An Alarming Study

After my March 20, 2014 post, some of my readers might be under the impression that I no longer watch Church Militant TV. That impression would be erroneous. Despite my strong disapproval of Mr. Voris' puzzling attack on the ones who have been crying out a warning since the crisis began, I continue to tune in almost daily. I consider them one of the most important web-based apostolates out there. In fact, this post stems from what Mr. Voris has to say at about the 8:42 mark in the below-embedded Vortex.

In that episode, Mr. Voris focused on a very sobering new book, Young Catholic America: Emerging Adults In, Out Of, And Gone From The Church. I'll let him do the explaining, since I haven't read more than the Amazon.com preview of this yet. (Relax, dear reader: I fully intend to remedy that at the first available opportunity, and do a follow-up post as necessary. That would be the responsible thing to do.)



The first thing that struck me about this survey was its alarming 0% figure in the "Devout" category. It makes me wonder about the demographics. After all, every young Traditionalist that I have met is light years ahead of the average mainstream Catholic in their understanding of Church doctrine. It will be interesting to find out why they don't qualify as "Devout". My cynical side says the researchers don't consider the Traditionalist Movement Catholic. If so, they wouldn't be the first to make that mistake, and they won't be the last. But since logic demands that I not jump to conclusions, I look forward to a more in-depth reading of the study.

Urgent re-post: Bishop attempts unlawful suppression.

I'll let this article from Rorate Caeli speak for itself. Pray during this Lent for this bishop.

Discussion Forums

A very devoted Traditionalist once advised me to steer clear of online discussion forums. I'm beginning to see the wisdom in that advice. Does it profit a soul to visit a place that is little more than laity--with no assurance of qualifications--spouting off? I look at these places and see nothing but opinion. Sometimes opinion is backed up by links to a reputable source, sometimes not. I won't claim innocence in that respect; many are the times that I have trumpeted my own opinion as if it were the latest Papal Encyclical. (I'm working on correcting this.)

Unfettered opinion can be a dangerous thing. It is the plague that has caused a great deal of damage in the Church in the past 50 years. Opinion often becomes an occasion for the deadly sin of pride. Not infrequently these sites bring to mind St. Paul's words in his letter to the Romans:

Now I beseech you, brethren, to mark them who make dissensions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them. For they that are such, serve not Christ our Lord, but their own belly; and by pleasing speeches and good words, seduce the hearts of the innocent.

Romans 16:17-18, Douay-Rheims Translation

Out of aversion to detraction, I won't mention any sites by name. However, on one very popular mainstream Catholic site, Traditionalists are routinely verbally flogged, tarred, feathered and treated with an extreme lack of respect (particularly by the moderators.) Half-truths and outright lies about the SSPX in particular and Traditionalists generally are permitted with impunity. With dread and shivers I recall the Protestant persecutions of Elizabethan England whenever I visit that site. On another--ostensibly a Traditionalist Catholic forum--the moderators are slow to punish any infraction of their own rules. Free reign is given to open blasphemy on one recent thread, genuine anti-Semitic hostility on another. (One is uneasily reminded of the lax disciplinary measures frequently attributed to post-Vatican II bishops and popes.)

Overall, do these discussion forums strengthen the faith of those who frequent them? Ultimately, I don't know. But for Advent, I have decided to avoid these places. Who knows? I might find it so beneficial that I eschew them permanently.