Who’s Got The Better Catholic Bloggers? Detroit Or Chicago?

Posted by thelarryd in All The World's A Blog And We Are Merely Posters, Catholic Bloggers, fun stuff, Hockey

Now you might think this post is vain, or perhaps controversial, or maybe a little self-serving, or completely silly and ridiculous.  I mean, who really cares which city has the better bloggers? Probably nobody.  And how could you measure it? Beats me.  And how many people in Chicago even know how to read, or use the Internet?

Okay, that last one was a cheap shot, but I couldn’t resist.

For you hockey fans out there, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are currently underway.  The Detroit Red Wings (yay!!) are in the middle of a tough divisional playoff series against the Chicago Blackhawks (booo!), and Game 4 will be played tonight in Detroit.  The Red Wings lead the best-of-seven series 2-1, and a victory would put the ‘hawks in a very unenviable and difficult position: one loss away from elimination (yay!!).

So for fun, I thought I’d tie in the bitter on-ice battle with a light-hearted off-ice blogger face-off.  Which city/region has the better Catholic bloggers?

Let me list a few of the Detroit ones for you.  There’s Te Deum Laudamus, Diane K’s always informative blog, based out of her home parish, and she always has great posts on Medjugorge.  Then there’s radio icon Al Kresta’s blog, Kresta In The Afternoon. Al is the driving force behind Ave Maria Radio, based out of Ann Arbor, MI.  Also from Ann Arbor is apologist Steve Ray (aka Jerusalem Jones), who writes at Defenders Of The Catholic Faith.  Steve posts a lot about the pilgrimages he leads, as well as occasional apologetics.

There’s more.  Defend Us In Battle‘s creator Joe Koss is, from time to time, living in Detroit when he’s not in Alaska (right now he’s outside the Detroit area, but still in Michigan).  Now if only he would post a bit more often…

And there’s Fr Lee Acervo’s blog, Fr Acervo’s Corner.  Here he reprints his homilies and thoughts on living the Catholic faith more authentically.  Good stuff.

Radio personality Teresa Tomeo has a blog too – called Take It From Teresa.  She has a nationally syndicated radio program, but finds the time here and there to post her thoughts and opinions.

I’d be remiss if I failed to mention the erudite Dale Price who blogs at Dyspeptic Mutterings (who needs to blog a bit more frequently, btw – but life gets in the way, as the saying goes).  He’s one of the smartest guys I know.

And while they’re known more for their videos and the Twirling Pencil, ChurchMilitant.TV does run a blog. To borrow a hockey analogy, Michael Voris would be the team’s enforcer, watching out for the team’s star players.

Like this guy: the World’s Most Famous Blog No One’s Ever Heard Of:  Acts of the Apostasy.  That blog alone should seal the deal.

If you ask me, that’s a heck of a line-up.  Formidable, famous and faithful.  I’m sure there are other Detroit-area Catholic blogs – if you’re a Detroit-area blogger, leave a link to it in the combox so that our line-up can grow and crush anything that Chicago might be able to muster up.

Speaking of which – - -

Are there any Chicago-area Catholic blogs?  One of the first blogs I discovered, years ago, was Thoughts Of A Regular Guy, but Paul (the Regular Guy) has since moved to Texas, and sadly, his blog is now “invitation-only”.  I’m not sure he’s doing a lot of blogging anymore. He was great.  A daily read back in the day.

But seriously – who else is there?  Who dey got?

If you know of any Chicago-area bloggers (and Wisconsin is not “Chicago-area”, Dave [you know who you are]), put their blogs in the combox. If I can get a list together, maybe I’ll put up a poll, and my readers will decide who has the better bloggers: Detroit or Chicago.

Winning team gets the depressing consolation that they’re either from Detroit or Chicago.

And besides, it’s already been determined who has the better hockey team – you know it, I know it.  The Red Wings.

Prayers Please

Posted by thelarryd in Prayer, Prayer request

I rarely ask you, my readers, for anything – but would you please pray for the repose of the soul of my father-in-law, who died early Thursday morning? He had been battling a combination of different serious illnesses, and had been in hospice care the past three months or so – thus we had time to prepare, softening the loss somewhat.

Still, please keep his wife, three daughters & sons-in-law, and four grandchildren in your prayers as well.

Your kindness is deeply appreciated in advance. Thank you.

USCatholyc Might Some Day Be Renamed “USDhimmi”

Posted by thelarryd in Catholycs, Ecumenism Gone Wild, It Means 'Submission' Not 'Peace', Martyrdom, USCatholyc

Back on Sunday May 12, Pope Francis canonized 800 martyrs, Italian men who had been beheaded by Muslim invaders because they would not deny their Catholic faith.

At the time, Patrick Archbold at Creative Minority Report commented on an article published at NBCNews.com, where they worried that the canonization might offend Muslims and strain relationships between the two faiths. I left the following comment:

I wouldn’t be surprised if the editorial staff at the NC Reporter and a good number of theologians at Catholyc universities are discomfited by the beatifications, as well.

I was close – it wasn’t the Distorter, but USCatholyc, in a blogpost written by Bryan Basir al-Cones*.

Behold the quavering!

Canonization Conundrum: The Martyrs of Otranto

As might have been suspected, the canononization of almost 800 Italian men who were massacred in 1480 by Ottoman invaders has created a delicate diplomatic situation for Pope Francis. Cleared for canonization by his predecessor, the martyrs are said to have been killed for not converting to Islam; legend has it that their leader, Antonio Primaldo, remained standing after he was beheaded until all the rest of the men of the village of Otranto had been killed.

One wonders if there wasn’t some politics involved in Pope Benedict’s approval of the canonization of these martyrs more than 500 years after their deaths; many small Christian communities in countries in which they are only a small percentage of the population are suffering because of their faith, including in many Muslim countries. The Vatican has long complained that Muslims are free to worship in majority Christian countries while Christians are not afforded the same privilege in most Muslim majority countries. The martyrs of Otranto might be a kind of support for those Christians, as well as a statement about Muslim-Christian relations.

At the same time, highlighting these particular wartime atrocity seems a little problematic; the Ottoman attacks against Europe had as much to do with imperial expansion than with religion, and Christians lived peacefully under Ottoman rule (paying an additional tax, of course). More likely, Ottoman attacks against Italy were a retaliation for the centuries of crusading by European Christians against Muslim lands, as well as an opportunity for the Ottoman Sultan Mohammed II to expand his territory and enrich his empire.

I’ve no reason to doubt the story of the massacre of Otranto or the motivation of those who died there for refusing to submit–religiously or otherwise–to invaders. They suffered the fate of many who resist domination by a stronger imperial military power. But I wonder how their canonization now contributes to the attempts of many of heal the troubled history of interaction between Muslims and Christians; making the invasion of Otranto “religious” in nature is not, I think, a step forward.

What al-Cones has forgotten (or ignored) is that there is no discernible difference between Muslim political goals (which he described as “imperial expansion”) and the religion of Islam. They are one and the same. So to say that the martyrs refused “to submit – religiously or otherwise -” is an insult of the highest degree to their supreme sacrifice. They gave up their lives as a witness to Christ, not because they resisted “domination by a stronger imperial military power”.  It wasn’t a mere “wartime atrocity” – it was the brutal killing of Catholics who remained steadfast in their fidelity to Jesus Christ and His Church.

I think the only people who suspect that this canonization has created a delicate diplomatic situation are those who are deathly afraid of Muslims and Islam, and perhaps a bit unsure of their own Catholic faith and what it means to be a witness.  It’s what two generations of modernism, false ecumenism and syncretism has wrought upon the Church, and one place it shows up is in the form of milquetoast editorials in various Catholic publications.  Instead of men and women prepared to defend the Catholic faith, we now have too many people making excuses for it.

So it comes as no surprise that Bryan Basir al-Cones wrote this drivel. Perhaps he’s practicing for when his journal is renamed USDhimmi.

*not his real name. Yet…

Episcopalian Bishop: Jesus Doesn’t Save You – Diversity Does!

Posted by thelarryd in Bible, Idiots On Display, Progressive-speak, Scripture, What the....?

Leave it to the nutty Episcopalians to completely twist Scripture to fit their goofy ideas.

Excerpted from Anglican Ink:

The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church has denounced the Apostle Paul as mean-spirited and bigoted for having released a slave girl from demonic bondage as reported in Acts 16:16-34 .

[...]

To illustrate her point presiding bishop [Kathleen Jefferts Schori] turned to the book of Acts, noting “There are some remarkable examples of that kind of blindness in the readings we heard this morning, and slavery is wrapped up in a lot of it. Paul is annoyed at the slave girl who keeps pursuing him, telling the world that he and his companions are slaves of God. She is quite right. She’s telling the same truth Paul and others claim for themselves,” Bishop Jefferts Schori said, referencing the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans.

“But Paul is annoyed, perhaps for being put in his place, and he responds by depriving her of her gift of spiritual awareness. Paul can’t abide something he won’t see as beautiful or holy, so he tries to destroy it. It gets him thrown in prison. That’s pretty much where he’s put himself by his own refusal to recognize that she, too, shares in God’s nature, just as much as he does – maybe more so!,” the presiding bishop said.

The New Testament passage goes on to say that Paul and Silas were imprisoned for freeing the girl of her demonic possession. Presiding Bishop noted “an earthquake opens the doors and sets them free, and now Paul and his friends most definitely discern the presence of God. The jailer doesn’t – he thinks his end is at hand.”

However, Paul now repents of his mistake in casting out the spirit of divination, she argues. “This time, Paul remembers who he is and that all his neighbors are reflections of God, and he reaches out to his frightened captor. This time Paul acts with compassion rather than annoyance, and as a result the company of Jesus’ friends expands to include a whole new household. It makes me wonder what would have happened to that slave girl if Paul had seen the spirit of God in her.”

In support her argument for radical inclusion and diversity over doctrine Bishop Jefferts Schori adds that the day’s reading “from Revelation pushes us in the same direction, outward and away from our own self-righteousness, inviting us to look harder for God’s gift and presence all around us. Jesus says he’s looking for everybody, anyone who’s looking for good news, anybody who is thirsty. There are no obstacles or barriers – just come. God is at work everywhere, even if we can’t or won’t see it immediately.”

She concluded her sermon by stating that we are not justified by our faith but by our respect for diversity.

“Looking for the reflection of God’s glory all around us means changing our lenses, or letting the scales on our eyes fall away. That kind of change isn’t easy for anyone, but it’s the only road to the kingdom of God.”

Salvation comes not from being cleansed of our sins by the atoning sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, but through the divinization of humanity through the work of the human will. “We are here, among all the other creatures of God’s creation, to be transformed into the glory intended from the beginning. The next time we feel the pain of that change, perhaps instead of annoyance or angry resentment we might pray for a new pair of glasses. When resentment about difference or change builds up within us, it’s really an invitation to look inward for the wound that cries out for a healing dose of glory. We will find it in the strangeness of our neighbor. Celebrate that difference – for it’s necessary for the healing of this world – and know that the wholeness we so crave lies in recognizing the glory of God’s creative invitation. God among us in human form is the most glorious act we know.”

So according to Bishop Schori, the slave girl was not possessed by a demon, but by the Holy Spirit, and Paul – big ol’ meanie that he was – drove the Holy Spirit out of her.

Huh?  Is that even possible?

Anyway – Paul realizes how much of a big ol’ meanie he was, and when he’s miraculously freed from prison, he makes up for it by “reaching out” to his frightened captor. I guess her version of Acts doesn’t include the part that the guard was afraid because he feared he would be blamed for the prisoners’ escape.

In fact, her version of Acts 16:29-31 probably reads:

And he (the guard) called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, “Men, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Embrace diversity!”

No wonder the Episcopalian community is in dire straits, when they have kooks like Schori guiding them.

Liberal Rhode Island Senator Politicizes OK Tornado

Posted by thelarryd in Global Warming Hoax, Liberalism, Politics, Unbefreakinlievable

While rescuers searched for trapped residents of Moore OK, while parents went crazy with worry over the fate of their children caught in the school that was destroyed by that horrific tornado, while the dead were being pulled from the debris…

…Sen Whitehouse of Rhode Island decided it was appropriate to politicize the tragedy. Utterly partisan and heartless. And unsurprising.

From the Daily Caller:

Whitehouse spent 15 minutes chastising GOP senators and justified his remarks by alluding to states that seek federal assistance in the wake of natural disasters.

“So, you may have a question for me,” Whitehouse said. “Why do you care? Why do you, Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, care if we Republicans run off the climate cliff like a bunch of proverbial lemmings and disgrace ourselves? I’ll tell you why. We’re stuck in this together. We are stuck in this together. When cyclones tear up Oklahoma and hurricanes swamp Alabama and wildfires scorch Texas, you come to us, the rest of the country, for billions of dollars to recover. And the damage that your polluters and deniers are doing doesn’t just hit Oklahoma and Alabama and Texas. It hits Rhode Island with floods and storms. It hits Oregon with acidified seas, it hits Montana with dying forests. So, like it or not, we’re in this together.”

Whitehouse went on to condemn the current Republican position on global warming, citing economic, environmental and diplomatic damages.

“You drag America with you to your fate,” he continued. “So, I want this future: I want a Republican Party that has returned to its senses and is strong and a worthy adversary in a strong America that has done right by its people and the world. That’s what I want. I don’t want this future. I don’t want a Republican Party disgraced, that let its extremists run off the cliff, and an America suffering from grave economic and environmental and diplomatic damage because we failed, because we didn’t wake up and do our duty to our people, and because we didn’t lead the world. I do not want that future.

Know what I want, Senator?  I want a future where there are no opportunistic vultures seeking to score cheap political points on the corpses of American citizens. I want a future where common sense and civility are the order of the day, not irrational rants and ice-cold rudeness.  I want a future where soulless ghouls such as yourself are shamed from running for political office, and prevented from making a mockery of our nation’s institutions.

Unfortunately, I won’t live long enough to see that future.

What this man has done is no different than when the terrorists dragged Ambassador Stevens’ body through the streets of Benghazi last September.    Shame on you, Senator Whitehouse.

Oh, and the senator isn’t an outlier, either. A number of progressives have politicized the tornado.

Please pray for the repose of the (currently) 91 24 souls who died yesterday, and for their families and loved ones, and for the entire community of Moore OK.  I cannot even imagine what they are enduring.

If you’re so inclined, Red Cross is accepting donations for the victims, as well as the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.

And pray for Senator Whitehouse, that he sees the tragedy for what it truly is, and not for what he wishes it to be: a chance to fire up moonbat global-warming alarmist bottom-feeders, and make hay against his political enemies.  This isn’t the time for that.

Let Me Put It In Simple Terms

Posted by thelarryd in Bishops, Cardinals, Catholic Stuff, Cult Of Catholic Celebritiease, Lila Rose, LiveAction, Media

Terry at Abbey Roads posted on Sunday a couple things he doesn’t get:

Cardinal Dolan bending over backwards to explain that Governor Cuomo is not a ‘bad Catholic’.

NEW YORK, May 16, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan appeared to suggest during a radio interview this week that he may not view pro-abortion Governor Andrew Cuomo as a Catholic “in good standing,” the archdiocese has issued a statement saying that this is not the case, and that Dolan’s remark was misunderstood.

“Cardinal Dolan would not, and did not, suggest the governor might not be a Catholic in good standing going forward,” archdiocesan spokesman Joseph Zwilling said in a statement originally sent to the New York Times, and forwarded to LifeSiteNews.

[...]

Cardinal Dolan is a Roman Catholic Archbishop, acting in the name of the Church, he is responsible for faith and morals and ecclesiastical discipline. I’m not criticizing the Cardinal – but I don’t get it.

[...]

2) Catholics condemning the tactics of an anti-abortion activist, Lila Rose and the organization she heads, Live Action. Rose is under fire for ‘lying’ because Live Action tactics include undercover sting operations at abortion clinics, and her critics are saying the ‘undercover work is deceptive to the degree that it cannot be justified.’

What strikes me as strange is that people have become so worked up over this. Lila Rose is Catholic, but Live Action is not a Catholic organization. It is a private, non-profit and Lila Rose is a lay person – she does not represent the Catholic Church. It’s her conscience – but at least she and her organization is working vigorously to expose the atrocities and illegal activities of abortionists and to bring an end to abortion.

Here’s the deal – Catholic politicians get away with supporting abortion and expanding access to it, while many Catholic leaders look the other way when they approach the Communion rail, but a Catholic laywoman, a private citizen, acting upon her own initiative to do everything in her power to end the abortion holocaust, is pilloried as a public sinner.

I’m not trying to vilify or justify anyone here – I just don’t get it. Sorry.

Let me put it in simple terms, so it’s understandable.  I answered Terry in his combox -

Lila Rose doesn’t run an archdiocese or make decisions on which Catholics are allowed to speak at archdiocesan events and functions.

I predict that the only prominent Catholic commentator or talking head – radio, internet, TV, whatever – to raise an eyebrow at Cardinal Dolan’s spinning will be Michael Voris. Everyone else will either ignore it, or attempt to defend it.  I could be wrong, but it wouldn’t surprise me if I’m proven right.

Should Catholic Bloggers Use Profanity?

Posted by thelarryd in All The World's A Blog And We Are Merely Posters, Catholic Bloggers, Catholic Stuff, Words

Short answer? @#$%^& no.

Last week, a tweet in my feed linked to a post by Bad Catholic (Marc Barnes) titled “Is Female Purity A Load of Male Bovine Excrement?”, except he didn’t say “A Load of Male Bovine Excrement”.  He used a much shorter word that I won’t reprint (long time readers might recall that when AoftheA was at Blogger, I had a “Cuss-o-Meter” in the side bar that consistently read 0%. I don’t say that to boast, just as an indicator that I avoid profanity in my blog).  I’m not going to link to his post either, but if you read his blog, you’ll know what post I’m talking about, and even if you don’t, you can head to his blog and find the post.

Basically, his post was a response to a piece written at Jezebel (sorry, no linky love for that piece either) titled “Female Purity Is A Load of Male Bovine Excrement”, so I can see why his post’s title is what it is: repositioning the exact words, posed as a question, one he intends to answer in his uniquely talented way. I haven’t read him in quite a long time, but from what I recall, Marc’s a gifted writer with a strong grasp and love of the faith, and is rather popular.  This particular post was no different from posts I’ve read in the past.

Now, my post has nothing to do with Bad Catholic’s character (I’ve never met him or spoken with him) or his intent for using profanity (I can merely guess at his intent, and thus will give him the benefit of the doubt). In fact, my post has very little to do with his post specifically. Instead, I want to expound upon the appropriateness of Catholic bloggers using profanity.

First of all, there is profanity, and then there’s PROFANITY.  Excluding taking the Lord’s name in vain for the sake of this piece, I think we can all agree that there’s a difference between, for instance, “cr*p” and “a load of male bovine excrement”.  There are gradations of profanity that, over time, have settled at different levels of acceptability in society.  Some words that are bandied about today were unacceptable a couple generations ago, and I daresay that some words that are unacceptable in polite company today might be hunky-dory a couple generations from now.  That’s the ebb and flow of linguistics and culture, although there are many people who would suck on a lemon soaked in motor oil and rolled in cayenne pepper, rather than let any sort of mild profanity pass their lips. And I say, more power to them.

But as far as Catholic bloggers go, is there any acceptable amount of cussing and swearing?

You know my answer – I’m interested in what you think about it.

Indulge me as I add a few more things. First of all, in Marc’s piece, the profanity wasn’t limited to the title. The word appeared several more times throughout the piece, and served to distract me from the arguments he was making.  To me, that’s one of the reasons why profanity shouldn’t be used – it’s like being blinded by an oncoming car’s hi-beams, and concentration and focus is momentarily sidetracked.

Secondly, I wasn’t offended or scandalized by its use. (Trust me.  I live in metro Detroit, for goodness sake). Surprised, sure. Offended, no. People react differently depending on what’s being said, and who’s doing the talking.  For instance, I don’t really care if my neighbor drops a few salty terms here or there that I happen to overhear, but my reaction would be completely different if I heard my parish priest say the exact thing.

Thirdly, I’m presuming that profanity use in Catholic blogs is the rarest of rare exceptions. I actually don’t read a large volume of Catholic blogs, and the ones I do read don’t engage in profanity, so my perspective might be skewed.

Finally, I’m not on a Profanity Witch-hunt here. Like I said earlier, I merely used Bad Catholic’s post as the impetus for this post – what he writes is between him and his editor, and his readers.  Bear in mind I won’t permit any finger-pointing or condemnation of any specific blogger in the combox. Such comments will be deleted. Take your concerns directly to that blogger, if you must, in private – but we won’t be engaging in any detraction, calumny or gossip here.

In other words, please stick to the question I posed: is there any acceptable level of profanity for a Catholic blogger, and please give reasons for your opinion. Or if you’re a blogger, what standards do you stick to at your own place? Let’s get a dialogue going.

Need Prayers? Got Intentions?

Posted by thelarryd in Eucharist, Prayer, Prayer request

10-Adoration-1

I’ll be at the perpetual adoration chapel at midnight tonight for my weekly hour of prayer and adoration (and the occasional dozing off).  If you’d like me to remember you in prayer or offer our Lord any intentions – specific or not – I’d be honored to present them.  Email me, or leave them in the combox.

The photo above is our parish chapel.

Kenyan Bishops Show How It’s Done

Posted by thelarryd in Apostates for Choice, Bishops, Catholycs, Catholycs For Choice, Contraception, News

I’ve written numerous times about the political action group Catholycs For Choice – or Apostates for Choice, if you will – and how they promote views and ideas antithetical to Church teaching on contraception, abortion and so-called same-sex marriage. They operate out of Washington DC, but they don’t limit their activity to the US. Lately they’ve been spreading their disinformation around Kenya, and the bishops there are having none of it.

From allAfrica.com:

Nairobi — The Catholic Church is embroiled in yet another controversy after a group calling itself Catholics for Choice (CFC) put up billboards advocating for the use of condoms amongst faithful.

Led by Cardinal John Njue, the Church says the propagators of the advert do not reflect its pro-life principles and wants the offensive advertisement pulled down by the end of Tuesday.

Njue noted that one of those adverts had actually been placed on a billboard about a kilometre away from the Consolata Shrine in Westlands.

He argued that the adverts invoked the Catholic name making it appear as if it got the green light from the Church.

“Who are they (Catholics for Choice)? Somebody somewhere somehow must be operating it and whether he is from here or not doesn’t really matter,” he said dismissively.

“The only thing we are saying is that this is a seed that is being planted for very wrong reasons,” he argued.

Kisumu Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth added that the pro-life stand held by the Church had not changed and they would not take the matter lying down.

Okoth maintained that it was only abstinence and faithfulness that could stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The advert states: “We believe in God, we believe that sex is sacred, we believe in caring for each other, we believe in using condoms and good Catholics use condoms.”

“Condoms came in to control births even before HIV/AIDS came on and we already rejected that. Condoms are not the answer for that. We are pro-life. Even if you get 10 children give us two to become priests,” Okoth quipped.

Eldoret Archbishop Cornelius Korir also affirmed the Church’s position accusing the ad’s sponsors of encouraging immorality.

“Prevention is the best way and so far they (CFC) have not told us the source of this HIV/AIDS. Why are they pouring money as if they know the source?” he asked.

An article posted on the CFC website however said that the advert had been sanctioned by the Church to prevent the spread of HIV.

“The campaign is vital because the bishops’ recent activities are not representative of Catholic teachings or beliefs. Catholics do support the use of condoms, and they do use them to protect themselves and their partners,” CFC president and campaign coordinator Jon O’Brien is quoted as saying.

This comes about two months after another advert, which encourages married women to use condoms when engaging in extramarital affairs, was pulled off the airwaves.

The prime time advert caused a huge outcry from several religious organisations that deemed it immoral.

In the advert, a married woman appeared to be having an extra marital relationship with a man who also seemed to be engaging in a similar relationship with another woman.

The woman is then asked to ensure that she uses a condom in her relations to ensure that she does not contract the dreaded virus.

The chutzpah of O’Brien and CFC is rather appalling. “The campaign is vital because the bishops’ recent activities are not representative of Catholic teachings or beliefs”?  Ex-squeeze me? Baking powder? Maybe in the realm of public opinion, or among those with badly formed Catholic consciences (Lord knows there are plenty of those in the US), but not when it comes to the catechism or magisterial teaching. But lying doesn’t matter to this group when it comes to advancing their agenda. Seems to me they’re seeking to take advantage of a 3rd-world populace and get them to dissent against their bishops.

Notice they don’t care about adultery, either. The message isn’t to be faithful to one’s spouse – it’s about being faithful to one’s appetites, and give in to the temptation. “You know you’re gonna cheat – so protect yourself when you do” is the message. Rather revolting.

And to their credit, the Kenyan bishops are speaking out against the group and their tactics and their message.

Which is more than any US bishop has ever done, at least to my memory. What we need here is another Bruskevitz moment. If you recall, years ago, when Bishop Bruskevitz was leading the Lincoln diocese, he excommunicated the Call-to-Action chapter located there. The whole lot of them. And Rome had his back. Too bad his brother bishops lacked his courage – but that was then. Perhaps now some others will stand in the breach with crozier held high.  Mind you, I’m not holding my breath, but it’s a hopeful image nonetheless.

It’s well past high time for such a statement to be made concerning this nefarious group of posers. Even if it’s only the USCCB – heck, that would be a step in the right direction. Stand up, make a pronouncement, set the record straight, and make it stick. The bishops’ job is to defend the deposit of faith, and to ensure it isn’t redefined by anyone purporting to be speaking for the Catholic Church. This group – and any other like it – must be pushed back. Time for dialogue is over. Get in there and kick some heretic butt.

If need be, ask the Kenyans how to do it.

12 Rejected Religious Book Titles

Posted by thelarryd in books, Catholic Stuff, Humor, Twitter

Had quite a bit of fun on Twitter today, kicking off a meme called Rejected Religious Book Titles. Here are a bunch of the ones I came up with:

Add your own to the combox – and if you’re on Twitter, search out the hashtag #RejectedReligiousBookTitles and check out all the other submissions. A bunch of them are very clever and quite hilarious.

For instance:

and