Posted on 01/08/2015 5:01:11 PM PST by Colofornian
Bill Donohue comments on reactions to his news release from yesterday [click here] on the murder of 12 people in Paris:
Being misrepresented is commonplace for public figures. Sometimes it reflects an honest misreading; other times it is a willful distortion. I don’t have the time now to address all of these instances, but I am hardly going to run from my position.
My position is this: the murderers are fully responsible for what they did and should be treated with the full force of the law. Nothing justifies the killing of these people. But this is not the whole of this issue.
The cartoonists, and all those associated with Charlie Hebdo, are no champions of freedom. Quite the opposite: their obscene portrayal of religious figures—so shocking that not a single TV station or mainstream newspaper would show them—represents an abuse of freedom.
Freedom of speech is not an end—it is a means to an end. For Americans, the end is nicely spelled out in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution: the goal is to “form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”
No fair-minded reading of the Preamble suggests that it was written to facilitate the right to intentionally and persistently insult people of faith with scatological commentary. Moreover, the purpose of free speech is political discourse: it exists to protect the right of men and women to agree and disagree about the makings of the good society.
Let’s forget about legalities. As I have said countless times, everyone has a legal right to insult my religion (or the religion of others), but no one has a moral right to do so. Can we please have this conversation, along with what to do about Muslim barbarians who kill because they are offended?
We will survive this Pope like others in our past.
Bill Donahue used to be a conservative Catholic, but since the election of the First Leftist Pope, he’s gone berserk.
However, he did say that nothing justified the attack on the magazine, but those words are of course being ignored.
The magazine is stupid, a dirty, ravingly anti-Catholic (much more so than anti-Muslim) gross grown-up version of Mad Magazine - but not as witty - that I would never buy if I lived in France.
But I don’t care if they publish their stuff, because then I can publish my stuff, which is exactly the opposite. They don’t have to read my stuff, and I don’t have to read theirs. And in fact, I would never have seen it except for this attack.
But Muslims, who are members of a completely anti-rational power cult, honestly can’t conceive of this.
Understood. Very big of you to say so. I apologise as well. (Plus based on your posting history I think we are about 99% in common in our beliefs)
Donohue is to Catholicism as Abe Foxman is to Judaism: an ass and a huge embarrassment to his respective “religion”.
Bill "there's no controversy if gays get to march in the parade, so long as catholics also get to" Donohue PING
Western civilization was great because it was Christian.
He should spend his outrage-energy on praying for revival.
The Moron is on Kelly File right now.
Just called the magazine editors :pornographers”
This guy could use a Xanax prescription.
He is obviously mentally deranged.
I’m disgusted with Bill Donahue. Where has he been as Christians are being slaughtered, by the EXACT SAME PEOPLE and for the EXACT SAME REASON as those who killed the magazine staff.
Bill Donodouche
The media would not show the "portrayals" because they are scared sh!tless-- not because of a judgment that the cartoons were "shocking."
If Donohue really believes what he is saying then he is indeed a self-deluded fool, and not to be taken seriously again.
Apt comparison. Without much effort you can probably find an "evangelical" spokesman who completes the trifecta.
Joel Osteen?
I disagree. You seem to be assuming that prior to this week, the Catholic League hasn't addressed other regional international issues.
Example: Not all international Christian persecution involves beheading, but it was seemingly enough of an issue for the Catholic League last month to begin addressing it on a billboard:
Catholic News Agency: LA billboard aims for bold statement on persecuted Christians
The Catholic News Agency says it was part of an effort to "raise awareness of persecuted Christians both locally and around the world".
Oh sure, Americans are keenly aware of recent beheadings in the Middle East -- but not beheadings due to the simple reality of the beheaded one being a Christian.
So, likewise, I could say: "Donahue's coverage of beheaded Christians would have meant nothing to more than maybe a few dozen (or few hundred) Americans."
Yet, even tho the overwhelming majority of Americans could in no way name any specific Christians beheaded due to their Christian faith, Bill Donohue still addressed them in a billboard.
Sorry. By parallel example, your reasoning falls flat.
Off-base on probably at least two counts:
1. While you can "ID" some Evangelical leaders who would constitute "mainstream" Evangelicalism, it'd be a bit harder to place such a "mainstream" Evangelical leader as someone many other Evangelicals who are "allergic" to...
2. Most likely whatever "fill-in-the-blank" Evangelical "leaders" somebody might come up with, it'd likely be difficult to assert that they represent enough of Evangelicalism...or, more to my point, "id" one who isn't already steeped in heavy critiques by fellow Evangelicals (both grassroots/leadership).
By point of contrast, I don't think Bill Donohue was heavily countered by other Catholics on any kind of significant scale until the gay parade flap in 2014.
IoW, my perception is that I don't believe enough Catholic grassroots or Catholic leadership have attempted to distant themselves from the Catholic League until that gay parade flap.
By contrast, I think whoever might be attempted as filling your "fill-in-the-blank" Evangelical leader would likely have years of critique from lots of quarters.
And this is especially significant given that Evangelicalism is still quite denominationally diverse and has no hierarchical pope-like structure.
IoW, all it should take to take a Bill Donohue to task would be some edicts from the Catholic hierarchy.
Exactly, where are such hierarchical edicts or open rebukes from Catholic leaders?
MIA.
IoW, the Catholic leadership -- in Bill Donohue's case over this past year -- is part of the problem!
Well, see the link at post #34. It at least shows, the league was "disgusted" enough as of last Fall to take a greater initiative in bringing persecuted Christians to the forefront -- at least those being beheaded.
I haven't done enough research to see how he was addressing international persecution with specifics prior to late 2014...but at least it seemed to begin to rise on his radar screen.
Besides...to be full truthful...where have you and I been on that front as well? I think most FREEPERs could plead guilty to leaving our brothers and sisters in Christ (internationally) in the lurch.
“Another reason for me to not like catholics”
Your comment is another reason for me to not like anti-Catholic bigots.
“catholics, mormons and votta jehova are not true christians in my view”
Protestants, anti-Catholics, and bigots wouldn’t know a true Christian if they fell over him.
“There is no “moral right” to be a Muslim, a Buddhist, an Atheist or even a Jew.”
So you don’t believe in religious freedom? Got it. Oh, and before you come back with some nonsense about “In a multi-religious society there are only legal rights” let me remind you that our “legal rights” are grounded in a constitutional frame work that recognizes our NATURAL rights rather than our merely “legal rights”. In other words, we are BORN with rights. Those are moral rights that transcend the powers or prerogatives of governments.
“I’m disgusted with Bill Donahue. Where has he been as Christians are being slaughtered, by the EXACT SAME PEOPLE and for the EXACT SAME REASON as those who killed the magazine staff.”
He’s spoken out on that:
http://www.thedesertreview.com/catholic-league-isis-terrorist-barbarians-persecuting-christians/
Right, right!! Because of the incredible similarity between beheadings and an obscure French satirical mag. Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?
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