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The Neo-Catholics: Implementing Christian Nationalism in America by [Betty Clermont]

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Betty Clermont

The Neo-Catholics: Implementing Christian Nationalism in America Kindle Edition

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Volumes have been written about the role the Religious Right played in achieving its
ultimate goal - the presidency of George W. Bush. But few know the primary and
essential role played by Catholics in instituting and directing the Religious Right as
the means for the neoconservative takeover of the U.S. government, a group the
author calls neo-Catholics. The first neoconservatives - Irving Kristol, Allan Bloom,
and Francis Fukuyama - were proponents of the philosopher Leo Strauss who
considered the ideal state as one ruled by an intellectual elite with religion used to
mollify and intimidate the masses into obedience.

Not only did Catholic leaders have a millennium of experience in propping up
monarchs and dictators, but also Catholics were the largest denomination in the U.
S. Neoconservative Catholics were ready, willing and able to implement the
American brand of church/state unification: Christian Nationalism.

This book examines how hawks and neo-conservatives in the Republican Party
forged a nexus with powerful right wing Catholics that would change the face of
American Catholicism, the structuring of social policy in the United States, and the
American agenda in the world.

At the start of the 1980s, the Church’s social justice agenda had been committed to
alleviating poverty, to demilitarization, to affirmative action,and to ending capital
punishment-an agenda antipathetic to the Republican platform. By the end of the
nineties, its justice agenda was marginalized, and political action was mobilized
around concern for the dying and the unborn.

Clermont's rigorous and extensively documented research examines how it was
done.

Print length

351 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Clarity Press
Publication date

December 2, 2010
File size

1467 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

" Betty Clermont helps us recall, in excruciating detail, a history of the U.S. Catholic right and its tremendous influence in the U.S. government since Ronald Reagan began forging ties with the Vatican. In vivid scene after scene, Ms. Clermont lets the documented facts tell the story, of how the American bishops diverted our money (not theirs) away from programs promoting social justice into political action that could only make Republicans smile. A darn well written study in the abuse of power by lordly bishops who rest assured because they rest assured." --ROBERT BLAIR KAISER covered Vatican II for Time magazine. He is the author of Cardinal Mahony: A Novel.

"Betty Clermont's The Neo Catholics tracks the links of Republican politics, big money and Catholic ideologues with a muckraker's zeal. Even those who do not share Clermont's every position will be pulled along by her relentless scrutiny of how the pro-life agenda turned into a hothouse for war-mongering and the endless money-hunt." --Jason Berry, author of Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II and Lead Us Not into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children

"Betty Clermont's The Neo Catholics tracks the links of Republican politics, big money and Catholic ideologues with a muckraker's zeal. Even those who do not share Clermont's every position will be pulled along by her relentless scrutiny of how the pro-life agenda turned into a hothouse for war-mongering and the endless money-hunt." --Jason Berry, author of Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II and Lead Us Not into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children

Offers a well-documented thesis that you have an explosive mixture when you mix a powerful hierarchical church with political neo-conservatism's elitist view that the rich and powerful always know what is best. This is what [Clermont] chronicles early in the work, explaining that fundamentalist theological leanings and ultra-conservative political ideology combined to create a Catholic Movement which was at ease working with rightwing Protestants. This coalition virtually created Ronald Reagan and set itself up as a bulwark against the purported liberalism, relativism and moral excess of liberals in the 1960s... These players were instrumental in finding common ground with the Protestant Religious Right, which was then assimilated into what Clermont calls "a common religious discourse, political sympathy and sense of priorities." This analysis is largely ignored in other works and represents the first eye-opener for even those who think they are well attuned to the machinations of right-wing dogmatists. A second major contribution is the extraordinarily detailed description of how the Catholic hierarchy, in Rome and in the United States, became deeply involved in the past three presidential campaigns...A third topic rarely covered in detail before is the strong neo-Catholic support for--and benefits received from--President Bush's Faith-Based Initiatives, his effort to give religious charities and even local churches federal dollars for their ostensibly secular programs dealing with hunger, homelessness, addiction and other social crises... The Neo-Catholics is a fine resource for persons interested and concerned about the unsettling union of church and state which always seems poised to enter the neighborhood--any neighborhood. She uses a dazzling array of sources and the endnotes are an invitation to further reading in this area." --Barry Lynn, Director of American United for the Separation of Church and State, reviewed in Conscience Magazine, September 2010

"Betty Clermont helps us recall, in excruciating detail, a history of the U.S. Catholic right and its tremendous influence in the U.S. government since Ronald Reagan began forging ties with the Vatican. In vivid scene after scene, Ms. Clermont lets the documented facts tell the story, of how the American bishops diverted our money (not theirs) away from programs promoting social justice into political action that could only make Republicans smile. A darn well written study in the abuse of power by lordly bishops who rest assured because they rest assured." --Robert Blair Kaiser, author of Cardinal Mahony: A Novel.

"Betty Clermont's The Neo Catholics tracks the links of Republican politics, big money and Catholic ideologues with a muckraker's zeal. Even those who do not share Clermont's every position will be pulled along by her relentless scrutiny of how the pro-life agenda turned into a hothouse for war-mongering and the endless money-hunt." --Jason Berry, author of Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II and Lead Us Not into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children

"Now a new book lets us place the attack on CCHD in the larger context of a conspiracy by historic conservative lay groups within the Catholic Church, their allies in the Catholic hierarchy, and conservative Catholic business elites to defeat the welfare state, strengthen corporate power, and align public policy with socially conservative, individual morality theology. Author Betty Clermont, herself a lay Catholic and former employee of the Atlanta Diocese, makes this case in the Neo-Catholics: Implementing Christian Nationalism in America. It is well worth reading..." --Mike Miller, Social Policy --This text refers to the paperback edition.

From the Publisher

Catholics are 24% of the American population, almost three times the number of the second largest religious group, Southern Baptists. They are a significant force in the US educational system, with 150,000 Catholic school teachers teaching 2.7 million students.

* There is no other book which traces the history of the alliance between the GOP and the Holy See and weaves their mutual ambitions for power and money into the narrative.
* While much has been written about the neo-conservatives and the Christian fundamentalists, there is little material on the pivotal role played by individual powerful Catholics and American Catholicism in establishing this alliance
* This book addresses the profound shift in Catholic social concerns which the neo-Catholics were able to establish, and as such should be of great interest to socially concerned Catholics and their numerous organizations.
* The efforts towards beatification of Pope John Paul II will stimulate much interest in the pontiff's deeds; this work will provide a critical counterpoint to the likely deluge of eulogies.

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004XJ4YUQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Clarity Press (December 2, 2010)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 2, 2010
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1467 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 351 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0932863639

Best Sellers Rank: #2,002,709 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #420 in History of Catholicism
- #856 in Religious Studies - Sociology
- #969 in Roman Catholicism (Kindle Store)

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4.2 11 ratings

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Emmett A. Coyne

Connecting the dots between church and state

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2014

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Betty Clermont assiduously connects all the dots to persons and events as to who Neo Catholics are and what their agenda is. She has done the heavy lifting to demonstrate causes and effects of persons to actions. She provides incredible substance to my position that the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) in its present manifestation is more of Caesar than Christ.
The RCC is astute enough to recognize why control of the USA is important to imposing its interpretation of morality on all, not just RCC members and not just in the USA. Once smitten by power invested in it by the Roman Empire, the RCC has never extricated this virus but only through the centuries fine-tuned it, adapting to the evolution of political change. In its heart it remains monarchical and repudiates any collegial or democratic impulses. Caesar would marvel at its ability to adapt in order to maintain power.
Betty Clermont presents a conspiracy theory with legs. The Neo Catholics are those in sync with the Vatican’s lust for power. She takes us behind the curtain and demonstrates how the RCC conspires with the power brokers, how it employs willing surrogates to do its bidding, often non clerics. It seeks to put in place power brokers who will be beholden to its desire to control. It seeks compatible bedfellows (Catholic or not) who have vested interests in keeping the world safe for the rule class. It plays hardball with all who might dare get in its way.
Sadly, what goes on in public and private rarely are on the same page. Janus is the face of governments, and uniquely, the RCC. They are two-faced. The recent dump of Wikileaks reveals this duality. Neo Catholics may be members but not necessarily true believers of the message of Jesus. His message that the greatest is the one who serves, not lords it over, is given lip service when convenient, and for Neo Catholics it is primarily for the gullible masses.
It is understandable why people in general are skeptical of all who would preen to be powerful. The public revelation of private documents simply underscores the public’s disbelief in all addicted to power.
Neo Catholics acknowledge the powerful hold of the RCC on the public, largely through its “theology” of fear. Ingratiating itself with the male elite of the Roman Church is of mutual interest. And, more often than not, Neo Catholics have more money, and hence, access to the powerful. Money and power go hand and glove.
In her book, Betty Clermont weaves how Opus Dei, has inflicted its contagion since founded in the Spanish fascist incubator, driven to select and influential persons who would be fellow travelers, Catholic or not. Opus Dei hates the light of transparency, as does the power driven, for fear its deeds will be revealed. Doing its deeds in the dark, behind the scenes, the “Opaque Dei,” ingratiates itself with the hierarchy of power and wealth. Ms. Clermont emphasizes how the soon-to-be-sainted, Pope John Paul II, provided unprecedented uniqueness to Opus Dei in permitting it to be an independent prelature, subject only to the Roman Pontiff.
The role of Neo Catholics whom she identifies is singular to the RCC. There is no other international religious body which aligns persons of power and wealth to enforce its agenda. Whether the RCC arguably in its present manifestation is the true church, it is truly the only religious body which has a political agenda to impose upon the whole world. -
Anyone who picks up the gospels and reads them and then views the RCC, will it see a mirror of them?
Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of “pew potatoes” will not read Neo Catholics. To which the Vatican breathes a huge sigh of relief. Nonetheless, her book is essentially a necessary work of unmasking the RCC today and the Neo Catholics who seeks to make it into its image rather than conform to Jesus, the Christ. Betty Clermont insightfully reads “the signs of the times,” and hence, her work provides a fuller picture of the RCC at this juncture of history. Betty is an exorcist.

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Karl logan

Damning Indictment of Catholicism and Conservatism

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2010

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If you've been paying attention to politics and current events at all in the last ten years, You've undoubtedly asked yourself at least a few of these questions:

* How in the name of God did America--once renowned as the bastion of Truth, Liberty, and Hope--fall so low into the pit of the Machiavellian NeoConservative pit of extreme political cynicism, lies-promulgated-as-Truth, and aggressive belligerence toward the rest of the world? How and why does a propaganda outlet like Fox "News" manage to consistently lie, mislead, spin, and distort "Truth", and why do Americans consistently surrender their intellectual curiosity and march in lockstep to the mendacious pipers?

* How in the name of God did traits like Morality and Integrity in both our political and religious leader become merely convenient slogans, but personal inconveniences which seems to be required of the common-man populace, yet not of they who would promulgate them most fiercely?

* How in the name of God could a nation once as forward-looking, technologically-progressive, and scientifically cutting-edge be seemingly marching backward into a fundamentalist-inspired, ideological darkness of conservative religiosity?

What if the answers to all of these questions was, ironically, "In the name of God"?

Betty Clermont writes a concise, well-researched manuscript which, quite frankly, will both horrify and anger you in both the scope of, and clarity by which she documents the origins and growth of the Vatican's inextricable involvement and entanglement in what are most surely the darkest instances and episodes of our nation's past 40 years, from the twilight of the Viet Nam war to the present day.

The format of the book is one of its strongest points. Divided into short, 1-2 page sub-chapters, the book moves along briskly, and yet provides enough informational calories per sub-chapter to feel like a meal. There is little tedium to the prose, and the format enables the use of the contents page as an easy, quick, and effective reference for the major players in what can only be righteously called "the conspiracy". This is a great book for say, bloggers or editorial writers looking to have a factbook immediately on hand to rail against the main antagonists.

AT the heart of the book is the clear progression of the neoconservative alliance with conservative religious groups, all overseen and seemingly controlled from within the Vatican and CIA. It clearly shows the obsession with control and authoritarianism which has so characterized Catholicism through the ages, and its current manifestation as the guiding mantra of neoconservative. I was surprised to learn of the real reasons for America's entanglements in Central America under the Reagan years; how the "real" Pope John Paul II was so markedly different from the euphemistic, "saintly" way he is remembered today by some; of the prevalence of the Knights of Malta and Opus Dei in the entire weave of the story, and how at the heart and core of the entire manuscript, how distinctly "UN-godly" and "immoral" were the entire cast of ostentatiously "religious" and "moral" hypocrites. I was also frightened at the completely psychopathic, sociopathic character of some of the major Conservative players still on the scene today, and at the level to which they would use the whatever "means" necessary to win their "ends". The books is rife with tales of murder, assassination and intrigue. No one of the major Conservative or religious figureheads in play today escapes Clermont's rapier prose--from Dick Cheney to Pope Benedict. The pedophile scandals are also explored in depth, as is the level of Vatican meddling in the most recent couple US elections.

This is a book that should be read by anyone who genuinely fears for the future of this nation, and realizes that voting--or NOT doing so--has consequences.

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