You Don’t Have To Be a Theologian…

One of the recurring complaints we get at Lay Pulpit (from defenders of Dannie Dolan’s SGG cult) is that we are not very knowledgeable when it comes to “ecclesiastics.”  In a recent article, for instance, we reported how one dissenting commenter stated, “Clearly, the author(s) of this blog are not very familiar with most traditionalists and the FSSP in particular.”¹  Well, we entirely agree with that statement.  We certainly don’t know all there is to know about the FSSP (or the SSPX, or Traddieland in general, or any particular group) – nor do we wish to.

The inference in that aforesaid comment, of course, was that, since we are not “ecclesiastic” (or “theological”) experts, how can anything that we say about the SGG and MHT cult-masters be trusted as “credible” (since they are “clerics” and we are not).  Well, it’s simple: one doesn’t need to be a theologian to be an “expert” on Dannie and Tony, or rather, to point out the evil that they have done.  True, unlike our colleagues at Pistrina Liturgica, we are not Latinists, nor is our knowledge of theology or any other related “ecclesiastical subjects” anywhere close to Pistrina’s.  They are clearly far superior to us in all of those respects – and we gladly acknowledge it (and applaud them for it).

To be sure, Pistrina’s superior knowledge has enabled them to expose Dannie and Tony in so many ways for the charlatans they are – especially for their deplorable lack of knowledge in everything from Latin to liturgy to theology (moral or otherwise).  (And, we might add, they have also been thoroughly successful in dismantling the arguments of those “armchair theologians” who have tried to defend the cult-masters.)  Because of Pistrina’s efforts, Tony’s reputation as a “scholar” (and Dannie’s as a “liturgist”) have been thoroughly demolished, and their abysmal ignorance unmasked.²   

But, again, that is not to say that exposing Dannie’s and Tony’s incompetence is the exclusive province of “theologians.”  One does not have to be a “theologian” (or at least much of one) to prove that the cult-masters are bad men – and that they are imposters.  One doesn’t have to be a “theologian,” for instance, to point out the obvious fallacy (and depravity) of what Cekada said about Schiavo.  Anyone with an ounce of common sense can figure out that dehydrating Terri Schiavo to death was murder, pure and simple.

And one does not have to be a theologian to figure out that the dismissing of the SGG school principal’s sons" watching porn as “boys will be boys” is morally reprehensible.  Nor does it take a theologian to determine that expropriating a chapel’s $123,000+ building fund amounts to theft.³  The list of Dannie’s and Tony’s malfeasance is a long litany indeed; and, when one looks at what they have done, it doesn’t take a theologian to decipher that these two are simply con men looking for material gain at the expense of others.

At both SGG and MHT, there has been a total disconnect between what is good for souls and what is good for the cult-masters.  Get a girl pregnant?  No problem!  As long as you’re a good organist, we’ll overlook that “detail.”  Like to watch porn and animal torture videos?  No problem!  As long as you’re a good server (or can carry a processional cross or a candlestick in one of Dannie’s “pontifical parades”), “you’re good to go!”  It’s not about doing what’s right, but about looking right – and getting the rubrics right.  It’s not about “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you,” but about how often one attends “the show.”  It’s not about how holy one is, but about how holy one looks.  As always, it’s not about substance, but about cosmetics. 

And, again, it doesn’t take  “theological expertise” to figure any of this out.  But, we might add, it does take theological expertise to prove that the cult-masters themselves are not theologians, which – as we mentioned earlier -- Pistrina has done.  And this is important, because there are those who, despite the cult-masters’ deplorable lack of moral fiber, might “respect” them simply for their “theological” or “ecclesiastical” prowess (if they had any), and hence might try to “justify” these imposters on such grounds.  So, it is imperative that the myth of their “expertise” first be dispelled, in order to ensure that they are not legitimized by anyone, using that as a pretext.  And, again, Pistrina has done this. 

So, along with of the “high tech” help of Pistrina, we “non-theologians” have been able to play what we see as a supporting role in exposing the cult-masters, and to make it plain to everyone by now that Dannie, Tony, and Big Don are not “theologians” or “scholars,” but simply opportunistic hucksters – unscrupulous, self-serving predators, who dream up spurious “theological arguments” and invent new “dogmas” to get gullible people to follow them (and to empty their wallets for them).  And because they are unscrupulous, one can always count on them to continue taking the morally wrong path, thus exposing themselves again and again -- and continuing to provide us with new evidence to use against them.

To be sure, enough to date has already been said about these predators to ensure that no new victims ought to fall prey to them.  But again, there are still plenty of unsuspecting victims out there who might fall for their sales pitch.  And because there are, count on Dannie and Tony to continue doing their mischief.  In the end, such behavior will gain them nothing.  They will inevitably destroy themselves; and this will have the beneficial effect of eliminating them as a threat.  But, during that time, whom will they take with them?  How much “collateral damage” will they do?  That is the problem.  And that’s why we’re here: to keep that “collateral damage” to a minimum.

And, just as we have not had to be “theologians” to show the cult-masters for what they are, neither should anyone else have to be.  With what is already known about them, it should be obvious to anyone that they are not in the business of saving souls, but of exploitation – for material gain at the expense of others.  That is why we urge everyone to “get the word out” to others about these predators, so that together we can put them “out of business.”  As we continue to do our part, we ask you to do your part, so that you don’t become their unwitting “accomplices,” and thereby enable these lepers to continue their victimization of the unsuspecting innocent.  You can help stop them, then, by spreading the word, and, of course, by withdrawing your financial support.  So, keep your cash in your wallet, and…

Starve the Beast!

______________________________

¹ Some may feel that our comments to date about the FSSP constitute a blanket endorsement of them.  They do not.  All we’re saying is that the FSSP clergy we’ve met so far have checked out “okay” (and were definitely superior to the trash at the cult centers).  And all we claimed is that no one (other than a pope) has the authority or jurisdiction to rule on anyone’s validity (including theirs); and, since no pope has as yet decided, no one can positively claim that the FSSP are invalid. But that’s as far as we can go.  An FSSP priest, like any other priest, should be first “checked out” for his orthodoxy, etc.  And if one still feels “iffy” about them, then he should go somewhere else.  But if the only “somewhere else” available is SGG or MHT, then we suggest that he stay home.

² Not only is Pistrina “world class” in its mastery of Latin, but they are thoroughly proficient in ancient Greek as well – both of which have enabled them to expose not only Tony’s woeful ignorance of Latin and Latin grammar and his numerous blunders in translation, but also those of whomever wrote SGG’s laughable “Ordo” and its “liturgical calendar.”  Indeed, Tony’s claim to be a “Latinist” (as well as a “scholar” and a “theologian”) is now a totally debunked myth.

And Pistrina’s efforts in this regard cannot be overestimated.  Indeed, no one but they in TradWorld had both the superior knowledge and the will to take on such a task.  But for their diligence and tireless efforts, TradWorld might still be wallowing in the misconception that Dannie and Tony really know what they’re talking about.  And not only has Pistrina done so, but in a most thorough and decisive way.  One must also realize that it took a yeoman effort on their part, for which, unlike the cult-masters, they received no financial compensation.

³ Dannie and Tony took not only the chapel’s building fund ($123,664), but their operating fund as well ($19,330), and then sold the congregation’s chapel out from under them, pocketing the proceeds ($320,000).  And this, of course, is just one of the known examples of their thievery.