In a witch hunt mentality reminiscent of old caricatures of the McCarthy Era, pro football hopefull Josh Allen has been caught. Caught doing what? Caught having sent some racially insensitive tweets when he was in high school.
So the debates about whether his life should be ruined, whether his career derailed, how much punishment he deserves, and whether he should be held accountable for every failing in his past life has, naturally, dominated the sports news for the last day or so.
Now it must be admitted that racism is officially the unforgivable sin. Like a disease, there is no cure, and even the slightest infection destroys the entire organism. Also, in keeping with the morphing of liberalism into the modern left, it is the sin that defines. You don't just hate the sin, you hate the sinner. See the contempt and loathing for anyone connected to the Confederacy no matter what the context. It doesn't matter. They are somewhat guilty - they are completely guilty - they are defined by their guilt - they are stripped of all worth and positive characteristics - they are eradicated from our public memory.
McCarthy couldn't have done better in his dreams. That's because McCarthy lacked what the modern Left so brilliantly has obtained. And that's a monopoly in our educational, journalistic and cultural institutions. Whereas Hollywood, the news media and American academia railed against McCarthy and opposed him every step of the way, those same institutions not only aid and abet, but at times actually advance, the leftist cause of dividing Americans up against each other and finding new ways to mercilessly judge and condemn our fellow citizens.
For Christians, it has proven surprisingly easy to accept, without saying so, the premise that racism is it, the sin, the unpardonable sin that defines us and merits hatred, resentment and completely defines the perpetrator for life. We might not say it, but we act it in all but official pronouncement. That this is being promoted by the very movement that once boastfully declared its rejection of judgmentalism and insistence that we should never judge, you just have to tip your hat.
Thank goodness we live in a free and enlightened society, or I'd be a tad worried. After all, this wasn't something he just did. This is something he did as a kid in school. And I get the impression this wasn't something that was accidentally discovered. This was a witch hunt plain and simple, using the modern version of yelling witch, or Commie.
Hi, Dave. Illithid here. I remember asking for help to get registered here, and then never going back to check responses. My apologies to anyone who tried to help for the waste of their time.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in why you've ceased to be Catholic. You still seem to cite Catholic sources in your posts. I'm somewhat less interested in the apparent dislike between you and Mark Shea. The two of you seem kinda similar... opposed in ideology, but sometimes reminiscent of each other in tone. Your post below about the "seamless garment" folks reminded me of some of his rants about "christianists". I don't mean you're identical; he gets a lot angrier than you do.
Anyway, I don't care to write any compare-and-contrast theses. I'm seeing some articles here I'd perhaps like to have commented upon; I'll have to start checking in. And maybe even try to get an account again.
It's a long story, and something I've kept under my hat for a while, just because I know it might cause quite stir once I bring it up. Notice I never use the first person plural when describing it now. Suffice to say, I see the similarity between where the Church is now and where many Protestant denominations were decades ago. You've said it's a matter of time before the Church changes its tune on things, and I fear you are correct.
DeleteIt's also a reason I left the Catholic page at Patheos. I have been out of it for a while. Hence I didn't really know who Ruse was. I first heard about him when someone sent me a link to Mark going off on him some time ago. If you could set the record straight there for me, I'd appreciate it. I don't mind if Mark knows. I'll let others know when I can. But I'd prefer that Mark not leave people think I was just in their throwing out lies, as it clearly is being taken.
As for writing style. Yeah. My wife said when we first started reading Mark that he 'writes the way I talk.' Sarcasm has always been a weak spot with me. And I certainly don't mind if someone calls something out on the carpet, as long as it is accurate. But I draw the line at false accusation and calumny. That's where Mark, I fear, crosses. Mark has accused me falsely in the past and stood by it despite my objections. That is, from a Christian POV, spiritually dangerous.
Whatever dislike Mark has for me is not shared. I owe him much. Years ago he helped my family when we were in straights. That's why it concerns me. I see 'tone' as something I can agree to disagree with, since that can be subjective. But you can't accuse people of things that aren't true. Nor can you, FWIW, call people evil for doing what you do, such as use the Alfie Evans case to beat up people for using the Alfie Evans case to beat up people. That's called hypocrisy - one of the gravest of NT sins.
I can get into the other later. But wanted to clarify. I created that little account when I saw Mark's travel posts, and had hoped to encourage him to go that direction. But then I got sucked into things with his Alfie Evans (they're evil for doing what I'm doing now) posts and then this attack on Mr. Ruse. It sounded too much like our modern 'who needs evidence when we can merely move to execution' mentality, which I see as a threat to our well being. I see no evidence, at least based on his post, for the grave accusation of antisemitism. Mark chose to gumshoe it and figure out who I was (as one who was at Patheos, no easy task I can assure you), rather than provide an answer. And that worries me much.
BTW, I stopped by to see the pile on. I guess it serves me right for trying. You can let the fellow know that when Mark banned me I did reach out to him, but to no avail. He banned me from everything, including FB, and simply had no responses to my outreach. I did what I did out of concern for Mark. In the end, Mark commits sin from a Christian perspective. Heck based on his own perspective. For his sake I had hoped to find a way to reach him, to hold him accountable, to maybe jar his thinking. He can be to the left of the left, but it doesn't excuse hypocrisy and calumny.
DeleteI'm not sure what I'd say, since you say you "don't mind if Mark knows", implying that you do mind if others do. The only way I converse with him is posting on his blog, which is kinds public. Perhaps there's some private message function, but I've searched and not found it. Which means little, since I can't even figure this commenting utility out. I'll just keep being "anonymous", I guess.
DeleteHe's hard to figure out. I've defended him in the past, because I figured if he banned people unfairly I'd have been among the first to go. And most cases I've seen have been manifestly deserved. But I guess there are some buttons that I just don't hit. Maybe having an atheist be opposed to him on so many issues is expected, but for a Catholic to do so (in different ways) feels like betrayal.
I'm going to let this issue lie. Guess I'll try to look in here on the regular, though, to see if anything interests me... or pushes one of _my_ buttons.
-Illithid
As I said, I couldn't care less if Mark went crazy or said dumb things. Heaven forbid. Goodness knows I have my moments. But as an official apologist (which he is, despite suggestions otherwise), he can't falsely accuse or engage in hypocrisy or misrepresent Church teaching. That's not bad form or manners, from a Faith POV, that's sin. That's the problem. But he does what he does, and since he threw my name out there to be torn up, I don't think I'll try to wiggle in to help him any time in the future.
DeleteAs for the account, I don't know. I can access this because it comes with the whole blog gig. I'm not sure how you can access. Perhaps Google accounts or email? If you can't, let me know, a few regulars are tech types who know the stuff better than I do. In the meantime I'll try my best to push the buttons. :)