John Wright

I’ll be reposting these daily, beginning with Caesar and going to Constantine XI. There are a total of 32. Any mistakes are mine. Enjoy.

Anne Applebaum nails it:

Gay person: *exist in a movie* Religious people: they are forcing their lifestyle on us Also religious people:

You say that Catholics somehow benefited from the Reformation because people can now read the Bible in English. Thst way of framing the issue misunderstands both the history and the underlying salvific principle involved. The Reformation was not a fortunate development that produced a few useful side effects. It was a catastrophic rupture in the unity of Christendom: a revolt against ecclesiastical authority that led to doctrinal confusion, the destruction of monasteries and religious life, long periods of religious wars, the confiscation of Church property, and the separation of large portions of the faithful from the visible unity of the Church. From a Catholic standpoint, whose first concern is the salvation of souls, such a rupture cannot be described as a blessing simply because one later notices some apparent practical convenience. Even the example you give is historically mistaken. The Catholic Church never opposed the translation of Scripture into vernacular languages as such. What the Church opposed were tendentious or inaccurate translations designed to support new doctrinal claims. Long before the Reformation there were approved vernacular translations circulating in Europe, including English versions. The Church’s concern was not whether Scripture could appear in English, but whether the text remained faithful to the deposit of revelation entrusted to the Church. More importantly, the claim that the Reformation was beneficial because it allowed ordinary people to read the Bible in English ignores the basic social reality of the 16th c. The vast majority of the population could not read at all. Perhaps, at the most, 10% of the population possessed even rudimentary literacy. Scripture was therefore encountered primarily through the liturgy, preaching, catechesis, and sacred art, which had always been the normal way the Church transmitted the Word of God to the faithful. And if you consider the small minority who could read, the argument becomes even weaker. Literacy in that period usually came through formal schooling, and schooling meant Latin. The grammar school system of England was built around Latin instruction. Anyone belonging to that literate minority was very likely capable, at least with some effort, of reading the Vulgate. In other words, the people who were capable of private reading were already able to approach Scripture through Latin. There is also the simple question of cost and availabilities Bibles. Gutenberg’s press appeared in the 1450s, and even printed Bibles remained extremely expensive, often costing the equivalent of several months’ wages for a skilled worker. Before printing, manuscript Bibles were even more costly. Books were luxury objects. The idea that ordinary people could simply acquire a personal Bible, saunter on over to the nearest nonexistent public library, and then read it privately is therefore completely absurd. Scripture was encountered where the Church had always placed it: in the liturgy, preaching, and catechesis, not through privately owned books. The deeper issue, however, is one of principle. A Catholic historian judges events not by perceived conveniences but by their relation to Truth and the salvation of souls. The Reformation shattered the unity of Western Christendom, unleashed centuries of religious conflict, and produced the fragmentation of Christianity into competing sects. Whatever incidental developments followed cannot outweigh the immense spiritual damage caused by schism and doctrinal error. From the Catholic point of view, the unity of the Church and the integrity of the faith are goods of a far higher order than the supposed advantage of vernacular access to Scripture.

61 billion dead, 90 sterilized planets, 40 religions destroyed, and the subjugation of 10,000 worlds

This is a Doctor in Canada Dr. Jocelyn Downie: "People doing MAID are actually very privileged, White, and well off" We care about the Less Fortunate and try and GIVE them MAID as well.

Let's call the SAVE America Act for what it is: an attempt to stop millions of eligible Americans from voting.    Trump and Republicans are not even trying to hide it anymore. It's all a part of a desperate attempt to cling to power while they push their failing, unpopular agenda. Not on my watch.

Do people believe in God because they found evidence, or because they were taught to believe as children?