Francis' Sloppy Blather vs. Judaeo-Christianity

We all know that Pope Francis is inclined to speak first and think later (if at all.)  That creates big problems, but it's also convenient for us. 

In this short post, we will marry a couple of significant actors (Fr. Weinandy and Sebastian Gorka) who make the point that NO religions outside of Judaism and Christianity (really, Catholicism proper) can sustain a rightly-ordered society.

...In February, Pope Francis came under fire for signing a joint statement with a Grand Imam in Abu Dhabi, saying that a “pluralism and diversity” of religions is “willed by God.”

The Feb. 4 statement incited controversy among Christians for asserting that “the pluralism and the diversity of religions” — like the diversity of “color, sex, race and language” — are “willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings” — a claim many believe to be contrary to the Catholic faith.

Some critics argued the Pope’s statement seemed not only to “overturn the doctrine of the Gospel” but also to align with the ideas of Freemasonry....

Oh, yah.  As a result of this poorly-formed statement, a few people who were paying close attention learned about the difference between God's "permissive" Will and His "positive" Will.  It is worth noting that Francis has not issued a public clarification of the Abu Dhabi statement.

Anyhow, this all led to a discussion of the matter which also clarifies something else:  the difference between ALL world religions and both Judaism and Christianity.  For that, we go to Fr. Weinandy.

...First, except for Judaism and Christianity, all other religions are gnostic. What do I mean by that? Buddha, Mohammad, or the religious texts of other religions merely provide “religious” knowledge as to what people are to do if they are to live “true” religious lives. That may differ from one religion to the next, but the principle is the same....

...Second, unlike gnostic religions, within Judaism God does not simply provide previously unknown “knowledge,” but He distinctly acts so that the Jewish people are now able, through the divine covenantal act, to have a unique relationship to him that others do not share.  They are God’s “chosen people.”  

Third, moreover, Jesus, as the Father’s incarnate Son, is the fulfillment of what was anticipated within Judaism. Through his saving death and resurrection, all who believe in him are now able to have a new relationship with his Father through the Holy Spirit, a relationship that was not possible prior to Jesus’ saving acts. Christians do not simply receive new “knowledge,” but they are recreated through faith and baptism so as to abide in Christ and so to reap the benefits of the salvation that Jesus brings – freedom from sin and death, becoming holy children of the Father...

Reduced:  at the core, both Judaism and Christianity are "covenantal" relationships with God Who acts in history.  These religions, then, are not merely "guidebook" religions.  Because of that, only those two religions (or that single tradition:  Judaeo-Christianity) can bestow Dignity, Freedom, and Justice.  Here's Gorka:

...I did an hour-long interview with Os Guinness that we will be airing on this Friday. I wish I had days and days to interview him, a true champion for Truth and Western Civilization. I asked him, “What is the essence of our civilization—the Judeo-Christian civilization?” And he answered, “Three things: number one, dignity, number two, freedom, number three, justice.”...

...We have dignity not because a government deigns to give us dignity. And we don’t have dignity simply because we’re the most intelligent animal. We have dignity because, as the Bible tells us, we are made in the image of our God....

There is no "imago Dei" language in Mohamet's religion, nor in Buddhism, nor in Confucianism.  And it does not exist in atheism, nor in secular humanism, nor--most important to us--in Progressivism, which is the "nice face" of Marxist atheism.

 ...Judeo-Christian civilization believes that true freedom, the true realization of Man’s worth, his value, his objective essence is when you are given freely the choice to decide by your God, and you use that power to do the right thing...

Finally,

...And then lastly justice. This word has nothing to do with “social justice” or with SJW idiocy. This has to do with objective truth. Objective justice. Our civilization believes that truth exists outside of humankind. Truth is immutable. A man is a man, a woman is a woman, good is good, bad is bad. And we strive to create manmade justice systems that reflect that objective reality, not the capricious systems we see outside our civilization....

Some say that since the term "Judaeo-Christian" originated in the 1940's or so, the idea of such a culture or tradition is made-up; it's a false amalgamation.

Fr. Weinandy provides the argument which demolishes such foolishness--and Gorka tells us why that J-C tradition is very, very, important for this country and the world.