Natural Law

From Under the Rubble…Change You Can Believe In

Change You Can Believe In “The old order changeth, yielding place to new, And God fulfils himself in many ways, Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.” Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King These are dark days for Christendom. The “old order changeth” indeed. Today the Rubble looks at one side of “change”;…

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Vote Yes poster for Minnesota Marriage Protection Amendment. Blue and green text with a checkmark. Promotes traditional marriage between one man and one woman. Prepared by Minnesota for Marriage, includes their address in Roseville, MN.

Understanding the Marriage Amendment

Ed. Note. The Bellarmine Forum is pleased to present this guest essay written by Richard Aleman on one of the most critical issues of our day. In Minnesota (as in other states) a vocal and well funded minority has called into question the very meaning of marriage and threatens to redefine it. Mr. Aleman has…

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An American flag with red and white stripes and a blue field of stars, flying in front of a house. The flag is slightly tilted with greenery and flowers around the base, under a shaded porch area.

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…

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A historical scene with a man being crowned emperor by the Pope in elaborate, gold-trimmed robes. Clergy and nobles surround them in a richly decorated setting with religious symbols, emphasizing Catholic themes.

We Have No King But Caesar

“Fundamental rights” seems to be a preoccupation with Americans and, increasingly, people all over the world. Sometimes the adjective “fundamental” is not appended to the term “rights,” but there is a preoccupation all the same. When asked to define in general what a “right” is, I’m not sure that those who wish to secure such for themselves…

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A historical Catholic text page titled "Disputationum Roberti Bellarmini Politiani Cardinalis" in Latin, featuring ornate engravings and stamps. The text discusses Christian controversies and is from the 17th century, with handwritten notes. The page includes a seal of the Minim Order and a royal privilege stamp, indicating its significance in Catholic scholarship."

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…

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A smiling woman in a black judicial robe against a wooden background, wearing earrings and a white collar.

The Obamacare Decision: A Fix By Voter Fraud

THE OBAMACARE DECISION: A FIX BY VOTER FRAUD By Charles E. Rice Section 455 of the United States Code provides: Any justice, judge or magistrate judge of the United State shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned. He shall also disqualify himself in the following circumstances: xxxxx (3)…

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A grand stage with six white columns and red drapes, flanked by American flags in a formal auditorium. The stage features ornate architectural details and seating for speakers or performers, evoking a solemn and ceremonial atmosphere.

The Supreme Court and the Natural Law

In a recent commentary, Mr. John DeJak makes a clarion call to moor applied law to natural law via metaphysics. A clarion call it should be since applied constitutional law has in my view never been tethered to the natural law except by the narrowest of strands. In fact, the words “natural law” have not…

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A man dressed in papal attire blesses a young child, with several people around them. The scene is indoors and dimly lit, emphasizing the solemnity of a Catholic blessing ceremony.

Metaphysics and Contraception

Recently a class of high school seniors that I teach read St. Thomas Aquinas’s “Treatise on Law” from his magisterial Summa Theologiae. The students struggled through the work and great discussion was sparked over the topic of law generally and the natural law specifically. In leading the class through the discussion with several of my…

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A man in a striped shirt reclines in an office chair, holding a cigarette and a drink. A large saddle is propped up next to him in a dimly lit room with office equipment visible.

For University Students: Authentic Common Sense in An Age of Uncommon Nonsense

I just saw an ad for Google TV. It was entitled “Date Night.” The ad featured a man and a woman sitting on a couch together. The perspective of the viewer is seeing the backs of their heads. Both are watching a screen; playing on the screen is an obvious “romance” movie where a woman…

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