Off To The Races

 

The subject of race relations is a hot potato. On the one hand, the "Diversity, Equity, Inclusion" (DEI) lunacy is toxic and false, and so is "Critical Race Theory" (CRT) now being taught in many schools/colleges. On the opposite side, you have Hitler Fan Boys/Girls promoting superiority of race even in matters of religion. While most Traditionalists will not subscribe to DEI indoctrination, there are (unfortunately) those who hold to false theories regarding race. 

This week's post will be in two parts. Part One will focus on exposing the evils of CRT (from which DEI springs forth). Part Two will give an insight into true Church teaching regarding race from a pre-Vatican II priest who wrote on moral topics. (I have compiled the information in this post from many sources, both in print and online. I take no credit other than putting everything into a terse post and adding some commentary---Introibo). 

Part One: What is CRT and Why is it Evil?

Critical Race Theory is part of "Critical Theory," which is an umbrella term that encompasses many different critical social theories including entire disciplines like cultural studies, postcolonialism, critical pedagogy, postmodernism, feminism, black feminism, queer theory, in addition to critical race theory. So, what are the ideas at the heart of contemporary CRT?

1. Racism is endemic, normal, permanent, and pervasive.

 

2. Racism is concealed beneath ideas like colorblindness, meritocracy, individualism, neutrality, and objectivity.

3. Lived experience is critical to understanding racism. 

4. Racism is one of many interlocking systems of oppression, including sexism, classism, and heterosexism. 

Let’s now survey each of these central ideas individually.

Racism is endemic, normal, permanent, and pervasive.

The idea that racism is a normal part of American society is perhaps the most foundational idea of CRT. It is first on the list of the “Basic Tenets of Critical Race Theory” provided by Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic: “First, racism is ordinary, not aberrational—‘normal science,’ the usual way society does business, the common, everyday experience of most people of color in this country.” (See Delgado and Stefancic, Critical Race Theory: An Introduction. pg. 8). 

CRT rejects a strictly traditional definition of racism that rests squarely on individual racial prejudice or explicitly discriminatory laws. While CRT certainly agrees that individuals and laws can be racist, it offers a much broader definition of racism that includes systems and structures that perpetuate the racial status quo, regardless of whether they are accompanied by racial hatred or even discriminatory intent.

So, according to CRT, how exactly does racism operate today? That brings us to a second central idea of CRT:

Racism is concealed beneath ideas like colorblindness, meritocracy, individualism, neutrality, and objectivity.

The immediate response is often “Which laws and policies are racist? Didn’t civil rights legislation prohibit discrimination on the basis of race? Isn’t there now equal opportunity for everyone under the law? Isn’t interpersonal racism waning? Isn’t there genuine social pressure to not be racist? Aren’t we moving toward a color-blind society in which people are judged as individuals, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character?” These questions point to another central component of CRT—namely, that ideas like colorblindness, meritocracy, individualism, neutrality, and objectivity are ideological in nature. From the perspective of CRT, they are actually not remedies for racism but are instead mechanisms that preserve the racial status quo.

Delgado and Stefancic write: “[F]or the critical race theorist, objective truth, like merit, does not exist, at least in social science and politics. In these realms, truth is a social construct created to suit the purposes of the dominant group.” (Ibid, pg. 104). CRT challenges the very notion that objective truth exists when it comes to merit, morality, law, and politics. 

Lived experience is critical to understanding racism.

Critical race theorists believe that contemporary views on race were shaped by particular hegemonic narratives about colorblindness, meritocracy, and social progress. These narratives needed to be challenged and overturned by counternarratives offered by people of color who had come to recognize their own oppression. To hear these stories, we need to “look to the margins,” to people whose voices, stories, and narratives had been excluded, ignored, or hidden by society’s dominant ideologies. Yet the evidence for this is all but non-existent.

Racism is one of many interlocking systems of oppression, including sexism, classism, and heterosexism.

Critical race theory’s insistence that one cannot separate CRT’s analysis of racism from (alleged) sexism, heterosexism (pro-sodomites), classism (pro-Marxism), and other forms of "oppression" is especially important when trying to assess the question of whether Christianity and critical race theory are compatible (the answer is NO!). 

Traditional Catholicism and CRT: Worlds Apart

Traditionalist Catholicism and CRT have different worldviews. Most philosophy texts define a worldview as the comprehensive framework of beliefs, values, and assumptions through which a person views and interprets reality. Derived from the German word Weltanschauung, it functions like an overarching lens that shapes how individuals understand existence, morality, purpose, and their place in the universe. It is not an overstatement to view contemporary critical theory as a worldview for many who embrace it. Its nature (its intrinsic features, characteristics, and functions) is indicative of a worldview. Its telos, (i.e., its full expression and ultimate goals) is indicative of worldview.

A comparison will immediately make the mutual exclusivity of Traditionalist Catholicism and CRT apparent: 

Worldview question: What is a human being?

Church answer: A creature made in the image and likeness of God.

CRT answer: A member of various social groups locked in a struggle for dominance.

Worldview question: What is the fundamental human problem? 

Church answer: Sin.

CRT answer: Oppression.

Worldview question: How can the fundamental human problem be solved?

Church answer: Redemption through the One True Church of Christ.

CRT answer: Activism and solidarity.

Worldview question: What is my primary moral duty? 

Church answer: Doing God's Will and saving your soul.

CRT answer: Dismantling unjust structures and systems.

Worldview question: How do I know the truth?

Church answer: Reason and Revelation.

CRT answer: Lived experience.

Worldview question: What is the final destiny of humanity?

Church answer: The General Judgement and either Heaven or Hell.

CRT answer: Social justice on Earth. 

The Illogical and Immoral Claims of CRT

CRT claims that America is systemically racist and that the entire social system disadvantages "people of color" (POC)---a term that includes all non-White people, but which usually refers to African Americans. Any discrepancy in the achievements between POC and White people is due primarily, or entirely, to this systemic racism, which is supposedly “baked into the system.” The claim of systemic racism is often accompanied by the idea that America has been racist from its beginning. The 1619 Project, a long-form journalism project of the New York Times that aims to reframe national history, claims that America was founded on racism when the first slaves were brought here in 1619. 

(See “The 1619 Project,” New York Times Magazine, August 14, 2019, nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html)

Any idea of “American exceptionalism” (in the good sense) is therefore deemed racist, xenophobic, white supremacist, and so on.

All White people are racist, say CRT advocates. They grant that not all White people harbor explicit ill will toward POC, but since they are part of a racist system, they participate in racism simply by being White. They must be taught to realize this, which is the goal of the popular book White Fragility (Beacon Press, 2018) by Robin DiAngelo. White people, particularly heterosexual White males, are the oppressors in society. This is, itself, racist in addition to being both insulting and looney. 

“White privilege” refers to the alleged condition of unearned and unjust benefits (economic, cultural, and emotional) that POC and sexual minorities do not experience. “White supremacy” is the ideology that says White people will fight to keep their white privilege over POC, even if they do so unconsciously. This is a redefinition of the older definition, which emphasizes a conscious belief that Whites are superior to Blacks and should, therefore, control them.

“Racial essentialism” is a tricky term. On the one hand, CRT says that race is “constructed” socially and not inherent in people. In this sense, it is postmodern. On the other hand, race is what determines whether one is oppressed or an oppressor. How this conflict is resolved escapes me, but perhaps it can be claimed that racial conceptions are constructed by the oppressors in order to oppress. As such, they are real. However, in terms of one’s objective being, they are false.

“Standpoint epistemology” is the belief that, unlike White people, POC and "sexual minorities" (sodomites and other perverts) have a privileged perspective on matters of racial oppression. Their “lived experience” defines objective reality. If someone questions that perspective, he or she is assumed to be racist. Thus, former CNN host Don Lemon would often speak of “his truth” of experiencing racism and "homophobia" as a sodomite Black man, as do others seeking to advance this agenda. This approach denies any objective approach to truth.

Summary: CRT is Contrary to Church Teaching

• Worldview: CRT replaces a Traditionalist Catholic worldview, which views all people as made in the image of God, and replaces it with a framework centered on group power struggles and oppression

• Identity: CRT defines human identity primarily by race, (and to a lesser degree by gender and social class) rather than by spiritual standing as creatures of God with an eternal destiny

• Sin: CRT redefines sin as systemic or structural oppression rather than a personal moral failure against an All Holy God

• Salvation: CRT looks to human activism, equity programs, and societal deconstruction for liberation instead of looking to the cross of Jesus Christ

• Justice: CRT replaces God's justice, which requires impartial fairness and truth, with an ideology that favors certain groups based on their social status

Part Two: The Church and Race

This section is taken verbatim from an article in the Liguorian Magazine of August 1956. It was written by Fr. Donald Miller, a priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists). Like their founder (St. Alphonsus Liguori), Redemptorists examine various issues from the perspective of Moral Theology. Fr. Miller was addressing the problem of segregation in the United States. The principles he expounds upon are applicable to all situations involving race. I found it interesting as to the wisdom taught by the Church and as explained by Fr. Miller.---Introibo

 Is racial segregation as a theory or principle contrary to the Will of God and the Natural Law?

The theory of segregation on the basis of assumed innate inferiority of one race to another is absolutely contrary to the Divine Will and the Natural Law. It has been condemned often by the Church as racism, on the ground that God created all men of all races equal in essential nature, equal in capacity for redemption by the Blood of Christ, equal in their destiny for the Beatific Vision in Heaven.  

No Catholic can hold for the essential inferiority of the Negro race to the white race without denying these essential qualities, which denial becomes the basis for many sins against justice and charity. 

The differences which God created in various races, or which, as some maintain, God permitted to develop over the course of history, through climate, environment, living conditions, etc., are not sufficient evidence of a mandate of God that races at all times be segregated. Rather, the sameness of the essential nature, faculties, destiny and privileges of all human beings of whatever race manifests a much clearer mandate of God that, when members of different races are found in the same community, they live together in peace, justice, and charity. This means that they live together without an artificial and enforced segregation. 

If skin color is so important as to manifest the Divine Will in favor of segregation, why stop there? Or where shall we stop? Why not say that differences of hair color, or different shades of blonde and brunette also manifest a Divine basis for segregation between these types of human beings? Everybody can see the absurdity of such an idea; yet differences of skin color are just as accidental to human nature itself as differences of hair color. 

So, you approve of inter-racial marriage?

We merely state this truth: inter-racial marriage is prohibited by no Natural, Divine, or ecclesiastical law. The local civil laws forbidding such marriages, and the popular antipathy against them, are part of a heritage of prejudice. 

Does not the fact that Communists are known to be trying to stir up trouble over the racial issue create the danger that Catholics will be serving the Communist cause if they campaign against segregation? Are not many well-meaning but duped Catholics thus being sucked into the Communist conspiracy?

Pope Pius XI, in his encyclical on Atheistic Communism, pointed out the truth that Communism thrives on actual social injustices; when injustices are removed from society, the appeal of Communism is nullified. Certainly, Communists are using racial discrimination to foment strife, and as long as discrimination continues, Communism will make converts. That is one of the important reasons for opposition to such discrimination.

If what you say is true, why has not the Catholic Church officially pronounced on this matter during the long history of segregation? By Her silence, She seemed to approve of segregation. Even today there is no official pronouncement of the Pope on the subject.

There have been many pronouncements of Popes that have a bearing on the morality of segregation. They have condemned "racism," which is a belief, taught as a theory or manifested in practice, that one race or class of people is inferior to another. They have often proclaimed the doctrine of the unity and solidarity of the human race, according to which all men are children of the same Father, redeemed by the same Blood of Christ, destined for the same Heaven, endowed with the same inalienable rights. All that has been said above is merely an application of these truths to a current situation. 

 The Teaching of the Church

Here is some of the Church teaching alluded to by Fr. Miller in the previous section. ---Introibo

In his first encyclical, Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum (1914), Pope Benedict XV declares that the relations between people should be one of brothers and sisters, i.e., of those who are one in nature because they are of the same family created by God. Discussing the ravages of the First World War (1914-1918), His Holiness writes, "Who would imagine as we see them thus filled with hatred of one another, that they are all of one common stock, all of the same nature, all members of the same human family?" (para. #3; Emphasis mine). 

In Mortalium Animos (1928), Pope Pius XI teaches, "... it is easily understood, and the more so because none now dispute the unity of the human race, why many desire that the various nations, inspired by this universal kinship, should daily be more closely united one to another." (para. #1; Emphasis mine). The same holy pontiff ordered the Sacred Congregation for Seminaries and Universities to compose a letter refuting and condemning racism and Nazi "Aryan race" ideology in order to prevent it from infecting Catholic educational institutions. The result was a privately circulated document entitled Instruction Concerning Racism, Its Doctrinal Errors and the Measures to be Employed Against Their Spread (hereinafter "Instruction"). The Instruction was dated April 13, 1938 and a complete English translation was made by canonist Bouscaren in the Canon Law Digest-Supplement 1941 (pgs. 165-167). The Congregation's Instruction condemns no less than eight (8) propositions as being both "pernicious" and "absurd:"

I. The human races, by their natural and immutable characters, are so different from each other that, the humblest of them is further from the highest race than of the highest animal species.

II. We must by all means, preserve and cultivate strong race and purity of blood, so that all which leads to this result is therefore honest and permitted.

III. It is blood, seat of the characteristics of the race, that all the intellectual and moral qualities of man derive as their main source.

IV. The basic purpose of education is to develop the characters of the race and inflame the minds of a burning love of their own race as the supreme good.

V. Religion is subject to the law of race and must be adapted to it.

VI. The first source and the supreme rule of law and order is racial instinct.

VII. There exists only the Cosmos or living universe; all things, including humans, are only various forms growing over the ages of universal life.

VIII. Each man exists only by the State and for the State. All that he rightly possesses derives exclusively from a concession to the State.

It shouldn't be too hard to understand that racism is inexorably linked to the damnable doctrine of Social Darwinism. It is taken from the false teaching of Charles Darwin (d. 1882) regarding evolution. The term "evolution" is used to refer to the general theory that all life on earth has evolved from non-living matter and progressed to more complex forms with time; humans are not special in any way--both body and soul (or "consciousness")-- comes from brute matter. This stands condemned by the Church.

Conclusion

"Crazy Race Theory" is anti-Christian, pseudo-intellectual claptrap. It must be firmly rejected. We must learn from the Church the correct view of race and avoid the extremes of CRT and divisive hatred based on racism. "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb." (Apocalypse 7:9). 

Pharmakeia

 

It read like something out of a violent "slasher" horror movie. In April of 2018, Chad O’Melia met Bryn Spejcher and her Siberian Husky at a dog park. They immediately hit it off and began dating. At the time he was 26 and she was 27. Their relationship came to a brutal end a month later on May 27th in their hometown of Thousand Oaks, California. 

Spejcher went to Mr. O’Melia’s apartment where both took several hits from a "bong" (water pipe used to smoke dope) loaded with marijuana. Bryn almost immediately heard voices. Dark, guttural voices. She went to Chad’s kitchen and returned with a knife in each hand. She began to stab him. “Keep going,” the voices commanded. “Don’t stop. You’re almost there.”

She obeyed. She later testified that she felt like something else had taken control—as if she were watching her own body from the outside.

Bryn stabbed Chad over one hundred times, penetrating every major organ. Then she turned and began stabbing her own dog. When police arrived, she was kneeling over Chad’s lifeless body, plunging a serrated bread knife into her own neck. What terrified officers wasn’t just the blood. It was the strength--and the look in her eyes.

They tased her four times. She didn’t react. They struck her nine times with a steel baton, breaking her arm in five places. She kept going. Bryn had no history of mental illness. One of her professors testified that of the thousand graduate students he had taught, “none has ever been better than Bryn Spejcher.” (Spejcher worked as an audiologist). 

In December of 2023, Spejcher was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to an underwhelming two years of probation and no prison time with a mandated 100 hours of community service. Her defense to the crime was "cannabis induced psychosis" and the case was referred to as "Refer Madness."  (Compiled from multiple sources---See e.g., toacorn.com/articles/jurors-find-spejcher-guilty-of-manslaughter; and https://www.vcdistrictattorney.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/23-141-Spejcher-Nafziger-Convicted-SW.pdf). 

So, is this some made-up defense, like the so-called "Twinkie defense" (a reference to the1979 trial of Dan White, who killed San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. His lawyers argued he had a diminished mental state from severe depression, shown partly by eating junk food); or is there something more to it? 

The Horror Stories Continue

Robert Corry was the attorney who legalized recreational marijuana in Colorado in 2012--the poster child for cannabis advocacy, the legal mind who assured America that marijuana was safe. What supreme irony that he would become the male version of Spejcher. 

In 2019, Corry was arrested for waving a sword at strangers in Denver. Weeks earlier, he had kidnapped a woman at Denver International Airport, hijacked her car, crashed through the airport parking garage gate, and told her he would kill her if she didn’t stay quiet. He claimed he was being chased by “Arabs with a helicopter.” (See denver7.com/news/crime/denver-attorney-rob-corry-arrested-again-after-allegedly-threatening-people-with-sword; See also cbsnews.com/colorado/news/robert-corry-arrested-kidnapping-case-denver-international-airport-arabs).

To be clear, Cory was not some 18-year-old punk with a rap sheet. This was a seasoned, high-powered attorney coming apart like a man possessed. Cannabis-induced psychosis. The top marijuana lawyer in America was undone by the very drug he championed. Today, he admits the errors of his ways and fights against the drug-genie he let out of the bong. 

I warned against legalized marijuana and the abuse of prescription drugs in my home state of New York. Now, in the wake of legalization, that warning is being proven correct. I can't go out without smelling marijuana everywhere. Drug-induced crimes have skyrocketed. Even young children are being caught in the drug web. If Johnny misbehaves, mother increases his Ritalin dose; and to keep herself on an even keel, she takes Prozac. A large percentage of Americans no longer know how to stand up to adversity and thereby develop strength of character. Instead of facing their problems and working through to a solution, they insist upon a wonder drug to assist them with every difficulty.

Got a problem? Take a drug. Want to relax? Take a drug. Can't get a prescription? There's always legal marijuana. While I have read many good articles on the mental and physical harm of drug abuse (in all its forms), hardly any discuss the doorway they open to the demonic. Hence, the purpose of this post.  

(The information in this post comes from myriad sources, both in print and online. I take no credit except for compiling it into a terse post and adding some commentary.---Introibo).

What's Going On?

The doctors don’t know exactly what they’re dealing with, but they see what "safe" drugs do; especially the marijuana now legalized (as of this writing) in 24 states and Washington D.C.  

Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse since 2003, has watched the data pile up for two decades: We are seeing a very significant rise in psychosis associated with the consumption of marijuana. And the higher the content of THC, the higher the likelihood of a psychotic episode. 

(See thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/potent-marijuana-strain-in-us-causing-psychosis-time-bomb-v2zfxd9km).

Dr. Leslie Hulvershorn, chair of psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine, sees it firsthand in her patients: When I see youths with psychotic symptoms, they’re almost always using lots of cannabis. (See nbcnews.com/health/health-news/teens-marijuana-use-mental-disorders-research-rcna153344).  Science has documented the symptoms, but it is beginning to realize it is staring into something it can never comprehend---the demonic.

A Problem Not Just Physical But Spiritual 

Society has been telling us that alcohol and marijuana are "harmless." Yet we are seeing the opposite. While alcohol can be used in moderation, the use of marijuana cannot without loss of reason to one degree or another. 

The Teaching of the Church on Drugs

 According to theologian Jone, "Since morphine, opium, chloroform and similar drugs can also deprive one of the use of his reason temporarily, that which was said of intoxicating drinks holds also for narcotics. To use narcotics in small quantities and only occasionally, is a venial sin if done without a sufficient reason. Any proportionately good reason justifies their use, e.g., to calm the nerves, dispel insomnia, etc. Such use becomes gravely sinful if it creates an habitual craving for 'dope' which is more difficult to overcome than dipsomania and more injurious to health. To use drugs in greater quantities so as to lose the use of one's reason is itself a mortal sin; but for a good reason it is permissible. Such a good reason is had in case of an operation, i.e., that the patient be rendered insensible to intense pain, or that one might remain calm under the knife. In like manner one may administer opiates to one who is suffering greatly in order to alleviate his pain." (See Moral Theology, [1961], pgs. 57-58; Emphasis mine). 

Since narcotics are under the same general rule as alcohol, here's what moral theologian O'Connell has to say about the loss of reason: "It is not requisite...[to] be rendered utterly stupid and helpless...[rather] that one would do things inordinate which otherwise he would not do...The malice of drunkenness consists in the fact that, without a sufficient reason, a person in a violent way deprives himself of the use of the noblest of his faculties." (See Outlines of Moral Theology, [1958], pg. 168; Emphasis mine).

As you keep in mind these principles of Church teaching, also consider that we know so much more about the effects of drugs today than when theologians O'Connell and Jone were writing in the late 1950s-early 1960s. Then came the Great Apostasy and the drug culture of the late 1960s. I can only imagine how Church teaching would have further developed on this issue in light of all we now understand.

The Devil is in the Details

What modern doctors are only now discovering, ancient physicians saw two thousand years ago.

Alex Berenson, a former New York Times investigative reporter, and author of the extensively researched book Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence, unearthed a chilling historical warning. The Pen-ts’ao Ching, the first comprehensive pharmacopeia ever created, warned Chinese physicians around 100 AD that excessive cannabis use caused users to see “devils” (See Berenson [2019], p. xxiii) They also had “stimulated uncontrollable violence and criminal inclinations.” (Ibid) They believed the drug acted as a spiritual catalyst, a doorway to evil.  Seeing devils. Uncontrollable violence. Two thousand years ago!

Berenson didn’t stop with ancient warnings. Working with a Columbia University professor of clinical biostatistics, he analyzed modern data and they documented a sharp and undeniable rise in emergency room visits, violent crime, and schizophrenia tied directly to cannabis use.

Ancient doctors said it caused “seeing devils.” Modern doctors say “psychosis” and “schizophrenia.” The language has changed, but the pattern hasn’t. The “devils” seen by the ancients are now filling our modern psychiatric wards.

In the 1960s, Timothy Leary, "the Pied Piper of Harvard," led mesmerized youth into spiritual experiences that materialistic scientism had told them did not exist. Leary’s LSD (and other psychedelics) turned out to be the launching pad for mind trips "beyond the physical universe of time, space, and matter" to a strange dimension where anything was possible. For millions it was a “mind-blowing” experience that forever changed their lives.

The drugs of abusers put people into an altered state of consciousness; hence, the attraction. Those of you who read my series of posts called "Singing For Satan" (published August 2017-August 2019), know that almost all of the musicians were drug users, and most claimed contact/inspiration from "spirits"--Eminem, The Eagles, etc. They used drugs and entered into an altered state of consciousness which makes one susceptible (like hypnosis) to demonic forces. So-called "shamans" (pagan "witch-doctors") take drugs for this very reason; it enables them to make "contact with the spirits." Leary called the Beatles “the four evangelists.” Listening to the Beatles’ album Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Leary said, “The Beatles have taken my place. That latest album—a complete celebration of LSD.” (See Jay Stevens, Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Dream, [1987], pg. 345). 

In the Apocalypse 22:15, we read, "Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying." According to theologian Haydock, "the dogs" refer to unbelievers (See The New Testament of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with a Comprehensive Catholic Commentary, reprint from 1859, pg. 1656), and "sorcerers" comes from the Greek word pharmakeia from which we get the word "pharmacy." The word does not only mean the sorcery that comes from idolatry but can also refer to the use or administration of drugs. We see that pagans often used drugs to call on their "gods" (demons), so it's not surprising that Holy Scripture seems to link the two. 

Aldous Huxley (d. 1963), the famous author of Brave New World, and philosopher, was known to experiment with LSD and mescaline. He was deeply involved in the occult. On his deathbed, he asked his wife to shoot him up with LSD so he could "trip" into the afterlife. She complied, and I cannot imagine what horrors he found that never end, unless he somehow repented by a miracle of grace. In a speech he delivered to a California medical school, two years before his death, he made the following chilling prediction:

There will be, in the next generation or so, a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak, producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them, but will rather enjoy it, because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel by propaganda or brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced by pharmacological methods. And this seems to be the final revolution.  (See academyofideas.com/2018/06/aldous-huxley-brave-new-world-dark-side-of-pleasure; Emphasis mine). 

Conclusion

A woman commits an unspeakably violent act resulting in the death of a man and she gets a slap on the wrist because of "cannabis induced psychosis." Where is the outrage to make marijuana illegal again? Both Bryn Spejcher and Robert Corry were educated, law abiding adults with no history of mental illness. Both smoked dope on a regular basis with no sign of any problem. Then it hits out of the blue. It can happen only once or more often---they felt possessed and committed crimes. 

It's not fully understood by medical science, yet the Church has always taught the sinfulness of drug abuse or pharmakeia --a form of sorcery used by pagans and occultists to call on demons. When people sin and alter their mind, the door to evil is opened. Ask demons into your life, and they will take you up on your offer. As the push for legalization of marijuana in all 50 states continues, groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) aggressively push to end the "War on Drugs". They advocate for repealing all laws criminalizing the possession, use, and delivery of controlled substances. (See nacdl.org/Landing/DrugLaw). 

Dr. Carl Hart, a neuroscientist at Columbia University, has been a highly visible proponent of legalizing all drugs for "responsible adult use," arguing that prohibition creates more harm (!) than the substances themselves. We will be seeing much more violence and madness. Enjoying their drugs, the masses do nothing. The supremely evil Karl Marx said, "Religion is the opium (drug) of the people." He got it backwards. Truly, "Opium is the religion of the people" today. 

Beware Of Tai Chi

 

The Vatican II sect parish of St. Mary's in New Jersey advertises the following:

Tai Chi is an art,

and slow-moving meditative exercise from China to improve health and well-being,

and is based on the ‘Law of Nature’ which integrates body and mind.

The flowing by movements unlock powerful inner strength, the power for healing and wellness. 

Barbara Schaflin is a Certified Instructor and member of the Tai Chi for Health Institute, specializing in Tai Chi for Arthritis for Fall Prevention; Tai Chi for Diabetes; Tai Chi for Memory; and Tai Chi for Rehabilitation.

Developed by Dr. Paul Lam, a world leader in the field of Tai Chi for Health improvement, his Tai Chi for Health programs are supported by organizations and government bodies around the world including the Arthritis Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.gov), and the National Council on Aging (NCOA.org).

Over 500 medical studies show that Tai Chi improves many aspects of health, from calming the mind to reducing high blood pressure, improving balance to prevent falls, relieving arthritis pain, helping people with heart conditions and diabetes, and much more. More importantly, Tai Chi brings a general sense of well-being.

Would you like to learn a low impact exercise to improve your overall health and well-being? Why not give it a try! Participants can choose to stand or sit during class. 

Classes are held at the PARISH OF SAINT MARY, One Phalanx Road, Colts Neck, N.J.

(See stmaryscoltsneck.org/tai-chi-for-health). 

Tai Chi is occult. Yet some, like Paul Lam, are making it out to be "different" and acceptable to the Catholic religion in his "revised form." Many in the Vatican II sect are falling for it, and some parishes (like St. Mary) are leading unsuspecting souls into danger. This post will expose the dangers of Tai Chi--equally present in both its "pure" and "revised" forms. 

(N.B., I take no credit for the information presented. All I did was compile sources, both online and in print, and put it into a terse, readable post to warn of the occult danger of Tai Chi---Introibo). 

What is Tai Chi?

Tai Chi (pronounced “tie chee”) is a mind-body practice that originated in China as a martial art. Also known as “moving meditation,” a person doing Tai Chi moves his body slowly and gently, while breathing deeply and meditating. Practitioners believe Tai Chi helps the flow of an alleged vital energy or life force called “chi” (pronounced as "key" or "chee" and sometimes spelled "ki" or "qi") that supposedly regulates a person’s body, mind and spirit. Chi must be able to move freely for good health. Tai Chi also aims to harmonize "yin/yang," which are believed to be two opposite and complementary forces in the universe.

The motions of Tai Chi are designed to imitate motions found in nature, such as the movements of animals, thereby uniting human beings with the natural world.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes for Health say that while accounts of the origin of Tai Chi differ, the most consistent explanation concerns a 12th century Taoist monk (the pagan religion Taoism--pronounced "Dow-ism") named Chang San-Feng (or Zan Sanfeng) who observed the movements of five animals – a tiger, dragon (!), leopard, snake and crane. He concluded that the snake and the crane, through their movements, were the most able to overcome strong, unyielding opponents. Chang developed an initial set of exercises that imitated the movements of these animals. This form of movement has been practiced in China for centuries and is still a daily routine for tens of thousands of people there, especially the elderly.

It was first introduced to the United States in the early 1970s and has since grown in popularity. Tai Chi proponents are trying to make it the new Yoga — an “exercise” that will draw many people because it seems exotic and healthy. Tai Chi sessions are usually group classes that last about an hour. Typically, an instructor guides the class through a series of 20 to 100 Tai Chi movements that together comprise a "form." A form can take up to 20 minutes to complete. Each form has a nature-based name that describes its overall action—such as "wave hands like clouds" or "grasp the bird's tail."

While performing these movements, students are asked to focus on the point just below their navels, believed to be the center from which chi flows. The teacher encourages the class to perform all movements in a slow, meditative manner and to focus on deep breathing. At the end of the class, there is usually a wind-down exercise, relaxation, and meditation

Practitioners recommend practicing Tai Chi for about 15 to 20 minutes twice daily at home, since it is claimed that regular practice is essential for mastering the forms and achieving lasting results.

People practice Tai Chi for a variety of reasons; to improve their physical condition and sense of balance, ease pain and stiffness (particularly from arthritis) and improve sleep. Like yoga, Tai Chi is pagan in origin and occult. 

Tai Chi and the TAO

Tai Chi is based on belief in the Tao, which is the religion of Taoism, a religion that arose from early Chinese shamanism. In the ancient Chinese religion of Taoism, the impersonal Tao is the source of all that exists. However, the Tao supposedly cannot be described in words. In the famed Taoist text from the 3rd/4th centuries B.C., the Tao Te Ching, it states “the Tao that can be spoken of is not the Tao”. (Logic has no place in Eastern pagan religions. Saying anything about the Tao, even claiming it cannot be described, is, in fact, describing it).

The Tao is defined as literally ‘the path’ or ‘the way.’ It is a universal principle that underlies everything from the creation of galaxies to the interaction of human beings: 

The Tao (or Dao) is hard to define but is sometimes understood as the way of the universe. Taoism teaches that all living creatures ought to live in a state of harmony with the universe, and the energy found in it. Ch’i, or qi, is the energy present in and guiding everything in the universe.

(See education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/taoism/). 

Following the Tao involves the principle of Wu-Wei: 

Wu Wei means living by or going along with the true nature of the world – or at least without obstructing the Tao – letting things take their natural course. 

(See bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/taoism/beliefs/concepts.shtml).

According to Taoist teachings, the truth of the Tao can only be understood indirectly, through experiences, or through a process of enlightened living. Happiness is gained by living in the flow of the Tao, which is the flow of the universe. This belief has no personal God (though Taoism has non-eternal deities and divine beings, which may come from the blending of Taoist teachings with indigenous animistic religions). 

Referring to the Tao, Taoist teacher Wen-Tzu states that:

The Way has no front or back, no left or right: all things are mysteriously the same, with no right and no wrong.

(See Further Teachings of Lao-Tzu, [1992], pg. 109).  

There is no life and death because “Life and death are one, right and wrong are the same,” (from the Chuang Tzu as quoted in World Religions, Geoffrey Parrinder, pg. 333). 

From this and other sources, we see that the Tao is impersonal, cannot be described, is a principle, is amoral, and is part of the created universe that guides and unites all. It is the heresy of pantheism condemned at the Vatican Council of 1870:

1. If anyone shall deny One true God, Creator and Lord of things visible and invisible; let him be anathema. 

2. If anyone shall not be ashamed to affirm that, except matter, nothing exists; let him be anathema. 

3. If anyone shall say that the substance and essence of God and of all things is one and the same; let him be anathema. 

4. If anyone shall say that finite things, both corporeal and spiritual, or at least spiritual, have emanated from the Divine substance; or that the Divine essence, by the manifestation and evolution of itself, becomes all things; or, lastly, that God is a universal or indefinite being, which by determining itself constitutes the universality of things, distinct according to genera, species and individuals; let him be anathema. 

Yin and Yang

In pagan Taoism, Yin is the female principle and Yang is male. Each is associated with nature as specified through Taoist teachings: Yin is darkness, watery, receptive, the moon; while Yang is light, dryness, active, the sun, and so forth. The Yin and Yang forces are the substance of creation and the matrix of every aspect of life, including a person’s physical organs and the unseen forces within the person.

In such a view, balance is the ideal:

Central to the historical context of chi in TCM is the idea of balance and harmony. Ancient Chinese physicians sought to understand the dynamics of yin and yang, the complementary forces that exist in all aspects of life. Chi was seen as the mediator between yin and yang, and balance in chi was essential for overall health.

(See polltopastern.com/post/the-world-of-chi#:~:text=Balance%20and%20Harmony&text=Ancient%20Chinese%20physicians%20sought%20to,was%20essential%20for%20overall%20health.). 

To achieve balance is also seen in the popular Star Wars movie franchise from George Lucas, who was influenced by pagan Eastern religions, particularly Taoism and Buddhism. The Force in the movie is like chi, and the dark and light sides of the Force correspond in many ways to Yin and Yang. 

Balance between yin and yang is continually sought through various techniques in order to bring about harmony between heaven and humanity, and humanity and earth. This is also true of Eastern pagan/occult "energy healing" like Reiki and Tai Chi. 

The Dark Force of Tai Chi

The movements in Tai Chi are meant to manipulate both outer and inner chi in order to attain a harmony between self, nature, and the heavens, as well as to balance Yin-Yang. This information is easy to find on the Internet: 

The practice of Tai Chi is the physical interpretation of the Tao philosophy — a teaching built upon the belief in unity of all things found in the universe.

In this opening session, you’ll learn the pivotal, spiraling, coiling force of Tai Chi as it first emerges in form. You’ll learn how this opening Tai Chi movement activates the Yin and Yang energies of the body and moves Qi throughout your being… and dive deep to discover the role of the mind in harmonizing the Yin and Yang polarities. (See theshiftnetwork.com/course/01HLiang02_23). 

Taoism spawned a set of deeply occult practices (sorcery) that involve the manipulation of chi, and the line between what appears to be the uplifting side of Taoism and the darker side is very thin. On a page offering a video on “Taoism sorcery and its Cultural Practices,” the author writes:

The practice of Taoist magic will be presented through its two branches: outer alchemy (waidan) and inner alchemy (neidan). We’ll talk about the greater spiritual objectives of practicing Taoist magic and what thousands of years of experience and wisdom have to say about how to achieve those objectives.

Starter tips will be offered, such as beginning work with Jiu Tian Xuan Nu, the Lady of the Ninth Heaven, recitation of Kuan Yin’s Great Compassion Mantra, and other thoughts for branching out in a direction that’s going to make the most sense for you. (See benebellwen.com/2019/01/10/taoist-sorcery-and-its-cultural-practice). 

Taoist sorcery has been around a long time and is based on the same pagan/occult beliefs and principles as Tai Chi. Tai Chi incorporates pagan/occult meditation, and is sometimes called "meditation in motion," because you must use "mindfulness" to become aware of your movements and "inner self." 

Tai Chi, like yoga, uses Eastern meditation and is based in pantheism, the heretical idea that reality is identical with Divinity, and that all-things compose an all-encompassing, immanent "god." The goal of the Tai Chi/yoga practitioner is to unify himself/herself with the "Divine-self" or "God-Self." Through Tai Chi meditation, the person tries to lose contact with the conscious mind for an altered state of consciousness. This disassociation is meant to allow a person to become "one" with "the Divine." Even those who do not get to such altered states, have unwittingly opened themselves up to a decidedly pagan worldview and possible demon possession. The idea of being "divine" is the opposite of Christianity which tells us we are sinners in need of Redemption by the God-Man Jesus Christ.

When Tai Chi techniques are labeled as "relaxation techniques" or "ways to reduce stress and exercise for health," it is misleading. Traditionalist Catholic meditation is the conscious, focused, reflective, cognitive attention to God, such as when one meditates on the mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary. Tai Chi meditation results in an altered state of consciousness.

According to the Tai Chi Foundation:

Tai chi, a centuries-old Chinese martial art and mind-body exercise, with its slow, deliberate movements and emphasis on relaxation and balance, is often seen as a form of gentle exercise or method of stress relief. However, for some practitioners, it can also be a gateway to mystical experiences.

Mystical experiences are often described as moments of unity with something greater than oneself, a sense of oneness with the universe, or a connection to a divine or spiritual realm. These experiences can be profound and transformative, leaving lasting changes in one’s perspective on life and the world. So, how can tai chi help one approach mystical realms of consciousness? There are a number of factors that may help:

The Harmony of Body and Mind

In addition to being a martial art, tai chi can be thought of as a graceful practice that harmonizes movement and awareness. Practitioners often describe a sense of flowing meditation, where each movement seamlessly connects with the next. This synchronization of body and mind creates a conducive environment for transcendent experiences.

Mindfulness in Motion

The slow, deliberate movements of tai chi encourage practitioners to be fully present in the moment. This heightened state of awareness becomes a gateway to mystical experiences, allowing individuals to go beyond the ordinary and connect with deeper aspects of themselves.

Energetic Flow and Qi

Tai chi is rooted in the concept of Qi, the universal life force energy that flows through the body. By engaging in the gentle, rhythmic movements of tai chi, practitioners aim to cultivate and balance their Qi. This balanced flow of energy can help open pathways to a heightened sense of awareness and interconnectedness with the universe.

Stillness Within Movement

Despite the dynamic nature of tai chi, a unique stillness is embedded within each movement. This paradoxical combination of movement and stillness is a metaphor for life itself, encouraging practitioners to find tranquility amid the chaos—a key element in pursuing mystical experiences.

Connecting with Nature

Tai chi incorporates postures and movements inspired by nature, mimicking the ebb and flow of the elements. As practitioners move in harmony with these natural patterns, a deep sense of connection with nature emerges. This communion with nature becomes a conduit for mystical experiences as individuals tap into a larger, universal energy.

The Journey Inward

Beyond the physical postures, tai chi is a journey inward. Through consistent practice, individuals may find themselves peeling away the layers of the ego and becoming more aware of different dimensions of their consciousness. This introspective aspect of tai chi invites practitioners to explore the less ego-filled depths of their being and connect with the universal essence that transcends individual identity.

(See taichifoundation.org/unveiling-the-mystical-tai-chi-as-a-gateway-to-profound-experiences; Emphasis mine). 

Therefore:

• Tai Chi is based on a pagan, pantheistic worldview that is heretical

• The movements of Tai Chi are incorporated with pagan/occult meditation intended to induce altered states of consciousness and promote false "mystical experiences"

• Tai Chi is an occult/pagan doorway to accepting a false, heretical worldview and opening up oneself to demonic forces--even to possession

• What is sold as "healing" and "health" is really occult practices

If you think that's an overstatement, according to The Art of Tai Chi:

When it comes to spirituality, people also think of healing – they’re right. Part of spirituality is that it’s a healing tradition. Medicine and spirituality have been interconnected for a long time. There are other healing traditions that came from the Greek physicians, the shamans*, as well as the traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. These healing traditions do not serve to cure disease, but they serve as a means to actually release and enhance the spirit.

Shamanism is an ancient healing tradition and moreover, a way of life. It is a way to connect with nature and all of creation.

Let’s take a look at breathing because breathing is associated with spiritual growth. If we exhale and we put our mind and thought to consciously exhale deeply, that’s a release, you’re releasing your spirit.  And when you release the spirit, it’s no longer bound. When we inhale consciously, you actually then begin to expand and enhance your spirit.

(See artoftaichi.com/blog/how-tai-chi-contributes-to-your-spiritual-growth; Emphasis mine). 

Is The Tai Chi of Dr. Paul Lam Non-Occult and Safe for Traditionalist Catholics to Use?

In a word, NO. 

According to Dr. Paul Lam of the Tai Chi Association of Australia, correct breathing techniques are an important part of Tai Chi meditation and should focus on the giving and taking of energy. The premise of this meditation technique is very easy: Lam recommends that when inhaling, you should think of taking life energy into your body. When you exhale, release that energy. This breathing technique can be applied to almost all tai chi meditations and movements, according to Lam. 

(See gaiam.com/blogs/discover/4-tai-chi-meditation-techniques; Emphasis mine). 

From Lam's own website:

Tai Chi is a mind-body exercise originating from ancient China, where it started as a famous martial art. These days, it’s practised around the world as an effective exercise for health.

It’s impossible to describe this complex art in one sentence. Tai Chi can be many things for different people, but regular practice will improve your wellbeing.

At the heart of it, Tai Chi is a moving meditation in the form of a series of gentle exercises that create harmony between the mind and body. The ultimate purpose is to cultivate our inner life energy (qi) to flow smoothly and powerfully through the body. This is a spiritual experience, as much as a physical one. (See taichiforhealthinstitute.org/what-is-tai-chi; Emphasis mine).

Health Benefits?

Yes, there are peer reviewed studies that show Tai Chi improves balance and lessens joint pain, yet there are exaggerated claims, such as the ability to lose large amounts of weight in a short time. There are two serious considerations: (1) the basis of Tai Chi is a "life energy force" that has never been scientifically proven. Many of the effects from Tai Chi can be replicated or even exceeded by brisk walking, stretching, and resistance training. Studies show that standard aerobic and strength workouts offer comparable improvements in fitness, blood pressure, and weight control.

(2) Your soul is more important than your body. "For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?" (St. Mark 8:36). Why use a method of movement seeped in occult/pagan ideology and practice (thereby opening yourself up to demonic forces) when you can get benefits as good or better from regular forms of exercise? 

Conclusion

There are clergy in the Vatican II sect that support and promote the practice of Tai Chi, an inherently pagan and occult practice. It cannot be divorced from its origin and is a real spiritual danger. Just as the sacrament of Extreme Unction with its primary effect of saving the soul has been replaced by the invalid "Anointing of the Sick" with a primary focus of bodily health, so too does the Vatican II sect elevate false and evil teachings and practices for the promise of health. Don't fall for it.

I Shall Fear No Evil

 

To My Readers: This week TradWarrior discusses the problems Traditionalist Catholics face during the Great Apostasy from Satan. Please feel free to comment as usual. If anyone has any specific questions or comments for me, I will answer as always, but it may take me a bit longer to do so this week.

God bless you all, my dear readers---Introibo

I Shall Fear No Evil

By TradWarrior

 

Being a Catholic in today’s world has never been harder in many respects than it is today. For decades, the Catholic Church has had no visible pope to guide Her through these tumultuous times in which we are living. Each person on this planet is assaulted in different ways by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Catholics are no different. What we possess is that we are members of the One True Faith on Earth. We possess everything within the church to get us to heaven. But in these times, we are very much like the Jews of the Old Testament, wandering through the wilderness, trying to make our way as best we can. The focus of this post will be the assault by the last title mentioned – the devil.

Satan and his demons prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Like a lion, they seek to devour each and every one of us, so that when we die we are damned to hell to share in their misery. (1 Peter 5:8) Misery loves company. This post will serve to show the power that the demons possess. It will also demonstrate some powers that the demons do not possess.

One of the faulty beliefs today is that good and evil are opposite sides of the same coin, completely equal. They are like the yin yang in Taoism. We must remember that God is infinite. The demons, though powerful, are creatures and their power is only finite (strong though it is).  

There are different levels in which the demons can assault us and these will be briefly mentioned.

Temptation:

This includes ordinary attacks common to all humans. It involves internal enticements to sin. The demons provoke thoughts and emotions to influence free will, but cannot force a person to sin.

Oppression:

This is an extraordinary external attack that does not involve the loss of consciousness or bodily control. The demons target external circumstances, health, or emotions. It often presents as extreme melancholy, a heavy physical malaise, or persistent bad luck and physical suffering.

Obsession:

This is a severe psychological siege where a demon attacks a person’s interiority-specifically targeting their intellect and emotions. The subject experiences sudden irrational thoughts, intense neurosis, and possibly even frequent, persistent suicidal ideation. It makes it nearly impossible to focus on daily obligations or to sleep properly.

Possession: 

This is the most severe form of extraordinary diabolical influence where the demon takes full mastery over a person’s body. The demon acts through the physical body, rendering it non-responsive to the individual’s free will. The victim’s body may exhibit unnatural physical strength, they may levitate, speak in unknown languages (xenoglossy), display complete personality shifts while the demon acts as master, have an intense aversion to religious objects, and exhibit unnatural body and facial distortions, such as speaking in an inhuman voice, involuntary contortions, or moving in unnatural bodily movements e.g. slithering like a snake on the ground without using one’s arms and feet to propel them, which is physically impossible.   

The demons exercise a greater intellect and will then humans do. They are more powerful beings that we are. They do lack the intellect that the holy angels have, for by their fall their intellects were darkened.

For much of the remainder of this article, I will turn often to the angelic doctor himself – St. Thomas Aquinas.

In the Summa Theologica (I, Q. 41, A. 4), St. Thomas goes into the mode and order of the temptation.

St. Thomas says in his “Reply to Objection 3” that the devil was not satisfied with instigating a desire for riches and honors, but he went so far as to tempt Christ, for the sake of gaining possession of these things, to fall down and adore him, which is a great crime, and against God.

The temptations get worse. First, he wants Christ to work a miracle by turning the stones into bread. Christ replies, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Next, he tempts Christ to throw Himself off of the highest point of the temple. Christ replies, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” The last temptation is the worst of the three. He tells Christ that he will give Him all the kingdoms of the world if He bows down and worships him. Christ replies, “Begone, Satan: for it is written, The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and Him only shalt thou serve.” The devil in his initial fall wanted resemblance with God. He sought to have final beatitude by his own power (See ST, I, Q. 63, A. 3).

What was the purpose of the devil tempting God? In short, it was to make Christ fall, like he wants all to fall into sin and then eventually into hell itself. But this is what Satan did not understand. As Rufinus of Aquileia said, “The purpose of the Incarnation was that the divine virtue of the Son of God might be as it were a hook hidden beneath the form of human flesh…to lure on the prince of this age to a contest; that the Son might offer him his flesh as a bait and that then the divinity which lay beneath might catch him and hold him fast with its hook…Then, as a fish when it seizes a baited hook not only fails to drag off the bait but is itself dragged out of the water to serve as food for others; so he that had the power of death seized the body of Jesus in death, unaware of the hook of divinity concealed therein. Having swallowed it, he was caught straightway; the bars of hell were burst, and he was, as it were, drawn up from the pit, to become food for others.” What this means was that God’s overarching plan all along was for the redemption of mankind. 

We know this of course, but at that time, Satan and the demons did not understand this, even with their advanced intellects. God the Father allowed God the Son to take on flesh of the Virgin Mary and to walk among His creation as one of them, like them in all ways except for sin. The question must be asked, “Who did Satan think that he was tempting?” Likewise, when Christ was undergoing His barbarous Passion, with the agony in the garden, the scourging at the pillar, the crowning of thorns, the carrying of the cross, the crucifixion, all the way leading up to His death – the demons assailed Him to no end, yet fall He never did. 

He had the power to come down from the cross. He chose not to because this was His plan to redeem mankind before the world ever was. “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and He will at once send Me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Mt. 26:53) Who did they think that they were tempting? In their advanced (though fallen) intellects, they knew that He was a prophet. They had a high probability in their thinking that this was the Messiah who had entered the world, for no one ever spoke like this man before, nor did the things that He did. But what they didn’t know was that He was God Incarnate. 

In the “Summa Theologica” (see ST, I, Q. 64, A. 1), St. Thomas Aquinas goes into great detail on the demons darkened intellects. He said that the demons had three kinds of knowledge. The first was their natural knowledge. This knowledge was neither taken away nor lessened in the demons. The second form of knowledge was knowledge from grace and while this hadn’t been utterly taken away from them, nevertheless, it was lessened from their fall. Their third type of knowledge, explains Aquinas, is by long experience. 

Demons do not know the future with absolute certainty—that is reserved for God. However, because they have existed since the beginning of creation and possess acute intellects, they use long experience to recognize patterns. By observing natural causes, terrestrial events, and human habits over centuries, they are highly skilled at making deductions about present situations or predicting future outcomes that might not be obvious to humans. It is the second form of knowledge here that comes into play – knowledge lessened from the light of divine grace. The demons fell but the holy angels did not. The holy angels have knowledge from grace and understand divine matters in greater detail than the fallen angels do. 

According to St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, when the devil was tempting Christ in the desert and saying, “If you are the Son of God…,” they are not saying this in a way that we understand it to mean. When we read it, it sounds like they are saying this in a mocking fashion such as, “If you are the Son of God, then you can obviously do this or that because after all, you are the Son of God.” It is a form of arrogance in their taunting him. While this may hold true to some extent, according to these two great theologians, when the demons say, “If you are the Son of God…,” they are asking Him this because they did NOT KNOW WITH FULL CERTAINTY (emphasis added) that He truly was the Son of God. Why? Because their intellects were darkened by their fall and knowledge from grace was lessened in them. They could miscalculate. They did not know with full certainty that this was the Son of God. As Aquinas states in his “Reply to Objection 4” in quoting St. Augustine, “For had they fully and certainly known that He was the Son of God and the effect of His Passion, they would never have procured the crucifixion of the Lord of glory.” 

In other words, they did not know truly that this was the Son of God because if they did, they never would have gone to so much trouble persecuting Him and executing Him because in the end, He was going to triumph despite their best efforts against Him. Why? Because HE IS GOD! “The ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over Me.” (Jn. 14:30) This is a huge weakness of theirs. While they are far superior in intellect over human beings, (although inferior in intellect to the holy angels), they are creatures and they can make mistakes in their thinking. They do not make mistakes in the way that humans make mistakes in their thinking, because their intellects operate at a much higher level than human beings, but they do calculate things incorrectly. Their intellect and their power are limited.

St. Thomas expounds on this even greater in his other monumental work “De Malo.” (On Evil) He asks the question, “Do Devils Know Future Things?” (see Q. 16, “On Devils”, A. 7). 

Due to the length of his answer, I will highlight some of his most poignant points in this section that he covers.

*Damascene says that God alone, not human beings or devils, knows future things. Everyone can know better the things that belong to oneself than the things that belong to others. And so 1 Cor. 2:11 says: "No one knows what belongs to a person save the person's spirit within the person." But devils did not foreknow their fall, as Augustine makes clear in his “Literal Commentary on Genesis.” Therefore, much less can devils know other future things.

*Devils sometime predict true things about the future and sometimes false things. And they predict true things when they foreknow them by the revelations of good spirits that originate from God or in their external causes, whose power they know, or in what causes propose to do, as when they predict the things they themselves are about to do. And they sometimes predict false things wishing to deceive human beings, since the devil is "a liar and the father of lies," as Jn. 8:44 says. And they sometimes predict false things because they themselves are deceived, as when God prevents them from doing what they intend to do, or when something happens by God's power beyond the ordinary course of natural causes, as Augustine says in his work “On the Divination of Devils.”

*Devils' substance and activities indeed transcend the time that numbers the movements of heavenly bodies, but time is connected with their activity insofar as they do not actually understand everything at the same time. And this time indeed involves change in their desires and thoughts about intelligible things. And so Augustine says in his “Literal Commentary on Genesis” that God causes the movements of spiritual creatures through time.

Aquinas goes on and delves into this matter in heavy fashion, but the overall point is that the demons do not know all future events. Only God does. They can error, again due to what Aquinas said in his “Summa Theologica”, because of the fact that their knowledge from grace was severely lessened due to their fall.

There are other areas where the demons are handicap and lacking too. One such area is the demons cannot know the interior thoughts of men. They cannot read their hearts, so to speak. The demons know some causes of our thoughts, but they do not know all of them. Only God knows the interior thoughts of men completely.

Evil is a void of good. The demons in their fall made a choice and this choice was irreversible. The will of the demons is obstinate in evil. The demons sin is greater than man’s sin. Consequently, the demons are much more punished than humans are. Since the demon has a perverse and obstinate will, he is not sorry for the evil of sin. Not only will the demons exist in misery forever, but they want human beings to join them in hell forever to suffer with them. Again, misery loves company.

The beatitude and the punishment of both the demons and human beings will be magnified after Judgement Day. When Christ returns to judge the world, it will greatly affect all of creation. When humans die, if their souls go to Heaven, they experience great joy. If they die and their souls go to Hell, they experience horrific pain. If their souls go to Purgatory, they suffer pain, but this pain will eventually become joy once the soul goes to Heaven and experiences the beatific vision. This is after all of a soul’s temporal punishment has been expiated. 

Some souls have very little expiation to make for the temporal punishment that remains on their souls after death and they are ushered into Heaven fairly quickly. Others have a very long stay in Purgatory, having much more temporal punishment to expiate after death. After Judgement Day, our souls will be reunited with our bodies. For the blessed, the joy will exponentially increase, in both soul and body. For the reprobate, the punishment will greatly intensify as both the soul and the body will suffer in Hell forever. The beatitude/joy is greatly magnified in the Elect, while the pain and punishment is greatly magnified in the Damned. Likewise, the demons will suffer even more after Judgement Day, when Christ judges the world.

In times of greater sanity, Catholics had an easier time following the Catholic Church. Now, the question is, “Where is the Catholic Church?” Simply put, the church exists in those faithful followers who have remained traditional Catholics in this godless age in which we are living. The Great Apostasy wreaked incalculable havoc on the world and the casualties cannot be counted. Authority is derived from the pope down through the bishops down through the priests and finally down through the people. What has transpired in the last few decades has been a removal of the institutional structure of the church. The Vatican II sect splintered off from the True Catholic Church and in doing so, most of the “Catholic” world went along with the false sect that parades itself as “The Catholic Church.” The “pope,” “bishops,”, and “priests,” are anything but. The true clergy exist in the faithful traditional remnant that exists in pockets scattered here and there throughout the world. 

The demons assault has grown and magnified unlike any other time, because now, the attack is coming from every angle imaginable. The number and prevalence of sins attacking mankind is out of control. Abortion, contraception, divorce, fornication, theft, murder, homosexual acts, pornography, and so many other sins run rampant everywhere now. In every age, whenever mankind was afflicted by sin, caused by the world, the flesh, and the devil, individual Christians sought the sacraments and stayed close to the church as their safe haven. But the church is not as easily found now, because the Conciliar Church has usurped the Traditional Church. It has eclipsed it. 

The pope is the guardian of the church. It was he and he alone, who Christ gave the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. (Mt. 16:18-19) Remove him from the equation, and evil runs amok everywhere! Not all sins are due to the demons, but many are, and the demons have had a field day with what has transpired to the Catholic Church in the last several decades. The demons know in the end that they lose, for they cannot defeat God, just like they cannot defeat His Church. They do not know exactly when their “reign of terror” comes to an end, but it does come to an end. They know this.

 

Conclusion

How do Catholics weather the storm that is currently engulfing the world (spiritually speaking)? It is not easy and it continues to get harder. It is not impossible though, for God never asks the impossible of us. We must make use of everything at our spiritual disposal that we have.

*The traditional Mass is our greatest weapon that we have. Those who are within driving distance of a traditional church should make use of the sacraments often, especially the Sacrament of Penance and the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Remaining in the state of grace is important to staying holy.

*The rosary needs to be prayed daily. 5 decades should be prayed minimally. For those who are able to pray the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries every day, it is a very good idea, for even more graces will flow through Our Lady to us.

*Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary are very powerful. Consecrations to the Two Hearts should be made frequently.

*The Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is helpful.

*Praying the Stations of the Cross is useful.

*Wearing sacramentals such as the Miraculous Medal, the St. Benedict Medal, the Brown Scapular, the Green Scapular, etc. are very helpful to ward off evil.

*Devotion to St. Joseph is strongly encouraged and sadly neglected. St. Joseph is the “terror of the demons.” His intercessory power with God is only second to Our Lady.

*Prayers to a person’s guardian angel are very important. God has given us an angel protector over the course of our entire life. We need to make use of this spiritual friend as much as possible. Don’t just pray to your angel, talk to your angel frequently too.

*The Chaplet of St. Michael is a great devotion to ask for the intercession of all of the holy angels in our combat again Satan and the demons. These are the holy angels who did not fall and remained faithful to God. Their intercession is especially powerful and collectively when praying this chaplet, the strength of their intercession is greatly magnified.

*Finally, we must pray for the grace of final perseverance. It is easy to “fall off the wagon” so to speak, especially in these times! We need to persevere to the end, so that we may save our souls.

We must stay close to the Catholic Church. Without a visible pope to guide it in these times, it is harder on everyone. There are going to be divisions among traditional Catholics and the demons take great delight in this. Still, the church exists until the end of the world and the church is victorious in the end. Christ will one day return to judge this world. He is always faithful to us and we must remain faithful to Him until He returns. 

Yes, the demons have much power over us, but there are things that they are limited by, as I have demonstrated in this article. Powerful as they are, they remain just creatures, not the Creator. Their influence over us will end once Christ puts an end to everything and subjects all of His enemies under His feet. (Ps. 110:1) No one knows that day or hour, only God alone. Human beings, the angels, and the demons alike, do not know when Christ will return. We must do all we can to remain faithful and vigilant. This is all Christ asks of us. We leave the rest to Him. It is in His Hands. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33)