Backstabbing Apologists
Although I have been out of the Church for seven years, I still occasionally get mail from Catholic organizations, charities, and publications. I don’t mind, as it allows me to keep up with certain things. Today’s solicitation from This Rock has moved me to contact you and just get some things off my chest.
Despite the burgeoning conservative Catholic movement, the Church is thoroughly controlled by liberals and New-Agers. You do not have a “successor to the apostles” in the world who does not subscribe to evolution and the blasphemous documentary hypothesis, nor will a Catholic Bible receive the imprimatur if it does not teach these things in the notes. I hope you are proud of your “holy” Church for teaching these blasphemies and for stabbing its political allies, the Evangelicals, in the back.
I have actually communicated with Dr. [Scott] Hahn a few times in the past, and at first he assured me that he believed neither of these things (he himself claimed to be among those Catholics who had “not yet bowed the knee to Baal”). After the recent public backstab from the “successor to Peter” (though Catholics are correct to point out that nothing had changed; the Church has never been opposed to evolution in its history), he can no longer maintain this pretense to a “dual loyalty,” and it is obvious which side he as chosen.
To maintain loyalty to the Church now truly makes him what I at the very first perhaps wrongly accused him of being: a traitor to his people. I am sure he feels safe from the attacks of the redneck-haters ensconced safely in the “respectable” evolutionist, higher-critical Catholic Church. I am sure you feel the same protection given your vigorous anti-Fundamentalist stance. How about criticizing something else once every hundred years or so, like scientific naturalism?
I learned a long time ago what scorn my people are held in by our so-called “friends and allies.” You can “baptize” every culture and pagan religion in the world, but you will never understand that Fundamentalist rednecks (who, last time I checked, were created by the same God as everyone else) are also an ethno-culture with certain legitimate cultural traits that should be respected just as everyone else’s should. You will never understand that.
Roy Grissom
Via the Internet
Editor’s reply: Cool off. You’re overheated on this issue, and you haven’t gotten your facts right. There’s no requirement that Catholic Bible translations, to get an imprimatur, must promote either evolution or the documentary hypothesis in their notes. The Navarre Bible, for example, doesn’t promote either one.
As for Scott Hahn, he has no “dual loyalty.” He happens not to believe in either evolutionism or certain recent theories of scriptural origins, and he’s perfectly loyal to the Church. (You’re the one who became an apostate, remember.) As for “the recent public backstab” by the Pope, it might be good if you first read his statement and then read my article about it (“Evolving the Pope’s Words,” March 1997).
Praise and Problems
Your latest issue is superb—I’ve read it cover to cover. I thought the reply to the detractors by Karl Keating was excellent (“No Apology from the New Apologists,” May 1997). I have been recently listening to a tape of a talk given a long time ago by Mr. Keating—I believe it was in Culver City—about our faith and Mary. It is still worth listening to. I’ve been meaning to write and tell you that the new [magazine] format is more readable. Congratulations on that also. Another article I especially enjoyed was “Catholic Women” by Joanna Bogle. I’ll be looking forward to reading more of her work.
Madeline Ashley
Los Angeles, California
Evangelize Us!
I just finished reading at your Web site “How My Parish Fought Off an Invasion” by Edward C. Petty. Fr. Petty said that he had not lost any members of the Church as a result of the Fundamentalists’ attempts. I was wondering if the Church gained any members.
I will let you know at this point I am not Roman Catholic. Recently I have opened myself to allowing the Holy Spirit to teach me what is the truth in regards to the Church. The question to me is, Where does God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) want me and my family to worship? My background has been Episcopal as a youth, Presbyterian as an older teen and young adult, and currently Christian Missionary Alliance.
My experience with these churches, as well as what I observe with members of the Roman Catholic Church, is that most do not know what they believe and why (unless it fits a particular need, usually escape from sin). People will attend where they feel most comfortable.
In forty-three years of life, I have never had Jesus Christ shared with me by a Roman Catholic. I have never been invited to a Catholic Mass. I recently went by my own invitation. I was moved by the service. In summary, Fr. Petty helped his parishioners to discover Christ, but my question to Fr. Petty and to Roman Catholics is, “What are you doing to bring Christ to others?”
Roger Dunbar
Via the Internet
Chain Reaction
In about 1987 I first contacted Catholic Answers. I was just getting back into practicing my faith, and your brand of “instruction” was just what the doctor ordered. I learned enough about my faith to want to learn more, to defend myself when that knock on the door comes. A few years after this, I had a “born-again” experience—yet I remained a Catholic. God was drawing me closer to him. Being born-again and all fired-up, I sought to become a priest, or a monk, and after three of the happiest years of my life—living close to God, but not knowing what I was to do for him—I finally bumped into my wife and her three-year-old son. Marriage was absolutely the last thing I thought would happen to me. God brought me here, because I kept asking, asking, asking: “What am I to do for you?”
At this time, I am so in debt because of a wedding and a honeymoon, that I can only just make ends meet. But I will keep you folks in mind. Catholic Answers started a chain of events in my life through which God brought me closer to him, with the opportunity to share the Good News with my children, with my wife. We are in need of prayers, yet we are undergoing the most wonderful period of our lives.
Paul A. Blain
Hibbing, Minnesota
Getting Even?
I read with interest Terrye Newkirk’s article and sidebars about Sister-L (“Sister Hell,” on the Catholic Answers Web site and in This Rock, May 1996). I’ve had no prior knowledge about This Rock magazine or Sister-L and just stumbled onto the article while surfing tonight.
I just wanted to commend Ms. Newkirk for demeanor and objectivity. Aside from the factual matters of the debate, just comparing her lucid, organized, and thoughtful comments to the emotional and rationalized ones from Margaret Thompson would cause me to favor Ms. Newkirk’s position.
In all her written communications she appeared to me to clarify positions, certainly at odds with theirs, without resorting to character assassination. She wanted to discuss issues factually and objectively. They did not. That is indeed unfortunate. I feel the devil works to divide us by means of accentuating our differences. Intolerance and unwillingness to discuss differences, ultimately resorting to an emotional “I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” can only hurt the Church and all of its members. Ms. Newkirk did her part.
Thank you for your article. It shed light on issues I didn’t know existed but which I am not surprised are out there. You explained and argued in reasonable tone and volume. It made understanding the issues possible. Aside from the fact that I agree with you on the issues, I just wanted to tell you I appreciated how you presented your case.
Steve Hanna
Wichita, Kansas
Seeds of Truth
Thank you for James Akin’s article on Pope Pius XII’s heroic actions during World War II (“How Pius XII Protested the Jews,” February 1997).
Recently our state newspaper, The Hartford Courant, ran an article from the Washington Post regarding the canonization of Edith Stein. The article stated: “The prospect that the Catholic Church would canonize her has long provoked the ire of some Jews resentful at what they say was Church passivity while the concentration camp ovens blazed on.”
I wrote a response to this statement using the information you offered in This Rock. The Hartford Courant did print my letter in their Op/Ed page. Hopefully, this will plant a seed in the minds of those who read it to look beyond what they read to the actual truth of the matter. Our parish priest made mention of the article to the parish after the Mass. Many people commented that they did not know what the Catholic Church did to fight against the Nazis.
Thank you for your article. I am sorry I plagiarized your work, but I am glad it was printed. The editor of the newspaper called to verify where I got my information. (He seemed somehow touched by it. It may be my imagination but you never know how God will call people.)
Jeffrey J. Ryan
Simsbury, Connecticut
Keating for the Defense
I must express my gratitude for Karl Keating’s talk at the “Defending the Faith” conference in Steubenville [Franciscan University]. I did not arrive until Friday evening; however, my wife was there for the St. John Bosco Religious Education conference, and she said that I must hear the talk. We purchased several tapes, including that one.
As I was driving today I had the opportunity to listen to the talk several times and found it very encouraging. Sometimes I find myself very discouraged about the future, with all of the liberalism in the Church today, especially in this part of Maryland, where orthodox Roman Catholics seem to be in a minority. I just wanted to thank you for all that you do in defense of the Bride of Christ.
Chuck Bowman
Via the Internet
Button Words
Karl Keating’s well-written and concise address defending the “New Apologetics,” was a delight to read. In it he brought up the word “triumphalism.” It is clear from context that this must be a pejorative “button word” among those who oppose the Church, yet it was a word I had not encountered before, so it meant absolutely nothing to me. Mr. Keating only briefly speculated on the nature of use of words in this way. I thought he might be interested to know that there is a book called The Humiliation of the Word, by French philosopher Jacques Ellul, which goes into this phenomenon in great depth.
While we would disagree with some of Ellul’s conclusions regarding the history of the Church, he makes some very astute observations about the destruction of words, which are verbal communication, by replacing them with images, a lower form of communication linked with the passions, and places it in the context of the commandment to “make no graven images.”
Mark Gross
Boise, Idaho
It Is a Conspiracy!
Your “Dragnet” paragraph in the May 1997 number concerning the European flag reminds me of an article I read several years ago in, I think, one of the publications of the Franciscan Friars of Marytown in Libertyville, Illinois. As I recall the article, the man chosen to design the European flag was indeed a Catholic and designed the arcing twelve stars in the blue field with the Miraculous Medal in mind. Mary as Mistress of Europe (well, “Queen”, actually) is precisely what he did have in mind.
John Cahill
Dubuque, Iowa
Imprimatur for Web Sites?
I have been visiting your Web site for about five months and have learned a lot. Thanks. After reading some of the This Rock articles (“Sister Hell,” “Angry is as Angry Does”) it seems to me that the Vatican should have guidelines and an official endorsement seal which would be applied to Catholic newspapers and magazines. It would appear on Web sites and the front of magazines and newspapers that allege to be Catholic.
This would help the faithful realize if a certain publication is orthodox or not. I hate being misled, thinking I’m reading something by a sincere Catholic expert only to find out later that it is his own twisted idea being published.
Louis Toth
Via the Internet
No Delayed Adoptions
My husband and I have two adopted children, David and Katie. They became members of our family the moment we first held them, when they were three days old. I believe they were a part of our family even before that, when we prayed each day that God would give us a child. I can’t imagine letting them grow up thinking they aren’t members of our family until they reach some age of reason. “We would love to have you in our family, but we are going to let you decide, and only then will we get the adoption finalized.” We are all called to be God’s adopted children (Eph. 1:4). As we bring children into our family, whether they are adopted or are born to us, we should also bring them into the family of God.
Vickie Danton
Tucson, Arizona
Vid-Kids
My wife and I just read the “Raisin’ Saints” feature of the May issue of This Rock, “TV or Not TV.” We were very disappointed with the presentation of television and video media. We did not disagree with the assessment of secular TV and videos, but several things were blatantly missing from the article.
TV: How could an article on television programming not mention the excellent Catholic twenty-four-hour programming available from the Eternal Word Television Network, founded by Mother Angelica? She knows about you, and I think you know about her. Catholic Answers is listed on EWTN’s Web page as “The largest Catholic apologetics organization in northern America dedicated to defending the Catholic Faith.”
Videos: There are hundreds of excellent family-friendly Christian videos that are available from one’s local Christian bookstore or by phone or mail from many different Catholic and non-Catholic Christian organizations that cover: children’s programs, lives of the saints (for children and for adults), conversion stories of apologists, faith-building lectures or panel discussions, and more. There was no mention of any of these. We think that these are the types of videos that can really help raise saints.
Disney productions: These seemed to be mentioned rather matter-of-factly. There was no mention of the destructive influence on the family that the Disney corporation is having and no mention of the boycott of Disney by some major Christian organizations.
We expect better from you. However, we certainly can appreciate your heavy workload, print deadlines, shoestring budget, etc., and things will slip through the cracks. May we suggest that you do a follow up article that fills in the gaps?
George and Pam Zieminski
Santa Rosa, California
Leslie Ryland’s reply: Mr. and Mrs. Zieminski make many good points about worthwhile family watching. I had hoped the column’s tone and content made clear that I intended to present one perspective on the TV question rather than provide a comprehensive review of all available programming and videos.
To respond specifically: In an effort to minimize our overall television viewing, my husband and I decided against cable. Therefore, we have no access to Mother Angelica and don’t watch EWTN. We have rented a number of CCC videos from our local Catholic bookstore. We found the production values and writing tended to trivialize the very events and saints they set out to portray. As our girls get older, we’ll certainly explore the Catholic video question further. As to the Disney issue, we no longer purchase Disney products, but we see no harm in letting the girls watch videos purchased in the past.