Week of seven/8-13/2024: Democracy & Threats to Democracy

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July 8, 2024: Jesus and Democracy in keeping with Meister Eckhart
As threats to democracy come up across the globe, and definitely in our nation, we glance to Eckhart for phrases of knowledge. In a single prolonged treatise entitled “Everybody an Aristocrat, Everybody a Noble Particular person,” he makes express a theological grounding for democracy, primarily based on the case that Jesus acknowledged the dignity of each human being in his preaching on how the “kingdom and reign of God is inside each individual and amongst us.”

“A Gorgeous Instructing from Eckhart: Soul as Compassion.” Video by Matthew Fox.

July 9, 2024: Jesus on Democracy à la Meister Eckhart, continued
One in all Eckhart’s themes is that we’re all royal individuals, worthy of being handled with dignity and respect. This varieties the premise for democracy: Nobody has the precise to lord over others. That’s the essence of a authorities of, by, and for the individuals. Eckhart certainly has the psalmist’s hymn to creation in thoughts: You’ve made them little lower than God, and topped them with glory and honor. (Ps. 8:5f) If we’re devoted to democracy, and if we acknowledge the dignity of all individuals, we are going to struggle for the rights of girls and other people of shade, for indigenous individuals and immigrants and youngsters. Everybody deserves a seat on the desk.

July 10, 2024: When Injustices & Unjustices Assault Democracy
There are lots of assaults on democracy proper now, and the Supreme Court docket, which is charged with upholding the values of democracy and the Structure, is at the moment considered one of its best threats. Greed and energy have invaded the Court docket, compelled by far-right, neo-fascist Leonardo Leo and the Heritage Basis, who pushed for six of the 9 justices. The Heritage Basis formulated the horrifying Mission 2025. Learn it and weep. Learn it and act.

Chris Hayes stories on “Leonard Leo, The Most Highly effective Particular person In America You’ve By no means Heard Of.” 2022. MSNBC.

July 11, 2024: Senator Whitehouse on SCOTUS-Maker, “Creepy Leonard Leo”
When speaking concerning the Unsupreme Court docket and its many failings of late, one should point out Leonardo Leo, who was within the information these days when Senator Sheldon Whitehouse invoked him in his highly effective critique of darkish cash in American politics. He writes: It’s a trifecta: darkish cash is behind local weather denial, Court docket seize and corruption of Congress—one crew, one plan, one most cancers within the physique politic.* Darkish cash is “huge nameless political spending by particular pursuits” who cover their identifies from the general public. Polling is off the charts to limit this sort of darkish cash. Republicans, Democrats, and independents are united of their distaste for the prevalence of darkish cash.

July 12, 2024: Political Hacks & Non secular Quacks: Christofascism in SCOTUS
We not too long ago realized that Leonard Leo performed a significant function in Senator McConnell’s refusal to permit any consideration of any of President Obama’s Supreme Court docket nominees. And so we proceed to discover the impression of Leonard Leo and Opus Dei on American politics. [FROM THE ARCHIVE: July 11, 2022] Opus Dei has by no means preferred the separation of church and state. Take into account Franco’s dictatorship, the place Opus Dei performed a really lively function in marrying far right-wing Catholicism with right-wing politics and business for many years of rule. Says Matthew: “Mixing fascism and Christianity is spiritual quackery of a really critical type. Its title is Christofascism.

“‘Straight up fascism’: Pleasure Reid on potential fallout from SCOTUS Trump immunity choice.” MSNBC

July 13, 2024: Faith & Fascism: Examination of Conscience
[FROM THE ARCHIVE: November 29, 2023, originally titled “Religion & Fascism: Examination of Conscience in a Time of Advent”] Sadly, the Catholic Bishops’ Convention has embarrassed itself as soon as once more declaring that their primary precedence this upcoming presidential election yr will probably be: Abortion. In the meantime, the latest papacies of JP II and Benedict XVI made it their precedence to destroy liberation theology in Latin America, in cahoots with the then Opus Dei-driven CIA. The outsized function that Opus Dei performs with the present Supreme Court docket is evident. And Leonardo Leo is their poster boy.


*Meteor Blades, “Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse tells it like it’s: ‘one crew, one plan, one most cancers within the physique politic.’” Day by day Kos,

Banner picture: “Democracy.” The Tintic Normal Discount Mill is an deserted refinery or concentrator positioned on the west slope of Heat Springs Mountain close to Goshen, Utah rumored to have contributed to heavy metallic air pollution within the space. Picture by Thomas Hawk on Flickr.


Beneficial Studying

Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Reworking Evil in Soul and Society

Visionary theologian and best-selling creator Matthew Fox presents a brand new theology of evil that essentially adjustments the standard notion of excellent and evil and factors the best way to a extra enlightened therapy of ourselves, each other, and all of nature. In evaluating the Jap custom of the 7 chakras to the Western custom of the 7 capital sins, Fox permits us to assume creatively about our capability for private and institutional evil and what we are able to do about them. 
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a greater imaginative and prescient and depth of notion far past the grasp of anybody single science.  A breath-taking evaluation.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, creator of Quantum Theology: Non secular Implications of the New Physics

Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior For Our Time

Whereas Matthew Fox acknowledges that Meister Eckhart has influenced thinkers all through historical past, he additionally needs to introduce Eckhart to right now’s activists addressing modern crises. Towards that finish, Fox creates dialogues between Eckhart and Carl Jung, Thich Nhat Hanh, Rabbi Heschel, Black Elk, Karl Marx, Rumi, Adrienne Wealthy, Dorothee Soelle, David Korten, Anita Roddick, Lily Yeh, M.C. Richards, and plenty of others.
“Matthew Fox is probably the best author on Meister Eckhart that has ever existed. (He) has efficiently bridged a niche between Eckhart as a shamanistic persona and Eckhart as a post-modern mentor to the Inter-faith motion, to disclose simply how cosmic Eckhart actually is, and the way remarkably related to right now’s spiritual disaster! ” — Steven Herrmann, Writer of Non secular Democracy: The Knowledge of Early American Visionaries for the Journey Ahead

The Pope’s Warfare presents a provocative take a look at three many years of corruption within the Catholic Church, specializing in Josef Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. The remaining part within the e-book focuses on birthing a very catholic Christianity.
“This e-book ought to be learn by all people, not just for its ferocious braveness, but additionally for its imaginative and prescient for what must be saved from the harmful forces that threaten genuine Christianity.” ~ Andrew Harvey, creator of The Hope.
“Within the gripping The Pope’s Warfare, Matthew Fox takes an unwavering take a look at the layers of corruption within the Catholic Church, holding ethical reality in opposition to energy.”   — Jason Berry, creator of Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Energy within the Papacy of John Paul II

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