rural America is about as foreign to them as Pakistan, and it constantly irritates them that these folks have a say in how the country is run. You’d think that the election of Donald Trump might have warned them that they should be listening a bit closer, but many simply refuse to admit that they might be at fault (Bill Maher, who constantly warns his audience to dislike Trump but not his supporters, is a notable exception.)
Watching the CNN exchange reminded me of a column by Anne Bauer in the Washington Post back in 2018, titled: “I was a Yankee liberal. It took moving to Arkansas for me to understand my biases.” After a family tragedy, Bauer wrote, she and her husband looked into moving away from the city and into the country. “[O]n a chilly, silver January day, we drove into the Ozarks of Northwest Arkansas,” she wrote. “Though neither or us could put a finger on why, exactly, this felt like our place. Back home people were flummoxed: I hear them say a lot about white, rural Christians who reject outsiders and ‘cling to their guns.’”
Bauer soon discovered the irony of that bias: “[W]hat city folk don’t know is how beautiful it is here, and by that I mean way more than you imagine. We’re surrounded by low mountains, bony shale bluffs, forest, shining lakes and mysterious twisting roads. The wide-open sky brings every bird formation and low-hanging planet into relief. One Sunday in August, after yoga, we went to Home Depot. There was an old truck in the parking lot with a large American flag stuck upright in the bed and a handmade sign about the virtues of patriotism and God. Since our daughter joined the Navy, everything about the military makes me miss her. And the constant evangelizing feels like a threat to every spiritual inkling I have.”
But as people approached her to chat and drew her in with her warmth, Bauer realized she had misjudged these “white, rural Christians,” and that her views of them had been caricatures. Her crowd back home had been very diverse, but when she really thought about it, “One group of people we didn’t know well, to be honest, was conventional Christians. I saw their narrative as limiting and judgmental. But when I examined my feelings, they made no sense. My Jewish, Muslim, and for that matter, vegan friends could be just as dogmatic. This was a particular bias, the kind I claimed not to have.”
For the divide between the American elites and the “other” America to be bridged, it will take a willingness on all sides to actually consider our biases—and consider the possibility that on some things, at least, we might be wrong. Anne Bauer had to move to the South to realize that her biases clouded her view of her fellow citizens, but listening rather than displaying the mockery and contempt we saw from Don Lemon and Rick Wilson on CNN would be a good start. But if the election of Donald Trump didn’t teach them that lesson, then perhaps it will take a second term to do the trick.
Jonathon’s new podcast, The Van Maren Show, is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement. In his latest episode, he interviews Dr. Charles Murray about why America has fallen apart and what we need to do about it. Dr. Murray first became well known in 1984 with the publication of Losing Ground a piece which is credited with being the intellectual foundation for the Welfare Reform Act. Murray is a New York Times bestseller, political researcher and scholar, and the F.A. Hayek Emeritus Chair in Culture Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below:
Follow Jonathon Jonathon Van Maren is a public speaker, writer, and pro-life activist. His commentary has been translated into more than eight languages and published widely online as well as print newspapers such as the Jewish Independent, the National Post, the Hamilton Spectator and others. He has received an award for combating anti-Semitism in print from the Jewish organization B’nai Brith. His commentary has been featured on CTV Primetime, Global News, EWTN, and the CBC as well as dozens of radio stations and news outlets in Canada and the United States. He speaks on a wide variety of cultural topics across North America at universities, high schools, churches, and other functions. Some of these topics include abortion, pornography, the Sexual Revolution, and euthanasia. Jonathon holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history from Simon Fraser University, and is the communications director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. Jonathon’s first book, The Culture War, was released in 2016.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-29--Having a large Christian family is an awesome lifestyle choice that’s easier than you’d think

January 29 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The basic outlines of the Church ’ s teaching on family life , in terms of what we must on no account do , are clear , but we need to beware of the more subtle ways our thinking has been warped by our contraceptive culture .
This is a hugely complex topic and I want to look at just one aspect of it : the attitude to large families .
It has become a joke , albeit a boring one , that many people can ’ t see a family of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dig at the parents .
My lifestyle does not expose me to much of this but I did get a “ You should get a TV ” from a stranger recently , which was intended as light-hearted .
( Actually , I ’ d rather have the children . )
Such comments can be particularly upsetting when they come from fellow Catholics .
No less annoying is the counter-pressure occasionally found in those pockets of Catholic society where larger families are more common .
It is such a stupid thing to ask mothers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ baby .
Who knows what has been going on ?
Just don ’ t do it .
These opposing remarks have something in common , which is the odd way they hold parents to account for having or not having children , and see a certain family size as the right one for everyone : whether is it two children , six , or none .
This is obviously absurd in ignoring the particular circumstances of different families , above all biological factors which are of no concern to complete strangers .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family size , whether the limit small or large .
One motive for this is a concern about the environment , or the supply of food .
Without going into too much detail , the Netherlands , one of the richest countries in the world , has a population density of 521 people per square kilometer , and enormous national parks ; China has a density of 153 .
There is no shortage of space , nor , now vertical farming technology has rendered calculations about arable land irrelevant , need there be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impossible to escape the impression that some environmentalists just don ’ t like people very much , and see the coming demographic winter in developed countries , and the projected decline of the world ’ s population , as a cause for rejoicing .
A more pervasive motive , however , is the question of “ what I ( or you ) can cope with ” .
Not , you understand , a concern about health problems for the mother or actual malnutrition among the children : I mean , in relation to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ People who have never experienced a large family often assume that they must be proportionately more chaotic than a smaller family .
‘ It is must be mayhem at your house at Christmas !
’ , my butcher cheerily informed me , no doubt based on an experience of two or three children extrapolated to six or eight .
Obviously , things don ’ t work like that .
Large families have their challenges , but the biggest challenge is keeping the mayhem under some kind of control with just one child .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ cost of “ raising a child ” .
This page , based on US government figures , talks about the enormous cost of one child , and makes no reference to the marginal cost of additional children .
The implication is that readers should double the cost of one child if they are considering two , and to quadruple it for four , which would be an obvious mathematical fallacy .
Indeed , it is silly to invite people to consider if they can afford the average cost of a child .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to all sorts of non-essential expenses with their children , and the rest of us not doing so .
What has the average cost got to do with what it will cost you , if you are relatively poor ?
No-one is going to force you to buy every child an iPad .
I would like to invite young people starting or considering a family to set aside not only this kind of demonstrable nonsense , but also the more realistic worry about maintaining the expectations associated with small families , such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Similarly , in large families there tends to be more wearing of cast-off clothes , and flying with the whole brood can become very expensive ( no sibling discount there ) .
There are many things which need to be adjusted , gradually , as the head-count increases .
There may be typical middle-class things you could do if you have only two children and can ’ t do if you have six .
There ’ s no denying it , and having a large family in this sense is a real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exactly what you are getting instead .
Children .
St Augustine wrote that Christian mothers , as well as consecrated virgins , should be praised , because they bear children for the Church ( De Virginitate ) .
This is the end , the goal , of the vocation of marriage .
Don ’ t place too many limits on God ’ s generosity .

January 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The basic outlines of the Church’s teaching on family life, in terms of what we must on no account do, are clear, but we need to beware of the more subtle ways our thinking has been warped by our contraceptive culture. This is a hugely complex topic and I want to look at just one aspect of it: the attitude to large families.
It has become a joke, albeit a boring one, that many people can’t see a family of more than three children without having a dig at the parents. My lifestyle does not expose me to much of this but I did get a “You should get a TV” from a stranger recently, which was intended as light-hearted. (Actually, I’d rather have the children.) Such comments can be particularly upsetting when they come from fellow Catholics. No less annoying is the counter-pressure occasionally found in those pockets of Catholic society where larger families are more common. It is such a stupid thing to ask mothers if they are going to have another baby. Who knows what has been going on? Just don’t do it.
These opposing remarks have something in common, which is the odd way they hold parents to account for having or not having children, and see a certain family size as the right one for everyone: whether is it two children, six, or none. This is obviously absurd in ignoring the particular circumstances of different families, above all biological factors which are of no concern to complete strangers. But it also puts an artificial limit to family size, whether the limit small or large.
One motive for this is a concern about the environment, or the supply of food. Without going into too much detail, the Netherlands, one of the richest countries in the world, has a population density of 521 people per square kilometer, and enormous national parks; China has a density of 153. There is no shortage of space, nor, now vertical farming technology has rendered calculations about arable land irrelevant, need there be any shortage of food. It is impossible to escape the impression that some environmentalists just don’t like people very much, and see the coming demographic winter in developed countries, and the projected decline of the world’s population, as a cause for rejoicing.
(Here’s a fun fact. When will or did the world population growth rate begin to slow? 1968.)
A more pervasive motive, however, is the question of “what I (or you) can cope with”. Not, you understand, a concern about health problems for the mother or actual malnutrition among the children: I mean, in relation to what we might call lifestyle expectations.
People who have never experienced a large family often assume that they must be proportionately more chaotic than a smaller family. ‘It is must be mayhem at your house at Christmas!’, my butcher cheerily informed me, no doubt based on an experience of two or three children extrapolated to six or eight. Obviously, things don’t work like that. Large families have their challenges, but the biggest challenge is keeping the mayhem under some kind of control with just one child.
The same goes for estimates of the cost of “raising a child”. This page, based on US government figures, talks about the enormous cost of one child, and makes no reference to the marginal cost of additional children. The implication is that readers should double the cost of one child if they are considering two, and to quadruple it for four, which would be an obvious mathematical fallacy. Indeed, it is silly to invite people to consider if they can afford the average cost of a child. This average is composed of super-wealthy parents going to all sorts of non-essential expenses with their children, and the rest of us not doing so. What has the average cost got to do with what it will cost you, if you are relatively poor? No-one is going to force you to buy every child an iPad.
I would like to invite young people starting or considering a family to set aside not only this kind of demonstrable nonsense, but also the more realistic worry about maintaining the expectations associated with small families, such as children not having to share a bedroom. Similarly, in large families there tends to be more wearing of cast-off clothes, and flying with the whole brood can become very expensive (no sibling discount there). There are many things which need to be adjusted, gradually, as the head-count increases. There may be typical middle-class things you could do if you have only two children and can’t do if you have six. There’s no denying it, and having a large family in this sense is a real sacrifice. You know, however, exactly what you are getting instead. Children.
St Augustine wrote that Christian mothers, as well as consecrated virgins, should be praised, because they bear children for the Church (De Virginitate). This is the end, the goal, of the vocation of marriage. Don’t place too many limits on God’s generosity.
Follow Joseph Dr Joseph Shaw has a Doctorate in Philosophy from Oxford University, where he also gained a first degree in Politics and Philosophy and a graduate Diploma in Theology. He has published on Ethics and Philosophy of Religion and is the editor of The Case for Liturgical Restoration: Una Voce Position Papers on the Extraordinary Form (Angelico Press). He is the Chairman of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales and Secretary of Una Voce International. He teaches Philosophy in Oxford University and lives nearby with his wife and nine children.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-28--Are we required to believe apparitions as Catholics?

Formerly Heart to Heart with Mother Miriam , Mother Miriam Live brings you inspiration and solutions for life ’ s @ @ @ @ @ Miriam is a Catholic nun on a mission to bring hope to a world that @ @ @ @ @ let her share that hope and joy with you !
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Watch Mother Miriam's Live show from 1.28.2020. Mother continues her series reading from The Catechism Explained. Today's episode was slightly delayed due to technical issues. She speaks briefly about Marian apparitions and revelations. She then goes on answer listeners questions.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-30--Time for bishops to be faithful and shut down renegade priests who champion homosexuality

January 29 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — There ’ s a one hundred percent chance of heavy rain at daybreak tomorrow .
And I wonder as I type if I ’ ll be getting dumped on .
But I ’ m too yellow to ask Ryan Laddbush , the father of 12 and captain of our Exodus 90 fraternity .
It was big-bearded Laddbush who requested last week that our 13-man group gather beneath a dark dusk sky to stand for an hour in low-20 temperatures to share our indelicate first week with the program .
No one dared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you definitely weren ’ t going to gripe to Tim Duggan , who hasn ’ t missed a cold shower for two years .
“ For me anyway , the cold shower ’ s like the blocking sled in high school football , ” Tim shared with us .
“ The drudgery and work that breaks you down needs to be done every day .
I ’ ve found that my sacrifices lead to giving the full measure of myself to my family .
If I can ’ t endure the cold shower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fit to overcome my bad habits .
Maybe I ’ m not fit for heaven.
” Tim ’ s embrace of discomfort has refashioned him .
After six months of enduring daily cold showers , he thought , I don ’ t think I need that post-work beer anymore .
That occasional glass of bourbon doesn ’ t mean much now .
He didn ’ t have a drinking problem ; he just wanted it ejected from his life .
He began to see as shameful the numbing of hard days at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He ’ ll never drink again .
“ Club soda and a lime work just fine , ” said Tim , whose prayer life , work output , focus , and devotion to wife Maria and his children has expanded since bracing himself for that first unkind shower .
Exodus 90 is a three-month flowerless bouquet of thorns — an ascetical hailstorm that ’ s caused even the best of Catholic men to curse interiorly .
It ’ s designed to size men up , then steamroll over them .
Many a man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up zombieing around , wondering why he couldn ’ t live like John the Baptist .
Those who ’ ve persevered say it ’ s not only helped to reshape their souls , but perhaps even saved them .
The designers of the program ask men for 90 days to eliminate alcohol , sports viewership , all technology ( outside work ) , television , secular radio listening , snacks , sweets , videogames , and other pleasures and inclinations .
Wednesday and Friday fasts are mandatory .
Every shower is cold .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the week .
More importantly , a committed movement to increased weekday Mass attendance , Scripture study , Lectio Divina , Holy Hours , and recitation of the rosary is demanded .
The program ’ s objective is clear-cut : it aims to help lift the mind up to Christ , strengthen virtue , and subdue the flesh .
Every so often , a seemingly transcendent day of intense illumination from contemplative prayer emerges .
Thereafter , fasting , mortifications , and even the cold shower seem as high-impact spiritual vitamins and extraordinary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unconquerable , he shares it with his fraternity .
And undeniable cohesion and unity are forged as men share what it is to grow in holiness .
Still , the thorns often prick harder the next day .
Bryan Snyder awakened at 2 A.M. the other night when one of one of his 10 children vomited on her bedroom wall .
Wife Eileen was on a mission trip in Jamaica , so Bryan grabbed the Lysol and rags .
“ I got it all over me .
And it had to come off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I thought , ‘ Oh man — a cold shower at 2 A.M. ...
I almost convinced myself that I earned that hot shower , but I stepped in and went cold .
Without God , no way I could have done it.
” A single American bishop ( that I ’ m aware of ) is participating in Exodus 90 .
Interestingly , this is the same bishop who addresses , by name , the progessive toxicity of Fr .
James Martin and his seemingly unimpeded march to normalize homosexuality .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he would not want the attention ) presses for answers on the Vatican ’ s stagnated McCarrick report .
He ’ s condemned the United Nations for its anti-life stance and urges the hierarchy to maintain , enshrine , and proclaim difficult Church teachings and doctrine .
He ’ s given over his diocese to veneration of the Eucharist .
During these days of muted courageous leadership within our Church , many American Catholics today regard this bishop as a warrior or some sort of sanctified cowboy — a solitary figure attuned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his Church .
He ’ s masculine — a shepherd who often regards parts of his weathervane-wind-whipped Church simply as loose stallions needing to be meeked .
Many regard his way as too rigid or overly pious .
Thankfully , for this bishop , there is only the fight for souls — his own , those in his diocese , and the troubled soul of what seems an increasingly balkanized Church .
Red martyrdom , he ’ s mentioned to me , is not something he regards as seldom read passages from old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believes that Mary is leading him to it .
He knows that the burden of his identity includes an embrace of a certain death to help guard the travailed Church .
This awareness became clear during his daily Holy Hour .
Fr .
Peter Daly is a different kind of cowboy in clerics .
He also seems mostly alone out on the range .
He ’ s leading “ Love Casts Out Fear : Finding Courage to Speak Our Truth , ” a retreat contoured for “ gay priests , bishops , clergy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar retreat in Wisconsin last autumn ; this one will be held at Bon Secours Retreat Center in quaint horse country outside Baltimore .
The retreat is sponsored by New Ways Ministry , a group committed to advocating “ for justice and equality for lesbian , gay , bisexual , and transgender ( LGBT ) Catholics , and reconciliation within the larger church and civil communities.
” Fr .
Daly has condemned priestly celibacy in homilies and in his writings .
He is an advocate for female and married priests and has conceded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clergy ; he has called homosexuality natural and one of God ’ s gifts .
As with the retreat in Wisconsin , it ’ s unlikely that the outside world will ever gain knowledge of the scope , dimension , and boundaries of what gets discussed behind Bon Secours ’ s brick walls .
And I suppose that is well within the rights of Fr .
Daly and New Ways Ministry , just as the Germans pointed their howitzers in whatever direction they wanted .
The Holy Spirit creates life ; its fruit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spirit divides and disrupts ; its fruit is rotten .
Satan is capable only of obliging his nature ; he can produce only blasphemy .
Fr .
Daly ’ s retreat is a blasphemy .
It can only be rotten because it excludes God ’ s grace ; in the same way it is impossible for the homosexual act to produce life , it is impossible for a retreat for gay clergy to bear true and lasting fruit .
Who would benefit ?
If a member of the clergy is same-sex attracted , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than an encouragement , consolation , and affirmation ?
The holy and celibate same-sex attracted priest , who has offered his disposition to God as a lifelong sacrifice , knows to stay far away from retreats such as these .
Those men on retreat are incapable of an Exodus 90 type of unity because their talks will center on what the Church indelicately but firmly calls disordered .
The retreat rings of disunity .
Exodus 90 fraternities are unified , fruit-bearing , and hardy because the sum of everything is centered on sacrifice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ points to Jesus Christ suffocating on the cross .
Sacrifice leads to love .
And love leads to obedience .
So the question must be asked : why would Archbishop William E. Lori seemingly disobey his calling to lead as a shepherd must when a heterodoxy is set to rear up in his diocese ?
Regardless of whether the sponsoring New Ways Ministry is outside his jurisdiction , true shepherds handle rustlers who ’ ve made the grave mistake of stepping , uninvited , onto their pastures .
And why would Archbishop Wilton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a retired active priest from his diocese , to seemingly poison the minds of an already vulnerable presbyterate .
One phone call from Archbishop Gregory , I imagine , would shut the whole thing down .
There is the vow of obedience Fr .
Daly can never part from .
In the aftermath of the multi-headed scandals of 2018 , I repeatedly heard one question posed from bishops to members of the laity who were harmed or disillutioned by clergy homosexuality and abuse .
What can I do to help you heal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : cancel Daly .
A gutted laity will finally begin to heal when you cancel Daly .
Why ?
Because he has a long history of going against Church customs and tradition in his homilies and writings .
It seems inconceivable that doctrine will go untwisted at his retreat .
When the stampeding Fr .
James Martin begins to be slowed by a few courageous shepherds , your flock will begin to heal .
When you rise up and speak against the “ synodal ” heresies of German bishops , a salve will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the laity will trust you again — because it is then that you ’ ll be acting like a father .
Until then , though , I ’ ll place my trust in my own little fraternity , which each day puts in the sweat equity that fathers must .
These fathers really are like hero cowboys , men who happily embrace discomforts , sacrifices , and worldly rejection so that one day , God willing , they ’ ll gather with their families for endless length of days in their true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catholic speaker , writer , president of the Monsignor Thomas Wells Society for Vocations , and author of the bestselling book The Priests We Need to Save the Church ( Sophia Institute Press , 2019 ) .

January 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — There’s a one hundred percent chance of heavy rain at daybreak tomorrow. And I wonder as I type if I’ll be getting dumped on. But I’m too yellow to ask Ryan Laddbush, the father of 12 and captain of our Exodus 90 fraternity. It was big-bearded Laddbush who requested last week that our 13-man group gather beneath a dark dusk sky to stand for an hour in low-20 temperatures to share our indelicate first week with the program. No one dared admit his ears were stinging — and you definitely weren’t going to gripe to […]
January 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — There’s a one hundred percent chance of heavy rain at daybreak tomorrow. And I wonder as I type if I’ll be getting dumped on. But I’m too yellow to ask Ryan Laddbush, the father of 12 and captain of our Exodus 90 fraternity. It was big-bearded Laddbush who requested last week that our 13-man group gather beneath a dark dusk sky to stand for an hour in low-20 temperatures to share our indelicate first week with the program. No one dared admit his ears were stinging — and you definitely weren’t going to gripe to Tim, who hasn’t missed a cold shower for two years.
“For me anyway, the cold shower’s like the blocking sled in high school football,” Tim shared with us. “The drudgery and work that breaks you down needs to be done every day. I’ve found that my sacrifices lead to giving the full measure of myself to my family. If I can’t endure the cold shower, then maybe I’m not fit to overcome my bad habits. Maybe I’m not fit for heaven.”
Tim’s embrace of discomfort has refashioned him. After six months of enduring daily cold showers, he thought, I don’t think I need that post-work beer anymore. That occasional glass of bourbon doesn’t mean much now. He didn’t have a drinking problem; he just wanted it ejected from his life. He began to see as shameful the numbing of hard days at the office with a beer or two. He’ll never drink again.
“Club soda and a lime work just fine,” said Tim, whose prayer life, work output, focus, and devotion to wife Maria and his children has expanded since bracing himself for that first unkind shower.
Exodus 90 is a three-month flowerless bouquet of thorns — an ascetical hailstorm that’s caused even the best of Catholic men to curse interiorly. It’s designed to size men up, then steamroll over them. Many a man has quit the program, then ended up zombieing around, wondering why he couldn’t live like John the Baptist.
Those who’ve persevered say it’s not only helped to reshape their souls, but perhaps even saved them.
The designers of the program ask men for 90 days to eliminate alcohol, sports viewership, all technology (outside work), television, secular radio listening, snacks, sweets, videogames, and other pleasures and inclinations. Wednesday and Friday fasts are mandatory. Every shower is cold. Intense exercise must be penciled in throughout the week.
More importantly, a committed movement to increased weekday Mass attendance, Scripture study, Lectio Divina, Holy Hours, and recitation of the rosary is demanded. The program’s objective is clear-cut: it aims to help lift the mind up to Christ, strengthen virtue, and subdue the flesh. Every so often, a seemingly transcendent day of intense illumination from contemplative prayer emerges. Thereafter, fasting, mortifications, and even the cold shower seem as high-impact spiritual vitamins and extraordinary consolations. Because a man suddenly feels unconquerable, he shares it with his fraternity. And undeniable cohesion and unity are forged as men share what it is to grow in holiness.
Still, the thorns often prick harder the next day. Bryan Snyder awakened at 2 A.M. the other night when one of one of his 10 children vomited on her bedroom wall. Wife Eileen was on a mission trip in Jamaica, so Bryan grabbed the Lysol and rags.
“I got it all over me. And it had to come off,” he said. “And I thought, ‘Oh man — a cold shower at 2 A.M. … I almost convinced myself that I earned that hot shower, but I stepped in and went cold. Without God, no way I could have done it.”
A single American bishop (that I’m aware of) is participating in Exodus 90. Interestingly, this is the same bishop who addresses, by name, the progessive toxicity of Fr. James Martin and his seemingly unimpeded march to normalize homosexuality. This shepherd (who will go unnamed because he would not want the attention) presses for answers on the Vatican’s stagnated McCarrick report. He’s condemned the United Nations for its anti-life stance and urges the hierarchy to maintain, enshrine, and proclaim difficult Church teachings and doctrine. He’s given over his diocese to veneration of the Eucharist.
During these days of muted courageous leadership within our Church, many American Catholics today regard this bishop as a warrior or some sort of sanctified cowboy — a solitary figure attuned to the multitudinous troubles that have broken into his Church. He’s masculine — a shepherd who often regards parts of his weathervane-wind-whipped Church simply as loose stallions needing to be meeked.
Many regard his way as too rigid or overly pious. Thankfully, for this bishop, there is only the fight for souls — his own, those in his diocese, and the troubled soul of what seems an increasingly balkanized Church. Red martyrdom, he’s mentioned to me, is not something he regards as seldom read passages from old small-fonted Catholic books on saints; he believes that Mary is leading him to it. He knows that the burden of his identity includes an embrace of a certain death to help guard the travailed Church. This awareness became clear during his daily Holy Hour.
Fr. Peter Daly is a different kind of cowboy in clerics. He also seems mostly alone out on the range. He’s leading “Love Casts Out Fear: Finding Courage to Speak Our Truth,” a retreat contoured for “gay priests, bishops, clergy, and deacons.” He directed a similar retreat in Wisconsin last autumn; this one will be held at Bon Secours Retreat Center in quaint horse country outside Baltimore.
The retreat is sponsored by New Ways Ministry, a group committed to advocating “for justice and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Catholics, and reconciliation within the larger church and civil communities.” Fr. Daly has condemned priestly celibacy in homilies and in his writings. He is an advocate for female and married priests and has conceded to a widespread homosexual culture in the clergy; he has called homosexuality natural and one of God’s gifts.
As with the retreat in Wisconsin, it’s unlikely that the outside world will ever gain knowledge of the scope, dimension, and boundaries of what gets discussed behind Bon Secours’s brick walls. And I suppose that is well within the rights of Fr. Daly and New Ways Ministry, just as the Germans pointed their howitzers in whatever direction they wanted. The Holy Spirit creates life; its fruit is salvific and nourishing. The evil spirit divides and disrupts; its fruit is rotten. Satan is capable only of obliging his nature; he can produce only blasphemy. Fr. Daly’s retreat is a blasphemy. It can only be rotten because it excludes God’s grace; in the same way it is impossible for the homosexual act to produce life, it is impossible for a retreat for gay clergy to bear true and lasting fruit. Who would benefit? If a member of the clergy is same-sex attracted, how would attendance act as anything other than an encouragement, consolation, and affirmation? The holy and celibate same-sex attracted priest, who has offered his disposition to God as a lifelong sacrifice, knows to stay far away from retreats such as these. Those men on retreat are incapable of an Exodus 90 type of unity because their talks will center on what the Church indelicately but firmly calls disordered. The retreat rings of disunity. Exodus 90 fraternities are unified, fruit-bearing, and hardy because the sum of everything is centered on sacrifice and amputation of will. It all points to Jesus Christ suffocating on the cross. Sacrifice leads to love. And love leads to obedience. So the question must be asked: why would Archbishop William E. Lori seemingly disobey his calling to lead as a shepherd must when a heterodoxy is set to rear up in his diocese? Regardless of whether the sponsoring New Ways Ministry is outside his jurisdiction, true shepherds handle rustlers who’ve made the grave mistake of stepping, uninvited, onto their pastures. And why would Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington permit Fr. Daly, a retired active priest from his diocese, to seemingly poison the minds of an already vulnerable presbyterate. One phone call from Archbishop Gregory, I imagine, would shut the whole thing down. There is the vow of obedience Fr. Daly can never part from. In the aftermath of the multi-headed scandals of 2018, I repeatedly heard one question posed from bishops to members of the laity who were harmed or disillutioned by clergy homosexuality and abuse. What can I do to help you heal now? This would be an answer: cancel Daly. A gutted laity will finally begin to heal when you cancel Daly. Why? Because he has a long history of going against Church customs and tradition in his homilies and writings. It seems inconceivable that doctrine will go untwisted at his retreat. When the stampeding Fr. James Martin begins to be slowed by a few courageous shepherds, your flock will begin to heal. When you rise up and speak against the “synodal” heresies of German bishops, a salve will begin to stretch into harmed souls — and the laity will trust you again — because it is then that you’ll be acting like a father. Until then, though, I’ll place my trust in my own little fraternity, which each day puts in the sweat equity that fathers must. These fathers really are like hero cowboys, men who happily embrace discomforts, sacrifices, and worldly rejection so that one day, God willing, they’ll gather with their families for endless length of days in their true native land.
Kevin Wells is a Catholic speaker, writer, president of the Monsignor Thomas Wells Society for Vocations, and author of the bestselling book The Priests We Need to Save the Church (Sophia Institute Press, 2019).
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