Those of us who are fighting to preserve our free speech rights from those who would take them from us are truly "standing on the shoulders of giants." Thanks for this Aaron. Looking forward to your post on Areopagitica.
St Thomas, pray for us to the Lord our God; we are in pretty bad shape!
A Man For All Seasons is a great movie with a great screenplay, a great first step... but in More's own writing one finds out that Hollywood did not better him, did not modernize him in order to keep our interest and sell tickets. More was already contemporary with us (in 1966) because More's thoughts are timeless because they are the fruit of his lifelong meditation on Christ.
Reading More's Utopia in a good translation (with footnotes and historical context) is well worth the effort to be brought to remember that man has not changed as much as he thinks he has in 500 years since throwing off the shackles of the Church. It's very frustrating, even this week, to read the dismay expressed by very popular writers over the situation in Israel: why can't we all get along? Why has the Western European Liberal project, free from the original sin of revealed religion, failed to keep the peace? Read More, and others, and behold King Henry, their liberator, in all his corporate glory!
Anyhow, I am reminded to re-read Mr. Wegemer's collection of More's Four Last Things. Thank you.
A big problem for free speech is an all powerful king and, more generally, when government gets too big for its britches. Those "commoners" More mentions finally figured out that they are governed by way of a contract. The governed tolerate enough rule to protect their rights and freedoms. Public servants begin thinking that the contract allows them to take away more freedom than authorized by the people. They secretly think that they are clever little kings and queens anointed by an authority higher than the silly commoners.
We were blessed to have our four oldest children attend Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in NH where they received an incredible education rooted in philosophy, history, and literature founded in pursuit goodness, truth, and beauty. This education has served them well in their marriages, parenting, careers, and Faith.
In addition, our Catholic homeschooling group, founded in the early 1980s here in western Washington, is St Thomas More Home Educators!
I so admire St. Thomas More for not only his brilliance and compassion for mankind, but how he was able to have the courage to stand up to a ruthless king who he had befriended for many years. King Henry the VIII was probably one of our first indications of bi-polar disease who acted out like a child when he didn’t get his way. The Tower of London was no joke, one of the most evil torcher chambers of that time. St. Thomas More is a steadfast Catholic who stood by his principles to his death. That we should all be so principled…
Ah, but in the final words of St. Thomas we hear why he is a great saint. He defended the sovereignty of the Holy Roman Church and gave the final analysis of the false judgment against him, "I would not bend to the marriage!" He is a saint for the indissolubility of marriage.
Those of us who are fighting to preserve our free speech rights from those who would take them from us are truly "standing on the shoulders of giants." Thanks for this Aaron. Looking forward to your post on Areopagitica.
St Thomas, pray for us to the Lord our God; we are in pretty bad shape!
A Man For All Seasons is a great movie with a great screenplay, a great first step... but in More's own writing one finds out that Hollywood did not better him, did not modernize him in order to keep our interest and sell tickets. More was already contemporary with us (in 1966) because More's thoughts are timeless because they are the fruit of his lifelong meditation on Christ.
Reading More's Utopia in a good translation (with footnotes and historical context) is well worth the effort to be brought to remember that man has not changed as much as he thinks he has in 500 years since throwing off the shackles of the Church. It's very frustrating, even this week, to read the dismay expressed by very popular writers over the situation in Israel: why can't we all get along? Why has the Western European Liberal project, free from the original sin of revealed religion, failed to keep the peace? Read More, and others, and behold King Henry, their liberator, in all his corporate glory!
Anyhow, I am reminded to re-read Mr. Wegemer's collection of More's Four Last Things. Thank you.
A big problem for free speech is an all powerful king and, more generally, when government gets too big for its britches. Those "commoners" More mentions finally figured out that they are governed by way of a contract. The governed tolerate enough rule to protect their rights and freedoms. Public servants begin thinking that the contract allows them to take away more freedom than authorized by the people. They secretly think that they are clever little kings and queens anointed by an authority higher than the silly commoners.
Thomas More is an amazing role model for us all!
We were blessed to have our four oldest children attend Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in NH where they received an incredible education rooted in philosophy, history, and literature founded in pursuit goodness, truth, and beauty. This education has served them well in their marriages, parenting, careers, and Faith.
In addition, our Catholic homeschooling group, founded in the early 1980s here in western Washington, is St Thomas More Home Educators!
I so admire St. Thomas More for not only his brilliance and compassion for mankind, but how he was able to have the courage to stand up to a ruthless king who he had befriended for many years. King Henry the VIII was probably one of our first indications of bi-polar disease who acted out like a child when he didn’t get his way. The Tower of London was no joke, one of the most evil torcher chambers of that time. St. Thomas More is a steadfast Catholic who stood by his principles to his death. That we should all be so principled…
Ah, but in the final words of St. Thomas we hear why he is a great saint. He defended the sovereignty of the Holy Roman Church and gave the final analysis of the false judgment against him, "I would not bend to the marriage!" He is a saint for the indissolubility of marriage.