Pro Tip from the Divine Justice League

The Final Call from Louis Farrakhan

During a recent video sermon, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan  preached a message of racial division.  In what Farrakhan called "The Final Call", he widely quoted from Elijah Mohammad (1897-1975) in stating a case for the abolition of white people.

Farrakhan's Final Call preached:

According to the history of the white race, they are guilty of making trouble, causing war among the people and themselves ever since they have been on our planet Earth. So, the God of the righteous has found them disagreeable to live with in peace and has decided to remove them from the face of the Earth.

Calligraphic of Isa in Arabic 

This showdown intimates that Farrakhan's knowledge of the real Jesus will prevail.  Islam holds that Isa (Jesus) was born of Mary through a virginal conception.  Isa was sent to guide the Children of Israel with a new scripture (the Gospel) and perform Miracles aided by Allah to pursuit this work.  Islam deviates from Christian notions of Trinitarianism.  Isa was just a human being, not being Jesus, the Son of God.   Moreover, Islam rejects that Jesus was ever crucified, resurrected or atoned mankind for its sins.  But Farrakhan's taunts to traditional Christians not to engage in a showdown and be slaughtered like the worshipers of Baal in I Kings 18.  

This Final Call message differs from statements last year in which Farrakhan advocated that "the final solution" was a separation of black and whites. One wonders if Farrakhan's enthusiastic integration of Dionetics into the Nation of Islam has shaped their overall message or if further use of spiritual technology would help.

This is far from the first time that Farrakhan has preached invective apologetics or fanned the flames of racial division.  In 2012, Farrakhan proclaimed that Jesus was a black man and further  speculated: 'If Elijah was at the door and he was black, you would call 911 and say there’s a n****r at the door, claiming he’s Elijah! Send the police!”  With this history, it is easy to perceive that Farrakhan is taking his talk to the next level

It will be interesting to learn where Farrakhan takes this track when he speaks at the Savior Days Convention at Joe Louis Arena Detroit, Michigan February 20-23. Detroit has special significance to the Nation of Islam as its Founder  (who Elijah Mohammad preached was the Mahdi) Wallace Fard Mohammad hailed from Detroit.

Rector's Reverence for Washington National Cathedral?

Last month, the Washington National Cathedral removed all of its pews for several days for what was billed as a special and unique event--"Seeing Deeper".  The event was promoted by as:

Seeing Deeper builds upon and visibly brings to life many facets of the Cathedral’s core mission. By juxtaposing the spiritual and the artistic, practice and hearing, silence and song, the Cathedral opens the doors of this landmark and national treasure to be experienced in new ways while fulfilling our calling to be a spiritual home for the nation. As a place known for its art and iconography and its setting for musical performance, this week of introspection, reflection, and transcendence transforms the Cathedral’s living stones for thousands of worshipers, concert-goers, pilgrims, and visitors.

Washington National Cathedral's long-time  Music Director Michael McCarthy explained emptying the nave to allow visitors to experience the worship space in solitude and silence as well as offering a couple of free classical concerts by the Cathedral Choir.

All of this religious rhetoric sounds very noble project for the world's sixth largest Cathedral, which also doubles as the Episcopal Church's Washington Cathedral.  But the execution of Seeing Deeper along with some comments that it engendered may shock some sensibilities of religiously centered Christians. 

To aid in Seeing Deeper, the Washington National Cathedral promised to have "prayer mats, yoga mats, zafu meditation cushions and mandalas to draw and color available as reflection tools.  So a nominally Christian Cathedral opens itself to zafu meditation for Hindus worshiping thousands of gods or Buddhist mandala meditation to no god.  While religious liberty should be prized in America as well as religious tolerance, it is questionable to open the Cathedral doors and facilitate worship of other deities in the Lord's house.

What was more shocking was the quip by the new Rector of Washington National Cathedral, Reverend Gary Hall.   Hall quipped: "I want to skateboard down it — or have a paper airplane contest," as he watched about 100 people practice tai chi in open nave."

Hall believes that not enough was being done with Washington National Cathedral, so Seeing Deeper would get the place back to its roots.  However, Rector Hall conscientiously would not proselytize.   "If I get people together and say, ‘Let's talk about God,' we'll get an argument. But if I say, ‘Let's all pray together and experience the divine together in our own way,' people can enter that in a much more creative and less-judgmental way."  That is pretty weak tea for proclaiming the Gospel .  However joking about playing with paper airplanes or skateboarding down the nave truly impeaches Hall's reverence and piety towards a sacred space of which he is rector.

Opening the doors of Washington National Cathedral to celebrate faith may be well intentioned but misguided for a Christian sanctuary, but when a rector's lack of reverence is revealed by wanting to play in the sanctuary of his own Cathedral Church underlines why Dr. Scott Hahn is so committed to the New Evangelization as society has become notably de-Christianized

Will Durant on Faith

Timothy Dolan on Hearts

God, our Father, I offer You my day. I offer You my prayers, thoughts, words, actions, joys, and sufferings in union with the Heart of Jesus, who continues to offer Himself in the Eucharist for the salvation of the world.  May the Holy Spirit, Who guided Jesus, be my guide and my strength today so that I may witness to your love.  With Mary, the mother of our Lord and the Church, I pray for all Apostles of Prayer and for the prayer intentions proposed by the Holy Father this month.  Amen.