Are we losing the culture war?

[Polak]

By censor I meant, not play it or promote it anywhere. Sure you’ll hear gospel songs, but more often than not they’ll be on very particular (usually Christian) stations. If you’re lucky you might get a few on more mainstream media, but they are definitely the exception not the rule, and quickly make way for heavily sexualised content.

 

[HerCrazierHalf]

By censor I meant, not play it or promote it anywhere.

I don’t have a current example, but a few songs by Kirk Franklin used to be in the rotation on a number of radio stations in my area a few years ago. The same stations that also plays type of music the OP speaks of both then and now.

If you’re lucky you might get a few on more mainstream media, but they are definitely the exception not the rule, and quickly make way for heavily sexualised content

Agreed. But why? Are they pushing a particular agenda or simply going with what sells? I’d suggest media isn’t the only area affected. A less controversial example would be the increasing sugar content of newer varieties of produce to meet consumer preference.

 

[Polak]

Agreed. But why? Are they pushing a particular agenda or simply going with what sells?

I used to believe that too, that they’re just catering to the needs of the people and if people didn’t want it, they wouldn’t put it out. This was until I realised people are dictated cultures, they don’t choose them.

 

[CathoRick]

It was lost decades ago in America. Catholics had considerable influence in 1930s and '40s American media, and the Venerable Fulton Sheen was known (and even respected) by a diverse range of American audiences in the '50s and '60s… but, it became a losing battle by the '60s, and sadly enough, you can see this in Sheen’s more emotionally-charged speeches during that time. He knew.

The future of the Church lies in the hands of Latin America, Asia, Africa, and perhaps Eastern Europe… but not Cardi B. I looked up her latest music video, and made it about fifteen seconds before instinctively closing it and putting on some wholesome oldies to purify my ears of that filth.

 

[Lea101]

You want to be risky? Try saying you’re going to do a song about God, Jesus, and how one should be chaste and not look for multiple sexual partners.

Ironically, I catch certain singers having songs along the theme of faith, but it never catches on as a single (can’t remember what song it was, but one of Taylor Swift’s recent songs said something about how ‘now (she) prays to Jesus too’.)

these artists truly believe that being more and more sexual is so revolutionary, risky, and goes against the mainstream. If only they realised how much it doesn’t. They are literally doing exactly what is wanted from them.

I agree. It’s boring, even. There’s only so much nudity an artist can do before it gets pathetic tbh. Miley Cyprus reverted back to a tamer image shortly although I don’t follow her enough to see if she actually stuck it through, music wise. Lady Gaga went back to a tamer image too, and she’s actually beautiful and has a lot of talent that slipped under the radar because of her antics.

Isn’t it weird that they’d censor the heck out of a song or piece of art work against oversexualisation

I don’t think they censor songs like that. You’re probably thinking of gospel songs in general, but the same argument can be said for indie music/country music etc. Radio stations tend to be pretty specific in terms of genres they play. Country music often gets played in country stations, gospel music by Christian ones etc. Pop music that has nothing to do with sex are popular and are selling well already tbh. Songs that are explicitly (ha) about not having sex are usually Christian so they get played by Christian stations.

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

I sorta have a problem with the phrasing of the thread title.

The word “losing” implies that somebody is “winning”. As if this is no more important than who won at a game of checkers.

What I would say is that the West’s increasing secularism has also brought more depression, anxiety, substance abuse and broken families.

So, who won?

 

[phil19034]

Are we losing this battle and realistically, are we ever going to win it? I mean, the world is supposed to get worse before it ends, right, not better? Is it pointless going up against the machine, and should we just be concentrating on saving as many souls as we can from the grips of this evil, rather than trying to overturn the cultural propaganda as a whole?

We will win in the long run. Far left ideas (and that’s exactly what these things are) are evil and eventually become obvious.

Polls indicated that well over 60% of Americans today are afraid to express their views against far left ideas in public because they fear retaliation:

• loss of job
• being DOXED online
• violence against them or their family
• etc.

Even liberal college professors have been polled and they are afraid of their far left students.

When enough people have gotten sick of all this, they will really start to push back.

But I do fear it will get A LOT worse before it gets better. Because the truth is, this is the errors of Russia that our Blessed Mother warned us about at Fatima. These people are using the EXACT SAME methods the Bolsheviks used in Russia. We all need to wake up soon and realize that what we have is the beginnings of an attempted Communist coup. Also REAL liberals better wake up too and realize that the Democratic Party is being hijacked by socialists and communists. Real liberals need to realize quick that the FAR LEFT is NOT their friend and they need to take back the Democratic Party from the socialists & communists before it’s too late for that party.

 

[MNathaniel]

Are we losing this battle and realistically, are we ever going to win it?

I concur with other commenters that the “culture war” has already been lost, past tense. At least in my country and many countries (granted, I’m not in the US and it seems you guys maybe at least have a chance at ending the holocaust of abortion there, so please don’t stop fighting that).

My focus in my context (of being a minority Catholic in an un-Christian culture) is in trying to bring individual souls to Christ, not trying to systematically make the trappings of a larger culture look externally Christian but have a lot of apathetic and lukewarm atheists or non-practicing Christians in it.

A culture is temporary and dies. But each human soul is eternal.

It’s a sideways question to me as to whether the overall culture will change in the (I imagine distant) future. If it does it will only be as a side effect of more people becoming passionate Christians in their personal lives, I think.

I’m not trying to discourage anyone who feels called to political action, from political action. At the same time, I personally think the most important contribution we can make to “Christian culture” is improving our Catholic catechisis. Improving our RCIA programs. Living vibrant Christian witness in our own lives, that God uses to convert others to Christianity on an individual level. The culture will grow outward from there, based on the ‘cult’ we are living in our heart.

If we’re apathetic or lukewarm Christians, though, of course we won’t convert anyone and of course the culture will die.

 

[Polak]

It was lost decades ago in America. Catholics had considerable influence in 1930s and '40s American media, and the Venerable Fulton Sheen was known (and even respected) by a diverse range of American audiences in the '50s and '60s… but, it became a losing battle by the '60s, and sadly enough, you can see this in Sheen’s more emotionally-charged speeches during that time. He knew.

What happened in the middle of the 20th Century in the US that eroded it?

The word “losing” implies that somebody is “winning”.

Well yes, evil, I would say. There is constant battle of good vs evil in the world, and we know good is going to triumph in the end, but in the meantime we have what we have.

 

[HerCrazierHalf]

This was until I realised people are dictated cultures, they don’t choose them

Depends on what you define as culture. With everything so individualized these days it seems that each person selects from a buffet of options be it philosophy, slang, art preferences, or even how they interact with others to assemble the various things commonly referred to as “culture”.

Many here are effectively a separate culture from large chunks of the population around them. But there is no monolithic culture to “culture war” against besides individualism.

 

[ReaderT]

What happened in the middle of the 20th Century in the US that eroded it?

The Hippie movement, Sexual revolution, proliferation of Eastern faiths (gurus, transcendental meditation), etc

 

[Dorothy]

Hope springs eternal!

Let us increase our prayer lives, frequent the confessional, and form stronger communities at Mass.

The Light of the Lord, as it increases, will overpower the darkness!

 

[Tis_Bearself]

It’s not a day ending in “Y” if somebody isn’t finding some alleged golden era during which the Church was supposedly so influential and had so many faithful members and all that’s now gone and we’re living in some awful ungodly time.

As someone who had parents and relatives who lived through the 30s, 40s and 50s, it wasn’t as great as people always claim. It was actually pretty ordinary. The only difference was that in the 30s, the Christian churches were more aligned on sexual morality. This began to drift apart as more of the Protestant churches started to accept divorce and remarriage and contraception, leaving the Catholic Church standing more and more alone in these areas.

 

[Elf01]

The only difference was that in the 30s, the Christian churches were more aligned on sexual morality.

I don’t think practically much has changed, it’s just out in the open. Fornication was happening but the couple would marry or the baby would be had secretly and adopted.

 

[Anrakyr]

What I would say is that the West’s increasing secularism has also brought more depression, anxiety, substance abuse and broken families.

This logic really bothers me.
“It was better back then.”
Was it? I can’t take my therapist back in time but I can extrapolate between the health issues and poor sense of justice 500 years ago was not desirable.

I have a friend who firmly believes technology has ruined humanity. Frankly I wouldn’t want to be born before the age of penicillin. That alone has saved more lives then anything.

Can you imagine the pain and misery of working in a field, only to develop a tooth ache of all things cause you slipped and fell cracking one? You can’t get penicillin, you know you have to pull it. . . .

So this mistaken idea of “people are worse now,” is . . . . mistaken.

 

[Jbrady]

So this mistaken idea of “people are worse now,” is crap.

People have been hystericizing about how the world is going to pot and how degenerate young people have become ever since we crawled out of the mud.

“Look at those millennials, with their bipedal locomotion! When I was a kid, we swung by our arms from branch to branch, like real men! It’s only a fad because the generation after them is flocking back to the trees! Really!”

 

[Tenzin]

The future of the Church lies in the hands of Latin America, Asia, Africa, and perhaps Eastern Europe… but not Cardi B.

The future of the Church is universal that means Mars ad astra infinitum. There were wars in Latin America such as the Cristero War in Mexico.

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

So, there is no increase in mental health issues in the last few decades.
Or maladjusted kids.
Or addictions.

Okey dokey then

 

[Anrakyr]

So, there is no increase in mental health issues in the last few decades.

Being able to see it doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. PTSD was only recently discovered but given the consequences that leads up to it…
You can imagine the farther back in history you go, the more brutal humans were the more likely it was invoked. Do you think BPD attributed to abandonment was any less likely during say the black plague?

Just large swaths of people dieing, communities closed off to contain the spread and many populations just left to die.

Survivors guilt, abandonment, anxiety? Check check and check.

You know where this kinda comment like yours comes from? The mistaken idea that people with strong mental health have a stronger mental fortitude. Stronger moral character somehow equates to unflappable.

Or maladjusted kids.

Same as above.

Or addictions.

Yeah, opium was only JUST discovered in the last 100 years. Same with alcohol, and sugar.
(if you haven’t detected the sarcasm all those things are over 1000 years old as far as we been consuming them.)

 

[ColoradoCatholic]

should we just be concentrating on saving as many souls as we can from the grips of this evil, rather than trying to overturn the cultural propaganda as a whole?

Yup

Don’t worry though, even though they persecute us and even try to kill us they wont win. God will take care of it…I don’t really want to type up how this is all suppose to happen. Read Matthew 24 and 25.