re: Pope Francis allies: Bannon use 'apocalyptic geopolitics' like islamic extremists

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Every priest I had growing up was a balls to the wall anti Semite. They'd never say it out loud but these quiet, dull old guys would sound like reverend sharpton when Israel came up

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I have literally never met a single priest like this in my life.

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Also the Vatican helped protect and smuggle Nazi war criminals out of Europe

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As in most things, the church was not monolithic during WWII. The Pope walked a narrow line, often publicly acquiescing to the fascist regimes while supporting resistance fighters and the allies behind their backs. The Pope was in constant fear of Italian and/or German Army tanks storming the Vatican, but in fact, the Pope at the time was instrumental in smuggling tens of thousands of Jews out of Italy and Germany.

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That forgiveness, not of our sins by God but each and every one of us forgiving the sins of our fellow man, even those egregious sins against ourselves is the key to salvation.

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This is false. We cannot earn salvation. To assert such is a dangerous road to go down.

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We should render unto Caesar that which is Caesars and judge not lest ye be judged.

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Yet this Pope refuses to do so...

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This is false. We cannot earn salvation. To assert such is a dangerous road to go down.

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You "earn" salvation in the sense that by doing these things naturally, without the threat of Hell or some heavenly reward in mind, that by loving others and being kind and respectful simply for the love of doing so, that you will naturally be the kind of person who could be rewarded in the afterlife. Never focus on the result or the intention, just do good and the score board takes care of itself.

Obviously, when one sins, they should be repentant, confess their sins, and try to avoid sinning in the future, but the sins that really matter to the world are the sins against others. Most sins against other are failures to recognize the rights and self-worth of others. It's lying to them or about them, stealing from them, coveting what they have, and being rude. By simply trying to treat everyone with respect, you're going to avoid sinning against others a lot more than if you don't take that approach. If everyone takes that approach, there's a lot less strife and anxiety to go around.

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You "earn" salvation in the sense that by doing these things naturally, without the threat of Hell or some heavenly reward in mind, that by loving others and being kind and respectful simply for the love of doing so, that you will naturally be the kind of person who could be rewarded in the afterlife.

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Cite scripture that says this

Here we go boys, Martin Luther is nailing the 99 theses to the door. I'll be on my way out.

A bit more about Bannons gloomy worldviews.

1. Julius Evola

One place where Bannon is entirely consistent though, is his defense of “traditionalism” and “Judeo-Christian values” (I have a feeling that we might differ a little on just what those values are). One philosopher who Bannon seems to have an affinity for is Julius Evola, a little known Italian philosopher who worked in the early 20th century. A recent New York Times article gives us a primer on the philosopher’s work and life, and it is, let’s say, concerning.

Evola’s early life, steeped in Dada and anti-bourgeois, anti-church sentiment, seems to place him in the sphere of the left. But Evola is not a leftist. As Jason Horowitz writes in the Times article, Evola “published his most influential work, “The Revolt Against the Modern World,” which cast materialism as an eroding influence on ancient values. It viewed humanism, the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation and the French Revolution all as historical disasters that took man further away from a transcendental perennial truth.”

So what was that “transcendental perennial truth” that Evola so craved? “Evola’s ideal order, Professor Drake wrote, was based on ‘hierarchy, caste, monarchy, race, myth, religion and ritual.’” If this all sounds sort of fascist, well that’s because Evola came to influence Benito Mussolini, who was an admirer of his work. The relationship did not run both ways however – Evola considered Mussolini to be too soft (!), “instead he preferred the Nazi SS officers” who, in addition to being more closely aligned with his philosophy, also “shared his anti-Semitism.”

Nowadays, Evola (the aural proximity to “ebola” seems to be no accident) has the explicit endorsement of Greece’s fascist, anti-Semitic Golden Dawn party as well as Hungary’s fascist, anti-Semitic Jobbik party.

2. Where did Steve Bannon get his worldview, from my book writes Neil Howe.

In geopolitics, we’ve witnessed the rise of isolationism, nationalism and right-wing populism across the globe. Geostrategist Ian Bremmer says we now live in a “G-Zero” world, where it’s every nation for itself. This story echoes the 1930s, which witnessed the waning authority of great-power alliances and a new willingness by authoritarian regimes to act with terrifying impunity.
In social trends, the two decades also show parallels: falling rates of fertility and homeownership, the rise of multi-generational households, the spread of localism and community identification, a dramatic decline in youth violence (a fact that apparently has eluded the president), and a blanding of pop youth culture. Above all, we sense a growing desire among voters around the world for leaders to assert greater authority and deliver deeds rather than process, results rather than abstractions.

We live in an increasingly volatile and primal era, in which history is speeding up and liberal democracy is weakening. As Vladimir Lenin wrote, “In some decades, nothing happens; in some weeks, decades happen.” Get ready for the creative destruction of public institutions, something every society periodically requires to clear out what is obsolete, ossified and dysfunctional — and to tilt the playing field of wealth and power away from the old and back to the young. Forests need periodic fires; rivers need periodic floods. Societies, too. That’s the price we must pay for a new golden age.

Thank you for explaining why I like Steve Bannon. Never thought I'd read Julius Evola on this board, outside of zatetic or genro.

Catholics like to make up scripture as they go. Jesus didnt die on the cross so that people can "earn" salvation. Our "good works" are filthy rags to God.

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Our "good works" are filthy rags to God.

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Good works for the purpose of getting into God's good graces obviously matter zilch to God. However, loving God, believing in his teachings, and practicing what is preached will inevitably lend itself to a lifetime of good works.

The runner watching the jumbotron gets tackled from behind. The athlete who replaces his love of the game for a love of money will play like it. Playing for a love of money rather than a love of the game will result in eventually no longer loving the game and no longer getting paid to play it. It's the same concept.

You don't play the game for fame, glory, wins, records, girls, riches, or any of that. The athlete who always plays for the love of the game, always striving to improve themselves and everyone around them, will always be able to be proud of the end result. When one does everything, even the tinyist things, the right way, even when no one is looking, the rest takes care of itself in the end, and one can always be proud knowing that they did their absolute best.

This Pope's willingness to speak bluntly is refreshing.

For everyone crying about it get over it. Just because it creates a political inconvenience for you doesn't diminish what he is actually saying.

A Pope who bites his tongue ( i.e. during an unjust war or invasion) is the real hypocrisy, imo.

As for Bannon, he's right on the money. Do some research on the money and politics behind Bannon, namely the Mercers.

ETA: I admittedly read this as the Pope's comments. I still agree with the message.