14 November 2008

Cringe-worthy comments from Domlife.org

I received the Domlife.org email newsletter just a few days after the election. The editors had solicited responses from OP's world-wide, asking friars, sister, nuns, and OP laity to write about their reactions to the election of Obama to the White House.

As I very reluctantly began to read the responses, I had to stop almost immediately because the evidence before me proved that even Dominicans could be taken in by The Messiah's slick rhetoric and hyponotizing charm. Even here in the Angelicum--despite B.O.'s taste for protecting manufactured "rights" against the lives of innocent children--several frairs were very public in their support of The One. They defended their choice with the predictable arguments of moral equivalence, "social justice" concern, and appeals to "historic opportunity."

Yes, it is both embarrassing and disheartening. Rather than post these responses when I first received them, I decided to ignore them and hoped they would be ignored. Unfortunately, they weren't.

Read them for yourself
. . .just don't blame me. Once upon a time readers could leave comments at Domlife.org; however, back then the site was operated by a student friar in St. Louis, but he lost his battle his keep the site when complaints from more "progressive" OP's to his provincial won the day. The site was turned over to the Dominican Leadership Conference and the first thing the new owners did--in defiance of all Dominican tradition of disputing important questions--was close down the commenting function.

Pure folly.

Sure, click over and read as many as you can. . .just remember: don't blame me.

23 comments:

  1. Father, I forwarded the link to the nuns at Menlo Park and asked them prayers for those people who congratulated BO and a special prayer for your former Master Order.....(sigh)

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  2. I do not know which is scarier- the actual election or the attitude of these religious towards a Catholic response called for by the bishops.

    Lord - dont turn your back on us as we have done to you.

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  3. Anonymous11:15 AM

    Scuttlebutt is that half or more of US bishops voted for The Messiah.

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  4. Anonymous11:15 AM

    A while ago, I was interested in studying with the Dominicans (in Ottawa) and entering the Third Order, but I hesitated because it became increasingly clear that most Dominicans I met in the first and third orders were very progressive, little interest in the Gospel, penance and prayer, very interested in social justice as the world defines it. Not all of them, mind you, but enough to make me hesitate. I kept remembering St.Alphonso's advice that it is sinful to enter an order that you know to be potentially harmful to yourself.

    Father, what advice would you give a layman in North America like myself, regarding the Dominicans, especially the Third Order?

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  5. Anonymous11:19 AM

    Dear Fr.,

    This saddens me greatly. Perhaps you can take some solace in knowing that his is by no means a "Dominican" phenomenon, as I'm sure you know.

    My mom works with a woman whose sister is a nun in a congregation in Philadelphia that will remain unnamed. That nun's sister told my mom that the nun's entire congregation, as well as the priest who "leads them" (?) voted for Barack Obama.

    Why? "Social justice."

    I've also heard reports the last few days of Bishops, Bishops who were part of the meetings this past week in Baltimore and who are "united over the abortion issue" apparently, who have voted for Obama.

    All I can say is thank you to you, Fr., for your witness and for defending the truth, in season and out. We need you to continue doing what you do.
    May the Lord have mercy on us all.

    In Christ, who loved us unto death,
    Patrick

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  6. Three. That's all the more I saw, three. Only three dared say that he will bring death to the unborn.

    Between this, the fact that Obama got 54% of the Catholic Vote, and the rumor that roughly half of the USCCB voted for Obama makes me ashamed to call myself Catholic (though not ashamed of the faith itself). The one hope I have is that it's not their fault. It's the fault of the press.

    Pres. George W. Bush was treated so unfairly I would say he has grounds for a libel/slander suit against every major media outlet including Fox News. They say this heralds the end of racism in America, but apparently having a black secretary of state, a hispanic attny general, and all the other minorities in the current and previous White House employ is nothing. Or the fact that W promoted the first female 4-Star general had nothing to do with ending sexism. This is an insult to people like Justice Clarence Thomas, Gen. Colin Powell, Sec. Condelezza Rice, and Attny Gen Gonzales.

    One person had the gall to say we were a threat to the freedom of developing nations. Would they be referring to nations like N. Korea, China, India, Venezuela, Sudan, and the vast majority of Africa? Those places are apparently bastions of freedom, fraternal love and ecumenical dialogue!

    I realize that the editor got to choose which got published, but this sort of makes me miss not becoming a Dominican a little less.

    Yes, you warned me. Call it mortification of the brain.

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  7. It's no oddity of history that most heresies originate among the clergy and religious...

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  8. This is true. As it was explained to me once: The Reformation started when a Catholic Priest 'discovered' a Catholic teaching and took it too far.

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  9. Timothy Radcliffe?!

    Oh I am SO not buying his book now.

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  10. Speaking of Dominicans and abortion: http://pblosser.blogspot.com/2008/11/aquinas-converts-serbian-abortionist.html

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  11. Depressing.

    I can sense the heaving hearts of Thomas Aquinas and Albertus Magnus -- not to mention the Domini Canis himself!

    Reading those messages most certainly did not make the Dominican sisters appealing for a vocation ...

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  12. There's a bumper sticker that's popular in Berkeley: "Barbara Lee Speaks for Me!"

    Who wants to print
    "Domlife speaks not for me!" stickers?

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  13. Is it bad that I was shocked and relieved that one of the Dominicans from my university wasn't included? The last thing I need to do is have another reason to call and complain as an alumni.

    I also noted that many of the responses referred to remembering JFK or RFK. As someone who was born longafter both men were assassinated I htink it is a sign of just how old these people are.

    Also - " Eucharistic Missionaries of St. Dominic, soon to be - Dominic Sisters of Peace" Really? Taking the Eucharist out of the name of your organization tells me everything I need to know about your beliefs.

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  14. Clavem, have you thought that perhaps your vocation is to join an OP lay chapter that is struggling with its faithfulness and helping them out? Your call might be to provide the local chapter with a little backbone!

    Philothea, one of the only consolations of that list to reactions is that most of the OP's there are older sisters and not younger friars or sisters! Don't give up an OP vocation b/c of these messages. The Nashvilles and the Mother of the Eucharist OP's are always a viable option...not to mention the many great cloistered nuns!

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  15. Well, there might be a reason that your order haven't had a canonized saint since... ? I hope you are the first of a long line of them, Fr. Philip. Good thing God is bigger than these people. Lord have mercy.

    Father, why do you think we know the difference and these people don't. It puzzles the heck out of me. I'm very thankful, but puzzled.

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  16. well, I guess it's no wonder he won since the very group who was supposed to be trying so hard to remind people NOT to vote for him were....well......voting for him.

    I'm actually referring to all the pro-Obama Catholic clergy, not just the OPs.

    the not allowing comments thing is the saddest of all though

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  17. Why did one of the sisters say that she had a Granddaughter?

    anyways, that really was sad. this is why I get mad at even some smaller things because this is the natural conclusion of allowing lax theology and liturgy. People think outside the context they are given and truth becomes opinion.

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  18. Clavem, the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic vary from chapter to chapter, much as individual Dominicans do, and they are distinct from the friars. My advice is to find out what your local chapter is like, and not worry too much about tales at the Provincial level.

    Mary Martha, the Dominican Sisters of Peace is the new congregation being formed from seven existing congregations, so it's not as though the Eucharistic Missionaries of St. Dominic decided one day they didn't like the Eucharist any more. According to one announcement, "The name was chosen by the congregations' membership through a yearlong process that included several phases of reflection and input gathering."

    Daniel, the commenter with the granddaughter is the biological sister of a Dominican sister.

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  19. I can't believe Timothy Radcliff OP is among them!
    I am very sad, this really has made me question a lot the sermons and teachings about life I have heard from him, Is it that many dominicans have become super intellectual scholars who can dispute with sublime subtility philosophical and theological argumentations, that have lost themselves among the many branches of the forest and have missed the forest itself?
    How can any catholic, dominican or not support a self-proclaimed abortionist!
    Social Justice? Social justice begings with human beings who have a right to life, this is the very beginning of all the social justice doctrine: No humans: No society. isn't this self-evident?

    The culture of death teaches that an excess of population equals less resources and therefore the overpopulation should be dealt with, especially among poor and "over" populated countries. Does radcliff agree with that? Is that why is hopeful? That this antichrist will start eliminating potentially future eating mouths by means of abortions and increased measures?
    Did he ever read the encyclical "humanae vitae"? Or he simply ignores it exchanging it for his view on how the US should stop "threatening" human rights and development of other countries? How is it? Obama's way?
    Lord have mercy. If I could I would e-mail him myself and ask him for a good explanation of his position. Can you e-mail him?

    Blessings in St dominic

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  20. I'm sorry to read about this. I can only hope that they really didn't know the truth about Obama's positions. Although, a little research would have cleared it up quickly....

    St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!

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  21. Also, it's interesting that the few more sensible comments seem to come from the lay people, like this one:

    "I am baffled as to what the American public was thinking during yesterday's election. Barack Obama is a dreamer and an idealist who has presented a set of unrealistic "changes" that he says he can make. News flash: it's most likely not going to happen!"

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  22. Anonymous8:22 PM

    Adele, actually, the Order has a new canonized saint, a Dominican laywoman:SAINT NARCISA MARTILLO Y MORÁN

    There is an article about her in the October IDI.

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  23. In Timothy's defense...as if he's choose me as his spokesmodel...that most of the OP's in Europe are simply unaware of B.O. extremist advocacy of abortion and infanticide. Timothy may be aware of it; if so, he is allowing his 60's worldview to be clouded by the fact that B.O. happens to be black. I find this to be a common reason for European OP support. Bush is loathed here...I mean LOATHED. I was asked quite openly at a meeting of younger friars if was happy with B.O.'s election. I gave a resounding NO! and the topic was dropped immediately. The basic assumption here is that anyone with even a smidgen of smarts supports B.O. Hell, even one of the moral theologians here openly declared his support for B.O. But, then again, you know what they say about losing your wallet in Rome...pray it's not found by a moral theologian!

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