Left-wing Catholics need to do something about EWTN (the 24 hour Catholic cable channel).

[More Than A Feeling]

I've been watching a lot of EWTN lately, mainly because its on at the hours I've been keeping. It's fascinating because even though some of my closest friends are Catholic, I haven't had that much exposure to Catholicism. So anyway, I've been watching this channel, and its filled with right-wing propaganda. They are obsessed with abortion, rather than social justice. They teach science in a very vague flaky way (they explained how organisms become unique without once using the term "DNA") , when the Vatican has scientists who are fully on board with the theory of evolution, who could explain it much better. The focus is all wrong.

Instead of Father Peter Corapi, they need to give Father John Dear his own show. Instead of vague spiritualist approach to science, how about Brother Guy Consolmagno explaining real science? Instead of focusing on Archbishop Fulton Sheen, how about biographies of Dorothy Day, Peter Maurin, Thomas Merton, the Berrigan Brothers, JFK, Father John A. Ryan (aka "The Right Reverend New Dealer"), and Thomas Keating?

It would be really cool if the left-wing Catholic grassroots could assert itself with some kind of campaign to emphasize the radically progressive tradition in the church on this channel, because right now, it's totally absent, from what I have seen.

on edit: making it clear what EWTN is.

on edit again: On reflection, what they were talking about wasn't actually creationism, just vague spiritualist incoherence, talking about essences and such.

[Iris]

1. What is EWTN?

[More Than A Feeling]

2. It's the 24 hour Catholic channel on cable.

[YOY]

4. It's the reason most Catholics think voting R is "OK"

and the reason why some Cathlics lose their faith after being called "Cafeteria Catholics" by jerks who get their vestments in a bunch from the "DaVinci Code" instead of real problems in the world...

I've alway said (before Agnosticism set in) that the day I vote for a born again or baptist candidate is the day I agree with those denominations when they tell me I am not a Christian.

[always truth]

18. you are not a Christian but a lost sinner

here is a tract for you to read if you know your Bible then you should know you are on the wrong path many people think there going to heaven because they are a good Catholic=read this

Romans 1:22-23 and 25, "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worship Faith
Catholic
tract

It is clear by your zeal and actions that you are a very devout person. Coming to this place to pray and meditate is clear proof that you are seeking the truth and the giver of truth- God.
It is also clear that you receive comfort and verification of your faith from the images and statues of Christ, Mary, Joseph, and the Saints. Perhaps you feel you can better communicate in prayer when kneeling in devotion before these images.
Canon Law 762 of the Roman Catholic Church states, "The people of God are first united through the Word of the living God, and are fully entitled to seek this Word..." I invite you to look deeper into the Bible, God's Holy Word, to seek verification for your devotion.
Our first text regarding images and statues is in Exodus 20:4, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." God clearly forbids us to make any images to be associated in any way with worship or prayer.
God described the days of rebellion over the ages. When men rebel, according to ed and served the creature more than the Creator, (Jesus) who is blessed for ever. Amen."
Verse 23 shows that God is very angry with those who worship before images of men. This would include images of Mary, Joseph, and the Saints, all of whom were men or human.
Is it all right to have images of Jesus? First, let us examine the place given to Jesus by those who make the images of Jesus. They are of three main kinds: 1. A dead Jesus hanging on the cross, 2. A baby Jesus in Mary's arms, and 3. A harmless wafer Jesus you eat at the Mass.
The Bible tells us where Jesus is since His ascension in Hebrews 1:3, "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:"
So Jesus is alive and seated on His throne next to God the Father. Have you ever seen such an image of Jesus in a grotto or on someone's lawn? Jesus on a throne? You haven't because the producers of images are terrified that you will figure out that the true Jesus in heaven is the only priest the believer has, as we see in Hebrews 8:1, "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, (Jesus) who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;"
So someone wants you to see Jesus hanging dead while Mary, a mere human, is presented in rosy colors and quite alive. They want Jesus to be a helpless infant in the arms of Mary. The most profane image of all is the Pietra. This image shows a living Mary holding a dead Jesus who has just been taken down from the cross. There is no account in the Bible to uphold such a scene. It is Satan who wants you to bow before a dead Jesus, a baby Jesus, and a living Mary-- to even reverence a cookie called Jesus the "Host."
Think-- for every Jesus image on the lawn in your neighborhood, are there not 300 Mary images? Who is the High Priest? Who died for your sins? Who is in heaven now beside the Father? These images in grottos and shrines are wicked, for they draw men to become mystical about man-made objects. They destroy the supreme place of The Living Lord Jesus Christ? They destroy faith by inviting you to look at wood, stone, gold, silver, or cheap plastic.
I have examined many grottos. Virtually all of the ones I saw were scummy sooty places, and often the old votive candle jars are thrown all around the grotto making it look like a junk yard. How does this honor The Lord Jesus Christ?
So, now you may ask, "How shall I come to God in devotion? How can I feel right with God?" The answer is found in the Bible in Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." God's Word further says:
Acts 17:29, "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device."
Revelation 21:8, "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
1 John 5:21, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." Amen. 1 Peter 1:8 "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable..."
Look at Jesus BY FAITH. Jesus finished the work when He died on the cross for you. That is why he is seated by the Father in heaven right now. When our work is finished, we go home and sit down. When His work of dying for you was finished, Jesus went home to heaven to sit down beside His Father.
Now, why do you want to go to work and try to do the work better than Jesus? It is what you believe-- your FAITH, that saves you. Stop peeking at those cheap images and idols. Stop trying to eat Jesus into your life at the Mass. God loves you so much. Simply believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You cannot work for salvation and, at the same time, please God. Repent of your idol worship and believe in the only heavenly priest-- Jesus. He is waiting for your FAITH. For help call me at:
© Checkbook Tracts: [phone] FAITH

[CatholicEdHead]

9. Eternal World Television Network

As a lifelong Catholic, EWTN surprised me when I first turned into it a few years ago. There is conservative/"orthodox" and there is conservative/"orthodox". EWTN is about as far as you an go without going to the SSPX Latin Mass people (actually they wanted to for their daily mass but the local Alabama bishop nixed the plan).

EWTN basically is check your brain at the door, everything is infallible from Rome, to question one thing means you are not Catholic in their eyes. :puke:

EWTN is just one of many right wing Catholic outlets. The only left leaning ones are just online with a very small reach (which is part of the Liberation Theology towards the poor). Others that come to mind are (ir)Relevant Radio, Ave Maria Radio/Ave Maria anything, & Catholic Answers.

If you listen to those it is mostly just right wing religious programming (think Falwell etc...) just tweaked a small bit to Catholicism. Ave Maria is even worse, look up Tom Monagahan, the head of that, at that is pretty much a Republican right wing cult.

They do know their niches, which is the part of the Church which thrives in following and not leading, also an easy way to keep the funding coming in.

[always truth]

19. A life long Catholic wont get you in to heaven

Many people I talk to when I ask you going to heaven they either say I am a Catholic or I hope so this false religion will and has taken many to hell--we dont have a hope so salvation but a know so salvation which is way out there to the Catholic religon God has said in 1 john 5:13 These things I written omto you that you may know you have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord ohers have religion Christians have a relationship youmust be bron again read this should clear it up if you want to know the truth
Romans 1:22-23 and 25, "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worship Faith
Catholic
tract

It is clear by your zeal and actions that you are a very devout person. Coming to this place to pray and meditate is clear proof that you are seeking the truth and the giver of truth- God.
It is also clear that you receive comfort and verification of your faith from the images and statues of Christ, Mary, Joseph, and the Saints. Perhaps you feel you can better communicate in prayer when kneeling in devotion before these images.
Canon Law 762 of the Roman Catholic Church states, "The people of God are first united through the Word of the living God, and are fully entitled to seek this Word..." I invite you to look deeper into the Bible, God's Holy Word, to seek verification for your devotion.
Our first text regarding images and statues is in Exodus 20:4, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." God clearly forbids us to make any images to be associated in any way with worship or prayer.
God described the days of rebellion over the ages. When men rebel, according to ed and served the creature more than the Creator, (Jesus) who is blessed for ever. Amen."
Verse 23 shows that God is very angry with those who worship before images of men. This would include images of Mary, Joseph, and the Saints, all of whom were men or human.
Is it all right to have images of Jesus? First, let us examine the place given to Jesus by those who make the images of Jesus. They are of three main kinds: 1. A dead Jesus hanging on the cross, 2. A baby Jesus in Mary's arms, and 3. A harmless wafer Jesus you eat at the Mass.
The Bible tells us where Jesus is since His ascension in Hebrews 1:3, "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:"
So Jesus is alive and seated on His throne next to God the Father. Have you ever seen such an image of Jesus in a grotto or on someone's lawn? Jesus on a throne? You haven't because the producers of images are terrified that you will figure out that the true Jesus in heaven is the only priest the believer has, as we see in Hebrews 8:1, "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, (Jesus) who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;"
So someone wants you to see Jesus hanging dead while Mary, a mere human, is presented in rosy colors and quite alive. They want Jesus to be a helpless infant in the arms of Mary. The most profane image of all is the Pietra. This image shows a living Mary holding a dead Jesus who has just been taken down from the cross. There is no account in the Bible to uphold such a scene. It is Satan who wants you to bow before a dead Jesus, a baby Jesus, and a living Mary-- to even reverence a cookie called Jesus the "Host."
Think-- for every Jesus image on the lawn in your neighborhood, are there not 300 Mary images? Who is the High Priest? Who died for your sins? Who is in heaven now beside the Father? These images in grottos and shrines are wicked, for they draw men to become mystical about man-made objects. They destroy the supreme place of The Living Lord Jesus Christ? They destroy faith by inviting you to look at wood, stone, gold, silver, or cheap plastic.
I have examined many grottos. Virtually all of the ones I saw were scummy sooty places, and often the old votive candle jars are thrown all around the grotto making it look like a junk yard. How does this honor The Lord Jesus Christ?
So, now you may ask, "How shall I come to God in devotion? How can I feel right with God?" The answer is found in the Bible in Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." God's Word further says:
Acts 17:29, "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device."
Revelation 21:8, "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
1 John 5:21, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." Amen. 1 Peter 1:8 "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable..."
Look at Jesus BY FAITH. Jesus finished the work when He died on the cross for you. That is why he is seated by the Father in heaven right now. When our work is finished, we go home and sit down. When His work of dying for you was finished, Jesus went home to heaven to sit down beside His Father.
Now, why do you want to go to work and try to do the work better than Jesus? It is what you believe-- your FAITH, that saves you. Stop peeking at those cheap images and idols. Stop trying to eat Jesus into your life at the Mass. God loves you so much. Simply believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You cannot work for salvation and, at the same time, please God. Repent of your idol worship and believe in the only heavenly priest-- Jesus. He is waiting for your FAITH. For help call me at:
© Checkbook Tracts: [phone] FAITH

[CatholicEdHead]

20. *Yawn*, this claptrap again

:rolleyes:

The old "if you are not born-again you are not saved" crap argument.

All you did is cut and paste someone else's work.

[davidthegnome]

21. Where do you dig up this stuff?

What a load of crap.

[rug]

22. Be bless.

[CountAllVotes]

3. better yet,

don't watch it!

[More Than A Feeling]

5. I'm not a Nielsen household, so it's not like I'm giving them ratings.

If I was, you can bet I wouldn't give them the time of day.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

6. On the day before the 2004 elections EWTN had this priest...

...(with a movie of a Pro-life rally playing behind him), telling voters to place all other issues aside and vote for the pro-life candidate.

[More Than A Feeling]

8. Figures.

[cosmik debris]

7. Follow the money

The catholic church is compartmentalized financially. Each Diocese is financially independent to some degree.

Which part of the church is paying for the programming?

[More Than A Feeling]

10. In 1994, it claimed to have donations of 25 million a year.

with an operating budget of 8.5 million a year. It's an independent charitable organization, according to wikipedia.

This channel has been a problem for awhile. That 1994 article from the National Catholic Reporter (with the monetary figures in it) had little good to say about it. Apparently in earlier times, it had some social justice programming, encounters with other faiths, and even secular content like the Cosby show. It's only since the 80's and 90's that it became so resentful of modernity.

[Dorian Gray]

11. As long as you don't insist they take off the GK Chesterton show...

nobody harumphs quite like the guy who plays Chesterton!

I don't watch EWTN all that often, but I have no problem with the channel as it is. It's very Catholic oriented, and it's more conservative than most of us here would like. But it does appeal to those who are focused on spirituality more than political topics, I think. I like the stuff about Archbishop Sheen, also. He's inspirational to me.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. Bishop Sheen?

Talk about a blast from the past. He used to be on network TV (the only kind there was) when I was a kid.

I've flipped past EWTN a couple of times, but they're usually broadcasting masses from somewhere.

[CatholicEdHead]

14. You also hear Sheen on Relevant Radio

almost every evening. He is very popular in the retro circles. In the Twin Cities it is 9pm on 1330AM. The only time I listed to it was in the middle of Wisconsin when stations were hard to come by. Give me MPR in the Cities.

[theredpen]

13. It's the same problem we have in all media

When you have a Franciscan or a liberal Jesuit or a liberal Carmelite running a show, they'll bring a variety of opinions onto the show (particularly the Jesuits). When you have a Cistercian or other conservative on a show, they allow only other conservative voices. As liberals (and I mean all of us here and our liberal compatriots), we tolerate dissent and diversity; conservatives don't. EWTN could use a Kieth Olberman — someone who's not afraid to be unabashedly biased left, but what network other than MSNBC couldn't also use a Keith Olberman? In the bigger picture, we (us liberals) need to learn how to stick to our principles regarding diversity without abandoning common-sense discretion.

FWIW, the last time I watched EWTN (about a month ago), it was a show with a Franciscan and a Jesuit denouncing the Iraq war. I don't know anything else about the show... I was flipping channels and came across it. When I flipped again, I ended up on an evangelical network airing a show about environmentalism and the threat of global warming. I spent the rest of the afternoon re-attaching my jaw which had hit the floor rather abruptly.

[Peregrine Took]

15. How about "Relavant Radio"? There is one very good show on it but most

of it is, ultimately, very devisive, although I do think they mean well.

You win more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Oddly enough, I enjoy listening to the Moody Bible station - especially when they play the old hymns.

[CatholicEdHead]

17. They have toned down to get USCCB approval

Before this, in 2004 they were as rabid as they could be. Since then the messages is the same but milder. Dropping the Ave Maria Radio programming (e.g. Al Kestra, a Rush clone) and Catholic Answers had alot to do with it. Part of it must have also come from their lawyers as even Catholic Answers Forum now forbids political discussions.

[pingzing58]

16. She single handedly tried to undo the reforms of the second vatican council.

Her bishop and Rome had to correct her on several important points. I admire her piety, pius interpretation of scripture. She's no Theologian or Church Historian. As popular as she is they'll probably canonize her once she passes.

[jayjaybear]

23. You mean

Mother "One-Eye" Angelica?

[billiefan2000]

24. Heaven and Earth, it isnt just EWTN

you need something to be done to TBN and INSP and Daystar (3 other "christian" networks) also

all 4 networks slant to the right and are biased (especially

TBN which doesnt even allow any speakers

that criticize the name it and claim it garabage

that is peddled on the TBN network



http://youtube.com/watch?v=nIdTFSIj8AI

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9Yicnvgt_ak

http://youtube.com/watch?v=S4y261gcpR4