Ted Flynn interviewed by Maureen Flynn of Signs of the Times for his new book, DIABOLICAL DISORIENTATION: The Roots of the Crisis in the Family, Church, Nation, and the Culture.
Maureen: Ted, how did this book come about?
Nearly eight years ago I started writing short articles for the internet on SIGN.ORG, on various subjects that are relevant to our times. For about six months I called them, Letters to Sardis. Sardis is one of the seven churches with contemporaneous spirits to the church listed in the Book of Revelation (3:3). The Lord exhorts Sardis, and says, “strengthen those that remain.” I ceased calling them that because so few knew who or what Sardis was. The Lord is speaking clearly to the remnant church throughout history as he addresses Sardis. Nearly eight years ago when I started writing these exhortations, it was obvious we were fast on our way to be the small remnant spoken of in that passage. And the articles I have written are tailored to encourage the remnant to stand firm in the faith no matter what the future holds.
The material draws from the wisdom of the ages.
Q. How have they been received? The articles have been received very well, and I am grateful. It is the reason I put them in a book. In total I have done about 70 articles ranging from about two and a half pages, to those longer when written for the magazine Signs and Wonders for Our Time. It’s the age of the internet, and I get e mails from all over the world on a frequent basis. Some articles have struck a strong emotional chord especially as it relates to what is happening in families with the breakdown in the Church, and the culture. So goes the Church, so goes the family. They are joined at the hip. I think if there is one major response from the beginning, people are confused.
Q. What is the major topic you write about over the years?
There really isn’t one in particular, but the reason it was easy to condense all the articles into forty-five chapters is because I decided to focus on the topics in the subtitle of the book. There is a lot of social commentary, and the articles are very heavy into exhortation to edify believers from discouragement. The material is what all of Heaven, canonized saints, the Blessed Mother, Scripture, history, philosophers, and great thinkers say about coping in times of anxiety and stress. The content flies above the noise of the day to focus on the rubrics and fundamentals of the faith no matter the circumstances around us, so we can keep our sanity in the midst of a world growing increasingly mad.
The fact is people are struggling, and families are under great stress, and I give Heaven’s Solutions based upon what history has experienced. If you wish to know the future, study the past. You could see this situation rolling at us years ago. Right now, we are into deep division everywhere you look, as evil is accelerating at an alarming pace. This is to be expected, as Satan knows his time is short. It’s like the end of a big sporting event if the game is close with a short time to go. You see a great flurry of activity as the teams go for broke. In that flurry of activity only one team will win. And yes, in the end we win and believers should not lose sight of that.
Q. If you did over 70 total articles, what is the general drift?
There are several major themes as we all watched this tide of confusion, clerical scandals, rampant immorality, and political and ecclesiastical debacles spread over the continents. First, and foremost is that we are in unique times. Any historian will rightfully say there is nothing new under the sun going on as the Church has had its substantial challenges over the last 2,000 years. But there are many nuances into that issue at the present moment. The interconnectivity of the global economy is a major one affecting us. What happens today in Rome or Moscow is at your computer screen immediately or some form of social media. The world has never experienced this deluge of information. The dissemination of information for purposes of propaganda and disinformation is easily manipulated and controlled today. People don’t really know who or what to believe. This is a secular issue where people can be as informed on any topic they wish immediately. But who and what you read, and who to believe ripples for all of us, and discernment is necessary. Often conversations are just mindless chatter, and it is not spiritually healthy.
Q. And the second point?
This is by far the most important for the believer. We are told in Scripture, “Heaven is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” The words from Heaven are reliable and time tested for all circumstances no matter the storm around us. They are reliable in EVERY situation, and staying faithful is key. We can weather the storm if we stick to the principles of Scripture and all Heaven has told us. I have presented what giants before us have said about times like ours. All articles have a spiritual orientation, and no matter if one is a believer or unbeliever, they will see the truth in what has been said either from a theological, philosophical, or historical standpoint. The information is rooted in logic and wisdom from reliable sources.
Q. What should be our response?
That is the biggest issue of them all as it concerns our mental and spiritual health going forward. How we conduct our daily lives? How are we to react to the absolute lunacy and outright insanity (I use this word without reservation) around us we see at every turn? Many people are feeling crushed from the general moral slide and it is why community is so important today. Young families have a lot more to deal with than previous generations when the Church was the Rock. It is still the Rock, and will always be the Rock, but the language coming from some clergy have them confused. However, we are told “the gates of hell will never prevail against it.”
Q. What is the role of the Church now?
This is a big question. The ramifications on what is happening around us is extremely emotional for many. The ideological camps are very divided and it will continue. People are now questioning the Church more than previous generations, largely due to the dissemination of information that shows their view is now in the open for all to see. Everyone has an opinion and they are not afraid to express it on any issue. There are not many peacemakers at the moment because the divide is so extreme. I take the moral high ground and go Solution Based for the Mystical Body of Christ. Clergy can no longer duck for cover when they say or do something, no matter the subject. The information of what someone believes is available on all sorts of web sites. Herein lies the break up of many family relationships as peoples world-views are more raw and exposed. There is often more heat than light in general conversations concerning issues because of a political bias from the beginning. Most people have drawn a line in the sand for what they believe one way or the other. The tolerance level for differing opinions is significant and becoming dangerous. Someone doesn’t need to be around another individual for very long to know what side of the fence they are on politically or ecclesiastically.
People are choosing to congregate with people of similar views because this division of ideology is of such concern for their own peace of mind and soul. A single sentence or phrase can ignite a dining room table or any social gathering if there is a dissenting view from another on a number of subjects. Bringing up Donald Trump or Pope Francis is a sure bet if someone wants to engage another. I see it all the time. People just don’t want to battle in public settings so they are resorting to gatherings with people of similar views as their own to maintain an equilibrium and order in their lives. It is like a match on gasoline if people are in the room with differing views and express them. It is tribal thinking whether one has articulated it or not.
Q. So what is the believer to do? How do they cope in this environment?
That is the majority of the content throughout the book, and still remember the meaning of the Gospel is “The Good News.” The book is designed to lift people spirits in an increasingly dark environment. It is important to maintain joy in our spirit no matter the circumstances around us and not walk around with hunched shoulders. That is key for everyone now. The examples in Scripture are numerous on this issue. Believers through the ages have been here before us. Many saw this coming at us like a freight train, and the ultimate issue is how do we conduct our lives in the midst of turmoil and exude the joy of Christ that is contagious.
Q. Where are we headed politically?
We are not on the path of socialism, but we are marching to communism. I go into detail on the nuances of this thinking in several articles. After spending some much time in Poland and Belarus in the early 1990’s, America is not getting it correct on the differences of socialism, Marxism, progressivism, democratic socialism, relativism, secularism, humanism, communism, and all sorts of other “isms.” It is important to know those signs in front of us.
Q. What role does the Blessed Mother have in your thinking?
I have written extensively of the connection between the political and the spiritual over the last 30 years. People are now seeing the Blessed Mother’s apparitions in a different light because they have been so accurate. Quito, Guadalupe, Pontmain, Akita, Fatima, Rwanda, are just a few major apparition sites discussed in the book. A thinking person can no longer deny these events, and there is validation for the person following what has been said because there is vindication for the thought expressed over the years. No one can read the major approved apparitions in world history and not see the connection to what was said long ago, and what was fulfilled as we presently have such an accurate historical view of what was prophesied. The title is from what Sister Lucy of Fatima said that the world was going through a period of Diabolical Disorientation. Those are very emotive and descriptive words.
Q. Where are we headed?
Well, I hear from people now I would have never heard from years ago that are open to what Heaven is saying. In the past many were not open. People have recently softened from an anti Marian message, because they see what was prophesied came about. It is a beautiful thing if the argument is presented cogently, in truth, compassion, and gentleness.
The truth if spoken by one is still the truth. One must not forget the Blessed Mother said, “I have given you the full and entire truth.” Where we are headed has been given to us in great detail. The guess-work is largely eliminated going forward of what to expect in the Church and the world, because for those listening we know what Heaven has clearly told us. What a grace it is to be aware of our times directly from the voice of Heaven. But, one thing is certain, going forward it will not be dull politically or in the Church.
Q. A final word?
Stick to the fundamentals of the faith and you will thrive. I give Heaven’s Remedy throughout.
Peace.
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Diabolical Disorientation$27.95