secularism
The Way to Peace, Unity, and Solving Current Problems
“Your hurtful lies are given out, Can’t stop the killing idea, If it’s hunting season, Is this what you want? The rain will kill us all.” Slipknot, Psychosocial. There’s a lot of division lately. A decline in civility. Turn on the news and you’ll see the latest violent protests on the streets, conflict in Congress, decisiveness between parties…
The Myth of the Neutral State
If there is anything that distinguishes the contemporary world from past ages, it is our secularism, that is, our belief that society should exclude religion as much as possible from public life. We see this in our own country in the “separation of Church and State.” This used to mean that the government officially endorses…
For the Conclave: Sub tuum praesidium
It is no surprise that the Catholic and non-Catholic media are buzzing at a fevered pitch concerning the upcoming Conclave. The situation is truly unprecedented for the Church and I must admit to a certain unease about the whole thing. Not only about the abdication of Pope Benedict XVI, but also about the stories of…
The “Catholic Vote” and Other Myths
Charles Molineaux, longtime friend of the Forum, analyzes the “Catholic vote,” the rise of secularism, and the lingering scourge of clericalism in an important article for Crisis Magazine. Excerpts: “Since the presumed high water mark of the Kennedy election,” Molineaux writes, “the seeming solidity of Catholic laity has been dissipated by several factors, principally three: …
Creating a Civics Course
This year I have the pleasure and honor of teaching a Civics course to a group of high school seniors at Saint Agnes School in St. Paul, MN. I suspect that most Civics courses around the country are taught in a way that overemphasizes modern political attitudes and delivers very little about what it means to…
The State says in its heart, ‘There is no God’
I recently attended the third annual Canon Law Conference for Canonists and Civil Attorneys hosted by His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Truly, it was an excellent conference made all the more so by the opportunities for spiritual refreshment and prayer at arguably the…
Judases
In the May-June 1973 edition of The Humanist featured an article by Paul Blanshard and Edd Doerr in which they stated: We feel like throwing a champagne dinner in honor of the U.S. Supreme Court for its January decision on abortion…The Blackmun decision, in which the only Catholic on the Court (Brennan) concurred, constitutes the…
The Natural Law
THE NATURAL LAW Charles E. Rice Professor Emeritus, Notre Dame Law School Address, Canon Law Conference Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe LaCrosse, Wisconsin August 9, 2011 What is the natural law and why do we need it? The “September Pope,” John Paul I, at his general audience on September 6, 1978, gave us a…
Where Did I Come From? Where Am I Going? How Do I Get There?
Growing up in a world marked by wars, disasters, family troubles, and rampant secularism, today’s Catholic teens and young adults need straight answers on their purpose in life. What better guide than a manual featuring the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and Pope John Paul II presented by a world-class teacher and an experienced seminary instructor? This…
