Stealing other people’s words…

Last updated on: December 30, 2014 at 4:25 pm by Mark Shea

Stealing other people’s words… 2014-12-30T16:25:10-07:00 Mark Shea

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

is easier than coming up with my own, especially when they say stuff better than me.

So I get a tongue-in-cheek email sent to me by a member of a little group of friends, double-dog daring them to blog on this story, in which some priest offers his “courageous” stand on homosex, blah blah blah theusualblahblahblah. The friend who sent it is as weary as I am of the Tolerance is Not Enough: You MUST approve!! mindset of the media.

One of those cc’d writes:

I hate videos with poor sound quality and there is a sense of SMUGNESS arising out of those proponants that’s really starting to bug me. While they talk about Christ and love, they PREEN — it’s incongruous. They are publican and pharisee together, talking humility and love while standing there before God saying, “don’t you just love me, God? I’m being so loving, except to the ones who disagree with me. Those Pharisees!”

I’ve never seen anything like it before, actually. It’s false humility and hate wrapped tight and shared amongst like-thinkings…so it feels like love.

And the comments. I hope you know you’re ALL homophobes and haters just itching to light your pyres! Come out of your evil Babylonish Whore now! Come out, come out, and be real Christians (and Protestants) with us!”

Exactly. This is what I call “bravely facing the applause”. As though it takes some great act of courage to flip off the Church and bask in the warm approval of the media. What people forget is that in the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee, it was the Pharisee who was seen as the respectable figure. Today, it is the person who pours contempt on the Church who is the entirely conventional, safe, and bourgeois guardian of smug self-righteous pride.

Another correspondent adds:

What I find interesting is the growing presence of a progressive Catholicism that seems determined to embrace the crown and forgo the cross. The only burden these people need to bear is “love,” wrapped in “acceptance” and “tolerance.” Anything requiring sacrifice or self control is anathema.

It’s very squishy and Osteenian; God is all love and understanding and would never EVER want us to do anything like, you know, refrain from sex outside of marriage or avoid the near occasion of dildos. God wants us to be happy and orgasmic. Doesn’t He?

So it would seem, if you went by the MSM coverage. And yet, as one correspondent noted:

What is really interesting to contemplate is that the Deacon’s Bench has a piece up saying “the true Christianity is the persecuted Christianity” — very true words. And here is the irony — while the “pop-culture-approved” Catholics (and lately Evangelicals) who are eager to conform with the times are busy pretending that they’re being persecuted (with the fully sympathetic coverage and support of Comedy Central, the NY TIMES, Huffpo and so forth) the Roman church will soon (if the gov’t gets its way) be experiencing real pressure, real oppression.

It is difficult to stand as a sign and a contradiction to the world. That is what Rome — in keeping true to herself and to Christ — is doing. Jesus said they would hate us for it. It’s much easier to trend to the times. As Chesterton said, “only a dead thing flows with the stream.”

While Christians are getting killed all over the world, spoiled Americans in the first world posture before the mirror and spout about their “courage” for fighting for the right to fornicate–to the loud applause of the world. The only proper response is not merely an eye roll, but a Tina Fey Eyeroll.

Uncategorized

Winner of the Tina Fey Eyeroll!

Previous Post

June 15, 2012

New Album by Justin Stroh

Next Post

June 15, 2012 Memo to the "Church Hates Nuns...

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 September 2006 June 2006 July 2005 April 2005 May 2002 April 2002 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz