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Friday, January 11, 2013

Using "Civility" to Silence Debate

It is, in fact, a liberal policy to accuse anyone who disagrees with a liberal position of "incivility" and intolerance. That done, the liberal follows up by calling names and demanding punishment for the perpetrator of the "incivility." Fr. William Miscamble, a professor at Notre Dame, pegged the falseness of the incivility gambit in an article in the Irish Rover last October. As an example, he used the response of some Notre Dame professors who attacked Bishop  Daniel Jenky of Peoria and demanded his ouster from the Notre Dame board of trustees after he wrote about the Obama administrations's assault on religious freedom. Here's that particular section from Fr. Miscamble's article, but I recommend you read the rest:

Some [advocates of civility] appear to use their advocacy for civility as a cover to stifle genuine debate, especially over important issues. This is false civility because it becomes not simply a vehicle to prevent serious discussion but also a weapon to use against one’s political foes. Sometimes, too, civility serves as a refuge to disguise the fact that its advocates want to avoid taking tough public stands on difficult issues. Sadly, present day Notre Dame provides evidence of these practices. 
Let me give one example. Late last spring, 154 Notre Dame faculty responded to a powerful homily given by Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky in defense of religious freedom against various actions affecting the church at both the national and state levels. In his homily, Bishop Jenky quite accurately gave four instances of governments – those of Bismarck, Clemenceau, Hitler and Stalin – that “tried to force Christians to huddle and hide only within the confines of their churches.” He suggested further, also rightly, certain parallels with recent actions by the Obama administration and an Illinois state government, which had imposed unacceptable terms on the workings of certain Catholic social service agencies.
Did the offended faculty members react by writing a civil note to Bishop Jenky contesting his view? Hardly. Their ire up and their blood presumably boiling, they instead falsely and publicly accused Bishop Jenky of “ignorance of history, insensitivity to genocide, and absence of judgment.” They further demanded that he resign as a fellow and trustee of the university. They in no way, however, addressed the substance of Bishop Jenky’s legitimate concerns. So much for measured, careful, and respectful dialogue! The faculty petition was an effort to silence a church leader and expel him from the Notre Dame family. The irony here apparently is lost on some of the signatories who still present themselves as monitors of “civility” on campus. 
In reality the threats to civility and genuine dialogue these days come mainly from those determined to limit and restrain the expression of views grounded in religious convictions or that defend the valuable work of religious institutions.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Mary,

    I didn't know where else to post this since I can't seem to find an email for you, but with the whole flu thing going on I really wanted to share this prayer and get it out there. Seeing as you reach a lot of people with your blog, maybe you can post it for others to use.

    Prayer for Health and Endurance

    Holy Trinity, giver of life and health, protect man from diseases, plagues and un-natural death. Bless our bodies. Make them strong to endure and withstand the attacks of germs, viruses and chemicals. Free us from the effects of poisons and potions. Keep our bodies and minds pure, physically and spiritually, so that we may be worthy temples of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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  2. Found this comment on The Blaze:
    o No this is much more evil then foolery. This is product of the Communist Agenda Congressional Record–Appendix, pp. A34-A35 January 10, 1963 Current Communist Goals
    . Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.
    25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
    26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”
    27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.”
    28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”
    Fabians, Frankfurt School, Antonio Gramsci, Mattechine Society (which is communist started the whole “gay rights” thing here in the US all with the goal of taking a Judeo/Christian culture down from within and driving us in a direction to destroy us.
    Any wonder there is such an explosion of “gayness” idoctrinating grade schoolers with filth like “heather has 2 mommies” “dad’s roommate”
    This is the most comprehensive, best movie I have seen pulling all this together. Watch it. Share it.
    https://vimeo.com/52009124
    if that is not working try this: https://vimeo.com/16647512

    http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/12/13/queen-james-bible-now-theres-a-gay-friendly-version-of-scripture/

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