Mark P. Shea's Blog, page 1251

In case we'd forgotten...

abortion remains the gravest and most archetypal evil of our time. My point in addressing other evils of our time is not to minimize that, but to warn about being blinded by the magnitude of this evil, so that we ignore all other evils.

Many in the West made this mistake during the Cold War, being so blinded by the horrors of Nazism that they simply didn't care about the horrors of Communism. It's easy to become focused on defending one aspect of the Good while ignoring everything else. The shocking monstrousness of abortion (read the link above for a taste of it), like the shocking monstrousness of the Holocaust, can fill us with such revulsion and horror that we can become fixated on it and give a pass to other very serious evils, many of them actually contributory to abortion. The trick is to retain an unwavering opposition to abortion and fight it however we can, but not to allow the devil to trick us into giving a pass to other evils or, worse still, to support evils committed by allies in the fight against abortion. Such spiritual Yaltas can only make us prey to clever people who know how to manipulate well-meaning people. What we want is a real victory against abortion, not to have our opposition to abortion perpetually used by people who talk a good game, but use our vote to pursue agendas having little or no interest in the unborn, and sometimes in actual enmity to the unborn.

In short, the Church is engaged in a war on a wide variety of fronts. The sanctity of human life is, after the sanctity of God's Name, the most critical of these fronts. But if we don't pay attention to the other fronts or, worse, regard concern for them as somehow in opposition to the battle for human life, the enemy can and will come through the breaches in our defenses.

God bless Jewels Green for telling the truth about the horrors she has witnessed and may God strengthen us to fight this evil till it is defeated.

And, by the way, there is still much to hope for on this front. Here, for instance, is a story worthy of the Heroic Book of Failures: "Pro-choice rally draws 30 people"

I never saw this before

But I've always appreciated the fundamental decency of the man, never on better display than here:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Heather King...

...is my kinda gal. More like her, please.

Behind the Times

In which we discuss the modern superstition that a clock can be used for proving or disproving the truth of a philosophical or theological claim.

My Witty Son

Son Matthew was with us on our recent trip to the Hidden Island Redoubt. He shot this little impromptu series of Yr. Obdt. Svt. which he cleverly titles "Night of the Living Dad" or "28 Sheas Later":
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Happily, zombies are easy to distract with something shiny, as this photo illustrates.
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Jan's expression seem to say, "Wow. I'm married to you."

Anyway, a lovely trip. And the brains were delicious.

Blessing or Curse?

Fr. Mike Fones, OP on 9/11.

As a matter of fact I *am* a nerd

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Can you Help a Good Catholic Film Initiative?

My name is Ian Higgins and I am writing to you on behalf of Major Oak Entertainment Ltd. We are currently making a feature length drama-documentary on the life of Christian convert, peace activist and survivor of the Nagasaki atomic bombing, Dr. Takashi Nagai – a man who may soon be made a saint, but we need the help and support of Christian communities around the world.

I know that you have made mention of our film on your prayer website, for which I would like to personally thank you.

Would you consider posting a blog about our film on your blog site? Any mention on a site such as yours would be, we believe, a great way to help us reach out to the faithful all over the world.

Below is a brief synopsis of the film.

Synopsis:

All That Remains will be a powerful docu-drama telling the remarkable story of Dr. Takashi Nagai, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Christian convert and dedicated peace activist. His story is a dramatic and inspiring testament to the power of faith in the most extreme of circumstances. Indeed, many have petitioned that he be made a saint, and now it seems Dr. Nagai may soon be declared "blessed" by the church, which is the first step to sainthood.

Takashi Nagai was a Japanese doctor and sceptical man of science whose passion for the pursuit of truth led him to undertake a dramatic conversion to Christianity at a time when Western religious beliefs were especially discouraged in Japan. On the 9th of August 1945, he found himself amongst the survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, where this newfound faith was to be tested in the most extreme of circumstances.

With his beloved wife one of the 70,000 killed instantly, he was left with no choice but to fulfil his duty as a doctor, tending to the multitude of wounded and dying all around him, while struggling to make sense of his own loss and the responsibility he now faced for his two children.

It would be his faith that would guide him back to Atom bombed Nagasaki, and it would be this faith that would inspire him to stay there and help rebuild a city from rubble and ash.

He would dedicate the rest of his short life to promoting world peace through his work as a writer. His first book was "The Bells Of Nagasaki", it went on to become a bestseller though out Japan, as a nation, defeated and demoralised by war, re-discovered through his words, the healing of power of love.

Dr. Takashi Nagai died in May, 1951 of Leukaemia brought on by prolonged exposure to radiation.

He left behind two children, a 10 year old son, Makoto and a 5 year old daughter, Kayano. But he also left behind a huge collection of books, articles and personal notes, addressed to his children and to God. Through these words, the spirit of Takashi Nagai continues to live, but sadly, his story is fast fading into the obscurity of forgotten history.

The telling:

This year will mark the 60th anniversary of Dr. Takashi Nagai's death, and although now almost forgotten, his story remains as relevant today as it ever was.

Directed by Ian and Dominic Higgins (The 13th Day, Finding Fatima), All That Remains will be a "hybrid" feature film and documentary that will utilize state of the art special effects, live-action dramatic reconstructions and computer generated animation, alongside candid and intimate interviews with friends and family of Dr. Nagai, as well as other survivors of the atomic bombing, in order to take our audience on a personal journey alongside Dr. Nagai, as he embarks on his life changing quest for "the ultimate truth".

An extensive amount of work has already gone into this project and we have some amazing people on board, helping us to tell his story, including the University of Nagasaki, his grace Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami and Fr. Paul Glynn, author of the acclaimed biography on Dr. Nagai, "A Song for Nagasaki".

But we are also offering the opportunity for other Christians to get involved and help us make this film, the people who understand the power of faith, the people who want films that hold meaning for them.

Our teaser trailer (along with more info) is available here - http://igg.me/p/35141?a=152526&i=shlk

The above link is where people can contribute to the making of the film also.

Our Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/All-That-Remains-The-Story-of-Takashi-Nagai/140539339369989

In closing, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my email.

God bless and warmest regards,

Ian Higgins

Major Oak Entertainment Ltd

www.majoroakentertainment.com

These guys did a lovely film about Fatima called The 13th Day. They have an intriguing visual sense and I'd love to see them succeed. If you would too, then click the link.

Children are not Commodities

The insistence of our consumer culture on treating children like manufactured goods make to specification instead of as gifts from God we have no right either to manufacture, nor to refuse, is wreaking havoc on human happiness. Here, for instance, is a story of 150 half-siblings all of whom have the same sperm donor father. Good capitalism and good libertarianism. Lousy humanity.

Children are intended for to be born of love by two married heterosexual parents, not to be manufactured to accessorize somebody's "need" to be a parent.

To Russia with Love

PRI does wonderful work. May Russia return from her long bondage under the monstrous evil of Communism and embrace the gospel of life: