The Catholic Church—Saying “NO” to a World Screaming “YES”

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IT MAKES SENSE TO ME

By Larry Peterson

How did the precepts of ethics and morality, based on the Ten Commandments and the “Golden Rule”, become a pariah to so many? How did these principles ever become inverted?  Why have they seemingly been tossed by many into the dumpster of the outdated and irrelevant?
There is one critical aspect that drives this onslaught and I think we do not pay close enough attention to it. Those that are flailing away at our religious heritage and freedoms are not committing these attacks on their own. They have a brilliant, diabolical, hate-consumed leader inspiring them onward.
Their leader’s name is Satan and he is the Master of deceit and deception. Satan’s biggest and most hated enemy after Jesus Christ is the church that Jesus founded, the Catholic Church. Satan’s hatred for the true Church of Christ is unimaginable. That is because it still spits in his evil eye and says NO!


Over the centuries it has withstood his evil onslaughts even when they came from within. It also rejects today’s “liberation theology”, the perverse philosophy that suggests “Jesus wants you to be happy so just enjoy yourself.” The fact is, Jesus wants us to be happy with him in heaven. This is the testing grounds where we can earn the “right’ to join Him there—not decidewhat that “right” is.
 The Church has teachings that have been in place for two thousand years. But secularists maintain that the Church has “nerve and audacity” to use the words, SIN and MORALITY.  In today’s self-indulged, secular world it seems anyone who might suggest that a particular behavior is “immoral” or “sinful” is branded and vilified as intolerant, hateful, racist and even uncaring.
 How pompous and pride filled this is. Only the new age secularists would have the audacity to suggest that their inverted “virtue” is GOOD and the concept of self-denial is SINFUL.
My favorite comic book character was, Superman. Occasionally, Superman would get stuck in an alternative universe called “Bizarro World”. It was a place where everything was backwards. Up was down, hello meant good-bye and yes meant no. Even the planet, Htrae, (Earth backwards), was shaped like a cube. It is the same with the folly of inverted secular virtue. I call this world “Secularro”.
On Secularro killing is “Good” and if you stand against it you are bad. For instance, take abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and partial-birth abortion. The church says NO! On Secularro the Church is now bad. Fornication and people “hooking up” for one-night stands is heralded as “Good”. The church says NO!  On Secularro the church is told to mind its own business. Divorced and remarried Catholics want to receive the Holy Eucharist. The church, as it always has done, says NO!
On Secularro, the church is deemed intolerant and insensitive and is out of touch with the modern world and needs to get into the 21st century. Homosexuals demand to be married in the Church. The Church says NO!  Marriage is between a man and a woman ONLY. Satan screams from his evil world to his followers, Say “YES! YES! YES!” Holy Mother Church says “NO!” In the alternative universe, the Catholic Church is evil.
On Secularro the inverted unwittingly listen to Satan’s message and pound on the dogmatic doors of the Catholic Church demanding that they be opened to personal wants and desires. Unlike Bizarro World where things are just ‘crazy’ on Secularro, things are mean and vindictive. Secularro is ruled by hate. Satan is Hate.
There are other Christian denominations that have succumbed to outside pressures and reworked their “teachings” to accommodate the demands from Secularro. They have been praised as “progressive” and “in touch” with the needs of the citizens of Secularro. The reality is, they have failed their followers. But the Catholic Church has not caved into the demands and pressures and it never will. Therefore, Satan hates all things Catholic and always will.
The Catholic Church still teaches that there are Seven Deadly Sins. They are pride, greed,  lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth aka laziness. Note the key word in describing these sins is the word “deadly”. The Church teaches that these sins can destroy the soul of anyone who might indulge these human appetites. The church also offers forgiveness for falling prey to these sins. This forgiveness is available 24/7.
On Secularro, the church is mocked and laughed at for suggesting these actions offend God. These acts are acceptable because an individual committing one of these sins is just being human and God made us that way and wants us to be “happy”. So–sin away. Just remember, if you subscribe to that concept the victory in the fight for your soul goes to Satan.
It is time to start looking hard at the Bible. And we might start by going to St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. Chapter 6: 16-17.
In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield,
To quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit,
which is the word of God.

                                 
                                        ©Larry Peterson 2016 All Rights Reserved

Euthanasia: The Catastrophe of Honoring "Non-Life"

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IT MAKES SENSE TO ME

By Larry Peterson                                                                                    

from nypost.com

Euthanasia is upon us. And, like an insidious, unstoppable virus it spreads and spreads. And it kills. And the true vaccine that can conquer this madness has been rejected by those who embrace this practice. Yes,  God is not in that syringe. How far we have come as a civilized people.

Life and its creative mystery and beauty was officially relegated to second place back in 1973 when the United States Supreme Court voted 7 to 2 that women had the right to abort their pre-born children. The Roe vs Wade ruling by the SCOTUS was the rock dropped in the pond of Sacred 

Life that created ripples so intense that they became waves of  death for millions of the pre-born.  The decision was all clinical and legal. The fact that the country which they were chosen to represent was founded on the Judeo-Christian principle and Natural Law never entered into their deliberations. The tsunami that followed their decision now has given birth to a false wave of ‘pretend’ compassion and dignity. Camouflaged inside that relentless and deadly wave was something called euthanasia.  

Back in 1787, our Founding Fathers adopted a Constitution. It was going to be different. It was going to respect individual life. People would come first and the government would be subservient to them. (see Tenth Amendment) It took time and the nation suffered through a bloody and horrific Civil War and two World Wars. But we did do better. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s came and  transformation  began in race relations. That took time too, but it truly began to work. It was never perfect but it was always a work in progress showing improvement. 

The years passed by and we became smarter. More years passed by and, as we grew even  ‘smarter’, we decided it was smarter to be more “more-free”. Then there were those who decided they wanted to be “me-free”. Meism grew and self-gratification became the rallying cry for the ‘meists’. Religion became an albatross around the necks of many. Why? Because religion had rules and among those rules the word “NO” was used. Freedom was being transformed from self-sacrifice into self-gratification.  Eliminating respect for others began to wane and freedom was hijacked by the self-serving.

As time went by, those who dared say they objected to the world of the ‘meist’ were classified as haters. bigots, racists, and even homophobes. Today we have become so civilized and sophisticated that the courts in Oklahoma have ruled that the Ten Commandments must be removed because they violate the Constitution (doublespeak for “offending non-Christians”). The original rules used by the Founders in their American creation were tossed out by the same court system they had started. Ah yes, there is some serious “tolerance” going on in America.

Today the word “freedom” is missing its most vital ingredient. The freedom that made us truly free was filled with a common respect for others and especially for the lives of others. The primary ingredient within that respect is a love and honor for our Creator, who gave us all of this to begin with and without whom there would be nothing. Our Founding Fathers knew this. They were not adherents to any particular religion but they were Deists. They understood that we did, in fact, have a Creator. And to Him they showed all the respect they could muster.

Image result for brittany maynard
Brittany Maynard  1984-2014    cbsnews.com
So the great American experiment, where people would be free and government would be subservient to the people has become a “reverse” experiment where even the most vulnerable lives are subject to the mindset of others. Without the God factor, (and God had to be removed from the equation to accomplish these goals), individual freedom has become an illusion. Over 50,000,000 pre-born children have been killed in utero. Think of the doctors, and scientists and musicians and great writers and leaders and others who never saw the light of day. And now, with the need to be ‘compassionate’ we are embracing the ‘dignity’ of euthanasia. 
Belgium passed their euthanasia law back in 2002. Last year they passed a Childhood Euthanasia Law with NO AGE LIMITS. A predominantly Catholic country, Belgium’s bishops railed against this law. Two-thirds of the population ignored them and approved. What does that tell you about “meism”? Of course, in the Netherlands, doctors euthanized 650 babies in 2013.  I mean babies and even toddlers who were alive. Why?  The parents could not “deal with their suffering”. Whatever does that mean? There is so much quality palliative care available today. How can doctors go along with this? 
Brittany Maynard (pictured above) lived in California and had a brain tumor. California did not have a euthanasia law and could not get one passed. Brittany moved to Oregon where they have the Oregon Death with Dignity Law. With her family wishing her “adieu” she ended her own life. Compassion & Choice made a video showing her last days and promoted it all over California TV. California then passed a euthanasia law and Governor Jerry Brown, a Catholic and former seminarian, signed it into law last week. (go here for euthanasia laws nationwide)

Today, California, Oregon, Vermont, and Montana have euthanasia laws. Yes folks, you can go there and end it all. First it was Roe v Wade and now it is euthanasia. Belgium is killing children, living children, who are ill. All they need is their “permission” along with the parents. How hard is it to convince a child that dying is a “good thing” because you won’t hurt anymore. 

This is what happens when you take God and His love and goodness out of life. You wind up with NOTHING. “Non-Life” becomes a dignified goal to seek. People like myself, who are against the assault on the sacredness of God given life, are now deemed “intolerant” and “hateful”.  How sad this all is.

                               ©Larry Peterson 2015 All Rights Reserved

Egotistical Madness is Exterminating "Common Sense"

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IT MAKES SENSE TO ME

by Larry Peterson

How many times have you heard someone use the phrase, “It’s only common sense”, or “It’s just common sense”? I know for sure I have heard it and used it countless times throughout my entire life.  So, where does “common sense” come from?  What is it?  Why do we have it to begin with? 
The definition of “Common Sense” as per Dictionary.com  is as follows: 
common sense
noun
“sound practical judgment that is independent of specialized knowledge, training, or the like;
normal native intelligence.” 
The definition neatly encapsulates what common sense is.  But it certainly does not tell us where it came from or why we have it and, most importantly, why we NEED it.  What is painfully obvious is that in today’s society the natural and inherent ability for people to turn to their own “common sense” when necessary is being systematically destroyed by several factors: political correctness, an improbable fear of “what might happen” and plain old ideological intransigence that foments hatred and intolerance toward anyone that might disagree.  All of these things fall under the perverse banner of “Zero Tolerance”.  It has led to what I call, “Egotistical Madness”.

There is a natural progression of order in the world we live in.  At least there used to be. The Founding Fathers understood that people were “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights” and that these rights had to be protected under a rule of law which conformed to and was in harmony with a Natural Law.  This Natural Law was a by-product of an even higher law, an Eternal Law, which is part of God Himself.  Our nation was founded by men who had their core beliefs embedded in their faith in God. The Declaration of Independence shouts this out with words in its very first paragraph when it says that the people should receive “to which the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God entitle them.”  And if, in fact,
Natural Law is a by-product of Eternal Law it follows that “common-sense” is a by-product of Natural Law. 

The United States of America was founded and had placed as its foundation by the Founders, Judeo-Christian principles. These great men knew that they were part of the progression from their Creator. He was the Eternal law and He is the only one with a complete understanding of it. They were his tools to initiate and put in place the rules that would protect Natural Law.  Natural Law follows and includes the belief that man is capable of reason and knows inherently right from wrong. He also has a free will and can decide to accept or reject that which he knows is right or wrong.  The Founders also knew that such things as the Bible, The Torah, and the Ten Commandments were put in place by God to help guide us on our life’s journey.  Ultimately, that God-given gift to us of reason and free included  “common sense”. 


There is a war being waged against Christianity, especially Catholic Christians.  Christ never said it would be an easy road when following Him. History is littered with the deaths, torture, abuse and hatred toward all those who have followed the true Man of Peace and those horrors continue to this very day.  But we had the United States of America, the beacon of hope, the place where the “tired, the poor, the homeless, the tempest tossed, and anyone who wanted freedom could come and worship God and say what they wanted to say and live where they decided to live. We Americans even had a Constitution that protected these rights that were inspired by Natural Law. 

What has happened to the USA?  It seems to me that destruction was started in reverse—by trashing “common sense”.  The rest of the world knew what the USA stood for. Whether it was out of fear or respect, Christianity thrived, not just in America but in many other places around the world because those who despised us knew it would be too heavy a price to pay to go up against the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave”.  America always protected their friends.  But from inside, from our own people, the subtle attacks began.  Common sense began to be cast to the wind and Zero Tolerance took hold.  

The word “Christmas” was attacked as offensive.  “Easter vacation” became “spring break”,  people at work were told to remove crosses or any type of religious items from their desks.  Last year in Connecticut, 998 children under six years old were “suspended” from school for bad behavior. A six year old boy in Denver was suspended because he ‘kissed” a girl on the hand.  I could go on and on but the point is, we must get back to using some good old fashioned “common sense”.  Our children deserve it. We deserve it.  The United States of America needs it. Allowing this inherent trait to blossom could very well help us turn back on the road that is leading us all to a place called “nothing”.

Hey Atheists, Guess What? We are a Judeo-Christian Nation, Like it or Not.

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by Larry Peterson

I consider myself a tolerant man. I have always tried to understand, to the best of my ability, the other side. You know the old cliche, “there are two sides to every story”? Well, guess what. Not this time.

So, here it is. When it comes to one topic it seems the tolerance I always prided myself on has somehow evaporated.  I am so over the atheists, these non-God people, who are trying their utmost to have the name of God removed from everything possible in the country. And I am also sick to death of all the ignorant judges who acquiesce to their foolish demands and to school administrators who cater to the slightest little non-God rant by even one person.Our children deserve better (I digress). Anyway, here is what I do not  understand: since the existence of God and freedom of religion are two separate things how do they get away with all their nonsense?

I guess my tipping point came when the “American Atheist” movement sued Bradford County, FL because it had a monument to the Ten Commandments outside the court house. The County “agreed” (such wooses) to take it down but the people who donated it refused to remove it. So the county compromised and allowed the atheists to erect their own non-God monument next to the Ten Commandment monument. Isn’t this absolutely ludicrous. Remember–the existence of God and freedom of religion are two different things.

The beginnings of  the United States had rooted long before the eighteenth century. By 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed,  the words “we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights” were included in that document. The acceptance of a Creator, aka God, was unquestioned.  The Constitution of the United States was ratified on September 17, 1787 and the Bill of Rights on September 25, 1789. The very first Amendment was that which we know as freedom of religion, speech and press.  There was never a question of whether or not God existed. The question was how were we to worship Him. The answer was; any way you choose. The government would make no law establishing or prohibiting any religion. How beautiful is that.


Here is the unvarnished truth: The Constitution of the United States of America was established  based on Judeo-Christian principles. The Founding Fathers knew what they were doing. The very foundation for the Constitution was “Natural Law”. What is that? Natural law  is God’s law. Ever hear of the Ten Commandments? The Jewish law began with Abraham, moved to Isaac and then to Jacob.  Simply said, Jewish law recognized the individual family as the nucleus of their society. This nucleus developed and grew  into the 12 tribes of Israel and by the time of Moses these 12  tribes had numbered over 600, 000. Then Christianity, rooted in Judaism, merged together and Anglo-Saxon law followed. Along came the Magna Carta in 1215 and 572 years after that our Founding Fathers rooted our Constitution into that unbelievably fertile soil. The tree that grew from that soil was the greatest nation ever seen, the United States of America. Sometime the fruit was not perfect. Sometimes it was downright rotten. But for the most part, the tree grew and flourished. Interestingly, it is rooted in Natural law. I know that this is a simplistic explanation of the Judeo-Christian principle but this information is available to anyone who wants to check it out. 

Our Founders believed in God. They KNEW HE existed. There was no doubt. And these were pretty smart guys. Natural Law, which is included in the Ten Commandments, was the very foundation for our Constitutional republic. That is why the Commandments are in so many court houses around the country including the Supreme Court. They do not tell us what religion to belong to. They do not tell us how to worship God. They just tell us what comes Naturally to all of us. You should not kill, you should not steal, you should not lie, etc. We know these things without being told. How we worship the God who gives us Natural Law is up to us. 

For people to fight against the existence of God as unconstitutional or for judges to agree with that premise is absurd.  I for one am sick of it. I do not care if a person does not believe in God. I do not care if a person worships a rock. Knock yourself out–but leave me alone. I am not bothering you, am I? If  I am, get over it. We are a Judeo-Christian nation, like it or not. We must always remember that a magnificent tree cannot survive if you rip out its roots. Rather, it will wither and die.