Pope Meets ADL

A June 9, 2005 Anti-Defamation League of B’nai Brith (ADL) press release reports that Pope Benedict XVI held a “warm and friendly” audience with a delegation of interfaith leaders from the group. In his first meeting with world Jewish community leaders since ascending to the Chair of Peter, the Holy Father met with Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granatoor (ADL Director of Interfaith Affairs), Alessandro Ruben (ADL Chairman in Italy) and Rabbi Leon Klenicki (ADL Interfaith Affairs Director Emeritus). Also present at the Vatican audience were members of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC), the umbrella organization for interfaith dialogue that represents world Jewry to the Catholic Church.

"This was an important meeting,” said Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granatoor, “in that it was an affirmation of his expressed intentions to continue the great work of Pope John Paul II.” He went on to say that, because then-Cardinal Ratzinger had had relationships with many of the Jewish leaders present at the meeting, “we looked upon this Pope as a friend who didn't have to prove himself."

In private words with the Pontiff, Rabbis Bretton-Granatoor and Klenicki expressed their conviction that Jewish relations with the Vatican have matured to a point where Jews and Catholics feel comfortable discussing areas where they agree and areas where they disagree.

"This is a Pope who finds holy affirmation in learning from the past in order to build a better future," said Rabbi Bretton-Granatoor.  "We should not be afraid to enter into a theological dialogue necessary to really discover each other."

Comment: In a homily of May 8, 2005, Pope Benedict responded to those who tout abortion and euthanasia as “human rights” by declaring that “Freedom to kill is not a true freedom, but a tyranny that reduces the human being into slavery."

In June of 2000, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a press release praising a U.S. Supreme Court Decision to strike down a law in Nebraska which banned partial-birth abortions. The release stated that the ADL, along with 53 other organizations, filed an amicus curiae or "friend of the court" brief which said the Nebraska law “unconstitutionally interfered in matters of individual choice and religious significance and impermissibly advocated certain beliefs over others.”

The year before that, the ADL awarded a judicial achievement award to Judge William P. Sargeant III of the Mariposa County Superior Court in Arizona. What noble task did Judge Sargeant accomplish to merit this award? He authorized a late-term, out-of-state abortion for a 14-year-old ward of the state. According to the Jewish News of Greater Phoenix (Dec. 17, 1999), after the state Supreme Court upheld Sargeant's decision allowing the abortion, the procedure was performed in Kansas.

ADL regional board chairman Marc Lieberman said Judge William P. Sargeant III upheld "the finest traditions of the bench ... in doing what (he believed) was right ... public consensus be damned." After receiving the award, Sargeant told the ADL’s regional board that his decision was “not difficult,” but was instead “right” and “heartfelt.”

Such examples of support for infanticide on the part of the ADL could be multiplied. If, as the Holy Father says, abortion leads to tyranny and degradation, then the ADL are active and relentless advocates of this malignant tyranny and degradation. And this is the group with which the Vicar of Christ has “warm and friendly” meetings?

Once again, it appears that the pontificate of a post-conciliar Pope will be marked by a strange “disconnect” between belief and practice. Whatever happened to the Social Kingship of Christ? And is it any wonder that the authority and credibility of the Catholic Church has been reduced to an all time low?

The “Cult of Man” Bibles

The Los Angeles Times reports (June 4, 2005) on the recent completion of a four-year “discipleship” class offered by the Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles. Why was this reported as news? The one-hundred graduates of this class used the Original African Heritage Study Bible as a study aid for the course. This Bible, which uses the King James version, highlights all the passages that refer to Africa or Africans and includes commentaries putting such history and culture into context. It also contains maps of Africa and illustrations of Bible characters — Moses, Jesus, Mary — all with dark skin and curly hair.

The African Heritage Bible, which has sold over 500,000 copies to date, was first published in 1993 by James C. Winston Publishing Company; the copyright was subsequently bought by World Bible Publishers. The Bible's general editor, the Rev. Cain Hope Felder, said it was created because of "the refusal on the part of the dominant society to admit that all of God's people are equal."

"We are trying to challenge these latter days, this Europeanization of the whole Bible, which is perpetuated even by the Vatican on one hand, Hollywood on the other," said Felder, a professor of New Testament languages and literature at Howard University and an ordained United Methodist minister. "We believe it important,” he added,  “to stress that our research is not presented from a racist viewpoint, but rather from the viewpoint of racial pluralism and inclusiveness, seeking to bring forth the truth from a story which has had many dubious interpretations."

The Rev. Henry L. Masters Sr., the senior pastor of Holman Methodist Church, believes that the African Heritage Bible may be helpful for black youths who may be disaffected from religion. He believes that “it gives them a fresh look at the church from another historical vantage point.” But Vincent L. Wimbush, a professor of religion at Claremont Graduate University, says that the attempt to correct the "Europeanization" of the Bible “just leaves us playing the same kind of the game: Mine is better than yours.” He added, “I think that whole game is flawed, suspect and dangerous."

On June 3, 2005, World Net Daily reported on a new edition of the Gospels published by the LBI Institute, titled Judith Christ of Nazareth, The Gospels of the Bible, Corrected to Reflect that Christ Was a Woman, Extracted from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This edition, based upon the “Jefferson Bible”,  purports to contain “corrections in the name and gender of Christ, the gender of God, and some of the parables.” For instance, the Parable of the Prodigal Son becomes a story about the “Prodigal Daughter," and the Lord's Prayer becomes the "Lady's Prayer."

Examples of the altered texts read: “And Joseph went to Bethlehem. To be enrolled with Mary, his wife, who was then pregnant. And she brought forth her firstborn child.  And her name was chosen to be Judith."  

“And She bearing her cross went forth. There they crucified Judith." 

"This long-awaited revised text of the Gospels makes the moral message of Christ more accessible to many, and more illuminating to all," says Billie Shakespeare, vice president of the LBI Institute. "It is empowering. We published this new Bible to acknowledge the rise of women in society."

Comment: On December 7, 1965, Pope Paul VI spoke these ominous words at the last General Meeting of the Second Vatican Council: "The Church of the Council... has also, it is true, been much concerned with man, with man as he really is today, with living man …. we also more than anyone else, have the cult of man."

With the cult of man in full swing, it seems only natural that new “Bibles” should spring up which cater to a kind of self-adoration (whether of race or gender), when, in fact, one’s entire heart and mind should be attuned to Jesus Christ as he or she reads the inspired books, for the Bible is the history of salvation. The African Heritage Bible’s editor, Rev. Cain Hope Felder, says that his edition is a strategy to remind the majority culture that it needs to "darken up" some Biblical characters before Afro-centric theologians "lighten up" theirs. His negative references to the Vatican and “Catholic statuary” betray a resentment of the Church which wrote down, preserved and studied the Scriptures for all those centuries before the advent of Protestantism. And this is doubly unfortunate because the Bible has one ultimate purpose: to lead souls to the Catholic Church. Again and again, the inspired writings instruct souls to seek out God’s True Church, for in her is preserved the Truth:

 “And [Paul] went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches, commanding them to keep the precepts of the apostles and the ancients.” (Acts 15:41)

 “But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother. And if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more: that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.” (Mt. 18:15-17)

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Tim. 3:15)

As for Judith Christ of Nazareth? It is difficult to imagine that the publisher would call it a “long-awaited revised text of the Gospels,” without snickering over the gullibility of the people who would actually buy a copy. And, perhaps, the publishing market will bear such a thing today. But, before we shake our heads at the audacity of those who would tamper with God’s Word, let us remember that this new “Judith” Bible is based on the notorious Jefferson Bible.

In an 1815 letter to Charles Clay, Esq., Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States (1801-1809), wrote that he had taken the four Gospels and "cut out from them every text they had recorded of the moral precepts of Jesus, and arranged them in a certain order, and although they appeared but as fragments, yet fragments of the most sublime edifice of morality which had ever been exhibited." He went on to title this collection, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth Extracted Textually from the Gospels, now commonly referred to as “The Jefferson Bible.” Jefferson excised Our Lord’s miracles, His Virgin Birth and His Resurrection. His “philosopher-Christ” remains in the grave after the Crucifixion.

Thomas Jefferson believed that the Gospels were based upon “a groundwork of vulgar ignorance, of things impossible, of superstitions, fanaticisms and fabrications” (A Letter to William Short, August 4, 1822). He considered the Apocalypse of St. John “the ravings of a maniac” (A Letter to Alexander Smyth, January 17, 1825). And he predicted that “the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as his father, in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter” (A Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823).

No, the recent “cult of man” Bibles are nothing new. The Scriptures have been tampered with since the earliest days of the Church. If, as we read in The Book of Proverbs, “Every word of God is fire tried,” than the tamperers are battling against Our Lord Himself – a foolish battle, to be sure.

An Abortionist’s House of Horrors

World Net Daily reports (June 14, 2005) that abortionist Krishna Rajanna, proprietor of the now defunct Affordable Medical and Surgical Services in Kansas City, Kansas, has lost his medical license after a 2003 police visit unearthed grisly conditions at his establishment.

In September of 2003, Detective William Howard of the Kansas City Police Department went to Affordable Medical and Surgical Services in response to a call regarding alleged employee theft. "I thought I had heard and seen every vile, disgusting crime scene, but was in for a new shock when I started this investigation," he said. Howard turned the matter over to the local district attorney and three state agencies.

Topping the list of horrors was an employee's account that she and others witnessed Rajanna "microwave one of the aborted fetuses and stir it into his lunch," as Howard recalled earlier this year when testifying before a Kansas House committee. Rajanna denied the accusation, but he did keep fetuses in Styrofoam cups in the refrigerator along with food and drink. Detective Howard also testified that the clinic was dark, dingy, had poor lighting and smelled musty. There were dirty dishes in the break-room sink and on the table, trash everywhere, a dead rodent in the hall and roaches crawling on the countertops. He admitted that he had been afraid to sit down there.

Howard also reported that there were no hazardous waste containers anywhere. An employee later testified Rajanna took home all contaminated, medical and biohazard waste for residential trash pick-up. As for the "procedure room," Howard's partner spotted dried blood on the floor and said the room looked "nasty." Two dishwashers located next to the staff toilet served as sterilizers, according to employee testimony. Photographs show the toilet was bloody and functioned as a human waste disposal in the literal sense.

In addition, "Dr. Rajanna lacked personal hygiene," testified Howard. "His hair was messy, hands dirty, and his clothing was wrinkled and stained. He put on old, used foot booties while we were there." In 2000 and 2001, the Kansas Board of Healing Arts fined Rajanna for medical practice violations, including not properly testing his patients for their blood types and for improperly labeling medications. Pictures within the mill taken by an informant in 2003, along with official police testimony, verified the obscene condition of his clinic.

Rajanna argued that he had not been given an opportunity to meet with the inspector to correct the deficiencies and said that in his 10 years of performing abortions in Kansas City, no patient has ever complained about his care. However, on June 11^th, the State Board of Healing Arts voted unanimously to revoke Rajanna's license, claiming that a doctor should not have required the board’s prodding to keep his establishment “clean and safe.”

Comment: Further comment on the degrading, warped nature of the “clean and safe” abortion industry would be superfluous. But what is interesting to note here is how the mainstream media treated the story of Dr. Krishna Rajanna. On June 12, 2005, the day after Rajanna’s medical license was revoked, the Associated Press (AP) released a story about him. Here is what they wrote about him and his establishment:

A board inspector made two surprise visits in March to Rajanna’s clinic, reporting that the facility was unclean and that Rajanna and his staff kept syringes of medications in an unlocked refrigerator. The inspector also reported finding a dead mouse in the hallway.

That’s it! There was no mention of the horrific conditions observed by Detective Howard, which he had immediately reported to the district attorney. There was no mention of Rajanna’s cannibalism. Rather than place a blot on the record of the beloved abortion industry, the AP merely reported on what sounded like a routine health-code violation. They even quoted Rajanna’s attorney, Robert Manske, who was careful to point out that the revocation of his client’s medical license “would hurt poor patients,” since Rajanna’s clinic operated in a low-income neighborhood and charged reasonable fees for services no one else would provide. It’s probably an effective mantra, “providing necessary medical services to the poor.” Any doctor who did that would be a hero, wouldn’t he?

The Return of “Methuselah”

According to the BBC News (June 13, 2005), Israeli researchers have succeeded in germinating a date palm from a 2,000-year-old seed. The seed was one of several found during an excavation of the ancient mountain fortress of Masada, where Jewish rebels chose suicide over capture by Roman legions in 73 AD.  Scientists working on the project believe it is the oldest seed ever germinated.

Researchers in Jerusalem have nicknamed the sapling Methuselah, after the Biblical figure who lived for nearly 1,000 years. This variety of palm became extinct in the Middle Ages, and is reputed to have powerful medicinal properties.

According to researcher Sarah Sallon of the Louis Borick Natural Medicine Research Center in Jerusalem, dates had "an enormous amount of use in ancient times for infections, for tumors." Sallon and her colleagues have sent one of Methuselah’s leaves for DNA analysis in the hope that it may reveal medicinal qualities that have disappeared from modern cultivated varieties. The date palms now grown in Israel were imported from California and are of a strain originating in Iraq.  “One of the leaves that have come up now is a beautiful leaf, but it's much longer than the normal date leaf," reports Sarah Sallon. "Every little thing that it does we shall watch and observe and hope to keep it alive."

Comment: “The world is charged with the grandeur of God,” wrote the poet, Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins. And it is true that the story of salvation is etched into the earth. The waters flowing in oceans, streams and waterfalls remind us of the saving waters of Baptism. The grains and grapes growing in field and vineyards speak of the unfathomable love of Jesus as expressed in the Blessed Sacrament, the gift of Himself. And a 2,000-year-old seed, germinating in defiance of the ages, recalls the very words of the Redeemer of mankind, as well as His glorious Resurrection: Amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone. But if it die it bringeth forth much fruit.

 “Methuselah” is a small reminder that modern life is not all death and destruction. It is also a reminder that we are able still to hope, even in spite of ourselves, in the promise of the Risen One – “And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world”, a promise mirrored in each sunrise, and painted in words by Fr. Hopkins:

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.