"The Church Cannot Blush" -- But Should!

Under the title, "The Church Cannot Blush," TIME Magazine quoted some frank admissions of Catholic intolerance as they appeared in La Civilita Cattolica, leading organ of the Jesuits, published fortnightly in Rome.

Openly acknowledging Catholicism's absolute intolerance of other religions, this publication declares, "As to other religions, the church . . . . will require that by legitimate means they shall not be allowed to propagate false doctrine. Consequently, in a state where the majority of the people are Catholic, the church will require that legal existence be denied to error, and that if religious minorities actually exist, they shall have only a de facto existence without opportunity to spread their beliefs.

In some countries, Catholics will be obliged to ask full religious freedom for all, resigned to being forced to cohabitate where they alone should rightfully be allowed to live. But in doing this the church does not renounce her thesis . . . . but merely adapts herself . . .

The church cannot blush for her own want of tolerance, as she asserts it in principle and applies it in practice."

Catholicism Versus Americanism

The above pronouncements of the official Catholic attitude are as viciously anti-American and as violently opposed to our national constitution as the reddest Russian Communism ever dreamed of being. The Jesuits boldly declare that once they are in the majority, and can do so by "legal" means, they will immediately prohibit and restrict all religious teaching other than Catholicism.

Non-Catholic churches could exist, but could not propagate their views. No new congregations could be started. The existing churches could not teach their doctrine — could only hold it themselves. Any non-Catholic father or mother, attempting to teach his child even in the privacy of his own home, would be doing so in defiance of the "legal" prohibition against teaching, and would undoubtedly be dealt with as an enemy of the state. If the verdict from history is to be any indication at all as to the future, that would mean imprisonment or perhaps execution.

In the light of that program what would become of our "freedom of religion" for which so many valiant American boys poured out their blood on far-flung battlefields? Yes, even Catholic boys, unfamiliar with the corrupt ambitions of their ecclesiastical leaders, have sacrificed their lives for this American ideal of religious liberty, never dreaming how their sacrifice would be turned into a hollow mockery once the priests gained control.

Catholicism Verses Christianity

If this blatant declaration of purpose is openly and defiantly antagonistic to our American philosophy of religious freedom, it is even more violently opposed to the principles of Christianity.

The New Testament church is intolerant of error. She has always been so. By her very nature she is aggressively and of necessity opposed to all falsehood. Being the "pillar and ground of the truth," she is uncompromising in her opposition to all the errors and traditions and "isms" of human opinion. The church of Jesus Christ can never, never settle down to a placid "live and let live" companionship with error."

But once this similarity is admitted, all kinship between the two bodies ceases. For Catholicism both-in principle and in practice is dedicated to the violent, physical, militaristic suppression of dissenting opinions. Christianity, on the contrary, has always recognized that error must be combated with truth — not with the sword and the dungeon. The way to overcome error is to teach the truth to those who are in error, not to imprison them, torture them, and execute them. The heretic must be overcome by conversion, not by coercion.

Catholicism in principle is wedded to the same blind, tragic sophistry that brought Jesus to the cross — the belief that the way to destroy an idea is to destroy the man that holds it. The Pharisees, being unable to overcome the truth of Jesus' teachings, tried to put an end to them by crucifying the teacher. Catholicism, being unable to withstand the truth of the Bible, would end her embarrassment by "liquidating" all those who teach the Bible alone.

She Cannot Blush

In defense of her position Catholicism blandly says, "The church cannot blush for her want of tolerance." We opine she is right. She cannot blush. Her wanton crimes have long since so hardened her conscience that she is incapable of feeling shame at anything. Even a bold and boorish flaunting of the very religious freedom that makes it possible for her to live here in America is not enough to bring a blush to her cheeks.

Millions of humble Americans whose fathers fled from Europe to escape this tyrannical priestly oppression will breathe a prayer of gratitude to God that America is not Catholic. Not only will they thank God for that, but they will henceforth rededicate themselves anew to the formidable task of seeing that she does not become Catholic. If we submit supinely to her tyrannies, refuse to oppose her with every ounce of our strength we will deserve the fate she intends and declares for us — our liberties destroyed, our churches closed, our very thoughts policed.

Let us not plead that we had no warning. Catholicism herself has warned us. So confident is she of ultimate triumph that she is almost arrogant and contemptuous in her declaration of intent. She even declares that she "cannot blush" for her policy.