What Side Will You Be On?

The article excerpt below from Catholic Exchange, Catholicism - A Hate Crime in Canada?, describes the opening acts of a larger movement in the western world.

“If one, because of one’s sincerely held moral beliefs, whether it be Jew, Muslim, Christian, Catholic, opposes the idea of same-sex marriage in Canada, is that considered ‘hate’?”The question was not rhetorical. Nor was it theoretical. Fr. Alphonse de Valk, a Basilian priest and pro-life activist known throughout Canada for his orthodoxy, is currently being investigated by the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) — a quasi-judicial investigative body with the power of the Canadian government behind it. The CHRC is using section 13 of Canada’s Human Rights Act to investigate the priest. This is a section under which no defendant has ever won once the allegation has gone to tribunal — the next stage of the process.

Most defendants end up paying thousands of dollars in fines and compensation. This is in addition to various court costs. Moreover, defendants are responsible for their own legal defense. In contrast, the commission provides free legal assistance to the complainant.

A persecution is coming. The values that Catholics (and other people of faith) hold as sacred are being outlawed. Ostensibly this illegalization of faith takes the guise of creating new “freedoms” or “rights.” These new “rights” are new and are false - rights are not created by the state - rights are endemic to being human - they can be recognizes by a state, but they cannot be created. When a new “right” is created by a state is better termed license (as in permission). These new licenses are beginning to be used to deny actual rights. We already see the right to life denied in the name of “freedom to choose abortion,” expect to see freedom of religion fall as it becomes illegal to hold religious beliefs.

This looming persecution seems inevitable with the West on its continuing 40+ year hedonistic binge, and rejection of morality. The time is coming when we will each need to choose what side we are on. Will you worship God and follow his precepts? Will you stand up and be counted no matter what the cost? Or will follow the state - supporting the “change” that it and its ministers preach?

Catholicism, Christianity, Persecution, Politics
Posted by RobK | Monday, Jun 16, 2008, 09:12 am

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4 Responses to “What Side Will You Be On?”

cbmc, Said:

This post depressed me so bad. I have been attending Mass for the first time in a decade and it has satisfied such a need in my spirit, but this nonsense focus on telling others what to do instead of just taking care of the Church is so unChristlike. It makes me remember why I left in the first place. Nobody’s going to be persecuting anybody; that’s a fantasy.

I so wish the Body of Christ would tend to Its own wounds instead of the World’s.

Jun 17, 2008 11:53 am

RobK, Said:

Cbmc, You cannot remove the Church from the world.
The Church is tasked with going out to the world. The idea of separating them is so foreign. The mission of the Church is to bring the world to Christ and Christ to the world. You cannot separate the spiritual from the rest of the world. What we believe must fill our entire lives.

The real problem is that the world does not want to hear the Church and will do whatever it can to stop her. Who do you think is at work when the Church is attacked for standing up for what is right?

If you think nobody is going to be persecuted - you need to open your eyes it is already here. The very idea you propose - to shove the Church to a tidy little corner is persecution. Perhaps not in a bloody sense, but in a more sinister sense whereby people are lulled into complacency.

If you really are coming back to the Church, I pray you continue and prepare yourself for what is ahead.

Jun 17, 2008 12:32 pm

cbmc, Said:

The task of the Church is to bring Jesus to the world, not to correct the world in its wrongs - the wrongs of a Christless world are far too numerous for any other strategy to be reasonable.

I started re-attending Mass about two months ago. What’s ahead for me is my own relationship with the Church which I’m happy to share with anybody who cares to listen; what’s not ahead for me are fantasy scenarios in which Catholics are shipped off to gulags, silenced in public, etc. That’s persecution fantasy plain and simple.

Jun 17, 2008 2:30 pm

RobK, Said:

The purpose of the Church is to bring Christ to the world and the world to Christ - to transform all of it. That is the job, and it is only through Christ that it can succeed, because through him nothing is impossible - but through ourselves none of it is. But he did come to transform the world, and he calls each of us to do the same (in union with him). This means calling out the faults in this world.

Faithful Christianity is difficult and their are costs - some of them I occasionally will post on. There are all kinds who want to shut the Church in a corner. In fact, that is what you yourself said in your first reply. But the world IS the business of the Church - it can’t be shoved aside - that would be untrue to its mission. And so we find factions and governments seeking to find ways to silence the Church. It is already happening. It has always happened somewhere in the world. To think it can’t or won’t happen here is a bit naive.

I wish you well on your journey. It is difficult to tell you much at this point, because you don’t see it. That’s fine. I once thought like you did. I pray you grow close to Christ and his Church.

Jun 17, 2008 2:55 pm

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