I said to myself I was going to leave CAEI alone. I still go there, because there's always hope. Plus, in recent weeks, there have been some old posts from years gone by when this Protestant minister convert found a balanced, witty, truthful and insightful voice to unpack Catholicism and all its splendor and glory and foibles.
Nonetheless, today I can't figure it. Still promoted as a Conservative Catholic, the venom and disgust is uniquely aimed at Conservatives and Conservatism, America and its intuitions, Protestants and especially Evangelicals, and even pro-lifers vaguely defined as liars and hypocrites most of the time.
On the other hand, liberalism, liberal culture, liberal attitudes and liberal pundits are everything from tolerated to praised. Liberalism itself is lamented, for apart from some sins crying out to heaven for vengeance, it has so much to offer. In keeping with Pope Francis, more calls for government charity and government solutions to our myriad problems. And even someone like Jon Stewart, one of pop culture's most celebrated advocates of those sins that cry out for vengeance, reaps unending adoration and respect from the Conservative Catholic.
So I don't know. But after three days of post after post after post slamming, blasting, trashing, and obliterating conservatives and conservative views, I just had to say stop it. I don't know if it's a pro-life liberal who won't admit it, or a Colonel Nicholson approach to attacking his own team, but whatever it is, it's giving endless ammunition to those who are tired of the Church not getting with the program and embracing the post-Western Left. Assuming, of course, that is not the goal.
Still promoted as a Conservative Catholic
ReplyDeleteI take that as a pretty good indication that Mark's readership has fallen way off, and very few of his conservative associates have actually read his blog in a long, long time. Most people who call him conservative are probably going by a vague impression of what they recall from the last time they read him (likely years ago), or from what they've heard others say about him in the past.
Yeah. I can't imagine how he could qualify at this point. It's not so much the trashing and hashing of all but a few conservatives he admires, it's his praise and tolerance of decidedly liberal values and ideals and liberal pundits (Stewart). That's the tipping point, and you're right. Virtually none of his regulars from when I read him years ago are still there. Except for Zippy, he references almost none who he used to reference (Jimmy Akin leaping to mind). So it could be just being out of touch on the part of those who still say it. Though Mark says it, too. And that's another issue.
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