I don't have to agree with everything in a post to appreciate it. I also don't have to have well formed conclusions regarding world events. But I can point out contradictory information which undermines certain narratives. If there are facts which I posted regarding Iran which you disagree with feel free to post which ones. I don't believe Iran is operating its own but is part of a concerted network of communists/Islamists pushing for an agenda. Globalists appear to be a part of this network as well. Iran can be directing/funding palestinian protests worldwide in cooperation with other elements who see them as mutually beneficial. Removal of Iran from this network appears to be where the war between the US and this communist/Islamic network currently is IMO.
To me it is more about Trump and his associates gambling on oil shares. This war was supposed to be over in three days. There was no mention at the beginning about the ‘networks’ that you suggest. As for networks that support Palestinians from slaughter by genocidal states, I think they are highly commendable. What business does the US have in a location many thousands of miles away bombing civilians and their infrastructure that represent no direct threat to it, except for its desire to control and own all energy resources throughout the world? Iran represents a resistance against a freemasonic, imperial entity that has become far more Jewish than Christian in the last sixty years and engages in the export of a culture that has degenerated into the promotion of abortion, contraception, pornography and sexual perversion, along with what has devolved into the most kleptomaniacal form of capitalism, one hardly distinguishable from communism in its misappropriational tendencies. Islam is not perfect, to say the least, but the Iranians outlaw abortion, pornography and homosexuality and generally tend to avoid the deliberate targeting of civilians in their attacks.
Yes Pax, Stay true to what you believe... And it doesn't really matter..this is a spiritual war. Alot of it is put up as show.. anything to avoid the files. Our Church is in chaos...as the Church is, so goes the world.
I don't believe we are, have been or will be privy to what is actually going on in this war. We now know China is heavily connected to dems in the US, why not Iran? I had hoped it would be short as well but clearly it is not. I think you are correct about the oil as oil appears to equal influence. But I don't see it as a gamble but a removal of influence. I don't believe all the support for the Palestinians is organic, but was used as a tool to destabilize Western cultures further. Everything appears to be exploited these days, and unfortunately the cause of the Palestinians is no exception. You may see Iran as a bulwark against modernism. I don't, based on the fact they promoted palestinian protests to cause disruption in the west. If they actually cared about Palestinians they would be allowing them to migrate to Iran as refugees. The Palestinian demonstrations are also heavily aligned with the LGBTQ sector, which tells me that Iran is all for this in the west to help it degenerate further.
I agree that the Palestinian cause can be exploited. That does not mean that their cause is not just. I consider your example of the perverts supporting the Palestinians as one with which I must strongly disagree, I have to say. When you’re being genocided and ethnically cleansed, you don’t have the luxury of being picky about who supports you. Indeed, the world capital city of sexual perversion is that of the persecuting Israelis. I also think that the Iranians have given far more genuine help to the Palestinians than the Sunnis in the Middle East. If the Palestinians move to Iran, that will be the end of Palestine, by the way, leaving the way open for the casinos. I am firmly convinced now that the terrorists in the Middle East are the Jews (I don’t think of them as Israelis or Zionists anymore-these are terms used to cover up the real problem, which is Talmudic, Kabbalistic Judaism-‘The Synagogue of Satan’) and their enablers in The West. It’s no accident, either, that ISIS should gain power in Syria. They are agents of Israel and products of Mossad and I now believe most Islamic terrorism has been cultivated by the Jews, in order to turn the people in the West against the Muslims-they already had the politicians in their pockets through bribery and blackmail, but something else was needed to convince the ordinary people, aided and abetted by huge media campaigns. Is it not surprising that we haven’t had a ‘false flag’ by now in order to blame Iran? Some US Jews have brazenly called for one. But, the wiser ones are realising that it might backfire, as the people might not fall for it.
This is the point for me where I find we start losing the forest for the trees. Everyone has a bit of a different take with similar flavors. I try to use the tools of decernment that Jesus gave us. Primarily by their fruits ye shall know them. Which is an extension of where Jesus tells us that all actions begin in the heart. I see a mix of good and bad on behalf of the US government. But from my level of perspective it is hard to sort everything out. I am not really impressed with the fruits of the government of Israel at all. I am also not impressed with the government of Iran at all either. Then add in all the other players in the world. It gets way too complex to form assessments IMO. When you have two groups doing negative stuff to each other over long periods of time how do you assess who is a victim and who is a perpetrator?
Yes. Wise words. First the Church then the world. " the judgement of God begins with the House of God."
Do the fruits of not accepting abortion, not tolerating perversity have no impact on you, at all? The fruits, in war, of the United States: Unknown numbers of American Indians slaughtered. Contrast with the French, the Spanish and even the British. Phillipines: One million civilians (almost all Catholics) slaughtered in the so-called Spanish-American War. WWII: how many German and Japanese civilians slaughtered by ‘strategic’ bombing, most notably the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which contained many Catholics? Three million Korean civilians slaughtered in the Korean War. Three million Vietnamese, Cambodians and Laotian civilians (many of them Catholic) by US ‘strategic’ bombing. Countless civilians of West Asia slaughtered for the interests of world Jewry. What has Iran done to the world? I suggest you review your ‘tools of discernment’. Speak for yourself if you think you’re ’losing the forest for the trees’. Please do not include me in your ‘we’. And no, it is certainly not about different takes with different flavours. It is about what is right and wrong. Takes and flavours…for goodness sake. Are we facing Heaven or Hell…or is it all just some kind of fashion show? Sorry for my anger and frustration.
Oh you must be Irish! That temper thing, ha! It's way too complex, these issues go all the way back to the creation of man. The Old Testament is a good refresher on man's inhumanity to man, and man's disrespect for God. Well, the world has expanded beyond the mideast in the old testament, but the stories are the same. What country is perfect? There is none. What country has done horrible things? All of them. What nationality has been the perfect children of God? None of them. So, it depends on how far you want to cast the stone. It really goes nowhere. Every day in my list of prayers I pray for my country to come back to God. That's the best I can do, and the only thing I know how to do. It is really out of my control. But it is in God's control and he will correct it. But we are here for a reason, to live in this fast paced world of instant information, and the spiritual battle going on around us. I like to read the lives of the saints for inspiration and really pay attention to the signs of the times. We had a lively discussion of St. John of the Cross at my community meeting the other night. His biography is a heartbreaker. His own friars beat him and imprisoned him, and they were Religious! But then, we see how the Pharisees had Jesus put to death . . .it goes on and on. But there is great hope, and the readings this weekend talked about the wheat and the tares being separated. Pay attention, it is happening. Right before our eyes! Time to be loving and forgiving and prayerful.
This reminds me of Ireland . We were taught from childhood to blame the English on everything bad that ever happened to us. However later on I saw long before an English foot ever came to Ireland that the Irish were busy butchering each other like crazy. The same way with Penal Days with the Catholic Faith been suppressed for centuries by the English Protestants. But a little closer look and we can see that before the Penal Days the Catholic Church had become incredibly corrupt. The Penal Days purified the Church and meant the Irish could carry the Faith throughout the World once again. Also , although it was true that Protestants were torturing, imprisoning and butchering Catholics; Catholics throughout Europe were doing the exact same thing on Protestants. We all have logs in our own eyes while we see splinters in the eyes of others and that goes for looking at countries too.
You act as though abortion only exists in the US? Have you checked your own back yard lately? Picking specks out of the eyes of others while you have logs in your own. Did you know Iceland no longer has children with down syndrome? Do you also think most Americans want this stuff, if you do you are sorely misinformed. You also have the bad habit of looking at only the negative fruits of the US and never the good. Countless lives have been saved by innovations which have come from the US, it's on the level of billions. At least be objective. Also, feel free to tally up the deaths from the US and compare them to that of communism. Demanding perfection during wars since the inception of the US is also an exercise in presentism. I don't take suggestions from those whom I do not consider objective, are judgemental and full of spite. The exact poison Jesus tells us to avoid. You should be careful with the seed you're choosing to plant. I cannot believe you are actually asking what Iran has done. Have you actually taken the time to listen to any of the Diaspora? You realize Iran is funding terrorist organizations? Your bias is showing greatly. How can you possibly claim to be objective in any way shape or form if you haven't at least taken the time to listen to the Diaspora? You aren't the arbiter of what is right and wrong. You are just angry that I bring counter points which challenge your narrative of events.
A long history of occupation and colonialism leaves one with a different perspective upon the projection of power. Ireland differs from all the other western nations within the EU. They all were colonisers, while we were long the colonised. During the times of the suppression of the monastries, the slaughters and ethnic cleansing of Cromwell and the Plantatations and the genocide of the Penal Laws and their consequent Famine, we went through what the people of Palestine (many of them Christian and many may be descended since Our Lord’s time) have been undergoing since early in the twentieth century. This makes me angry, as does the Anglo-Saxon (British and American) history of treating other peoples as ‘Amalek’, a trait shared with contemporary Judaism. As has been wisely pointed out, none of us can throw the first stone. Pax Prima astutely observed the benefits of Western Civilisation, particularly in the case of US technological achievement. Eating from the Tree of Knowledge has brought benefits as well as notable downsides. Nonetheless, history shows us that such Knowledge combined with Power and Ambition can be very harmful. I apologise for my anger last night, but broadly I expressed the views of history I have come to believe. I think that Christ displayed a particular sympathy for the poor and the meek. What does He think of the events in His beloved Palestine? I’ll say no more or I’ll get myself going again.
Another thing that got my goat last night (Katfalls nailed me on the head-sometimes this Irishman would fight with his own shadow), was the sight of a very bewildered-looking President Trump presenting medals (or whatever he was doing) to the Spanish footballers, the representatives of a nation he had recently described as ‘nasty people’, simply because they refuse to play along with his wars. It frustrates me that a man who looked like he had little comprehension of the events of which he partook has so much power in matters that can determine the lives and livelihoods of so many people.
Re-assessment: I have been struggling to come to terms with how Pax Prima, someone for whom I have the utmost respect, and I could have such opposing views. I found Padraig’s comment on how the Irish were slaughtering one another before the English occupation ever happened to be highly relevant. Firstly, it is true. The Normans were invited in by an Irish King to help him fight another of the several kings of the time. In other words, the Irish weren’t innocent, harmless lambs. Nobody is. Who was it said that the line that separates good from evil runs through every human heart? There are no good guys being attacked by bad guys. Post-Fall, there are no good guys. We are all capable of war in our hearts. I was launching a bloodless one upon Pax Prima last night. I need to curb that tendency. The same applies to the Americans and the Iranians both. Each side believes in their own self-perceived just cause, but it’s never that black-and-white. The Old Testament view of the enemy, that he is ‘Amalek’ and must be wiped out, has been superseded by Christ’s command that we love our enemy. Of course, if we began to love our enemies, we’d probably discover that we hadn’t as many as we thought. Unfortunately, we have a long way to go in this world before Christ’s command is heeded. Can it ever be? Here in Ireland, we finally shook off our English occupiers. This was followed by a Civil War that was far bloodier and did far more damage to the country. Pax Prima rightfully pointed out the benefits of science and technology, a phenomenon that as Father Stanley Jaki authoritatively demonstrated, is unique to the Christian West, but this knowledge also has a dark side and facilitates those who wish to wage war. And worse. We have industrial abortion, industrial war, with incalculable energy and resources devoted to it. Once, we were limited to swords. Now, there is such a variety of ways of killing people, mostly at the push of a button. Anyway, it’s all not likely to change. It’s the way of mankind. There’s not much I can do except try and refrain from my own bit of war. So, sorry Pax Prima.
I appreciate your honesty and your concern for those who are suffering. I join you in praying for peace in the Holy Land and for every innocent person caught in war. One thing I've been reflecting on, especially since my accident, is that I don't think Jesus loves the poor more than the rich. I think He sees every person first as a beloved son or daughter of the Father. He certainly had tremendous compassion for the poor, the sick, the forgotten, and those treated unjustly. But I also think He loved the rich enough to challenge them, because He knew wealth and power could become obstacles to trusting God. I can't remember exactly what Gospel but the story of the rich young man is one of few times in Bible where it says Jesus loved him. He loved him before the young man walked away. That has always reminded me that Christ's love isn't based on what we have or don't have. Such a tragedy that his possessions prevented him from following. Im not rich with money but my many "possessions " which include my ideas, my family, my other "idols" do block me from following Jesus. So After everything I've lived through these past two years, I've become much more cautious about deciding whose side Jesus is on in today's conflicts. What I've experienced instead is that He comes looking for every one of us, especially in our suffering, calling each of us to conversion. In my own desert, He wasn't showing me who my enemies were. He was showing me my own heart and how much I needed Him. I need to allow Him to convert my stony heart every day. Peace.
