Basic Catholic Catechism Moral Principles

The fifth commandment, "thou shalt not kill," commands us to do what is reasonable to look after our spiritual as well as material well-being, and that of our neighbor. We are not obliged to do what is unreasonable.

The present state of frenzy and total shutting down of society in the face of a pandemic is against the fifth commandment as stated above; the fourth commandment, which regulates the respective rights and duties of the State and its citizens; and especially the first commandment, "I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no strange God's before me." The first commandment forbids putting "safety," "health," or anything else, before God.

The third commandment is also brazenly violated by the present political decisions, to the scandal of all men: "Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day," by forbidding the people from discretely going to Mass, not only on Sunday, but on any day of the week. The Mass and divine worship are systematically proscribed as an "unnecessary" social activity. Men and women are allowed to go out to fornicate, sodomize, pick up contraception, have abortions, and pick up food from the store, but forbidden to go to Confession and to receive Holy Communion! Everyone is allowed to handle and exchange dirty money and credit cards but not allowed to sanitarily receive the Sacred Host from the consecrated, washed and sanitized hands of the priest.

It seems to me (Plinthos) that the social, economic and religious costs and upheaval caused by the present state of "Medical Martial Law" is far beyond a reasonable response to the coronavirus. Our response to any enemy has limits, and those limits are the inviolable rights of God and of men. It would be much more reasonable and economical to quarantine and regulate those members of society most vulnerable to die from the disease than to forcibly quarantine the populations of entire nations or even of the entire world.

The Catholic moral principle of double-effect allows us to unwillingly suffer an evil effect (in this case the probable dying of some of the weakest members of our society) for a proportionate good, namely the defense and promotion of the ongoing freedom and well-being of the vast majority of citizens and of the whole society. Based on the principle of double effect we should not fear this virus but humbly accept it and face it with all of our technological resources, within reason, for the good of all. God does not require us to cause the upheaval of the whole world to possibly save a few of our members. He may actually forbid that, the direct causing of social upheaval, including the violation of all citizens, perpetrated by the vainglory of Godless men who substitute a faulty and uncertain technology for the one true God, Jesus Christ, who never fails.

We need to use our intelligence to promote and defend the rights and well-being of all men and of the whole of society, giving the greatest glory to God in Christ. Only by glorifying God will we see rightly how to best serve men, under God.

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