Saturday 15 March 2008

The culture of death rogue's gallery: conclusion

Seeing all the various factions, lobbies and vested interests that drive forward the culture of death, what are the common factors that unite them? What are the underlying principles that are at its' root?

The answer is a very simple one. The constant motivation that joins together abortion providers, the pharmaceuticals industry, pornographers, scientific research, the universities, the media, the malcontents and the political elites are the perennial human desires for power and for money. And the great power of the culture of death lies in its tremendous financial clout, which is measured in billions upon billions of dollars.

Many people today think that the culture of death as part of a gigantic and highly organised hydra - headed conspiracy, whose tentacles reach through all corners of modern life. Looking at it this may seem indeed very plausible. However this is not true. The various factions involved are not united, are widely different and do not share the same aim and viewpoint. What brings them all together is the 'invisible hand' of cynical self interest, which aims at the pursuit of power and material success.

Which demonstrates the teaching of the apostle St. Paul: The love of money is the root of all evils. The unpleasant and astonishing truth is that if we want to attack the culture of death at its heart, we can only do so by repudiating the great idolatry of material success, affluence and social advancement which is so characteristic of today. This is one that effectively says that high flying young executives have a better 'quality of life' (in other words, far more right to exist) than the sick and housebound old grandmothers in our inner cities, or children of single mothers who have been abandoned by their fathers.

Yet alas, we all face the choice to follow either in the way of truth and righteousness, to possibly end up as 'losers' or in the path of compromise, pragmatism, expediency and cynical self interest for the pursuit of gain, to be 'winners'. But it is the passion for success and for riches that turns good men into wicked men. For what else can motivate Asian and African doctors to work in abortion mills?

Again the teaching of St. Paul is relevant: But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. This is the secret of our wicked age that indulges in mass murder without the slightest compunction, and is now reaping the consequences of doing so. Yet for us too who will not be part of it, it is a stern warning also of how easy it is to be drawn in to it.

1 comment:

James M said...

Thanks Oliver! Especially for saying that it is not an organised conspiracy behind the 'culture of death', but something far more believable and (fallen) human: the cummulative affect of many (apparently petty) sins, or greed.

And thanks for this line: "if we want to attack the culture of death at its heart, we can only do so by repudiating the great idolatry of material success, affluence and social advancement" I think Pope Benedict's next encyclical (Caritatis in Veritate?) might illuminate this in a profound way.

By living a life of poverty we not only maximise spiritual awareness but also deprive the enemy of strength.