Mel Gibson: $5 Mil to Fringe Church (FOX attacks "antiquated Catholic ideology")

FOX ^ | Friday, February 20, 2004 | By Roger Friedman

[valkyrieanne]

I'm confused - is Mel Gibson Catholic or not?

[rogator]

"The dwindling number of parishioners was much more severe pre-V2 than the church is facing now "

I would like to see your evidence for this statement. It contradicts everything I have seen.

[SJackson]

"And when will Islam or wahhabism be spoken of with such disdain?"... What a wonderful question . .

When we decide to confront our enemies. I'm willing to accept that it's not the fault of mainstream (maybe just a little stream) Islam. We'll likely have to pick a new name, jihadism or something, we may have to include some of our "friends" in the newfound movement, but it's time to do it.

[CobaltBlue]

I have a hard time understanding Jewish objections to the film. I thought at first that they were offended by Gibson's leaving in the speech by Caiaphas in Matthew which was turned by the ignorant into a belief in "blood libel."

But now that it's been taken out, that doesn't seem to have improved matters.

Do they object to the teachings in the Gospels about the Sanhedrin requesting that the Romans crucify Jesus, period?

[rogator]

"personal preferences in aesthetic matters"

Not hardly. These are the worship traditions of the Catholic Church.

[redgolum]

Film ping

[Republic]

Love that Mel Gibson puts his money where his heart and soul lay.

Impressive.

And perhaps today's PC horrors, that many churchs have glommed onto, been sucked in by, etc, are something Mel, like myself, refuses to support.

I left the Methodist Church after many years because of their membership in the pathetic and corrupt National Council of Churches. When you give to the Methodist Church, you give to this organization.

Perhaps Mel was fed up with homosexual, predatory priests using the Catholic Church as a hiding place. Perhaps he doesn't like the dropping of traditions once held so dearly in the Roman Catholic Church. Perhaps his faith is so deep, his yearning for strict adherance to moral codes and behavior, traditional worship services, etc., that he decided to break out and bring this yearning into a fruition that he can share with like minded Christains and his children.

God Bless Mel.

[Pyro7480]

It depends on who you ask. I believe he is.

[steve-b]

I am aware of that, but it's still unfair to say the teachings are 'universally accepted.'

It is clear from context that the statement means "universally accepted by Roman Catholics" (true by definition of any Vatican pronouncement of Catholic doctrine).

The author was a bit sloppy, I agree.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

The religion of Catholics -- real Catholics, not the Mel Gibson DIY kind, but the kind in union with the Pope of Rome, is singled out for some of the most venomous attacks imaginable on practically every FR thread dealing with religion almost every day....Maybe you should start by opposing that little FR tradition.

You assume I don't?

My purpose in posting this article, as noted in my comments, was that a contributor to FOX news, someone who is supposed to be part of the "fair and balanced" coverage, was allowed to call someone's religion in a negative light. I can't picture, for example, someone at FOX (or any other "major" news organization) being allowed to refer to any other religion (Islam, Judaism, or even branches thereof) as "fringe" or "antiquated."

My intent was to spark discussion about the content of news coverage, not the content of individual freepers.

[steve-b]

I don't think he's denying that the Holocaust took place. He just questions some of the numbers and events that are accepted as gospel.

Oh, puh-leeze. This is an evasion-by-parsing that would make Bill Clinton blush.

[steve-b]

Nobody would even care what he says except that it's a way of making his son look bad.

Frankly, what makes his son look bad is his own inability (or disinclination) to stand up on his hind legs and object to the old man's noxious garbage.

[It's me]

Never mind that his father only days ago.....

Yeah, yeah, yeah... We've heard it all before...

I certainly wouldn't want to be associated with anything my father says or does.
Apparently, many people feel the same about thier fathers as I do.

[CobaltBlue]

If you want to believe that God prefers the mass in Latin, that's your prerogative.

[It's me]

Gibson's chapel has 70 members and attendance is by invitation only.
That's an "exclusive" church.

Gee, if I had a chapel in my back yard, I wouldn't want "lookie loos" either.
You know people would only come to see Mel. Leave him practice his faith in peace, for goodness sake. Who cares! He's not hurting anyone, is he??

[It's me]

No one in the Catholic Church is empowered to build his own chapels...

I don't think that's entirely true. People have built chapels on their own property for years! The wealthy have done this for years. Look in Europe.

How about Catholic colleges? They are not neccessarily churces of the diocese but they are "legal."

[MEGoody]

"Frankly, what makes his son look bad is his own inability (or disinclination) to stand up on his hind legs and object to the old man's noxious garbage."

Any time we attempt to judge another person's motives, we are walking on very thin ice.

Having said that, here's a potential alternative motive to Mel's refusal to publically 'object' in a strong fashion to his father's comments.

Perhaps Mel views God's commandment to honor your parents as more important than meeting the public's expectations about what he should or should not do.

[CobaltBlue]

I don't know about you, but I feel no need to go around publicly denouncing my own father when he says things I disagree with.

[It's me]

I wonder who the priest(s) is(are) who is saying the Masses at Gibson's church?

[leprechaun9]

Although Latin is the official language of the Roman Catholic Church, it is prohibited to say Mass in Latin in our Archdiocese!