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Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox
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Political Hacks & Religious Quacks: Christofascism in SCOTUS
Opus Dei champion Leonardo Lee pushed far right judges onto the Supreme Court who find the whole idea of pluralism and separation of church and state repugnant.
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SCOTUS recently broke precedent about federal money for church schools and followed it up with a ruling that school districts cannot prohibit high school football coach’s prayers on the field. I received this e-mail in response:
No longer protecting the separation of church and state! Conservative religious fanatics victorious again thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision this morning!
| Image of Bishop Alvaro who was the immediate successor to the Founder of Opus Dei. Photo taken from article on Opus Dei in the United States, written in America Magazine by Fr. James Martin SJ, in 2012.
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Of course this should come as no surprise–Opus Dei has never liked the separation of church and state. Consider Franco’s dictatorship where Opus Dei played a very active role in marrying far right wing Catholicism with right wing politics and industry for decades of rule.
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A powerful music video for “Take Me to Church” by Hozier showcasing religiously motivated violence against LGBTQIA2S+ persons in Russia; violence that happens in the USA. The song uses vivid imagery of the beauty of sacred
sexuality and how Church has often demonized it. Originally posted to YouTube by Hozier
| This decision to turn its back on pluralism shows clearly in the SCOTUS decision to gut 49 years of precedent
and kill roe/wade since most religions do not recognize a fetus as a human being until a certain number of months (including most Christians, among them Saint and doctor of the church, Thomas Aquinas). The Jewish tradition (that of Jesus) believes the fetus is not a human until it leaves the womb.
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Clearly Dobbs demonstrates venom toward women and especially poor women many of whom are women of color. This hardly echoes Jesus’ teaching of a “preferential option for the poor,” does it? What research did Alito do into the impact Dobbs will have on poor women? In fact, Dobbs will kill poor women and render poor
families even more poor.
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The most recent appointee to this unSupreme Court gave a speech this past summer under Senator McConnell’s auspices–and with him in attendance–and declared that people should not see her and her colleagues on the Court as “political hacks.” At the time, I couldn’t help catching a déjà vu—oh, yes, it was President Nixon publicly declaring that “I am
not a crook.” That happened shortly before it was demonstrated to the world that he was so much a crook that he was forced to resign the presidency—AND to be pardoned for his crimes by the next president.
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Not only is the current Supreme Court political hacks with their decision-making, but they are also religious quacks. Opus Dei is religious quackery. So too is much of the evangelical version of Christianity. Check it
out. Mixing fascism and Christianity is religious quackery of a very serious kind. Its name is Christofascism.
Every supreme court judge who signed off on this so-called legal decision, that utterly contradicts the 13th and 14th amendment that prohibit servitude and the control over women’s bodies that was integral to the slave system, is acting out of Christofascism and is pleasing forces of Christofascism.
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Queries for Contemplation
Do you think it is possible for people who call themselves followers of Christ to also submit to fascism? Is it time to call out Christofascism in all its forms?
Adapted from Matthew Fox, “Opus Dei,” in Fox, The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved,” pp. 106-124.
Banner Image: Mitch McConnell speaking in 2013 at the Conservative PAC. Originally posted to Flickr by Gage Skidmore.
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The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved
The Pope’s War offers a provocative look at three decades of corruption in the Catholic Church, focusing on Josef Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. The final section in the book focuses on birthing a truly catholic christianity. Matthew Fox presents insights from his 12-year, up-close-and-personal battle with Ratzinger, tracing the historical roots of degradation in the Church and offering a new way to understand why Benedict XVI is now mired in crisis as Pope. Fox then outlines his
vision for a new Catholicism-one that is not Vatican-based but truly universal, celebrating critical thinking, diversity, and justice.
“This book should be read by everybody, not only for its ferocious courage, but also for its vision for what needs to be saved from the destructive forces that threaten authentic Christianity.” ~ Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope.
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Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
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See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE
Join Matthew Fox and special guest Caroline Myss for a 6-part Reflections Parallel course, “Beyond Patriarchy: Recovering the Divine Feminine and Sacred Masculine and
Why it Matters Today,” hosted by the Caroline Myss Educational Institute. July 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27 (Mondays & Wednesdays) 4:00pm-5:30pm PT (GMT/UTC-7) Register HERE.
Join Matthew Fox at the monthly Our Lady of the Prairie Virtual Retreat with a discussion of The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times. Thursday, July
14, 4:00pm-6:00pm PT (GMT/UTC-7). Register HERE.
Join Matthew Fox for the monthly Our Lady of the Prairie virtual retreat, discussing One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths. Thursday, August
18, 4:00-6:00pm PT. Learn more HERE.
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Creation Spirituality in Conversation.
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Victor Fuhrman of Destination Unlimited on OMTimes interviews Matthew Fox on Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality. Navigate to the podcast page by clicking the image on the left.
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Announcing Matthew Fox's Newest Book!
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Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality
Selected with an introduction by Charles Burack
“This collection of Fox’s most life-giving insights blesses the connection between caring for our Mother-the-Earth and lifting up marginalized voices, between waking up from the dream of separation and stepping up to mend the net of creation.”
—Mirabai Starr, author, God of Love and Wild Mercy
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