Articles/ Essays:
SECULAR HUMANISM: A Religion and a Destructive Way of Life
by Anthony J. Sacco, Sr.
(Posted: June 6, 2014)
5/7/14 - Cheyenne, WY - It should come as no surprise to many that Secular Humanism has been out and about in the United States for many years. Yet, I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of Christians, whose religion is under attack by that movement, and who have the primary responsibility for countering its attempts to take over and destroy this Christian nation, do not know that it even exists, much less what its major tenets are and which organizations and individuals are pushing it.
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Catholic Allies in Truth
MYTHS OF THE MINIMUM WAGE
by David Rippe
(Posted: June 6, 2014)
Despite much political fanfare by supporters of a hike in the federal minimum wage (MW), on March 15, 2014, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to defeat a bill which would have raised it from $7.25 to $10.10. As proponents saw it, the vote was an act of incredible coldness; but to those who understand supply and demand, it was simply a matter of stopping the federal government from intruding further in the job market and creating more unemployment.
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Catholic Allies in Truth
A SOLUTION TO GLOBAL POVERTY
by David Rippe
(Posted: April 8, 2014)
Rather than dutifully accepting the traditional characterization of the free market as a purely materialistic human invention for amassing individual wealth and fostering greed, we might instead challenge this notion (the data are irrefutable) and take the courageous position of looking at the market as a gift - a blessing which we have neither truly recognized nor fully appreciated, and for which we have certainly not given adequate thanks.
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Catholic Allies in Truth
THE STEWARDSHIP ECONOMY
by David Rippe
(Posted: March 14, 2014)
The science of economics is really about the poor. Poverty is the natural condition of man – the default condition. Humans come into the world poor and spend their lives trying to elevate their standard of living – not an easy task because no one has all the answers or all the skills.
When people, both weak and strong, smart and slow, put their heads together, cooperate and learn about each other, they find they have things to share for their mutual enrichment.
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Catholic Allies in Truth
WORK: A HEAVENLY MANDATE
by David Rippe
(Posted: February 8, 2014)
One of the most inspiring things we can do is to observe someone thoroughly enjoying his work. A professional skillfully plying his craft, a performer or athlete getting into "the zone" - these, unknowingly, are songs of joy to God the Creator from people making full use of His gifts.
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Catholic Allies in Truth
ARE CHARITIES MISUSING YOUR DONATIONS?
by David Rippe
(Posted: December 31, 2013)
For many years, faithful Catholics have noticed a disturbing trend in certain well-known charities operating as "Catholic" entities. Some of these agencies are involved (either directly or by association) in activities with a distinctly secular flavor, one often clearly at odds with Church teaching.
The concerns have not escaped the Vatican.
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Catholic Allies in Truth
EMASCULATING JESUS
by David Rippe
(Posted: June 28, 2013)
Survey after survey of Sunday Mass attendance in the U.S. shows more women than men in the pews. Female to male ratios of 2:1 or even higher are common. One might presuppose it’s because women live longer, and thus, widows and spinsters would account for the difference. But the theory breaks down on examination by age category. Men of all ages simply don’t come to Mass as faithfully as women.
Why not?
Mass is at the heart of the practice of Catholic faith. Attendance is mandatory. Yet too many Catholic men clearly don’t take it seriously. Either their faith has cooled or else it never warmed in the first place.
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Catholic Allies in Truth
IT DOESN’T OCCUR IN A VACUUM
by David Rippe
(Posted: February 7, 2013)
Newtown, Aurora, Portland - a sudden climate of mass gun violence? At least the media insists it is. And many institutions, including the Church, are inclined to pick up the media’s take and run with it.
What could be behind this wave of shootings? Again, the media, leading our thought process, asserts that it’s too many guns, too easily purchased. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops agrees: “Call your senators and representatives and urge them to support policies that reduce gun violence (including controlled sale and use of firearms).” Thus, the zeitgeist proclaims we need to crack down on people who buy guns. But is that really the solution? Look at Chicago where supposedly strong gun laws are already on the books. In 2012, 506 people were murdered there. Guns are always readily available to criminals. Law abiding people obey laws; criminals don’t.
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Catholic Allies in Truth
DOROTHY DAY – A CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE
by David Rippe
(Posted: December 4, 2012)
On November 13, American bishops unanimously backed the advancement of the cause of Dorothy Day through the process leading to sainthood. Day, an American social worker and anti-war activist, died in 1980. She was first proposed for canonization by the late Cardinal John O’Connor of New York. Her case is now in “Servant of God” status, awaiting further developments.
For her charity work, Day is popular with many Catholics, especially clergy, some of whom find her iconic. In 1933, together with fellow social activist Peter Maurin, she founded the Catholic Worker Movement which is perhaps best known for its 201 U.S. communities that feature soup kitchens and various other ministries to the poor and disadvantaged.
But while she has the unanimous support of the bishops, Day is a controversial figure among many rank and file Catholics who do not consider her an acceptable role model.
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Catholic Allies in Truth
GOVERNMENT AND “THE COMMON GOOD”
by David Rippe
(October 2012 [2] )
An oft repeated theme in papal encyclicals, bishops’ statements and prayer intentions offered at Mass is the hope that governments will see to “the common good.” Objectively put, “the common good” refers to what is best for everyone overall – social class, race, culture and economic condition notwithstanding. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website defines the common good as “the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups, and their individual members, relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment.”
Obviously, such a vague concept is open to a lot of wiggle room in characterization and is often used to promote special interests rather than those of the whole.
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Catholic Allies in Truth
What Happened to Catholicism?
by David Rippe
(March 2012)
Catholics used to be those reverent people who did penance during Spring, mumbled prayers on beads and abjured meat on Fridays. As kids, they attended austere schools staffed by strict martinets dressed in strange black and white uniforms. They cheered for Notre Dame and made cookies for bake sales. They went to Confession on Saturday, Mass on Sunday. There was no mistaking them - Catholics had an identity. Once viciously discriminated against in America, they had gradually won respect through the seriousness of their faith practices, and they ultimately would have a major and leading influence on American culture.
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WHAT CAUSES POVERTY?
by David Rippe
(October 2012 [1] )
Over the centuries, we who live comfortable lives have looked with pity, indifference and sometimes disdain at the poor. “How did they get that way?” we ask. Actually, poverty is the default condition for humankind. We all have something of a common starting point in that we come into the world naked, helpless and completely dependent on others. As we grow, our basic needs become more sophisticated than the infant’s simple requests to be fed, held and kept warm. But when the needs aren’t met, their absence is just as strongly felt. Some are able to avoid or overcome deprivation during their lives; others, for various reasons, aren’t.
Globally, material poverty has diverse roots.
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Catholic Allies in Truth 
