[Greek] κοσμικός (kosmikos), [Latin] saeculum, [German] zeitgeist: worldly, earthly, mundane, pertaining to the world; Tit.2:12, Heb.9:1
Cardinal Sarah accuses many Western bishops, accommodating to the world, of succumbing to a “practical atheism”.
Background information:
Greek Hellenism: This term means world, worldly, secular, and belonging to the world.
Secularism: This is a philosophy seeking to interpret life on principles derived solely from the material world without recourse to religion. French secularism in the Age of Enlightenment was based on Gallicanism, which emphasized state supremacy, anti-clericalism, and materialism.
New Testament: This term, suggesting hostility to God, means worldly, earthly, and which belongs to the world.
Tit.2:12: Reject godless ways (ungodliness) and worldly desires and live temperately, justly, and devotedly in this age.
Ungodliness and worldly desires: offensive acts (words), things that have nothing to do with the life to come, worldly lusts (desires), ACTIONS (DEEDS) WHICH DO NOT LAST, sinful desires, unlawful desires, selfishness, pride, idolatry and paganism, and superstition.
Ungodliness and worldly desires are contrasted with actions in accordance to the will of the Father:
1Jn.2:16: All that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious (prideful) life are not from the Father.
1Jn2:17: The world and its enticement are passing away. But WHOEVER DOES THE WILL OF GOD: ACTIONS (DEEDS) WHICH REMAIN FOREVER.
Heb.9:1: Even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary.
The Old Covenant permitted all the priests to enter the Holy Place, but only the high priest was permitted to enter into the Holy of Holies once a year.
Etymology: The Greek noun kosmos means order, good order, and orderly arrangement. The Greek verb kosmeo means to prepare, to order, to arrange, and to adorn. The Greek adjective kosmetikos means skilled in adornment and arrangement.
Quotes by G. K. Chesterton, often rightly called the “apostle of common sense”:
“We do not want a church that will move with the world. We want a church that will move the world.”
“The modern world is insane, not so much because it admits the abnormal as it because it cannot recover the normal.”
“Right is right even if nobody does it. Wrong is wrong even if everybody is wrong about it.” (Right and wrong must not be determined by worldly secular values.)
“Progress should mean that we are changing the world to fit the vision. Instead we are always changing the vision.”
Cardinal Sarah denounces “atheistic” Western bishops who prefer the world to the cross.
- So many bishops desire to be “loved by the world” that they have forgotten that Christianity calls them to be signs of contradiction.
- Many bishops have a “failure of nerve” when confronted by cultural revolutions convulsing the West.
- Practical atheism is more insidious because it seeps into every aspect of contemporary culture, including ecclesiastical discourse.
- Many pretend to be Christian believers and men of faith, but in fact live as pagans and unbelievers.
- Many in the Church and its leadership, accommodating to the world, fall in this trap of practical atheism.
- This brand of atheism is a masterful trap set by Satan himself.
Conclusion:
Zeitgeist, cosmic, microcosm, cosmetic, secular
The French Revolution (The Reign of Terror) is most notably known by atheism and the persecution of the Church in France in the late 1700’s.
Scripture makes an important distinction with temporary worldly actions (belonging with the world) and with eternal actions in doing God’s will (accumulating longer lasting heavenly treasures for oneself).
Update: Pope Francis, in his efforts to create a worldly synodal Church, is moving the Church to accommodate the world. We now have a Church is tolerating worldly values and sin.
The Vatican seems to act more like an NGO rather than a church concerned with saving souls.
Pope Francis’s Synod of Synodalities seeks to share the decision-making authority with the most poorly catechized generations of laity in recent memory. This includes doctrine and dogma! What could ever go wrong with this???
The German Cardinal Marx claims that a global synodal Church without a ‘purely clerical rule’ is in the making. (This cardinal is calling for a change in the theology of holy orders!)
The German Cardinal Kasper claims that the Church needs more leadership from the laity.
Pope Francis’s efforts to “reform” and “renew” the Church has not truly renewed the Church. There continues to be further confusion, division, schism, and heresy in the Church. Pope Francis’ efforts have been a failure for the Church.
As schism, heresy, error, and evil have entered into the Church and society, still too many Cardinals, bishops, and priests have remained cowardly silent in speaking against out these concerns.
This post provides further evidence and support that Satan continues his influence in subtlely paralyzing and corrupting clergy from speaking out.
German bishop Ludger Schepers has criticized Catholic teaching for assuming there is only man and only woman and demanded that the Church change its infallible doctrine on sexuality. (This bishop demands the Church adapt to the world.)
We know high level Church clergy shutting down other clergy deemed too Catholic or too Traditional. (These are examples of the Bergoglian Reign of Terror on faithful clergy.)
Nuns and former nuns are now opposing anti-abortion initiative in Missouri. These nuns, placing politics over faith, claim that the Church just does not understand women’s concerns. They are warning that women will leave the Church if the Church does not changes its teachings on abortion.
Satan and his minions are seeking to undermine the Church by upending God’s moral laws (teachings) and confusing and corrupting man.
Modernists are seeking to undermine the Church by upending God’s moral laws (teachings) and confusing and corrupting man.
Pope Pius X’s encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis correctly foretold that the Modernists would seek to democratize the Church magisterium (teaching authority).
Pope Pius X: “Progress of dogmas is, in reality, nothing but corruption of dogmas.”