Heh. Read the thread here:
You see that? Notice that Mark is hanging Abby's former life as an abortion clinic worker around her neck like a millstone. That she famously left that life, gave herself to Christ, and entered the Catholic Church seems more or less irrelevant. The one who first showed me this thought Mark was eschewing the forgiveness of Christ. I disagree.
I don't think Mark is thinking of Christ's forgiveness one way or another. Or at least I hope he isn't. I think he's trying to be clever. He's trying to say that Abby is some sort of horrible hypocrite for not sending herself to jail for all those babies she helped abort. Note that Mark does a little switcheroo with the terms.
Abby is obviously talking about what happens if a woman aborts a pregnancy if it becomes illegal. Mark slickly injects the term 'post-abortive' to suggest Abby means any woman who has ever had an abortion before. Which isn't what Abby - or anyone I've ever heard - appears to be saying.
Here's the funny thing however. If we accept Mark's premise that if Roe is overturned and abortion made illegal then Ms. Johnson should send herself to jail, then Abby's best hope is Mark. After all, Mark and most New Prolife Catholics are burning the midnight oil to help keep Roe on the books and thus the abortion mills churning along freely and legally. If that's how things end up and Mark's side wins, then Abby will have no reason to go to jail!
Well done Mark. Protecting women like Abby Johnson from jail time by bravely fighting to wreck anyone who would try to overturn Roe v. Wade. I can't think of anything that more perfectly demonstrates the mindset of the New Prolife Catholic movement. :)
"You see that? Notice that Mark is hanging Abby's former life as an abortion clinic worker around her neck like a millstone."
ReplyDeleteIf he had lived 2000 years ago I wonder if he would have done and said the same thing to St. Paul? Imagine if God remembered all of our sins of which we have repented and have been forgiven? - “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” and "For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him."- That's why I love the fact that it is God the Father who will judge me and not MS.
Again, I honestly don't think Mark is considering the theological ramifications of what he's saying. He's attacking anyone behind repealing Roe. This is a slick trick he thinks is clever, without thinking through what he's suggesting. In fact, most of Mark's religious ramblings, apart from some days around Christmas and Easter, is only presented wrapped up in Mark's politics. You might call him an Easter/Christmas apologist. Otherwise, it's politics first, with a loose Christian wrapping.
DeleteAgain...it's Bob above. Sheesh
ReplyDeleteThe comments section is going goofy right now. I wish it would be fixed, but this too shall hopefully pass.
DeleteThe most recent IRS 990 form reports her salary at And Then There Were None at $57,000 a year. Occupations receiving similar compensation are social workers, event planners, occupational health and safety technicians, clergymen, and brokerage clerks. As grifters go, she's fairly circumspect. Has Mark Shea ever referred to Patrice Cullors as a 'grifter'?
ReplyDeleteI've learned never waste time bringing facts to a Mark-fight. As far as Mark's version of reality is concerned, there are two things that condemn Ms. Johnson: She challenges the Left, and she's white. In almost every case I've seen in recent years, that's all Mark needs to assume guilt. Though he will, at times, accuse non-whites who are conservative, so it's likely her link to conservatism that is the real deal breaker.
DeleteHere's the most worst thing about Shea's position: If Abby Johnson were still working at an abortion clinic, but talked about how we need to improve economic conditions so that women do not need to come to her clinic, then Shea would hold her up as an example of someone who is misguided but on the cusp of coming to Christ. He would similarly tell his readers not to attack her current actions because she might repent and her heart is seeking the right place.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm being unfair in that I've never seen Shea specifically do this with abortion clinic workers, but he's pulled that sort of line repeatedly for people on the left, such as with celebrities who actively despise the Church's teachings on sexuality but who think that Pope Francis sounds like a nice guy.
Mark Shea is attacking Abby Johnson specifically BECAUSE she has actually repented.
I don't think her repentance matters one way or another. She is someone who must be taken down. Mark grabbed onto the idea of her being a hypocrite by putting words in her mouth - that she's about 'arresting post-abortive' women. She specifically says 'when abortion is illegal.' But Mark ignores that and puts 'post-abortive' over her position and continues in other posts to insinuate she's saying any woman who has ever had an abortion must go to jail. If she was saying that, then yeah, she'd be a hypocrite. But neither she, nor anyone I know, has ever said such a thing. This is Mark literally changing someone's words to what they didn't say in order to attack them, and all to defend keeping Roe v. Wade on the books. Again, the mentality of the New Prolife Catholic if I've ever seen it.
DeleteCould it be argued that Abby is being hypocritical by urging the prosecution of abortioners without volunteering herself for legal prosecution? The case could be made. Does that make it ok for Mark to be so agresive and pretentious about it? No.
ReplyDeleteI don't think so. First, I've heard nobody make such a case of retroactive punishment. Including people who have never had or been part of an abortion. Second, if I took part in something legal but harmful and then worked to make it illegal, I don't think that means I should send myself to jail. Only - and this is the point - only if I was suggesting all punishment should be retroactive would I need to avoid hypocrisy by going to jail.
DeleteYou're right David. People cannot be prosecuted for something they did when there was no law against it. Making punishment retroactive makes no sense since no law had been broken at the time of the action.
DeleteCorrect. It's called "ex post facto" and it's expressly forbidden by the constitution.
DeleteNot that this has ever stopped Mark from going hysterical and claiming all women who would have had an abortion are about to be jailed.
But then as Dave said, Shea was never one to let things like reality get in the way of his druthers.
You're right about that Nate. Which is probably why nobody in the history of anybody has suggests retroactively punishing any woman in history who had an abortion. That's just Mark grasping for straw, unconcerned about such trivialities as truth, facts or reality. He wants to discredit her, and that's what he will do one way or another.
DeleteNate, that's why I never comment on Mark, except this time. His comments are as significant as a tick on a horse's patootie. Not worth stressing over. Children are dying in Ukraine or Mark Shea comments online. Now...which do I consider important...hmm.
ReplyDeleteI think the problem with Mark is that he continues to get interviews, speaking engagements, high school lectures and college invites. I don't know what he actually says at these, but knowing what he says on social media is enough to make him problematic when being a paid representative of Catholic teaching.
DeleteYou're right David. There will always be people who hang on to his every word, no matter what he utters. As it is also for the Oracle of Green, Greta.
DeleteYou're not wrong, OrdinaryCatholic. But those that betray us hurt the most. Like how I couldn't care less about Bill Kristol, but still keep up with Jonah Goldberg because I was a big fan of the latter years ago.
DeleteLikewise I used to like and respect Shea. Nowadays I find him to serve his best purpose as a cautionary tale.
I understand what you mean Nate. Lately I've noticed that people who I thought were staunch Catholics, not perfect ones but faithful none the less, are falling by the wayside. I know the assault from the leftist society is strong but I never thought I'd see strong Catholics falling for the lies.
DeleteOC, I more or less see Mark as Nate does: a cautionary tale. If I'm not careful, that could be me. But like you, I'm seeing others I respected go the same path Mark went years ago (I'm thinking of Eden and Greydanus). That is a shame.
DeleteI'm not saying the end is near but what you say makes much sense David. Even the Lord asked whether He would find faith on the earth upon his return. Or if the days had not been shortened even the elect would be lost. If those are not dire warnings I don't know what is. Faith is to be treasured and protected otherwise we've seen the consequences in other.
ReplyDelete