When of one mind, Janus' views
form a composite of his two main sides. He attempts to consider issues with care and thoughtfulness, though he remains biased towards Christianity and Western
traditions. Outsiders might call him a Conservative, but in fact he is a Fundamentalist in that he promotes the Christian values that raised Western civilization to its peak.
One of the faces, looking to our right and called Patulcius, is the headstrong and determined side of Janus, tending to authoritarian ideals. Patulcius looks to history and upholds the traditions of
Christianity and Western civilization, and the well-being of Western nations. Patulcius sees world events as a struggle between divine and demonic
forces.
The other face—the easy-going, more open-minded, left-facing Clusivius—dislikes authority and prefers a more individualistic outlook. Clusivius looks to the future and contemplates changes. While
Christian, Clusivius takes an interest in the well-being of other civilizations as well as the Western. Clusivius tends to believe that elitist conspiracies play a major part in world events.
When possible, the complete Janus seeks to form a synthesis of the two sides when making a decision. At other times Janus allows any differences to stand without resolution. But now and again the two sides must battle one another until one side wins Janus' acceptance.
Tending to sensationalize, and sometimes to hyperbolize, C. F. van Niekerk over-analyzes any number of subjects from mundane minutiae to the great philosophical questions of life itself.
Katáxiros, the parched one, alone and adrift at sea, yet ever rowing ahead anyhow, sometimes weakly and sometimes vigorously, thirsting after God through the Orthodox Christian Church, contemplating the ways of the Lord, recognizing that while he is inadequate to the task, he must press ever ahead. Katáxiros writes about matters pertaining specifically to the Orthodox Church.
Barzillai Alpheus Bozarth claims to be a 19th Century man marooned in the 21st Century after a failed experiment in inter-dimensional travel. Not at all impressed with the wonders of our time, he would give just about anything to return to his beloved world of "horse manure and civilized etiquette". Barzillai writes historical observations and pores over old books and documents.
We don't know what to make of the Wanderer. He walks in with the moon and rolls out with the wind. He uses no name; the smells of rank sweat, dirt, and smoke mark him as much as anything. He's always near, but never close. Heedless of human ideals and bounds, he stands unyielding for honor on the ground. He's practical to a fault when he's not romantic to even greater fault. He says little, but when he does finally speak, we listen up. The Wanderer is our lawman of final resort. By hook or by crook, he sees a job done, just don't ask how. Frankly, we're a little afraid of the Wanderer.
Nature can be cruel to mankind.
If Concussus had his way, nature would be crueler yet. Concussus tends to arrive at the blackest of times, when humanity seems the most despicable.
Diabolus, the devil's advocate. Sometimes we are tempted to embrace the evil world that we despise. Diabolus is there to encourage us in this folly. Fortunately a rare visitor here.
– 14 July 2018 –
Patulcius:
Rob Schenck was a pro-life activist who probably helped save hundreds of babies from abortion in the 1980’s and 90’s. Now he regrets his activism because he feels he made some women too uncomfortable and, more especially, he may have indirectly inspired the murders of a few abortion doctors.
Evangelical minister Rob Schenck was once a militant leader of the anti-abortion movement, blockading access to clinics to prevent doctors and patients from entering.
But after more than 20 years in the movement, Schenck experienced a change of heart. Though firm in his evangelicalism, he has disavowed his militant anti-abortion stance.
“I live with regret,” he says of some of his former tactics. “I remember women — some of them quite young — being very distraught, very frightened, some very angry. Over time, I became very callous to that.”
Schenck now sees abortion as a moral and ethical issue that should be resolved by “an individual and his or her conscience” — rather than by legislation.
And now he’s promoting his book to inspire us with his wondrous change of heart.
Schenck’s new memoir, Costly Grace, tells the story of the different phases of his religious and political life and explains why he changed — and how he now preaches a more inclusive message, embracing the people he once demonized.
“Hello, fellow Evangelical Ministers!”
All because a few people didn’t like how he made them feel bad.
I will tell you that my acceptance of that responsibility had to come only after a long period of reflective prayer, of listening deeply to those who were gravely affected by those murders, in therapy with my own — I will be careful to say — Christian therapist, who helped me come to terms with what really happened and how I may have contributed to those acts of violence through my rhetoric, and eventually in a confrontation, a very loving one but nonetheless an encounter, a very strong, very powerful encounter, with the relative of one of the doctors shot and stabbed. … And it was … actually at a Passover Seder table when I was confronted very gently and very lovingly by a relative who happened to be a rabbi of that one abortion provider. In that moment, I realized my own culpability in those in those terrible, terrible events.
So a few abortion practitioners were murdered in the 80’s and 90’s, so now Schenck has a complete change of heart, and he’s selling a book describing his inspirational journey from a young Jewish kid to conservative Episcopal activist to progressive Catholic priest. The book even has the obligatory anti-Trump chapter.
One wonders if this ethnic Jew would reject hate speech laws or anti-discrimination laws in favor of individual conscience. Somehow I doubt it.
It’s strange how so many supposedly conservative Christians are gradually rejecting the traditions of their fathers in favor of solipsistic, emotionalist, conformity to the modernist liberal culture. The recent case of Orthodox Metropolitan Kallistos Ware comes to mind, although several other examples exist. What force suddenly makes them turn their backs on the ways of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers in favor of beliefs that align them in perfect harmony with the liberal humanist paradigm?
Many of these turn-coats no doubt grow weary of the constant societal peer pressure; their priorities are material or social, grounded in this world rather than the next. Others, more sincere but no less foolish, accept the nonsense that to hate the sin means that they hate the sinner; and they want to love everyone, right?
How many of their spirits have lost their connections to the Word of God? How many of them have any concept of the ancient Christian traditions that guided the Faith for so many centuries? These sad fools doubt their compasses while they have forgotten the stars. They drift blindly along the currents of death.
But Rob Schenck’s change of heart is no surprise at all. He was raised Jewish and his frequent references to his co-ethnics suggest that he remains essentially Jewish in his worldviews.
FINES ET INITIA 