Learning to Blame Others for America’s Opioid Epidemic

Learning to Blame Others for America’s Opioid Epidemic

There is talk that the government will soon file lawsuits against the pharmaceutical firms that make opioid painkillers. They claim that these companies have failed to warn patients about the addictive nature of their product, which in turn allowed them to amass huge profits. This is not the only plan to solve … Read more

Finding the Beauty of the Church and the Route Back Home

Finding the Beauty of the Church and the Route Back Home 3

The late-nineteenth-century conversion story, En Route, by J. K. Huysmans is a book that penetrates deeply into the mind of the reader. It is an autobiographical yet fictional account of the return journey to the Church of a famous French art critic and novelist in decadent Paris. The book has weathered well … Read more

Must Europe’s Students Submit to the Demands of Islam?

Must Europe’s Students Submit to the Demands of Islam? 2

The town of Houghton-le-Spring in England is hardly the sort of place that you would expect to find an uproar over schools and religion. Mark McLachlan’s twelve-year-old step-daughter goes to the Kepier School in Houghton-le-Spring. Mr. McLachlan was looking through his stepdaughter’s school planner when he noticed an assignment that angered him. He … Read more

Lighting the Way to a Life That Makes Sense

Lighting the Way to a Life That Makes Sense

The new book Lighting the Way: Stories that Show How Our Culture Went Wrong and How We Can Restore Order is a collection of stories arranged to illustrate an idea. The idea is that of the organic Christian society. That is an unfamiliar idea to many, although we live in and around … Read more

Can Twitter Be an Occasion of Sin?

Can Twitter Be an Occasion of Sin?

Everyone talks about the addictive aspect of Twitter but not its moral effects. Can Twitter lead to sin? Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I. evidently thinks so. In a final tweet, he wrote that the social media platform had become a “distraction” to him, an “obstacle” to his spiritual life and an “occasion … Read more

Reflections on Sexual Abuse Scandals by the Clergy

Reflections on Sexual Abuse Scandals by the Clergy 1

There is nothing as vile as using an office, position or situation of influence to oppress or abuse a weaker person. This is particularly true in the case of sexual abuse. Still worse are those acts that not only violate the laws of justice and charity but those of nature. This is … Read more

The Advantage of Keeping the Economy Human

The Advantage of Keeping the Economy Human 2

Some people think of the new automated economy in terrifying and mechanical terms. In such a vision, machines reign supreme as they work tirelessly, silently and efficiently to maximize production and replace humans. Increasing automation will soon put tens of millions out of work and change lives for the worst. Indeed, people … Read more

Why I Use the Word Catholic to Describe the Ideal Economy

Why I Use the Word Catholic to Describe the Ideal Economy

The adjective Catholic is rarely employed to describe the ideal economy we need. Many would see its use as mere window dressing to make the free market appear a bit more compassionate. Everyone knows that the business of creating wealth comes from industry and business. The accountant’s ledger is the only true … Read more