The Return to Order Moment

Since he came to the Papal throne in Two Thousand Thirteen, many have had reason to doubt Pope Francis’s allegiance to Church tradition. Since so many of the Church’s basic teachings rely upon traditional doctrines, this is a major problem. This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at two situations in which Pope Francis appears to be determined to discard traditional Catholic practice and...

Since World War II, humanity has deceived itself by believing that a single global government could bring peace and harmony. The appeal of globalism is as understandable as it is unworkable. The globalist’s error begins with pride. They believe that humans perfect themselves and create a God-less “brotherhood of man.” If all people decide to set aside their selfish vices, we can all live in harmon...

No event since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 is likely to have more far-reaching consequences than the shameful set of events being played out as this episode is being recorded. The media – both on the left and the right – have said much about the ignoble way in which President Biden abruptly ended U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. Much of that coverage consis...

For much of the summer of 2021, the American TFP has been holding public events to raise the awareness of Americans to the conditions in Communist Cuba. This included a successful petition drive asking President Biden to help deliver Cuba from the Communist yoke. However, political help will not be enough. Far more important is the supernatural assistance that only God can give. This episode of th...

There is no question that the Papacy is in crisis. The Return to Order Moment and many other podcasters have discussed the various crises of Pope Francis’s pontificate in great detail. Over its 2000-year history, Holy Mother Church has faced and overcome many crises – most of which looked as dire to those living through them as our current crisis does to us. In today’s episode of the Return to Ord...

Educational theories seldom make it into national news. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is an exception. As many states and localities base curriculum on it, parents openly reject it. Other states are trying to banish any traces of its Marxist influence. Much coverage of CRT is pessimistic, and with good reason. Informing the American public about its harms is critical. However, the situation is not lo...

If you want to know what the so-called Democratic Socialists have in mind for the United States, you need only look ninety miles south of Florida. Ever since 1959, Cuba has been ruled by the sort of government that modern leftists crave. If you want to see how well this Socialist Utopia works, you need only look at the demonstrations that rocked Cuban cities. The best way to assist the downtrodden...

These are troubling times within the Catholic Church. We look around us and find a curious dilemma. Many Catholic laymen and some of the hierarchy lift high the Church’s timeless traditions. At the same time, the Pope and others among the highest leaders of the Church behave as though these traditions are obstructions to their goals. Mr. James R. Bascom analyzes this curious situation in his essay...

“The Big Lie” has long been a key weapon in the Socialist’s arsenal. Publically, they repeatedly profess their support for American values like human rights, freedom of speech, and responsible use of natural resources. At the same time, they promote policies that endanger people, cancel those whose opinions they oppose, and erode our energy infrastructure. This episode of the Return to Order Momen...

Since the establishment of the Church by Our Lord, 266 men have served as pope. Over those two millennia, many of them left their fingerprints on both the Church and history. For that reason, there is always a good deal of discussion about the legacy of any pope. Most of these idle speculations are worthless. However, very few men have examined the actions of Pope Francis and their importance with...

What do you see when you watch the television news footage of the ‘mostly peaceful’ demonstrations that have taken place over the last year? Like most people, you probably notice the fires first. However, the next time that you see some of this film, look at the mostly young people doing the protesting. These are haunted faces – hostages of anger and rage. If you asked them why they are so angry,...

The modern world has embraced so-called transgenderism with the fierceness of a mother bear protecting her cubs. That is an apt analogy, because this class of people was an invention of the so-called Gender Studies movement. They pretend to protect human rights, but their real goal is right out of the Karl Marx playbook – the destruction of the traditional family. Mr. James Bascom’s essay, “Why th...

Modern Americans often treat History as a kind of Trivial Pursuit game, only played by those who enjoy such esoteric pursuits. In reality, History is far more important. In the best sense, it is the story of God’s providence for humanity, the capstone of His creation, as described in the book of Genesis. Indeed, much of Holy Scripture consists of books of History. In today's podcast, Mr. John Horv...

The Crusaders of the Middle Ages shed their blood to free the Sepulcher of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the hands of the infidels and to establish a Christian kingdom in the Holy Land. Those of us who have not been called upon to shed our blood like these martyrs can, and must, pray and act to free the world not only from the errors of Communism and Islam, but also those of the cultural revolution s...

Perhaps no pope – certainly no pope in modern history – has persistently created controversy and concern among faithful Catholics than the current pontiff, Pope Francis. The pope is given to words and gestures that are often ambiguous. Then, he refuses to clarify the concerns that his conduct raises. Within those raised to respect the office of the Papacy and its occupants throughout history, Pope...

As we do occasionally, this episode of the Return to Order Moment will focus on a single person, in this case Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. First there is a short biographical sketch of this "Doctor of the Church." The heart of the podcast is a meditation written about Saint Thérèse by the founder of the international TFP movement, Professor Plinio Correa de Olivera in 1971. In it, Prof. Plinio expand...

America’s public school system was created in the 1830s. The goal was to produce good citizens. Private and parochial schools were established with many of the same goals. The idea was simple – if this was going to be a government of the people, by the people and for the people – then the people need to be educated. Education is supposed to equip students with basic skills and teach them how to gr...

This episode focuses on Mr. John Horvat’s review of the new book, "Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life" by Jordan Peterson. First, Podcast Host Edwin Benson will read the article. After that, Mr. Horvat and Mr. Benson will have a conversation about the article and book in which Mr. Horvat expands some of the ideas in his review. Read the article: https://www.returntoorder.org/2018/04/12-rules-for...

Today, the Return to Order Moment presents “Making Sense of the Chaos that is Destroying America” by James R. Bascom. Listeners who are unfamiliar with the work and principles of Return to Order’s parent organization, the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property will find this episode especially interesting. Mr. Bascom provides here a kind of introduction to the TFP’s gu...

The International “Green Movement” only knows one strategy. It proposes to give all economic power to national governments. Their mistaken premise is that those governments will institute policies that will produce clean air, clean water, and prevent more species from extinction. Such an attitude ignores the fact that totalitarian nations have terrible environmental records. It would come as a sur...

On September 12, 1960, the Democrat’s Presidential Candidate, Senator John Kennedy, described his view of being a public official and a Catholic. “I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party’s candidate for President who happens also to be a Catholic.” Ever since that time, Catholics who wanted to hold public office – mayors, governors, congressmen, senators, judges an...

There is one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church. However, it is divided into three parts. The Church Triumphant consists of those members who have been received into God’s Presence in Heaven. The Church Expectant are those undergoing purification in Purgatory. The last part of the Church is us – the believers on Earth. The term for the Church on Earth is strange to modern ears. It is the Church...

If you asked anybody during the Medieval Period about Gothic architecture, they would not know what you were talking about. The word Gothic developed later, and it was not intended to be a compliment. For centuries, it was common for academics to look upon anything Medieval with disdain. This attitude prevailed despite the fact that Europe was filled with monumental cathedrals and numberless villa...

On March 19, Two Thousand Thirteen, Pope Francis became the Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church, replacing the recently retired Pope Benedict the sixteenth. Since that time, he has spoken in a voice so equivocal as to leave theologians and scholars confused and uncertain. Many times, it has appeared that the Pope is more interested in punishing faithful Catholics than h...

Those who try to thrust modernist philosophies, often called “Woke,” present their ideas as inevitable. They proclaim, “We are on the right side of history!” All too often, more traditional Americans, who fear confrontation, yield to the progressives’ shrill demands. That is unfortunate, because most of the leftists’ favorite ideas are logically weak. When courageous citizens arm themselves with f...