Sunday, June 3, 2012

Dangerous and Outdated?


Paul can’t help but getting fired up when reading the suggested stories on the Yahoo news ticker and this morning was a special treat when he announced that Yahoo had suggested he read an opinion piece titled:  The Catholic Church is Dangerous, Outdated and Should Dissolve- Yahoo! News”. 

The article is one of those special pieces of writing that seems designed to take as many anti-Catholic stereotypes and misconceptions as possible and weave them together into a masterpiece of epic proportions.  Fortunately for all of us, the author doesn’t even know enough to hit on the most commonly used pieces of anti-Catholic ignorance and so instead he relies entirely on CNN’s most recent reports. 

I shouldn’t be surprised when Yahoo’s contributions to social commentary are sub-par.  This is the site that regularly tackles such tough topics as “should children be banned from eating in restaurants” and “how to tell if this relationship is the one that will last.”  Their greatest highlights are generally pieces with titles like: “Who wore it better?  Pippa or Kate?” and honestly, after reading this article I wish they’d stick to what they kind-of-sometimes-almost get right (or at least puff pieces that do the least amount of harm to the general population and aim at killing the smallest number of brain cells).  

Instead we’re treated to quotes like:
"Another CNN report talks about the Vatican's recent attack on American nuns. The statement from Rome says they have gone rogue and have become radical feminists. The reason? The Pope thinks they should spend less time supporting social justice and more time opposing same-sex marriage, abortion, and euthanasia. The Vatican is enforcing sanctions against the nuns, taking punitive action to get them back in line. The Pope is essentially telling each of these nuns, "Shut up and get back in the kitchen where you belong, woman." Apparently in the mind of the Pope social justice just isn't a big deal.”
 and:
“It's possible the Pope thinks he's making the right decision biblically -- and he might be correct. If so, his scripture is broken. It's ancient mythology that treats women like property. It's making him think social justice is irrelevant.
The Catholic Church is out of touch with reality and cares little for social justice and women's rights. Any religion so broken should dissolve and give its adherents a chance to live better lives without it.”
But not to worry because the author has already assured us that the Church is on her last legs:
“The Catholic Church is hammering so many nails into its own coffin that even an outside observer like me is left shaking his head at the ridiculous behavior of its leadership… Let's look at how the two situations prove the Catholic Church is on its last legs…”
I’m really not even sure where to begin…

It’s sad that such a large media outlet publishes such mistakenly twisted commentaries.  It’s even sadder that the author genuinely seems to believe what he’s saying.  The man obviously has no knowledge of the Church’s rich history that extends right up unto this moment, helping the poor and defending truth and justice. 

And I have a feeling he’ll be more than a little surprised when the Church outlives his expectations and is still vibrant, helping the poor and downtrodden when the bloated secular based plans for social justice which are so popular at the moment, collapse on themselves under their own weight.  

4 comments:

  1. Wow. Just wow. There's too much else to say, and yet too little. But if the gates of hell shall not prevail, surely we can shrug off one extremely mislead opinion columnist.

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  2. Oh my God! That was one of the worst pieces of garbage I've ever read. Not only is he a terrible journalist who didn't hit on one correct piece of information but he also can't write. No wonder he works for Yahoo a washed out company who has lost it's pretty glamour and is on it's way out.

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  3. I wonder if he even "works" for Yahoo. The site seemed to indicate that it gives a forum for people to post their "unique perspectives" on topics of interest.

    He is, indeed, a lousy writer, and I wouldn't even flatter him with the title "journalist". Clearly, he isn't well read, as he would have learned that the Catholic Church is the most charitable organization on earth, when one considers Catholic Charities here and abroad, Catholic Relief Services, etc. If that isn't "social justice", I don't know what is.

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  4. Ahh. Thanks for this heads up, Cam. I had dinner this week with a very intelligent Protestant friend of mine this week. I invited her to a catechism study class I am starting at my home when out of the blue (it seemed) she went on a tirade about how the Church persecutes women and some poor nuns. It was so out of character for her ---- now I know what she had been reading.

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