Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

suspended in her jar

Home
Catholic
This Christmas, Catholics Got Outraged at all the Wrong Things

This Christmas, Catholics Got Outraged at all the Wrong Things

Last updated on: December 30, 2018 at 12:51 am by Rebecca Bratten Weiss

This Christmas, Catholics Got Outraged at all the Wrong Things 2018-12-30T00:51:34-04:00 Rebecca Bratten Weiss

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.

In one of history’s many bitter ironies, advent season – a time when we prepare to welcome the child Jesus into our hearts and homes – kicked off while the US’s merciless and punitive treatment of refugees intensified. And plenty of Christians got the irony – such as the Massachusetts pastor who caused a stir by setting up his church’s nativity scene with baby Jesus in a cage. Many Catholic organizations and individuals have been involved for a while doing hands-on work to help refugees, and religious leaders nationally have spoken out against the inhuman and anti-Christian injustice of our present immigration policies.

But then there are the others.

My friend and guest writer H. Lillian Vogl’s idea about “two Catholic churches” comes into play here, again. Because while some catholics were working to raise awareness of and assist immigrant families, others not only ignored or dismissed the injustices, but even defended and praised them.

But there was no shortage of outrage on the Right.

It was just outrage over different things.

First, we had an article by Patti Armstrong, in the National Catholic Register: “Exorcist Warns About Celine Dion’s Occult Children’s Clothing.” The argument, such as it is, is that a) the aesthetic of the clothing seems dark to the author (because, you know, Catholics are all about avoiding darkness and the grotesque, and have never focused on death or decorated an entire chapel with skulls or anything) – and b) that the exorcist in question, who once was Mother Teresa’s spiritual director, is “convinced that the way this gender thing has spread is demonic.”

This is wildly irresponsible journalism, since there is no evidence that Dion is actually involved in the occult, and the exorcist did not specifically warn about her clothing, nor even about gender neutral clothing per se. And while the clothing is wildly overpriced and possibly unethically sourced, its being gender neutral is no new or problematic thing. For most of history, baby clothing was ungendered. I have an adorable picture of my paternal grandfather – later a physician and WWII veteran – with beautiful curls, wearing a dress.

I suppose I could be outraged by the high prices, because economic injustice is real.

I can also be outraged by the bad journalism and historical ignorance.

But wait. Maybe I could be outraged by the latest Starbucks cup design, instead. Or by people viewing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” as a song with ambiguous lyrics. Because we seem to do it every year. These are practically Catholic internet holiday traditions.

Oh, and now we can also be outraged about gingerbread! Yes, gingerbread. Because midway through advent, right-wing Catholic media personality Taylor Marshall, typically renowned for his pricey Islamophobic webinars, took to Twitter to mock a seminary for hosting a gingerbread-making contest:

“How Fabulouth! These seminarians had a gingerbread house making contest and Corey won. This is effeminate and puerile, and it’s why some Seminaries are horrific. Grown men don’t gather to decorate gingerbread. (Can you imagine Basil and Gregory Decorating cookies together?)”

(capitalization is Dr. Marshall’s own)

Now, I am not a huge fan of seminarians doing gingerbread house contests, since this doesn’t seem to be essential to living the gospel, but there’s nothing especially wrong with it. At least it’s better than the idealized “manly man” evenings of scotch and cigars, because it’s cheaper, and won’t scandalize the faithful with the spectacle of the clergy and would-be clergy lounging in decadence at a time when they should, perhaps, be kneeling in sackcloth and ashes. I can more easily imagine Basil and Gregory making pastry than I can imagine them lolling in epicurean decadence in the midst of horrific church scandal.

(Full disclosure: I enjoy Scotch and cigars, but I also have not recently been a part of an elite group that has wildly abused its responsibility. I’m just your garden-variety slob).

But we’re focusing on the wrong things.

Taylor Marshall, the reason why some seminaries are horrific is that priests prey upon young people and other priests excuse and cover for them. Clericalism and power trips make seminaries horrific. Bad theological formation, and radical isolation from the lived world also do not help. Gingerbread houses, however, are not the problem.

Patti Armstrong, the really demonic thing happening to our children is not gender neutral clothing, but family separations, incarceration, and even death. It’s that in a nation of opulence, children are going hungry. It’s that our own government is enabling a genocide in Yemen, where children are starving and dying.

Outrage can be exhausting, even paralyzing. It can sometimes get in the way of genuine reform. But in itself, when rightly ordered, it is very human – the sign of a rightly functioning human heart. It can even spur us on to action, and so be a motive force of good.

And there is plenty to be outraged about, not only right now but always. “The poor you will always have with you” was not meant, by Jesus, as a compliment to us.

But this past Christmas, Catholics opted to be outraged by all the wrong things.

**************************************************************************

(Incidentally, anyone curious about the church’s actual teaching on Islam can save a buck, skip the webinar, and read Nostra Aetate for free).

image credit: www.flickr.com/photos/nicolasconnault/2974673841

national catholic register

Previous Post

December 29, 2018

When the Church Has Failed, Victims Turn to Secular Institutions For Justice

Next Post

December 31, 2018 Catholics Ought To Have a Zero Tolerance Policy for Anti-Semitism

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion anti-semitism art Atwood Betrothed church clergy abuse coronavirus culture economics education environmentalism ethics faith family feminism gardening gun violence immigration Judaism literature MaddAddam New Pro Life Movement news pandemic personalism poem politics politics blue Pope Francis racism religion salvation sexuality social justice spirituality Station eleven Stephen King The Stand Trump Uncategorized war World Health Organization

Select a Month March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 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 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who saw the Lord high and lifted up, with the train of his robe filling the temple?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Isaiah Daniel Ezekiel Jeremiah

Support this
Column