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Secular Sabotage: How Liberals Are Destroying Religion and Culture in America

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As we learn in this outstanding though disturbing book, when Pope John XXIII decided in the early 1960s to open the Catholic Church's windows to the modern world, little did he know that, as George Weigel puts it, he was opening these windows "just as the modern western world was barreling into a dark tunnel full of poisonous fumes" that included the toxins Dr. Donohue terms "radical individualism and a celebration of narcissism."

The author chronicles the ensuing devastation that resulted in a growing 45-year-old assault by nihilists, relativists and liberals out to destroy religion (especially the Catholic Church) and a culture of decency in America.

The author is a scholar who meticulously references his facts. Some of the most astounding things one learns are the extent to which this sabotage against the Catholic Church has been vigorously promoted by some affiliated with the Church (members, nuns, ordained clergy), government officials, demented academics who should know better, lawyers who pervert the law and the Constitution to advance their own sordid agendas, the art community, and Hollywood elites who cannot even fathom that transcendent truths and sexual morality exist.

We learn of the resulting decimation of mainline Protestantism to near irrelevancy due to its eagerness to accommodate itself to modernity's long-term love affair with uncertainty and equivocation. Not surprising, the fastest growing groups of Christians are Evangelicals and those remaining orthodox, weary of decades of absurdities challenging the fundamentals of Christianity that were essentially settled 1,500 years ago. Despite their differences, loyal Catholics, Evangelicals, and fundamentalists have more in common today than ever in their united effort to stop this madness.

This fine book ends on a positive tone, noting that most Catholic dissidents are now senior citizens and younger people of faith don't buy their nonsense. Also, serious Christians have been having children who most likely will derail the secular sabotage. The malcontents now in their twilight years have been too busy fanatically obsessed as adults with trivial pursuits to think about producing the next generations to any significant degree.

No society in history has ever flourished or endured without a commitment to no-nonsense religion. Every person interested in this nation's survival as one of any consequence should read this book, given that the current federal administration essentially embraces all of the self-destructive and insane ideas this book so eloquently decries.

There's no question that secularists hate the Catholic church. Their attacks have been growing in intensity over the last century. This coming Christmas season, New York schools are allowed to display menorahs and star and crescents, but never, ever, nativity scenes.

Donohue, with a kind of gloomy relish, goes through the long list of outrages over the last few decades, and boy, does he have evidence. For example, there is the 'art' displayed in our museums, which includes such masterpieces as Saatchi's painting of the Virgin Mary "that was laced with elephant dung and spotted with pictures of vaginas and anuses" (p 64). If a Jewish rabbi had been portrayed like that, or Mohammad, imagine the outrage.

But the secularists, not to mention the ACLU, seem unable to see the paradox. When Catholic bishops threaten to withhold the Eucharist from pro-abortion politician, secularists everywhere are furious. Funny how they supported the idea when Archbishop Rummel "was busy excommunicating...Catholic politicians for their pro-segregation" (p 162) policies.

And who can forget such delights as Disney's film 'Priest' a vicious attack on the church which portrayed priests as drunks, wicked, or madmen. Oh yes, and the kindly Disney executives chose to open the film on Good Friday, the holiest day of the year for Catholics.

It's not as if the American people don't realize what's happening. Donohue states that "In 2008, a poll...found that 61% of Americans say they believe 'Religious values are under attack in this country' (p 19). The real question is whether those who disagreed with the statement have watched any movies or TV in the last twenty years.

The hatred of the Catholic church is intense. Some of the more revealing statements: NARAL's pro-abortion Lader called the Catholicism "the real enemy" (p 43). What Lader really despised was "the influence of its religious morality" (p 43), which pretty much sums things up for all those who are anti-Catholic.

And if the statements aren't enough, there's always action, such as the action of the gay ACT-UP members who spit Hosts onto the ground, an act of desecration.

Donohue still finds hope in the situation, and good for him. Personally, I don't. Anyone who is interested in the topic may want to read "Culture Counts" by Scruton. It talks about the fall of western civilization due to the disintegration of religious belief.

Bill Donohue paints "the last politically-correct prejudice in America" in sometimes shocking but bold strokes. "Sabotage" is an accurate description of what secularists have attempted to do to our culture. Somehow, we have departed so far from our Constitutional guarantees of Freedom OF Religion that it is often misinterpreted to read "Freedom FROM Religion"--which was never the intent of the Founding Fathers.

Mr. Donahue has alternately been described as "bombastic," "radical," and "outrageous" in his defense of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. But, if what he describes in his book is true, we SHOULD be outraged. And to make his point, he uses the technique of taking the vicious attacks against his church and faith and applying them to other minority groups. He does this not to impune any other group or religion, but rather to shock the reader into recognizing how insensitive and morally wrong the attacks are--regardless of whether they are levied against Catholics...or Jews...or Muslims...or Blacks. Prejudice and injustice are just as real no matter which minority is targeted. And to dismiss it simply because the group is not popular does not make the injustice any less so.

Mr. Donahue also portrays the insidiousness of these attacks. It brings to mind the image of the frog being placed into tepid water and them slowly boiled so that it doesn't notice the heat being turned up under him. Our culture has so long been innundated with the mantras of the secularists that to be a vocal, strong Christian--and Catholic Christian in particular--is now considered politically INcorrect. Kudos to Mr. Donahue for a job well done. May he continue to shock us into thinking for ourselves rather than follow the pied pipers of politic-speak.

I got the book today. Its pretty straight forward. It is a compendium in a semi-detailed fashion of a lot of the many attacks on the Judeo-christian beliefs here in our own country. It discusses the constant attack on religion by a growing minority of 'nihilists'. I am about halfway in the book and so far I like how it is written- Donohue doesn't hold back on the issues. Whether you are a secularist or not, this book is worth checking out. For parents such as me, I recommend this book- a must read.

This book gives an uncensored account of the liberal attempts to kill religion in America. Read only if you have a strong stomach.

I have finally found a Protestant "theorist" that helps me understand the rantings of Bill Donahue of the Catholic League. Namely, Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association. Fischer apparently recently said that "Gays are Nazis". Well, as a gay man who is a son of a Holocaust Survivor, I must say that I find Fischer's prejudicial, and also apparently often relatedly racist, view very informative of those extremists on the Catholic side as well. The contiguity of opinion is striking, for there is also a similarity in the constellation of opinion for these types. .These people are very destructive of the values of this country. Plain and simple.

I have always admired Bill Donohue's style. Though I am sympathetic with the work of the Catholic League, sometimes I think I would have handled some of their activities differently, but overall I like the way Bill never backs down from a fight. He definately brings new life to the term Church Militant, especially regarding his combative style in favour of Church orthodoxy.

The book Secular Sabotage reads much like the Catholic Leagues' annual report on anti-Catholicism, heavily leaning on descriptive examples to make a point. This makes for enlightening and entertaining reading. Donohue's style is also never disappointing, so reading Secular Sabotage is enjoyable and goes quickly.

This book is a great read for someone still unsure about the true nature of radical secularists and where they stand regarding religious liberty in the USA. It also would make a great gift for a sincere open-minded Catholic that needs to be jolted out of their complacency and snapped into action.

Well worth the expense, time and effort.

I usually try to listen to audiobooks at least twice before making my opinion public. I am proud to say that I have indeed done so in this case. Kudos to Bill for seeing fit to grace us with a detailed dissertation in an interview. I found it quite enlightening. :)

Bill Donohue, an unabashed right-wing, Catholic ideologue, opens with headlines that are designed to make almost anyone cringe, but which upon further investigation reveal a diatribe reminiscent of a child's conniption fit.

Very early on, Bill claims that diversity and inclusion are mutually exclusive; that diversity necessarily precludes inclusion. Nonsense! Inclusion requires nothing more than mutual respect for all of society's members. He seems to love repeating Dinesh D'Souza's tired, mendacious claims that the great men, the literal saints that founded the US, wanted to found a Christian nation. Wrong again. Read the personal writings of the Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and George Washington if you still believe or insist on claiming that the United States should have religion dictating what its 300 million plus citizens should do. Not only would this be a logistical nightmare (Catholics vs Protestants, Puritans vs Calvinists vs everyone else), but it would relegate anyone not glib, rich or organized to second-class citizenship. Christian values, unless subject to cherry-picking, would

Donahue also trots out the tired old canard about objective morality. According to Donahue (and WLC, Ravi Zacharias et al), objective morality cannot exist without god. What they fail to realize is the false dichotomy (one of a few in this book) inherent in this statement. Even veteran apologist Bill Craig has conceded on his Reasonable Faith website that god is not subject to these selfsame "objective morals." Wow. That would make those morals subjective and arbitrary. Special pleading, the weak last resort of apologists trying to justify biblical genocide. Just google "william lane craig" +Canaanites if you doubt me.

I fail to see the "radical secularism" present in nuns advocating a woman's right to choose abortion, especially since they tend to be frequent rape victims in unpropitious parishes. As for the college students who were threatened with arrest for passing out Christian leaflets without faculty permission, I'd have to land squarely in the university's corner here. Adult students should have more respect and be more tactful in a public environment (or a private one populated by individuals of multiple creeds, religions and ideologies). Christians are bound by the law too. No one should be able to violate the peace with impunity. I would include captive-audience preaching in public trains, parks, streets and schools in this category. I do not wish to hear Ray Comfort's voice overpowering my headphones.

William's disingenuous tactics of equating the mainstream liberal/secular movement with extremists who see no difference between incest, child rape and homosexuality. Is he deliberately obtuse, or is he trying to stir up emotions against equality? I don't think too many individuals outside NAMBLA are actively trying to legalize child rape. Do you think so? Does anyone outside Bill's Catholic League? Not surprisingly, another of his many targets is Sam Harris. What is Bill's issue with Harris, specifically his Letter to a Christian Nation? The "fact" that the US is a Christian nation (it's also a white, rich elitist nation if most polls are to be believed). Bill actually sees nothing wrong with a majority of Americans believing in a literal creation and a young Earth. Is he sane? Evolutionary theory was the basis for most of modern medicine, including new vaccines against new strains of influenza that emerge every year. The fewer people accept evolution, the fewer cutting-edge doctors will be working for the Land of the Free. I do not see anything even remotely helpful about Creationism.

He waxes poetic for a few pages about "immoral" and "disgusting" works of art. Why the Puritanism? A recent study (Pornography, Public Acceptance and Sex Related Crime: A Review) has even shown that religious sexual repression, and NOT pornographic access, are far more likely to result in an individual committing sex crimes. There has also been absolutely no correlation at all between more porn and more sex crimes. A healthy attitude towards sex is crucial here; humans are sexual beings, like all animals, and aside from mass castration, this is never going to change. For the record, a recent study also showed that the average of a child's first pornographic exposure is ELEVEN YEARS OF AGE. So we're really pushing poo uphill when we attempt to institute abstinence-only education and expect it to work (it never will).

Donahue fails to understand the First Amendment. There is no such thing as a one-way wall, as he seems to imply. Compounding his ignorance is his claim (also spouted by Dinesh D'Souza during bouts of verbal runs) that Christianity was responsible for religious freedom and democracy. Wrong again. The concept of democracy originated in ancient Greece, and Christianity waltzed hand-in-hand with the Roman Empire (among others) led to repeated acts of ghettoization and genocide, and it was only through teachings garnered during the Enlightenment that democracy finally took hold.

In summation, this is good for a laugh, much like Rush Limbaugh's books. If you're looking for actual discourse, I would recommend something more middle-road, like Tammy Bruce's book The Death of Right and Wrong.

Mr. Donahue takes the position that the secular are trying to destroy America. That is simply not true. Those who are secular just want the government to be neutral when it comes to religion, not to state there is a deity but also not to state there is not a deity. No secularist or even atheist wants a Pledge that says, "In no God we trust" but just onces the marketplace of ideas to debate that question. If a deity is true then it does not need governmental help and if not true then it is folly for the government to endorse a nonexistent being. Morality, ethics are a function of harm and that is what the secular want, for the government to ensure we as citizens dont' harm others.

Now, if those who are secular are critical of religions that state that birth control should not be legal, gays should be imprisoned for "sodomy"; then yes secularists are opposed to such religious beliefs being enacted by the force of law. Mr. Donahue also takes the view that criticism of religion is analogous to racism, though religion is a belief system and not something that someone is born with, such as darker colored skin. Mr. Donahue wishes that everyone would treat his particular religious belief with the utmost respect but has no problem at all in attacking the harshest possible language the beliefs of those who are secular. I am all for an even debate but that is not want he wants. In fact, he is in general an embarrasment to more moderate Catholics which in his case is probably 98% of Catholics.


Donahue in one line takes a quote by an individual who compared "Islamists" and Christians conservatives. This was in regards to the belief that both Muslims and Christian conservatives (mind you not all Christians) want to use their religious laws/beliefs to have greater authority in the secular law. Donahue though states that the individual was comparing Christians to Muslim terrorists. The man did no such thing. Either Donahue doesnt' understand the difference or he is outright lieing.

Donahue also expresses his opposition to a gay pride/rights parade that went past St. Patrick's Cathedral. He then proceeds to compare the march by this group (to be fair who aren't the biggest fans of the Catholic church) ever) to Nazis marching past a Jewish syngogue or the KKK marching past a black church. How deeply offensive! The KKK killed African Americans and oppressed them. The Nazis did the same with Jews. For the life of me I can't remember any organized gay persectuion of Catholics. At best they might enage in a bit of mocking of Catholic beliefs on occasion but that is hardly lyching someone or putting them in ovens. I will grant that the Catholic church does not show the same hostility to people who are gay as the more reactionary churches in America, but a group that is denied the right to marry whom they love because in part opposition by the Catholic church, has grounds to not like Catholicism that much. Tell me Mr. Donahue, is there any organization of gays and lesbians who are trying to ban Catholics from marrying? Probably not. Many Catholics do support same sex marriage and gay rights but Donahue represents a fringe of the Catholic church and maybe a disappering fringe at that.

While his heart may be in the right place, I've never had much use for Donohue because he uses his seemingly constant appearances in front of O'Reilly and Scarborough to rant about puny-talent loudmouth knuckleheads like Jay Leno, Madonna Ciccone and Bill Maher while not saying boo about the public figures who do real damage to the Church (he does this even more egregiously in 'Catalyst' his pathetic excuse for a journal which typically has something from "The View" as a cover story). Nary a peep about homosexual apostates in the clergy like Roger Mahony, Theodore McCarrick, Rembert Weakland, Thomas Reese, Theodore Hesburgh or John Jenkins. Rarely if ever a word either about blaspheming 'catholics' in public office like Teddy Kennedy. In Donohue's world, a collar or election victory makes you immune from criticism, while a mitre entitles you to have all Catholics prostrate themselves before you as slaves.

Donohue declared on EWTN last month that this book was going to provide him with the opportunity to address more serious subjects, which he does - for about 20 pages (he condemns Paul Shanley - how brave!). The rest of the book consists of him congratulating himself for organizing boycotts of obscure movies that no one was going to see anyway.

If you're looking for a title which thoroughly defends the moral side in the culture war, go to the top of this page and enter 'Patrick J. Buchanan' in the search bar. Here you will find several selections that feature scholarship rather than self-aggrandizement.