I give you the hover boarding priest. I know, he apologized. As well he should. But across the Catholic Blogosphere, there is this strange tendency to follow that Chestertonian notion that without Protestants, there can be nothing but awesomeness. It's not uncommon to have Catholics, almost as an afterthought, advance the idea that there is something about Protestantism that leads to shallow, sappy and silly worship services more akin to a kid's party than true Worship in Truth and Spirit. Well, no. And since there has been a noticeable shift to the left across many Catholic blogs, there is the added tendency to deny that there have ever been the liberal post-Vatican horror stories of Beer and Crackers Eucharists and Clown Masses.
I can't speak for either of those. But in our area, more than one modern Catholic Church built has little distinguishing it from many Protestant and Evangelical Mega-Churches. And when it comes to tricks in the Mass, I've seen interpretive dances and calls for shaking up the liturgy up close and personal. So a reminder. If we don't want the Church defined by the odd and strange exceptions, or have people find some strange story on the Internet in order to point and say 'Figures, only Catholics could make that possible', then don't extend the courtesy to others.
As a Catholic who cringes at stories of people burying statues of St. Joseph in their yard to sell their house, I am right there with you.
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