Book Reviews2 Secular Sabotage: How Liberals are Destroying Religion and Culture in America

Sep 28, 2009

Book written by: Bill Donohue. New York : Faith Words. 258 pages. Hardback. ISBN 978-0-446-54721-5. $26.99. September 2009.

Bill Donohue is the president of the Catholic League, an organization that strives to defend the Catholic Church against any kind of abuse. In his new book, Donohue reveals and explores the many ways that secularists and many liberals attack Christianity and Catholicism using examples from recent times. He notes that many of these secularists are nihilists who oppose any religious expression being allowed in the public. They want religion to be an extremely private thing although; a majority of Americans say they are Christian or belong to another religion.

To demonstrate this, Donohue examines the fuss over Christmas by secularists who claim to want Hanukah and Kwanza celebrated on the same level as Christmas. They say they are inclusive, but the truth is that they only want to be "inclusive" on their own terms. Secularists and many liberals hide behind the word "multiculturalism" to bash the traditions and cultures of the majority of Americans. Donohue and others like George Weigel and Pope Benedict have shown that the secularists are winning in Europe and they could win in the United States if they are allowed to do so.

Donohue points out that the Democratic Party used to have a great amount of Catholic support from bishops on down to lay people. Somehow he explains, the party has forgotten its past and has given into secularists and pro-abortionists. Many Catholics who say they are Democrats are pro-abortion and do not support some teachings of the Church on many issues such as: women’s ordination, vouchers for schools, homosexuality, and other teachings and issues. However, there are some Catholic Democrats who support all the teachings of the Church, but they are finding it more and more difficult to support the Democratic Party of their Catholic ancestors.

Donohue then discusses how secular-supporting Catholics or liberal Catholics can be worse enemies of the Church. Many liberal Catholics say they are Catholic, like Catholics for Choice and Call to Action, but they oppose many teachings of the Church and join forces with secularists to oppose the Church in various ways, like the arts, abortion, etc. This controversy has divided many Catholics against each other.

The reader may at first think that Donohue is just ranting and raving, but he is instead pointing out incidences that have occurred and what the effects have been. The general reader will have no problem reading or understanding what Donohue is writing about. He writes where all can understand what is going on in the United States - that a secular liberal minority is trying to shut up and shut down the Christian majority. He and others do not want to shut the minority down. They just want to stop the bashing.

This book is highly recommended to those interested in defending Christianity and Catholicism and its culture and traditions.

Bill Donohue has been president of the Catholic League which was founded in 1973, since 1993. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from New York University and has taught at La Roche College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.