V6M@PSUVM.BITNET (03/06/85)
<line fodder> I was going to use Romanoid but it wasn't original enough nor did I like the mindless-ness of the connotation. "-naut" has more verve! It is ironic how in the space of 20 years the once powerful and de-facto religion of the country, Protestant Christianity, has been replaced by the beliefs of the new secular order. So instead of the PC's railing againts the evil of the RC's we are BOTH under attack from the new order. Ah the irony of ecumenism. We Romanauts used to spend a great deal of time in "Apologetics" mostly up against the PC's but some against the atheist. I agree with Black's concerns. (not with his theology though) Since his critics sound like reps of the new order it is easy for them to link his position with a continuation of the errors of the past of his predecessors. I don't think Black had in mind returning to the halcyon days of the KKK so your concerns for civil rights restrictions being codified are groundless. But it is out of the question for him to study America and not be distressed. ANY religion to be effective should affect the adherents daily living. It is MANDATORY for the Christian. (not that we are ALL that successful) ALL of creation is subservient to the Christian God and that includes government so it is reasonable for Black to WANT and work for a government that is under the fatherhood of God. What about our Children? Why IFF the government is a God-fearing government then the government schools ARE the appropriate place to raise your children since the Gov follows God. So it is reasonable for him to want and work for GOVERNMENT schools which are so ordered. Since libraries support the education of society then they too should be under BOMFOG (Brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God). All quite consistent. STOP COMPLAINING about him wanting it. The new order HAS DONE exactly this but has substituted a strange blend of humanism in place of fundamentalist Christianity. I can understand you guys being upset since this would fit Rosen's paradigms of loss of control by vested interests. Come on we all feel that way when we are certain we are right and we have control of the situation and may loss control of it. I empathize with Black, since he has to put up with what we have been putting up with for years in this country(mostly from his side). I view much of society's problems as due to an over-correction of the past. But too denigrate all of our past is ABSURD. There has been a feeling in the Roman Church of shame by some of our leaders and a move toward acclimation into main-stream (Protestant America) living. From my conversations and readings of there is a parallel feeling in main stream Protestants. Hence the upsurge in Christian cults and the emergence of strong Protestant evangelists. We now run the risk of over-correcting again! And here the ruling huamnists are correct in pointing out the rising incidents of library censorship in the public sector. But as much as they cry foul the content of the public libraries collection is being decided by a more and more adherents of the secular order hence the offense giving to strict religious taxpayers and parents. Defacto censorship IS being practiced by both librarians and editors. I really doubt that whoever gets in power will ever be able to escape the cry of censorship. America is NOT the apple in God's eye. The entire Christian world maybe. ANd remember EVENTUALLY we will ALL be in ONE worldwide Christian flock if revelation is to be believed. GETTING THERE IS THE TOUGH PART. IN TIME this country MAY become a de-facto Christain country with all minority positions SCRUPULOUSLY defended. It could also become a de-facto secular country with all positions defended. Right now it is still in conflict. The Christian does have the obligation to spread the kingdom of God. We DON'T have the right to coerce. Neither do the secularists. I don't like the new order any more than Black does nor do I like all of history of the old order (Rosen often incisively calls us to task correctly in many cases (no I'm not talking about him again)). But the Criticisms of Black sound like "knee jerk liberal" exagerations of his positions. Marchionni