The Hypocrisy of Our Culture and Our Condemning Silence

By now, most people have already heard how former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling was fired from his position at ESPN. (see story here).The reason for his termination was a post he put on his personal Facebook account that some found offensive to the transgender (or whatever we are calling them this week) community. ESPN then went so far as to remove virtually any reference to Curt Schilling in documentary they produced about the Red Sox 2004 World Series win, in which he played a large part in.

You can view his facebook post at this link. While I agree that it is somewhat unpleasant to look at, it points out the absurdity of the transgender bathroom debate in our culture right now. To sum it all up, the "progressive" minded folks in our society are willing to put our children at risk in public bathrooms in order to appease a very minuscule, but very vocal, percentage of the general population that due to a mental disorder, cannot identify with their God given gender. Schilling agrees with those of us who see the need for states to pass these "bathroom laws" to protect the most vulnerable in our society.

Spiritual Warfare and Catholicism Under Attack.

I want to share with you a presentation I gave recently to the Christian Men's Breakfast Meeting Group at the Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul in Providence RI:

Good morning. I want to begin our discussion about the attacks on our faith with some examples from my own experiences. As some of you know, I have written quite a few letters over the last few years to state, and federal leaders and to the news media on topics such as gay marriage, abortion, and in defense of our Bishop. What you may not be aware of is the disturbing reactions and backlash I have gotten from these letters. Many times people have written back to the Providence Journal and left comments on their website viciously attacking our faith and me personally. I have been called a hater, bigoted, sexist, racist, a closet homosexual, and a dangerous fanatic. I have also been accused several times of brainwashing and psychologically abusing my children because I dare to teach them the truths of our faith such as homosexual behavior is disordered and abortion is murder. Even my wife has been harassed. Several months ago, during the time that the civil unions bill was being rammed through the state house, my wife was driving home from work when another driver started yelling and cursing at her. Why? Because she dared to have a bumper sticker on her car that displayed our support for traditional marriage.

I could go on, but all this pales in comparison to the way other Catholics, our Church and even Bishop Tobin have been attacked for preaching the truth. It goes far beyond just a disagreement or a difference of opinions. There is a feeling of darkness and evil behind the open hostility shown toward Catholics and even Christians in secular world and especially in the media. Just a couple of weeks ago, a Catholic writer in Massachusetts who writes for the Diocese of Worcester’s newspaper, wrote an article on her own website about how she was not comfortable taking her young children to a local park because of the open display of affection she had seen there between two gay men. Being a devout Catholic mother, she only wanted to protect her children from inappropriate behavior. She ignited a firestorm of hatred from athiests and gay advocates because of this article. She and her family were viciously attacked on-line when gay advocates found her article and spread it to other gay friendly websites. They somehow found her street address and phone number and actually posted it online and encouraged people to contact her at home and harass her. It got to the point where she actually received a death treat and finally contacted the police. The police investigated the matter but as you would guess, they never classified it as a hate crime. As in the norm in our society, hate crimes don’t matter when they are against Catholics because it seems this is an acceptable form of bigotry.

This Should Surprise No One

Just in case you need one more reason to get rid of your TV: 

TV Executives Admit in Taped Interviews That Hollywood Pushes a Liberal Agenda

Several years ago a Franciscan priest, Fr. David Engo, was conducting a parish mission at my Church. He said that the best thing a person can do about the trash on TV is to put on a pair of steel-toe boots, kick the TV as hard as possible in the screen and throw it in the garbage.

After reading the above article, I have a serious urge to go shopping for some boots.

Christian Persecution

As you can probably guess by reading this blog, I am no fan of the mainstream media here in the United States. This is due to the obvious bias and distortion of facts in journalism today. What I am about to post here is probably one of the worst examples of this poor reporting that I have ever seen. Take a look at these stories from MSNBC and  CNN below:

Elected president's forces storm Gbagbo's residence in Ivory Coast

Gbagbo negotiating surrender, Ivory Coast foreign minister says

Please keep in mind this last line of the last paragraph in the CNN article above:

In one of the bloodiest incidents yet, the International Committee of the Red Cross reported the killings of 800 people last week in the western cocoa-producing town of Duekoue.

Now please take a look at some of the stories in the links below:

Reprisals rock Ivory Coast after strongman deposed

MASSACRE: MUSLIM TROOPS SLAUGHTER 1,000 CHRISTIANS IN IVORY COAST

Rebel Forces Target Catholic Priests in Ivory Coast – Church Facilities Destroyed

Atrocities at Catholic mission in Ivory Coast a sign of things to come

More Than 1,000 Shot and Hacked to Death in Ivory Coast Town

Massacre of 800 to 1,000 Catholics in Ivory Coast likely work of Islamists

The next Rwanda? ‘In all districts of Abidjan there is gunfire’

The difference between the CNN/MSNBC report and these stories from alternative sources is that CNN and MSNBC, in their politically correct blindness, neglect to mention that this massacre of 800 to 1000 civilians in the Ivory Coast occurred in a Catholic mission. These victims were predominantly Catholics and Christians, and the murders responsible were mainly from Muslim tribes. In their rush to support the Obama backed new leader of the Ivory Coast, these so-called journalist willingly ignored the fact that these tribes are using the political turmoil to cover their motivations for an ethnic and religious war in the Ivory Coast. 

It disgusts me that the news media of this country either don't care or don't find it news worthy when Catholics and Christians are being forced from their homes and raped and murdered by Muslim tribes. Now I am not condemning all Muslims or all of Islam. I realize those responsible for inciting these horrific acts are only interested in spreading their radical views of Islam. My point is that the media is quick to condemn anyone who portrays Islam in an unflattering light, such as the preacher burning the Koran recently. Our media is leading this insane charge to coddle and protect anything remotely tied to Islam, while attacking and completely disrespecting anything Christian. This goes far beyond the tragic events of the Ivory Coast. While heralding the regime changes and new goverments in countries like Egypt, again these journalists completely ignore the fact that Catholics and Coptic Christians are being forced from their homes, attacked, jailed and their chruches bombed by this aggressive radical Muslim element that is now gaining control of these governments. Just look at the articles below for examples of this. When was the last time that CNN, MSNBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, NBC, or the New York Times reported these truths?

Egyptian Army Attacks Coptic Monastery

Iraqi Christians search for havens

This negligence and distortion of truth by the mainstream media is criminal in my opinion. There is no excuse for this deplorable behavior by these journalists. To ignore the persecution of thousands of Christians in Africa and the Middle East all in the name of ratings and political correctness, makes these news organizations complicit in these horrible crimes against these innocent civilians. By suppressing the truth, these reporters are helping these crimes go unnoticed and unpunished.

Please pray for our Christian and Catholic brothers and sisters in these regions of Africa and the Middle East. Pray for God's comfort, strength, and healing for these victims. Pray also for God's mercy for the conversion of those that allow these crimes to happen.

More On The Loss of Our Religious Freedoms

Recently, I did a couple of posts about the loss of religious freedom because of the homosexual agenda. ( Those posts can be seen here and here.) I came across two headlines yesterday that further underscore this growing threat to our religious rights

Illinois gay civil unions threatens to force Catholic Charities out of adoptions

Army: court-martial Chaplains for "religious, conscience" objection to homosexuality.

This is the stark reality we are facing. Because of a well organized and well funded gay agenda and political correctness becoming its own religion in this country, we are witnessing the dawning of a new age of Christian persecution in our society. The concepts of tolerance and equality are nothing more than a thin veneer masking an ugly hostility towards our faith. Unless more of us stand up and act like true followers of Christ, the voice of Catholics and Christians in general will be silenced in our society.

I also wanted to share the following links and video which demonstrates the level of "tolerance" shown to members of TFP Student Action during their rally to defend traditional marriage here in Rhode Island. The very same people who claim to believe in tolerance and civil rights are spewing hatred and obscenities at these young men standing up for their faith and true marriage. What is even more disturbing is that a week earlier, the local media, displaying their usual bias, reported on the peaceful rally at Brown University in favor of same sex marriage. But when Traditional Marriage supporters rallied in the very same location and were attacked, it was completely ignored by all local news channels and newspapers.

Pro-Homosexuals at Brown University Respond to Peaceful TFP Rally with Violence

Pro-Homosexuals Attempt to Rip TFP Sign in Newport

Catholic weddings drop 71 percent in R.I.

This article recently appeared in the Providence Journal from my home state, little Rhode Island:

Catholic weddings drop 71 percent in R.I.

The Providence Journal, typical of most news media, loves to publish anything that will cast the Catholic Church in a negative light. This article was no exception. In an example of sloppy one sided journalism, the 71% decline in Catholic weddings was stressed over and over, but no other statistics from any other church was given. No context was provided to let the reader see how the number of Catholic weddings compared to other denominations. This article made you believe that it was time to put the last nails in the coffin of the Catholic Church. This is hardly surprising from the Providence Journal, since it many of its past articles have had an obvious liberal slant and heavily biased against the Church.

The truth of the matter is that this 71% decline is more indicative of societal problems than issues within the Church. One of the few bright spots in this article were these quotes from two priests in the Diocese of Providence:

The Rev. Joseph D. Santos Jr., pastor of Holy Name Church in Providence, contends that the falloff in Catholic weddings has its roots in the 1970s. That, he says, is when Catholic educators started revamping religious education and “basically destroyed or watered down” traditional teachings to the extent that increasing numbers of Catholics no longer understand what marriage and sexuality are about.

The church has traditionally taught that matrimony has two purposes: To allow the couple to love each other in a way that mirrors Christ’s love for his church, and to become partners with God in bringing new life into the world.

Unfortunately, says Father Santos, the failure to show the connection between those aspects has caused many Catholics to mistakenly think that sex can be primarily about pleasure and gratification and to believe that premarital sex, and even living together without marriage, are OK.

The Rev. Ronald E. Brassard, pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Cranston, says there is no doubt that cohabitation has been the biggest factor in the decline in the number of Catholic weddings.

“It’s not so much that Catholics are getting married someplace else,” he says. “They are not getting married, period.

“In 1965, if a couple was living together, it would have been scandalous. Today, it seems no one blinks an eye.”

I completely agree with these statements. It's not hard to see how many Catholics and society and general do not have a healthy understanding or respect for marriage, family, and sexuality. This is evidenced by the proliferation of pornography, contraception, and abortion in our culture. Young couples also don't value marriage like previous generations did, and many decide on cohabitation instead. So many young adults today came from broken homes and single parent homes. Unfortunately, because of these experiences, they don't fully appreciate marriage as a lifelong commitment. Add to that the fact that many young couples that do decide to marry, are opting to have their wedding outside such as on a beach rather than in a Church. This also has a lot to do with the messages they get from media and Hollywood. They are bombarded with images of romantic outdoor ceremonies which overshadows the truth that a marriage is a sacrament and lifelong vow before God that should occur in a sacred place.

The article also had comments from recently wed young couples who call themselves Catholic but chose to marry outside the Church. The common theme was that these couples did not agree with Church doctrine. They did not want the Church telling them what to do or believe. They wanted to decide for themselves. Isn't this what happened in the Garden of Eden? We want to be in control and ultimately lead self centered lives rather than lives centered on God. That is the whole issue behind this decline in marriage. The Catholic Church is not alone in this as virtually all denominations are experiencing this. Our society is turning away from God and becoming more secularized. So it should come as no surprise that as we turn away from God's will for marriage that we will try to redefine it to suit our own wills.

What Some People Find Offensive

Take a look at the video below, and ask your self if you find this offensive. Unfortunately Fox Sports had decided not to air this ad during the Superbowl because of their policy against commercials with religious doctrine. They do not want to risk offending anyone.



I personally didn't find any religious doctrine in this ad. It simply directs viewers to look up John 3:16 for themselves in the Bible or on-line. I admire the creators of this ad, Fixed Point Foundation, in how they responded to Fox Sports:

“Fox Sports isn't the enemy,” said Taunton [Larry Taunton Executive Director of Fixed Point]. “We aren't out to demonize them. We think this is more of a cultural issue than it is a Fox Sports issue. Their solution was just to run from it because they think this is something that would offend their viewership. I think we have become so utterly sensitive and politically correct that the result is we end up doing absurd things like this.”

Because of the twisted values of our culture and the media, anything with a Christian message is deemed offensive. However Fox Sports and the Fox Network in general have no problem airing the usually racy ads from Go-Daddy and other sponsors that in the past have been borderline pornographic and have openly mocked religion. Fox Network also does not find it offensive to air their usual lineup of violence and sex filled shows on prime time each evening. Most recently Fox deemed it appropriate and inoffensive to air openly the show Glee, which contains explicit sexual content, teen promiscuity, and graphic scenes with gay teens and their same sex partners.

I agree with Mr. Taunton about this whole matter. The isn't just an issue with Fox, but it is symptomatic of our sick society in which so much immorality is accepted and "normal" and "good". However any mention of Christ and His message of hope and truth and turning away from sin is found offensive and met with ridicule and scorn. Our culture is submersed so deeply in darkness that it attacks anything that points to the Light. It is like a person who has been sitting in the dark for a long time. Once a bright light is turned on, it causes pain to the person's eyes. They can either be patient and accept the light and bear with the pain until their eyes adjust or they can choose the darkness by shielding their eyes and try to extinguish the light. It is easy to see which option our society is choosing.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. (Isaiah 5:20)

The Pope, Condoms, and the Media

I have often been very critical of the mainstream news media on this blog, usually with good reason. I want to thing perfectly clear. I believe the mainstream media, with only a few exceptions, has become the mouthpiece of Satan himself. I know this sounds pretty harsh, but look at the facts. Whether it's CNN, Associated Press, the New York Times, or a whole list of others, they always look for any opportunity to distort the truth to malign the Catholic Church and attack the Pope. Look at these latest headlines from AP, CNN, and NY Times:

Pope says some condom use 'first step' of morality 

Pope says condoms may be OK in some circumstances 

Pope Says Condoms to Stop AIDS May Be Acceptable

The Pope drops Catholic ban on condoms in historic shift - Telegraph.co.uk 

These so called reputable news sources would have you believe that the Pope is drastically changing the Church's stance on condom use. They are practically giddy with the revelation that the Church is admitting it's wrong and changing it controversial teaching against condoms.

When I first saw these stories earlier today, I had a hard time believing this, especially since Pope Benedict XVI has stood so firmly against giving into the relativistic nature of our society. I want you to form your own opinion on this story however. Read the above stories and then read this last article below from EWTN/CNA.

Pope Benedict advocates right sexuality, not condom use, in fight against HIV 

I think it's pretty obvious who is telling the truth in these articles. The first four articles above don't even come remotely close to being accurate. The EWTN/CNA article uses the condom statement in the proper context so the reader can see that the Pope is actually defending Church teaching and not trying to change it. Secondly, the Pope made these remarks during the course of an interview with a journalist. They were not made in any official Church or Papal document like an encyclical. In other words, they are just the Pope's opinion and he has freely admitted that even the Popes can have opinions that are incorrect. By no means whatsoever do these statements reflect a change in any official Church teaching. Jimmy Akin on his blog at the National Catholic Register does a remarkable job dissecting these reports and getting to the truth behind this mess. Please take the time to read his posst at the following links:  

The Pope Said WHAT about Condoms??? 
Understanding the Pope's Dilemma on Condoms 

As I mentioned before, this is typical of the anti-Catholic mainstream media. What can we as Catholics do about this? We can start by not taking anything from the news media at face value. It doesn't take much time to do a little research online to get both sides of the story. You will be surprised by how often the news media is not as accurate or unbiased as they lead to you believe. Secondly, educate yourself on your faith. A Catholic with a firm understanding of their faith would know just by reading those headlines that the story is just another distortion of the truth. Finally, don't be afraid to speak up and defend our Church and the truth. It's up to us to stand up for the truth when we hear others trying to tear it down. This includes even contacting the various news media and telling them that is unacceptable. We could make a difference if these news outlets are flooded with calls and emails from faithful Catholics telling them enough is enough.

In case you have any doubt as to what the official Vatican response is to this media circus, I will leave with these links to the statements from the official Vatican spokesman:

Vatican spokesman: Pope not changing Church teaching on condom use 
Statement on Pontiff's Words Regarding Condoms

The Catholic Church and Homophobia

Since same sex marriage and bullying against gays have been in headlines lately, many people are quick to blame Christians and the Catholic Church especially for spreading intolerance and hate. In many heated discussions I have had with gay marriage advocates, their accusations of bigotry and homophobia are due to the fact that they have no moral, legal, or scientific basis for their argument to redefine marriage. However it is frustrating to constantly hear these lies from not only same sex marriage advocates like the very anti-Christian Human Rights Campaign, but also from those in the mainstream media.

Take a look at the video below from the National Organization of Marriage 2010 Summer for Marriage Tour and ask yourself who is displaying hate and intolerance. I am a supporter of the NOM and while I was not able to attend the rallies, I had several friends who did. I am very proud of the way they behaved in a dignified and respectful manner even while very hostile gay marriage advocates were screaming in their faces. But yet, Christians and the NOM are constantly painted as extremists, homophobes, and bigots by this anti-Christian culture.



Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island, recently released an article which I think all Christians should read and commit to memory. He clearly explains in a very pastoral manner why the Catholic Church is against homosexual behavior. Here are a few excerpts from the Bishop's article:

In addition, however, we preach the truth of the Gospel with such insistence precisely because we love other people, including those involved in these morally challenging situations. That means, then, that the preaching of the truth must always be infused with love, a gentle and compassionate love.

What parent, because they love their children, does not teach them about right and wrong, challenge their harmful behavior, and encourage them to live a better, more Christ-like life?

As I wrote to my correspondent, the fact that the Church has love and respect for homosexual persons does not mean that we can ignore the immorality of homosexual acts or the homosexual culture. Nor does our respect for homosexual persons mean that we should sit back silently while a highly-organized political movement seeks to hijack the institution of holy matrimony and change its definition as a union of man and woman – a definition that comes from God and has existed from the beginning of mankind.

You see, we speak about the immorality of homosexual acts and culture, not because we disdain persons of that orientation, but rather because we love and respect them; because we want them to embrace a better and more life-giving path; and because we want them to do what is good and holy in the sight of God. And what parent or grandparent would ever do less?

Please take the time to read the Bishop's entire article and spread it to others.  It's important that in this fight to save traditional marriage, we also do our best to communicate the Church's message of love to those who oppose us. Thank you Bishop Tobin for this outstanding article.

Bishop Tobin's article: Because We Love, We Preach the Truth 

Related articles

• Homophobia in the church? Really? (beliefnet.com)

Dancing With Polar Opposites

I have to confess that I occasionally watch Dancing With the Stars with my wife. While I was watching the show's latest season premiere a couple of weeks ago, I observed something rather interesting about two contestants, former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, and MTV's Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino. In these two men, we see the classic examples of one man striving to life his faith while the other is intoxicated on the unhealthy pleasures of this world.

For those who may not be familiar, Kurt Warner is the retired NFL quarterback who led the St. Louis Rams to become Superbowl Champions in 2000. He also led the Arizona Cardinals to their first Superbowl in 2008. Warner and his wife have 7 children and are devout Christians who have spoken out against issues such as embryonic stem cell research. They have spent a lot of time and resources helping the developmentally disabled and creating the First Things First Foundation which aids the poor and sick children and their families. Kurt Warner is a great example of what it means to use the talents and blessings given to us by God to help our less fortunate brothers and sisters. Warner is very outspoken about his faith and was once quoted as saying:

 "If you ever really want to do a story about who I am, God's got to be at the center of it. Every time I hear a piece or read a story that doesn't have that, they're missing the whole lesson of who I am."

Calling Mike "The Situation Sorrentino a polar opposite is an understatement. He is cast member of The Jersey Shore. I have never seen it and refuse to watch it. I have heard enough about it to turn my stomach. This reality show, produced by the smut peddlers on MTV, portrays Sorrentino and his roommates in New Jersey living their lives centered on night clubs, partying, drinking, promiscuity, and countless hours in front of a mirror worshiping themselves. I have been tempted to watch the show just to see how many of the seven deadly sins they can commit in one episode. Just from what I have heard, lust, greed, pride, and sloth are regulars on the Jersey Shore. I know I shouldn't be judgmental, but this show has been all over the media, and just by reading these reports and looking at the pictures, I don't think I am very far off the mark on my assessment.

Anti-Catholic Propaganda in the Main Stream Media

I can honestly say that I have lost all respect for the major news outlets in this country. Supposedly “unbiased” journalists demonstrated how they are nothing more than propaganda machines with their sickening infatuation with the Obama administration, liberal causes such as gay marriage, and their political correctness run amok over Islam. They stooped to new lows last March when, led by the NY Times, the news media unfairly implicated Pope Benedict in a few sex abuse cases. In my opinion, this was obviously timed to coincide with the Catholic Church’s opposition to Obamacare. It was propaganda, much like was seen in Nazi Germany, to destroy the credibility of the Pope and the Church.
But just when you think they can’t stoop any lower, CNN rolls out a series of articles and a TV special once again implicating the Pope in the sex abuse scandals. These supposed journalists have decided to drag out the same cases that the NY Times first surfaced in March. The most ridiculous part about this is that CNN delivered absolutely no new facts or information about these cases. The just rehashed the same false arguments all over again. These are the same accusations that were proven to be lies back in March by many prominent figures inside and outside the Church.

First, I want to get the facts straight. CNN, much like the anti-Catholic NY times, left out the important details that prove the Pope’s innocence. Both cases were covered up by Bishops who themselves were actively gay, credibly accused of sexual abuse, and resigned in shame, Rembert Weakland and Daniel Ryan. In both cases these bishops attempt to deflect the blame from themselves by implying that the Pope failed to protect children by not defrocking certain abusive priests in their diocese. In both cases, it was proven conclusively that these bishops covered up sexual predators in their diocese and failed to notify the police. These bishops deserve the blame because they failed to remove the abusive priests from active ministry. What then Cardinal Ratzinger did was to tell these bishops that he would not laicize these priests without the proper Canonical trial and that these bishops are responsible for handling this mess in their own diocese. The other important fact that the media left out was that neither the Bishop nor the Vatican needs to defrock a priest in order to remove him from active ministry and hand him over to authorities. Weakland and Ryan purposely chose to cover up the abuse by shuffling these priests to other parishes and then claim the Pope failed to act.

The Holy Spirit at Work in the Church

It seems as if you can't turn on the news or read a newspaper today without some so-called journalist attacking the Church and the Pope with lies and distorted facts. Just look at headlines over the past several months. Old stories of sex-abuse allegations in the US and Europe were being dragged out and twisted in every way possible just to find even the most remote link to Pope Benedict XVI. I am not trying to deny or make light of the pain suffered by the victims of these predatory priests. However, it is sickening to see how enemies of the Church exploit the victims of these crimes in order to unjustly implicate the Pope who has done more than anyone else in the Church to clean out this filth.

In the face of this anti-Catholic crusade by the media, faithful Catholics shouldn't forget that the Holy Spirit has not abandoned the Church. As evidenced by the recent stories below, the Holy Spirit is leading the Church into what Pope John Paul II called the "new springtime."

The Coming Vocation Explosion 
Wisconsin men’s group spreading nationwide, emphasizes restoration of the sacred 

The mainstream media choose to ignore the fact that God is blessing us with workers to rebuild his church. Throughout history, each time the Church has been plagued with scandals, God has called forth great saints to restore His Church. Many seminaries and convents are reporting significant increases in the number of men and women entering to answer God's call. It is also worth noting that these young seminarians and postulants are very devout and orthodox in their faith. It is a true sign of the Holy Spirit that some religious orders are looking the build new facilities to accommodate their growing numbers. That is the type of vocation crisis we need more of.

Adults Acting Like Spoiled Children and the Pope's Visit to the U.K.

As many of you already know, Pope Benedict is visiting Great Britain for the beatification of Cardinal Newman. As expected, the media and the rest of the anti-Catholics are piling up the verbal attacks on the Holy Father. Just look at the list of headlines from CNN.com this morning:

Pope: Priest abuse came as 'a shock'
Pope hasn't done enough to stop abuse, British say 
Why I oppose the pope's visit 
Our moral code is out of date 

These articles are beating the usual drumbeat of how organized religion is bad, the Pope is out of touch and intolerant and the Catholic Church is evil. Blah, blah, blah. We are living in a world were the Pope can't even sneeze without someone attacking his every action, this includes some Catholics. But what I found most interesting about England recently was this article:

Catholic Marriages Plummet in Britain 

According to this article, Catholic marriages in Britain have declined dramatically over the past three decades. A Catholic priest in London made some interesting observations about this decline:

Fr. Timothy Finigan, a parish priest in the London diocese of Southwark and founder of the Association of Priests for the Gospel of Life, told LifeSiteNews.com that in general Catholics of Britain have followed the trend in the secular world of rejecting marriage.

“Sadly, Catholics who are not well catechised tend to follow the prevailing culture.”

“In the UK, marriage is regarded by many as risky because of the possibility of divorce,” he said. “They have not been helped to understand that non-marital relationship are far more likely to break up.”

He also pointed to a deeper cause, saying that men in particular are unwilling to commit to a permanent relationship. They suffer from “a mistaken belief that commitment involves predicting the future instead of making a promise whatever the future holds.”

There is a connection here between the reaction to the Pope's trip and the plummeting marriage rates. People are are forgetting what it means to be real men and women. In Britain and Europe, as well has here in the U.S., people are being brainwashed by a hedonistic culture that tells them it is normal and good to avoid commitments and true virtues such as loyalty, honor, humility, and self sacrifice. Instead they are acting like selfish spoiled little children whose only goal is their personal pleasure and entertainment. They choose cohabitation and contraception over marriage and children because it allows them to selfishly focus only on themselves.

The Modern View of Families and How I Miss Ben Cartwright and Charles Ingalls

I wasn't surprised at all by the news in the following article:

ABC'S HIT COMEDY "MODERN FAMILY" CAPTURES SIX EMMY AWARDS, THE MOST FOR ANY SERIES

First, if you think these awards are not politically motivated, then I have a bridge I would love to sell to you. It's pretty obvious that the Hollywood elite are trying to send a message by giving 6 Emmys to "Modern Family". For those of you who are not familiar with this comedy, it focuses on the lives three "families". The first is a husband, wife, and their children. The second is an older man who left his wife to marry a much younger woman. The third "family" is a gay man, his partner and the baby they adopted.

It was bad enough when Hollywood chose to portray dads as immature, scheming fools. But this show takes it to a whole new low. This show is trying to make the statement that gay men are just as capable, if not better parents than a man and a woman. It also gives the subtle message that heterosexual men will eventually leave their wives for younger women. According to this show, a "modern" family is what we choose it to be according to our own desires. Apparently God's plan for marriage is considered old and obsolete since it doesn't include a gay partner or divorcing your wife for a younger woman.

It is truly sad that long gone are the days when you could turn on the TV and watch a show with your kids that had strong father figures with good values. These outstanding fictional dads included Ben Cartwright on Bonanza, Howard Cunningham on Happy Days, Charles Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, John Walton on The Waltons and Cliff Huxtable on the Cosby Show. Each one left a lasting positive impression on the millions of families that watched them every week.

It is upsetting to think of how many children and families will never be influenced by positive role models like these. Instead they will be exposed to a myriad of lifestyles, living arrangements, and broken homes on TV each week all under the umbrella of "tolerance", "inclusion", and "progress".  Welcome to the reality of "modern families".

Ben Cartwright, Charles Ingalls, Howard Cunningham, John Walton and Cliff Huxtable, you are all greatly missed.

  Related articles

• LGBT Inclusion Wins Big at Emmys (pinkbananaworld.com)
• Emmy wins prove 'modern' families are U.S. hits (canada.com)
• 'Modern Family' wins Comedy Emmy (ontheredcarpet.com)
• GLSEN Congratulates ABC’s ‘Modern Family’ for 6 Emmys 

Women's Ordination and the Double Standard

I was surprised to see this headline on CNN.com yesterday, “Catholic Church defends male-only priesthood”. Apparently, certain groups, that have little or no understanding of Catholic doctrine, are planning billboards and protests in favor of women’s ordination during the Pope’s visit to London.

The Catholic Church has been defending this position for 2,000 years, which makes this headline that more absurd and amusing. It is typical of CNN and the rest of the mainstream media to try to dig up anything to portray the Church in a negative light in hopes of boosting their ratings. This next line from the article further displays the reporter’s ignorance of the Church’s history:

“It's rare for the Catholic Church to defend its fundamental positions in this way.”

I guess countless teachings and statements by bishops and Popes through the centuries, including public documents by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI in which they said they do not have the authority to ordain women, doesn’t matter for this reporter. This next quote from Fr. Wang in the article must have gotten the feminists and other liberals really upset.

The bottom line is that Jesus chose 12 men - and no women - to be his apostles, Wang argues.


The choice was "deliberate and significant, not just for that first period of history, but for every age," Wang says.


Men and women are equal in Christianity, he continues, but "this does not mean that our sexual identity as men and women is interchangeable. Gender is not just an accident."

I was actually surprised to see that CNN had the guts to publish these lines. Thank you Fr. Wang for having the courage to defend our faith in this article.