Sunday, May 3, 2009

Grasping At Straws As Causal Events




I swear, there are times when I think somebody 'up there' has an incredible sense of humor. The following is part of the latest letter from Fr. Euteneuer of Human Life International. Father Euteneuer is known for his passion about the single pro life issue of abortion. He sometimes sinks to some rather low level arguments for his position. The following is a good example:

Spirit & Life®
Human Life International e-NewsletterVolume 04, Number 17 Friday, May 1, 2009
www.hli.org


Swine and Abortion

As loathe as I am to sully the good name of "swine" by relating them to abortion, there is a story in the Mexican swine flu epidemic that you will not hear broadcast by the major media or lamented in the stories of its victims: it is the connection between the epidemic and the legalization of abortion in Mexico.

I learned of the story this week when I was conducting an HLI pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The swine flu scare was "officially" announced on Friday, the 24th of April, two days before our pilgrimage was set to begin. The outbreak at that time was mostly limited to Mexico City which seemed to be the epicenter of the viral storm and where 20 people had already died (although it appears that the facts are not yet in on the causes of these and other suspected "swine flu" deaths). Despite the scare, 35 of our pilgrims decided to risk it and bring their intentions to the feet of Our Lady at the place where she chose to manifest her love to the people of that land in 1531. However - and this is the connection - it was also on April 24th, two years ago to the day that abortion was legalized in Mexico City, setting such an evil precedent for the whole nation. The connection just seems too eerie to be coincidental.....

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Two can play this game of connecting dates to events and making them causal links. Since I hate this kind of rationale, I looked up the history of events for April 24th, and found to my amusement that this was the very day in 2005 when Benedict was elevated to the Papacy.



Hmmm. Somehow I doubt Fr. Euteneuer would see the connection as being 'too eerie to be coincidental' for the now world wide swine flu outbreak to be linked with the election of Benedict as leader of the world wide Catholic Church. He should perhaps be more careful in grasping at straws.





Have a good and Holy Sunday.








(Kudos to Kiko for leaving the link to Fr. Euteneuer's letter in a comment on yesterday's post.)








8 comments:

  1. Dont have any comments to this other than -

    the word is "cornary"

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  2. loth or loath but not loathe

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  3. Actually loathe is correct.

    word is howledus

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  4. "I am loathe to" like "it's" as a possessive pronoun is INCORRECT.

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  5. annonymous, you're correct. I was actually going to correct this and then realized I would be editing Fr. Euteneuer's letter, so I didn't.

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  6. Colleen, thanks for digging up this extremely interesting and extremely bizarre commentary on the swine flu epidemic.

    What a bizarre alternate universe much of American Catholicism has become. To enter it is to take leave of reason, common sense, wisdom, and even virtues like compassion and zeal for justice.

    No wonder so many Americans--including many American Catholics--shrug their shoulders when these spokespersons for Truth and Orthodoxy open their mouths.

    Most of us have challenges aplenty living in the real world--and no wish to head off into the alternate universe on display in "Catholic" thinking nowadays.

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  7. Fr. Eutenauer (sp?) sadly falls into the same Bizarro-World niche as that of Fr. Frank Pavone: the single issue fanatical zealot priest.

    I have a rhetorical question for both of them:

    "Aside from producing a lot of hot air, have you actually DONE anything in your priestly career? Or just made a name for yourself?

    How many of the poor - as in poor, unwed pregnant mothers - could you have fed, clothed, housed - with all the $$millions you have wasted on your self-appointed crusade?

    Instead of creating more lay fanatics, how many babies might you have saved if the money had been used to help the mothers carry the child to term - and then make it fiscally possible for them to raise the kids?

    Have you ever considered that it is NOT the Church's business to interfere with Civil Law? Have you considered that to convert someone, your example speaks louder then any words?

    Lastly, have you considered that if you wish to convert someone that charity & prayer are the way Christ taught? Not screaming into the faces of those whom you label "sinners"."

    And perhaps as a postscript: there are scores of parishes in need of a priest to do something called WORK. Namely, the ministerial priesthood.

    ...that is of course if you are not too busy being interviewed on EWTN......:)

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  8. Unbelievable--the irony of it!

    I'm glad you checked the letter out, I hope everyone that reads your blog will keep their ears and eyes open for me craziness!

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