Posted on 03/30/2009 10:25:46 AM PDT by NYer
Christopher Buckley, the Obama loving publicity seeking son of the great William F. Buckley, writes a 500 word snicker about Newt Gingrich becoming a Catholic, the Catholic Church, and conversion in general in his piece "The Audacity of Poping" for The Daily Beast.
From the term "poping" to accusing the Church of thinking "like a $700-an-hour K Street lawyer," the piece only succeeds in being offensive and sad.
Some lowlights of Buckley's childish rant follow:
BTW: “Poping” in the headline above, which—sorry—I couldn’t resist, is the traditional, British pejorative for “becoming a Catholic.” Did you hear the news? Bertie just Poped! There will be an undercurrent of anti-Catholic bias in the commentary about Mr. Gingrich’s embrace of Rome. As the saying goes, anti-Catholicism is the anti-Semitism of the intellectual class.Firstly, among much of the "intellectual class" anti-semitism is the anti-semitism of the intellectual class. Anti-Catholicism is just as popular but in no way does it replace anti-semitism.
As for Mother Church, she’ll come in for drubbing this weekend for seeming two-faced about the sanctity of marriage. As you know, divorce is still not allowed in the Catholic Church. But here insert a large “however”—she is liberal in the granting of annulments.You see how he shifts blame by saying the Church will come in for a drubbing while he himself is the one doing it. That's what children do.
Mother Church can be rigid, but at times—bless her—she can think like a $700-an-hour K Street lawyer.Name calling?
The stated reason for it is that he wishes to worship alongside his wife, who is described on her husband’s Web site as “a devoted Catholic.” To the extent her devotedness is assessed alongside her early relationship with the then-married Mr. Gingrich, it should be borne in mind that to be “devoted” is not the same as being “perfect.”Then why bring it up? We are all sinners. This is just gossip. This is essentially the old, "She says she's Catholic but she's not perfect and therefore all religion is a lie and I don't have to feel guilty anymore for doing anything I want to do." Because those with standards will eventually fall short of them, allowing others to call out "hypocrisy" as those without standards often can and will do.
“I find that I, as a Baptist, have more in common with Roman Catholics than I do the more liberal protestant denominations - Presbyterian, Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopals, etc. We both believe in the basic Biblical teachings about homosexuals, abortion, and salvation.”
I agree.
I see the same thing but from the Roman Catholic side.
On the other hand, I know people who had rotten parents who turned out to be not just good people but remarkably good people.
A person can simply refuse to follow the loving leadership of good parents, or a person can say, "My parents were horrible people, and I am NOT going to be that way!"
Something to do with free will, I think.
It just goes to show that sometimes class does skip a generation..
William F. Buckley = Ronald Reagan
Christopher Buckley = Ron Reagan.
Talking about a plant going to seed.
Welcome, Newt, and may God bless you in your spiritual life!!
Sometimes the Apple, or the Nut, as it were, does fall very far from the tree.
Christopher Buckley has always been an A-Hole. He just would never have dared do or say the things he has when his parents were alive.
Bill Buckley and his wife, Pat, were devout Catholics and devout Conservatives throughout their lives.
Where do you find this trash? Do you have some inside info?
I agree. It is like we stopped arguing about on our differences and started thinking about what we have in common. Like brothers who have stopped quarreling over the irreconcible things and found common cause in others.
But you can't always help (or hurt) how your kids turn out.
My grandfather in law led a hellish life as a child. His mother died giving birth to him, and his father always blamed him for her death. He beat him, called him a murderer - "You murdered your mother" - and treated him so badly that he left home at age 11. Some cousins took him in, and he earned his own living doing odd jobs, worked his way through college and theology school, became a Methodist minister, and started an orphanage so that kids in his situation would have somewhere to go. I knew him late in his life, and he was a truly good man, through and through.
He told my husband when he was in his 80s that he had only recently found it in his heart to forgive his father.
“There will be an undercurrent of anti-Catholic bias in the commentary about Mr. Gingrich’s embrace of Rome.”
Yes, and Chris B. just ENGAGED in it. How droll, to not be prejudiced, but bring it up in a second-hand way.
His father will be rolling in his grave.
“Then why bring it up? We are all sinners. This is just gossip. “
Yes we all are. And Chris has his own planks in his eye over his personal living arrangements. Not the stuff his own Catholic family would be proud of.
So what’s the point? Newt’s not perfect, nyah nyah nyah nyan. Chris Buckley is probably welcome to attend church ... but does he? Or does he get too much of a hangover Sundays from saturday night martinis to afford the luxury of stepping out in the Sunday AM for communal catholic sacramental activity?
“I can’t wait to see Iowa Hawk’s take on this.”
He did a hilarious 2nd installment of National Topsider a few weeks back.
In the days when far more women died in childbirth, this sort of resentment was not uncommon.
Good men kept it to themselves and didn't burden their child with it.
I’m no Newt fan, but I cannot stand the smarmy way Chris Buckley writes.
Mrs. Buckley was an Episcopalian, if I recall correctly.
And Mr. Buckley famously dissented from Church teaching in the 1960s with the essay, “Mater, Si, Magister, Non.”
In the end, he seems to have been a pretty good Catholic, but like all of us, he had his share of flaws. It's difficult to say how much of it influenced the development of young Christopher, who hasn't amounted to much more than a louse.
sitetest
Good comments from Mr. Archbold. Sure, Newt Gingrich has done wrong things in his life. So did I before I joined the Catholic Church - and since then, too! That’s why we have repentance, confession, and absolution ... and then we sin again, of course. As Evelyn Waugh (iirc) once said, “But imagine how bad I’d be if it weren’t for the Catholic Church!”
Why anyone thinks being an unrepentant creep is a superior moral position is just beyond me ... although at least, if they make enough public noise about it, we know who they are and can stay well away.
Best wishes, Mr. Newt, and many happy returns, as it were!
Pat Buckley was born in Vancouver BC. Her father was an Episcopalian who sent his children to Jesuit schools.
She must have converted to Catholicism, otherwise Bill Buckley would never have married her.
Bill Buckley came from a large Roman Catholic family. He and his wife, Pat, lived lived their lives and died devout Roaman Catholics. His sister, Patricia Buckley married Brent Bozell, and is the mother of the Brent Bozell we all know.
And another of his sisters, Aloise Buckley Heath, had ten children and wrote some hysterical pieces about their life, before she passed away much too soon. The “National Review” published some of her stories. I didn’t realize how funny it was until I had my own extremely numerous family!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.