Thomas Fleming and Chronicles are always insightful.

The “TJF” posts on the thread below are apropos for our own. Dr. Fleming is a real hoot.

http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/?p=427#comments

No doubt. But I only wish it were just the Protestants. But there is also an underlying Americanism which homogenizes Catholics into American materialism.

My own perspective on the O’Donnell thing is that it’s a totally pointless diatribe unless he reveals what base he’s arguing from. So what if Mormonism is racist? Maybe racism is true. You don’t just decide a priori what is true and then find a church that believes what you do. Well, actually, that’s the way most people go about it, but that’s all wrong. What you do is look for signs of the true Church, and then, if you find it, conform your mind to its doctrines. The only objective counter to racism comes from the Church; it is not something that’s self-evident or able to be proved from natural principles alone. Thus, if O’Donnell is arguing as a Christian, that’s one thing. But if he’s arguing that the truth of a faith should be judged by secular opinions about things, he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.

LTG…nevermind.

That’s because it is a cult. While I suspect relatively few Americans are actually inculcated into the Faith, and thus most Americans only think tangentially as Catholics while being virtually fully inculcated into the American materialist culture, nevertheless, the two cultures are wholly distinct.

In fact, anyone who has grown up in the materialist American culture who is put into a truly Catholic environment will experience culture shock.

Bill, you are correct, but the people who hold that belief hold it based on misinformation: viz, Catholics worship Mary, a bishop’s mitre is symbolic of the ancient fish-worship (my old roommate in the Air Force told me that one), icons and statuary is a violation of their second commandment, etc. There is a huge difference when you call something a cult based on factual information which cumulatively convinces the reasonably prudent person that it’s a cult, as with Mormonism. Also, I don’t know if I was in the minority or majority of Protestants who did not consider Catholicism to be a cult. I used to think it had defective theology, incorrect anthropology, aberrant praxis, etc., but I thought the same thing about Methodists. Now, of course, I just think that about Methodists.

The McLaughlin Group is the predecessor of all “talk-over-the-top-of-each-other” programs that litter television programming today. It has always been that way and McLaughlin has said his purpose in maintaining a rapid pace and pushing for quick answers (which produces the mayhem) is how he gets his panel to speak their mind rather than tailor words. Years ago, I was an avid McLaughlin Group watcher (back in my television watching days) and my family would always roll their eyes when I switched it on. They thought it was obnoxious and I thought it was important political discussion. That was back when Limbaugh was rising and I caught him on the radio as often as I could. My family had it right. Obnoxious.

As for O’Donnell’s tirade, he was out of control, but what he was railing on should not be dismissed. Call me bigoted, but I don’t make much distinction between Mormons, JWs, Moonies, Scientologists, etc. Their all cults and their adherents are not suitable, by virtue of that adherence, to be in positions of governmental authority.