Fear can open us up to manipulation, and to undesirable outcomes in whatever we are doing. Over the last few months, and even now, many have been, or are, living in fear. Fear of sickness, fear of suffering, fear of loss, fear of death, fear of others’ opinions–you name it. There is nothing like good old, gut-wrenching fear to bring out the worst-case scenarios. The collective fear in our nation, and in others, has created some unusual challenges. These challenges include the specter of diminished civil rights, and a “big brother” government, with authoritarian rulemaking and enforcement.
Living in Fear in Eastern Europe
Friends of mine who escaped from what used to be Czechoslovakia in the late-1980s lived under authoritarianism their whole lives. They will attest to what life is like in those conditions. It’s not pretty. Maria’s parents had joined the Communist party to provide for her material welfare. Unless you belonged to the party, it was impossible to get decent work. They had to have her siblings baptized into the Church in secret–a common practice. The government required parishes to keep records of baptisms, first communions and other sacraments, and provide this information to the government. This way the party knew who the potential trouble makers were.
Joseph recalls how, at the age of six, on May Day, the children had to chant “Lenin forever lives! Forever with the Soviet Union!” Lenin lives forever, but not God—that was the message they memorized. He went to daily Mass as he walked to grade school. At the age of 10, Joseph was playing the organ for Mass, practicing before and after school at his church. A few years later, his teacher, in front of the entire class, told Joseph that he knew he played the organ in church. He told him that he could destroy Joseph’s future with that information. His classmates, living the normative life of the party, looked in dismay at him.
By the end of his time in college, Joseph worked as vice-president of a state-controlled store. A year later, another position opened up, but when the higher-ups checked him out, they found that he didn’t belong to the party. When they asked him why, he could tell them the truth and go to jail. Or, he could lie, so he told them he didn’t think was worthy of it. He didn’t get that job, but he didn’t end up in jail.
Trackers, Tracers, Spies, and Fear
An uncle of Joseph was a talented electrical engineer. When he applied for a job, the interviewer asked if he had reconciled with the fact that God does not exist. All this time, the government paid citizens to “track,” in today’s euphemistic terms, fellow citizens. They were everywhere—in school, in church, in the market place. When people met with friends, they had to whisper inside their apartments to avoid having someone overhear and report their conversation.
The authorities sent a brother of Joseph’s friend to a mental institution because he was “dangerous.” Actually, he just disagreed with the way things were being done and the wrong person heard him say it. If you oppose the normative set of values in a society like this, there’s something wrong with you. Once things are normalized, you will toe the line. These vignettes are not exceptions, but the general rule of life in that type of environment.
Ideological Subversion
But, how on earth does a culture, a country, get to that state? In a video making the rounds again, a former propagandist for the KGB warns about the process of “ideological subversion.” As he explains it, “…you can see it with your own eyes…there is no mystery…” The ideological subversion that Yuri Bezmenov goes on to describe involves four steps:
Demoralization – Requiring between 15 and 30 years, this results in changing the thinking of an entire generation by exposing them to the new ideology. It happens slowly, with little notice or opposition. At the end of it, that generation, for the most part, believes the proposed new values. In fact, people believe the new ideology so strongly that they’re unable to assess true information contrary to those beliefs. Only when the full force of the new ideology affects them personally in a negative way, will they be able to see what’s happened. Meanwhile, the majority deals harshly with anyone opposed to those beliefs.
Weakening of the economy, the military, and of foreign relations Taking only two to five years, this step creates vulnerability by weakening these essentials. This leads to a destabilization of the country.
Creating a crisis This next step, the creation of a crisis, brings with it fear, panic and anxiety. The government then can provide the way out, taking over more control of the economy, and promising benefits to alleviate the worry and the fear. This is where the manipulation comes into play.
Adopting the “new normal” as it’s referred to in today’s environment The term used in 1968 when the Soviet Union took over Czechoslovakia was “normalization.” At this stage, people now live under the new authoritarian ideology.
What Does All This Have To Do With Current Events?
So, let’s look at our current situation. Have we had an entire generation (and then some) raised to believe that what used to be objectively in error is now correct? Take a look around you. Many, many people now will tell you that you must not only accept certain practices once considered, in the light of the Truth to be objectively sinful, as okay. Now you actually have to support these practices and their practitioners. In fact, if you do not support these ideas, you are intolerant, radical, bigots because you do not promote the “new normal.”
Have we seen a destabilization of our country? Our military strength has been on the decline for years. Our economy is a house of cards. This is due to profligate spending by politicians looking to buy votes for reelection. Outside the United States, the ruling classes of many other countries now demonize us.
Fr. Carlos Valles, SJ, tells us “Fear opens us to manipulation…makes us feel insecure…we rush to protection and clarity at whatever cost…” COVID 19 seems to present a crisis of momentous proportion. Our mainstream media has played it up magnificently. As a result, many people have experienced varying levels of anxiety over it. All the while, the news media, and social media seem to censor contrary opinions.
With this crisis, we’ve seen an incredible willingness among the masses to go along with government-mandated civil rights restrictions. This is true not only for the laity but for the clergy as well. This is an example of the effectiveness of normative pressure, which occurs when we allow others to insist on, or force us, to maintain certain behaviors. The perceived risk of isolation, exclusion, or worse, exists for those who don’t go along with the majority.
But It Can’t Happen Here
Restricted civil rights likely will become the “new normal,” unless something happens to change the trajectory of all of this. Consider the proposed new bill, H.R. 6666 which will authorize $100 billion for this year alone to pay for tracking and tracing—spying, in other words—on US citizens. Meanwhile, smartphones can track your movements and contacts with others. Many churches, my parish included, are dutifully following government protocol to keep track of people’s comings and goings for Mass. An acquaintance in another state was met by a clipboard-carrying lay assistant demanding his contact information when he showed up for confession recently.
But it can’t happen here, you say? As Alan Weiss, Ph.D. asks in Fearless Leadership, “Were people who suspected something was wrong at Volkswagen or Wells Fargo told, ‘Don’t worry, top management would never allow such things to go on, don’t be afraid’? Were people heavily invested in Bernie Madoff, who couldn’t believe the promised returns in such an economy telling themselves, ‘There may be something wrong, but with so many major investors there’s nothing to fear’?”
Past governmental abuses in other countries have included deceptive euphemisms to keep their intentions and initial activities under the radar. They’ve used the media to maintain a consistent message that serves their purpose. People with little or no personal knowledge of God, with only worldly values can, and will, resort to extreme means to achieve their ends if the stakes are high enough.
Don’t assume. Ask. Speak up when you see them doing things that don’t make sense. If you’ve got questions or concerns about the way the government handles matters, speak up–write letters, make calls, sign petitions–let them know you’re watching and you do not approve.
Taking Our Fear to Jesus
Our Lord tells us numerous times in Scripture to not be afraid, dismayed, worried, or troubled. He wouldn’t say that if He didn’t mean it. We should not respond in fear to potential illnesses or to government overreaching. We shouldn’t let fear take our eyes off our objectives–to Love God with all our might and to love our neighbors as ourselves. The evil one wants to see us do just that. He uses any and all means to separate us from God and from each other.
If do we fear the virus, illness, suffering, loss, death, or worry about anything else, we ought to bring that to prayer with Our Lord. We can ask for the grace to surrender our self-will–our narcissism–and empty ourselves to become totally available to Him. We are only temporarily here on this earth. Our real goal is to join Him, all the angels and saints in the life hereafter. That’s what we should be concerned about–not the other, temporal issues. Hasn’t He told us that life here is not always going to be a bowl of cherries? In fact, He tells us, if they persecuted Him, they will persecute us (cf. Jn 15:20). Yet, the reward will be so much greater than the costs.
We need to live our lives so others can see by our actions that we are Catholic Christians. This means supporting one another, encouraging each other in the pursuit of holiness. We are called to be the salt of the earth and a light in the darkness (cf. Mt 5:13-14). The darkness in the world desperately needs our light to shine out, now, and give hope to the many who have lost their way.
Only Jesus can give us the joy and peace that sticks with us through trials and tribulations. For that, we may need to develop a deeper relationship with Him. Praying daily with the Gospels can open up the door to that deep relationship. If we’re not already spending prayerful time with Him in the Gospels, now is as good a time as any to begin. Starting with only 10 to 15 minutes a day can change our lives.
As we encounter more and more of what we view as negative trends, recognize that God is with us, all the way. Lean into Him; ask Our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, and guardian angels for their help. Stay close to fellow believers and help them get through the difficulties.
“…take courage; I have conquered the world!” – Jn 16:33
[…] a previous article, I discussed a video of a former KGB propagandist wherein he described what the communists referred […]
John, thank you for your comment. You’ve amply illustrated the point I made in the article.
To be clear, the Catholic Church does not “attack”, “disdain” or “hate” people with same sex attraction–or anyone else for that matter. We all are asked by God to love others as He loved us. That includes people of all persuasions. Yet, often when the Church or someone who is Catholic Christian or non-Catholic Christian points out that our identity is as sons and daughters of God, and God has called us to live chastely, then we are vilified.
Living chastely encompasses things like the fact that the sex act is intended for one man and one woman, married, and open to procreation. Sex between unmarried individuals is not chaste. Watching pornography is not chaste. Adultery is not chaste. The Church does not condone such behaviors–never has.
The difference, which you omit in your comment, between the point of the paragraph to which you refer, and other sexual acts, is that at least so far, there are not civil penalties for taking a stand against those other behaviors which also are objectively improper.
St. Augustine’s phrase in a letter he wrote in the early 5th century, “with love for mankind and hatred of sins” became “hate the sin and not the sinner” over time. The Church, and all of us in it, and all of us out of it, are called to love one another, but to recognize objectively sinful behavior.
Love means desiring the best for the other. The best, in the Christian worldview, is the attainment of eternal beatitude–living in the presence, in eternity, with God. That means we ought to pay attention to what He’s revealed to us, strive to live according to it, and help one another along the way to get there.
Matt 7:1-5 re: “judge not” doesn’t mean that we can’t use our right reason and intellect to judge if something is right or wrong, (God gave us an intellect to use in making prudent decisions, which involve judgments, e.g.). What Jesus is telling us is that we need to live upright lives. Consider that He also tells us specifically to judge “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24). In 1 Cor 6, St. Paul further tells us, “Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, matters pertaining to this life!…Shun immorality”.
No church should be required to support behaviors that run contrary to Scripture and Church teaching (and to natural law). If you read the article linked to the paragraph to which you refer, you’ll see:
“…Star of the Sea Catholic Church raised concerns that the banquet would have featured “drag queens” and “same-sex dancing.”
The same report noted that lawyers for the Archdiocese of Vancouver in a June 2019 email to the White Rock Pride Society said the group’s use of the hall would “encourage and support a homosexual lifestyle,” which is against the Catholic faith.
“The proposed use is contrary to the practices, teachings and morals of the Catholic faith as the purpose of Pride and the dinner and dance fundraising event is to encourage and support a homosexual lifestyle,” said Church lawyers to the pride group.”
Under the heading, “what does this have to do with current events” makes reference to “certain behaviors” and intolerance, etc. Are you referring to transgendered individuals, gays, etc? What are these practices & who are these “practitioners?” Why don’t you name which individuals you are referring to? There’s a chemical called Atrazine that is known as the “gender bender chemical”. It’s a highly toxic pesticide in our drinking water, and on many lawns in America. Research it. We cannot be intolerant of God’s children because of a biological anomaly that happens in certain individuals before birth from chemical exposures. Not only from this chemical, but any number of other chemicals that interfere with sexuality in the womb. Before all of the current 80,000 unstudied chemicals that we see in our modern day, there was not this explosion of so much gender confusion. Re: Gays. They have always existed. And always will. God loves them. We are not called to justify any judgement or attack on specific groups of people because we deem their condition morally reprehensible. This is classic pride where we see another’s sins as worse than our own. What is the percentage of heterosexual men who are addicted to pornography? Ask a priest and he will tell you. What about adultery? Millions upon millions committing this sin everyday. Incidentally, these mortal sins of viewing porno addiction/adultery stuff is almost more tolerated and looked upon as any other sin. But transgendered folks who had no culpability in their biological development are more judged, harassed and not tolerated by “christians” who behave like Pharisees!!! It’s all shameful and offensive to God. Those who are intolerant and judge others may never see Heaven. A very wise monk once said that the true path to sanctity is to judge yourself first. Hmm… I’m truly alarmed by our current events, racism, hatred, etc. It is certain that fear drives these shameful attacks. Let’s not perpetuate the same disdain and hatred towards our transgendered brothers and sisters through hypocrisy….because in doing so, we become part of the problem. And that problem is a moral one. Let’s take this temptation to the Lord.