At the root of Modernism is the denial of absolutes, thus subjectivizing reality and truth and consequently sentimentalizing religion on a personal level — errors that Pope Francis has also been endorsing.

The Modernists place the foundation of their religious philosophy in that doctrine which is commonly called agnosticism. Perforce, then, human reason is entirely restricted to phenomena, namely, things that appear, and that appearance by which they appear; it has neither the right nor the power to transgress the limits of the same. Therefore, it cannot raise itself to God nor recognize His existence, even through things that are seen. (Denzinger 2072) [emphasis added in this and succeeding quotes]

Certain Catholics, bedazzled by the triumphs of science and befuddled by false philosophies, embraced the idea that we can only get certainty from direct sense evidence. Doing this, they shut off reason from reaching God, when reason alone can provide us with an objective God. And only the objective God is the God of absolute truth, the Catholic God, i.e., the God to Whom only the true Catholic Faith leads. This is the real God; there is no other.

Sense data, of itself, provides no direct information about God, since God is immaterial. Only the immaterial power of man’s intellect, through a process of metaphysical abstraction, can yield certain, objective knowledge of what transcends the material order. Thus, chaining reason to phenomena pushes the one objective God away from reason’s reach. And without such an objective God, a man who “wants religion” must create his own subjective god. With Modernists, we no longer have the one creating God manifesting His order to the universe of men, but each individual man manifesting belief in the god of his creation. This is the long term result of the religious agnosticism which was condemned 100 years ago.

Did it disappear after its condemnation? Or did it mutate and, like a new strain of malaria, re-appear in a more insidious and deadly form? To answer this, we must turn to a Pope and an atheist, and see to what degree they mutually adhere to the three step subjectivization of reality given above.

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Atheists take issue with opt-in faith-based college dorms

Though the ministry programs typically are run by the Catholic church, students with other religious affiliations are free to participate in the events, and one of the goals is to spur interfaith dialogue. The resident population is overwhelmingly Christian, but also includes Jews, Muslims and others at some schools.

The residence halls, which cost students about what secular dorms do, provide sorely needed housing, supporters say. Because they are privately funded, including their operating costs, universities don’t have to foot the bill.

“This was actually a financial joy for us,” said Anthony Catanese, president of Florida Tech, a private university where the 148-bed Mary Star of the Sea residence hall was recently inaugurated.

But the facilities have provoked some controversy. Last month, the Freedom From Religion Foundation—a group in Madison, Wis., that seeks to maintain state-church separation—wrote a letter to Troy outlining why it considered the Newman Center illegal on a public-university campus.

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Editor’s note: The Catholic Newman Centers typically do great work on college campuses across the country – and these faith based dorms are just a logical next step. The atheists can live wherever they want. Nobody is forcing them to do anything. But at the same time, without a viable faith-based housing option, many young people living in conventional college dorms are  forced to live in virtual “dens of iniquity” – with rampant cohabitation and promiscuous sex – including open homosexuality, drugs, virtually non-stop rock and roll – and all types of neo-pagan Bacchanalia. Turning a blind eye toward  these types of issues would be a sin!

Having seen the movie,” Animal House” and not totally ignorant of the ways of the world – when it was time for my eldest son to go off to college, my wife and I had a short but serious talk with him. Then we fervently prayed together, asking  God to “keep him close”. Back home, our family never missed Sunday Mass, so we printed out a small file providing Mass times and walking/driving directions to several Catholic Churches located in and around his new, college digs.

Visiting about a month later, taking in the view from his lofty 14th floor dorm, I casually asked my son to point out for me where he usually attended Mass. “Right there, dad,” he replied. I scanned the horizon from right to left, out and back – two or three times – but try as I might, I was unable to identify anything resembling a church.  “Where?”, I said. “There, dad!”. Still nothing! “One more time, please. Where is the church?”

It was only then that I realized how literally God had chosen to answer our prayers. I had been looking out. What I should have done was look straight down. There – 14 floors below and just across the street – was the local Newman Center, where Mass and Confession were available five days per week, along with a host of other Catholic resources, tailored to the needs of college kids.

My wife couldn’t help but notice the look of relief and gratitude on my face. She gave me a knowing smile. My son just laughed.  It was one of those faith affirming moments that we would have in common, forever.

Praise God, for he is good! 

A typical Newman Center

Redeemed – certainly. Justified – perhaps, someday.

Pope Francis says atheists who do good are redeemed too.

The Vatican issued an “explanatory note on the meaning of “salvation,” on Thursday, May 23, after media reports circulated indicating that Pope Francis” promised heaven for everyone engaged in good works, including atheists.

In response to the media attention, the Rev. Thomas Rosica, a Vatican spokesman, said that people who know about the Catholic church “cannot be saved” if they “refuse to enter her or remain in her.”

Rosica also said that Francis had “no intention of provoking a theological debate on the nature of salvation,” during his homily on Wednesday.

 

Seen on the web re: Divine Providence

Posted by Mary De Voe on Saturday, Mar 30, 2013 9:52 AM (EDT): 

When we cast our cares upon the Lord, He leads us to safety. It is called Divine Providence. When the atheist can prove that he makes the rain fall, the snow fall, the seed germinate and the crops grow, than he can be taken at face value, otherwise the atheist is a usurper.

Link

Judge plans to deny bid for park Nativity displays

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge indicated Monday that she planned to deny a bid by churches to force Santa Monica to reopen spaces in a city park to private displays, including Christmas Nativity scenes.

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Christians are more militant than Muslims, says Government’s equalities boss

Trevor Phillips warned that “an old time religion incompatible with modern society” is driving the revival in the Anglican and Catholic Churches and clashing with mainstream views, especially on homosexuality.

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Atheists please take note: The Gospel of St. John explains precisely how God heals amputees.

By Doug Lawrence

John 9:1-7

And as he (Jesus) passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind?

Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. When I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed his eyes with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went away therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

What’s going on here?

God planned from all eternity for this moment, which was necessary if Jesus was to fulfill all that was written about him in the OT books of the Law, the Psalms, and the Prophets.

Jesus is clear: Contrary to the popular belief of those times, the blind man’s condition was not the result of any sin on his part, or his family’s. God intended for this man to be born lacking the necessary organs for sight, most likely including eyeballs, optic nerves, musculature, and all other necessary connections to the brain … in order to, in the fullness of time,  perfectly accomplish his will and his plan.

Here’s where it gets interesting … atheists please take note:

In the past, all that was necessary for a healing miracle was a word from Jesus, or a mere touch. This time we have much more than a simple malfunction or malformation of some existing human body “part”. This time, the “part” does not even exist.

What to do?

Jesus falls back on the very same technique he used to hand-craft Adam, the first man.

Adam was made from the “slime of the earth” … ordinary, wet clay. Once Adam’s body was suitably fashioned by God’s own hand … in God’s very own image and likeness … Adam received his soul (the breath of life) … and mankind was created.

Facing this blind man … and having nothing with which to work … Jesus again resorted to the use of wet clay in order to fashion the necessary missing sight organs.

By the time the man had reached the pool, God’s work was complete, the man’s long, dark night was over, and Bible prophecy had once again, been completely fulfilled.

From this account it’s clear that restoring missing body parts is no simple or routine matter, even for the only begotten Son of God, and that such a feat requires extra work and very specialized powers, which appear to be ordinarily reserved to God alone.

So, atheists … why does it seem that God is not inclined to routinely heal amputees? We don’t know.

But since Jesus never gave us Christians any reason to believe that such powers were within our grasp, the question is totally irrelevant, incompetent, and immaterial. (A lot like atheism, itself.)