Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Pope John Paul II - Not an Action Movie Hero

Pope John Paul II must be a fraud, a hypocrite, or something like that. According to some 'serious thinkers,' anyway.

Pope John Paul II didn't
  • Declare homosexual activity 'okay'
  • Stop the PEDOPHILE PRIESTS! PEDOPHILE PRIESTS!!
Never mind the cognitive dissonance between those two positions.

I'm nowhere near 'intelligent' and 'sophisticated' enough to hold either - or both - of those opinions. My considered opinion is that Pope John Paul II is a human being who died fairly recently, was beatified a few days ago, and whose powers and abilities were not "far beyond those of mortal men."1

PEDOPHILE PRIESTS! PEDOPHILE PRIESTS!! - Yes, I Know

Some priests behaved very badly during the last half-century. So did some bishops. In my opinion:
  • That was wrong
  • It wasn't right
  • It shouldn't have happened
  • But it did
  • And that was wrong
I've discussed the PEDOPHILE PRIESTS! PEDOPHILE PRIESTS!! before:
In case it isn't clear, by the way: I do not approve of rape. Judgmental as that sounds. I don't have much of a choice in the matter, since I'm a practicing Catholic. It's in the rules. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2356)

Moving on.

Wham! Bam! RATATATATATA!!! KABOOOM!!!

I like action movies, like Commando. But I don't think they're a particularly accurate reflection of reality. Which isn't the same as believing that war is never, ever, ever, justified - and that's another topic. (March 22, 2011)

If Pope John Paul II had been an action movie hero, he'd have learned - dramatically - about priests who were abusing their flock, and bishops who were shielding them.

Then, after about 90 minutes and several explosions, everything would be hunky-dory.

I think - and hope - that the folks writing earnest editorials about how miserably Pope John Paul II failed don't believe that life is like an action movie. When they think about it, at least.

Maybe complaints about John Paul II not being sufficiently liberal (or conservative), and not stopping the PEDOPHILE PRIESTS! PEDOPHILE PRIESTS!! scandal, are just more of the usual anti-Catholicism that's been endemic in America for centuries. (September 26, 2008)

Or maybe folks who are disappointed in John Paul II's failure to fix everything the way they want it fixed - feel, at some level, that the Pope and the Catholic Church are much more powerful than we really are. In secular terms, that is.

As I've mentioned before, I joined the Catholic Church in large part because I caught on to Who was running it. And that's yet another topic. (November 24, 2009)

Related posts:
News and views:
Background on Blessed John Paul II:

1 Superman television series, 1952–1958.

2 comments:

Brigid said...

Missing a period: "Moving on"

The Friendly Neighborhood Proofreader

Brian H. Gill said...

Brigid,

Found, fixed - thanks!

Like it? Pin it, Plus it, - - -

Pinterest: My Stuff, and More

Advertisement

Unique, innovative candles


Visit us online:
Spiral Light CandleFind a Retailer
Spiral Light Candle Store

Popular Posts

Label Cloud

1277 abortion ADD ADHD-Inattentive Adoration Chapel Advent Afghanistan Africa America Amoris Laetitia angels animals annulment Annunciation anti-catholicism Antichrist apocalyptic ideas apparitions archaeology architecture Arianism art Asperger syndrome assumptions asteroid astronomy Australia authority balance and moderation baptism being Catholic beliefs bias Bible Bible and Catechism bioethics biology blogs brain Brazil business Canada capital punishment Caritas in Veritate Catechism Catholic Church Catholic counter-culture Catholicism change happens charisms charity Chile China Christianity Christmas citizenship climate change climatology cloning comets common good common sense Communion community compassion confirmation conscience conversion Corpus Christi cosmology creation credibility crime crucifix Crucifixion Cuba culture dance dark night of the soul death depression designer babies despair detachment devotion discipline disease diversity divination Divine Mercy divorce Docetism domestic church dualism duty Easter economics education elections emotions England entertainment environmental issues Epiphany Establishment Clause ethics ethnicity Eucharist eugenics Europe evangelizing evolution exobiology exoplanets exorcism extremophiles faith faith and works family Father's Day Faust Faustus fear of the Lord fiction Final Judgment First Amendment forgiveness Fortnight For Freedom free will freedom fun genetics genocide geoengineering geology getting a grip global Gnosticism God God's will good judgment government gratitude great commission guest post guilt Haiti Halloween happiness hate health Heaven Hell HHS hierarchy history holidays Holy Family Holy See Holy Spirit holy water home schooling hope humility humor hypocrisy idolatry image of God images Immaculate Conception immigrants in the news Incarnation Independence Day India information technology Internet Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Japan Jesus John Paul II joy just war justice Kansas Kenya Knights of Columbus knowledge Korea language Last Judgment last things law learning Lent Lenten Chaplet life issues love magi magic Magisterium Manichaeism marriage martyrs Mary Mass materialism media medicine meditation Memorial Day mercy meteor meteorology Mexico Minnesota miracles Missouri moderation modesty Monophysitism Mother Teresa of Calcutta Mother's Day movies music Muslims myth natural law neighbor Nestorianism New Year's Eve New Zealand news Nietzsche obedience Oceania organization original sin paleontology parish Parousia penance penitence Pentecost Philippines physical disability physics pilgrimage politics Pope Pope in Germany 2011 population growth positive law poverty prayer predestination presumption pride priests prophets prostitution Providence Purgatory purpose quantum entanglement quotes reason redemption reflections relics religion religious freedom repentance Resurrection robots Roman Missal Third Edition rosaries rules sacramentals Sacraments Saints salvation schools science secondary causes SETI sex shrines sin slavery social justice solar planets soul South Sudan space aliens space exploration Spain spirituality stem cell research stereotypes stewardship stories storm Sudan suicide Sunday obligation superstition symbols technology temptation terraforming the establishment the human condition tolerance Tradition traffic Transfiguration Transubstantiation travel Trinity trust truth uncertainty United Kingdom universal destination of goods vacation Vatican Vatican II veneration vengeance Veterans Day videos virtue vlog vocations voting war warp drive theory wealth weather wisdom within reason work worship writing

Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.