Basic HTML Version
Collision Course!
(Continuedfrom page 6)
tbis wave of liberalism toward sex.
But it led toa liberalism in mora lity
in all forms.
Parental discipline all but dis–
appeared. Women began to take
jobs and become self-supporting;
family and borne life was breaking
up; divorces were skyrocketing.
Crime was increasingly frigbtful :
violence was becoming general. Tbe
motion picture. followed by televi–
sion after World War
11.
brougbt
illici t sex and violence into family
living rooms.
After 1917. Communism became
a vital world factor. spewing out its
propaganda of atbeism and rebel–
lion against formerly establisbed au–
tbority. Communist mi litary might
burst into world prominence. mak–
ing the Soviet Union. witb tbe
United States. the two major world
military powers.
Communism was making alarm–
ing gains in such solidly Catholic
countries as ltaly, Spain, Portugal.
and France. Cornmunism had taken
over. as "satellite" countries. sucb
former Roman Catholic nations as
Czechoslovakia. Poland, Hungary–
all Eastern Europe.
Meanwhile. within the Catholic
Church. morals were relaxing: fam–
ilies were turning to means of birth
control forbidden by the church: di–
varee was increasing: more and
more priests and nuns began de–
manding the right to marry. and in–
deed many did!
Also meanwhile. once war-torn
Europe. now rebuilt and economi–
cally prosperous. was dependen!
upon Uni ted States military force to
protect them from Communist en–
croacbment- since the Communists
were right on their borders! The na–
tions o f Europe. especially those in
NATO. more and more were losing
confidence in tbe abi lity of th e
United States to protect them from
the growing might of tbe Soviet
Union. The Uni ted States took beat–
ings in the wars in Korea and in
Soutb Vietnam. Communist propa–
ganda in the United States turned
the mood of America against send-
The PLAIN TRUTH January 1979
ing soldiers to figbt wars in fa raway
countries.
The nations of Western Europe
had formed the Common Market,
solely an economic union. But there
was a growing FEAR of Russia; a
growing DOUBT of U.S. protection
from Communist military migbt; a
g rowing and desperate desire
among European Jeaders to UNITE
politically. to provide thei r own mil–
itary force, wbich would make tbem
a tb ird gigantic world military
power. perhaps stronger than ei ther
tbe U.S. or the U.S.S.R.
Now WHERE DOES ALL THIS LEAVE
us?
The new pope is Polish, and he
has walked the tightrope for years
as a Roman cardinal in a Commu–
nist satellite state. He knows tbe
danger of the tbreat of Soviet mili–
tary invasion better than any Italian
pope could. He knows the desire of
Europe to reunite politically and
militarily. He knows the problems
within the Catbolic Church- coming
to be divided against itself. There
was heated d ivision between con–
servatives and libera ls in the cardi–
nal conclaves which elected the last
two popes.
Dlvision from Wlthin
Now considera few things that have
not been widely known about Ro–
man Catholic interna! polit ics.
Here are excerpts from an a rticle
in the
Los Angeles Times.
by An–
drew Gree ley from Rome. The
headline of the story: "The En–
trance of Catholicism Back lnto tbe
World Is Now Inevitable." The
medieval a lli ance between the
church and the world was virtually
destroyed in tbe 14th century- and
finally again in the early 19th. Yet
prior to that the Catholic Churcb
had been the leader and guardian of
the European world.
Then Greeley listed three crucial
points:
1)
The world
had come to view
democracy as human progress- but
to the church
it was "an assault on
Christian truth and ecclesiastical
rights."
2) The ascendancy of modern
science and scbolarsbip.
The church
looked on science as an attack on
religious trutb and the foundations
of religion.
3)
It
had a lways been the belief
of
the church that the pope should
RULE
with
ABSOLUTE POWER. whiJe
the world
was coming to view papal
power as a relic of the Dark Ages.
Many high in the church had con–
tinued to urge
that the church must
REJOIN THE WORLD. In tbe Second
Vatican Council it was decided the
time had come "to deal openly witb
tbe modern world."
After the death of Paul VI. as a
result of bis administ ration. on the
election of John Paul
l.
" it became
clear tha t
the church and the world
were in dialogue once again- an
his–
torie turning point after centuries"
(emphasis added).
Pope Paul had found his "balance
of power in a 'mini-Cu ria.'" created
by tbe energetic Vatican Secretary
of State (virtually a prime minister)
Cardinal Giovanni Benelli.
lt is my understanding that Car–
dinal Benelli had been assigned by
Paul VI to work on plans toward the
resurrection of tbe Holy Rornan
Empire to rule Europe.
Now put all these facts together.
Tbe Catholic Church is in trouble–
coming to be divided from within.
Tbey must know that a house di–
vided against itself cannot stand.
The nations of Europe WANT TO
UN ITE POUTICALLY and MILITARI LY.
How did the Catholic Churcb
set tle its interna! problems while it
ruled supreme? By the PHYSICAL
FORCE of the civil government. over
which tbe popes RULED!
Revelation 17
It
may not sound pretty. at this
point. but
1
quote from the proph–
ecy of Revelation 17. The time
prophesied is NOW and the immedi–
ate future. thougb this prophecy
also records sorne of the past: "And
there carne one of the seven angels
wbich had the seven vials [the seven
last plagues which are to strike at
tbe time of Cbrist's second coming].
and talked with me. saying unto me.
Come bither: 1 will shew unto tbee
tbe judgment of the great wbore
that sittetb upon many waters: witb
wbom the kings of the earth have
committ ed fornica ti on . . .. The
39