In this section I will attempt to bring out what God desires American Culture to be.

"Apostles of Truth for the 21st Century"

Jesus sent the apostles out to convert all nations. This nation is in dire need of whole scale conversion away from the practices of Hedonism, selfishness, and greed, and back to Faith, Hope, Love and Truth. The Bishops have this responsibility to work on this conversion of the United States.

The priesthood of the bishops calls them to serve ("Feed MY Sheep") the spiritual needs of a greater number of people, usually both Catholic and non-Catholic, in the areas they are assigned. The call to "Feed My Sheep" extends to reaching out to all those in their assigned area. This includes being a "Voice Crying out in the Wilderness" for Truth and Justice as well as disciplining Catholics who publically defy or advocate defying the teachings of the Church. They are responsible for insuring that through their priests and their individual efforts that the people (including their priests and themselves) are feed properly. They can choose where appropriate to use laity to meet some of the needs of feeding their sheep.

Bishops need to strongly lead their people (Catholic and non-Catholic) towards God, teaching and admonishing where necessary, always pointing towards Christ, regardless of the secular persecution he undergoes (Matthew 5:10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness, the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs."). Bishops should hold (and are answerable to God for holding) their priests up to high standards, including living upright moral lives, speaking out on the Truth, not being quiet when pressure is applied, etc. If a bishop is unable or unwilling to lead, he should resign and let someone who will lead, lead.

Bishops also need to carefully examine every seminary they use for priestly formation to ensure that it is faithful to the magisterium, provides solid holistic instruction, and is staffed by only good upright individuals living solid moral Christian lives.

Bishops also have a responsibility to call their brother bishops back to the truth when they stray or neglect their duties, deviate from the teachings of the magisterium, or fail to properly speak out. This should be done in the spirit of brotherhood.

Personally individual bishops, like all the faithful, should lead lives that serve as good Christian examples for all to see both publically and privately.

"Hands of Christ loving according to their Charism"

Each religious order has is own special charism and its members are called to live out that charism to its fullest in their service of Christ. Always in obedience to the Church and their vows, religious should be signs of Christ in a country and a world that no longer understands love.

Religious should also work to integrate their service into that of the diocese(s) in which they serve. Communications is important between the religious orders and the dioceses to better and more efficiently serve the people.

Lay orders, such as the Secular Franciscan Order, should live out their charism as laity being lights of faith, hope, love, and truth in the secular world, having a dual vocation as both laity (single or married) and religious.

Religious superiors should adapt where appropriate their orders to better fulfill their charism and should ensure that all religious under their care have sufficient opportunities for spiritual growth.

Personally individual religious, like all the faithful, should lead lives that serve as good Christian examples for all to see both publically and privately.

"Fulton Sheens for the 21st Century"

"The Conscience of America"

Just as the Vatican serves as the conscience of the World, including in the United Nations, so too should the Catholic Church in the United States serve as the conscience of the United States looking out for the interests and rights of every person.

The Church must be absolutely loyal to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and all its teachings.

This includes using only magisterially approved texts for liturgy and completely following the magisterially approved liturgical guidelines.

Everything we do should be done with prayer, always centering ourselves on God, and letting ourselves be His instruments.

We also should pray for all those endeavoring to bring about the desired cultures, that God assist and guide their efforts. We should pray for a strong (morally) outspoken clergy that will lead the people to the Truth always and correct individuals as necessary.

In a society where people live longer and longer and many reach retirement from active work, there is a untapped source of good spiritual men who can serve as priests. These men have a lifetime of experience to draw upon, and given any good spiritual background, can make excellent priests, assisting the bishops in feeding the sheep. Not the 80 hours a week many priests put in, but what they can handle in a way that they can handle it. They should continue to draw their pensions, savings, and Social Security to support themselves, but have an opportunity to share residences with other priests.

A formation program would need to be developed significantly shortening the formal educational requirements for these men, focused on what they need for their service. Not every priest needs a Masters in Theology. This would require Vatican approval and a good screening process (looking for a good healthy mature spirituality in the men).

Can a married retiree, become one of these priests? That is a good question open for debate. I would say "yes" provided that the couple has no children needing support, the man and wife live celebately as brother and sister, and they both vow obedience to their bishop.

Seminaries should be environment where candidates for the priesthood and the deaconate are guided by only moral upright individuals of outstanding character towards their clerical vocations. These individuals should include priests living holy lives who fully support and live the teachings of the magisterium of the Holy Catholic Church.

At the end of the 20th Century, the Church in the United States has lost some of it reverence for holy things and God. We need to through teaching the people and solid examples restore a sense of reverence towards the Eucharist, the altar, and the sanctuary. Individuals should always be aware of their presence and behave reverently towards them and courteously to others around them. We also need to pray reverently remembering that each individual prayer addresses God directly or indirectly.

Health Care at the end of the 20th Century in the United States was characterized by the (1) significant advances in medical options and treatments, (2) discrimination in who can receive care, (3) unfair pricing policies, (4) overwhelming admistrative bureaucracy, and (5) lack of medical record sharing among providers.

I offer two principles about homosexuality.

1. Active Homosexuality is a Serious Sin.

   The Church needs to deal with active homosexuality as any serious sin. Strongly standing against these sinful acts, including punishing and removing priests that actively practice it or advocate its practice. Anyone who advocates homosexuality should not be permitted to teach in any Catholic institution, particularly in seminaries.

2. Love those who are confused about their Sexuality.

   Homosexuality is a mental disorder, sometimes caused by childhood abuse and should be treated. Many efforts supported by the Church have been successful in reaching out and helping those affected by this disorder, helping them to live in accordance with the teachings of God; The Church should continue this efforts.

I offer four principles of what should not be done. Everything not specially excluded is included and encouraged.

1. The Church shall not Govern the State.

   The Church should not force itself on either the state or individuals. Christianity itself calls for voluntary submission to the laws of God and the Church by the individual or by his guardians acting in faith and love on his behalf. This does not mean that the Church should remain silent when basic human rights (such as the right to life) are being denied by the Government.

2. The State shall not Govern the Church.

   As stated in the first amendment of the United States Constitution, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof", it is essential that we support this as written and not as some would like, that the Church should avoid politics or any issue addressed by the government. Congress should be considered to include the Courts, the public schools, the state and local governments, and the whole federal bureaucracy as well.

3. The State shall not Corrupt the Church or its Members.

   As stated in the first amendment of the United States Constitution, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof", it is essential that we support our free exercise of religion and object to any attempts to teach or influence individuals with contrary beliefs or practices by the government. Congress should be considered to include the Courts, the public schools, the state and local governments, and the whole federal bureaucracy as well. We must object as individuals and as Church to the advocating of immorality in any form by the government, including teaching of hedonism (a false religion) in the public schools and to the denial of basic human rights (such as the right to life) to any individual (whether Catholic or not).

4. A Nation without God is without a soul.

   God should be a vital part of the peoples of every nation. A nation that denies God, denies the very soul of the people, hurting the people and destroying itself. The Church should endeavor to keep the nation as a "Nation Under God".

I offer three principles on the issue of Marriage.

1. Advocate Covenant Marriage.

   Many people in the United States do not understand that marriage is meant to be a covenant, a total giving of oneself to another. We as Church need to educate the public on what a covenant marriage is, why it works, and why it is good for the couple involved. The culture today teaches that marriage is a convenience that is discarded when it gets uncomfortable. This is wrong. The Church needs to lead the effort to transform marriages back to covenant marriages.

   I recommend the use of the term Covenant Marriage in our speech to be clearer to those who do not understand our viewpoints.

2. Marriage is always between a Man and a Woman.

   No exceptions ever.

3. The state should grant special benefits for Covenant Marriages

   Covenant Marriages, that is marriages for life between a fully committed man and woman, promote healthly lifestyles and behaviors of their entire family and those they associated. This is very good for society and the state should grant special benefits for those committed to covenant marriage. In many cases, this means that a state may recognize two different forms of marriage, covenant marriage and non-covenant marriage with preferential treatment given to covenant marriage and divorce being much more difficult under covenant marriage. This is fine as the benefits of covenant marriage over non-covenant marriage to society warrant the preferential treatment.

At the end of the 20th Century, the United States news media for the most part, presented a slanted view of the news, presenting opinions as fact, and misleading the general populace. The Catholic Church is often the victim of this bias for speaking up against the immorality supported by the major news media in an attempt to belittle the Church and its statements.

I offer three principles on Media Bias.

1. News should be Objective Reporting of Facts.

   News should always be the objective reporting of facts. Any opinion given should be stated as opinions and properly attributed with an opportunity given for alternative opinions to be presented. Under no circumstances should opinions be presented as fact. The Church needs to stand up against those media outlets that use their news programs to spread the opinion as fact.

2. Experts representing a view should represent the official view.

   People who dissent from church teaching should not be used to present the Catholic view on an issue. The Church needs to speak out strongly when the media chooses dissenters to represent Catholic views.

3. The Church should be very vocal when Church teachings are misrepresented.

   It is important that the Church speak out whenever the news media misrepresents the teachings of the Church. This should include denouncing those who Dissent from Church teaching and claim to speak for Catholics.

A large myth floating around is that the world is overpopulated and action must be taken to reduce population - this is false.

I offer two principles on Population Control.

I offer one principle about pro-life viewpoint and the Catholic viewpoint.

Rudeness in society and in homes has drastically increased during the twentieth century.

I offer one principle on Rudeness.

I offer one principle about scientific research on humans.

1. Scientific Research on Humans is permited if it respects the human dignity and rights of all.

   The dignity or human rights of the person being experimented upon must be respected in all scientific research. It is never valid to use illicit means to accomplish good ends. The creation of human life just to kill it is a serious sin and should never be permitted under any circumstances.

I offer one principle about sexual relations.

1. Sexual relations between husband & wife in covenant marriage only.

   Sexual relations should be restricted to be only between a husband & wife in a covenant marriage. All other sexual relations are degrading to the value of human life and injure both the parties involved as well as others. Sexual relations outside of marriage is always wrong.

I offer seven principles about taxation.

1. Taxation should not discriminate against the poor.

   Tax structures should be applied fairly to all people, without special breaks for the rich and without overburdening the poor. This needs to consider the effects of loopholes. (For example, The estate tax disriminates against the poor and middle class in that the rich use tax shelters to hide their estates from it, thus avoiding the taxes while making a select group of lawyers wealthy, and the estate tax delays processing estates which hurts the poor significantly more than the more wealthy.)

2. Taxes should not encourage unhealthy practices.

   The government should not through its taxes encourage behavior that is physically, psychological, or spiritually unhealthly for its citizens or lower level governments. (An example of a bad tax item is a deduction for state taxes in determining federal tax. This means that the federal government is encouraging bloated state governments by subsidizing their inefficiences.)

3. Taxes should be considered in aggregate.

   When considering the effects and fairness of taxes, all applicable taxes and ways to avoid them should be considered in the evalutation. This will often show unfairnesses in aggregate that discriminate against the poor or the working.

4. Taxes should not discriminate against healthy family lifestyles.

   The tax structures should never encourage unhealthy life styles and should always promote stable healthy families.

5. The tax structure should promote economic growth.

   A growing economy brings opportunities to people to work, to improve their lives, and to improve others lives. A good tax structure will encourage economic growth, rewarding new investments, expansions, and innovations. A growing economy results in greater taxes and if taxation is managed well, a reduction in tax rates as well.

6. The costs of collecting & enforcing taxes should be considered.

   This applies when looking at who to tax as well as what sort of taxes make sense. For instance, by having a higher minimum threshold for income taxation, more people do not have to fill out forms and file taxes, so less support staff is required overall to support the tax.

7. Sales tax on necessities should be lower (or even non-existant) compared to luxuries

   Necessities, such as simple food, water, basic housing, basic clothing, basic utilities, etc., should have lower sales tax rates (or even a zero sales tax rate) than luxury items and entertainment. The lower tax to necessities helps the poor, particularly the working poor while costing pleasure seekers and those who buy luxuries high sales tax rates. In a consumer-based economy, the state should strive to keep total costs of necessities down and rely more of entertainment and luxuries sales taxes to fund their activities,

We have seen in last part of the 20th Century, incredible advances in technology.

I offer five principles about Technology.

1. Most technology is neither good nor evil by itself.

   Technology is just a tool of man. It can be used to in both good and evil ways. Some technology only has evil uses and these technologies should be actively opposed by the Church.

2. Technology should be used to accomplish good means.

   Technology well used can improve the lives of everyone. It can be used to improve the quality of life, the quality of education, communications, transport, etc. The Church needs to advocate technology use that helps people.

3. The Church needs to oppose evil uses of technology.

   Just like all evil, the Church needs to actively oppose all evil uses for technology and all technology, such as the Abortion Pill, that only has evil purposes.

4. Illicit means should not never be used to advance technology.

   Technology research and advancement should always occur through moral means.

5. Where technology can be used to advance the Church's mission, it should be.

   Where technology facilitates the Church's mission, the Church should take advantage of it. In this case the technology can be considered a gift from God.

I offer one principle about terrorism.

1. Terrorism is always wrong.

   Terrorism, the use of violence, internationally, nationally, or domestically, to terrorize a population by individuals, groups, or governments, is always wrong, regardless of the desired purpose.

I offer one principle about violence.

1. Violence should be avoided as much as possible.

   Violent acts should be avoided as much as possible, including domestic violence, neighborhood violence, vandalism, terrorism, etc. You are permitted to use violence only to the degree necessary to defend yourself and those in your care and when necessary in lawful moral endeavors, such as old building destruction and mining, for examples, providing that other people and property are not harmed.

I offer three principles to remember about the womanhood.

I offer 2 principles on the issue of Work.

1. We must advocate for the basic rights of Workers, owners, and the recipients of the work.

   Human work should also be conducted maintaining the humanity dignity of all involved. This includes protecting the rights for workers to organize (or not organize as the individual sees fit), to be evaluated and compensated based on what they produce, and demanding that all labor associations represent the interest of all of its members and not advocate their leadership's distinct political agendas.

2. We must advocate for meaningful work to be available for all people.

   It is within the dignity of man to work and participate in God's creation. Society should foster opportunities for all people to work using their skills and providing for themselves and their families.

I would like to thank the Holy Spirit for all of His inspirations for this document.

I would like to thank the following people for their suggestions and contributions to this document:

Pope John Paul II (through his life and his teachings)
Kristen, SFO
Les Richardson
Tony Russo