The Al Smith Dinner is an annual charity gala organized by the Archdiocese of New York, held in honor of Alfred E. Smith, the first Catholic nominee for President of the United States. This event raises money for Catholics, brings together leaders from politics, media, celebrities, and other elites, and is traditionally attended by U.S. presidential candidates. Since 1960, it has been customary for the major-party presidential candidates to attend the dinner in person during election years.
This year, the Al Smith Dinner was held on October 17, 2024. Kamala Harris did not attend in person but rather sent a video recorded message to those in attendance. It was reported that Roman Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan was “upset” that she was not attending. [1] Donald Trump did attend the dinner, which was televised nationwide. In her prerecorded speech, Kamala Harris said that she would never say anything negative against Catholics and praised the charitable work that the Catholic Church does. She urged Catholics and everyone else to put aside their differences, find common ground, work together across the divide, and to build a better future with faith in God.
Donald Trump publicly attacked Kamala Harris for not personally attending the Al Smith Dinner and called it an act of great disrespect to the Catholic community, to which the public applauded. Donald Trump then turned to Roman Catholic Timothy Dolan and told him that he was not going to miss this event. Trump then asked the Catholics present that they had to vote for him and reminded them that he was present and Kamala Harris was not. He also praised the work of the Catholic Church and the Catholic community and expressed how he worked with Cardinal Dolan to send “billions” of US dollars to help Catholic education which was suffering during the Covid pandemic.
In this election season, we are seeing how politicians, in order to gain the favor and approval of powerful religious groups, are submitting and bowing to Rome. At the Al Smith Dinner, both Republican and Democratic politicians used this platform to court the Catholic vote by praising the Catholic Church and its contributions to society. Recognizing the strong sway that religious leaders and communities can have over voters, both Trump and Harris are making statements that demonstrate their willingness to align their message and policies with Rome.
Politicians who appeal to Roman Catholics for their support during elections frequently pay a higher price afterwards, as the church will expect them to toe the Catholic line when calls for Sunday laws are revived once again in America. Whenever we see presidential candidates flirting with the papal power of Bible prophecy, these actions will always result in the worst possible outcome.
“Protestants have tampered with and patronized popery; they have made compromises and concessions which papists themselves are surprised to see, and fail to understand. Men are closing their eyes to the real character of Romanism, and the dangers to be apprehended from her supremacy. The people need to be aroused to resist the advances of this most dangerous foe to civil and religious liberty” (Great Controversy, p, 566),
“The dignitaries of church and State will unite to bribe, persuade, or compel all classes to honor the Sunday. The lack of divine authority will be supplied by oppressive enactments. Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance” (Great Controversy, p. 592).
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Hmmmm! Wasn’t there something, somewhere, said about the uniting of church and state? I seem to remember something!!!
The doors are opening up. Are we walking through by intensifying our efforts to share the Truth?
https://unfoldingprophecy.substack.com/p/wake-up-americawake-up-world
Only one Catholic signed the declaration of independence. This country was built by freemasons. Look at the design of any city. Beverly hills looks like a Masonic pyramid from the air. I believe the masons had a plan in place to deal with Catholicism when it tries to take over America completely. I think there is a lot more we don’t know than we do know.
The colonists, including their philosohy in their religion, as the people up to that time had always done, were neither skeptics nor sensualilsts, but Christains. The school that bows to the senses as the sole inerpreter of truth had little share in colonizing our America. The colonists from Main to Carolina, the adventurous companies of Smith, the proscribed Puritans that freighted the fleet of Winthrop, the Quaker outlaws that fled from jails with a Newgate prisoner as their sovereign-all had faith in God and in the soul. The system which had been revealed in Judea-the system which combines and perfects the symbolic wisdom of the Orient and the reflectve genius of Greece- the system, conforming to reason, yet kindling enthusiasm; always hastening reform, yet always conservative; proclaiming absolute equality among men, yet not suddenly abolishing the unequal institutions of society; guaranteeing absolute freedom, yet invoking the inexorable restrictions of duty; in the highest degree theoretical, and yet in the highest degree practical; awakening the inner man to a consciousness of his destiny, and yet adapted with exact harmony to the outward world; at once divine and human-this system was professed in every part of our widely extended country, and cradled our freedom.
Our fathers were not only Christains; they were, even in Maryland by a vast majority, elsehwere almost unanimously, Protestants. Now the Protestant reformation, considered in its largest influence on politics, was the awakening of the common people to freedom of mind.
During the decline of the Roman empire, the opressed invoked the power of Christianity to resist the supremacy of brute force; and the merciful priest assumed the office of protector. The tribunes of Rome, appointed by the people, had been declared inviolable by the popular vote; the new tribunes of humanity, deriving their office from religion, and ordained by religion to a still more venerable sanctity, defended the poor man’s house against lust by the sacrament of marriage; restrained arbitrary passion by a menace of the misery due to sin unrepented of and unatoned; and taught respect for the race by sprinkling every new-born child with the water of life, confirming every youth, bearing the oil of consolation to every death-bed, and sharing freely with every human being the consecrated emblem of God present with man.
But from protectors priests grew to be usurpers. Expressing all moral truth by the mysteries of symbols, and reserving to themselves the administration of seven sacraments, they claimed a monopoly of thought and exercised an absolute spiritual dominion. Human bondage was strongly riveted; for they had fastened it on the affections, the understanding, and the reason. Ordaining thier own successors, they ruled human destiny at birth, on entering active life, at marriage, when frailty breathed its confession, when faith aspired to communion with God, and at death. (History of the United States, Bancroft Vol. 1.)
With the upcoming election, here’s a vital reminder to the counsel provided by inspiration through Sister White:
“The Lord would have His people bury political questions. On these themes silence is eloquence. Christ calls upon His followers to come into unity on the pure gospel principles which are plainly revealed in the word of God. We cannot with safety vote for political parties; for we do not know whom we are voting for. We cannot with safety take part in any political scheme. We cannot labor to please men who will use their influence to repress religious liberty, and to set in operation oppressive measures to lead or compel their fellow-men to keep Sunday as the Sabbath. The first day of the week is not a day to be reverenced. It is a spurious sabbath, and the members of the Lord’s family cannot participate with the men who exalt this day, and violate the law of God by trampling upon His Sabbath. The people of God are not to vote to place such men in office; for when they do this, they are partakers wit
With the upcoming election, here’s a vital reminder to the counsel provided by inspiration through Sister White:
“The Lord would have His people bury political questions. On these themes silence is eloquence. Christ calls upon His followers to come into unity on the pure gospel principles which are plainly revealed in the word of God. We cannot with safety vote for political parties; for we do not know whom we are voting for. We cannot with safety take part in any political scheme. We cannot labor to please men who will use their influence to repress religious liberty, and to set in operation oppressive measures to lead or compel their fellow-men to keep Sunday as the Sabbath. The first day of the week is not a day to be reverenced. It is a spurious sabbath, and the members of the Lord’s family cannot participate with the men who exalt this day, and violate the law of God by trampling upon His Sabbath. The people of God are not to vote to place such men in office; for when they do this, they are partakers with them of the sins which they commit while in office.” {GW 391.2}.
“My brethren, will you not remember that none of you have any burden laid upon you by the Lord to publish your political preferences in our papers, or to speak of them in the congregation, when the people assemble to hear the word of the Lord?” {Lt 4, 1898, par. 10}.
“I call upon my brethren who are appointed to educate to change their course of action. It is a mistake for you to link your interests with any political party, to cast your vote with them or for them. Those who stand as educators, as ministers, as laborers together with God in any line, have no battles to fight in the political world.” {Lt 95, 1899, par. 14}.
While I do not vote in political candidate elections, I DO hope that Trump wins.
The man is quite quirky, but I can hardly stomach the idea of Democrats staying in power to continue their dismantling of decent moral values here in the USA and then exporting godless principles and philosophies abroad.
I do as well.