Tradicat

 + JMJ In 2011, there was a conspiracy theory / fad amongst some Traditionalists to believe in Geocentrism.  It got to the point where the SSPX issued a statement (see references below).  The core issue that I have with the Geocentrists that I have encountered is that their arguments are incoherent and don't prove what they think they do. For example, in order to believe in Geocentrism is it necessary to set aside the basic understanding of Gravity and Centrifugal forces. This is what is keeping the satellites in orbit, not, as one geo claimed, the balance of the universe all around us does. Other arguments are based on their literal interpretation of the Bible. We, as Catholics, are already supposed to know that there are issues with that approach depending on the passage. Then there's the conspiracy theory against Galileo.Which, I'm not going to dig into today. The key point is that, with its biases against actual evidence, poor arguments, Catholic Geocentrists make the...

 + JMJ I realised a while back that conspiracy theories are attempts at explaining complicated events. Which isn't a big deal until they become a belief. When I first entered the Traditional Catholic domain, there was a theory the Paul VI had been replaced by some nefarious people.  The reasoning what similar to the SedeVacantists, the pope can't do X, and did X so he can't be pope. Fast forward forty years and we have a respectable academic ( Home - Sister Lucy Truth ) saying the same thing about Sister Lucia. It is basically the same premise all over again, Our Lady said X and Sister Lucia said X (about the consecration) and that can't be so ... Sister Lucia can't be Sister Lucia. You see where this is going? People get kidnapped all the time, but this one is a stretch for a big reason: The fake Sister Lucia lived amongst her sisters for years and most importantly was visited by her relatives. If she'd been swapped out don't you think they would have notic...

 + JMJ  I've made it no secret that I have an allergic reaction to conspiracy theories, something that I have to work to manage. This Harvard Article gives a quick guide to assessing information that crosses our virtual and real doorstep. Tradical Summary WORTS : Information that 'weakens our relationship to truth'. While the acronym is a little contrived, the reality is that we need to understand the background behind a 'news' item.  Is the person paid to make the statement? Do they have motivations are they mixing truth, speculation and fiction. I was sent a conspiracy video a little while ago. I did some digging and couldn't help but notice that the video author has a nice splashy merch page. When I fact checked his story, within 10 minutes I found that he was either ignorant, ignored or lied about the evidence that debunked his theory.  It made me wonder if he's more interested in living of our merch and clicks than dealing in the truth. Error-Free Data ...

+ JMJ There is a lot of FUD being spread about by people who are unable to understand and cope with the facts surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19. The attached video gives some good insights to how rumours transform into conspiracy theories. ... and there's a lot of rumours and mis-understandings of actions being taken to contain the virus. For example we have the 'camps' conspiracy theory.  For the last 30 years this conspiracy theory has surfaced several times.    For some reason the Nazi concentration camp trope is an enduring one.  One that people jump to when presented with information that can interpreted in multiple ways. This requires critical thinking skills which are, sadly, lacking amongst those spreading the FUD. So what to do? First and foremost deepen your spiritual life - otherwise it will die and you will make BIG mistakes. For example look at former Father Joseph Pfeiffer. He's locked into his path and has been obsessively seeking to be consecr...

 + JMJ   A Dec 31, 2018 post ( Conspiracy Theories and Traditional Catholicism ) mysteriously attracted a few comments. Then the mystery was solved ... Dr. Chojnowski cited my old article on his blog here and issued a challenge .  First, here's what I said about his conspiracy theory: Because he is trying to 'prove' his conspiracy theory concerning Sister Lucy - namely that, like the 1980s theory that Pope Paul VI was 'swapped out' with a double, that Sister Lucy was replaced by a 'double'. To demonstrate this he is trotting out a number of expert opinions that confirm his theory. I find it laughable that he relies on the 'photographic evidence' and seems to dismiss the evidence provided by relatives because they were 'behind a screen'.  There's more to recognizing a person than just the unimpeded visual aspects. But debunking this theory is not what I want to highlight ...   Here's his challenge:  Dr. Chojnowski: Here is m...

+ JMJ There's a few conspiracy theories circulating about the origin of the pandemic and this is simply people looking for a simple explanation for a complex event. Sorry people, if you want to understand what is happening, you're going to have to trust the experts with appropriate qualification.  For example a practicing American osteopathic physician such as Dr. Rashid Buttar just doesn't cut it.  Qualifications to look for are PhD's in infectious diseases, genetics, immunology.  A now a few facts: The virus was circulating as early as October (note1). It is not a human derived virus (note 1, 2 and 3) A preliminary study out of Germany supports the infection fatality rate "the percentage of all the people infected who eventually die of the disease" to be ~0.4%.  (note 4) Data suggests that 80% of infections are mild or asymptomatic, 15% are severe requiring oxygen and 5% are critical requiring ventilation (note 5).  This ratio emerged months ...

+ JMJ I hope you're all keeping well amidst the coronavirus outbreak. Part of my role at work is to monitor the risk context and covid-19 forms a large part of it right now. There's a lot of crazy 'opinions' out in the intergnat, some of it down right dangerous. So ... here's something that I found on Navy Times about have covid-19 discussions. Also ... don't miss the editorial commentary at the end of the article. Source:Navy Times - How to talk to someone you believe is misinformed about the coronavirus P^3 How to talk to someone you believe is misinformed about the coronavirus Emma Frances Bloomfield, University of Nevada, Las Vegas March 17 The medical evidence is clear: The coronavirus global health threat is not an elaborate hoax. Bill Gates did not create the coronavirus to sell more vaccines. Essential oils are not effective at protecting you from coronavirus. But those facts have not stopped contrary...

+ JMJ Here's a good covid-19 analysis page ( link ) being updated by McKinsey. Good analysis from a business perspective that summarizes the information in a format that a layperson can understand. P^3 https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/risk/our-insights/covid-19-implications-for-business

+ JMJ I just checked my 'Tradical' email and noted an email from Louie Verrecchio.  Its title was enough that I became curious about what he was up to ... While I'm not certain if we need another 'Traditional Catholic' newspaper, I was interested in the contributor listing: With an impressive line-up of trustworthy contributors like Fr. Vidko Podržaj, Cornelia Ferreira, Dr. Peter Chojnowski, Randy Engel and others, The Catholic Inquisitor is committed to defending Catholic tradition – every issue, every month – without compromise. Can you guess which one I found of interest?  Dr. Peter Chojnowski Because he is trying to 'prove' his conspiracy theory concerning Sister Lucy - namely that, like the 1980s theory that Pope Paul VI was 'swapped out' with a double, that Sister Lucy was replaced by a 'double'. To demonstrate this he is trotting out a number of expert opinions that confirm his theory. I find it laughable that he...