Should we replace democracy with a Catholic dictatorship?

[laconicsax]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A-cWrs5mwE

There is really only one form of government where the common good is promoted, individuals are valued and the society is just and moral.

According to this video, the only way America (or any democracy) can avoid self-destruction is to only allow "faithful Catholics" to vote, and ideally, replace the government with a "benevolent" dictatorship. It's the only way to keep gays from marrying (or having any rights at all) and to get rid of abortion.

At least he's up-front about wanting a theocratic dictatorship like what's supposedly in heaven...I guess that's a good thing.

[Kerrytravelers]

1. And, of course...

Adding comments has been disabled for this video.

[laconicsax]

5. I think that's considered "leading by example."

You can't let people with a difference of opinion actually express that opinion--it's not the way of a dictator.

[Kerrytravelers]

7. Of course not. He's the decider, of course.

So... would the Pope be President of the World? How does that work? :crazy:

[saltpoint]

2. If we do, Newt Gingrich is ready.

He converted to Catholicism a few short months ago and is prepared to assume moral command.

[SharonAnn]

3. Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Anton Scalia will handle the judging.

[saltpoint]

4. Yep. And we KNOW they're fair...

:hi:

[Cirque du So-What]

8. They're all vying for the position of Grand Inquisitor

Who will make the cut as the new Torquemada?

[laconicsax]

12. The job is already filled.

Look up "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith."

It's the modern name for the Inquisition. The current Pope used to be the Prefect (Grand Inquisitor). Now, it's Cardinal William Levada.

[socialist_n_TN]

6. Only if we get a few of those "Liberation Theology"

priests in charge. Then I might be OK with it.
:)

Nah. Probably not.

[Old and In the Way]

22. As someone who met the Berrigan brothers and Michael Harrington,

the ideals of social justice live on with me, the heretic/agnostic and my kids....the fucking moron, Clarence Thomas, never got it....

[mrcheerful]

9. Sorry last time the Church ran things we ended up in the dark ages

[laconicsax]

10. According to the vid, Catholic dictatorships got us out of the dark ages.

It's a sensible claim for someone living in bizarro world.

[niyad]

23. inquisition, anyone?

and we know how the rcc feels about women.

[Old and In the Way]

11. As someone who probably ran into Thomas (I was 75) at Holy Cross, I suspect

he was a douchebag from the get-go. Blacks living on Healy 4 could give a more honest appraiasl, though. Never met the guy directly, but, during this time, blacks were isolated to their own dorm.

I know 3 HC blacks that are in Washington, doing great things....Clarance isn't one of them.

[burnsei sensei]

13. Let me answer your question by asking

you another:
Have you read any of the history of the Wars of Religion?

http://www.lepg.org/wars.htm

If not, I would suggest you get started. This history of the Wars of Religion is the best argument for secular government in the world.

[laconicsax]

16. I think you mistake the premise of the video for my own position. n/t

[burnsei sensei]

25. No I don't.

I know better than to think that the positions in that video reflect in any general sense the thinking at DU.
Still, never forget to mention these wars.
Talk about them to everyone-- because it seems many of us have forgotten them.
And others never learned about them at all.

[madrchsod]

18. the guys who gave us the workbook understood that arguement

[lurky]

14. So, is the American right moving from quasi-fascist to overtly fascist?

It seems like they aren't even trying to hide it anymore.

[Odin2005]

15. That is scary shit. I have noticed that many Elites are embraching Catholicism.

And not JUST Catholicism, but Fascistic Opus Dei freakishness.

[olegramps]

28. Unfortunately, most don't realize the objectives of Opus Dei.

The most powerful members of Opus Dei membership is keep strictly secret. John Paul II was a great admirer of the founder of this cult of fanatics and against the desires of the few moderate bishops that he hadn't replaced with die-hard ultra-conservative. Those who ruled the church wanted to overturn ever advancement that had taken place during the council called by Pope John XXIII. They were determined to undermine the work of the council they regarded as an arrogant abuse of his power against the council of the curia that was dominated by dark age mentality.

It is unfortunate that the vast majority of Catholics don't know that John XXIII formed a commission consisting of bishops, theologians, and lay people to study the issue of contraception. This commission after extensive investigation of the issue recommend sanctioning birth control. Unfortunately, John had died and had been replaced by Paul VI who succumbed to the conservative faction that included the future John Paul II and rejected the commission's recommendations.

In fact the major portion of the encyclical that was published under Paul VI's authority was written by none other than the future John Paul II. John Paul had been recently assigned to the commission by the Curia radicals in an attempt to water down the commission's recommendations, however, realizing that it was hopeless he chose to not attend the meeting in which the final vote was taken. When pressed to explain why he had not attended he provided a ridiculous excuse that the civil authorities had prevented his attendance. The fact of the matter is he was busy writing what would be the encyclical reinforcing the church condemnation of contraception.

Pope John XXIII was one on the most charismatic Catholic leaders that has ever led the church. It is crime that those that followed him have done ever thing in their power to wipe out any memory of this man who had the fortitude to realize that the church must come to grips with modern civilization if it was to relevant to the needs of it membership. He realized that it was time to open the doors to the Vatican and let in some fresh air. Just a couple of examples will demonstrate what type of man he was. In answer to the question by one reporter, he was not afraid to allow them into audiences, about if he was infallible, he answered, with a questioning response "Infallible, Infallible, my name is John." It had been the practice of the previous pope to take walks in the Vatican garden. All of the gardeners had leave during his walks and a shield was pulled over the gates in order that no one could see him. When John was made pope those in charge did the same. But, on the first day he wanted to know where all the workers were at and why the had the gates shielded. He said that they would not have to do that any longer and he promised that he won't do anything to embarrass the church. Within a few days he knew the names of all the gardeners, and their wives and children's names.

Yes; he was a dangerous man who dared to call a council and his memory had to obliterated for the sake of the church. How could the austere and holy image of the pope be maintained if they allowed this man from a humble working family become an icon of devotion by the common lay people?

Please accept my apology for the length of this post. Although I don't subscribe to Catholcism, I have great admiration for this man who dared to challenge the most bigoted closed minded people that dominated the Vatican. I came to this appreciation rather strangely when two biographies of his life had been left in the apartment that I rented. It is litte wonder that in an assine attempt to protect the image of the pope, they lost any respect that millions of their own members had for the church.

[skepticscott]

32. You talk as though

there were something other than the Word and Will of God guiding the One Most True and Holy Eternal, Indivisible and Inconceivable Catholic Church. How could that possibly be?

[madrchsod]

17. 50 some yrs ago....

catholics were just a step above the Christ killer jews and no one gave a shit about islam...my how things have changed in my lifetime.


by the way we are not supposed to build a heaven on earth....

[HawkerHurricane]

19. Pedophilia, anyone?

Oh, no gay marraige or abortion. I suppose that balances it out. :eyes:

Sorry, the Catholic Church lost the moral high ground (and with it, the right to dictate terms) when they covered up sexual crimes. Try again next generation.

(OK, they really lost the moral high ground generations ago. Not opposing Facism and Nazism, the 30 years war, a dozen crusades, the inquisition, the blood libel, the list goes on... but THIS current generation of Catholic Church leadership loses it over pedophilia and the cover up afterword.)

[Old and In the Way]

20. Me and Clarence got the same (great) education.

It was a strange time though, most blacks at Holy Cross were happily tied to a single dorm where they had little contact with the rest of the student body. Sorry to say, but it's true. Most of us had little contact with the blacks on campus. The few that did, were interesting dudes (no females at HC before 72) that are making a real impact in our society (Stan Grayson, et al).

[Old and In the Way]

21. BTW, 8 years of Jesuit education (the best educators of our time)and

I'm a confirmed agnostic. The price of enlightenment, I suppose.

[Cassandra]

24. The projection...

is leaking out of that guy's ears. Amazing how the "informed" just happen to vote like utterly selfish Republicans for the "authentic common good". Repukes wouldn't know the common good if they tripped over it.
How un-Christian this idiot is. He clearly hates people in general.
Wonder what his "Final Solution" would look like, exactly.

[struggle4progress]

26. Only about one in five Americans is even nominally Catholic, and they're by no means

a rightwing group overall -- so I'm not really expecting a big push for a Catholic dictatorship here: frankly, I think the Protestant fundamentalists have a more frightening history of involvement in ugly rightwing politics

[laconicsax]

29. So I see you have nothing but excuses for why the OP can be disregarded.

I appreciate that you are a creature of habit.

[struggle4progress]

37. It's my view that the Catholic Church is a large institution with many different tendencies

in its various corners. If you find a lot to dislike in the history of Catholicism, or in the history of other branches of Christianity, I'll agree: as Luther noted in 1536, our dear Church is spattered and fouled by many horrid offenses, with the result that many leave it

I think you know perfectly well that I support an entirely secular state, completely separated from religious institutions, and dislike things like g-dtalk in the pledge of allegiance or on our coinage -- and (more importantly) would abolish nonsense like the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives. Anyone who wants a theocracy is politically an objective enemy of mine

But I also dislike the nasty anti-Catholic intolerance I find too often here: there are plenty of progressive Catholics, and I don't see much of an upside to portraying rightwing Catholic extremists as representative of Catholics as a group

So kindly blow it out your nose :)

[rrneck]

27. That guy's

just another lamprey on the soft underbelly of civilization.

[Old Troop]

30. Sorry. This is an old, old chestnut.

[saltpoint]

31. Inclined to say yes, but then realized it might mean

we'd all have to wear pointy red shoes.

So I'm not on board for this one.

[CatholicEdHead]

33. Standard Fare for that group

They are all over the Catholic Answers Forum. While American Citizens, they see themselves as citizens of the Old Roman Empire with the Pope as its spiritual head. :crazy: They see the secular world as very sinful and the Catholic Church as the literal completely perfect institution that has never and can never do anything wrong. So we should replace our constitutional law with Canon Law in their eyes.

They are a small minority even among US Catholics and Catholics worldwide. As much as they dream of a world where the highest authority in all things is the Pope (as it was in the Middle Ages, though the "world" was smaller).

[laconicsax]

34. Their numbers don't necessarily matter.

Islamist terror groups don't represent more than a minority of Muslims; McVeigh's views were similarly unpopular.

A group that promotes an overthrow of the American government shouldn't be dismissed because of their numbers--they may not be able to achieve their goals, but they could certainly do considerable damage.

The real irony of the video is that they depend on the freedoms offered by a secular democracy to argue for a theocratic dictatorship.

[CatholicEdHead]

36. I am sure law enforcement tracks them

But from what I can tell they are all bark and no bite. They would literally need a green light from Rome to do something. For all the Vatican shortcomings, overthrowing governments through followers violence is not in their toolbox.

[rug]

35. I'm holding out for a Swedengorgian dictatorship.

[struggle4progress]

38. Is that where we're, like, ruled by the fjords?

[Axle_techie]

39. HELL NO

[LAGC]

40. "This video has been removed by the user. "

Guess he got cold feet, once he realized the full implications.