For Anti-Democratic, Dictatorship Loving, Theocratic Fascist Thoughts…Not!

Check out my cool sword! Can’t wait to use it…

There I was, writing about pluralism. So my friend Mark Shea has been catching some heat lately for commenting on a video where self-proclaimed Catholic role-model, and all around knowledgeable guy, Michael Voris, blasts the hymn Amazing Grace for leading all Catholics into perdition’s flames. There’s a host of similar conspiracies that have been hatched on us too, and MV dutifully warns us of them all.

Here is what Mark wrote, and is now being pilloried for.

Maybe I can help divide the forces attacking the Dark Lord of the Pacific Northwest! Mark Shea is a big boy. He can handle stuff like this without any assistance from Joe Six-Pack, USMC. I mean, he’s taken him on for trying to act like a bishop before. But what the heck, Sun Tzu would approve of me working to divide the forces of an aggressor on an ally, so here goes.

Sure, anyone with their head on straight can simply ignore this guy easily, seeing as his venue of choice is YouTube. I’d rather watch Otis Rush play blues guitar over there than listen to another uncharitable rant by Michael Voris.

Back in April, I suggested reading the saints makes more sense. Now, thanks to a tip from a friend of a friend, and the interwebs, I have the video that I hope will make even the most sanguine, and die-hard fan of the Vortex scratch their head and say, What the hell?! It’s from way back in October of last year, but somehow, I missed it then. This is painful to watch…

Micheal Voris on the Proper Form of Government

Heh. And you thought I just grabbed the title for this post out of thin air. Thankfully, and I reckon Michael doesn’t grasp this, the United States Government isn’t a direct democracy. It is a republican form of government and a representative democracy. Perhaps he hasn’t read the Constitution, and frankly I wonder if he ever read the Federalist Papers? No. 51 in particular. Importantly, the Church seems pretty pleased with the advent of representative democracy and the freedoms they have given human beings, but what does she know?

Uh-oh, it looks like some pesky stuff from Vatican II. Yep, from Guadium et spes, aka the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World. Remember my post on that document? Here’s a couple of relevant nuggets,

#73. The present keener sense of human dignity has given rise in many parts of the world to attempts to bring about a politico-juridical order which will give better protection to the rights of the person in public life. These include the right freely to meet and form associations, the right to express one’s own opinion and to profess one’s religion both publicly and privately. The protection of the rights of a person is indeed a necessary condition so that citizens, individually or collectively, can take an active part in the life and government of the state.

#75. It is in full accord with human nature that juridical-political structures should, with ever better success and without any discrimination, afford all their citizens the chance to participate freely and actively in establishing the constitutional bases of a political community, governing the state, determining the scope and purpose of various institutions, and choosing leaders.

Hmmm. I knew I liked the Council for a number of reasons. Go read that whole section on The Life of the Political Community.

Like Mark said in his post on Amazing Grace, I’m not sure why folks listen to Mr.Voris at all. He is my Christian brother too, but this is way over the line. Joe Six-Pack, USMC spent a good part of his life defending his country, and by extension, the Constitution. All those serving in the Armed Forces have taken an oath to uphold and defend it as well. I’ve even had friends who have been killed while under oath to it.

Nope, if this is “Real Catholic TV,” then I’ll eat my copy of the Catechism. “Real Crazy TV” seems like a better title to me.

Hey, I’ve got a better idea! I’ll keep my copy of the Catechism (and Gaudium et spes) in good shape and instead, I’ll just take my family out to see the final Harry Potter movie.

UPDATE

Creative Minority Report posts, Voris & Shea: Can’t We All Just Get Along? How about beers in a rose garden somewhere! —Publius 🙂

UPDATE II: A then, a few days later…