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All Along the Watchtower

~ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you … John 13:34

All Along the Watchtower

Tag Archives: Culture

Catholicism in the public square

06 Wednesday Feb 2019

Posted by John Charmley in Anti Catholic, Catholic Tradition, Church/State, Faith

≈ 34 Comments

Tags

Christianity, church and state, Culture

newman_john_everett_millais

In England, and thus by extension the English-speaking world, we inherit a tradition which has been called the “Black Legend,” through which English Catholicism has also been viewed. It makes the Catholic Church the centre of anti-English activities, a cruel, intolerant organisation characterised by the Inquisition. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs  provided a foundational text here, portraying Queen Mary I as “Bloody Mary,” a theme now so ingrained as to be to some extent immoveable.

In his influential “A History of the English-Speaking Peoples,” Churchill captures this legend in his treatment of England’s history as one of struggle against the Catholic Powers of Spain and France. The implication of a special English “destiny” was one passed into the American DNA via the idea of “manifest destiny.” All good stories have a villain, and the Catholic Church makes an excellent one in this narrative.

On top of these older narratives, we have a newer one, propagated via aggressive modern secularism, which is hostile to Christianity, but particularly so to the Catholic Church. This new narrative has widened its scope beyond the old victims, who were mainly white male; women and children have been included in the charge sheet. The Church is portrayed as anti-women because of its stances on abortion and contraception; indeed there are some areas where even praising this is seen as “offensive.” It is also hostile to “LGBTI” rights. And then there is child abuse and its cover up. As ever, there would be no smoke without fire, and on the last of these issues, the Church still seems a little tone deaf in some places, and, of course, the large areas where it is not get no attention from its critics.

All of this amounts to a sustained narrative which creates difficulties being a Catholic in the public square. So how do we tell a different story without simply being accused of a biased “revisionism” for its own sake?

In the first place we need to get our history right.

If there was a time when Christianity was alien to England, it was before the invasion of the Emperor Claudius in A.D. 43. By the time of the great rupture we call the Reformation, Christianity had been in these Islands for nearly 1500 years. It did not arrive in the seventh century with St Augustine. Bede is clear that it was already here, and what is sometimes called the “Celtic” Church seems simply to have been the Christianity that was already rooted here before the early fifth century when the Romans withdrew.

England, then Wales and Scotland have a longer history of being “Catholic” than they have of being anything else. Indeed, as Cranmer, Laud and the whole Anglo-Catholic tradition exemplify, a very large section of English Christianity saw itself a a reformed Catholic Church. Beowulf, Chaucer and Shakespeare are all products of Catholic culture, as is our education system, as is our law and morality. Reasons of State made it necessary for the English and then the British State to play up the separation from Rome; but that was not the same as separating from what Christianity had given to England, and indeed, Britain.

If we could examine our history afresh and tell this story, rather than the grand narrative of Churchill, then we should make steps in a positive direction. This is not about “revisionism” for its own sake, but it is, as with “Black” and “Women’s history,” a recognition that unless the story of a neglected group is told, it is hard for us to ass that group in a proper historical context.

I would suggest that viewed from this angle, the narrative is one that unites us. The story it tells is of the way in which the Faith created a civilisation with values and norms which are still needed; created an art which still influences us; and created a culture which still matters.

It is not, and never should be, a matter of denigrating in turn those who have denigrated the Catholic Church, but rather one of emphasising the values of the Faith and their positive legacy and continuing influence. It is of saying that Catholics is not “Irish,” or “Spanish” or “other,” it is part of the English spirit. But who will tell that story, who will write that curriculum for out schools, and who will promote the attempt to correct the balance? And equally important, who will do it in a non-partisan manner which recognises that no story is wholly black or white?

I would suggest that if prominent Catholics are looking for good causes, they might do worse than work towards the creation of an Institute that might begin and promote this good work.

We have schools and universities which are world-class, but we have inherited a tradition of reserve and perhaps have so thoroughly taken on board the need to “keep our heads down,” that we have hesitated to take the lead where we are able. We would not want to be accused of being sectarian, not least by those who are.

But there is nothing sectarian in capturing again the ways in which Catholicism is part of our heritage. In 1852 Newman delivered a series of lectures on the Present Position of Catholics in England which repay study. He outlined the problem and part of the solution. We are still looking for Catholics who will go forward with the task he outlined then. Shall we, in our time, say the way is too hard and the task too difficult? It was in Newman’s day. It is harder now. It will get no easier.

 

 

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The Rise of a New Culture of Effete Weaklings

06 Sunday Nov 2016

Posted by Scoop in Faith, Uncategorized

≈ 62 Comments

Tags

Culture, Effete, Weaklings

is-it-becoming-extinct

We have touched on the following subjects here at AATW concerning ‘Academic Freedom’, ‘Freedom of Speech’, ’Accepting the Sin right along with the Sinner’, ‘Reclassifying and Normalizing Sins’ not to mention ‘Xenophobia’ – especially popular amongst those who have lost their ‘grit’ to speak the truth whilst it is ‘out of season’ in the Modern Brave New World. NOTE: which is a misnomer, since for all intents and purposes, they know not the meaning of bravery for they are the weakest generation this world has seen to date: for from where I sit, we have a new culture that consists of craven little cowards who throw tantrums if they feel that their precious feelings have been damaged by a word, a glance or an innuendo – college students that require ‘safe zones’ and copious amounts of tranquilizing drugs to keep them from having emotional breakdowns.

Welcome to a culture led by the effete, bolstered up with a pseudo-courage of like minded weasels who have implemented mountains of legislation and laws to give them immunity from having to endure criticism, scorn and outright disgust. This is the post-Christian civilization that is emerging from the ashes of the virile, manly cultures that our fathers hewed in strength and courage and was protected with no less than their life’s blood. Courage, valor, honor, temperance, fortitude, prudence and character have been jettisoned only to be replaced by whining, shrieking, cowering, sniveling little robots who hide beneath the cover of ‘hate speech’ laws, a carte blanche [legally enforced] acceptance of every perversion and destructive force to both the family and to the general character of any normal society which might strive, survive or even thrive in this ‘not-so-perfect’ world.

This overly protected society has never been required to make it on its own, solve its own problems, or deal with difficulties; their parents, schools and governments were there to make sure they never grew up and lost their innocence; reminiscent of the story regarding the raising of Sidhartha who was kept far away from anything that was sad or the least bit troubling. At least least with Sidhartha, reality finally encroached on his utopia and was forced to confront it.  I have no indication that the same is about to happen to those who have bought into this new culture of ours; based on wants, needs and desires and never disturbed by truth, faith or reality. It is a utopia in their own minds . . . but only so long as the world won’t say mean and negative things to disturb their sensitive souls. Alas, we have created a world of emotional cripples who are the weakest of the weak and yet have been encouraged to think of themselves as the best of the best, the enlightened, the smartest, the more compassionate and most merciful generation on the planet. We have coddled them with diversity training, and to respect what is not respectable [they know not the meaning of the word yet]. They grew up receiving participation trophies and taught to believe in their own self-esteem.

“I can accomplish anything [not by working for it but by demanding it]. I can be whatever I want [because I deserve it and it is my right and an entitlement due to my sheer existence]. I can even be man if I am a woman or a woman if I am a man. Who is to tell me who or what I am? Only I can be the source of that truth.” The truth is never objective and to butt up against such truths is painful to them . . . and thus rejected and discounted as immoral and unloving lies that are being laid upon them as a ‘yoke’ too heavy to bare.

Well, this generation or their mentors are now of the age to be our ‘fearless’ leaders and they will pander for votes and describe a world of unicorns and fairies, but the reality is far from the truth. The world they paint is an hallucination drawn by the enemies of Christ and His Cross [let them not even contemplate the pains of the cross] and the hell that they create on this earth is not one that I personally will participate in: robot workers, lovers and soldiers, marriage-less, childless, sexless. A world where people are nothing more than domesticated animals in a petting zoo with all their needs taken care of and where the biggest decisions they will ever make is what to wear or what new gadget they will play with next. God help us . . . we have created a monster far more frightening than the original Frankenstein.

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Justice for Bishop George Bell of Chichester - Seeking Truth, Unity and Peace

ViaMedia.News

Rediscovering the Middle Ground

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a scrap book of words and pictures

grahart

reflections, links and stories.

John Ager's Home on the Web!

reflecting my eclectic (and sometimes erratic) life

... because God is love

wondering, learning, exploring

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Reflecting on sexuality and gender identity in the Church of England

walkonthebeachblog

The Urban Monastery

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His Light Material

Reflections, comment, explorations on faith, life, church, minstry & meaning.

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A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you ... John 13:34

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ancient, medieval, byzantine, anglican

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Faith, life and kick-ass moves

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More beautiful than the honey locust tree are the words of the Lord - Mary Oliver

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A blog pertaining to the future of the Church

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Ahavaha

On This Rock Apologetics

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Quodcumque - Serious Christianity

“Whatever you do, do it with your whole heart.” ( Colossians 3: 23 ) - The blog of Father Richard Peers SMMS, Director of Education for the Diocese of Liverpool

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Nick Cohen: Writing from London

Journalism from London.

Ratiocinativa

Mining the collective unconscious

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“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” — Maya Angelou

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A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you ... John 13:34

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Blessed be God forever.

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