As faithful Catholics know, the pope has a lamentable habit of insulting us precisely because we are faithful Catholics. Not at all surprisingly, one big slur he hurls at us is that we are "pharisees" because we acknowledge that God's laws are as immutable as He is, and that they are to be obeyed by everyone in their entirety. Of course that is not the essence of being a "pharisee". What does that term mean?
I link to Mark 7:1-13. The key phrase is in verse 13: "making void the word of God by your own tradition, which you have given forth". I believe that sums up what it means to engage in pharisetical behavior: to create man-made precepts and to ascribe to them the status equal to that of God's own laws.
"Seamless garment" adherents do precisely that. They regard their progressive causes - most notably illegal immigration amnesty, climate-change junk-science, and the abolition of the death penalty - with the same level of concern as they might regaard contraception, homosexual behavior, abortion. Did I say "same level"? In most cases the progressive causes are deemed worthy of more attention and effort than those matters that are truly intrinsic evils. Moreover, I believe I've amply stated the case why these so-called "seamless garment" advocacies may well be sins in and of themselves: see here, here, here.
Within the past few days we've seen the progressive-controlled USCCB go ballistic because one of their pet causes is being dealt some well-needed blows and because Steve Bannon spoke truth to the liberal-pandering of the nation's bishops. We have also seen hysterical cries for "climate-change" deniers to be jailed simply for disagreeing with progressive tyrants. Toronto Catholic Witness advises us of a Franciscan friar who a) advocates criminalization of "climate change deniers" and b) advocating for gay rights. By the way, as TCW makes plain, this friar is the quintessential pharisee: trashing God's moral teachings and substituting junk-science precepts. He is not alone. Many join him in earning that title; faithful Catholics who love Our Lord and His Traditions are not among that number.
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