‘Saints vs. Scoundrels: Fulton J. Sheen vs. Saul Alinsky’

[Denise]

When speaking of the notorious community organizer Saul Alinsky, Christians are quick to quote the forward of his infamous book, “Rules for Radicals.” In it, he dedicates his book to: “The first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom. Lucifer.” And if that wasn’t enough, he follows up with this statement: “Let’s say that if there is an afterlife, and I have anything to say about it, I will unreservedly choose to go to Hell.”


EWTN’s ‘Saints vs. Scoundrels: Fulton J. Sheen vs. Saul Alinsky’
Speaks Boldly To Problems in Our Own Troubled Times
By Michelle Laque Johnson

When speaking of the notorious community organizer Saul Alinsky, Christians are quick to quote the forward of his infamous book, “Rules for Radicals.” In it, he dedicates his book to: “The first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom. Lucifer.” And if that wasn’t enough, he follows up with this statement: “Let’s say that if there is an afterlife, and I have anything to say about it, I will unreservedly choose to go to Hell.”

That’s enough for most Catholics to roundly reject him. And while that’s the correct sentiment, the real reasons we should reject Alinsky’s philosophy run much deeper than these ridiculous statements would indicate. That’s the genius of the latest episodes of EWTN’s blockbuster series, “Saints vs. Scoundrels,” which pits the great and hugely popular Archbishop Fulton Sheen against Alinsky in a battle of ideas. (Part 1 airs at 6:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 22, with a re-air at 6:30 a.m. ET, Thursday, Sept. 26. Part 2 airs at 6:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29 with a re-air at 6:30 a.m. ET, Thursday, Oct. 3 – only on EWTN,
www.ewtn.com/everywhere

Evil often has a kernel of truth to it, which is why good people can be fooled. At the beginning of Part 2, observers of the battle between these two titans notes we initially learn that some of Alinsky’s ideas – such as caring for the poor, are “downright Christian.” And yet, says another observer: “There’s something not quite right…and I’m sure that Bishop Sheen will not give up until he figures out what it is.”

Episode 2 of this show is where things get really interesting. After highlighting what Christians have in common with Alinsky, Bishop Sheen drills down on Alinsky’s self-described embrace of “Machiavelli,” who taught that one can use evil means to accomplish a good end (in other words, the ends justify the means), as well as his belief that if society’s “have-nots” keep defeating society’s “haves,” as in the Nazis, the world will be a better place.

But the good Bishop challenges Alinsky by asking him to think more deeply about his Nazi example: “…efore they rose to power, the Nazis were the have-nots. In fact, Hitler identified with the poor as he was poor himself once, and he sought to make the Nazi party a socialist party, the party that would build up the German people against the power of the haves. He considered the Jewish bankers, the haves, to be the ones responsible for impoverishing so many Germans. I assume you would not have become a community organizer for the Nazis, and further, I assume that you would not condone the Nazis using any means to gain power.”

Alinsky has to agree. But Archbishop Sheen is just getting warmed up, and his explanation speaks to the battles that are taking place in our own Century:

“If every so-called have-not takes your advice and thus assumes that he can use any means to gain power, then he will demonize all who oppose him. He will proclaim that they are evil as such, that they are the equivalent of Nazis and fascists, when in fact they are quite ordinary people with an opposing view. Instead of political dialogue, there will only be demonization and intimidation, voter fraud and character assassination. The threat of violence will hang over every political disagreement and society will become ever more polarized, all because you teach that every issue must be entirely polarized.

“If I were a prophet, I would say that if our society accepts your ‘Rules for Radicals’, there will soon be nothing left of democracy at all. And how will that help anyone? How will it help if people really believe there was no room for political compromise? If there is no room for reason in political debate, but only for ridicule? If lying about one’s opponent is considered far more effective as a means for victory than telling the truth, then hence, the public forum will be filled with lies. Do you wish to be known as the father of such lies?”

As Bishop Sheen notes: “We are in … real danger of evil revolutions of have-nots, who, by winning, take humanity into greater darkness than it has ever experienced.”

There is so much more to this program than we have room for in this article. If you care about or are confused about the origin of today’s problems, this program truly is a “must-see.”