(Part two)
In 1910 Pope Pius X penned the encyclical, ‘Against Modernism’ calling it the synthesis of all heresies. To further combat the crisis he established, ‘The Oath Against Modernism’ which had to be sworn to by all priests, deacons, theologians, seminary teachers and catechists. Through the influence of Modernists, the requirement to sign the oath was abandoned following Vatican II.
Modernist concepts did not come from the laity but as with all heresies it was started by bishops and priests. They promoted the idea that the Church was heading for a crises, although this only existed in their own minds. In order to avert the crisis, they insisted that the Church had to change in order to appeal to modern people. Their basic tenet is that Church teachings and the Scriptures must be re-interpreted in every age. They say that to accomplish this, it is necessary for moral teaching to be in a state of flux. In other words be silent on the Church’s moral teachings or present them as ideals to be strived for but ones most should not expect to achieve. Play down the supernatural, play up personal experience and play up historical context. Individual conscience is to be the ultimate guide. One would think that it would be obvious to them that their plans have resulted in devastation for the Church. Yet, it seems that they are content to tell each other what brilliant theologians they are and how unfortunate it is that the majority of the people in the Church are so excessively simple and too ignorant to grasp their great wisdom. And so, after going in reverse for fifty years, their pride won’t let them abandon it.
There is very little in the Scriptures or the Doctrines of the Church that they won’t challenge. For instance:
On the teaching of the Incarnation and virgin birth 2000 years ago, they will ask; what does it mean for us today?
The modernist will claim that because the Ten Commandments were delivered to a Jewish tribe in an historical setting 3000 years ago, in light of our modern culture they can mean something different.
Since we are all striving toward divinity; is Jesus just a precursor? The God within?
Their vision of a catholic (universal) church is where you will be taught that all roads lead to heaven, we all come from God and we will all return to God.
For Modernists, salvation has nothing to do with our souls but rather the need to establish a natural utopia on earth where lives will be saved.
The new Modernist interpretation of the doctrine of Infallibility is that a teaching or doctrine cannot be considered infallible unless it has be accepted and received by a majority of the members of the Church. If they accept it then it is infallible teaching and if they don’t accept it then it is probably wrong. Based on this doctrine, called ‘Mutuality’, Modernist theologian, Dr. Paul Lakeland proposes that the Church was probably wrong in its proclamation of Humanae Vitae.
Because the heresy of Modernism exploded after the Second Vatican Council, some of the faithful mistakenly blame the Council. The Vatican II documents contain no heresies but in the hands of Modernists we have been dished out a devastating misrepresentation of its teachings under the banner, “The Spirit of Vatican II”. Modernists are the masters at not changing the words but totally changing the meaning.
In 1995 the editor of Challenge Magazine, Larry Henderson, wrote an article exposing the deliberate attempt by Modernists to change the Church. He describes how they have organized Diocesan Synods (Congresses) to establish planning commissions in the US and Canada to develop identical programs using the following steps:
1. Prepare the next generation, through the Catholic schools, to forget the past and to “think right” in the future.
2. Eliminate or reduce as far as possible all reference to “supernatural” religion. This is accomplished in the first instance by removing the tabernacle from a central position, or even out of the church. (We seen this in most if not all churches)
3. Dispense with genuflection, kneeling, raising the Host, the signs of the cross, relics, confessionals, etc., which may perpetuate traditional religion.
4. Reduce the role of the priest to that of a functionary, as presider, minister, and facilitator. Hence, dispense with vestments or begin with only a stole at daily masses.
5. Replace priests whenever possible with lay people, attuned and trained in the new concept of the Church, and preferably with women.
6. Change the physical structure of the church, eliminating the cruciform shape, closing the sanctuary, removing the altar rails, moving the “table” (no longer called altar) forward to the center of the church, re-aligning the pews in circular form, resembling a parliament or conference of equals.
7. Rebuild the diocese, not around parishes but in communities, like election words, in which offices are held by vote, but where the candidates are chosen by the bishop, as in a one-party state. Many diocesan synods (Congresses) are now run along these lines.
“The alarming thing, however, is to see how far planning commissions are prepared to go in pushing Catholics off the rails, “whether we like it or not,” using all the techniques of political manoeuvring, taking soundings (only with themselves, never with average churchgoers), entering into dialogue (again with themselves, never with Rome), based on a framework of necessity where there is none - and all to create a new kind of Catholicism which no one wants.”
Fr. J.J. MacDonald of the diocese of Antigonish, gave a talk on Modernism a few years back to the Lay Catholic Apostolate Group when he pointed out a number of characteristics showing how it opposes Supernatural Faith. He told us in part that, “The Modernists propose a God who is evolving, a work in progress who harmonizes with the Modernist idea of a progressive history which allows the discarding of former beliefs. They promote the idea of a continuing revelation that erases the notion of a completed revelation in the person of Jesus Christ and the apostolic age. They insist on redefining every single premise of the Church’s perennial teaching, in favour of a process theology in which everything including God – is said to be in perpetual and never ending change. For them the Scriptures are not the divinely inspired word of God but just another document to be subjected to their ‘historical critical methods’ of study. In other words Modernism is a man centered religion that rejects the God of revelation in favour of the 18th century philosopher Kant’s idea that, “The only God we can know is the God within.”