Gendercide, specifically the systematic murder of unborn girls for no reason other than being a girl, is a real and present horror occurring today. When we hear of such of such a thing, we naturally think of China where the limits on child-bearing and the cultural pressure for males has, by some reports, led to an imbalance of male to female ratio as high as 120 men for every 100 women. If you do the math, that is millions of dead girls because they are girls. Millions.
While this horrific practice may be most egregious in China, increasingly this practice is finding a home in western countries as well including right here in America.
Lila Rose and Live action set out to expose that these horrors occur here with the complicity of the abortion giant Planned Parenthood. In an undercover sting, Live Action sent in a woman to solicit advice on how to procure an abortion based on sex and the Planned Parenthood counselor was more than happy to oblige. You can see the disturbing video here.
Even in the face of such horror, there are still those who continually decry the undercover tactic as intrinsically immoral and dub it “Lying for Jesus.” They continually say that you can never ever ever ever lie for any reason, ever! Even in the defense of millions of lives. Peter Kreeft has called this position “moral stupidity.” Indeed.
I find it odd that often the very same people who are so comfortable with shades of gray in so many areas of the moral life, can see only black and white when it comes to tactics in the defense of innocent life? It is this very same type …
May 30, 2012 at 4:53 pm
It has come to our attention that the Grand Rapids Dominican nuns have invited Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell to speak at their Men’s Spirituality Breakfast Series. Heartwell's topic has been listed as "Living Faith in the Marketplace". This is extremely worrysome because Heartwell has been very outspoken in his support of abortion. Most recently, he apologized for calling pro-life advocates the “forces of darkness” at a Planned Parenthood fundraiser. He is a minister in the United Church of Christ.
This puts the Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters in the same group as Georgetown University and other Catholic organizations who invite speakers, Catholic and non-Catholic, who oppose Catholic doctrine. Inviting such speakers is an affront to the Roman Catholic Church as a whole.
Please use the information below to contact Bishop Hurley and the Dominican Center to ask them to rescind the invitation of Mayor Heartwell.
Most Reverend Walter A. Hurley, bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids
360 Division Avenue S.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-4501
Phone: 616-475-1250 or 616-243-0491
Fax: 616-243-4910
Dominican Center at Marywood
2025 Fulton Street East
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-3895
Phone: 616-454-1241
Please Mail a Printed Copy of This Web Page to Pope Benedict's Private Secretary:
Monsignor Georg Gäenswein
Private Secretary to the Holy Father
00120 Via del Pellegrino
Citta del Vaticano
May 30, 2012 at 4:57 pm
NCR wouldn't let me post a comment for some reason. Just wanted you to know that I'll be joining you in the foxhole…
May 30, 2012 at 5:20 pm
Good point, there are several things we need to start discussing. I posted the following on Kreeft's post and I really hope he explores the subjects:
1) You state that murder and defecating on a crucifix are morally absolutely wrong, but lying may not be. How does this reconcile with the idea of Just War? And is a sacramental more valuable than human life?
2) Every time there is a case of a violent attack on an abortionist, pro-life groups decry it as morally reprehensible. However, such actions directly save lives. Live Action's sting, in this case, created scandal; the result was to find one employee of PP who was ok with sex selection abortions. PP could just as easily find a pro-lifer ok with murder of abortionists, conduct a sting, then claim (very clearly) to have saved lives. We already knew they were ok with abortion. Did the lie produce any real good fruit, or is there even a reasonable chance that it could have saved a life?
3) If taking the life of another human being is always morally reprehensible, what about property damage? Along those lines, instead of deadly force maiming those who declare persistent intent to kill, so that they no longer pose a threat.
4) "If abortion isn't wrong, then nothing is wrong" – at what point does opposition of abortion provide cause for just war, or lethal action in defense? There have been just wars over lesser evils.
These points might be the inspiration for another post, or book. But I would very much like to see you treat these issues – thank you!
May 30, 2012 at 8:29 pm
It's not lying; it's acting.
If you are opposed to acting, then don't go to a movie, watch TV, go to a play, or even a commercial. They are all Liars, right?
And if you have children, forbid them from playing dress-up and make-believe, because that's not real either. They'll just grow up to be little Liars.
Ridiculous. I am with Peter Kreeft, This "liar argument" is moral stupidity.
May 30, 2012 at 10:26 pm
So the equivalent of Lila Rose, for those who think it is always wrong to lie would be voting for a pro-abortion candidate, right? But those who argue that Lila needs to be stopped tend to be on the side of Obama supporters. This is a crazy argument. As said above, these people are acting. That s quite different from lying. But real babies are being killed, and the killers aren't acting. They really do lie about it.
May 31, 2012 at 12:05 am
Anonymous said…
It's not lying; it's acting.
Nope. Acting is when you say untruthful things in a context in which the "audience" knows it is hearing untruthful things. Lying is when you say untruthful things in a context in which your "audience" has every reasonable expectation that they can take you at your word.
This is an instance of lying, which the Church condemns in all situations.
May 31, 2012 at 12:24 am
"CCC 2484 The gravity of a lie is measured against the nature of the truth is deforms, the circumstances, and the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims. If a lie in itself only constitutes a venal sin, it becomes mortal when it does grave injury to the virtues of justice and charity."
I would say with this in mind that Lila Rose does grave respect to the virtues of justice and charity, moving her "lie" from venial to noble search for the truth. She is EXPOSING the LIES of PP and doing a GREAT GOOD for our society.
May 31, 2012 at 12:26 am
sd, you say the the Church condemns in all situations,which is untrue, and I think you are purposely misleading people.
May 31, 2012 at 1:57 am
A priest consecrates the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ acting "in Persona Christi", with the intention of Christ. Lila Rose approaches the abortionist acting "in persona aborted and unborn" whose souls are enlivening her actions. In the covenant of the human being's rational, immortal soul, all permission is granted. Any law may be broken to save a life, but there is no law broken by Lila Rose any more than a firefighter who enters a burning building and seizes a frightened child and carries her to safety. Will you then say that the firefighter laid hands on the child unlawfully? No, Lila Rose is actually saving the abortionist's immortal soul and preventing him/her from going straight to hell. Now, that is doing God's work "in Persona Christi". Something about paying thithes on mint and ignoring and disobeying God, our Father in Heaven. Get real.
May 31, 2012 at 2:03 am
As far as the Dominican nuns of Grand Rapids . Do not give them any money. Obama seizes our taxes and promotes abortion, because Obama is ignorant of the human being's soul. These nuns know better, but they cannot extort donations to support their lives. Let them keep to the Magisterium or GET A JOB.
May 31, 2012 at 6:53 am
This is an argument that is difficult to be had in light of charity, perhaps because of the idiotic and unnecessary bombast of the initial article.
While we all like to play armchair theologians…how about we step back from pointing fingers. Admit PP is horrible and ought to be opposed at all times and in all places, and in all just ways. (note justice does not mean because they are evil we can do whatever we want, but thanks for that argument Mary)
Here's a simple question: could you imagine the sinless Blessed Mother doing this? Or if this is too difficult a question – would Mother Teresa have done this?
Its really hard to imagine Mary 'acting' or judiciously reserving the truth' or whatever euphemistic spin you wish to put on it. She would have told the truth, uncompromisingly.
-Chris
May 31, 2012 at 12:44 pm
Chris, Mary didn't say because Planned Parenthood is evil we can do whatever we want. She said any law may be broken to save a life—which is true.
How do you feel about undercover cops, Chris? They not only lie, they win and then betray the trust of other people, virtually never in circumstances as directly related to the life or death of innocents as abortion is.
May 31, 2012 at 1:54 pm
Sophia…just a couple of brief points. First, Mary confused an important point. While it is ok to sometimes transgress human laws, the prohibition against lying is part of the divine law – which is not abrogated for man, even for the saving of lives. Secondly, the preservation of life does not allow for the violation of any human law simply. One cannot refuse to pay taxes because they give all their money every year to a religious community that prays for pro-life things. The breaking of the law must directly result in the preservation of life. So, not paying your taxes on time, because you stopped to save someone on the side of the road fits this category. So while eventually good side effects may result from Lila Rose's actions, they are only side effects. And moral actions are judged according to what kind of ancillary benefits happen to occur. (you may reject this language of happen to occur…but realistically, Rose's actions might force the Democrats to hunker down even more in the promulgation of abortion, in the use of restricted areas around clinics, etc. We just don't know, which is why we can't understand them as relevant to whether the actual lie was good or bad)
Lastly, to your question about undercover cops, and I add in spies, who seem to have essentially the same function: I don't think it is a good idea. I understand that in the post-Macchiavellian world we live in, it is seen as necessary….but I still question its benefit for the good. I mean, I have a family member that does undercover NARC stings….and it really has desensitized him to a real appreciation of anything noble. I realize this is anecdotal. So from argument: lying is wrong, cops are lying, so they are doing something wrong. Granted they are trying to prevent something much worse from happening, but we aren't proportionalists.
Obviously, arguments about people's right to the truth don't hold much water with me. I think the Jesuit defense of such action has had the effect that many protestants see Catholics as sophists. We need to proclaim the truth, not the truth-like. Moreover, aside from our mission ad gentes, we simply have a responsibility to the truth itself. Everyone was created with a intellect that finds its end in the truth, therefore our statements and actions ought to direct people to the truth (to various degrees maybe) but always in someway to the truth.
-Chris
May 31, 2012 at 1:55 pm
supposed to say that moral actions are NOT judged by ancillary benefits that happen to occur
-chris
May 31, 2012 at 5:20 pm
CCC 2484 The gravity of a lie is measured against the nature of the truth is deforms, the circumstances, and the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims. If a lie in itself only constitutes a venal sin, it becomes mortal when it does grave injury to the virtues of justice and charity.
May 31, 2012 at 6:44 pm
An older example of lying in order to protect the Jews, Shiphrah and Puah lied to Pharaoh in Exodus 1:15-21:
Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”
And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”
Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.
June 1, 2012 at 4:02 pm
@Chris: "Many Protestants see Catholics as sophists"—compared to Protestants, the most Jesuitical of Casuists is of unimpeachable integrity. What makes you think I value their opinions, when their every word of history and ecclesiology is Orwellian propaganda that would make Stalin blush? When Nazis accused the US of bigotry against Germans, we had the sense not to take them seriously.
The fact is that you have no duty to truth; truth is an abstraction. You have duties only to God and man, and if those duties are served by lying to evil men, then so much the worse for those evil men.