Posted on 12/17/2005 7:19:59 AM PST by dukeman
WASHINGTON - The Catholic Church identifies homosexuality as a serious moral and psychological disorder of unknown origin, one that is serious enough to make a man who suffers from it ineligible for priestly ordination.
Nonetheless, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has issued a glowing movie review of the homosexual propaganda film, Brokeback Mountain, a story of two rugged cowboys who engage in homosexual liaisons and adultery.
The film's theme is a favorite of homosexual folklore: two lonesome cowboys, removed from the repressions of artificial social mores by their work in the great rugged outdoors. Freed from the constraints of female society, their passions erupt in what is depicted as some deep, natural, repressed well. The sex is depicted off screen in a way described by the author of the short story upon which the film is based as a manly act, "quick, rough, laughing and snorting."
The unnamed USCCB reviewer, in keeping with the now-standard tone of acceptance required of Catholic "progressives," walked a hair-thin line between Catholic teaching and wholehearted approval of the homosexual lifestyle. "The Catholic Church," the reviewer writes, "makes a distinction between homosexual orientation and activity, Ennis and Jack's continuing physical relationship is morally problematic."
He goes on to praise the film saying, "While the actions taken by Ennis and Jack cannot be endorsed, the universal themes of love and loss ring true."
A Christian activist who has worked to debunk the propaganda of the homosexual movement was more forthright. Referring to the film's seven Golden Globe nominations including best picture and best director, Stephen Bennett, a former homosexual said, "What a sad day in America when a movie that glorifies homosexuality, adultery, dangerous and deadly unprotected anal sex and deception is up for Best Picture of the Year."
Bennett is a radio talk show host who, with his wife, works to expose the work being done by homosexual activists to undermine the family. He called the film and the awards nominations, "an all time moral low our culture has sunk to."
"When a movie based on a short story, containing graphic, explicit, dangerous homosexual anal sex by two men is elevated to Best Picture of the Year, America better wake up," Bennett said.
The Catholic reviewer seems to have missed the moral depravity angle. The review, which is featured on the USCCB's official website, is written in much the same glowing terms as those of New York Times' reviewer who called it a "moving and majestic" depiction of thwarted love. The USCCB's reviewer enthused about the film's depiction of "love and loss," calling it "a serious contemplation of loneliness and connection."
The film offends not only Christian moral sensibilities, however, but those of anyone who believes in the sanctity of marriage. The two characters separate and marry, have children and make themselves and their wives miserable by the life of "denial" so denigrated by homosexual activists.
Years later they meet again and revisit their passions, this time betraying their wives. The final sop to the homosexual mythology comes when one of the men suggests they leave their wives and set up house together. The other refuses not out of respect for his wife or for love of their children, but because of a traumatic childhood memory of a man beaten to death with tire irons for living with another man.
"Looked at from the point of view of the need for love which everyone feels but few people can articulate, the plight of these guys is easy to understand while their way of dealing with it is likely to surprise and shock an audience," the USCCB review says.
Bennett, in line with Catholic teaching that says the "gay lifestyle" can never be condoned, said, "With HIV and AIDS on the rise, and homosexual men dropping dead because of this dangerous, potentially deadly behavior, you better believe, I'll be sounding the alarm on this movie."
"I've buried too many friends who died from AIDS to keep quiet on this one," said Bennett.
The bishops' organization gave the film a rating of "L," warning of its "tacit approval of same-sex relationships, adultery, two brief sex scenes without nudity, partial and shadowy brief nudity elsewhere, other implied sexual situations." The "L" rating is two notches above the most censorious available in the bishops' system - "O" for morally offensive.
The USCCB's official review is not signed but another, almost identical piece by Harry Forbes appeared on the USCCB related Catholic News Service website. LifeSiteNews.com contacted the USCCB and was informed that Forbes is the head of the USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting.
The bishops need to clean the house of those who mislead faithful into sin.
Even the Catholic Church will not survive the prophesy that all the churches will become apostate. God has spoken.
These filthy perverse activities are crimes against nature.
One more instance of institutional Catholic hypocrisy. Christian Catholics--take back your church. Get to work.
Navel gazing buffoons at USCCB in backpedalling damage control mode.
The Pope has his work cut out for him.
WASHINGTON (June 14, 2004) -- Harry Forbes, a New York drama critic and former PBS national press relations executive, has been named director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Office for Film and Broadcasting, effective June 14.
He succeeds Gerri Paré, who opted for early retirement after 14 years with the office, which is part of the U.S. bishops' Department of Communications.
Forbes currently writes theater reviews for Back Stage. For several years, he was the principal drama critic for The Manhattan (now West Side) Spirit, one of New York's largest community newspapers. He also wrote for Time Out New York.
Forbes comes to the office with a distinguished background in TV publicity and communications and with nearly 20 years experience at PBS, as well as positions at NBC's and CBS's flagship stations in New York.
Msgr. Francis J. Maniscalco, director of the U.S. Bishops' Department of Communications, said "Harry Forbes brings an extensive background in TV, dramatic arts, and management to this vital position at the USCCB.
"His knowledge of the world of film and entertainment will be a great asset to the Office for Film and Broadcasting which helps make the Church present to this important and influential industry. The Office directly assists America's 65 million Catholics with its reviews and ratings of films by bringing the Church's moral perspective to bear in this arena. Harry Forbes's experience in quality television and drama is an excellent background in enabling the Office to achieve its goal," Msgr. Maniscalco said.
At PBS Forbes handled the launch of many of the network's most prestigious series and specials, including Ken Burns' American Stories, American Family, Now With Bill Moyers and other priority series. He also planned and produced the PR initiatives for many of PBS's acclaimed children's series.
Forbes is a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the New York chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Drama Desk.
He is a native New Yorker, attended Fordham University and graduated summa cum laude from Hunter College.
The USCCB Office For Film and Broadcasting reviews all mainstream movies for moral content as well as technical and artistic considerations and assigns a moral classification to each. Reviews are published weekly through Catholic News Service in Catholic publications, on the Web at www.usccb.org, and can be accessed through a toll-free movie review line, 1-800-311-4CCC.
The movie review service is funded through the Catholic Communication Campaign, which is supported by an annual collection in Catholic parishes nationwide.
The office also reviews broadcast and cable TV programs and advises the U.S. bishops on media issues related to movies, video and TV programming. In addition, the office has held three Faith on Film Festivals and contributes a segment each week on contemporary media to the award-winning, nationally aired Catholic Radio Weekly.
Email us at commdept@usccb.org
Office of Media Relations | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3000 © USCCB. All rights reserved.
what was the title? said something about bishops glowing? or was it flaming?
I only could read the first few paragraphs and became nauseated. Churches turning their backs to God....
What part of "morally offensive" isn't clear ??
Makes you wonder, doesn't it? What IS their agenda?
Where is this prophesy? I wasn't aware of this and it is a factoid I'd like to keep in my back pocket for further use, with chapter and verse to back it up.
They've led the pack in many cases....about the only 100% reliable churches regarding personal behavior are charasmatic and Mormon
Actually, it wasn't God who said this, but Paul (but I guess one could argue that he was speaking through him), and Paul did not say ALL CHURCHES would fall into apostasy. He merely said MOST would. Each church in the 1st century was locally governed (unlike the Catholics today). Even 2 people who gather in His name constitutes a "Church" ("Where 2 or 3 gather in my name, so am I there, in the midst of them).
Paul merely said that a "great falling away from the truth" would occur, although most Catholics tend to think they're the only true church around (despite not being around when Jesus was around..)
not very encouraging
Read the USCCB review:
http://www.usccb.org/movies/b/brokebackmountain.shtml
Read Forbes' CNS review:
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/movies/05mv682.htm
Read Stephen Bennett's full comments: (warning some graphic sexual language)
http://www.earnedmedia.org/sbm1214.htm
See also Focus on the Family commnents
Reviewers Call 'Brokeback Mountain' Twisted
Gay love story carries a high "ick" factor.
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038874.cfm
MovieGuide Review:
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Twisted, Laughable, Frustrating, Plotless, and Often Boring
http://www.movieguide.org/index.php?s=reviews&id=7031&am...
The Mercury News article:
Gay-rights activists elated by 'Brokeback'
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states...
Contact the USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting:
Harry Forbes
(212) 644-1880
ofb@msn.com , commdept@usccb.org
Contact individual bishops
http://www.usccb.org/bishops.htm
Current USCCB Officers:
President - Bishop William S. Skylstad
Vice President - Cardinal Francis George, OMI
Treasurer - Archbishop James P. Keleher
Secretary - Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan
(see the LifeSiteNews.com story: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/dec/05121503.html )
While the glowing review remains, the USCCB office's rating for the film has been altered to the most severe rating - "O" for morally offensive from "L" which denotes that it is appropriate for a limited adult audience. Moreover, the author of the review of the film published on the USCCB's news service Catholic News Service, Harry Forbes, has removed his name from the article, which is now listed as published "By Catholic News Service".
See the new version here: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/movies/05mv682.htm
And the old version from Google's cache here: http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:CBNmIUiHLl4J:http://www...
A LifeSiteNews.com reader contacted USCCB President Bishop William Skylstad who according to the LifeSiteNews.com reader said "Oh, the rating has to be changed to 'O'".
Catholic Conference Praised ‘Brokeback Mountain’ Banned in Utah
By Terry Vanderheyden
SALT LAKE CITY, January 12, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Brokeback Mountain, a homosexual ‘love’ story between two cowboys released in early December, has been banned by a Salt Lake City cinema. See an earlier LifeSiteNews.com review here: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/dec/05121503.html.
The film, originally slated to open Friday at a Salt Lake City suburb Megaplex owned by Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller, instead chose to delete the film from its venue. A sign over the ticket window stated, “There has been a change in booking and we will not be showing ‘Brokeback Mountain.’ We apologize for any inconvenience,” according to an AHN report.
Star of the film, Australian Heath Ledger, meanwhile, criticized the move as racist.
“I heard a while ago that West Virginia was going to ban it. But that’s a state that was lynching people only 25 years ago, so that’s to be expected,” Ledger said, according to Australia’s Herald Sun. “Personally, I don't think the movie is (controversial) but I think maybe the Mormons in Utah do. I think it’s hilarious and very immature of a society.”
“If two people are loving . . . I think we should be more concerned if two people express anger in love, than love,” he added.
Dr. Ted Baehr of MovieGuide describes the movie succinctly: “If you’re not looking at this through the eyes of someone caught up in the ‘love affair’ between these two men,” he wrote, “then the movie appears to be twisted, laughable, frustrating and boring Neo-Marxist homosexual propaganda.”
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a glowing movie review of the homosexual propaganda film.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
US Bishops' Organization Gives Glowing Review of Homosexual-Sex Propaganda Film
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/dec/05121503.html
USCCB Changes Rating on Brokeback Mountain to Morally Offensive
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/dec/05121607.html
'Brokeback Mountain': Macho men in love
Homosexual Propaganda Film (Brokeback Mountain)
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