My Dear Brothers and Sisters

Dictatorship of Relativismby Ken HannaThanks to the “Praise and Worship’ team at the Church of Our Lady of the Cedars in Woodmead, and the men’s group at“ T h e l e m o n S q u e a z e r ’ , w e w e r e a b l e t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n i n t e r e s t i n g w o r k s h o p s .The theme - “Christian Apologetics” by world renown exponent, Raymond Da Sousa.An apologist is one who defends the faith using reason and natural law.The theme is one which Pope Benedict XV1 depicts as the greatest challenge facing humanity in the 21st century,t h e d o c t r i n e t h a t h u m a n k n o w l e d g e i s o n l y r e l a t i v e l y t r u e o r c e r t a i n .T h a n k s t o t h e L e b a n e s e m e n , n a m e l y, J o e S i m o n , M e l v i n A n t o n i e , Tr e v o r F a g r i a n d f a t h e r R o n n i e , A n t o n y H a n n o u c h a n da few others, we heard the Catholic viewpoint to this challengeA f t e r a d e l i g h t f u l L e b a n e s e B r e a k f a s t i t w a s d o w n t o t h e n i t t y g r i t t y o f t h e “ a b s o l u t e t r u t h ” - S o m e t h i n g t h a t t h e C h u r c hc a n n e v e r c o m p r o m i s e o n .Relativism applies to such issues as abortion, euthenasia, the “pill”, sleeping together out of marriage, divorce,homosexuality and lesbianism.The issues were widely debated and discussed, but not a mention on how to resolve.O n e o f t h e a n s w e r s c a m e f r o m L e b a n e s e t h e o l o g y s t u d e n t , G a v i n R i s k .E d u c a t i o n , c o n s c i e n c e a n d n a t u r a l l a w ! ! !Talking of education, one has to mention the driving forces behind the New Lebanese School in the South ofJ o h a n n e s b u r g , w h i c h w i l l e x p o u n d t h e C a t h o l i c , L e b a n e s e a n d M a r o n i t e e t h o s .F a t h e r B a d a o u i H a b i b a n d t h e L e b a n e s e M a r o n i t e M i s s s i o n a r i e s a s w e l l a s s u c h d y n a m i c p e o p l e i n t e r e s t e d i n e d u c a t i o n ,o u r v e r y o w n R a y m o n d J o h n a n d M a h a D e e b , o f t h e S o u t h A f r i c a n L e b a n e s e E d u c a t i o n a l a n d A d v a n c e m e n t F o u n d a t i o n .Raymond John is on the Governing body of both these dynamic Lebanese Instutions.“ C a t h o l i c A p o l o g e t i c s ” a s w e l l a s t h e c o u n t e r t o t h e D i c t a t o r s h i p o f R e l a t i v i s m i n t h eLebanese community is in good hands!!!