The Gospel According to Satan

I have wasted a good portion of my life in a futile search for someone and/or something on this earth that I could truly believe in, someone and/or something that was real and true and honest. And I have found nothing but disappointment and broken dreams in my journey.

I tried religion - specifically a small cult that believed itself to be the one and only true church of God founded by Jesus Christ Himself. It was an odd mixture of Christian beliefs - some false, some true - and Judaism. This cult had a very "us against them" outlook, viewing everyone outside of the Church as unbelievers headed for damnation. There were many good people in that cult, people who truly believed and tried to live their lives in obedience to God as they understood Him. But it was the same sad story of church leaders who were actually immoral, dishonest and greedy people who didn't give a damn about those who were supporting them and their lavish lifestyles. The cult basically fell apart when the founder died.

I have tried both ends of the political spectrum, from liberalism to extreme right wing. I was liberal in my 20's and 30's, but found right-wing conservatism in my 40's, becoming a devoted listener of right wing talk radio and Fox News. My conservative heroes were such people as Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly. Like the religious cult I had belonged to, these conservative heroes have a very us-versus-them mentality as well, and I based my political views on their distorted messages, believing that my enemies were all the people who disagreed with me.

As far as my religious beliefs, I floundered for a few years after the cult in which I was involved fell apart, not sure where I belonged. Then I came full circle, back to the Catholic Church into which I had been baptized at two weeks of age. However, I felt somewhat disoriented when I returned to the Catholic Church. I had left the Church in 1969, which was after Vatican II but before many of the post-Vatican II changes had been implemented, including the change to the Mass. It seemed very different from the Church I had known as a child, and I didn't quite know what to make of it.

But along came those who *rescued* me from my confusion - the traditionalists. They told me that the Church had gone off track, that most people - both lay and cleric - who called themselves "Catholic" were, in actual fact, CINO's - Catholic In Name Only. The trads taught me that nothing good came after Vatican II either in the Church or the world. The trads showed me that true Catholicism could only be found in traditionalism, specifically the Traditional Latin Mass and everything connected with it. The traditionalists were very sincere, devout people who not only knew their stuff, but they lived it. And certainly the TLM, with its use of Latin, smells and bells and Gregorian Chant, was a far better way of worshiping God than the Protestant Novus Ordo Mass.

I was somewhat taken aback by the judgmental and dismissive attitude of the trads towards anyone who didn't believe as they did, and their almost complete rejection of everything post-Vatican II. But c'mon, they were right! There was nothing wrong in their harsh and condemning comments about the Church because they knew what they were talking about, just like my political right wing heroes. I soon bought into the traditionalist mentality and became just as judgmental and condemning in my own thinking.

Once again I was part of a group which divided the world into "us and them". Traditionalism was on the right side, and anyone who could not see that was either stupid or evil or both. My heroes were people like Michael Voris, Father John Zuhlsdorf. Michael Matt and Chris Ferrara. These were God fearing people who would never let me down. These people, in my mind, were those who could be trusted to speak truth to power.

Then I started listening to Pope Benedict XVI, who said that Vatican II was a good and holy council desperately needed by the 20th and 21st Century Church. That is when I began my slow break from Traditionalism. That is when I stopped listening to people and started listening to God.

I started attending the dreaded "Novus Ordo", and found that there were good people at the Mass who loved God as much as any traditionalist did. I found good priests. I found people who understood that while the rules upon which the Traditionalists place so much emphasis are important, love and mercy are the foundation of following Jesus Christ. I found people at the "Novus Ordo" who, unlike many of my traditionalist friends, believed Christ when He said He came not to judge the world but to save it (John 12:47).

Certainly the Catholics outside of the traditionalists were not perfect. They have no hesitation in stating their disagreements with Church authority, and that did and does greatly concern me. But one very different quality is that there is no "us versus them" mentality. For the most part, they do not believe they are superior to others, they don't look at those who disagree with them as their enemies. They are accepting and loving of all people, just as Jesus Christ was in His ministry. It is actually this attitude that infuriates traditionalists above almost everything else.

When I first started attending the "Novus Ordo" Mass on a more regular basis and then tried to share this with my fellow traditionalists, I was met with a stonewall of disapproval. How could I even think of trying to defend the post-Vatican II Church! What good could I possibly find in the "Novus Ordo" Mass? What was I thinking when I defended people like the heretic clown, Cardinal Timothy Dolan?

I have shared my spiritual journey on this blog over the last five years. When I first began this blog, I was a radical traditionalist, completely immersed in the thinking that traditionalism, and specifically the Traditional Latin Mass, was the salvation of both the world and the Church. As I have changed my views, I have been attacked - sometimes quite viciously - by the traditional right wing in the Church, including those who at one time called me their friend. Pewsitter and other traditional sites have linked to my blog several times as an example of godless liberalism. I am on the enemies list of at least two of my former heroes - Father John Zuhlsdorf and Michael Voris.

The conclusion I have come to is that the enemy of the Gospel of Mercy and Love that Jesus Christ brought to the world is the "us versus them" mentality. Whenever we start seeing ourselves as right and the rest of the world as wrong and evil, we are separating ourselves from Jesus Christ.

That is not to say that there is no difference between the true Christians and the rest of the world. Christian beliefs and actions completely separate us from the world. But the fact remains that we are sinners deserving of hell just as much as anyone else, and it is only the Grace of Jesus Christ that saves us. We are like alcoholics who have stopped drinking, or drug addicts living clean lives. We no longer engage in destructive behavior, but it is always there tempting us, and the only way we can truly avoid sin is through the strength we receive from the Holy Spirit. It is never anything for which we can personally take credit.

I realize now that anyone who preaches or promotes an "us versus them" message in any way is not of God, but of the devil, causing division and hatred between people. Look at our world now, and look at the United States, especially the past presidential election. Both the Republicans, led by Donald Trump, and the Democrats, led by Hillary Clinton, ran on a platform of "I'm right and good and my opponent and anyone who supports him or her is evil." God was as far from this presidential campaign - on both the Republican and Democratic side - as He could be.

Remember Hillary's comment about those supporting Trump being a "basket of deplorables"? Donald Trump's campaign was nothing but attacks against anyone who dared to disagree with him - he even attacked the father of a fallen soldier, and a former Miss Universe. He campaigned on a promise to block all Muslims from entering the country, a totally anti-American position. His bigoted racist comments don't seem to bother the Catholics supporting him in the least. His followers included racists such as the Ku Klux Klan. His campaign rallies were marked by violence and racial animosity.

Protesters attack a man they mistakenly identified as a supporter of
Donald Trump outside a Trump campaign rally in San Jose, Calif.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, it was obvious to me that I could not support either candidate.  They were both equally bad for our country and the entire world.  

So why are there so many Catholics who supported Donald Trump?  For one major reason - Trump said he is now pro life, despite making statements such as can be seen in the video below from 1999, in which he says is he "pro choice in every respect":

Catholics and other Christians supporting Trump say that he has now changed his position on abortion, and they don't see any reason why they can't trust him.  It doesn't bother them at all that he has been married three times, divorcing his wives for no other reason than he grew tired of them.  Catholics just ignore the fact that Donald Trump is a life long womanizer and a professed sexual predator.  Trump has lived his seven decades on earth in pursuit of wealth and fame, and has never thought of anyone but himself.  He is a tax cheat.  He has failed miserably at business, hurting and even destroying many other people along the way.  Yet, all his Catholics supporters can say is "he is pro life and we actually have a chance of overturning Roe v. Wade."

Are you kidding me?  Roe v. Wade was passed almost 44 years ago.  The Republicans have had control of the government many times over these decades, and we have had conservative majorities on the Supreme Court.  Yet, any pro life bill introduced in Congress was shelved. All Supreme Court decisions were in favor of keeping abortion legal.  Anyone who thinks that the Republicans or the Supreme Court actually want to overturn Roe v Wade is living in a dream world.  Abortion is a billion dollar business.  It ain't ever going away in this world.

Don't get me wrong.  I have no use for Hillary Clinton, either.  She is a power hungry pawn of the elite establishment, and no one is more pro abortion than she is.  I cannot support her either.

But Hillary Clinton is no longer relevant, because we now have Donald Trump as our new president, set to be sworn in early next year.  And far, far too many who call themselves Christian have aligned themselves with this man whose entire message can be summed up as "us versus them, and we are going to destroy them."

There is nothing good looming over the horizon for either America or the rest of the world.  The entire world is divided along the lines of "us versus them", which can quite rightly be called the Gospel of Satan.  Jesus told us to LOVE our enemies, DO GOOD to those who persecute you."  (Mt. 5:44).  This is not the way of Donald Trump.

We have now elected a man who has promised to "bomb the shit" out of our enemies, causing more war and more death and destruction our world.  He has told us he loves war, and has vowed to use torture on our enemies.  This kind of thinking and action are what caused the creation of ISIS, and it will only get worse.

I find it fascinating that this year was declared the Jubilee Year of Mercy by the Holy Father.  That year ends December 8, 2016.

What happens then?  From St. Faustina's diary:

Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; AFTER IT WILL COME THE DAY OF JUSTICE. —Jesus to St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary, n. 848

The world has been showered with God's Mercy. We have steadfastly refused to accept that mercy. We have persisted in an "us versus them" mentality, judging and condemning everyone who does not believe as we do. And now the United States has elected the leader of the free world who does not even have the word "mercy" in his vocabulary. He has already started an enemies list, as one of his aides has explained:

Donald Trump surrogate Omarosa Manigault said the President-elect's campaign is keeping a list of people who did not support his run to the White House.
"Let me just tell you, Mr. Trump has a long memory and we're keeping a list," Manigault, the campaign's director of African-American outreach, told the Independent Journal Review, an online news outlet started by two former GOP staffers aimed at a center-right audience.

Anyone who preaches a message of "us versus them" and is constantly pointing to those on the "other side" as evil and dangerous is someone who should be avoided.  The "us versus them" message was the message of the small cult of my youth, it is the message of extreme right and left wing politics, it is the message of Catholic traditionalists of whom I was a part, and it is the message of  United States President Elect Donald Trump and all who support him.

It is so hard to believe that Donald Trump will be occupying the same office as Abraham Lincoln.

God have mercy on us all.