The Incredulous

As a Catholic, there are quite a few things that I believe that many people do not believe. Many of the things that I believe lead some people to think I am a first class fruitcake.

I believe in Heaven, Hell, Purgatory. I believe that God became man in Jesus Christ, born of a Virgin conceived without sin, was crucified for our sake. I believe that at Mass, the bread and wine becomes the Body and Blood of Christ. I believe that if I confess my sins to a Priest and am absolved that God forgives me and restores me to a State of Grace. I believe that Our Lord Jesus Christ will return at the End of Time and judge the living and the dead.

For the Church, belief has always been important. Erroneous beliefs (heresies) have been viewed as dangerous and potentially schismatic because they damage our view of Our Lord's nature (fully human and fully divine) and our own nature also. Belief in the Assumption of Our Lady is important, so important we are warned that the wrath of God is upon anybody who denies this doctrine. Some beliefs are so important to the Church that our souls are at risk if we do not believe them. This the Church teaches in all Her wisdom and like little children we suckle at Her breast and drink because She can neither lie nor err in matters of faith and morals.

The fundamental reason that we believe what the Church teaches concerning salvation, doctrine and faith and morals is that the witnesses to these truths are credible. We believe in the credibility of the Apostles and the Man who formed them, Our Lord. We believe in the credibility of St Paul who was converted. We believe in the authority and credibility of Peter and his successors. We believe because the testimony of those who have passed down the Faith is reliable, credible and most of all trustworthy. These are 'articles of Faith'. They articulate the Faith.

Outside of the Church are only half-truths and lies, shadows of the truth. That is why when President Obama says he has had Osama Bin Laden executed in Pakistan, we can choose to believe him if we like, but we can also choose not to believe him. Why? Because he is a politician and because politicians are, sadly, rarely reliable, credible or trustworthy human beings. When we are told that we caused climate change with our carbon ways we can choose to believe that this is true, or we can choose to believe that this is a made up story backed up with phony science and the wealth of dodgy billionaires that is meant to scare us into allowing the State to dictate to us the need to live ecologically 'sustainable' lives and, more generally, to encroach upon human freedom. When we are told that 9/11 was caused by terrorists led by Osama Bin Laden we can choose to believe that, or we can choose to believe otherwise. Why? For the same reasons as I have laid out above.

Governments and politicians rely on a docile, credulous, believing, unsceptical population who believe what they tell them. That is how they survive. Governments and politicians are, on the whole a corrupt group of individuals. Just look at which companies funded Obama's election campaign (Planned Parenthood) and which companies are now rewarded (Planned Parenthood). Governments fear an educated, informed, investigative, sceptical population who think twice about believing everything they tell them. Even the mainstream media nowadays fears this because the media, too, have an interest in spinning Government stories. Both parties rely on each other. The fourth estate is severely compromised and 'the first casualty of war is truth', especially when politicians are fighting only for their political lives.

Atheists are those who call for empirical evidence for expressed truths of religion. A myriad Miracles cannot convince them - they are dismissed out of hand. We present to them and believe in the testimony of the Apostles concerning the Resurrection of the Lord. Our evidence is their word. We believe in the Assumption of Our Lady. Our evidence is defined by Successor of St Peter who alone can speak infallibly concerning Faith and Morals, from the Throne, ex cathedra. In matters of Faith and Morals, the Church can neither deceive, nor be deceived. Therefore, we believe. The Church is a Divine institution, albeit made up of flawed human beings.

Politicians lie and deceive. They have little faith and few morals. 'Obama heroically killed Osama on May 1st' is not an article of Faith. It is not the Gospel. The wrath of Almighty God is not upon me if I do not believe it. Politicians only want to be re-elected. I believe that Our Lady was assumed body and soul into Heaven because the one who defined the dogma, widely believed by Christians since the Apostles, is supremely trustworthy above all men. Frankly, if you believe anything that a US President, any US President, especially one on the political ropes, says concerning the death of Osama Bin Laden, without a shred of evidence to back up his claim, then you can believe that if you wish, but, personally, I do not believe in fairy tales.