Steph700:
I don’t watch TV to be inspired by direct orthodox Catholic teaching, I watch it for entertainment and to observe the human condition. If you want Catholic teaching then I say read your Bible, go to mass, or watching programming on EWTN (which I like a lot).
Shows like Desperate Housewives may not portray a perfect Catholic family, I’ll give you that. But I’ve never seen a perfect family and if you think you have then I don’t think you’ve evaluated that family very far beyond the surface. There is sin there, there always is, and I think it’s wrong for anyone to put themselves above anyone else- only God knows our hearts. You accuse me of not being around the “right” people- right people being holier-than-thou’s who never sin in any “major” way such as adultery. I challenge you to spend some time around normal people who make mistakes and recognize their mistakes- these are the people Jesus came to save not people who think they are already better than everyone else.
And as far as searching out people who are good regardless of their religion, most of my friends whom I consider good examples of morality are not Catholic. Can you say the same? Do you know many people from many different faith backgrounds? If you do, then that’s great. But if not, then I don’t think people in glass houses should throw stones.
Actually, as an adult convert, I’m one of the *serious, bit-time *sinners that He came to save. Don’t assume that if someone has chosen the narrow gate that they are, as you say, “holier-than-thou” types. In my case, at least, nothing could be farther from the truth.
I still stand by my observation that the people that I know personally (and there are lots of them) who attend Mass every week and who take their faith seriously are NOT hypocrites who start sinning the instant they peel out of the church parking lot. Certainly everyone has their struggles but it is the conscious recognition and avoidance of sin that makes the difference. That doesn’t make one holier-than-anyone. What it does is show evidence that one has been fairly successful at the process of salvation. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
The problem here is that Hollywood depicts the vast majority of Catholics as you have and it simply isn’t accurate. I have yet to see a positive portrayal of
one Catholic or Christian in the secular media. Just as an example, the Holy Father is vilified for his fidelity to revealed Truth in the MSM and Mel Gibson is deemed “homoerotic” and an anti-Semite.
Do I have friends of different faiths? Of course. Probably more than most, given the fact that I have lived in the NYC for the vast majority of my life. The people I know well include those of different ethnic backgrounds, socio-economic levels and races as well. (In fact, I have immediate family of different races but that’s a story for another evening.)
As for perfect families, I know several personally, who are not perfect but are about as close as you can come. I know them well below the surface. These are families that struggle to maintain the faith in every facet of our lives, who make sacrifices daily for the sake of our childrens’ future and who make a conscious decision to be in the world but not of it. In short, we do our best. It is not easy, especially given a society as materialistic, cynical and sexually pre-occupied as ours. But, as Jimmy Duggan said, “If it was easy, it wouldn’t be great. Its the hard that makes it great”.
I am not “accusing” you of anything. I am suggesting that making assumptions based on your experiences alone provides a narrow view of life. (It also invalidates the need for positive change.) While we each judge by our own yardstick, the truth is that the majority of people out there are not like the ones portrayed on “Desperate Housewives”. But then, we’re not glamorous or very entertaining and no one would want to watch us. I myself grew up in what would be considered the poster family for dysfunction and have made a conscious decision to “switch crowds” because, in my quest for truth, I found that my family, as well as the people I associated myself with, were the exception, rather than the rule.
Don’t jump to judge people as “holier-than-thou”. Its the virtual equivalent of actually being a “holier-than-thou” type. Instead, listen to what people are saying with an open heart.
