Friday, July 06, 2007

Pagan Violence - Pure and Simple

David Quinn, like Mark Steyn, has a thing or two to say about Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, in the wake of the two near-bombings in his fair city and one semi-successful bombing in Scotland.

What I want to suggest, however, goes beyond the predictable hand-wringing and dissembling of journalists and talking-heads. The first place you should go to is to the wisdom of 3 Mass'keteers' friend and mentor, Gil Bailie, who reports on his remarks stated at the COV/R Amsterdam Conference. Here you will begin to see how honest, consistent confrontation with the template proffered by Islam and its prophet can be carried out by a (lay and unofficial) spokesman of the Christian faith, in general, and the Catholic Church, in particular.

But, for the record, let it be stated that from my understanding of the mimetic theory of René Girard, the acts of violence carried out by any human beings in the name of whatever deity they chose to foist their acts of terror upon are, by definition and structurally, sacrificial and at-one with the primitive sacred, regardless of what they themselves call them or however they seek to justify them. Such violence is pagan, a product of Original Sin, and is satanic, purely and simply.

This might surprise representatives of a certain major world religion whose numbers hover around a billion (like that of Catholicism) who feel a compulsion to murder innocent men, women, and children whom they deem to be infidel, while (a) a majority of fellow co-religionists seem to view their more violent brothers and sisters as better representatives of "true" religion than themselves and therefore (b) are likely to cover for these violent extremists if necessary.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ vouchsafed by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and couched in the deposit of faith found in Scripture and Tradition is the clearest renunciation of such sacred violence. Do people who call themselves "Christian" carry out similar pagan violence? Yes, and they should know better and their guilt is far, far greater for falling back into paganism. And yet, how many of us drive past abortion clinics and do not bat an eye at the genocide and silent screams going on there?

If this sounds shrill, it is not intended to. Rather, it is proposing that we do not fall into a doubling rivalry that will whisk many, many followers of Jesus Christ into the swirling vortex of the primitive sacred realm of Satan. Let us follow Mr. Bailie's example (above) and confront in honesty, charity, and reality in Jesus' Name. The consequences of not doing so are too great to ignore. Secularist naïveté will only continue to create a vacuum that the primitive sacred will gladly fill.

8 comments:

Athos said...

Sherry Weddell on "Muslim background believers," or MBBs.

Important read!

Athos said...

And Tavneer Ahmed here shares Uncomfortable truths about Islam.

Athos said...

And having called a diamond a diamond and a club a club, there is one more thing to mention:

Just as the Samaritan woman at the well asked Our Lord for "some of this Living Water," it is essential to remind ourselves that ALL who succumb to the primitive sacred to find a source of transcendence -- Muslim, Christian, pagan, etc. -- all thirst for what they know not what. Even the woman in the waiting room at an abortion "clinic" thirsts for what she knows not (but it won't be had by having an abortion!).

If we have truly found the "Living Water" of Jesus Christ, we must tell others where and how to find It as well. This is the meaning of evangelization.

David Nybakke said...

Pope Benedict XVI sums it up this way, "Anyone who has discovered Christ must lead others to him. A great joy cannot be kept to oneself. It has to be passed on." 2005 World Youth Day

This I think is critical for Christians to remember. To change the world requires the joy and peace of Christ to manifest itself through each of us - it is only on these grounds may we go forth carrying the Truth to the world. If however we go with the anger and ressentiment of "us" against "them" we are only falling back into mimetic doubling and soon pagan violence as Ath describes in this post.

Athos said...

Yet I'm a-feared that in this world, as Tolkien observed in his letter to son Christopher, our fallen nature will always stand between perfect non-retaliation and pagan violence.

How, if a miscreant rush your loved ones with malice aforethought? Would you not defend them?

Alas. "They thirst," yes. But it would be sin not to defend against their thirstiness for false transcendence.

David Nybakke said...

But Ath, nobody said following Christ was easy. My point is that when mixing gasoline with fire and not grounded in the love and peace of all of our brothers and sister is falling back into pagan worship. Gil has such a spirit. I don't know, maybe Mark S. and the other that you linked also have the spirit of Christ, but most do not I am afraid, they would sooner start war than anything else. Prayer and more prayer is absolutely necessary even and maybe especially under attack.
Peace

David Nybakke said...

I meant above that Gil has a spirit of the love and peace of Christ - he is an exception to a lot of people who are in a spirit of simply fanning a fire.

David Nybakke said...

Let me try this again. After suffering a stroke I soon found that my body tenses up immediately upon any and no matter how small a "threat" to me. So, no matter how "mild manner" I approach a person or subject, at the very first sense of conflict I physically and all other ways freeze up. This reaction instantly sends an alarm mechanism to anyone near me and so I create uneasiness and distrust among the people. This is the reason why I insight you and everyone else at times - I blurt out in a manner of projection what I should be praying on. I would not make a good one to discuss matters that already have a combustable ingrediant in its makeup.

For those who do have a talent of staying totally focused on Christ while in discuss of the Truth I marval at. I also believe that there is a huge need for us who are not on the frontlines of confrontation, that we need to be filling our parishes and churches with prayer. Sadly, when I searched for a Latin Mass video, it was sad to see that Masses held in the 40's and 50's were packed and then when you get to the current time the pews were half full if that. The "average" Christian, and I put myself in this catagory, we don't realize just how critical our prayers are right now. Prayer is vital and instead most of us would rather use ... Like St. Francis, preach the Gospel and when necessary use words.
Peace