Saint Pope John Paul the II used to use a phrase, itself from the Bible, to comfort those who heard him in the face of a world that seems determined toward self-destruction.
"Be Not Afraid." As a believer in God, I try not to let the storms of this society set me into both terror and despair. But it is getting harder, and harder with each passing day. The movers and shakers in the public square speak as if they have reached an apotheosis. We, in the 21st century are much better than anyone in prior history. We know more. By fiat, we can reach utopia, not like those know nothings of the past, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Washington, Jefferson, De Tocqueville, Lincoln, to name an infinitesimal few.
And, in that spirit of private revelation, those who control the flow of information determine what should and should not be said. It may well be a mystery as to why something is offensive, but with great power comes small and then greater oppression.
So, yesterday, I read on Facebook a complaint--that a quote by St. Augustine was being removed as being "hate-speech". I read the quote.
“Let us never assume that if we live good lives we will be without sin; our lives should be praised only when we continue to beg for pardon. But men are hopeless creatures, and the less they concentrate on their own sins, the more interested they become in the sins of others. They seek to criticize, not to correct. Unable to excuse themselves, they are ready to accuse others.”
"That can't be right" I thought. So rather than merely share the complaint, I found the quote and posted it with the idea that Facebook could not possibly have a problem with a quote from a famous theologian. I made no comment when I did so.
One of my friends even liked the quote. I think she might have shared it.
And then today I found this.
No comments:
Post a Comment