Over at TimesWatch, Clay Waters wrote of the front-page New York Times story Tuesday on newly appointed Archbishop Timothy Dolan in New York, the "obedient soldier of Rome." One line stuck out: "On matters of doctrine, the archbishop 59, adheres to the line laid down by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict, including firm opposition to abortion, birth control, divorce, gay marriage and any crack in the wall of priestly celibacy."
Brent Bozell e-mailed and was appalled at reporter Michael Powell's construction, that the Archbishop would be enforcing a line "laid down by" the last two pontiffs: "This is absolute and fundamental ignorance. This reporter knows nothing about the Catholic Church if he believes John Paul II and Benedict lay down the laws on gays, abortion, et cetera."
That is true. Popes guard the faith. They don't simply impose their own opinions, like an activist federal judge. (Of course, these journalists may hope for a Holy Father who's more Pelosi and less Ratzinger, but they're not presenting a sound view of how some Church teaching evolves, like with new scientific technologies, and how much of Church teaching is supposed to remain eternally true.) They're not growing "ever more conservative" if they hold to the same position on homosexuality, for example, that the church has held for two millennia. It only looks "ever more conservative" to someone who keeps moving left.
Worse than that, Powell's construction carries the usual flaw of secular liberal reporters, presenting church teaching as a petulant pile of "antis" and not seeing them as positives, for upholding the rights of the unborn, upholding traditional marriage, or upholding the procreative promise of marital sex. One can't imagine the Times greeting gay Episcopalian bishop Gene Robinson's agenda as a pile of negatives -- because they agree with his baldly political agenda.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
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Well said, Tim!! I agree
February 25, 2009 - 07:09 ET by motherbeltWell said, Tim!! I agree with every word!
I am sick of politicians who seem to think that each Pope imposes his own morality and dogma on the Church, and hoping that some day there will be a Pope whose views will be more "enlightened"...that is, in agreement with their own.
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
but but but
February 25, 2009 - 07:59 ET by AJBIts a new age here. We can now VOTE on what God's will is. You don't like Catholic doctrine? Let's just petition the pope to change it. What, do you think their teaching and dogma is, like, from God?
'Spirit of Adulation'
February 25, 2009 - 08:41 ET by slickwillie2001Perhaps al New York Times is responding to this story: "Denver archbishop (Charles Chaput) warns against ‘spirit of adulation’ surrounding Obama:
http://www.catholicn...
Typical liberal tactic. I
February 25, 2009 - 08:50 ET by moderncommentaries83Typical liberal tactic.
I read once, in an academic publication, an article about gays working at Catholic institutions. Aside from the typical, "Gee, we wish the Church would just let us do whatever we please" canard (as if they're forced to work for a Catholic institution), the whole tone of the article was basically "the Catholic church made up doctrine regarding abortion and homosexuality in the past 100 years. Just to oppress people and keep Catholics in line. Oh, and to make money...blah, blah, blah..."
Which is all, of course, categorically false. From its founding, with Christ making Peter the "rock on which [he] built [his] Church", the Catholic Church has always followed God's law - Natural Law. And things like abortion and homosexuality are inimical to that Law.
The problem is the Church, via the Magisterium (the main theological/teaching authority of the Church), is not psychic. We know there will be sin - but we cannot predict the ways in which mankind will find new sins. Think of the advances in medical technology - two millenia ago, the contraceptive pill wasn't even a forethought, and the debate over gay "marriage" probably never crossed anyone's mind. So as the centuries go on, the Church may need to clarify her teachings in order to respond to the attitudes and sins of the age.
This doesn't mean the Catholic Church is "inventing" new sins - it's responding to the sins of man.
And the teachings of the Church will never change. Will there possibly be a schism, wherein liberal Catholics find their own "pope" and act accordingly? Possibly. But the Church in Rome will not change - not even under threat of war or death.
God and His Law come first.
Liberals hate that. They want a social club called a church to validate everything they adore, and - for me - that's pointless. If my Church required no self control or self discipline or merely rehashed politically correct fads...my Sunday mornings would be better spent going to brunch or sleeping in.
Aut viam inveniam aut faciam
"two millenia ago, the
February 25, 2009 - 13:26 ET by lotr"two millenia ago, the contraceptive pill wasn't even a forethought, and the debate over gay "marriage" probably never crossed anyone's mind."
Correction: 80 years ago the contraceptive pill (i.e., a low-dose artificial chemical female hormone designed to upset the natural female menstrual cycle, resulting in indefinite infertility) wasn't even a forethought, and 30 years ago (not even a generation) a "debate" over "gay marriage" was unthinkable. When placed against the backdrop of approximately 6000 years of recorded history (and the countless milennia of human existence before that), these time frames amount to the blink of an eye.
And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. -- Edgar Allan Poe
True points
February 25, 2009 - 13:42 ET by moderncommentaries83You articulated my point better than I did.
The fact still remains Catholic teaching is not psychic, and has to reaffirm its teachings in light of new things people do and come up with.
This is not "inventing" anything - it's reinforcing and reaffirming teachings.
Aut viam inveniam aut faciam
Obviously I agreed
February 25, 2009 - 14:33 ET by lotrObviously I agreed with pretty much everything you said, but I was just "enhancing" your point with the fact that we don't even have to go back a century (and even then I was even being conservative in those estimates, as I don't think the pill was developed until the 1950s) to find that the current fashion of politically correct "social issues" is at best a wreckless social experiment in uncharted territory of epic proportions. Note that such an observation does not even need to appeal to "lofty Catholic sentiments," but rather more basic sentiments of historical forethought and common sense. Catholicism specifically, and Christianity in general, never propose anything contrary to reason.
And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. -- Edgar Allan Poe
Obviously, we're in total
February 26, 2009 - 09:18 ET by moderncommentaries83Obviously, we're in total agreement.
Forgive me for being fascinated by the fact that people will say and do anything to demonize Catholicism in particular, and Christianity in general. I guess I just can't fathom how they can look at themselves in the mirror when they spend their days creating such bold-face lies about something they do not understand.
The more they do this, the more I'm convinced that Christianity in particular, and Catholicism in specific, is the correct faith to profess and follow. If it was so much hogwash, it wouldn't send people into such fits of hysterics.
Aut viam inveniam aut faciam
Ash Wed.
February 25, 2009 - 09:16 ET by slickwillie2001Bill Sammon on Fox News with an ashes-cross on his forehead. That'll get the liberals riled up!
Really? I wish I would
February 25, 2009 - 10:25 ET by moderncommentaries83Really?
I wish I would have seen that. Good for Mr. Sammon. Ashes are a real in-your-face sign of our faith.
Aut viam inveniam aut faciam
You know, I love it
February 25, 2009 - 22:30 ET by BobAnthonywhen the left gets outraged. It just sets them up for a killing because they are traitors to the cause of this country!!!!
Want the PLAIN truth and no spin? Listen to The Plains Radio Network online. It's like nothing you've ever heard.
www.plainsradio.com
BobA.... He thanks for
February 25, 2009 - 23:04 ET by bigtimerBobA....
He thanks for the reminder...I keep forgetting to check that link out....I see Plains Radio all the time on the site I go to, I wished I had more time in the day...I should check it out on the week-end, I think you can get repeats of shows?
Anyway...thanks.
They think the Catholic Church is like other churches...
February 25, 2009 - 10:38 ET by kufir77...where the congregants and celebrants "decide" what is right or wrong, and change it according to the times.
Until the 1930's, nearly all Protestant sects were against birth control. See how that's changed?
The only thing from that list that could be changed is celibacy issue.
Other than that, if a Pope ever declares abortion, contraception, or homosexual marriage, he would no longer be Pope, but rather an ANTI-Pope.
Those can NEVER be valid teachings of the Catholic Church.
Agreed
February 25, 2009 - 12:22 ET by KC MulvilleI especially like your observation on the teachings being positive. That remains a culture clash. American statutory civil law is oriented to the minimum requirements; i.e., what's the least amount you have to do to escape penalty? There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but it does conflict with the church's model. The church strives for the most you can do, not the least.
Remember the story of the man who asked Jesus what's required for salvation. Eventually the man accepted the "Thou shall nots" of the commandments. When Jesus agreed, the man said that he had done all these things. To which Jesus answered: "If you would be perfect ..."
There's a dimension of church teaching that rises above the minimum, and strives for perfection. The teaching of Humanae Vitae is not just that the pope forbids rubbers. It's actually a whole exhortation on embracing the "naturalness" of life as a gift. Instead of trying to use technology to "improve" life, the teaching asks us to embrace life, wonderful as it is. But, so many people treated that encyclical as if it were an NFL referee's instant replay decision - they only cared about the result, and paid no attention to the actual teaching involved.
Great comment
February 25, 2009 - 15:59 ET by surfergirl54These are all great points. Liberals, and sinners hate being told that what they are doing is in any way wrong. They want affirmation for their ideas and logic.
The greatest sinner since the birth of Jesus Christ was Judas Iscariot. His sins ended in deicide, followed by suicide. He could not live with what he had done but he could not manage to seek the love of God by asking for forgiveness. Those who castigate the Catholic Church expecting her to agree to their sins are very much like Judas Iscariot because they want everything to be their way.
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proud to be amongst those who are anti-global warming and anti climate change. The Australian heatwave and Victorian bushfires were not the result of climate change.
As a Catholic
February 25, 2009 - 22:28 ET by BobAnthonyI AM EXTREMELY OFFENDED AT THIS BLASPHEMY BY THE NY SLIMES! THE BUNCH OF DUMBASS ATHIESTS THAT WORK AT THAT BIRD CAGE LINER AND ITS SISTER PAPERS THE BOSTON GLOB, WASHINGTON COMPOST HEAP AND L-A SLIMES!
Want the PLAIN truth and no spin? Listen to The Plains Radio Network online. It's like nothing you've ever heard.
www.plainsradio.com