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Media Bias, Lost Souls and Inconvenient Truths

Media Bias, Lost Souls and Inconvenient Truths

Last updated on: December 29, 2014 at 11:20 am by Rebecca Hamilton

6 Comments

Media Bias, Lost Souls and Inconvenient Truths 2014-12-29T11:20:59-07:00 Rebecca Hamilton

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Frank Weathers, who blogs at Why I am Catholic, wrote a post that echoes one I published a few days ago discussing a Pew Research study that indicated media bias in the reporting of gay marriage.

It seems that Pew Research is not alone in its assessment that there is a media bias in favor of gay marriage. As I’ve said in the past, the media is not so much “biased” in favor of gay marriage, it is hard-selling it.

The post about the Pew study engendered a plethora of irate comments on this blog. It appears that at least some people who favor gay marriage do not want to hear anything that even tangentially disagrees with it. That seems to include statistical studies by reputable research firms that simply state what is obvious to almost everyone: The media is biased in favor of gay marriage.

The comments on that particular post rolled downhill until we had people from atheist blogs jumping over here to inform us that God is genocidal and Christians are … some of the usual Christian-bashing things they call us. I deleted quite a few comments, particularly those that said ugly things about either homosexuals or Christians. I also deleted the nasty slams at me, my family, faith and heritage because I had deleted the insulter’s previous comments, as well as the suggestions that I perform anatomically impossible sex acts.

All these angry comments came because I put up a post talking about a Pew Research study saying the press coverage of the Supreme Court hearings on gay marriage was biased.

Now Frank Weathers has jumped into the fray with one of his excellent posts. Frank, unlike me, does not suffer fools. He only allows comments that advance the Kingdom. I’ve been wondering if perhaps he’s not on to something. After all, the purpose of Public Catholic is to do exactly that: Advance the Kingdom.

So why do I continue tolerating these invidious comments? I do it in the hope that there will be an educational component in letting the Christians who read this blog — and from what I can tell, my readership tilts decidedly toward the Christian — see a bit of what’s out there.

I encounter Christians all the time who are living in a fool’s paradise about what the world is like vis a vis their faith. They live inside a circle of Oklahoma protection where they seldom encounter a flat-out Christ hater. I, on the other hand, get pummeled and attacked on my job for my faith on a regular basis. I am not exaggerating one bit when I say that I almost never hear a nasty comment, lie, or name applied to me that I haven’t already heard countless times before.

I want to open the door on this reality for other Christians just a bit because I think it’s important for them to learn about it and understand it. We are in danger of losing our freedoms and being pushed into a Christian ghetto where our thoughts, ideas and values are not allowed in open discussion. A big part of the reason why is that we are so passive about our faith.

That’s what these attacks are about. They are designed to force people of faith into silence, and then to push us all into the corners of life. Jesus specifically told us to refuse to allow that:

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit,” He told the Apostles and through them, all of us.

“He who denies me before men, I will deny before the holy angels.”

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, I will be ashamed of them when I come in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.”

Christians do not have the luxury of going along to get along. We must, on peril of our souls, stand for Christ. Hiding in our safe little bubbles of faith-filled people only encourages and strengthens those who attack our Lord. One thing I hope these comments show you when you read them is the sad lostness of these angry people and the totally unoriginal quality of their thinking. There is nothing to fear from their thinking, which is probably why they work so hard to overawe us with their nastiness.

I allow a good bit of the repetitive nonsense Christians bashers say onto this blog. I do it for teaching purposes, in the hope that being exposed to it here will both motivate and educate my Christian readers.

We need to know what these lost people are saying. We need to understand how their thinking works. We also need to pray for them, for they are truly and terribly lost. That perhaps is the worst of reading these comments for me. It is reading the comments of lost souls; like witnessing a terrible car wreck and seeing people trapped inside who will not let you help them get out.

Here is Frank Weathers’ take on the media bias concerning gay marriage. As usual, he says it all with wit and charm.

The Miraculous Incident of Balanced Media Coverage On Same-Sex Marriage…

June 23, 2013 By Frank Weathers 1 Comment

This is the week when the Supreme Court will spill the beans on what will become of same-sex marriage in California, and perhaps in the entire country. Lots of folks are on pins and needles waiting for the decision that will be handed down.

Over at Get Religion, Terry Mattingly notes the stunning fact that at least one mainstream media outlet stood up recently to give voice to gay folks who are not in the camp as being for same-sex marriage.

And you thought unicorns were rare!

Would it shock you that this particular news outlet isn’t based stateside? I’ll let Terry explain, (Read the rest here.)

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