The Onion, American’s finest news source, got the scoop on this story:
Pope to ease up on Jesus talk
Comments
32 responses to “Pope to ease up on Jesus talk”
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Oh the irony! This piece is a spoof, a joke; and yet there are still a number of people (a significant number read this blog!) that really believe everything that was said in this article is a good idea!
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Foul. I’ve never seen even a hint of evidence that anyone one this blog favors downplaying Jesus. Why do you think it’s OK to make such outrageous and slanderous accusations?
awr-
Oh stop the drama, Father.
I was referring primarily to the comments on the Pope’s attire and simplifying the Vatican. Thanks for the opportunity to clarify.
But, dare I say that there might just be one or two readers here that would countenance the idea of talking about our Lord a little less in certain circumstances so as not to offend the members of other religions?
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MB: “a number of people (a significant number read this blog!) that really believe everything that was said in this article is a good idea!” (emphasis added)
That silly (and dramatic) Fr. Anthony, thinking that you meant what you said, rather than what you were secretly thinking.
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Michael, almost all people know that The Onion is a satirical journal. Also, how dare you make assumptions about other people. It would appear that you are the one who has had the sense of humour bypass!
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Margaret, I think you need to take a chill pill along with Fr Ruff. I am well aware that The Onion is satirical. That’s why my comment contains the following line: “This piece is a spoof and a joke…”
And to your second point, I respond: How dare you make assumptions about me!! I haven’t had a “humor bypass.”
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others told reporters they have come around to the lighter-on-the-Jesus approach after initial doubts.
As Homer Simpson says: “It’s funny because it’s true.”
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On the other hand, sometimes we Catholics do such dumb things it’s hard to identify the parodies: for instance, at the Jesuits’ Boston College, they’re serving meat in the cafeterias on the Fridays of Lent but not on Save-the-Planet “Meatless Mondays,” and Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California, hosted pro-abortion rights actress Susan Sarandon on campus this past week.
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Father Anthony, let’s get real here. (I’m bracing for my usual slap-down) I think you might have presumed that most folks with half a noodle boiling knows what they’ll read from “The Onion.”
It is not unreasonable to have expected that confrontational reactions would NOT result from the content of the satirical article, implied and intended or not, but from its reprinting in a forum that prides itself on serious, scholastic and accurate discourse.
Your lead-in, “The Onion, American’s finest news source, got the scoop on this story…” didn’t set exactly an unmistakable notice screaming “JUST A JOKE, PEOPLE, JUST A LITTLE LENTEN LEVITY!”
I’m pretty sure comedians call that the setup, and then bada boom, the timing of the piece riffs nicely.
The little classification above, “Humor,” is at best an understatement.
People need context for comprehension.
Peace, Fr. R
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Fr. Anthony,
I think you’re just going to have to eliminate “wit” from the remit of PrayTell.
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Fr. Anthony, thank you for the levity.
Thank you also for this wonderful site which has been so helpful to me as I prepare the parish workshops on VC2010. Jim-
How do you use The Onion to prepare for VC2010?
Perhaps that is the best way to approach it…
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Ha, ha, ha.
I love the Onion.
It is so bad … that makes it good.
BTW: How come I rarely see a liturgist or an MC smiling or laughing? Are they allowed to have some fun, too? Can the mass be fun, too?
Ha, ha, ha.
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Deacon, lotsa RotR’s have great funnybones, I’ve taken it in up close and personal on some late night “Theology Sessions” in the hotel and dorm lobbies after complines.
But, as I intimated (heh, heh, he said “intimated!”)- in comedy, it’s all about the timing.
“A horse walks into a bar and the bartender sez ‘why the long face?'” Bam.
“What the difference between a terrorist and a…..”Nevermind.
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The timing on this one is that it went up today, I saw it, and I posted a link.
The last time The Onion had something funny on Holy Mother Church, dot.commonweal beat me to it. Not this time!
awr
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And we are glad that you beat them to it!
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This was hilarious. Another favorite Onion story of mine is about the priest who is religious but not really spiritual. 😉
http://www.theonion.com/articles/priest-religious-but-not-really-spiritual,17373/
The perception of incongruity is key to humor!
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While the great majority of people claim to be spiritual and religious (usually about 60%),
and a minority of people claim to be spiritual but not religious (usually about 15%)
and another group of people (usually about 15%) claim to be neither spiritual nor religious,
there always ends up that rather small group of people (usually between 5 to 10%) who claim to be religious but not spiritual.It is good that they now have someone to speak for them, and a priest no less!
Somehow I have always had the suspicion that there are more priests out there like this. -
I often tell my students that I’m religious but not spiritual. In fact, I’m thinking of teaching a class entitled “Christian Materiality and the Exterior Life.”
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ROFL!
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Interesting. Fowler declares that the perception of differences is the province of judgment, while it’s the perception of similarities that constitutes wit.
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Well, AWR, I’d be honored to be your staff-writer. I’ve spent years of studying the comedy of Abraham/Zucker/Abrahams, Monty Python, Gary Shandling, Mel Brooks, Jonathan Winters, all while being velcroe’d to my recliner and my eyes kept open with toothpicks. Ask anyone at CMAA, I’m outta control.
HaChaChah…… -
Thank you, Rita, for the other Onion post…somehow I missed that one…but I’m glad you shared it. The article said that priest lived in Boston. I could have sworn he lived here.
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To Jeremy, #8, are you by any chance from Boston? If so, you know that Boston College “BC” really means “Barely Catholic”
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Oh for heaven’s sake.
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Father Ruff, just because you yourself dont know anyone who actually believes this, doesn’t mean they do not exist.
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Lizzie, the point Fr. Anthony challenged was that people on this blog want to downplay Jesus. He is defending people like YOU.
If you think people who read this blog want to downplay Jesus, I can say with authority that you are mistaken. I read every post and comment–as did Fr. Anthony while moderating!
But if what you are saying is that people exist in the wide world who believe this — OF COURSE THEY DO!
If no one existed with this “patter” if wouldn’t be FUNNY to attribute these sentiments to the POPE.
Good heavens, now I am explaining humor.
Fritz, maybe you are right. We should take wit off our remit.
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Only some of you, dear lady!
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Could you have found a poorer, more biased article, Joe?
The priest in the article says: “We would not like to see the Eucharist be a source of division or an exercise in control and power by a particular ideological position within the church.”
Really?!? Liberals throughout the world have been doing this for 40 years!
I’m also puzzled that you posted this story in this thread. Although, come to think of it, this article could have appeared on The Onion.
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I recall a number of years ago reading the emminently funny site (also run by the Onion) called “Landover Baptist Church”… it was an actual website for an imaginary fundamentalist Baptist Church, complete with bulletins, events and articles by the “Pastor”.
There was a place to “Sign the Guestbook” and leave comments. About 3/4 of the comments were slanderous comments by people who thought that this was an actual church and were deeply offended by their views.
The real foundation of satire is that it is just plausible enough to be believable.
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As we say here in New Jersey: “Gimme a break!”
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