Garry Wills on Colbert

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pnewton said:
I think this is true. Perhaps it catches some guests off guard. No, this one even is not the only one that has caused me to reconsider the value of such humor.
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If you watch Colbert’s interview with Richard Dawkins, you can tell that definitely happens to Dawkins - I think Dawkins is used to a kind of cultic devotion and earning points with an adoring audience through snarkiness. With Colbert, Dawkins was caught a little off-balance because he was unsure how to deal with Colbert’s character, and the audience was clearly pro-Colbert. Colbert kind of plays off some kind of humorously closed-minded Christian appeals to authority, then sneaks in some real apologetic points.

colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/250617/september-30-2009/richard-dawkins

The same thing happens in an interview with (a somewhat satanic-looking) Prof. Philip Zimbardo who tries to make an argument (in support of a pop psychology thesis) that Lucifer was the good guy in rebelling against the authority of God. Colbert shuts him down with a last minute summation of Catholic thought on good, evil, free will, and hell. When Zimbardo backs off, Colbert throws out a one-liner that (while somewhat censored) is obscene, I have to admit that in context it’s pretty funny. Fair warning on the clip below

colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/149094/february-11-2008/philip-zimbardo?xrs=share_copy

Speaking with Douglas Kmiec, who argues that a Catholic can support civil gay marriage, he satirizes some perspectives but does bring up the reasonable argument that if the state is simply recognizing a legal agreement between two people, then why not 3 or more?

colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/224791/april-16-2009/douglas-kmiec?xrs=share_copy
 
It was painful to watch esp when he said such horrible things about the Eucharist and pretended like St. Augustine said it. gag
Colbert is not completely orthodox as far as I know. I don’t watch his show. He is very likable tho and he did a good job. I think he does a better job than Oreilly does at defending the faith.
 
Why do people care so much. Yes Willis is a cafeteria. So is Stephen Colbert. He’s pro choice if i’m not mistaken. I like Stephen a lot, but he’s no orthodox catholic in or out of character.
 
One should keep in mind that the planned release date of Garry Wills’ new book (2/12/2013) was but one day after Pope Benedict announced his intention to retire (2/11/2013). Thus, the media turned to a well known media commentator who was releasing a book on “priests.” The timing could not have been more ironic. Without Benedict’s historic announcement, Wills’ new book would not have received the attention it has nor would he likely have been given a slot on Colbert’s program. By the way, check out the background set on the Colbert show. In my opinion it accurately depicts Wills’ thirty plus year effort in mapping the American civil philosophy as an Enlightenment based civil religion.
 
gam197 said:
Gary Wills has been around for some time. Very few read his books.

Colbert and Wills, sound about right. Colbert is still in hot water over his vagina-manger picture.
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Was it really Colbert that’s in hot water over the vagina manger, or was it someone else?
 
Name of video is: “The Battle For The War On Women”

uproxx.com (Use search- Catholics P------ at Jon Stewart)

Viewing the the whole video which is 6 minutes long is most important as it lists all the prolife legislation as bad.

If I were to look only at Jon’s Stewart’s older videos, many of which have been posted on here, I would say he does a good job and is rather good at defending the faith. Somewhere, something changed.
 
gam197 said:
Name of video is: “The Battle For The War On Women”

uproxx.com (Use search- Catholics P------ at Jon Stewart)

Viewing the the whole video which is 6 minutes long is most important as it lists all the prolife legislation as bad.

If I were to look only at Jon’s Stewart’s older videos, many of which have been posted on here, I would say he does a good job and is rather good at defending the faith. Somewhere, something changed.
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I thought John Stewart was Jewish. :confused:
 
originally posted by october baby
I thought John Stewart was Jewish.
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My apologies to this thread. I am mixing up the two comedians. It was Jon Stewart who did the vagina manga and the video I posted. He is indeed Jewish.

Repeat it was not Stephen Colbert. Their hair and looks start to blend a bit as they age.

I did watch this whole event when it took place, their combine “Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear”

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rally_to_Restore_Sanity_and/or_Fear
 
On September 11, 1974, when Colbert was ten years old, his father and two of his brothers, Peter and Paul, were killed in the crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 while it was attempting to land in Charlotte, North Carolina
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What a tragedy his family went through.

I will have to take a better look at what his show… To the informed catholic intellectual, the videos posted seem OK . He does twist things to make his point.

My main problem would be to the non-catholics or say cafeteria catholics, would Stephen Colbert and his guests be scandalous or would they get his final point?

I guess that is what this thread is asking?
 
gam197 said:
My apologies to this thread. I am mixing up the two comedians. It was Jon Stewart who did the vagina manga and the video I posted. He is indeed Jewish.

Repeat it was not Stephen Colbert. Their hair and looks start to blend a bit as they age.
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I am surprised you think they look similar, since one is gray haired and diminutive, and the other is black-haired and taller. But the real standout would be their on-screen persona. Stewart often plays as a bit of a nebbish, while Colbert’s act is a parody of a bombastic cable news commentator.
 
i happened to watch this particular episode of the Colbert show. i am not a big fan, but i thought Garry Wills showed himself to be rather an idiot to say the priesthood should be done away with and he doesn’t believe in transubstantiation yet he still calls himself a Catholic.
i know he has written several books and there are probably some Catholics who feel as he does, but, in my opinion, they do not belong in the Catholic church with beliefs like that.
 
Wills’s book and public statements have not gone over at all with the liberal Catholic press:

America:
Now it should be obvious to even the most casual Roman Catholic that Mr. Wills’s views are definitely heterodox and probably heretical.
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Nat’l Catholic Reporter (the bad NCR):
I think the editors at the Times captured Wills’ argument in the title they assigned to his article: “New Pope? I’ve Given Up Hope.” I commend Mr. Wills to the First Peter 3:15, “Always be prepared to give an account of the hope that is within you.” I cannot see into this man’s soul, but any soul who has given up hope must ask if he has not also lost his faith. And, if his faith is lost, he is not part of the sensus fidelium. I hope Mr. Wills rediscovers his faith and his hope but until he does, he should stop posing as a Christian commentator.
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