The thing about atheists is that are not content simply to ignore religion, but they usually actively attack it. I suppose they often believe that religious believers are responsible for most of the suffering in the world and that it’s their duty to “save” the world from religion. Okay. Christians (and most religious people) also have a sense of mission about what they believe too. The difference is that atheists are often just mean jerks about it. Take this example from the University of Texas-San Antonio where atheists are exchanging any scriptures for pornography.
Recently, an atheist student organization at The University of Texas at San Antonio set up a “Smut for Smut” booth allowing students to exchange their religious scriptures (mostly the Holy Bible) for pornography. Unsurprisingly, they got the idea from another group at The University of Texas at Austin.
Nice. See what I mean about them being jerks about it? This is the equivalent of someone telling you that your mother was a tramp when she was younger and giving you salacious photos of her. What purpose is served by figuratively spitting in someone’s face like this? Are they advancing their philosophy or just reveling in a sophomoric joke that only seeks to shock and offend?
We’re also left wondering what the university is going to do about this. After all, vaunted campus speech codes are supposed to protect people from hate speech (nevermind that such speech codes by a government-funded institution are unconstitutional; if they’re going to have them they should enforce them equally.) But the reality is that speech codes were not designed to protect people from hate. They’re only designed to protect particular protected classes from speech they don’t like, while allowing certain non-politically correct groups to be smeared and attacked as much as those protected classes would like.
Technorati Tags: culture, anti-Catholic
Well it *could* be a comb situation. What on earth do the BC alumni think is going on at their alma mater?
BTW, (o/t) all the blogspot blogs appear to be down now.
“I may be wrong, but I believe that this is yet another sign that BXVI is taking care of business back in Rome.”
Would that it were, would that it were…
The editorial writers of BC’s newspaper “The Heights” state that, “BC should follow Jesuit values, not Catholic doctrine.” Hmmm, I didn’t think that there was supposed to be a difference. It looks as if the editors of “The Heights” have figured something out in spite of themselves.
On another note, which “hunk of land” is BC planning to buy from the Archdiocese now?
Apparently, the rest of the chancery grounds, not including the seminary. Not sure whether that’s an accurate rumor or not.
And then caving-in begins: Dunn said that the University is in negotiations to plan a dance for the spring semester. “The University is hopeful that a proposal for a dance that is inclusive of the entire University community can be arranged in the second semester,” he said.
Soon we will have a solution that appeases the students and displaces the controversy so they don’t appear to buck Catholic doctrine, leaving the alumni and general public none the wiser.
I read the novel and found it interesting because I had read HBHG previously and the fictional rendition of the Baigent, et.al. book was a captivating read for that reason primarily. It’s also a guaranteed way to get angry.
Olson-Miesel’s and Welborn’s books are excellent. Amy’s book is a quick refutation and Olson-Miesel give it an indepth treatment. All three of them have done a tremendous service to the Church.
It’s been a disappointment to me that more clergy have not denounced the book. It’s not something that can be taken lightly. Too many people are being convinced by it.
Carl Olson has a number of links to stories about the book on his website.
This is a good podcast by Carl Olson
(does not require an Ipod per se)
http://www.stmichaelspod.com/podcasts/7_St_Michaels_31605.mp3
FrRoderick also has 2 podcasts on the matter:
http://www.catholicinsider.com/scripts/news_2005_03.php
(not as in depth as the amazing Olson!)
Fr Roderick is also doing some stuff now on Narnia…
Will Fr. Leahy,the B.C.president,continue to allow Professor John McDargh, a tenured faculty member in the Boston College Theology Department,continue to teach Theology? According to the Bay Windows issue,June3rd,2004:(http://www.baywindows.com/news/2004/06/03/Local News/Bc.Faculty.Band.Together.To.Promote.
Change-684234.shtml) ,McDargh,“who has always been open about his sexual orientation” …“McDargh was among a group of faculty that on May 19 launched the Lesbian and Gay Faculty , Staff, and Administrators Association at Boston College.(LGFSAA).” Among his courses is :
“Spirituality and Sexuality”. Not only does he teach students in his Theology courses at B.C. but Fr. Cuenin invited him to present his views on this to the Youth Group in his parish. Think of all the minds he has deceived!
I think JimNoble is correct in proposing that, “perhaps they all do know.” The situation seems to be far worse than anyone realizes, but why shouldn’t we realize it. If we acknowledge that our most of our seminaries (at least those that haven’t closed or have more than 10 students) have had a dominant homosexual sub-culture for decades, doesn’t it seem reasonable to assume that those same individuals who set the homosexual sub-culture in motion are now in the hierarchy. Until red-blooded men regain control of the priesthood, I fear the situation will not improve.
The most distressing thing is waiting for the old “cleansing of the temple” to take place. For whatever reason, the good guys (whoever they are) either can’t see or (more likely) they REFUSE to see the damage these cremepuffs are doing to the Church here in America.
It’s all “go along to get along” and making sure nobody tips over any apple carts, because the financial fallout from a full-scale cleansing would be astronomical. The new American Church headed by Pope Mahoney would gather many to it’s flock, leaving whole chanceries abandoned. Some entire dioceses would simply disappear from the Church and cleave to the new, modern, decadent “church”.
Think of the schism THAT would be.
“Think of the schism THAT would be”
Look, I have an eccentric take on these matters because I am not a Catholic, only married to one.
But the schism THAT EXISTS RIGHT NOW is a very serious matter. Putting the American Church (you all know what I mean) into formal schism would, of course, cost a lot of money.
But tolerating the status quo, where bishops work behind the scenes to overthrow the faith and to capture the Church, and then use the power of the Church with the faithful to teach heresy and sin is a catastrophe which transcends money.
I understand that not everyone believes that this describes the situation today. But Dom’s “surely they can’t all know” struck a chord with me.
What if they do? What should happen, then?
See Diogenes’ citation of Matt Abbott’s column a few days ago.
How bad is it, again?
“But the schism THAT EXISTS RIGHT NOW”
There’s no doubt a schism right NOW.
I think there are many GOOD guys who know this, but are afraid to speak out against it, knowing that the lunatics are running the asylum.
It seems to me that many of these bishops KNOW what’s going on, but because they’re from the late 50’s and 60’s generation, they don’t really care about sexual issues, so it doesn’t strike them as anything to worry about.
They’re more worried about the plight of illegal aliens and recycling to be concerned with matters of the FAITH.
observer, I think your link is bad… Is this what you meant?
Off The Record
My bishop writes for our diocesan paper very rarely. Although our diocese is one of the smallest in the country, he does not visit parishes at all. In fact, the number of Catholics in our diocese is about the same as the largest Protestant church here. You have to go to the cathedral when your child is confirmed to get a glimpse of him. His last, very rare column in the diocesan paper was to complain about healthcare coverage, and to urge us to do something about it. I found it sad that he didn’t even seem to understand the complexities of the issue—that when it gets too expensive to hire an employee because of issues such as health care coverage, unemployment, especially among the poorest rises. He’s also established a Gay and Lesbian ministry in our diocese, although it is just a support group at this point and doesn’t have secular information. I see his concerns, such as this Gay and Lesbian ministry, as a diversion from what he should be doing—presenting a true image of what the Good News is, with all its challenges.
This story at LifeSite says a great deal. Note the quote:
He also noted that his theological formation, which he said he received in Rome, “has never been of the slightest use to me”.
This madness also infects the Eastern Catholic Churches.
For example, at a plenary session of that conference, Fr. James Schexnayder, director of NACDLGM and a priest of the Roman Catholic diocese of Oakland, California, introduced Fr. James Graham, a board member of NACDLGM and pastor of St. Elias the Prophet Melkite Catholic parish in San Jose, California. In turn Fr. Graham introduced the plenary session on “A Multi-Cultural Panel on the Intersections of Culture, Religion and Sexuality.”
That panel included a member of Fr. Graham’s parish, Mark Massoud, who told those in attendance to “seek out role models for gay youth in your parishes. Seek out role models … who are in committed relationships, who are involved in gay and lesbian ministries. Find them out. Seek them, and learn from those people.”
Fr. Graham has previously spoken about his higher “education” at the 2002 alumni reunion at Cowell College of the University of California at Santa Cruz: “Why Be Normal? How UCSC Helped Shape My Gay Identity(http://library.ucsc.edu/reg-hist/oir.exhibit/james_graham.html)
The activity described is deplorable and inexcusable.
Still, a more balanced, Catholic approach to atheism and atheists might be helpful. Here’s one from a source that most on this blog will respect:
[url=http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2005/colson_introatheism_july05.asp]http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2005/colson_introatheism_july05.asp[/url]
Sorry, the URL doesn’t show in my post.
Here it is:
ignatiusinsight.com/features2005/colson_introatheism_july05.asp
Please remember that hatred of God is often far closer to Him than indifference. What these athiests attack is their own pain, nothing more.
We are called to a higher standard and will be judged by our conduct and response. Prudence, firm and resolved, is what’s called for.
Preach always. If necessary, use words. – St. Francis
From Rex Wockner, former gay seminarian (St. Meinrad), now gay journalist, outraged by the new Vatican instruction, to the “collective gay community”: “There’s thousands of you out there with the goods on the closeted and semicloseted bishops who will be carrying out this antigay witch hunt. Now is the time for the fun to begin. The media is your friend.”
He also claims that when he was in the seminary in the early 80’s, at least 50% of them were gay.
The link to the entire column is here but be forewarned that it’s a gay website. There is also some language.
Perhaps our Bishops know what’s going on…and are afraid because they could be outted (see above), or they’re straight, but outnumbered.
From the article Carrie linked to:
Advent meditations at the Vatican, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher to the papal household, spent some time denouncing The DaVinci Code. Seeing as this is the second highly placed European Catholic preacher to denounce the book in recent memory (I believe is was Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone of Genoa, former second-in-charge at the CDF under then-Cardinal Ratzinger who was the other most recent critic), it appears that it is not lost on some Catholic leaders that this dangerous book is still out there leading people astray. And with a new movie coming out in the spring, expect its errors to spread even more widely.
By the by, if you want to forearm yourself to combat those errors you could do worse than read“The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code,” by Carl E. Olson and Sandra Miesel, or “De-Coding Da Vinci” by Amy Welborn.
Technorati Tags: Catholic, Catholic-bashing
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2005-12-05 23:31:52
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I read the novel and was bored to tears. Can’t even remember how it ended.
The atheists I have encountered in the public sphere come across as an angry, ugly and obsessive bunch. One resident atheist in my neck of the woods wrote an extended letter to the editor and asked for religious folks to be more tolerant of atheists. But in the same letter, she threw out insults and a number of snide remarks about those who belief in religion.
So much for open mindedness and logic that these most visible of atheists proclaim, yet ignore in their anger.
I recall reading in a biography of one of Madeline (sp?) Oknow”, to me, it does quite the opposite.
Perhaps they all do know.
Like the thrifty Kelly, I too
dom@bettnet.com
https://www.bettnet.com
192.168.1.1
2005-12-05 19:47:20
2005-12-05 23:47:20
Or, as someone pointed out in an email to me, it could also be that Boston College is preparing to purchase another hunk of land from the Boston archdiocese and about to ask for a lot of money from alumni.