Common Core Theology From Pope Francis And Father Spadaro

Yesterday Father Antonio Spadaro, a close confidant of Pope Francis', released a tweet in which he opined "2+2 in theology can make 5 because it has to do with God and real life people".  As Mr. Olson (author of that article) points out, this statement constitutes a direct violation of the law of non-contradiction: that is, truth cannot contradict itself.

I'd urge all to read Mr. Olson's article closely.  He points out that Spadaro realized his tweet was going over like a lead balloon and issued another, essentially stepping from the frying pan into the fire: "GOD was made flesh and shows us that he is NOT only a MATHEMATICAL reason but that this original Reason is also LOVE #BenedictXVI"  He misquotes the Pope Emeritus who actually said at Auschwitz in 2006: "The God in whom we believe is a God of reason - a reason, to be sure, which is not a kind of cold mathematics of the universe, but is one with love and with goodness."  Spadaro set up a false contradiction between "love" and "reason".  Pope Benedict XVI, on the other hand, acknowledged that love can transcend reason but never contradict it.

We heard similar blathering from the newly-installed Cardinal Joseph Tobin, who took the reins at the Archdiocese of Newark.  He stated, "to believe in Jesus is not acceptance of a doctrine or a moral code, but of a person who lives now and is the source of life".  Notice the trick of setting up false dichotomies that seems now to be a perfected art form, starting at the Vatican.  The fact is that acceptance of Jesus does entail the acceptance of the doctrines and moral teachings of the Church.  If those "doctrines and codes" are not accepted, there is no belief in Jesus.  Why?  Because those "doctrines and codes" came to us from Jesus Himself.  Moreover, they are immutable because the God who bestowed them on us is Himself immutable.  Hear the words of Our Lord Himself.  I'll link to the Douay-Rheims Bible and invite you to peruse these passages:

• John 14: entire chapter
• John 15:10
• John 16:27
• 1 John 5:3
• 2 John 1:6

Notice the emphasis is on obedience, not "experience".  Too many Catholics are seduced by emotional experiences, thinking that these "experiences" have great significance.  They don't.

Getting back to Mr. Olson's article, we see a quote from Pope Benedict's address at Regensburg in which the Pope Emeritus refutes the errors that Spadaro is evincing.  After Benedict gave that address, many too umbrage at the address - including then-Cardinal Bergoglio.  By the way - after that "spit in the eye" he gave to the then-sitting pope, now Pope Francis has the nerve to sic his underlings on the four cardinals who delivered their dubia in proper canonical fashion?  How does that work?

Some might think my reference to "common core theology" to be a tad flippant.  I believe it's quite accurate, and may actually indicate quite a relationship between Spadaro's errors and the deliberate dumbing down of intellectual life that I suspect is the purpose of Common Core.  Perhaps that is a reason that too many Catholic educational institutions are adopting Common Core.  Perhaps they not only want to glom onto federal funding but they too want to facilitate the dumbing down of Catholic intellectual and moral life - to rob the Catholic in the pew of his/her rightful patrimony in the Faith.  Is this part of the "maturation" that we Catholics were supposed to undergo in the wake of the Extraordinary Synod on the Family?  It seems that a main purpose of all this "maturation" is to divorce Catholics from their moorings in the immutable teachings of Jesus, as handed down through the Church for these two thousand years, so that we will be easily manipulated by the "god of suprises" puppet as put forth by Pope Francis to cram all manners of heresy in our faces.  We cannot let that happen.

Common Core Shilling For Islam

Dianne Lynn Savage is a citizen of North Carolina, who learned of Islamic propaganda at a public school there.  Listen very carefully to the video.  This propaganda is done as part of a Common Core curriculum.  A few more details are here.

Parents!  Taxpayers!  Are you paying attention?  If so, and this pig slop is occurring with your tax dollars, are you taking action?  As Mrs Savage eloquently states, we have a moral obligation to do so.

Common Core - Infesting And Corroding ADW Schools

As this Defend Life article states (see page 6), Common Core is a project to "standardize educational expectations across state lines".  Educational expectations!  Just whose "educational expectations", we might ask?  Well, we can follow the money and there's lots of it!  The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (funders of many anti-life and progressive organizations) have ponied up $150 million dollars towards molding young minds into what they consider to be "college-and-workplace ready".  In other words, they're being trained to be little robots.  I've written before on Common Core; no need to rehash, see this link for the posts.

My friend and Catholic Media Coalition colleague, Stephanie Block, has written a piece on why the brains behind Common Core are trying to insinuate this program into Catholic education.  In summary, they wish to abolish the knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ and His Church with a progressive, atheistic mindset.  One would hope that our bishops would do their utmost to keep Common Core away from the children in their charge.  Ah, but big bucks are being waved under their noses, and the aroma of dollar bills is too great a temptation for them to resist.  They (as a whole) are proving to be all too weak.  Case in point - the Archdiocese of Washington!

Here is the Sept 2013 issue of The Messenger from Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools.  While this statement seems to deny total acceptance of Common Core, there is admission to its benefits.  Moreover, this statement says nothing about Common Core's purpose of collecting persona data and of instilling a passive, compliant mindset in students towards government.  I for one find that troubling.  The Archdiocese does seem to be flirting with Common Core.  Again, there is Gates money to be had.

The Archdiocese is admitting that they have let the camel's nose enter under their tent.  Why, oh why, do I suspect there will be more embrace of Common Core?

Common Core Branches Into Potty Training

Potty abuse might be more like it.  In a Common Core dominated Chicago school, teachers are being instructed to sign their classes up for "restroom time slots" in which their students may use the facilities.  We're talking kindergarten kids, mind you!  These potty breaks should last five minutes only, and the teachers are urged to time the pee-times with stop-watches!  Of course the kiddies are to be praised when they "meet expectations" (and if they don't?).

Recognizing that sometimes nature calls outside the scheduled times, each child will receive two rest-room passes per quarter.  My!  How generous!  Seriously - have they forgotten that children's bladders are smaller than adult bladders and just can't "hold it" for long periods?

So why is all this being done?  In their own illustrious words, "to maximize student learning and reduce the loss of instructional time".  News flash!  News flash!  If a little child is struggling to control the urge, no "student learning" will be occurring!  This is nothing more than sadistic child abuse.

So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen.  This is just one more reason why the nitwits running our governmental institutions need to have their wings clipped.  They are completely devoid of any common sense whatsoever.

Speaking of the use of toilets, that's where Common Core belongs.

Bishop Ricken Bans Common Core From His Diocese

Bishop David Ricken of the Green Bay Diocese is forbidding the schools in his diocese from adopting the Common Core program or any of its mutations.  He seems to understand the problems with it and finds that the work done by his school personnel is at least on a par with Common Core.

Let us hope that more bishops stand firm like him and resist that clarion call to "get on board" and the temptation of Gates grants.

Opposition To Common Core Is Increasing

In the video below, we see a high school senior named Ethan Young from Knox County Tennessee give a testimony at a Nov 6 school board meeting against the sabotage of education known as Common Core.  Some friends have dubbed it "Commie Core" and that moniker seems to be more descriptive of the purpose of this progressive move to compromise real education.  Listen at around the 3:50 mark and you can hear him state that fact and that Commie Core is more oriented to "produce workers.  Everything is career and college preparation".  In other words, breed good little worker-sheeple who will blindly follow the dictates of the oligarchy and not ponder any questions let alone voice objections.  Needless to say that those students who endure the blasting of commie core will not be able to think coherent thoughts, let alone exhibit the thought and eloquence such as you've witnessed with Ethan Young.  After you've finished watching the video, read about some Oregon parents who are taking their own remedial actions against Commie Core.

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Catholic Educators Warn Bishops About Common Core

Over 100 Catholic educators sent each US bishop a copy of their joint letter decrying Common Core and detailing why Common Core is a danger to authentic education.  They reiterate that Common Core is not about true education of human beings but about training future workers, or (in my own words) programming little robots to obediently take their pre-assigned places in the workings of the socialist utopian-state "people's paradise".

I link the letter now.  It is a pdf file so it is downloadable.  Remember - this letter was penned and/or signed by Catholic educators who have been exercising that apostolate for decades.  I hope this can be broached by the bishops at their Baltimore meeting in a few weeks.

Common Core Inflicted Among Maryland High School Students

I've written a bit about Common Core in the past; read here for some background.   It has come to my attention that Common Core has indeed reared its ugly head here in Montgomery County MD.  Since this area is such a bastion of liberal drones, this comes as no surprise.  What does raise the eyebrows a bit is the audacity with which Common Core devotees bombard students with their brainwashing.

A "case in point" was published in the Freedom Outpost.  It reveals the contents of a Common-Core derived survey foisted upon sophomores at Poolesville High School in Montgomery County MD.  Please read that article in its entirety for therein is the complete survey presented to these kids.  It asks them to divulge highly personal information such as the demographics of their family, family income, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, various political convictions, etc.  Pardon my French, but none of that is any damned business of school officials.

More distressing yet is the emergence of Common Core in Maryland Catholic Schools.  The Sept-Oct issue of the Defend Life newsletter has a four-page article; on the link go to page 6 and read on.  It's clear that the Archdiocese of Baltimore's education office has allowed itself to become "useful dupes" of the Common Core progressives.  While the author was unable to ascertain the stance of the Archdiocese of Washington, I think it reasonable (in light of their lack of response to the reporter) to assume that it too has swallowed the proverbial kook-aid.  Our children aren't safe even there.

In 2014 we will have the chance to replace a goodly number of these officials.  All state-wide and lower-level seats are up for grabs.  Many of the local school boards are too.  Some minds and voices of sanity would be a welcome relief.  Let's work for that.

Common Core Infestation In Catholic Schools

It appears that progressive mega-bucks sugar-daddies Bill and Melinda Gates have insinuated their mental poison into Catholic schools, baiting their traps with lots of money.  To be frank, I blame the Catholic educators and administrators for being so easily seduced by the greenbacks more so than the Gates, but I digress.

Below I'll give some links to information relating to Common Core and why we consider it a threat to our children.  Then there will be two Vortex links: the first is a summary of Common Core and its infiltration into our schools.  The next is taken from the Mic'd Up program, where Voris interviews Father Peter  Stravinskas.

Modern Education - Where No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

In just a few days I've come across two stories of public school students getting into trouble with their respective school authorities.  We're they drinking or doing drugs?  Nope!  We're they skipping classes?  Nope!  Did they "offend" someone with "politically incorrect" speech or clothing?  Not even that!  Well, just what were these high crimes and misdemeanors?

1. Briar MacLean, a 7th grader at Sir John A McDonald School in Calgary, Alberta broke up a knife fight by pushing the knife-wielding student against the wall.  He most likely prevented a stabbing.
2. Erin Cox, a senior at North Andover School in Massachusetts, was called by a friend who asked her to take her home; the latter was intoxicated.  The police broke up the party when she arrived.  Even though the police vouched for Erin, she is suffering inappropriate punishment.

Here you have it - two selfless kids being punished by their idiot-school officials for performing actions that can only be called kind and even heroic.  I wish I could say these were just cases of school bureaucrats slavishly adhering to mindless rules, but I think there's more than meets the eye here.  Couple this with the stories a little while ago with children being treated like criminals for playing with imaginary guns and maybe you'll get the picture.

Having studied secondary education while in college, I was told in no uncertain terms that John Dewey is considered the "father of modern education".  That is arguably a true statement. John Dewey was a signer of the first Humanist Manifesto.  Go to the American Humanist website and examine this, and the subsequent versions.  The humanist world view is there for all to see.  It is this world view that the teachers are being trained to impart to their students, regardless of the wishes of their parents.  Now this is not true for all public school teachers for there remain some whom the progressives have not yet expunged.  By and large, the public school system aims to train its students to be useful cogs in the New World Order.  That is best accomplished by brainwashing the kids into becoming passive and hedonistic automatons.

Both Briar and Erin have demonstrated that they won't fit into that cookie-cutter mold.  Both have demonstrated initiative, decisiveness, selflessness and - most threatening to the progressives controlling the schools - a propensity to think outside the box.  The public-school lemmings cannot have such independence among their students.  Heaven forbid they might start thinking independently and start eschewing the largess and directives of the politically-correct statists.   Good heavens!  They might even tear down barry-cades when they get older!  The school-nazis simply can't have that going on now, can they?

Thus we see the completely ludicrous punishments being heaped upon these two kids.  Thankfully their parents are standing by them, as are large percentages of their respective communities.  I understand that at least Erin's mother has retained legal counsel.  Good for her.

On Wednesday Michael Voris will be doing a program focusing on the snake in the grass called Common Core.  I've no doubt its tentacles are manifest in Briar's and Erin's plights.  Here is the link; I plan to watch it.

Alinskyianism In DC Parishes

First let me set the stage.  On June 21st, my Catholic Media Coalition colleague Stephanie Block wrote an expose on how Alinskyianism was to be introduced into the average parish.  A group called "Catholic Truth in Education" published some letters decades ago regarding their own findings about a strategy orient parish offices towards "social action" and "community organizing".  Apparently one of the steps to be undertaken by these "change agents" was to implement "outcome-based education" - that is, the manipulation of students' values and behaviors.  The Obama administration is attempting the same exact thing through the Common Core project.

Today I attended Mass at Blessed Sacrament and picked up their bulletin from last weekend.  On page 6 we see "News from the Washington Interfaith Network" - WIN for short.  WIN is the local affiliate for the Industrial Areas Foundation, founded by Saul Alinsky himself (with Msgr Jack Egan being a board member).  I've written much about WIN and other Alinskyian organizations that have infested ADW parishes for a while now.  The Blessed Sacrament bulletin column invites the parishioners to get involved with WIN.  How about getting involved with working to end abortion?  Even the bishops recognize (at least on paper) that the murder of babies is the premier social concern of the day - now only if they'd walk the walk along with talking the talk.