The Signs of the Times – #39
The Catholic Conquest of America (USA) – part 2
Originally posted Aug. 24, 2014.
Quotes of the Times:
“Aurelius Augustine… bishop, the dominant personality of the Western Church of his time (4/5th centuries), generally recognized as the greatest thinker of Christian antiquity. He fused the religion of the New Testament with the Platonic tradition of Greek philosophy.” Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 1, art. Augustine, pp. 649,650.
Babylon deals in: “…slaves and souls of men” (Rev. 18:13).
The reason why Plato and his contemporaries are considered to be the ‘fathers of western civilization’ is because Platonic philosophy became the dominate philosophy of the Roman Catholic Church, and the Roman Catholic Church was the dominate institution that shaped, formed and created the so-called western civilization. The Catholic Church reigned supreme in Western Europe for more than 1000 years (hence the term ‘western’ in western civilization). [In addition, Catholic dominance and western civilization spread to other parts of the world during this period, such as, Central and South America].
Needless to say, during the period of Catholic supremacy, the platonic system of governance prevailed in all Catholic dominated nations and societies. This was the time of the feudal system and it prevailed in Europe (and elsewhere) for hundreds of years. The feudal system is a typical example of a platonic/sacral society. At the top were ‘the Lords of the Manor’ (the aristocracy), each Lord kept a standing corps of soldiers to defend his domain (which he sometimes lent to the king), and at the bottom were the serfs (also called peasants), who were required to provide for the needs of the Lords and their soldiers. And at the very top of the ‘food chain’ sat the Roman Catholic Church – it was the Catholic Church that provided the ‘glue’ (doctrine/dogma) that kept all and sundry, locked into the rigid totalitarian system.
This is classic Platonism, and this was ‘western civilization’ for centuries. Everything was governed by rigid rules. For example, the serfs were not allowed to leave the ‘service’ of the Lord of the Manor without his permission, and they were not even allowed to marry without his permission. By the same token, the Lords could only act and exercise their authority by permission of the king. And the king could only act and exercise his authority by permission of the pope. Anyone who disagreed – anyone who tried to live as an individual exercising individual rights was ultimately (and even immediately) executed.
In these modern times we hear much about ‘freedom’ and democracy’ and these are the ideals that, we are all supposed to support and aspire to. In feudal times, the slogan was: “Une foi, un loi, un roi,” (one faith, one law, one king). This was held up as the goal for all well-ordered nations and societies to aspire to, and most people believed it and supported it.
So, where did the individual freedoms that we take so much for granted, today, come from? Who was it that was willing to challenge this totalitarian system at the risk of their lives? Who was it that, we, living in this modern age, are indebted to, for the courage and the sacrifices that they must have made in order to break free from this monolithic stultifying and intellectually crippling order?
Most historians are divided, about the origins, of liberty of conscience and its derivatives; individual rights, religious and political freedoms; democracy and republicanism etc. etc. They point to many tributaries flowing together to create a mighty river, such as: the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution etc. etc. In all of the historical tomes that have been written, there are elements of the true story. However, the true story has seldom been adequately told and therefore, seldom adequately understood.
The true story is not of a mighty river, overwhelming the monolith. The true story is of a barely flickering flame that was always in danger of going out, and yet, by the grace of God, it persisted through the darkness (the dark ages), until finally it was able to burn brightly once more. The tragedy is, because we do not cherish, nurture, and protect the flame, in this present age, it is in danger of going out again. The platonic practitioners were never defeated, they have regrouped, reequipped and rebranded. And they are rebuilding the monolithic edifice they once had. Today, this rebuilding is supposed to be the new improved model – but is still the same platonic system of intellectual, mental, financial and spiritual slavery that it always has been. Babylon deals in the …”slaves and souls of men” (Rev. 18:13).
To be continued…
God bless, Bruce Telfer.
