I usually think of multiculturalism as a fairly benign concept wherein we are asked to appreciate the enrichment that can come when many cultures have input into the life of this country. The fact is America has always been a rich tapestry of cultures. The English, French, and Spanish colonist interacted with the native populations, they also brought African slaves with them. In the late 1800s through the mid 1900s waves of immigrants from almost every European country also added to the mix. The group we usually call “Whites” today is actually an assimilation of many very different cultures. My father’s generation (b. 1928) made very sharp distinctions between Irish, Italians, Poles, and so forth. Many of these groups lived in distinct neighborhoods, attended different Catholic parishes, and intermarriage was almost unthinkable between them at the early stages. In more recent years, immigrants from the South, from Africa and the Far East have also added to tapestry and the “look” of America. And whatever friction has sometimes existed between various groups, ethnicity and races, I have no doubt that we have been enriched by our interaction and life together in this land.
This is the multiculturalism I know and what I usually mean by the term.
Apparently the experience in Europe has been less satisfactory and we now see some European leaders calling for stricter curbs on multicultural expression. For example, in France the wearing of certain Muslim Garb, especially the Burqa, has been banned.
In the video below, a commentator gives a much more sober assessment of multiculturalism. To some extent I would describe his approach to be in the form of a rant that intentionally overstates the case in a sometimes humorous, even satirical way. It sometimes helps to understand the genre when viewing such viewpoints. So you may wish to read up on the genre of “rant” HERE.
Nevertheless the purpose of “rant,” though overstated and sometimes satirical, is to make a point that the orator considers important. And what I take away from the video is that some distinctions and limits are necessary when it comes to multiculturalism. Without these, we may find multiculturalism fails as a lived reality and may rest on premises that are unacceptable. Here are just a two concerns:
1. Multiculturalism must be rooted in a fundamentally shared vision and in something higher than any individual culture in the mix. When people and groups immigrate, they bring with them their own traditions and culture. Fine, herein lies a richness. But they also come to a new experience, a new culture, shared by those already in the land, which can also enrich them. There must be certain fundamentals to which all in a culture agree to share. Without this there are enclaves which set up, and friction is inevitable. Here in America there have traditionally been two fundamental visions that have united us and helped us to overcome our differences and experience multicultural success: the American Dream, and a fundamental belief in the existence of God.
The American Dream, while difficult to reduce to a sentence or two, is essentially rooted in the economic freedom to work, run and own businesses, own property and participate in the political process without harassment. It includes freedom of speech and assembly, basic equality, and all the rights described in our Constitution. Ultimately most Americans see its fulfillment for them personally when they are economically independent, and able to own a home. It would seem that the American Dream is still largely intact, as a shared vision. I think most people who come to this land are still looking for just these things. They admire our freedoms, our prosperity, and basic form of government. Many take enormous risks to come here and take part in the dream. This existence of this common vision causes a shared unity that makes multiculturalism workable.
As for a shared belief in God, this has become frayed in recent decades. It still remains true that the vast majority of Americans still believe in God, but an increasingly strident form of secularism threatens to undermine the shared “cultus” of our culture. “Cultus” or “cult” here does not mean what modern English has assigned as a narrow, closed and often extreme group, engaged in strange religious practices. Originally in Latin, and even in English, “cult” meant simply a shared faith among the people. That “cult” is at the heart of the word culture is no accident. For every culture needs someone and something above it to which, and to whom, it must answer. That Someone, we in the West, have called the God of the Bible. Without this cult, it is questionable that a culture can survive for there is nothing and no one higher than it to unite it. That Western culture is in serious decline at the same time that secularism is on the rise is, likely, no coincidence.
Here in America, most of our immigrants are Catholics and Christians. Hence they share in the basic Judeo/Christian view or “cultus.” The jury is still out on whether secularization will continue. But for now, the vast majority of Americans still share a common belief in the God of the Bible, even if they do not live this faith perfectly.
In Europe the situation seems quite grave, and the Pope has described that the lights are going out all over Europe. With high secularism and low birthrates among Europeans, the Muslims are largely poised to replace European culture. But it is questionable that the Muslim immigrants value what we call Western culture and their “cultus” is not the same “cultus” that gave rise to Europe. Hence the multicultural tensions are growing fiercer, since there is no shared faith, and no European version of the “American Dream” that unites new immigrants and traditional Europeans.
But here in America, multiculturalism largely still “works,” though threats are on the horizon. This does not mean that there are not certain tensions. But there always have been and there still seems to be a way to work through it.
One of the flash points here is the question of language. And, although I often hear fears expressed by some that “Spanish is taking over,” my own experience is that, in every immigrant family I know, the kids all know English. Hence, I am not personally concerned that Spanish will take over. English remains the language of access in this country. Thankfully, it seems we have gotten over the silly experiment in Education of running bilingual school systems. As far as I can tell, immigrant children are immersed in English and quickly expected to take their seats in an English-speaking classroom. But some of you may correct me on this.
2. While accepting the benefits of multiculturalism, we must avoid the trap that everything is equally valid – The orator in the video below makes the case that multiculturalism is just another form of moral relativism. I am not sure that I accept the word “just” in his argument. But there is a danger that some of the premises do come from moral relativism or tend to be reinforced by unhealthy notions associated with it.
I’ll just be bold (as a Westerner) and say that there is something essentially superior to the what we have come to call “western culture.” We are not perfect, and sadly, western culture does seem to be in significant decay at this time. But historically western culture has produced the highest standard of living, had the most stable economies, produced the most just and equitable forms of democratic government, has a rich deposit of learning, and brought forth a great expression of the dignity of the individual. I, (Christian that I am) attribute a lot of this to faith, for it was the Church that established most of the great universities, the hospitals, the scientific method, and so forth. The Church also, through the tireless work of monks and others helped to preserve the works of classical antiquity which has so blessed us and served as the basis for the high standard of living and the flourishing of the sciences we have today.
As I say, I’ll just be bold and probably “politically incorrect” but western culture is the finest flower in the garden, given our history and what we have contributed to the world. This does not mean that there are no excesses in us, or that other cultures are nothing at all. I do not the deny the World Wars and other sad chapters. But the fact that so many flock to live in the West, especially in America, is silent testimony to the greatness of what we are, and have to offer. They are often fleeing poor economies, corrupt dictatorships and terrible living conditions. To be sure, they bring gifts to us in their cultural heritage and are able to add to rich tapestry of the West, especially in America. But that too is part of the greatness of the West, tolerance, and an open marketplace of ideas.
It is a fact that the West as we have known it is in fairly serious decline. Some centuries ago de Tocqueville noted that for democracy to thrive, morality and self-control of the populace had to be presumed. The fact is, without a general level of moral self-governance, democracy and freedom cannot thrive. For the genius of Western style democracy is that power and control are shifted from the central state more to individual. Freedom is wonderful, but it requires self-control of the populace. If we are not willing to curb our behaviors, proper order and the common good are threatened and freedoms begin to be lost. It is no coincidence that, as bad behaviors begin to proliferate, government grows and freedoms are limited, Today, often due to the breakdown of personal behavior and a sense of personal responsibility, there are increasing demands for laws and for the government intervention. But the tradeoff is that personal freedoms are eroded, taxes increase and fears grow about further intrusions as a litigious attitude grows. Whether the great experience of western culture will continue depends largely on whether we can reclaim some of our lost moral code and live by it without a government insisting on it.
But as it is conceived, I will say again that western culture is the finest flower of the modern world. It is threatened but it is wholly worth saving as the best hope for future generations.
The fact is we ought not become moral relativists in this matter and, as others come to join us, it is not wrong that we insist they observe what is best about us and seek to join, rather than replace what we are. With this premise multiculturalism is enriching and to be celebrated.
OK, please remember this is a discussion. I am not pontificating here, just starting a discussion. Please add your own views, additions, distinctions and so forth!
As for this video remember, it is in the style of a rant. I do not know who Andrew Klavon is, this is the first I have seen of him. Hence, I do not endorse everything he says or may have said elsewhere. I just found his video here to provoke thought and to help me clarify what I think of multiculturalism .
History has its ups and downs. One of the best ways to think of it is like this: Let’s say a man wished to establish a religious community to help free slaves and captives in the Middle East. If he continued to respond to God’s grace even when he didn’t want to – such as go to Mass on Sundays when he’s feeling tired, eat what he dislikes for dinner, etc. – God would work out the future in such a way that his prayers and sacrifices would result (so to speak) in him establishing the community he wishes to establish. If, however, he resists God’s grace, he will not get to do what he wants and only get to do what he doesn’t want. That’s how history is: We’re not in control, God is, and while we we will see depressing times, if we just cooperate with God’s grace, we will soon see happy times.
I think I understand you to mean that we should be unapologetically Catholic.,
What I meant was that history has always had bad times and good times, times of atheism and times of faith, etc. But God is in control, not us. If we just cooperate with Him, all will be for the better. No need to worry, not even over the so-called “glossing over of evil” that the world accuses us of when we don’t worry about evil; just gotta be – as you say – unapologitically Catholic.
I usually try to avoid word games, however I feel that there may be something here that could lead to one so I’ll try to head it off.
From the Webster Dictionary apology is described in two ways; a : a formal justification : defense
: an admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret
And from the Oxford Dictionary (at the root of the English Language) apology; a regretful acknowledgement of an offence or failure:
a formal expression of regret at being unable to attend a meeting or social function:
another term for apologia
And apologia; a formal written defence of one’s opinions or conduct:
I’m trying not to be overly technical but, it sometimes seems that there are unfortunate people who monitor this ‘blog in search of a chance to focus on some minor imperfection so as to attempt to prove some fanciful huge misdeed.
So I willingly state that I don’t make “an admission of error” or “a regretful acknowledgement of an offence or failure” for being Catholic; I am willing to make “a formal justification” of my choice to be Catholic when appropriate.
Not, however, when people try to make it one sided or waste my time by running the same points of debate over and over and over and over and over…
Multiculturalism is last gasp of a nation that has lost it’s national identity. It is pluralism’s evil twin! Multiculturalism insists on an egalitarian viewpoint of all culture and belief. Pluralism, on the other hand, cherishes and protects cultural differences, but it, nevertheless, places primacy to our national identity. In America’s case, cultural identity is (or was) our Judeo-Christian heritage, and the natural law that under girds our Constitution. We were united under God. All of that is erased in multiculturalist world view.
They’ve already won the debate on our Judeo-Christian heritage. Christmas=Winter Fesitival. Easter=Spring Break. Natural Law died along with our sodomy laws, and the institution of no fault divorce. And now all that remains to destroy is what these leftist calls their “living document”- the Constitution. Multiculturalism is our nation’s poison pill. And it may be too late to pump the stomach!
I like your distinction between multiculturalism and pluralism. I had not thought of this and likely what you call pluralism is what I have equated with multiculturalism. Your other observations are also quite good, I do hope however it is not too late to recover natural law and our Judeo-Christian heritage, not to mention our Constitution.
I suspect that you are right in that what you were thinking of as multiculturalism is actually pluralism. In order for a society to maintain cohesion amongst a population with such a rich variety of cultural heritage, one coming into the society must be accommodating to the culture as one finds it. That doesn’t mean one must drop all practices and beliefs from one’s place of origin, but it does mean that within the public square one should be prepared to yield the place of prominence to the existing culture.
The problem with the multiculti push is that it always, always, always expects the culture and people who are already present to yield to the incoming. We in the US are at a point where we’re not only asked to yield and/or accommodate, but we are now being expected to actively supress the existing culture (including and especially the Judeo-Christian tradition) in favor of the incoming. Those expectations create enormous discord between the people.
Well said and I have reservations about the video too.
Yes, rant is always edgy and you’re never sure if he believes it all literally or is just engaging in rant. On the left there is a lot of rant on comedy central and you’re never quite sure when those “news guys” are in or out of character.
Monsignor Pope,
This essay appears to part of your recent series of essays in which you continue your cogent analysis of the economic, social, cultural and political decay of our country and how this has affected us spiritually as a people of God.
I agree with you that Western Civilization has been a blessing for the Church and an oustanding handmaiden for our faith. Certainly, there has been occasions when reason and science were used for horrible means and ends, but one can see those as perversions of reason and science.
Multiculturalism in the sense of appreciating the customs, dress, language, art and archietcture of other nations, peoples and tribes is a good thing. For one thing, it helps us to see that notwithstanding the apparent differences, there is a thirst in each human heart for the Lord even if a culture does not fully understand the nature of the divinity it yearns for.
However, just as in the field of economics and social policy in which care for the poor – – a good thing – – can have unintended consequences and lead us to debt levels that will bankrupt our country while sometimes resulting in sloth, multiculturalism can become an evil. Recently, multiculturalism has been used to denigrate the values on which this country was established by our Founding Fathers who, inspired by the Lord, fashioned the Constitution. Even though that Constitution was flawed, for example, by the horrible classificiation of African-Americans as 3/5th’s of a person, its separation of powers to prevent tyranny from any one group or interest and the freedoms of the Bill of RIghts are things for which our American culture can thank God and in true humility thankful and proud.
The Church in the past 20 centuries has not only preserved the essential and sacred deposit of our faith and the promise of our salvation, but it has been the single greatest engine for scientific, legal, engineering and social advancement in the entire history of the world. Have the laity and priests of the Church committed grievous sins? Most certainly!! Ecclesia semper reformanda.
BUT:
Has the Church sanctioned throwing acid in the faces of young girls trying to obtain an edcuation and learn to read and write?
Has a local priest encouraged a sports team to use human heads for soccer balls?
When a so-called artist placed the Crucifix in a jar of urine, did the Pope issue a fatwa calling for the death of the artist?
Which would be better? The gentle, loving yoke of the Catholic Church with its sacraments of baptism, penance, orders and the Eucharist, or sharia law in which the subjugation of women, honor killings and a barbaric form of paterfamilia are all acceptable?
In the name of multiculturalism, it would be evil to say that one is as good as the other or that the customs and religious practice of others are always deserving of our respect.
We have to be on guard and not let Satan misuse these ideas and truths. We must remember that Satan has no tools to use against us except for the “goods” of the Lord’s creation. Accordingly, he must take those goods and pervert or re-define them. In the name of multiculturalism, we must be vigilant that we take great care to remember that ideas have consequences and the truth must always be guarded.
We Americans can see that materialism, atheism, and the culture of death enshrined in contraceptive practices and abortion are demographically ushering in the age of Islam in the heart of what was European Christianity. If America does not awaken, we are looking at our future. Our priest in his homily yesterday noted that statistically there are supposedly over 70 millions Catholics in the U.S. “Where are they?” he asked. Only about a third of them, or less, are in church on Sunday or other holy days of obligation. They are not in the confessional. “Where are they?” he asked. He said Muslims are confused about the Lord, the Trinity and Jesus Christ (Muslims are Nestorians on steroids!!), but they pray five times a day.
Where is the Christian zeal for the Lord’s House? The Catholic Church has been entrusted by the Holy Spirit with sacred scripture, the sacraments, the magesterium, time-tested wisdom and a liturgy in which we are joined with God and all the saints and angels in heaven. We have priests who are a treasure beyond reckoning who stand in persona Christi. All of these things have informed, enlightened and inspired our Western Civilization for the past twenty centuries.
Make no mistake: The person who truly stands behind the false multiculturalism that attacks and denigrates the values the Church embodies is Satan. These attacks at their core are attacks on the Church, the truth and its priests because Satan despises priests. Each generation must be taught these things and the deposit of faith, learning and truth must be carefully handed down anew.
The thrust of your series of essays, Monsignor, is that unless these spiritual verities inform and guide our efforts in the fields of economics, social justice, multiculturalism, government policy, etc., we quickly find ourselves going off the rails.
The Catholic Church has been rocked back on its heels by the abuses and scandals of the past 20 or 30 years. It needs to find its voice and get back on the polemical playing field!!!
God bless you, Monsignor Pope, and thank you for your daily insights.
Even though that Constitution was flawed, for example, by the horrible classificiation of African-Americans as 3/5th’s of a person
______________________
Yes, one could say that an undue emphasis on “multiculturalism,” in the sense of merely accepting things and not wanting to stir the pot, has allowed this LIE, that the Three-Fifths Clause was immoral, to be perpetrated again and again and again, so as to mislead untold numbers of people. Of course, part of it is due to our scandalous educational system that so many people are so grievously ignorant as to the how and why of the Three-Fifths Clause.
In fact, the clause was not grounded in racism or intended to dehumanize African slaves. Rather, the clause was intended to take power out of the hands of slave-owners.
What would have been the actual legal and constitutional effect of counting slaves as whole persons in the census???
Would it have been to treat them as whole persons in the law or society?? NO.
Answer: Counting slaves as whole persons in the census would have resulted in an increase in the number of seats apportioned to slave states in the House of Representatives while leaving the slaves in their bondage. It would empowered the slave owners, not the slaves. Because of the increase in counted population, it would have given slaves states more power and, hence, slave owners more power and, hence, entrenched slavery even more. Counting the slaves as whole persons, far from helping the slaves or providing them any real increased dignity would have, instead, merely oppressed them even more given the increase in power in the hands of their oppressors.
To be sure, since, in the slave states, the slaves had no legal rights whatsoever, since they were deemed not to be persons at all, but mere chattel property, they should not have been counted at all in the census, the purpose of which is to determine the number of representatives of persons. If there is a scandal in the Three-Fifths Clause, it is that the non-slave Northern states caved in and allowed slave owners to count the slaves as three-fifths rather than zero-fifths for representation purposes when they then did treat them as zero-fifths for all other purposes.
Count the slaves as whole persons, and Abraham Lincoln is never elected president because, in addition to the 40 percent increase in seats in the House of Representatives, the slave states would have received an increase in electoral votes in the Electoral College.
Mr. Decker: it might well do you some benefit to analyze the cumulative effects of the heresy of Americanism. There you might discover some of the root causes of the issues born in the early years of our nation which are just now coming to adult fruition. Please do not confuse the Catholic Church with American social and demographic ills. Yes, there are relationships, but they are not direct. Rather, the heresy of Americanism rests broadly on the good will of Americans who are heavily invested in the mythology that America is particularly and specially blessed by God above all other nations. And this preference of America by God is somehow inherently and intrinsically communicated by God through such vehicles as the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.
As for the opportunity of conversion presented by God through the nexus of Muslims to Christians in our world today: imagine that God Himself has dropped these souls into our very laps for the mission of conversion! Instead, the heresy of Americanism urges Americans to regard our Muslim brothers as objects of war and rightful targets of death. JPII himself bemoaned the warmongering of America against Muslims.
And, whether the Church or the Western World itself survives into the future in any sort of form we now know? Well, you can know for sure that those who are His friends will be treated in the same very way that Jesus, His son, was. Whether the Church and its architecture and organization survives was not promised. Peter was only assured that the Gates of Hell would not prevail. As for governments, they are offered no such assurances.
My advice to you would be to pray the Rosary daily and to safely and surely protect yourself in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary; and to seek Divine Mercy for the sake of all sinners. There you will find the safety and comfort of the Ark of the New Covenant. You will not be promised physical safety, but the safety and salvation of your very soul.
Besides being hilarious, Andrew Klavon is absolutely right. The rise in “honor killings” in America and “domestic” terrorists is something totally distinct from Western culture Just yesterday a pack of radical Jehovah’s witnesses asked me if I had time to discuss literature with them. When I said no, they left without and issue and most likely not plotting jihad against me, the great satan. So good for you Monsignor Pope and Andrew Klavon.
Andrew Klavan is an excellent writer of mystery/thrillers. His latest book is The Identity Man and I highly recommend it.
Sadly, multiculturalism as taught today can be boiled down to this: Western Culture is evil. It has poisoned everything it touched. Other cultures, however are to be tolerated and even affirmed in all they do. Did the Aztecs practice human sacrifice on a scale that is difficult to imagine? Well, that was their culture. Did the Spaniards have the Inquisition? That was EVIL, EVIL, EVIL!!!!!!
That’s how multiculturalism is presented now.
Re language and multiculturalism in Europe: While living in Europe, travelling on public transportation, I frequently saw Turkish moms with their school age or older kids. The mom spoke in Turkish to the kids and the kids responded in perfect Wienerdeutsch. Problem to me was that multiculturalism there was “you stay in your place, we stay in ours”, separate areas of the city to live, separate schools because of residence, virtually no intermarriage. In the US, on the other hand, after the first generation you have kids intermarrying across racial and ethnic lines. There is some de facto segregation, but nothing like when I grew up in the south. But, that is exactly what I saw in Austria and Germany just 10 years ago.
On language, I speak Spanish and English fluently and passable other languages. I do not believe in bilingual education. If you need a translator for court, pay for it yourself. The functional language of the US is English and so should be the language of education and government. For your business, use whatever languages you would like. If it is a language I can function in, I’ll shop at your store and speak to you in it. Encouraging a fake preservation of culture by speaking really bad Spanish isn’t good for anybody and celebrating Cinco de Mayo in public schools? Please. That just doesn’t work. Besides, Mexican Independence day is 16 September.
Before Colonisation, there was a culture and a native system in place under hierarchical kings and chiefs. Im sure it’s not the will of God to slaughter them and take their land and imposed another culture while the remaining indigenous peoples are restricted to poor areas. It is only justified by Darwinian’s survival of the fittest. Both Pluralism and Multiculturalism are futile attempts to address inequalities because of culture or race, otherwise its outright majority rule. The lack of Indians represented in parliament today provides the proof.
Father, way to complicated for me, Multiculturalism has made me Multi-confused. I always thought that when every person in every country on this planet drank a “coke” they would be given the rights an privileges of the American constitution. Who needs a visa just show up with your empty coke bottle and you will be declared “persona Americana” OK rant is over.GOD BLESS EVERYONE.
You are correct: Western Civ is the finest flower in the garden. But the soil in which the flower of Western Civ once thrived is being poisoned by modern education theory to induct all public school students from K thru graduate school in moral relativism, atheism, and the culture of death. Look into what passes for lofty thoughts in graduate schools of education, and you will see what I mean: in graduate schools of education, Noam Chomsky and Bill Ayers are not off-the-wall radicals but respected intellectuals, and homosexuality, non-marital sex, and socialism are all taught as praisworthy concepts to current and future teachers.
I hope so Msgr Pope. I hope it’s not too late.
Along with no fault divorce, sodomy, raping the planet but above all abortion (child sacrifice):
St. Paul’s letter to the Romans 1: 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowlege God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct. 29 They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetouness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them.
Describing the Gentiles there from the time of Noah up to his point in history, but man that sure sounds like America these days.
Now look at this unbelivable possibility, first from scripture:
Wisdom 12: 3 For those ancient inhabitants of your holy land, whom you abhorred, 4 because they did works hateful to you by their sorceries, and wicked sacrifices, 5 and those merciless murderers of their own children, and eaters of men’s bowels, and devourers of blood from the midst of your consecration
Describing the Gentiles who inhabited the Promised Land. Look at the link below. Are we unwittingly eating our sacrificed children?
http://catholiclane.com/biotech-company-using-aborted-fetal-cell-lines-to-test-food-flavor-enhancers-some-major-food-companies-severing-ties-with-senomyx/
The world follows the lead of America.
Our Lady of America, pray for us.
Oh Immaculate Mother, Queen of our country, open our hearts, our homes, and our land to the coming of Jesus, your Divine Son. With Him, reign over us, O heavenly Lady, so pure and so bright with the radiance of Gods light shining in and about you. Be our leader against the powers of evil set upon wresting the world of souls, redeemed at such a great cost by the sufferings of your Son and of yourself, in union with Him, from that same Savior, Who loves us with infinite charity.
We gather about you, O chaste and holy Mother, Virgin Immaculate, Patroness of our beloved Land, determined to fight under your banner of holy purity against the wickedness that would make all the world an abyss of evil, without God and without your loving maternal care.
We consecrate our hearts, our homes, our Land to your Most Pure Heart, O great Queen, that the kingdom of your Son, our Redeemer and our God, may be firmly established in us.
We ask no special sign of you, sweet Mother, for we believe in your great love for us, and we place in you our entire confidence. We promise to honor you by faith, love, and the purity of our lives according to your desire.
Reign over us, then, O Virgin Immaculate, with your Son Jesus Christ. May His Divine Heart and your most chaste Heart be ever enthroned and glorified among us. Use us, your children of America, as your instruments of peace among men and nations. Work your miracle of grace in us, so that we may be a glory to the Blessed Trinity, Who created, redeemed, and sanctifies us.
May your valiant spouse, St. Joseph, with the holy Angels and Saints, assist you and us in “renewing the face of the earth.” Then when our work is over, come, Holy Immaculate Mother, and as our Victorious Queen, lead us to the eternal kingdom, where your Son reigns forever as King.
Amen
I used to think of multi-culturalism in the terms your outlined in your introduction, but now it includes accepting behavior that is immoral. I recently applied for a grant and was appalled to find that in the multi-culti category, we now include books about gays, transgenders. Needless to say, I applied in the general category because It makes me ill to think how people compare being Black or Latino or Indian and the struggles they face in the same category as people who choose to engage in unnatural sex or choose to do alter their bodies.
Language evolves and multiculturalism no longer means what it used to …
The video was funny and true. it shows how in the US, we have to accept all sorts of things we shouldn’t have to in the name of multiculturalism and tolerance.
I wanted to note that in no way do I mean to minimize the crosses that gays or transgenders have to bear.
I blogged about Moral Relativism as being a result of Enlightenment. The video makes a great point.
http://viewcatholic.blogspot.com/2011/05/tyranny-of-individualism.html
Multiculturalism is the child of the “enlightmen”. The Church gave us civilization! I say a wholehearted “yeah” to your thoughts.
Good point. I wonder…is the enlightenment responsible for colonialism around the world in times past and is multiculturalism the enlightenments ‘atonement’ for the sin of colonialism?
If colonialism is guilty of suppressing third world cultures by ‘forcing’ the Western culture’s values (including the ‘cult’ of Christianity) on a unsuspecting people group, then, it is a possibility that the ‘enlightenment’ would act to undo the sin of colonialism by forcing the world cultures on the Western culture via multi-culturalism.
Perhaps the proponents of multiculturalism ‘feel guilty’ and want to show the world that western culture (and it’s ‘cult’, Christianity) is not the ‘finest flower of the garden of the world’. Sadly,In the process of implementing their ideology, they destroy our western culture whose ‘cult’ is the light and hope of all peope groups.
America’s great strength has been that it is a ‘melting pot’. Racial and ethnic chauvenists derive power via the false claim America should be a multicultural ‘salad bowl’.
As far as the current status of our degenerating Western Culture?
“He’s coming back — and boy is he pissed!”
I seem to remember that the Amercan Experiment was rooted in Western Culture and English Common law (and ultimately the Natural Law).
We throw that away by letting too many anybodies who do not share that tradition fully into this country. It has nothing to do with nativism or racism or any type of ism. It is just common sense and respect for the best of the West. We need to keep the best and help to purge our country of the rest.
I teach Psychology and (shudder) Sociology. The texts preach repeatedly the ALL behaviors (and beliefs) are normal somewhere, and that our belief that there is a god or that there is a right and wrong is only due to our culture-bound thinking (from which, it is hinted we, ought to FREE ourselves).
Multi-culturalism is not just another form of relative thinking, it is THE PRIME excuse for it.
our belief that there is a god or that there is a right and wrong is only due to our culture-bound thinking (from which, it is hinted we, ought to FREE ourselves)
I heartily agree. We ought to free ourselves from the culture-bound thinking that belief in God is due only to culture-bound thinking. We should free ourselves from the false culture-bound thinking that concepts of right and wrong are due only to culture-bound thinking.
The assertion in such texts is as valid as the old relativist’s absolute claim that there are no absolutes. The idea that something which is either true or not true is only due to cultural thinking is itself a culture-bound idea, which, due to its relativism holds as much water as a sieve.
Jesus put it best. My kingdom is not of this world.