A civil war in Christendom
By Michael Moriarty
web posted December 22, 2008
Many Americans … possibly most Americans believe that the American Civil War was caused by the practice of slavery, a practice legalized by the Supreme Court's Dredd Scott decision … which meant that slavery was legalized by the North as well as by the Confederate South.
A committed Progressive such as President-elect Barack Obama believes that the Civil War was begun in earnest by Abraham Lincoln over the South's secession – not its slavery - and that even the Emancipation Proclamation was a weapon of war not of liberation, a device mainly intended to throw the Confederate South into chaos, not slaves into freedom.
At least that's the impression Senator Obama had given me with his brief, rather cynical tribute to Lincoln in the Time Magazine cover issue on our sixteenth President. His words almost sounded as if they had come from his own "bitter half", as opposed to that corner of bitter white Americans which "clings to guns and religion".
A radically Progressive Catholic (as versus Barack Obama's Progressive Protestantism), Gary Wills, voiced his opinion that the North's victory at Gettysburg and Lincoln's legendarily few words on that battlefield were the galvanizing force that carried the North to victory … and the main content of Lincoln's speech concerned "liberty" … not secession … and those immortal words reinstated the importance of the American belief that "all men are created equal" … and that Americans will defend that belief with their "last full measure of devotion". In other, harsher words, they will defend American equality, not racial nor intellectual supremacy … they will defend that equality to their death.
Well, presidents -- and even Presidents-elect -- are allowed to change their minds a few times, either about a war they've begun … or friends they used to hang out with or go to church and listen to.
Ironically -- or inevitably – depending upon your view of history as Fate – there's another contentious issue in America that has been around about half as long as the 89 years of nationally accepted slavery, and that is nationally accepted abortion.
Both were eventually legalized by the Supreme Court.
When abortion had become legally acceptable in the United States with Roe v. Wade, conservatively tacit support for that Supreme Court decision most likely means that abortion will be engaged in respectfully by Americans … for a lot longer than even slavery was.
Hmmm … then what is the Progressive Global Initiative going to do with the Catholic Church's opposition to abortion?
Ignore it.
The Progressives just won a Presidential election ignoring it and if the Catholic, Vice-President-elect, Joe Biden can ignore it and Catholic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi can ignore it that's a pretty good sign that we, as Americans, are all obliged to ignore it.
The poor Pope though, Benedict XVI, he just can't seem to put it out of his mind.
Even as a mere Cardinal he had this to say about such Progressively Scientific Progress in his published thoughts entitled God And The World:
"With this kind of manipulation, man makes other men his own artefacts. Man no longer originates in the mystery of love, by means of the process of conception and birth, which remains in the end mysterious, but is produced industrially, like any other product. He is made by other men. He is robbed thereby of his proper status and of his true splendour as a created being."
And, needless to say, there is, by this "modern" attitude's inference, no other creator than Man himself.
"Oh, no", cry the Progressive Christians, "Man's increasing involvement in the creative and evolutionary process is not only Man's idea of Progress … but God's as well!"
Hmmm …
Progressive Christians believe that God has increasingly trusted Man with the future of the human race. In other words, Man is allowed to be his own Force of Nature. Therefore, as even the Progressive Baptist and former president of the United States, William Clinton, passes on to us from the pulpit of his autobiography, "God has nothing against abortion".
The former Cardinal Ratzinger has not agreed: "God will take action to counter an ultimate crime …"
Clearly Cardinal Ratzinger believed that much of this Progressive progress is a "suicidal" affront to God. I also think the present Pope would agree.
"God will take action," continued the Cardinal, "against the attempt to demean mankind by the production of slave-beings."
And there we are, right back to the issue of slavery.
Racial supremacy was the primary cause of slavery.
With the continued rise of an academic "elite", a frequently "bitter" American
elite as well, aren't we in danger of an intellectual supremacy that could very well carry as much tyranny with it as racial supremacy?
Voltaire anticipated such a possibility among his own intellectual peers, men and women whom he dubbed "enlightened despots". In less than fifty years, these despots had succeeded in tearing France apart with the French Revolution, a war against the Catholic Church as much as it was a struggle against the French Royalty and the bourgeoisie, France's possibly "bitter" middle-class … her "Joe The Plumbers".
In my estimation, the French Revolution ultimately culminated in world Communism and therefore its war against the Catholic Church, and all religions for that matter, is still going on.
The American Revolution, its Nation … and now its subsequent, "Progressive Experiment" may very well culminate in what Abraham Lincoln said would be the only possible means of destruction for the United States: "Suicide."
If, as I've said many times before, abortion is surrogate suicide then Barack Obama's Progressively cynical estimate of Abraham Lincoln's true motives for the Civil War is hardly a surprise. It's the bitter half of this man which we will most certainly see more of.
Bitterness is inevitable when one's dreams lie in "Change" which cannot possibly be substantiated by reality.
America devoid of noble intent is indeed a house divided from its original purpose, those values so clearly and simply stated in the Declaration of Independence.
As Lincoln warned us, "A house divided cannot stand."
And as Pope Benedict XVI might echo:
"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord …" 
Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law and Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies. Contact Michael at rainbowfamily2008@yahoo.com.