Or, maybe Donahue was merely referencing the New York Times -- of their more than 100 stories slandering Mel and Passion, a dozen by Rich and Waxman made quite a point of stressing that Hollywood was ruled by ethnic Jews who were planning to destroy Mel Gibson for daring to make Passion. Quite a number of them threatened Mel -- gutlessly, anonymously, off the record.
The Catholic League has maintained a catalogue of quotations for the past 2 years titled "Maligning Mel Gibson." Michael Medved has consistently stated that while Passion would cause no anti-semitism, the viciousness of these attacks, mostly with Jewish by-lines, would generate untold antipathy toward Jews. The blowback is obvious -- why do you think there have been all these cases of Christians fighting towns and parades and the ACLU to keep the symbols of Christmas in the public square this year -- why did Bill O'Reilly do "Assault Against Christmas" stories for one solid month -- why are people making such a point to loudly say "Merry Christmas"?
Dennis Prager interviewed this rabid rabbi tuesday morning -- Dennis and his producer laughed his anti-semitism claim off by naming all the Jewish heads of major studios and TV networks -- Prager felt that while Donahue wasn't exactly diplomatic, he was merely stating the obvious! A Jewish caller noted Bert Prelutsky's recent columns about how it's no longer possible for Christians to ignore the mostly Jewish named lawyers and donors in the anti-Christian ACLU. A later caller also blew the Coppola, Scorsese crappola out of the water by following the money trail -- did you know the vile Last Temptation of Christ was financed by a guy named Lew Wasserman? I didn't, but it's sad to me that people are now tracing Jewish money to almost all anti-Christian films. Dennis Prager knew all about this because he protested Last Temptation over 15 years ago.
You're repeating nonsense about that Vatican II statement -- nothing in Catholic teaching has ever allowed for anti-semitism -- it was merely a polite restatement of 2000 years of Catholic teaching that while some Jews were involved in Christ's Passion, not all Jews back then and certainly no Jews now could be held responsible. Mel Gibson made quite a point of affirming this in his Diane Sawyer interview. I hope you know that in the Passion readings at Easter, we in the congregation read the words of the crowds shouting 'crucify him' to signify that it was all our sins that nailed Christ to that cross. And, oh yeah, this nonsense about Catholics rejecting the Old Covenant -- every Catholic Mass has a series of Scripture readings which always begin with one from The Old Testament followed by responsorial psalms!
I live in a state that's 3% Catholic vs. 97% evangelical. It's pretty much impossible to avoid evangelical Christian radio around here. While I agree that they breathlessly support the state of Israel, they have no use for the likes of Boteach who offended most Christians by calling them "ignorant peasants" for not agreeing with his revisionist New Testament interpretation that no Jews were involved in the Passion -- if they call to support him, most of the time it's because he or they are bashing Catholics. I have a friend of 30 years who's Jewish -- his family came here 300 years ago -- he laughed about all these Passion related claims of past or future anti-semitism by saying the only religious bigotry he's witnessed in his lifetime have been by evangelicals against Catholics! He also said that if he ever had a problem late at night downtown, the first place he'd run for help was the 24 hour perpetual adoration chapel run by our Catholic parish!
So, I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't be so quick to repeat exaggerated claims of evil Catholic history from secularists who want to remove Catholic morality from society or from evangelicals who incessantly slander Catholicism in their pulpits, papers, and radio stations. Always consider the source. That's why I no longer trust anyone who slandered Mel or Passion, especially the lying, viciously anti-Catholic Charles Krauthammer.
Irrelevant. I sincerely doubt anyone held a gun to the Catholic Mr Scorsese’s and Mr Coppolo’s heads to make their films. Frankly I doubt it was the money either, but if their values are buyable is that The Jews fault too?
As I acknowledged plenty of Jews in Hollywood. But plenty of others too. Angry/Hostile Catholics are a much bigger problem for their own community than are outsiders looking in. Ditto for angry Jews looking to trash their own religion. So maybe Catholics interested in preserving and defending their faith ought to look inside instead of outward for the OTHER to blame.
While I agree that they breathlessly support the state of Israel, they have no use for the likes of Boteach who offended most Christians by calling them "ignorant peasants" for not agreeing with his revisionist New Testament interpretation that no Jews were involved in the Passion -- if they call to support him, most of the time it's because he or they are bashing Catholics.
You sound a little paranoid here. Boteach objected to actual specific comments. You are bringing in global anti-Catholic conspiracy theories here. Considering you are all too sensitive about Catholic discrimination you show little to Jewish sensibilities. Catholics did not lose 6 million co-religionists due to “Christian Radio.” It is you, not Boteach, who is bashing Evangelist Christians throughout this post. Please don’t.
As I posted the link to the actual show, I suggest you read it. Rabbi Boteach limited his “peasant” comment to Donohue and Ms Giroux for their specific remarks. To make it universal about all Christians and to try to bring in Evangelical Christians here, as Mr Buchanan did, is to try to create a rift where none exists between the Jewish and Evangelical communities. I understand your desire (and Buchanan’s) to make it an all Christian alliance against “Jewish Hollywood” and liberal Jews, as you do in your post by bringing in the Jewish Cabal at the ACLU (what’s next – the Jews are running our foreign policy, hat tip to Mr Buchanan?), but that is really not an accurate description as Mr Buckley points out. Unfortunately religion bashing has become a non-denominational sport in the US by secular fundamentalists including what you refer to as “ethnic Jews.” Whose term is that? It is as much a misnomer as ethnic Catholics since an ethnicity is one thing Jews are not, just ask an Ethiopian Jew serving in the Israeli Army.
If I wanted to go in for a Catholic Cabal thing I might wonder why the current prevalence of anti-Semitic and or anti-Israel comments on TV News is coming from Buchanan, Matthews, and O’Reilly. Any common denominators there?
You're repeating nonsense about that Vatican II statement -- nothing in Catholic teaching has ever allowed for anti-semitism -- it was merely a polite restatement of 2000 years of Catholic teaching that while some Jews were involved in Christ's Passion, not all Jews back then and certainly no Jews now could be held responsible. Mel Gibson made quite a point of affirming this in his Diane Sawyer interview. I hope you know that in the Passion readings at Easter, we in the congregation read the words of the crowds shouting 'crucify him' to signify that it was all our sins that nailed Christ to that cross. And, oh yeah, this nonsense about Catholics rejecting the Old Covenant -- every Catholic Mass has a series of Scripture readings which always begin with one from The Old Testament followed by responsorial psalms!
Well then I suppose His Holiness Pope Paul VI “repeated nonsense” too when he made the Nostra Aetate Declaration in 1965. He had his reasons and I for one am not prepared to call them into doubt. I never claimed that anti-Semitism was doctrinal to Catholicism (although I could; the Inquisition is a more famous example) but that in practice it has been prevalent. Ditto on Passion Plays. This stuff is historical so your attempts at refutation are strange and revisionist.
As for the OC/OT, you distort my meaning. The OC is in the Catechism so of course the Catholic Church does not reject it per se, and I never said they did. The Catechism gives the OC typological meaning which is quite different than the literal meaning Evangelical Christians believe in. Also and probably as a result, it is not studied and revered among Catholics in practice as it is among Evangelicals.
And I would not cite Mel Gibson’s interview with Diane Sawyer as evidence of his pro-Jewish stance since many Jews were highly offended by his inability in that interview to clearly state that the Holocaust/Shoah actually occurred when pointedly asked.
So, I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't be so quick to repeat exaggerated claims of evil Catholic history from secularists who want to remove Catholic morality from society or from evangelicals who incessantly slander Catholicism in their pulpits, papers, and radio stations. Always consider the source. That's why I no longer trust anyone who slandered Mel or Passion, especially the lying, viciously anti-Catholic Charles Krauthammer.
I have no desire to support so-called Liberals who want to remove morality from society. I feel morality is a common heritage Evangelicals, Catholics and Jews share. We also share a fairly liberal, in the true sense of the word, attitude of religious tolerance in the USA. I like Mr Krauthammer and read him consistently. I have never seen him make an anti-Catholic statement. Mostly I rely whenever possible on original sources such as Mr Gibson, Mr Donohue’s, and Rabbi Boteach’s own words. This is a corollary of my global mistrust of everyone’s bias.
As to The Passion, I also felt that the focus of groups like the ADL on the Gibson film was misplaced for a variety of reasons, but not because of any threatened backlash. I’m not much for appeasement which is what you are advocating. Implicit in your “blowback” comment is a threat.
Finally if the “blowback” is a proliferation of Merry Christmas -- woo hoo! I say the more the Merrier Christmas to all.