The Catholic Writers Guild

I think that the plague of secularism that has engulfed the entire world possibly reached its optimal success last February. The highly civilized country of Belgium passed a law allowing children to choose to euthanize themselves.  The final seal of approval was placed on this bill by none other than King Philippe himself.  Yes, the Roman Catholic King of Belgium, Philippe Louis Leopold Marie, signed the bill making it official.  Belgian children can kill themselves if they have “good reason” (They also need a physician, a psychologist, and the parent(s) to approve their request).

I am a Roman Catholic.  I know many people who are Roman Catholics. Most of you reading this are Catholic. You know what? Ironically, much of the anti-Catholic sentiment comes from those who say they are Catholic.  Many people who call themselves Catholic approve of abortion, contraception, and gay marriage.  Heck, Belgium is a 75% Catholic country and they voted by a 2 to 1 majority for the Child Euthanasia Law. And that is after their bishops condemned the bill. But you cannot pick and choose what parts of the faith you like and do not like, especially when it comes to the sanctity of life. Many of us do our best to adhere to and respect Catholic teaching. We who do are often called judgmental and intolerant. If you possess a progressive and “caring” attitude and reject Catholic teaching you are a Catholic Secularist. You are an oxymoron, a contradiction.

Whenever did so many of our species get so smart that laws were enacted giving people  the individual “right” to end the God-given life of someone else? People who call themselves Catholic and accept abortion and euthanasia and sex outside marriage now have a king who has joined their ranks. There are millions more.

Euthanasia is an abomination of the Natural Law which was established by God and is “naturally” ingrained in each of us. We instinctively know what is right and what is wrong. But how many of us go against the Natural Law because we have been desensitized to the point that we delude ourselves into thinking  something ‘unnatural’ is okay because it has been legalized? Adhering to Natural Law often times involves self-denial. However, secularism is the twisted religion of self-gratification. To hell with self-denial.

The State of Oregon passed the “Death with Dignity” Act in 1997.  Washington, Montana, and Vermont have also passed Euthanasia laws.  Belgium passed their euthanasia law in 2002, the second highly civilized nation to do so (The Netherlands was first).  In 2011, 1133 cases of euthanasia were reported in Belgium. In  2012, 1432. That figure represents 2% of all deaths in that country.  Statistics show that the suicide rate of those who have undergone sex change surgery is as high as 31%. Why such despair?  Why such hopelessness?

I really believe it is because many have the misguided and illogical notion that our happiness depends on “things”.  Good health, money, position, and material goods have become the god that never satisfies. Worshiping those things are the violation of God’s First Commandment. Secularism honors the god of hopelessness and despair. The God of mercy and love has been rejected for a false god.  And, after all those self-inflicted deaths, they pass a euthanasia law for children.  How sad this is.

King Philippe is one of many highly placed people who have embraced secularism and then pretended that they are being virtuous by giving approval to all things for all people.  Legalization of drugs, of abortion, of euthanasia, of same-sex marriage, are all the result of a civilized society that has deluded itself into a false happiness. This false happiness is never attained and ultimately leads people off a cliff into a sea of misery. Those that might have the “temerity” to say “NO” are branded as intolerant.  At least those folks can still sport a truthful smile even though it might have cost them defilement and persecution to keep it.

One final thought. Imagine a child of seven or eight years old who has a terrible disease that can lead to many surgeries, long term disability, and no guarantee of survival. The financial burden will also be huge. Yet, other children with the same disease have survived and led full lives. Doctors advised the parents that their child will have to endure years of torment, but they do have an option. They could discuss the pros and cons of euthanasia with their child. If those parents are absent of faith, how hard would it be for them to talk their child into accepting euthanasia because, “you will never hurt again and mommy and daddy will be with you through the whole thing.”

How far we have come in our civilized world. And that includes the many oxymoronic Catholic Secularists.

LarryPeterson

Larry is a Catholic/Christian author and blogger and posts weekly commentary. His work has appeared in such publications as Zenit from Rome, Aleteia, New Evangelists, Top Catholic Blogs, Big Pulpit, Catholic365.com and others. His first children's picture book, "Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes" was published in 2011. In 2012, his full-length novel, "The Priest and the Peaches" was released. His second novel, "The Demons of Abadon", was released in the spring of 2016. Larry’s latest novel, “Horizon Homeless” was released in ebook format in May of 2017 and the paperback followed on July 27, 2017. Larry belongs to the Catholic Writer’s Guild, The Catholic Writer’s Society, The Knights of Columbus, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He has been an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion for over twenty years bringing communion to the homebound and hospitalized. He lives in Pinellas Park, Florida and his kids and six grandchildren all live within three miles of each other. His first wife died of cancer in 2003. He remarried four years later and became the primary caregiver for his wife, Martha who came down with Non-Hodgins Lymphoma in 2011. The cancer was in remission when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in October of 2014. Sadly and unexpectedly, Martha passed away on March 27, 2017. The writer says, "God has me where he needs me and I try my best to make Him proud. Larry’s blog site is http://www.slipperywillie.blogspot.com You can find more at www.larrypeterson-author.com