A House Divided
...can anyone fix it?
A brief history
The American story is a great story. It’s a tale of episodic ironies. A band of patriots decided that the yoke of bondage of their British masters was too galling. In retaliation, they started a revolution that would bring to the stage of the Drama of the Ages a place called America. The struggle of the American Colonies for independence began in 1775. In 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed and the founding fathers declared the United States of America to be an independent nation. In 1777 the Articles of Confederation were adopted. In 1787 the U.S. Constitution was framed. On July 26, 1788 it was ratified by the original 13 states. On the first of March 1789, the U.S. Constitution went into effect.
The irony of the nations birth, however, was that even though those patriots drafted a Constitutional document declaring that all men are created equal, they all owned slaves from the African continent who were treated in the most inhumane manner. To them, the oppression and exploitation of their slaves was the fuel that powered their economic engine. Opposition to that inherent self-contradiction would eventually lead to a bloody civil war that claimed over 600, 000 of the nation’s finest young men.
This was all taking place as the Roman Papacy was losing its grip on the people of world. The Protestant Reformation was raising a formidable challenge to the power and authority of that European Ecclesiastical Enterprise. Additionally, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte accelerated what seemed to be the Papacy’s demise by sending his most able general, Louis-Alexandre Berthier, into Rome where he arrested the then pope, Pius VI. He was taken to Valence, France where he later died.
Simultaneously, the United States was emerging not only as a new nation, but also as a bastion of freedom for those who were fleeing the pangs of popery. People were desperately departing Europe by the tens of thousands. They sought to find a nation without a Pope and a country without a king. They risked their very lives to move to a place in which they would not have to be enslaved by the dogmas of the Pope and his church, or be controlled by the tyranny of kings and princes who persecuted them on behalf of the Pope. Civil War author and journalist, George Alfred Townsend writes, “the history of the United States was separated by a beneficent providence far from this wild and cruel history of the rest of the continent” (The New World Compared With The New, pg. 633)
It’s now 248 years later and the nation is in the middle of a contentious presidential election cycle. It’s one far removed from the vibrant discussions of policies between two vibrant political parties. Such has characterized the growth and development of the nation whose citizenry had become comfortably accustomed to that model. But the fabric from which the American idea has been woven seems to be unravelling. And, indeed it is; for so it was predicted in those Ancient Words, Ever True, largely rejected by a world that desperately needs it.
Choices have consequences
In the current electoral contest, one side is campaigning on the platform of returning the nation, by any means necessary, to its former ‘greatness’. The adherents to that doctrine are passionate about denying the promise of the American Experiment to anyone who do not look like them and came from the same places they did. Irony upon irony is this side’s fervent claim to the false notion that America was established as a Christian nation. Sadly, however, their expression of that belief disparages the true Christian faith.
The hatred, spirit of exclusion, virulent indecency, vulgarity, and divisiveness emanate from their echo chamber of lies, deceit and conspiracy theories. Embracing about forty seven percent of the electorate, this band of new ‘revolutionaries (for so they call themselves) openly advocates for the removal of the vermin in their country and elimination of the enemies within. Translation: dispose of or otherwise render extinct anyone who do not see things in the same way they do.
Its leadership is characterized by misogyny and criminality coupled with blatant disregard for the nation’s foundational principles and the rule of law. In fact, it openly advocates to dismantle those enduring concepts. Primary among the pillars of the nation targeted for destruction is the bedrock principle of separation of church and state, which reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (First amendment of the American Constitution). This cabal is fervently striving to reestablish their ‘Christian Nation’ to be built on the concept of unification of church and state.
This idea is diametrically opposite of what the founding patriots envisioned in their quest to formulate what has become the marvel and envy of their friends and foes alike. The agenda of these modern patriots is anathema to the founding patriots who rallied around the conviction of one of their leaders who wrote these poignant words: “The experience of the United States is a happy disproof of the error so long rooted in the unenlightened minds of well-meaning Christians, as well as in the corrupt hearts of persecuting usurpers, that without legal incorporation of religious and civil polity, neither could be supported. A mutual independence is found most friendly to practical Religion, to social harmony, and to political prosperity."
(James Madison, Letter to F.L. Schaeffer, Dec. 3, 1821).
The contesting camp is headed by a descendant of the formerly enslaved, oppressed, and disenfranchised chattel of those self-contradicting founding fathers. Ironically, she is leading a company that is fighting for the survival of the American Experiment of freedom, equality, civil and religious liberty. She is the epitome of striving for the perfecting of the American idea. Her very presence in this contest reflects the reality of, if not necessarily the intention of, the pronouncements and promise of the original patriots.
This child of immigrants and an the accomplished attorney turned politician, leads a coalition of citizens from every speck of the political spectrum. Her supporters range from the far right to the liberal left. Never before in the history of America have so many of differing political ideologies coalesced to oppose what they perceive as a clear and present danger to the nation’s democratic ideals. Their fight, as they see it, is against an affront to what the first president of the republic referred: “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government…were deeply staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people” (George Washington’s first inaugural address to US Congress).
Additionally, the coalition resembles a startling rainbow with its many colors and hues comprising peoples of every nation, tongue and people. It’s a picture that the opposition detests.
While boasting of its regard for the laws and principles upon which the nation relies for its proper functioning, some of the foremost ideas of this rainbow coalition, represents a flagrant disregard for the laws of Creator God. It vibrantly promotes immorality under the guise of free love. This band advocates for mass murder, masquerading as free choice, of many who have no choice. Yes indeed, all men are created with free will and are blessed with the power to make free choices. It is the greatest endowment of the human nature. But choices have consequences.
Herein lies the dilemma of the nation. It truly lies at the crossroads of its storied past and its unknown future. The current current political climate in which both sides are firmly rooted in their respective positions, with seemingly no room for compromise, threatens the survival of the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. The nation is severely challenged and the current atmospherics, cultural, religious, social, and political, threaten to bring down the curtain on the final scene of the American story. The house is divided and the foundation is cracking.
An observers view worthy of note
The question is, can anyone fix it? Commenting on America’s polarized political environment, Pope Francis remarked, “One must choose the lesser of two evils. Who is the lesser of two evils? That lady or that gentleman? I don’t know,” Francis told reporters while on the papal plane. He continued, “To send migrants away, to leave them wherever you want, to leave them … it’s something terrible, there is evil there. To send away a child from the womb of the mother is an assassination, because there is life. We must speak about these things clearly”.
Were Francis’ remarks just a casual observation by the first Jesuit priest of the of the religious/political behemoth called the Papacy; or was it the opening salvo designed to introduce something he deems better? Is it part of a larger strategy to achieve an alternative, more impactful scenario? And what might that alternative look like?
In the classic, Rome Stoops to Conquer, by a renowned Jesuit scholar, we find some answers to those questions: “Pius is well aware that the Catholic Church can never hope again to dominate the civilized world until America kneels, beaten and penitent at her feet…In teaching American Catholics this new phase of Catholicism, this active phase, and in sanctifying it with his blessings, Pius X1 rendered inevitable many significant changes in the life course of this nation” (Rome Stoops To Conquer, E. Boyd Barrett, page 4).
Professor Barrett continued, “Though Pius has little liking for our wicked ways and our heresies, he sees in us the nation that counts for most in the world today-the nation of the future. We are rich, young, strong, and our life is before us as a nation...He would have us, he needs us; he means to have us. He believes that the destiny of the church will be fulfilled in America and that with the spiritual conquest of America, the world dominion of the church will be regained” (ibid., 259).
As we look around the American landscape today, no one can doubt that Pius’ vision and initiatives to make America Catholic have been resoundingly successful. Catholicism, through her dedicated sons and daughters, are in control of the media, business, government, the judiciary, politics and religion.
So successful is Rome’s plan for America that we find former president Donald Trump, leader of one of the contesting political parties, boasting of the billions of dollars he has given to the Catholic church during his past administration. He it is who appointed the last three Catholic Supreme court justices who ruled that a president has unlimited power and can do whatever he or he wants with absolute immunity.
To many perceptive observers, the United States Supreme Court has, in that ruling, abdicated its responsibility to rightly interpreting the constitution, effectively sanctioning the rise of fascism in America. They see it as overturning all that the forefathers envisioned.
Pius’ aim for America was and still is the centerpiece of the Vatican’s strategy for world domination. The U.S. Constitution, with its noble principles of civil and religious liberties, though used selectively when it advances her program for its destruction, is an abhorrence to popery. The Papacy’s longstanding position is that of hatred for the concepts of liberty and freedom that have found their finest hour in the American experience.
One perceptive observer remarked: “The Constitution of the United States guarantees liberty of conscience. Nothing is dearer or more fundamental. Pope Pius IX, in his Encyclical Letter of August 15, 1854, said: `The absurd and erroneous doctrines or ravings in defense of liberty of conscience are a most pestilential error—a pest, of all others, most to be dreaded in a state.’ (Great Controversy, E.G. White, 564.5).
In referring to his church’s strategy to achieve the objectives of Pius IX, Malachi Martin, the late Jesuit scholar, revealed that there was a three-way struggle for world domination. Martin identified the players in that competition as Communism, Globalism, and Catholicism. Since the publication of his book, Keys of this Blood, (circa 1990) in which he thoroughly lays out his case, one of those competitors has been effectively neutralized. Time Magazine’s cover glared: "HOLY ALLIANCE. How Reagan and the pope conspired to assist Poland’s solidarity movement and hasten the demise of Communism"(Time, February 24, 1992).
That ensuing article reported: “On June 7, 1982, Reagan and John Paul met for fifty minutes at the Vatican. During that conversation, the plot was hatched to eliminate communism. In that meeting, Reagan and the Pope agreed to undertake a clandestine campaign to hasten the dissolution of the communist regime. Declares Richard Allen, Reagan’s first National Security adviser. This was one of the great secret alliances of all time” (ibid., page 28).
As Catholicism is being strengthened by such initiatives, America, the engine that drives Globalism, is becoming weaker and weaker through the attacks on the principles of her constitution from both without and within. What we are experiencing in America today is not security of the homeland, patriotic awakening or religious compassion. Rather, its the rapid, though stealthy, implementation of papal rule which is patently antagonistic to the American system of justice and liberty of conscience for all.
Awaiting the right moment
Under the right set of circumstances, most likely characterized by confusion and chaos, erratic weather patterns resulting in catastrophic natural disasters, and economic decline, the Papal solution of Sunday sacredness will be further advanced as the solution of humanity’s woes. Could this be the alternative to which Francis was opening the door when he declared that we have to choose between the lesser of two evils in America‘s political conflict? Only time will tell.
According to God’s word, Sunday sacredness will be legislated and ultimately implemented. The nations, having disconnected themselves from God, by rejecting His Holy Sabbath-day, will force their petitions to their leaders for the implementation of Sunday sacredness. The people will see this as a panacea for America and the world’s problems. Moves in that direction are well under way. Organizations such as the Moral Majority, the Christian Coalition, National Back to Church Sunday, the Lord’s Day Alliance, politicians and businesses, among others, are joining forces that will bring about legislation for Sunday as a national day of rest.
America is a nation that is abundantly blessed with God’s bounties, including an overflowing of His word. Despite its imperfections, intrinsic contradictions and conflicts, the nation managed to become a beacon of hope, justice and human rights around the world. Many continue to flee their countries of birth to taste and explore the American experience.
But, how sad for a people who have been blessed with so much by Almighty God. As America continues her march toward tearing down God’s holy law, whilst uplifting the traditions of the man of sin in its place, great tribulation and destruction will befall the nation along with the rest of the world. As the nation, under the pretense of unity and for political expediency, continues to repudiate the principles of its constitution, it will be swept swiftly under total control of Romanism and horrible cruelties will follow.
Different routes, same destination
Regardless of who sits next in the White House, Sunday sacredness will be implemented by national decree. It is the great neutralizer that would appear to unite all warring parties. That fragile consensus will give credence to the illusion of America United, and perhaps, even a world united.
On one hand, the Democrats are passionately embracing Francis’ proposed panacea for the climate crisis and a more equitable distribution of the world’s resources: “On Sunday, our participation in the Eucharist has special importance. Sunday, like the Jewish Sabbath, is meant to be a day which heals our relationships with God, with ourselves, with others and with the world. Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, the “first day” of the new creation, whose first fruits are the Lord’s risen humanity, the pledge of the final transfiguration of all created reality. It also proclaims “man’s eternal rest in God” (Laudato Si, Sec 237).
The Republicans, on the other hand, are openly promising, in their political platform, to enforce it: “God ordained the Sabbath as a day of rest, and until very recently the Judeo-Christian tradition sought to honor that mandate by moral and legal regulation of work on that day. God ordained the Sabbath as a day of rest, and until very recently the Judeo-Christian tradition sought to honor that mandate by moral and legal regulation of work on that day” That day would default to Sunday” (Project 2025, Mandate for Leadership, pg. 589).
Increasingly, both sides are courting the religious vote. Harris has accelerated her church attendance, usually on Sunday, to advance her concept of love and free choice to a liberal left religious constituency. Trump is solidifying his connection to his cult-like religious right contingent.
Beneath the radar of the average American, engrossed in their individual political posturing, lies Pope Francis’ alternative to the choice of the lesser of two evils. Its called Cathonomics: How Catholic Tradition Can Create a More Just Economy. This is a comprehensive plan outlining his church’s proposition for a more equitable and united world order, combining church dogmas and political policies. It is compiled by Anthony Annett, Roman Catholic scholar, theologian and economist. The volume, while extolling the virtues of Catholic tradition and the powers of the church’s cannon law, expands upon the theme of Laudato Si, Pope Francis’s encyclical, of eight years ago, calling for Sunday sacredness as the solution to the world’s chaotic condition.
Annett writes: ”Cathonomics is an ethical and practical guide for readers of all faiths and backgrounds seeking to create a world economy that is more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable for all” (Foreward, Cathonomics, x). In essence, Cathonomics details the merging of Catholic doctrine with economic activity on an international basis. It’s the means by which Francis plans to fix the house divided.
In that house divided is a classical display of the Hegelian Dialectic theory. This is a philosophical concept that describes how ideas change through internal contradictions into concrete forms that overcome previous oppositions. It was developed by the 19th century German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel and is sometimes presented in three stages: thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. This is what is exactly being played out before our eyes.
Thesis: Republican
Antithesis: Democratic
Synthesis: Cathonomics
Synthesis, in order to be effective, requires common ground. The common ground in current political arena is trajectory towards Sunday sacredness. There is but one organization on planet earth that is large enough, has the political and religious influence, and the human capital to implement and achieve its objectives via the Hegelian Dialectic theory on a national and international basis. That organization is the longest existing monarchy in the history of the world, the Roman Papacy. Whatever ultimately happens in this house divided, Rome would achieve its long sought-after objective of forced, universal Sunday sacredness which it claims as its Mark of Authority in religious matters.
A divergent prophetic voice shouts through to us with unerring accuracy from more than 150 years ago: “When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result” (E.G. White, The Great Controversy, pg. 445).
That voice echoes through the decades with divine precision: “But Romanism as a system is no more in harmony with the gospel of Christ now than at any former period in her history. The Protestant churches are in great darkness, or they would discern the signs of the times. The Roman Church is far-reaching in her plans and modes of operation. She is employing every device to extend her influence and increase her power in preparation for a fierce and determined conflict to regain control of the world, to re-establish persecution, and to undo all that Protestantism has done” (America, the Papacy and the Signs of the Times, 79, GC 565).
It is only those who have God’s special protection will survive the soon coming crisis. We get that protection by surrendering our Lives to Jesus Christ. He is the ONLY shelter in the brewing storm of apocalyptic proportions that is about to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise. He is the Only ONE who can and will fix the house divided.