When public grandstanders and media jerks make outlandish and outrageous remarks about the Catholic Church, including outright blasphemy, I’m torn. Not about whether the remarks are proper or suitable, but about whether we should respond.
Case in point: The ridiculous and increasingly irrelevant Bill Maher monologued about a pedophile priest seducing a child using the Mass. It’s disgusting, so be aware before reading it.
To my mind, Maher’s motivation is obvious. Like a bratty child, he’s seeking attention by acting out. His show is on HBO, which means that gets a free pass where, for example, Don Imus didn’t.
Now, if we all get upset and write letters to Time-Warner, what’s likely to happen? Is Maher going to get fired? Is he going to stop his blasphemy? Or will he be encouraged?
In other words, is it better to give him what he wants or to deny him the attention he so obviously craves?
Technorati Tags: blasphemy | Catholic | anti-Catholic | Bill Maher |
a google search found this website in .12 seconds…this is only the first page of Corporate Holdings for Time-Warner…
http://www.ketupa.net/time1.htm
boycotting HBO may not be enough to make an impact, as they don’t have commercial sponsorship to be concerned about…but several other connections do…I’m not terribly scrupulous about knowing the connections of those with whom I do business, but I’ve had it with Bill Maher, and I think a few thousand well-written letters to affiliate holdings (AOL, Family Circle Magazine, Atlanta Braves, etc) about why subscriptions/season tickets/whatever are being cancelled, and they’ll get the hint.
Sadly, the best reason for raising a furor over antics like those of Bill Maher is to prove to Catholics and other decent people just how deep-seated and powerful anti-Catholic attitudes are in the MSM and in other quarters of American society. However, it is not Catholics complaining which prove the case. Instead it is the fact that Catholics at only 20-24% of the population (practicing Catholics only 10%) but are the only minority group in America that when it complains is told to “Shut up!” “Tough Crap!”
“You deserve it!” “Catholic civil rights activists are obnoxious!” etc. Bill Maher will probably win some awards of one sort of another for his carping anti-Catholic bigotry.
Get rid of your TVs…
Include Mr. Maher in your prayers.
Has one U.S. bishop spoken out against Mr. Mahr?
Has one bishop written to an op-ed page of the L.A. Times/NY Times/WashPost in defense of his church? Haven’t seen anything yet. “Defenders of the faith”?. Not in this country, not now.