Instead of tolerating a bad culture,[1] the Christian confronts it and rebukes it.[2]

Bonga, 18, wasn’t buying. “Black people are not the same as white people,” he said. “Black people do not abstain.” Smith responded: “I understand that the Zulu people like to say they do things differently. But this is not about what Rob thinks, nor about what the white man thinks. This is about what God thinks. If you reject this, you’re not rejecting man, but God.”[2]

[1] Schierer, Luke. “The fruits of toleration” Schierer.org 2005-07-11 http://www.schierer.org/~luke/log/20050711-1431/the-fruits-of-toleration
[2] Olasky, Marvin. “The G8 should pay attention to Bonga” Creators Syndicate, Inc. 2005-07-07 http://www.townhall.com/columnists/marvinolasky/mo20050707.shtml

The New York Times thinks it newsworthy that several scientists, including Dr. Kenneth Miller and an ex Dominican, Dr. Francisco J. Ayala, have written to the Pope asking for a clarification of the Church’s teaching on evolution.[1] I can only hope that the Pope does so; I doubt Dr. Miller will be pleased. For some reason though the headline says they are asking the Pope, the article says the letter is “en route to Cardinal Schönborn.” I read in Pope John Paul II’s words none of the endorsement for the more materialist versions of evolution that Dr. Miller seems to find. Given though that he has made a name for himself as a Catholic biologist supporting evolution, it comes as no real surprise that he would question and hope for some way to continue to say that he is in line with the rest of the Church. he would not be half so quotable if he stood in marked opposition to the Church’s stance on evolution after all. Still, I think this is a risk for him to take. I think he’s hoping that Pope Benedict XVI will balk at issuing a statement that could be used to characterize the Church as suppressing scientific inquiry. The Church does not suppress scientific inquiry nor deny the use of science, so there is some logic to such a hope. It will be interesting and informative to read what, if anything, our Pope writes in response.

[1] Dean, Cornelia. “Questions for Pope on Evolution Stance” New York Times (On-line) 2005-07-13 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/13/national/13pope.html?ex=1278907200&en=32dfb36744c66fe8&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

For all I do not think I would choose it for myself, I certainly do like much that Apple has done with MacOSX. I just booted off a DVD, having told it to do so without the use of a monitor or keyboard (using just the two buttons on the front and the led lights), ssh-ed in, set up a raid array, and am now installing the system, from that ssh shell. That is Very Cool™.

Maine is now being sued to see if you can be arrested for drinking on private property even if you are not causing a public disturbance.[1] I expect at issue here is as much the police’s version of events versus the Mr. Laverriere’s though, so nothing much may happen here. It is interesting and somewhat alarming to note though how far we have gone from the ideals of freedom. Mr. Laverriere is right in suing here, this action flies in the face of what one would expect to see in a free country.

[1] Associated Press. “Maine man sues for right to be drunk on private property” FindLaw 2005-0708. http://news.findlaw.com/ap/o/51/07-08-2005/64500013a5ccda3f.html

A look at the reality we are supposed to tolerate:

• One out of every three children is having sex at the age of 10.[1]
• 17 out of 100 will deliberately spread the virus if they know they are HIV-positive.[1]
• At 18, two out of every three children had had sex.[1]
• One in 10 said they believed sex with a virgin could cure HIV/Aids.[1]
• One in 10 had been raped in the past year.[1]
• Three out of every 100 pupils thought that girls liked sexually violent boys.[1]
• One out of every 10 thought that girls who got raped, asked for it.[1]

Apparently two out of 10 know not to trust condoms, but that is small indeed in the face of so much evil. The above describes a society, a reality, that cannot, must not, be tolerated. It must be eradicated.

[1] Naran, Juggie. “More younger children are having sex - survey” IOL 2005-07-10 http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20050710123619850C495299

Cardinal Schönborn wrote an editorial Thursday last week clarifying the Church’s teaching on evolution, which many misunderstand.[1] In keeping with the teachings of Pope John Paul II, he stated that the details of history are left to science, and that some forms of evolution are compatible with the Catholic faith. He asserted, however, that the “Neo-Darwinian” evolution, which insists on unguided and unplanned formation, is not. His statement is remarkably clear, and I recommend reading it (assuming you can get to it past the registration requirement). People were quick to react with dismay. An article in the science section the soon after describes “Darwinian evolution” as the “foundation of modern science.”[2] Note that this starts off with a misrepresentation. Evolutions’ proponents had listened only where convenient to our previous pope, and are now claiming that the Church has changed its position. How typical. Dr. Kenneth Miller, and odd man who claims to be Catholic yet has no problems disagreeing with the Church on this matter, is quoted prominently, but another scientist, Dr. Francis Collins,is more willing to accept “Theistic evolution,” which is compatible with the Catholic Faith.

ARN, naturally enough, provides some balance here, asking good questions and pointing out that most people really will not be all that shocked or concerned by the good Cardinal’s statements.[3]

[1] Schönborn, Christoph. “Finding Design in Nature” New York Times (Online) 2005-07-07 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/07/opinion/07schonborn.html?pagewanted=print
[2] Dean, Cornelia and Laurie Goodstein. “Leading Cardinal Redefines Church’s View on Evolution” New York Times (Online) 2005-07-09 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/09/science/09cardinal.html?ei=5088&en=0c18342598665e77&ex=1278561600&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print
[3] Magnuson, Tom. “Leading Cardinal Redefines Church’s View on Evolution” ARN “In The News” Web Log 2005-07-09 http://www.arn.org/blogs/index.php/3/2005/07/09/leading_cardinal_redefines_church_s_view

It appears that some of the worst fears concerning the federal campaign-finance law have come true.[1] A Washington state judge has ruled that on-air editorial comments are campaign contributions. Vincas questions how this logic works, its really quite simple. If an endorsement by the NRA, an obviously political organization, is a contribution, and if the ads they pay for with their own money to advertise their endorsement are a contribution, then clearly the same is true of any other public figure. This is increasingly true as you subscribe to the idea that the electorate is unable to think or care for itself (and thus needs high levels of socialism and regulation). To the extent that a voter will be swayed by that editorial, the campaign has benefited. Clearly then this is true to the extent someone is a public figure. Thus posting an online journal puts my ideas and the reasons before them more in the public view, and my open source work makes my name known. The combination would, under this precedent, make my thoughts potentially a contribution to a campaign. Conceivably, simply posting an online journal is sufficient.

If this sounds wildly paranoid, consider this post.

[1] Malkin, Michelle. “FREE SPEECH FIGHT IN WASHINGTON STATE” 2005-07-09 http://michellemalkin.com/archives/002963.htm

Church Construction

In the great cathedrals and churches in Europe, you have a vast flow of people. To prevent disrespect to Christ in the Eucharist, He is placed in a chapel on the side of the church. Coming out of Vatican II, this was the model that informed many of the churches now in use here.

There are essentially four styles of church design.

• You can build really small, making the parishioners feel the closeness and personal nature of God.
• You can build tall and narrow, lifting the parishioners up out of themselves to God
• You can build massively, making the parishioners feel their smallness in relation to God
• I do not remember the 4Th. perhaps there are only 3?

The 3rd is the style attempted at, badly, in many of the current churches, St. Joseph’s being a good example. Starting small and growing, it fails to achieve the desired effect, while leaving the pastor with this massive back wall that either seems wrongly empty or distractingly decorated (often, not always).

Fr. Pollard on the Pope’s address to the American Bishops on the occasions of their Ad Limina visits

Vatican II called to ensure that we remain rooted in our history: orders to the charism of the founder, sacraments to the intent and manner of Christ.

After Vatican II, it was intended that the Bishops would retreat to meditate on the documents produced. This essential meditation, with a few noteworthy exceptions (such as Pope John Paul II, then a Cardinal, or the late Cardinal Sin), did not happen. As a result, you saw and see change without renewal, and see, throughout Pope John Paul II’s pontificate a call to mediation and renewal.

The change called for by Vatican II must start within, in the heart and lives of the Bishops to renew their Diocese, the Pastor to renew his parish, the parents to renew their family.

A Bishop is first a witness and only because of that witness a leader and authority.

Looking back at previous ecumenical councils, it took 50-100 years for each to be implemented. If you think about it, the council was called because of the failure of one set of bishops, presided over by and run by that set, and then it is left to that same set to implement it. As a result it largely doesn’t happen. Rather, a few manage to implement it, many fail, some spectacularly so. The next generation of Bishops looks at the mistakes and successes of their predecessors and start to get it right. Again I see a practical example of Belloc’s theory of history flowing in terms of generations.

As Catholics, we are paradoxically called to fit in and yet stand out. We are called to live what is good in the culture. To be the best of the good citizens, notable primarily for our virtue. Naturally in some societies this will be easier than in others, as some societies are more in line with our beliefs than others. It is a hard problem that saints have wrestled with.

One of the many temptations that faces the Church is to look out to the world for the source and form of renewal. This must be avoided. Rather, we must look to the Church itself for how to renew and reform. If our own time is flawed in one way, it is certain that some other period of our history had it right, and by learning from our own history, we can see what works and what does not.

You cannot attempt to reform the Church without reforming yourself, nor yourself without reforming the Church(this particlar phrasology is perhaps especially centric to the Bishops, but it applies in kind to all of us). The personal, institutional, and charismatic come into play in every level of endevour. Thus to reform the Diocese, the Bishop must set the example, must lead his people in virtue. He must take action. And yet his action must come in the form of fighting abuses and problems, hearing confessions as well as going to confession, confirming his flock and saying Mass for them, as well as praying before the Eucharist privately. Similarly, the pastor reforming and renewing his parish sees the same interplay of the personal and the institutional, as do the parents facing family troubles.

The environment, personalities, skill sets (and distribution), gifts and vocations (and distribution thereof) will vary with geographical area. This variance will necessarily impact the way in which a Bishop or pastor approaches his ministry. This in turn encourages stability, and is why a pastor, in cannon law, has the right to resist being moved. It is then, a good question whether it is ideal or simply unavoidable(perhaps only for now?) that the bishops move around as much as they do. It certainly creates a chalenge that a Bishop new to a Diocease must face and surmount: he must, fairly quickly, accurately access the state both moral and economic, of his flock, resisting the temptation to see only the subset of it with the most ability to reach out to him (vrs respond to him reaching out). He must learn to know his people, to understand their challenges and abilities, and to make effective of his own resources for them, and of their resources for each other.

According to Fr. Pollard, through Pope John Paul II’s pontificate, he was consistently ordaining 20-30 priests a year as diocesan priests. This in Rome, a modern hedonistic and atheistic city. His challenge to his bishops then was constantly “if I can do it here, why can you not there?” Father thinks that perhaps the answer here lies in the sanctity of our previous pope.

I mentioned earlier that a pastor has the right to resist being moved. Specifically, a pastor is to be moved only if there is a pressing pastoral need to do so. On the other hand, as Father himself mentions, this presupposes that the pastor is in fact treating his role as a vocation, as his life, rather than merely as his job. Paraphrasing, if he is “just” a manager of a gas station, it matters little where he pumps gas. Thus pastors that do not become a father to their parhish would have less reason to resist being moved, and less of a need would be required to justify a move.

Is Islam a religion of peace? Or not? At least some think that it is not, at least not as practiced by terrorists. And they think that this militant (only?) form of Islam should be relevant to a trial.[1] I cannot say I blame the prosecutor here. But how would I feel if it were Catholicism being used as evidence? Well, it was in the early centuries, the difference there being that our true beliefs were not understood by those supposing our religion to be evidence. So I return to my original question, is Islam best represented by the terrorist, does the terrorist differ from the “average” Muslim only in his willingness to follow through on the implications of his doctrine? Or not?

[1] Blum, Vanessa. “Putting Islam on the Stand” Legal Times via Law.com. 2005-07-08 http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1120727114514

So today I got interested in trackbacks and comments. And low and behold, I discovered that you couldn’t enter them anywhere, or find the trackback uri! much fiddling later, I discovered the reason for this somewhat accidentally, clued in by a comment at http://wordpress.org/support/topic/38459 (asking if the user there had edited the permalink structure). Apparently my permalink structure choice was subtly unacceptable, resulting in the posts showing but without the extra html displaying comments and trackbacks and allowing you to find the trackback uri and post comments (if you are registered and logged in). So adding a /%post_id% to the permalink structure (which rather defeats the purpose of permalinks, doesn’t it?) solves that, and it now displays correctly.