Avoiding Babylon

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Pope Leo XIV has responded — and the battle lines between MAGA and faithful Catholics have never been clearer. In this episode, we break down Trump's escalating rhetoric, the coordinated effort to cast Catholics as enemies of America, and why the election of an American Pope may be the most providential event of our time.

We discuss the rise of "kosher Catholicism" promoted through outlets like the Daily Wire, why figures like Eric Metaxas, James Lindsay, and Jeremy Boring are suddenly targeting Catholic integralism, and how Protestant Zionist voices are working to redefine what it means to be a faithful Catholic in America.

We also dive into the deeper spiritual questions — Nostra Aetate, the failures of the American bishops on immigration, divine judgment, and whether real persecution is now at the doorstep of the American Church. Is Pope Leo the heel the Church needs to stand against the spirit of the age?

📌 Topics covered:
Pope Leo XIV's response to Trump and the MAGA movement
The "war on Catholics" from the Protestant Zionist sector
Catholic integralism and why it's suddenly under attack
"Kosher Catholicism" and the Daily Wire pipeline
Nostra Aetate, Vatican II, and the end of the Great Commission
Immigration as divine judgment
Eschatology and the coming persecution of the Church

🔔 Subscribe for more: Standing against Babylon, one episode at a time.#PopeLeoXIV #Catholic #Trump #MAGA #CatholicChurch #VaticanII #NostraAetate #CatholicIntegralism #AvoidingBabylon

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Get 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout!
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Your feed can turn any political figure into a saint and any pope into a villain in about five minutes, and that’s exactly the trap we’re trying to name out loud. A livestream failure knocks us off YouTube, but the bigger breakdown is what we’re watching online: Catholics trading the unity of the Church for factional loyalty, outrage, and “my side can do no wrong” thinking. We talk candidly about trad infighting, MAGA Catholic culture, and the temptation to treat the papacy like an obstacle instead of a gift Christ gives His Church. 

We dig into the blowback to Pope Leo’s plain call for peace, plus the unsettling question behind a viral rumor about U.S. officials pressuring the Vatican. Even if a specific story is sloppy, the issue is real: Catholics should never celebrate state meddling in Church life, no matter how angry they feel at bishops, Rome, or the last few decades of scandal. We connect that to the COVID era, sacrament shutdown memories, and how quickly “emergency powers” can become tools of coercion. 

Then we engage Tucker Carlson’s argument that the deeper conflict isn’t merely geopolitical, but spiritual, a sustained assault on Christianity and especially Catholicism. From there we address end times speculation, “man of lawlessness” talk, and why political messianism spreads so easily when faith is thin. The takeaway we keep coming back to is demanding but practical: if we want renewal, we prepare through penance, fasting, and detachment, because Christian victory so often comes through the cross before it looks like triumph. 

Subscribe for more honest Catholic commentary, share this with a friend who feels stuck in political doomscrolling, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway: what helps you stay faithful when the world pressures you to pick a tribe?
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Get 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout!
Check out our sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order!
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Becoming Catholic can feel like a spiritual adrenaline rush, until you hit the first real Monday morning and realize you still have to live it. We sit down with Keith Nestor, author of The Convert’s Guide to Roman Catholicism, to talk about what new Catholics actually face after OCIA: culture shock at Mass, awkward parish dynamics, and the surprisingly hard moment of telling family and friends you’ve entered the Catholic Church. 

We also get honest about “Catholic lingo” and why it matters. Words like offer it up, prayer intentions, confession, sacramental life, and liturgical year are not just insider phrases, they point to a totally different way of seeing the world. Keith shares what helped him avoid burnout and what he wishes every convert knew: celebrate your entry into the Church, go slow, set realistic goals, and stop trying to do every devotion at once. If you’re tempted to jump straight into online debates or liturgy wars, we explain why that can wreck your peace fast. 

The heart of the conversation is Keith’s family story: years of division after his conversion, followed by a shocking chain of events that brought his daughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law into the Church. It turns into a powerful lesson in surrender, prayer, fasting, and letting God do what arguments cannot. We also talk about suffering and why Catholic spirituality doesn’t dodge it, it puts the Cross and the Eucharist at the center, giving real meaning when life hurts. 

If you’re new to Catholicism, returning to the faith, sponsoring someone in RCIA/OCIA, or trying to bring your spouse or kids back to the sacraments, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s discerning Catholic conversion, and leave a review with the one habit you’re committing to next.
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Get 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout!
Check out our sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order!
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Everything feels louder than it should, and somehow less real at the same time. That’s the tension we sit with as Dr. Haugen (Dr. Deep State) joins us to talk about spectacle, propaganda, and the slow spiritual cost of living inside an attention economy that never stops asking for your fear, your outrage, and your loyalty.

We dig into the core idea behind his new book, Saints of the Apocalypse: the apocalypse can look like distraction, not just disaster. From political theater and mass persuasion to the way online narratives “train” desire, we ask what discernment looks like when the world feels scripted. We also connect this to Catholic theology and typology, including St. Stephen, the Church’s historical memory, and how different readings of Romans 9–11 shape conversations about ecumenism and modern religious identity.

From there, we turn to the interior battle: hypocrisy as religious performance without divine content, the temptation to trade truth for comfort, and the urgent need to learn how to suffer well. We close by touching big themes Dr. Haugen explores elsewhere, including AI, the metaverse as a modern Tower of Babel, and Fatima as a warning against confusion that masquerades as peace.

If this conversation helps you see the spectacle more clearly, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. What part of modern life feels most like “theater” to you right now?
Support the show

Get 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout!
Check out our sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order!
Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1
https://www.avoidingbabylon.com
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Locals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.com
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A single rumor from Rome can light the fuse again: is Pope Leo quietly trying to de-escalate the fight over the Traditional Latin Mass and stop turning Catholic liturgy into a battlefield? We start with the latest chatter around easing hostility toward TLM communities after Traditionis Custodes, then zoom out to the deeper question: what does fidelity look like when Church politics, social media, and constant scandals train us to pick teams instead of pursuing holiness?

We also get honest about how online Catholic drama warps the soul. The temptation is to draw hard lines, label people, and turn “calling out” leaders into a sport. We push back on that impulse and talk about why cohesion matters, especially if the cultural weather keeps shifting toward real hostility. The point isn’t to pretend everything is fine. The point is to stay in the Church, stay near the sacraments, and refuse to let rage replace judgment.

From there we dig into Scripture and history, including Genesis 3:15 and the theme of spiritual conflict, plus why the liturgy itself keeps forcing these questions back onto the table especially as we head into Holy Week and the Triduum. We react to a clip about a young adult stumbling into a reverent Mass and realizing, “This is what I’ve been missing,” and we ask what that says about worship, culture, and the future of Catholic life.

If this kind of deep Catholic commentary helps you think clearly, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review. And if you want the extra segments and early access to upcoming guest conversations, join us on Locals.
Support the show

Get 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout!
Check out our sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order!
Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1
https://www.avoidingbabylon.com
Merchandise: https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.com
Locals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.com
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