lifesitenews--2020-09-11--‘Child porn’: Netflix denounced after film sexualizing 11-year-old girls goes live

Warning : This article contains extremely disturbing and disgusting content .
September 10 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Conservative commentators and social media users are calling for Netflix to be “ cancelled ” after a new film about girls as young as 11 performing sexualized dance acts went live on the platform .
The French film “ Cuties ” ( titled “ Mignonnes ” in French ) follows the story of 11-year-old Amy , a Senegalese Muslim girl who lives in a poor neighborhood in France .
She joins a group of other young girls who perform hyper-sexualized dance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ twerking dance crew.
” Last month Netflix changed the poster and description advertising the film after a wave of online criticism .
Clips from the film released on social media have provoked increased outrage online , with many saying the film is promoting pedophila .
Some are too disgusting and disturbing to describe or share in this article .
IMDb ’ s guide for parents for the film currently details that in one scene “ A pair of tight leather pants on an 11 year old girl are forcefully pulled down in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ glances at her underwear exposed bum.
” Screenshots posted online show that IMDb ’ s guide previously gave much greater detail about some of the disturbing aspects of the film and even noted that some of the content of the film “ is lawfully defined as pedophilia.
” An archived version of the IMDb website also shows their original guidance for parents .
The text which previously appeared on IMDb ’ s website included the following : Parental Warning : During one of the many highly sexualized & erotic dance scenes that purposefully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ age girls , one of the female child dancers lifts up her cropped top to fully display her bare breast .
This is lawfully defined as pedophilia and can be extremely distressing to many viewers Trigger Warning : An 11 year old girl watches a female rap music video where naked women role play through dance both heterosexual & lesbian sex acts .
An 11 year old female dance group then mimics these sexual moves via on themselves and on each other while the camera zooms in on their sexual body parts as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highly distressing to many viewers .
Female breast nudity of a minor during an erotic dance scene and lengthy & excessive closeup shots of breasts , bums and spread crotches of scantily clad 11 year old girls during numerous sexualized dance routines .
Conservative journalist and commentator Matt Walsh says that “ Cuties ” is a part of a “ push to normalize pedophilia in our country.
” Lila Rose , founder and president of pro-life group Live Action , has posted a series of tweets making the case that the filmmakers have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” because the film “ blatantly zooms in on sexual parts of little girls as they dance suggestively , partially clothed , for adult audiences , as explicit sexual ‘ exploration.
’ ” Nevertheless mainstream media outlets have lauded the film , with The Telegraph awarding it four out of five stars and describing it as a “ provocative powder-keg for an age terrified of child sexuality .
”

Some of the content of the film 'is lawfully defined as pedophilia.'
Warning: This article contains extremely disturbing and disgusting content.
September 10, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Conservative commentators and social media users are calling for Netflix to be “cancelled” after a new film about girls as young as 11 performing sexualized dance acts went live on the platform.
The French film “Cuties” (titled “Mignonnes” in French) follows the story of 11-year-old Amy, a Senegalese Muslim girl who lives in a poor neighborhood in France. She joins a group of other young girls who perform hyper-sexualized dance routines, including imitating an adult “twerking dance crew.”
Last month Netflix changed the poster and description advertising the film after a wave of online criticism.
Clips from the film released on social media have provoked increased outrage online, with many saying the film is promoting pedophila. Some are too disgusting and disturbing to describe or share in this article.
IMDb’s guide for parents for the film currently details that in one scene “A pair of tight leather pants on an 11 year old girl are forcefully pulled down in the midst of a scuffle; the camera glances at her underwear exposed bum.”
Screenshots posted online show that IMDb’s guide previously gave much greater detail about some of the disturbing aspects of the film and even noted that some of the content of the film “is lawfully defined as pedophilia.” An archived version of the IMDb website also shows their original guidance for parents.
IMDB has to approve submissions for Parental Guides – meaning that IMDB approved removing the following language from “Cuties” Parental Guides description: “This is lawfully defined as pedophilia and can be extremely distressing to many viewers.”https://t.co/oO7cveIqhT https://t.co/fs1zBJWNcf — Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) September 10, 2020
The text which previously appeared on IMDb’s website included the following:
Parental Warning : During one of the many highly sexualized & erotic dance scenes that purposefully exploit & objectify numerous scantily clad under age girls, one of the female child dancers lifts up her cropped top to fully display her bare breast. This is lawfully defined as pedophilia and can be extremely distressing to many viewers Trigger Warning : An 11 year old girl watches a female rap music video where naked women role play through dance both heterosexual & lesbian sex acts. An 11 year old female dance group then mimics these sexual moves via on themselves and on each other while the camera zooms in on their sexual body parts as they erotically writher. This can be highly distressing to many viewers. Female breast nudity of a minor during an erotic dance scene and lengthy & excessive closeup shots of breasts, bums and spread crotches of scantily clad 11 year old girls during numerous sexualized dance routines.
that movie cuties dropped and wtf. this is straight from IMDB �� pic.twitter.com/y4RVyQ51ox — ★ low-nah-gee ★ (@ebonixfem) September 10, 2020
If you watch 11 year olds twerk, you’re a creep. If you taught 11 year olds to touch themselves on camera, you’re abominable. If you defend Netflix airing this child porn, you’re enabling abuse.#CancelNetflix — Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) September 10, 2020
Conservative journalist and commentator Matt Walsh says that “Cuties” is a part of a “push to normalize pedophilia in our country.”
Netflix released that “Cuties” movie about twerking 11 year olds. Fuller clips of the film are now circulating. It’s way worse than I thought, and I thought it would be extremely bad. VERY explicit sexual dancing, girls grabbing themselves, crotch shots, etc. These are children. — Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 10, 2020
There is a push to normalize pedophilia in our country. That’s not a conspiracy. It’s a fact. — Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 10, 2020
Lila Rose, founder and president of pro-life group Live Action, has posted a series of tweets making the case that the filmmakers have broken U.S. law on “child porn” because the film “blatantly zooms in on sexual parts of little girls as they dance suggestively, partially clothed, for adult audiences, as explicit sexual ‘exploration.’”
1. Whether the focal point of the visual depiction is on the child’s genitalia or pubic area; 2. Whether the setting of the depiction is sexually suggestive, that is, in a place or pose associated with sexual activity; — Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 10, 2020
6. Whether the depiction is designed to elicit a sexual response in the viewer. The #netflix film blatantly zooms in on sexual parts of little girls as they dance suggestively, partially clothed, for adult audiences, as explicit sexual “exploration.” It fails the Dost test. — Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 10, 2020
Nevertheless mainstream media outlets have lauded the film, with The Telegraph awarding it four out of five stars and describing it as a “provocative powder-keg for an age terrified of child sexuality.”
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lifesitenews--2020-09-12--Judge rules Los Angeles can ban religious worship

LOS ANGELES , September 11 , 2020 ( Thomas More Society ) — The Los Angeles Superior Court issued a preliminary injunction on September 10 , 2020 , against Grace Community Church and Pastor John MacArthur , refusing to follow the U.S. and California State constitutional protections for churches .
The ruling fails to apply the appropriate constitutional standard of review .
The order prohibits the church from “ conducting , participating in , or attending any indoor worship services ” and also bans outdoor worship unless onerous restrictions are followed in a heavy-handed move against the internationally known preacher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Community Church ’ s attorneys from the Thomas More Society said the judge refused to consider their important separation of powers arguments “ in any meaningful fashion ” and essentially “ ducked the issue.
” Thomas More Society Special Counsel Charles LiMandri said , “ We are disappointed in the ruling on the preliminary injunction as the court did not apply the strict scrutiny analysis to the government order that we believe is required by the California Constitution and legal precedent .
The court also did not properly consider the medical and scientific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with serious COVID-19 symptoms no longer justifies a shuttering of the churches .
Nor do we believe that the court gave adequate consideration to the fact that churches have been treated as second-class citizens compared to the tens of thousands of protestors .
More than ever , California ’ s churches are essential .
Therefore , we plan to appeal this ruling to ultimately vindicate our clients ’ constitutionally protected right to free exercise of religion.
” Thomas More Society Special Counsel Special Counsel Jenna Ellis said , “ Although this is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight for Pastor MacArthur and Grace Community Church ’ s constitutionally protected right to hold church .
While the judge did go out of his way to repeatedly state that he is not ruling on the merits , only a ruling at this very preliminary stage , Pastor MacArthur is still harmed because he has every right to hold church .
Church is essential , and no government agent has the runaway , unlimited power to force churches to close indefinitely .
The County ’ s argument was basically ‘ because we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of tyranny .
Without limiting government ’ s power in favor of freedom and protected rights , we have no liberty .
We will fight for religious freedom , as our founders did when they wrote the First Amendment.
” Pastor John MacArthur said , “ In an inexplicable ruling , the judge said the ‘ scale tipped in favor of the county.
’ 1/100th of 1 % of Californians with a virus apparently wins over the U.S. Constitution and religious freedom for all ?
That is not what our founders said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ who gave us our rights that our government — including the judicial branch — is supposed to protect .
The scale should always tip in favor of liberty , especially for churches.
” Read the Ruling explaining the Order Granting Preliminary Injunction , issued September 10 , 2020 , by Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff in the Superior Court of California – County of Los Angeles – Central District in County of Los Angeles et al .
v. Grace Community Church et al .
here .
Published with permission from the Thomas More Society @

Attorneys from the Thomas More Society said the judge refused to consider their important separation of powers arguments 'in any meaningful fashion' and essentially 'ducked the issue.'
LOS ANGELES, September 11, 2020 (Thomas More Society) — The Los Angeles Superior Court issued a preliminary injunction on September 10, 2020, against Grace Community Church and Pastor John MacArthur, refusing to follow the U.S. and California State constitutional protections for churches. The ruling fails to apply the appropriate constitutional standard of review. The order prohibits the church from “conducting, participating in, or attending any indoor worship services” and also bans outdoor worship unless onerous restrictions are followed in a heavy-handed move against the internationally known preacher and his congregation. MacArthur and Grace Community Church’s attorneys from the Thomas More Society said the judge refused to consider their important separation of powers arguments “in any meaningful fashion” and essentially “ducked the issue.”
Thomas More Society Special Counsel Charles LiMandri said, “We are disappointed in the ruling on the preliminary injunction as the court did not apply the strict scrutiny analysis to the government order that we believe is required by the California Constitution and legal precedent. The court also did not properly consider the medical and scientific evidence that the current number of people with serious COVID-19 symptoms no longer justifies a shuttering of the churches. Nor do we believe that the court gave adequate consideration to the fact that churches have been treated as second-class citizens compared to the tens of thousands of protestors. More than ever, California’s churches are essential. Therefore, we plan to appeal this ruling to ultimately vindicate our clients’ constitutionally protected right to free exercise of religion.”
Thomas More Society Special Counsel Special Counsel Jenna Ellis said, “Although this is a temporary setback, we will continue to fight for Pastor MacArthur and Grace Community Church’s constitutionally protected right to hold church. While the judge did go out of his way to repeatedly state that he is not ruling on the merits, only a ruling at this very preliminary stage, Pastor MacArthur is still harmed because he has every right to hold church. Church is essential, and no government agent has the runaway, unlimited power to force churches to close indefinitely. The County’s argument was basically ‘because we can,’ which is the very definition of tyranny. Without limiting government’s power in favor of freedom and protected rights, we have no liberty. We will fight for religious freedom, as our founders did when they wrote the First Amendment.”
Pastor John MacArthur said, “In an inexplicable ruling, the judge said the ‘scale tipped in favor of the county.’ 1/100th of 1% of Californians with a virus apparently wins over the U.S. Constitution and religious freedom for all? That is not what our founders said. Nor is that what God says, who gave us our rights that our government — including the judicial branch — is supposed to protect. The scale should always tip in favor of liberty, especially for churches.”
Read the Ruling explaining the Order Granting Preliminary Injunction, issued September 10, 2020, by Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff in the Superior Court of California – County of Los Angeles – Central District in County of Los Angeles et al. v. Grace Community Church et al. here.
Published with permission from the Thomas More Society.
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lifesitenews--2020-09-12--Wisconsin Supreme Court hands huge victory to schools to teach kids in classrooms

MADISON , Wisconsin , September 11 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court handed a victory to the private schools , students , and school families in Dane County , Wisconsin , on September 10 , 2020 .
Dane County , in which the state capital of Madison is located , sought to ban private schools , religious and independent , from providing in-person , in-classroom education to students and families that desire it and are willing to pay for it .
“ The court recognized this attempt to shut down private schools for what it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ educational choice , an affront to families who believe that children should be in school , and a direct violation of parental rights , ” explained Thomas More Society Special Counsel Erick Kaardal , who is part of the team representing the independent schools and their constituencies and working directly with St. Ambrose Academy , one of the schools petitioning for relief .
On August 21 , 2020 , reacting to fears about the potential spread of COVID-19 , Public Health Madison & Dane County issued Emergency Order # 9 , which as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prohibit schools throughout Dane County from providing in-person instruction to students .
Thomas More Society Executive President and General Counsel Andrew Bath responded to the Wisconsin Supreme Court Order .
“ We are pleased that the court has seen the problems with Dane County ’ s illegal order and has issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the county from enforcing it.
” The court ’ s opinion declared that the petitioners “ have substantial interests in advancing childhood education and providing students a stable and effective learning environment , ” and noted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and expended non-negligible sums — to provide students , teachers , and staff the ability to resume in-person instruction with safety precautions in place.
” Additionally , the court observed that these “ educational institutions and parents voluntarily seek in-person instruction , understanding the health risks associated with doing so , ” and labeled the county order that attempts to shut the schools down as “ both broad and without apparent precedent.
” Most significantly , observed Bath , “ The state ’ s high court stated unequivocally that ‘ Overriding the choices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undoubtedly care about the health and safety of their teachers and families , intrudes upon the freedoms ordinarily retained by the people under our constitutional design.
’ That ’ s something that none of us can allow to go unchallenged.
” Dane County is ordered to file a response to the court within thirty days , and the court set forth a briefing schedule as three consolidated lawsuits proceed together to the next hearing in the matter .
Read the Supreme Court of Wisconsin Order issued September 10 , 2020 , regarding three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Council of Religious and Independent Schools , et al .
v. Heinrich , et al.
, and St. Ambrose Academy , Inc. , et al .
v. Parisi , et al.
, granting leave to commence an original action relating to Dane County Emergency Order # 9 , as requested on plaintiffs behalf by the Thomas More Society here .

The government had hoped to restrict private schools to 'remote learning' for ostensible fear of COVID-19 fallout.
MADISON, Wisconsin, September 11, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court handed a victory to the private schools, students, and school families in Dane County, Wisconsin, on September 10, 2020. Dane County, in which the state capital of Madison is located, sought to ban private schools, religious and independent, from providing in-person, in-classroom education to students and families that desire it and are willing to pay for it.
“The court recognized this attempt to shut down private schools for what it is — a slap in the face to educational choice, an affront to families who believe that children should be in school, and a direct violation of parental rights,” explained Thomas More Society Special Counsel Erick Kaardal, who is part of the team representing the independent schools and their constituencies and working directly with St. Ambrose Academy, one of the schools petitioning for relief.
On August 21, 2020, reacting to fears about the potential spread of COVID-19, Public Health Madison & Dane County issued Emergency Order #9, which as amended September 1, 2020, purports to prohibit schools throughout Dane County from providing in-person instruction to students.
Thomas More Society Executive President and General Counsel Andrew Bath responded to the Wisconsin Supreme Court Order. “We are pleased that the court has seen the problems with Dane County’s illegal order and has issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the county from enforcing it.”
The court’s opinion declared that the petitioners “have substantial interests in advancing childhood education and providing students a stable and effective learning environment,” and noted that they “went to great lengths — and expended non-negligible sums — to provide students, teachers, and staff the ability to resume in-person instruction with safety precautions in place.”
Additionally, the court observed that these “educational institutions and parents voluntarily seek in-person instruction, understanding the health risks associated with doing so,” and labeled the county order that attempts to shut the schools down as “both broad and without apparent precedent.”
Most significantly, observed Bath, “The state’s high court stated unequivocally that ‘Overriding the choices of parents and schools, who also undoubtedly care about the health and safety of their teachers and families, intrudes upon the freedoms ordinarily retained by the people under our constitutional design.’ That’s something that none of us can allow to go unchallenged.”
Dane County is ordered to file a response to the court within thirty days, and the court set forth a briefing schedule as three consolidated lawsuits proceed together to the next hearing in the matter.
Read the Supreme Court of Wisconsin Order issued September 10, 2020, regarding three cases, James v. Heinrich, Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools, et al. v. Heinrich, et al., and St. Ambrose Academy, Inc., et al. v. Parisi, et al., granting leave to commence an original action relating to Dane County Emergency Order #9, as requested on plaintiffs behalf by the Thomas More Society here.
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lifesitenews--2020-09-12--Petition supporting priest who said ‘You can’t be a Catholic and a Democrat’ goes viral

September 11 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Launched less than twenty-four hours ago , LifeSite ’ s petition in support of Father James Altman for saying , “ You can ’ t be a Catholic and a Democrat ” has garnered more than 30,000 signatures .
“ The huge number of people who have already signed this petition indicates the faithful ’ s concern for direction and want for leadership in the Church , ” said Gualberto Garcia Jones , LifeSite ’ s director of advocacy .
“ People are really looking for guidance in this election cycle , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Altman ’ s message resonates so deeply with them.
” In the YouTube video , Fr .
Altman says , “ Here ’ s a memo to clueless baptized Catholics out there : you can not be Catholic and be a Democrat .
Period .
Their party platform absolutely is against everything the Catholic Church teaches .
So just quit pretending that you ’ re Catholic and vote Democrat .
Repent of your support of that party and its platform , or face the fires of hell.
” Fr .
Altman ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his flock about the grave dangers that would cause them to lose their eternal souls .
Not only does the Democratic party platform advocate for abortion on demand , but it also promotes the dismantling of the natural family structure and supports the desecration of human nature through the homosexual and transgender agendas .
LifeSite ’ s petition points to three incidents when the Democratic party attempted to force its agenda on others : • The Obama-Biden administration tried to force the Little Sisters of the Poor to provide their employees with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withdraw federal funding from schools that refused to let boys in girls ’ bathrooms and vice versa .
• Democratic senators Kamala Harris and Mazie Hirono interrogated a judge regarding his membership in the Knights of Columbus and suggested that his membership should disqualify him sitting on the bench .
• In 2017 , the chairman of the DNC said there is no room for pro-lifers in the Democratic party .
Fr .
Altman states in his video that no Catholic can support the Democratic party in good conscience because of what their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ document “ Resolution on Abortion , ” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops instruct the faithful that “ [ n ] o Catholic can responsibly take a ‘ pro-choice ’ stand when the ‘ choice ’ in question involves the taking of innocent human life.
” Most Rev .
Joseph Strickland , the bishop of Tyler , Texas , tweeted in support of Fr .
Altman ’ s statement : “ As the Bishop of Tyler I endorse Fr .
Altman ’ s statement in this video .
My shame is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thank you Fr Altman for your COURAGE .
If you love Jesus & His Church & this nation ... please HEED THIS MESSAGE.
” LifeSite ’ s hope is that this petition will encourage Bishop Callahan of the Diocese of La Crosse , Wisconsin to support his priest rather than bring canonical proceedings against him .
People need to speak up about this important issue .
Please sign this petition urging Bishop Callahan to stop any canonical proceedings against Fr .
Altman , and share it with your family and friends if you @ @ @ @ @

Launched less than twenty-four hours ago, LifeSite’s petition in support of Father James Altman has garnered tens of thousands of signatures.
September 11, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Launched less than twenty-four hours ago, LifeSite’s petition in support of Father James Altman for saying, “You can’t be a Catholic and a Democrat” has garnered more than 30,000 signatures.
“The huge number of people who have already signed this petition indicates the faithful’s concern for direction and want for leadership in the Church,” said Gualberto Garcia Jones, LifeSite’s director of advocacy. “People are really looking for guidance in this election cycle, and that’s why Fr. Altman’s message resonates so deeply with them.”
In the YouTube video, Fr. Altman says, “Here’s a memo to clueless baptized Catholics out there: you cannot be Catholic and be a Democrat. Period. Their party platform absolutely is against everything the Catholic Church teaches. So just quit pretending that you’re Catholic and vote Democrat. Repent of your support of that party and its platform, or face the fires of hell.”
Fr. Altman’s video is presented as an earnest warning to his flock about the grave dangers that would cause them to lose their eternal souls. Not only does the Democratic party platform advocate for abortion on demand, but it also promotes the dismantling of the natural family structure and supports the desecration of human nature through the homosexual and transgender agendas.
LifeSite’s petition points to three incidents when the Democratic party attempted to force its agenda on others:
The Obama-Biden administration tried to force the Little Sisters of the Poor to provide their employees with abortion-inducing drugs and contraceptives and threatened to withdraw federal funding from schools that refused to let boys in girls’ bathrooms and vice versa.
Democratic senators Kamala Harris and Mazie Hirono interrogated a judge regarding his membership in the Knights of Columbus and suggested that his membership should disqualify him sitting on the bench.
In 2017, the chairman of the DNC said there is no room for pro-lifers in the Democratic party.
Fr. Altman states in his video that no Catholic can support the Democratic party in good conscience because of what their platform stands for today.
In their document “Resolution on Abortion,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops instruct the faithful that “[n]o Catholic can responsibly take a ‘pro-choice’ stand when the ‘choice’ in question involves the taking of innocent human life.”
Most Rev. Joseph Strickland, the bishop of Tyler, Texas, tweeted in support of Fr. Altman’s statement: “As the Bishop of Tyler I endorse Fr. Altman’s statement in this video. My shame is that it has taken me so long. Thank you Fr Altman for your COURAGE. If you love Jesus & His Church & this nation…please HEED THIS MESSAGE.”
LifeSite’s hope is that this petition will encourage Bishop Callahan of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin to support his priest rather than bring canonical proceedings against him.
People need to speak up about this important issue. Please sign this petition urging Bishop Callahan to stop any canonical proceedings against Fr. Altman, and share it with your family and friends if you haven’t already.
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lifesitenews--2020-09-12--Texas lawmaker demands investigation of ‘child porn’ Netflix film ‘Cuties’

TEXAS , September 11 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Texas legislator Matt Schaefer has called for an investigation into a new Netflix film accused by conservative commentators of promoting “ child porn.
” Shaefer announced on social media that he is asking the state ’ s Attorney General ’ s Office to “ investigate the Netflix film ‘ Cuties ’ for possible violations of child exploitation and child pornography laws.
” Conservative commentators and social media–users are calling for Netflix to be “ canceled ” after the film about girls as young as 11 performing sexualized dance acts went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a director and producer , said , “ The whole team behind Cuties needs to be investigated.
” Starbuck highlighted a January interview with Cuties director Maïmouna Doucouré in which she says that “ more than 700 young girls ” had auditioned for the film , “ none of whom had ever done theatre before coming on set.
” “ As a director I call [ sic ] tell you it ’ s not normal to audition 700 little girls with no acting experience , ” Starbuck posted to Twitter .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ auditions ?
They preyed on inexperienced people starstruck by Hollywood.
” Lila Rose , founder and president of the pro-life group Live Action , has posted a series of tweets making the case that the filmmakers have broken U.S. law on “ child porn ” because the film “ blatantly zooms in on sexual parts of little girls as they dance suggestively , partially clothed , for adult audiences , as explicit sexual ‘ exploration.
’ ” Writing earlier today for LifeSiteNews , Dr. Joseph Shaw , an Oxford University philosophy teacher and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ producers of the series are themselves sexualizing and exploiting the child actors , and serving up their sexualized performances for consumption by male critics like themselves.
” “ If there is a power dynamic going on here , the consumers are at the top , Netflix as pimp or enabler is in the middle , and these poor children are at the bottom , ” Shaw writes .
“ The real story here is not about girls spontaneously organizing a twerking troupe in order to stick to ‘ the man ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story .
What is happening in the real world is ‘ the man ’ corralling girls into a twerking troupe to tickle the jaded appetites of Netflix subscribers .
”

Rep. Matt Schaefer wants the attorney general to look into 'possible violations of child exploitation and child pornography laws.'
TEXAS, September 11, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Texas legislator Matt Schaefer has called for an investigation into a new Netflix film accused by conservative commentators of promoting “child porn.”
Shaefer announced on social media that he is asking the state’s Attorney General’s Office to “investigate the Netflix film ‘Cuties’ for possible violations of child exploitation and child pornography laws.” Conservative commentators and social media–users are calling for Netflix to be “canceled” after the film about girls as young as 11 performing sexualized dance acts went live on the platform.
I have asked Texas Attorney General Paxton’s office to investigate the @netflix film “Cuties” for possible violations of child exploitation and child pornography laws. #CUTIES #txlege — Matt Schaefer (@RepMattSchaefer) September 10, 2020
Robby Starbuck, a director and producer, said, “The whole team behind Cuties needs to be investigated.”
Starbuck highlighted a January interview with Cuties director Maïmouna Doucouré in which she says that “more than 700 young girls” had auditioned for the film, “none of whom had ever done theatre before coming on set.”
“As a director I call [sic] tell you it’s not normal to audition 700 little girls with no acting experience,” Starbuck posted to Twitter. “What were they told to do during auditions? They preyed on inexperienced people starstruck by Hollywood.”
The whole team behind Cuties needs to be investigated. Look what I found. As a director I call tell you it’s not normal to audition 700 little girls with no acting experience. What were they told to do during auditions? They preyed on inexperienced people starstruck by Hollywood. pic.twitter.com/8hXBrVVvE0 — Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) September 11, 2020
Lila Rose, founder and president of the pro-life group Live Action, has posted a series of tweets making the case that the filmmakers have broken U.S. law on “child porn” because the film “blatantly zooms in on sexual parts of little girls as they dance suggestively, partially clothed, for adult audiences, as explicit sexual ‘exploration.’”
1. Whether the focal point of the visual depiction is on the child’s genitalia or pubic area; 2. Whether the setting of the depiction is sexually suggestive, that is, in a place or pose associated with sexual activity; — Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 10, 2020
6. Whether the depiction is designed to elicit a sexual response in the viewer. The #netflix film blatantly zooms in on sexual parts of little girls as they dance suggestively, partially clothed, for adult audiences, as explicit sexual “exploration.” It fails the Dost test. — Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 10, 2020
Writing earlier today for LifeSiteNews, Dr. Joseph Shaw, an Oxford University philosophy teacher and father of eight children, argued that the “producers of the series are themselves sexualizing and exploiting the child actors, and serving up their sexualized performances for consumption by male critics like themselves.”
“If there is a power dynamic going on here, the consumers are at the top, Netflix as pimp or enabler is in the middle, and these poor children are at the bottom,” Shaw writes.
“The real story here is not about girls spontaneously organizing a twerking troupe in order to stick to ‘the man’; no, that is a made-up story. What is happening in the real world is ‘the man’ corralling girls into a twerking troupe to tickle the jaded appetites of Netflix subscribers.”
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lifesitenews--2020-09-12--Comedians discovering that joking about transgenderism will get you canceled

PETITION : Hold UN accountable for babies killed by sex-selection abortion !
Sign the petition here .
September 11 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — As Ted Cruz noted on Twitter today , “ Hollywood is funniest when they don ’ t intend to be.
” He was referring to alleged comedian Trevor Noah ’ s recent comments on the massive wildfires originally sparked by a pyrotechnic device utilized in a gender reveal party that has since raged out of control and burned over 10,000 acres .
When it started , I joked on social media that it was unbelievable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing , considering that they are clearly transphobic .
Predictably , Noah agrees — but he apparently isn ’ t joking .
Referring to the wildfires sparked by the gender reveal party , Noah noted that “ aside from all the damage it can cause , celebrating a baby ’ s genitalia is starting to feel very outdated.
” Why is that ?
Because “ given everything we ’ re learning about gender , gender reveal parties should only happen when the child is old enough to know their actual gender.
” You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Noah ’ s comments .
First , there ’ s the assumption that your genitals have nothing to do with your gender — which is , strictly speaking , nonsense .
But if you believe that there are plenty of women who happen to have penises , then suddenly a gender reveal party instead becomes “ celebrating a baby ’ s genitalia ” rather than , you know , his gender .
It appears that Noah has struck on the only thing dumber than causing a natural disaster by wildly overdoing your gender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their gender at some random point , presumably after they have been told they have options .
These are the folks who believe that doctors “ assign gender at birth , ” as if physicians are just sort of taking a stab at it .
Comedians have been not been entirely on board with the trans agenda ( or at least they can not resist making jokes about such a bizarre phenomenon ) and have pointed out many of the absurdities of transgender claims .
Dave Chapelle attracted a lot of flak for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change genders and stating that the transgender experience is funny .
Disgraced comedian Louis C.K .
mocked transgender pronouns in a leaked profanity-laced set that was widely condemned .
Bill Burr joked about a trans fighter pilot ’ s “ discarded d -- -.
” Ricky Gervais famously went the farthest after being accused of “ deadnaming , ” the practice of using a transgender person ’ s given name , as opposed to the new opposite-sex name he has chosen for himself .
He responded by doing an entire series of jokes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ himself as Caitlyn Jenner , replete with plenty of examples that highlighted just how ridiculous the entire charade is .
He also attracted the ire of trans activists with a public Twitter spat on the case of Jonathan Yaniv , the man posing as a woman and suing beauticians who decline to wax his very male genitals .
All attempts to re-educate him have failed miserably .
These days , telling jokes about the transgender community has become a mortal sin .
We ’ re not supposed to joke about our new orthodoxies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make people laugh .
Progressives have pushed out Christianity and guard their new dogmas with incredible fervor — and heresy-hunting is alive and well .
Progressives also believe that sacred things are no laughing matter , but their sacred things are transition rather than conversion , and their confirmation rituals involve genital mutilation , hormone therapy , and new names .
Nature may say one thing , but the trans movement defies nature itself — and Trevor Noah , like so many others , has abandoned humor for the pulpit , telling us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the program .
The trans agenda , after all , is no laughing matter .
Alessandra Bocchi is an Italian journalist well-known for her freelance reporting all over the world .
She believes the mainstream media is driven by ideology rather than a desire for truth .
It ’ s “ hard to find a nuanced and informed view ” on current events , she says .
Journalism today is “ all about personalities and memes rather than substance.
” It ’ s more concerned with “ catering to [ the progressive elite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve lost their integrity and credibility in many respects.
” 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 , Jonathon interviews Alessandra Bocchi , an Italian journalist well known for her freelance reporting all over the world .
She believes that the mainstream media are driven by ideology rather than a desire for truth .
It ’ s “ hard to find a nuanced and informed view ” on current events , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all about personalities and memes rather than substance.
” It ’ s more concerned with “ catering to [ the progressive elite ] as opposed to reporting the truth…they ’ ve lost their integrity and credibility in many respects.
” You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below :

PETITION: Hold UN accountable for babies killed by sex-selection abortion! Sign the petition here.
September 11, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — As Ted Cruz noted on Twitter today, “Hollywood is funniest when they don’t intend to be.” He was referring to alleged comedian Trevor Noah’s recent comments on the massive wildfires originally sparked by a pyrotechnic device utilized in a gender reveal party that has since raged out of control and burned over 10,000 acres. When it started, I joked on social media that it was unbelievable that gender reveal parties are still a thing, considering that they are clearly transphobic. Predictably, Noah agrees — but he apparently isn’t joking.
Referring to the wildfires sparked by the gender reveal party, Noah noted that “aside from all the damage it can cause, celebrating a baby’s genitalia is starting to feel very outdated.” Why is that? Because “given everything we’re learning about gender, gender reveal parties should only happen when the child is old enough to know their actual gender.”
You’ll notice a few things about Noah’s comments. First, there’s the assumption that your genitals have nothing to do with your gender — which is, strictly speaking, nonsense. But if you believe that there are plenty of women who happen to have penises, then suddenly a gender reveal party instead becomes “celebrating a baby’s genitalia” rather than, you know, his gender. It appears that Noah has struck on the only thing dumber than causing a natural disaster by wildly overdoing your gender reveal party: believing that children choose their gender at some random point, presumably after they have been told they have options. These are the folks who believe that doctors “assign gender at birth,” as if physicians are just sort of taking a stab at it.
Comedians have been not been entirely on board with the trans agenda (or at least they cannot resist making jokes about such a bizarre phenomenon) and have pointed out many of the absurdities of transgender claims. Dave Chapelle attracted a lot of flak for mocking the idea that people could simply change genders and stating that the transgender experience is funny. Disgraced comedian Louis C.K. mocked transgender pronouns in a leaked profanity-laced set that was widely condemned. Bill Burr joked about a trans fighter pilot’s “discarded d—.”
Ricky Gervais famously went the farthest after being accused of “deadnaming,” the practice of using a transgender person’s given name, as opposed to the new opposite-sex name he has chosen for himself. He responded by doing an entire series of jokes on Bruce Jenner prior to his presenting himself as Caitlyn Jenner, replete with plenty of examples that highlighted just how ridiculous the entire charade is. He also attracted the ire of trans activists with a public Twitter spat on the case of Jonathan Yaniv, the man posing as a woman and suing beauticians who decline to wax his very male genitals. All attempts to re-educate him have failed miserably.
Follow Jonathon Van Maren on Facebook
These days, telling jokes about the transgender community has become a mortal sin. We’re not supposed to joke about our new orthodoxies, especially not if the jokes actually make people laugh. Progressives have pushed out Christianity and guard their new dogmas with incredible fervor — and heresy-hunting is alive and well. Progressives also believe that sacred things are no laughing matter, but their sacred things are transition rather than conversion, and their confirmation rituals involve genital mutilation, hormone therapy, and new names. Nature may say one thing, but the trans movement defies nature itself — and Trevor Noah, like so many others, has abandoned humor for the pulpit, telling us we must get serious and get with the program.
The trans agenda, after all, is no laughing matter.
Alessandra Bocchi is an Italian journalist well-known for her freelance reporting all over the world. She believes the mainstream media is driven by ideology rather than a desire for truth. It’s “hard to find a nuanced and informed view” on current events, she says. Journalism today is “all about personalities and memes rather than substance.” It’s more concerned with “catering to [the progressive elite] as opposed to reporting the truth…they’ve lost their integrity and credibility in many respects.”
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, Jonathon interviews Alessandra Bocchi, an Italian journalist well known for her freelance reporting all over the world. She believes that the mainstream media are driven by ideology rather than a desire for truth. It’s “hard to find a nuanced and informed view” on current events, she says. Journalism today is “all about personalities and memes rather than substance.” It’s more concerned with “catering to [the progressive elite] as opposed to reporting the truth…they’ve lost their integrity and credibility in many respects.” 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--2020-09-11--People behind climate change agenda accelerating their plans with the COVID scam are ‘deeply cruel,

People behind climate change agenda accelerating their plans with the COVID scam are ‘deeply cruel, evil, and psychotic people’

September 11 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – On August 14 , I wrote a blog titled “ The two most dangerous men in the world ?
” It was inspired by a video by Dave Cullen , the Irish Internet blogger whom I consider to be one of the more well-informed , brilliant , and bluntly honest research analysts on the Wuhan virus crisis .
Today , I must present and comment on yet another of his videos , It ’ s time to wake up , that was published just today .
It is a half-hour blockbuster .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ watch it .
Cullen astutely takes viewers through a series of charts , text excerpts , and video statements by various notable persons related to the pandemic .
In the process , he presents what I consider to be a very solid case for the title of this blog post .
My comments won ’ t do justice to the impact of the video , so please don ’ t rely on these limited details to understand the full , very crucial video presentation .
Folks , if you continue to believe the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most of the media , liberal political leaders , and by your governments and health ministries , then we are heading for a never-in-history level of grief , loss of freedoms and tyranny all over the world that you can not now even imagine .
Yes , it is that serious .
And I say that not because of Dave Cullen ’ s video .
I say it because I recognize from my own intensive research every day for the past several months that everything he presents in the video is likely right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say it not to frighten you , but to warn you that it is indeed time to wake up and , by together taking strong actions , we can stop these murderous megalomaniac elites from successfully implementing their evil plans .
There has been a constant flood of new information in recent weeks about what is REALLY going on related to the virus and what the REAL agenda is of all those who are extending and adding to the mandates and restrictions on the public to prevent a supposed second wave of virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are raising the fear level of the populations of various nations , cities , and U.S. states and successfully conning citizens to believe their tyrannical lockdowns and other measures are necessary – when in fact hardly any of it is necessary and the threat of the virus has almost disappeared .
What is actually causing large numbers of deaths are the restrictions and lockdowns themselves – more deaths than from the virus that we now know could be easily prevented if there were not such cruel restrictions on the use of very inexpensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence is now overwhelming that they could have prevented almost all the virus-related deaths that have occurred so far .
There is now increasing evidence that the death rate from the virus itself is far , far below what we have all been led to believe and which most of the public still believes .
Polls have indicated that the public thinks that they will die if they become infected with the Wuhan virus and their estimation of the actual number of deaths from the virus is from 30 to 50 times greater @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a type of mass hysteria going on related to the virus .
Cullen says we are now in a “ Casedemic.
” Haven ’ t you noticed that all the news now is about the rise in “ cases ” in the states , provinces , countries , cities , schools , factories , and so on ?
Few bother to ask why we are being pummeled with constant stats about this term that we have never used before to such a public extent .
What are “ cases ” ?
Why are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and deaths ?
It ’ s quite simple .
Hospitalizations and deaths have plummeted .
They have lost their fear factor .
Something else was needed to keep the fear going so that the public could be convinced to accept increased limits on their freedoms as we have been seeing in Victoria in Australia , in California , in England , and elsewhere .
A case is just someone who has tested positive for the virus , has symptoms that seem to indicate infection , or were found to have been exposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But now we know that this does not mean much if anything at all .
These tests are notoriously unreliable .
The vast majority who test positive for the Wuhan virus experience either no or slight symptoms .
In other words , it is all to keep the fear going .
Most of the public has been falling for this con .
More people are wearing masks than ever before even though ALL the medical evidence of studies done on masks of the type the public are wearing still reveals that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and infection .
Thousands upon thousands are still unnecessarily isolating themselves and afraid to go shopping , on transit , for a walk in the park , to a movie or restaurant or , worst of all , afraid to go to a hospital or their doctor when they are sick .
Many thousands have died totally alone with all family , even spouses , cruelly and unnecessarily being prohibited from visiting them .
Parents and grandparents are not being visited by their children and grandchildren for months on end with the children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from dying from the virus .
All of this is causing serious emotional distress , mental and other health issues , unbearable loneliness , general social disintegration , and death .
Cullen states there is serious talk of another lockdown in Ireland just because of cases and yet what is going on health-wise is nothing out of the ordinary from previous years .
He and Wuhan virus commenter Jerry Day emphasize , as many others are now concluding , that there are in fact no reliable tests for coronavirus .
But to fuel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is being engaged in other countries .
“ They start testing well people who are likely to have shreds of past coronavirus indicators and declare them a new case of the supposed pandemic , ” Cullen states .
Most past colds are coronaviruses and people have residues of them in their system that come up as a supposed Wuhan virus-positive .
Millions who were infected by Cov Sars 1 in 2005 have been found to be immune to Cov Sars 2 or , as it is currently called , COVID-19 .
There is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strongly emphasizing that “ there is no reason for people to be walking around with a mask.
” Now he is advocating the exact opposite .
“ It appears that government health experts are getting their directions from the World Health Organization , ” Cullen warns .
And there definitely has been growing evidence of this .
The WHO , itself a UN entity , is a very corrupt organization with deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party , the IMF , and other untrustworthy groups .
Cullen reveals that financially collapsing airlines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bodies with grants and loans that have heavy strings attached .
That explains why airlines are putting such severe demands on flyers as we have been seeing in recent days where even families with two- and three-year-old children are being booted off flights for not having these young children wear masks .
Air travel has become an oppressive experience .
One has to seriously question whether most of these rules are really necessary .
Cullen explains what is the real purpose of these oppressive measures .
Above all , he exposes the climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agenda and that it is really about implementing the Paris climate change accord , the “ Global Reset , ” and world depopulation goals .
Lockdowns have led to massive pollution drops .
They let people see what the world would look like if there were fewer people in general in the world .
“ We are experiencing a global coup ” with the coronavirus , Cullen says .
It is being used to change the entire world – permanently to the “ new norm ” of a world totally controlled by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case that our politicians are puppets for the IMF , the World Bank , the World Health Organization , and the UN .
Crashing economies make it easier to control people .
Country after country is seeing high cases and low mortality .
Useless testing has to be stopped .
It is only facilitating the globalists ' agenda .
And the direction they are taking us seems to be toward a mandatory vaccine and “ vaccine passports.
” Cullen proclaims , with good reason , “ You were deceived .
You are being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be angry .
The people behind the climate change agenda who are accelerating their plans with the COVID scam are deeply cruel , evil , and psychotic people .
They are obsessed with conversations like population control in every sense of that term .
It makes one wonder what is in the vaccine .
The fight against this scam is a fight for the freedom of humanity .
”

If you continue to believe the lies being fed by most media, liberal political leaders, and by your governments and health ministries, then we are heading for a never-in-history level of grief, loss of freedoms, and tyranny all over the world that you cannot now even imagine.
September 11, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – On August 14, I wrote a blog titled “The two most dangerous men in the world?” It was inspired by a video by Dave Cullen, the Irish Internet blogger whom I consider to be one of the more well-informed, brilliant, and bluntly honest research analysts on the Wuhan virus crisis. Today, I must present and comment on yet another of his videos, It’s time to wake up, that was published just today. It is a half-hour blockbuster. You absolutely MUST take the time to watch it.
Cullen astutely takes viewers through a series of charts, text excerpts, and video statements by various notable persons related to the pandemic. In the process, he presents what I consider to be a very solid case for the title of this blog post. My comments won’t do justice to the impact of the video, so please don’t rely on these limited details to understand the full, crucial video presentation.
Folks, if you continue to believe the lies that you are being fed by most of the media, liberal political leaders, and by your governments and health ministries, then we are heading for a never-in-history level of grief, loss of freedoms and tyranny all over the world that you cannot now even imagine.
Yes, it is that serious. And I say that not because of Dave Cullen’s video. I say it because I recognize from my own intensive research every day for the past several months that everything he presents in the video is likely true. And I also say it not to frighten you, but to warn you that it is indeed time to wake up and, by together taking strong actions, we can stop these murderous megalomaniac elites from successfully implementing their evil plans.
That’s strong language, but you know, it is now time for strong language. In past times of great turmoil where all seemed lost, leaders arose who spoke forcefully and bluntly and did not spare their hearers that truth so that they would be shaken awake and motivated to do necessary battle.
Winston Churchhill was one such leader who had harsh words for Hitler and for Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain who foolishly thought he could negotiate with the Devil. St. Joan of Arc is another who firmly believed that France could be saved when all others thought she was insane for thinking that France could defeat the British.
There are many more historic heroes who acted instead of wallowing in fear.
There has been a constant flood of new information in recent weeks about what is REALLY going on related to the virus and what the REAL agenda is of all those who are extending and adding to the mandates and restrictions on the public to prevent a supposed second wave of virus deaths. In the process, they are deliberately raising the fear level of the populations of various nations, cities, and U.S. states.
The result is that they are successfully conning citizens to believe that the destructive lockdowns and other measures are necessary – when in fact hardly any of it is necessary and the threat of the virus has almost disappeared.
What has been especially causing large numbers of deaths are the restrictions and lockdowns themselves – more deaths than from the virus that we now know could easily be prevented if there were not such cruel restrictions on the use of very inexpensive, totally safe meds.
The evidence is now overwhelming that Hydroxychloroquine, which is safer than Aspirin and Tylenol, could have prevented almost all the virus-related deaths that have occurred so far.
There is also evidence that the death rate from the virus itself is far, far below what we have all been led to believe and which most of the public sadly still believes. Polls have indicated that a majority believe that they will die or become seriously ill if they become infected with the Wuhan virus and their estimation of the actual number of deaths from the virus is from 30 to 50 times greater than the true number.
There is a type of mass, suicidal hysteria going on related to the virus.
Cullen says we are now in a “Casedemic.” Haven’t you noticed that all the news now is about the rise in “cases” in the states, provinces, countries, cities, schools, factories, and so on? Few bother to ask why we are being pummeled with constant stats about this term that we have never used before to such a public extent. What are “cases”?
Why are they using that now instead of hospitalizations and deaths?
It’s quite simple. Hospitalizations and deaths have plummeted. They have lost their fear factor. Something else was needed to keep the fear going so that the public could be convinced to accept increased limits on their freedoms as we have been seeing in Victoria, Australia, in California, in England, and elsewhere. And we need to be kept fearful so we will accept and even welcome the vaccine.
A “case” is just someone who has tested positive for the virus, has symptoms that seem to indicate infection, or were simply and ridiculously found to have been exposed to someone who tested positive for the virus. But now we know that this does not mean much, if anything at all.
These tests are notoriously unreliable. The vast majority who test positive for the Wuhan virus experience either no or slight symptoms. In other words, it is all to keep the fear going.
Most of the public has been falling for this con. More people are wearing masks than ever before. ALL the medical evidence of studies on the effectiveness of the type of masks the public is wearing reveals they are generally useless for preventing virus transmission and infection. And wearing masks for a long period of time every day can make you sick – even dangerously sick in some cases. They can even increase the possibility of viral infection.
Only people who are sick with a communicable disease should be wearing masks, but even then only when they are close to others for perhaps ten or more minutes, rather than briefly walking or bicycling by them.
Thousands upon thousands are still unnecessarily isolating themselves and afraid to go shopping, travel on transit, enter an elevator, go for a walk in the park, enjoy healthy exposure to fresh air and the sun, go to a movie or restaurant or, worst of all, afraid to go to a hospital or their doctor when they are sick.
They are not being told by anyone how to strengthen their immune system with exercise, healthy diet, fresh air, exposure to the sun, and regular consumption of Vitamins C and D and zinc. That alone could prevent a huge number of infections.
Many thousands have tragically died alone, with all not-sick family, even spouses, cruelly and unnecessarily being prohibited from visiting them. Parents and grandparents are not being visited by their children and grandchildren, who are not sick, for months on end with the children and grandchildren thinking the isolation is protecting them from dying from the virus.
They have been told that they could somehow kill mom and dad or their grandparents if they visit them. They have been warned, even though they have no symptoms at all, that they might be asymptomatically infected with the Wuhan virus and could unknowingly infect their vulnerable loved ones. Now we know that has not been correct.
All of a sudden studies are revealing that asymptomatic persons have such a low viral load that it is very unlikely they could infect others. And they don’t need to wear a mask unless they are sick. They have got to stop torturing and even killing their loved ones with isolation and loss of necessary close human contact.
Sure, wash your hands, make sure you are not sick when you visit them, use common sense, but stop hurting them with excessive isolation.
All of this is causing serious emotional distress, mental and other health issues, unbearable loneliness, general social disintegration, and death from lack of normal medical care, a major decline in quality of life, poor diet, no exercise, no exposure to the sun, loss of a sense of purpose, a huge increase in suicides.
It would also be incredibly simple to give the vulnerable a cheap, totally safe, low prophylactic dose of hydroxychloroquine and from then on people can be especially assured that they can visit them. The normally vulnerable can then also feel completely safe to go out to stores and onto transit, visit friends and family and so on. Instead, the very best and safest medicine in the world for COVID is banned from being used in almost all the developed western nations while it is freely available, in most cases over the counter, in all of Africa, in most of South America, and in many other nations.
In all those nations, the death rate from the Wuhan virus is far lower than that of nations where HCQ is prohibited or strictly limited.
Cullen states there is serious talk of another lockdown in Ireland just because of increased “cases” and yet what is going on health-wise is nothing out of the ordinary from previous years.
He and Wuhan virus commenter Jerry Day emphasize, as many others are now concluding, that there are in fact no reliable tests for coronavirus. But to fuel the pandemic narrative, the same scam is being engaged in other countries. “They start testing well people who are likely to have shreds of past coronavirus indicators and declare them a new case of the supposed pandemic,” Cullen states.
Most past colds are coronaviruses and people have residues of them in their system that come up as a supposed Wuhan virus-positive. Millions who were infected by Cov Sars 1 in 2005 will test as positive but have been found to be immune to Cov Sars 2 or, as it is currently called, COVID-19.
There is a video clip of Dr. Anthony Fauci strongly emphasizing that “there is no reason for people to be walking around with a mask.” Now he is advocating the exact opposite. “It appears that government health experts are getting their directions from the World Health Organization,” Cullen warns. And there has definitely been growing evidence of this. The WHO, itself a UN entity, is a corrupt organization with deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party, the IMF, and other untrustworthy groups.
Cullen reveals that financially collapsing airlines are being kept afloat by international financial bodies with grants and loans that have heavy strings attached. That explains why the airlines are putting severe demands on airports and passengers as we have been seeing in recent days where even families with one, two- and three-year-old children are being booted off flights for not having these young children wear masks. Air travel has become an oppressive, frightening experience.
One has to seriously question whether most of these rules and billions spent on new mitigation equipment and billions lost on many seats being blocked off to facilitate “social distancing” on flights are really necessary. Cullen explains the real purpose of these oppressive measures – population control and reducing man-made climate change. They have no intention of ever allowing carbon dioxide-producing air travel to return to previous levels.
That brings us to the shocking climate change connection to the Wuhan virus mitigation policies and that it is really about implementing the extreme Paris Climate Change Accord policies and UN Sustainable Development goals, the “Great Reset,” and world depopulation goals.
Lockdowns have led to massive, man-made carbon dioxide and pollution drops. The globalists are forcing people to see what the world would look like if there were fewer people in the world, as though we will all be positively impressed with empty streets and highways, no cruise liners on the seas, and few aircraft in the skies. It is downright evil.
“We are experiencing a global coup” with the coronavirus, Cullen says. It is being used to change the entire world – permanently, to the “new norm” of a world controlled by totalitarian global elites who are among the highest CO2 emitters in the world with their private jets, multiple mansions and fleets of very expensive cars and yachts.
Cullen makes a strong case that our politicians are puppets for the IMF, the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and the UN. Crashing economies is deliberately ongoing to make it easier to control people.
Country after country is seeing high cases and low mortality. Useless testing has to be stopped. It is only facilitating the globalists’ agenda.
The direction they are taking us is toward a borderless, cashless society, contact-tracing, mandatory vaccines and “vaccine passports” without which we will be prohibited from buying, selling, getting healthcare, traveling, and pretty well everything else – just as Communist China is now doing – greatly helped by Silicon Valley inventiveness.
Cullen proclaims, with good reason, “You were deceived. You are being played. You have a right to be angry. The people behind the climate change agenda who are accelerating their plans with the COVID scam are deeply cruel, evil, and psychotic people. They are obsessed with conversations like population control in every sense of that term.
It makes one wonder what is in the vaccine. The fight against this scam is a fight for the freedom of humanity.”
We all have to wake up and fight back. It is not an option. Sorry. Either comply and forever lose most of your freedoms, including the freedom to openly worship God, or prepare yourself to do things that you may have never done in the past.
Forget comfort, security, and the daily normal that you have always enjoyed. Everything is at stake. We are already in a war to destroy and replace what is left of Christian civilization, but most of the good have been missing in action.
Stop watching and reading all the mainstream media that are paralyzing you with lies and fear. Find and stick to only the more reliable alternative sources for your information.
What specific actions can you take in response to this disturbing situation? See my response to a reader in the comments related to this article.
RELATED:
See many more Dave Cullen videos here. They are exceptionally informative.
Secular Sharia – Followers of the Covid cult – Crime of spreading misinformation is a new kind of heresy – Must watch Dave Cullen video!
COVID 19 – Scamdemic – Part 1 – Evidence for the virus being used to establish a New World Order – a secular, anti-God, anti-family, anti-population order of totalitarian control by the elite
The deadly truth about lockdowns and masking policies
Pope Francis again uses COVID outbreak to push globalist environmental agenda
Masks don’t work against prolonged exposure to the infected, CDC admits
13 Australian doctors tell govt to end lockdowns: ‘They’re causing unprecedented negative…outcomes’
Ordinary sensible people if properly informed should inevitably conclude that the current government policy is ill focused, heavy-handed, and unjustifiable
The two most dangerous men in the world?
Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci are two of the leaders co-opting the Wuhan virus–manufactured hysteria to usher in a truly New World Order.
US ‘frontline’ doctors’ website exposes ‘criminal’ campaign by tech giants, govt agencies to block COVID med
Dr. Simone Gold’s White Paper reveals the shocking, deep corruption and deception that has resulted in desperately needed, life-saving COVID infection treatments being suppressed since the pandemic began.
New York Times: ‘up to 90 percent’ of positive COVID cases don’t need to isolate
Explosion in mandatory masking isn’t driven by science, but fear
You will be shocked by many of the revelations in this report that your usual information sources are not telling you.
Pandemic Panic Has Magnified The Worst Impulses Of The Power-Hungry Elite
How Forced Isolation Makes Huge Power Grabs Possible
Today’s wannabe social controllers are clearly using the virus as a sort of obedience school where we can be conditioned through isolation to conform to their demands.
How a false hydroxychloroquine narrative was created, and more
It is remarkable that a large series of events taking place over the past 3 months produced a unified false message about hydroxychloroquine, and produced similar policies about the drug in the US, Canada, Australia, NZ and western Europe
We’ve Been Doing It All Wrong? – hugely important story on testing
UCLA, Stanford study finds for average 50-64 year old, chances of dying from COVID-19 are 1 in 19.1M
Plurality of Americans Support Shutting Down Economy Again Over CCP Virus: Epoch Times/Big Data Poll
The Big COVID Con Exposed
Follow Steve Steve is the co-founder and managing director of LifeSiteNews.com.
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lifesitenews--2020-09-11--New York Times: ‘up to 90 percent’ of positive COVID cases don’t need to isolate

PETITION : Support pastors fighting against oppressive state mandates !
Sign the petition here .
NEW YORK , September 11 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – In a finding that could have an enormous impact on lockdowns , social distancing , and mask wearing , The New York Times reported that “ up to 90 percent of people testing positive ( for COVID-19 ) carried barely any virus , ” and thus are “ not likely to be contagious.
” “ The standard tests are diagnosing huge numbers of people who may be carrying relatively insignificant amounts of the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 29 .
The commonly used PCR tests , the article explained , amplify “ genetic matter from the virus in cycles ; the fewer cycles required , the greater the amount of virus , or viral load , in the sample .
The greater the viral load , the more likely the patient is to be contagious.
” However , doctors aren ’ t told about the number of cycles needed to identify the viral load .
One patient could be highly contagious , whereas another is not likely to spread the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know and is unable to act accordingly .
“ In three sets of testing data that include cycle thresholds , compiled by officials in Massachusetts , New York and Nevada , up to 90 percent of people testing positive carried barely any virus , ” The New York Times found by reviewing the data .
Instead of using 37 to 40 cycles , which is common practice right now , the article suggested anything under 30 to 35 cycles to indicate a positive .
“ Tests with thresholds so high may detect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fragments , leftovers from infection that pose no particular risk – akin to finding a hair in a room long after a person has left , ” one doctor argued , according to the article .
If “ up to 90 percent ” of coronavirus cases are not actually contagious , the measures implemented by governors across the United States are called into question .
Governors generally look at the number of new cases to determine their course of action in easing or reinforcing lockdowns .
The state of California , for instance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per 100,000 people in any given county to be “ moderate ” risk level .
Four to seven cases are categorized as “ substantial , ” and the risk level is deemed “ widespread ” as soon as more than seven people get a positive test result on any given day .
At a “ widespread ” risk level , many non-essential indoor business operations are closed , the official website explained .
Most of the state is categorized at that level , and indoor church services , among other things , are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thresholds for California risk levels incredibly low , they also don ’ t take into account that a large number of positive tests could flag people who are not likely to be contagious , as The New York Times pointed out .
The large number of positive tests increased fear in the population .
However , beyond The New York Times ’ findings , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 94 percent of cases of death linked to COVID-19 , other “ health conditions and contributing causes ” were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6 percent of the deaths , COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned .
For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19 , on average , there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death.
” With that in mind , protests against mask mandates , mandatory vaccines , church closures , and business lockdowns appear to be very reasonable acts .
“ I work in rural America and I ’ ve seen three cases in eight months , ” Dr. Leland Stillman told LifeSiteNews at the “ March Against Mandates ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And one of them was a false positive .
You ’ re going to tell me everybody ought to be vaccinated over a virus that seems to be harming a very , very small proportion of Americans , most of whom were already extremely old or malnourished or extremely sick ?
That doesn ’ t hold water .
”

'The standard tests are diagnosing huge numbers of people who may be carrying relatively insignificant amounts of the virus,' the newspaper reported.
PETITION: Support pastors fighting against oppressive state mandates! Sign the petition here.
NEW YORK, September 11, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – In a finding that could have an enormous impact on lockdowns, social distancing, and mask wearing, The New York Times reported that “up to 90 percent of people testing positive (for COVID-19) carried barely any virus,” and thus are “not likely to be contagious.”
“The standard tests are diagnosing huge numbers of people who may be carrying relatively insignificant amounts of the virus,” the newspaper wrote on August 29.
The commonly used PCR tests, the article explained, amplify “genetic matter from the virus in cycles; the fewer cycles required, the greater the amount of virus, or viral load, in the sample. The greater the viral load, the more likely the patient is to be contagious.”
However, doctors aren’t told about the number of cycles needed to identify the viral load. One patient could be highly contagious, whereas another is not likely to spread the virus at all – the doctor doesn’t know and is unable to act accordingly.
“In three sets of testing data that include cycle thresholds, compiled by officials in Massachusetts, New York and Nevada, up to 90 percent of people testing positive carried barely any virus,” The New York Times found by reviewing the data.
Instead of using 37 to 40 cycles, which is common practice right now, the article suggested anything under 30 to 35 cycles to indicate a positive.
“Tests with thresholds so high may detect not just live virus but also genetic fragments, leftovers from infection that pose no particular risk – akin to finding a hair in a room long after a person has left,” one doctor argued, according to the article.
If “up to 90 percent” of coronavirus cases are not actually contagious, the measures implemented by governors across the United States are called into question.
Governors generally look at the number of new cases to determine their course of action in easing or reinforcing lockdowns. The state of California, for instance, considers less than four daily cases per 100,000 people in any given county to be “moderate” risk level. Four to seven cases are categorized as “substantial,” and the risk level is deemed “widespread” as soon as more than seven people get a positive test result on any given day.
At a “widespread” risk level, many non-essential indoor business operations are closed, the official website explained. Most of the state is categorized at that level, and indoor church services, among other things, are officially prohibited.
Not only are the thresholds for California risk levels incredibly low, they also don’t take into account that a large number of positive tests could flag people who are not likely to be contagious, as The New York Times pointed out.
The large number of positive tests increased fear in the population. However, beyond The New York Times’ findings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 94 percent of cases of death linked to COVID-19, other “health conditions and contributing causes” were present, as well.
“For 6 percent of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned. For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death.”
With that in mind, protests against mask mandates, mandatory vaccines, church closures, and business lockdowns appear to be very reasonable acts.
“I work in rural America and I’ve seen three cases in eight months,” Dr. Leland Stillman told LifeSiteNews at the “March Against Mandates” in Virginia earlier this month. “And one of them was a false positive. You’re going to tell me everybody ought to be vaccinated over a virus that seems to be harming a very, very small proportion of Americans, most of whom were already extremely old or malnourished or extremely sick? That doesn’t hold water.”
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lifesitenews--2020-09-11--German Cardinal Marx pens book on ‘freedom’ at the service of ‘new epoch’ in Church, theology

September 11 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Cardinal Reinhard Marx , the former head of the German Bishops ’ Conference , has recently published a new book – Freedom – that doesn ’ t mention the cross even once .
Prof. Dr. Manfred Spieker , an expert on Catholic Social Teaching , has reviewed the book .
It is not easy to do justice to a book of only 175 pages with such an ambitious title .
Reinhard Marx wants to renew the language of faith in the context of freedom .
His episcopal motto from 2 Corinthians , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lord works , there is freedom , ” would have been a suitable starting point ( p. 10 ) , as would the passage he quoted from the Epistle to the Galatians , according to which in man ’ s relationship with God , God is the one who acts , who frees us to freedom ( p. 40 ) .
The book consists of two parts that have little more in common than the cover .
In the first part Marx offers some fundamental reflections on freedom and the role of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is interpreted as a history of freedom .
In the second part he tries to legitimize the Synodal Path of the Catholic Church in Germany .
A sustainable bridge between the two parts is not discernible .
In the central chapter of the first part Marx wants to “ get to the bottom of freedom ” ( p. 31 ) .
He starts with the Exodus story of the Old Testament ( p. 31 ) .
It is a story of liberation , but also of the fear of freedom .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corresponds to our idea of happiness and success , is not conceivable without freedom .
This freedom has two sides , freedom from something and freedom for something .
The book Exodus is not only about liberation from bondage , but also about a new covenant .
Only in the new covenant does freedom complete itself , “ and that ultimately in love , the deepest human bond ” ( p. 34 ) .
That freedom “ finds its goal in love ” ( p. 24 and 164 ) could be something like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But Marx does not seem to have found the peace for even a halfway systematic reflection of this thought .
Accordingly , the quotations from Kant to Habermas and from Adam Smith to Paul Kirchhof , which are interspersed again and again , seem rather artificial .
Moreover , references to Catholic social teaching as an expression of the social love of the Christian faith and the safeguarding as well as the limitation of freedom remain strangely thin for a bishop who as a professor once taught the subject of Christian social doctrine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Caritas in veritate by Benedict XVI do not make an appearance .
Deus caritas est especially shows the social dimension of love .
The critical remarks on the role of the Church in the history of modernity are in line with those of Church historian Hubert Wolf , who is also quoted several times .
The Church was able to see the recognition of personal freedom in questions of philosophy and faith “ obviously only as loss of power and therefore [ had ] to fight against it.
” It was “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the history of Christianity and the Church were distant from each other and sometimes even hostile to each other , sometimes even until today ” ( p. 59 ) .
A Church “ which remains in a purely negative view of modernity and dreams itself back into an idealized past , in which the truth of Christianity could be interpreted and administered by a few and imposed on all people ” is outdated and therefore to be prevented .
The fact that such voices are “ to be heard more often ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unfortunately Marx does not mention a single one of these “ voices to be heard more often.
” An astonishing blindness for a social ethicist is shown by his assertion that the Church had indeed “ stood up for freedom , but just for the freedom of the Church , less for the freedom of people.
” Only the Second Vatican Council had “ opened new perspectives ” ( p. 64f ) .
What then did Pope Leo XIII stand for when he argued in the encyclical Rerum novarum of 1891 for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as their humane treatment ?
Or the Church in Poland , which during the communist rule under the leadership of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński and the auxiliary bishop of Cracow , Karol Wojtyła , stood up for the freedom of all Poles even before the Council ?
Wojtyła later courageously continued this fight for freedom and human rights as Pope John Paul II on his travels to the military dictatorships of Latin America and Asia .
Incidentally , the Council did not immunize the Church against the temptation to sometimes focus more on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of peoples , as was shown by the Vatican ’ s Ostpolitik under Cardinal Casaroli , to which Pope John Paul II put a quick end after he took office in 1978 .
Also his assertion that it had remained “ an open question ” in theology up to the Second Vatican Council , “ how the history of mankind and thus also the history of freedom could be interwoven with the history of the Kingdom of God ” ( p. 55 ) , says more about the author than about the history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the relationship between Civitas Dei and Civitas Terrena has been a perennial feature of theology , not only since Augustin ’ s De civitate Dei .
For another , the Second Vatican Council did not give a conclusive answer to it either .
Thus Marx ’ warnings of a “ depoliticization of faith ” on the one hand and of a “ sacralization and politicization of religion ” on the other are justified – the question of the “ correlation of real history and the proclamation of the Kingdom of God ” ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of days .
In the second part of his book , Marx attempts to present in various ways the Synodal Path of the Catholic Church in Germany as the solution to all ecclesiastical problems .
A Church that is “ in the service of freedom ” must interpret “ the signs of the times in the light of the Gospel.
” The “ signs of the times ” are a “ locus theologicus ” that is still not systematically reflected enough ( p. 95 ) .
This systematic reflection is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not even seem to be aware of the problems that arise when the “ signs of the times ” become a “ locus theologicus , ” i. e. a theological source of knowledge alongside Holy Scripture and the tradition of the Church .
Who should determine what the “ signs of the times ” are ?
Based on what criteria should they be determined ?
With Peter Hünermann , one of the protagonists of the “ signs of the times ” theology , Marx could have found the admission that there are no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the times.
” If the “ signs of the times ” are given a dogmatic rank alongside scripture and tradition , dogmatics is left to the judgment of the historian , the journalist , or the opinion pollster .
It is hard to imagine which “ signs of the times ” such a theology would have assumed in 1914 , 1933 , 1968 or 1990 or would have assumed in 2020 after the coronavirus pandemic .
Marx bypasses all these questions and assumes that the Synodal Path takes up the right “ signs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the questions of power , participation and separation of powers , of the role of women in ministries and offices of the church , of celibacy and sexual morality ” ( p. 105 ) .
A further attempt to explain the Synodal Path as necessary is his reference to the study commissioned by the German Bishops ’ Conference , which was to clear up sexual abuse in the space of the Catholic Church – after the origin of the commissioned researchers ( Mannheim , Heidelberg and Gießen ) abbreviated and called MHG study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had raised exactly those questions which the Synodal Path was supposed to deal with .
Marx avoids a critical reflection of this study , as well as a justification for the fact that the issues of the Synodal Path should have something to do with sexual abuse in the space of the Church .
The critical objections against the Synodal Path , both by German bishops and by Pope Francis in his letter to the German Catholics of June 29 , 2019 , are not even mentioned .
The assertion that in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ various perspectives , ideas , and also concerns ” regarding the future of the Church in Germany are “ considered and continued together ” ( p. 92 ) is not confirmed either in the book or in the course of the Synodal Path so far .
Several times Marx proclaims that the Church is “ at the beginning of a new epoch of Christianity and thus also of theology ” ( p. 95 and 104 ) .
He warns against an “ authoritarian restoration , ” for which he again avoids any proof @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Synodal Path .
It is a matter , according to the last sentence of his book , “ of giving new radiance to the Gospel when we speak of a God who leads us through Christ into true freedom and truly redeems us ” ( p. 164 ) .
A beautiful sentence !
Who would not want to make it his own ?
However : In the center of the redemption through Christ are the cross and resurrection .
A liberation that bypasses the cross is unthinkable for Christians – no matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cross does not occur in Marx ’ s book .
On none of the 175 pages is it even mentioned – as if he wanted to confirm with this book his walk over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on October 20 , 2016 , during which he , like the Protestant bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm , had taken down his pectoral cross .
His episcopal motto , “ But where the Spirit of the Lord works , there is freedom , ” remains valid .
But since Peter and Paul , this freedom is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ version of the review appears in Die Neue Ordnung , September-October 2020 .
It was translated into English with permission by LifeSite ’ s Martin Bürger

PETITION: Join faithful German Catholics in resisting bishops’ plan to ‘Protestantize’ Church! Sign the petition here.
September 11, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the former head of the German Bishops’ Conference, has recently published a new book – Freedom – that doesn’t mention the cross even once. Prof. Dr. Manfred Spieker, an expert on Catholic Social Teaching, has reviewed the book.
It is not easy to do justice to a book of only 175 pages with such an ambitious title. Reinhard Marx wants to renew the language of faith in the context of freedom. His episcopal motto from 2 Corinthians, “But where the Spirit of the Lord works, there is freedom,” would have been a suitable starting point (p. 10), as would the passage he quoted from the Epistle to the Galatians, according to which in man’s relationship with God, God is the one who acts, who frees us to freedom (p. 40).
The book consists of two parts that have little more in common than the cover. In the first part Marx offers some fundamental reflections on freedom and the role of the Church in the history of modernity, which is interpreted as a history of freedom. In the second part he tries to legitimize the Synodal Path of the Catholic Church in Germany. A sustainable bridge between the two parts is not discernible.
In the central chapter of the first part Marx wants to “get to the bottom of freedom” (p. 31). He starts with the Exodus story of the Old Testament (p. 31). It is a story of liberation, but also of the fear of freedom. A really good life, a life that corresponds to our idea of happiness and success, is not conceivable without freedom. This freedom has two sides, freedom from something and freedom for something. The book Exodus is not only about liberation from bondage, but also about a new covenant. Only in the new covenant does freedom complete itself, “and that ultimately in love, the deepest human bond” (p. 34). That freedom “finds its goal in love” (p. 24 and 164) could be something like a guiding thread of the book. But Marx does not seem to have found the peace for even a halfway systematic reflection of this thought. Accordingly, the quotations from Kant to Habermas and from Adam Smith to Paul Kirchhof, which are interspersed again and again, seem rather artificial. Moreover, references to Catholic social teaching as an expression of the social love of the Christian faith and the safeguarding as well as the limitation of freedom remain strangely thin for a bishop who as a professor once taught the subject of Christian social doctrine. The encyclicals Deus caritas est and Caritas in veritate by Benedict XVI do not make an appearance. Deus caritas est especially shows the social dimension of love.
The critical remarks on the role of the Church in the history of modernity are in line with those of Church historian Hubert Wolf, who is also quoted several times. The Church was able to see the recognition of personal freedom in questions of philosophy and faith “obviously only as loss of power and therefore [had] to fight against it.” It was “a great tragedy that the history of freedom and the history of Christianity and the Church were distant from each other and sometimes even hostile to each other, sometimes even until today” (p. 59). A Church “which remains in a purely negative view of modernity and dreams itself back into an idealized past, in which the truth of Christianity could be interpreted and administered by a few and imposed on all people” is outdated and therefore to be prevented. The fact that such voices are “to be heard more often” worries him (p. 64). Unfortunately Marx does not mention a single one of these “voices to be heard more often.”
An astonishing blindness for a social ethicist is shown by his assertion that the Church had indeed “stood up for freedom, but just for the freedom of the Church, less for the freedom of people.” Only the Second Vatican Council had “opened new perspectives” (p. 64f). What then did Pope Leo XIII stand for when he argued in the encyclical Rerum novarum of 1891 for the freedom of association for workers, as well as their humane treatment? Or the Church in Poland, which during the communist rule under the leadership of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński and the auxiliary bishop of Cracow, Karol Wojtyła, stood up for the freedom of all Poles even before the Council? Wojtyła later courageously continued this fight for freedom and human rights as Pope John Paul II on his travels to the military dictatorships of Latin America and Asia. Incidentally, the Council did not immunize the Church against the temptation to sometimes focus more on her own freedom than on the freedom of peoples, as was shown by the Vatican’s Ostpolitik under Cardinal Casaroli, to which Pope John Paul II put a quick end after he took office in 1978.
Also his assertion that it had remained “an open question” in theology up to the Second Vatican Council, “how the history of mankind and thus also the history of freedom could be interwoven with the history of the Kingdom of God” (p. 55), says more about the author than about the history of theology. For one thing, the relationship between Civitas Dei and Civitas Terrena has been a perennial feature of theology, not only since Augustin’s De civitate Dei. For another, the Second Vatican Council did not give a conclusive answer to it either. Thus Marx’ warnings of a “depoliticization of faith” on the one hand and of a “sacralization and politicization of religion” on the other are justified – the question of the “correlation of real history and the proclamation of the Kingdom of God” (p. 55f) will remain open until the end of days.
In the second part of his book, Marx attempts to present in various ways the Synodal Path of the Catholic Church in Germany as the solution to all ecclesiastical problems. A Church that is “in the service of freedom” must interpret “the signs of the times in the light of the Gospel.” The “signs of the times” are a “locus theologicus” that is still not systematically reflected enough (p. 95). This systematic reflection is also not provided by Marx. He does not even seem to be aware of the problems that arise when the “signs of the times” become a “locus theologicus,” i. e. a theological source of knowledge alongside Holy Scripture and the tradition of the Church. Who should determine what the “signs of the times” are? Based on what criteria should they be determined? With Peter Hünermann, one of the protagonists of the “signs of the times” theology, Marx could have found the admission that there are no criteria for determining the “signs of the times.” If the “signs of the times” are given a dogmatic rank alongside scripture and tradition, dogmatics is left to the judgment of the historian, the journalist, or the opinion pollster. It is hard to imagine which “signs of the times” such a theology would have assumed in 1914, 1933, 1968 or 1990 or would have assumed in 2020 after the coronavirus pandemic. Marx bypasses all these questions and assumes that the Synodal Path takes up the right “signs of the times,” namely “the questions of power, participation and separation of powers, of the role of women in ministries and offices of the church, of celibacy and sexual morality” (p. 105).
A further attempt to explain the Synodal Path as necessary is his reference to the study commissioned by the German Bishops’ Conference, which was to clear up sexual abuse in the space of the Catholic Church – after the origin of the commissioned researchers (Mannheim, Heidelberg and Gießen) abbreviated and called MHG study (p. 104f). This study had raised exactly those questions which the Synodal Path was supposed to deal with. Marx avoids a critical reflection of this study, as well as a justification for the fact that the issues of the Synodal Path should have something to do with sexual abuse in the space of the Church. The critical objections against the Synodal Path, both by German bishops and by Pope Francis in his letter to the German Catholics of June 29, 2019, are not even mentioned. The assertion that in the process of the Synodal Path “the various perspectives, ideas, and also concerns” regarding the future of the Church in Germany are “considered and continued together” (p. 92) is not confirmed either in the book or in the course of the Synodal Path so far. Several times Marx proclaims that the Church is “at the beginning of a new epoch of Christianity and thus also of theology” (p. 95 and 104). He warns against an “authoritarian restoration,” for which he again avoids any proof, but which should be prevented by the Synodal Path.
It is a matter, according to the last sentence of his book, “of giving new radiance to the Gospel when we speak of a God who leads us through Christ into true freedom and truly redeems us” (p. 164). A beautiful sentence! Who would not want to make it his own? However: In the center of the redemption through Christ are the cross and resurrection. A liberation that bypasses the cross is unthinkable for Christians – no matter what their confession. However, the cross does not occur in Marx’s book. On none of the 175 pages is it even mentioned – as if he wanted to confirm with this book his walk over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on October 20, 2016, during which he, like the Protestant bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, had taken down his pectoral cross. His episcopal motto, “But where the Spirit of the Lord works, there is freedom,” remains valid. But since Peter and Paul, this freedom is sealed by the cross.
The German version of the review appears in Die Neue Ordnung, September-October 2020. It was translated into English with permission by LifeSite’s Martin Bürger
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