Is This Site Okay?

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Hello everyone. I think I’ve posted before introducing myself. I’m currently in RCIA looking to be Baptized and Confirmed in April. I came across an interesting site with a lot of information on traditional Catholic practices, devotions, etc. However, there seems to be a huge emphasis on the part about it being TRADITIONAL. So I worry that perhaps the site might present schismatic ideas about just how traditional we should be. I was hoping someone might know if this site his merely traditional or has gone so far as to be heretical. The site is:

fisheaters.com//beingcatholic.html

I hope this was the appropriate forum for this question. Thank you very much in advance,
John
 
I was hoping someone might know if this site his merely traditional or has gone so far as to be heretical.
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I’m pretty sure it’s a schismatic site probably of the Society of St. Pius X:
ewtn.com/expert/answers/sspx_fssp.htm

You’re better off looking on reliable sites like ewtn.com. If you find a site that basically says “we believe in all the Catholic Church teachings up to Vatican II” then avoid it.
 
Hi John, welcome to the forums!

First, congratulations on RCIA. (I’m a RCIA graduate myself).
Second, yes, unfortunately you have found a site that while containing some good information also exhibts a sad lack of true fidelity to the Church.

Catholic Culture.org has a review here: catholicculture.org/sites/site_view.cfm?recnum=1915
and gives the site a “DANGER” warning in regard to fidelity. It gives examples of the highly suspect statements found at Fish Eaters.

I would strongly encourage you to avoid it. It takes only a bit of poison to make the drink dangerous. You can find other sources of pure water. Such as catholic.com!

God Bless you,
and welcome to the forums again!
VC
 
There’s nothing wrong with that site. I’ve been through about all of it now, and haven’t seen anything that remotely looks like trouble.
 
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Ambuoroko:
Hello everyone. I think I’ve posted before introducing myself. I’m currently in RCIA looking to be Baptized and Confirmed in April. I came across an interesting site with a lot of information on traditional Catholic practices, devotions, etc. However, there seems to be a huge emphasis on the part about it being TRADITIONAL. So I worry that perhaps the site might present schismatic ideas about just how traditional we should be. I was hoping someone might know if this site his merely traditional or has gone so far as to be heretical. The site is:

fisheaters.com//beingcatholic.html

I hope this was the appropriate forum for this question. Thank you very much in advance,
John
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I find the site to be very traditional (not to be confused with Traditionalist, a hide-bound manner of thinking that finds little of value in the Church after the Council of Trent). There are many helpul and orthodox articles there, and I see no evidence of schismatic or other far-out leanings.
 
The most troublesome aspect I’ve found is it’s relentless animosity toward what it perjoratively refers to as the “Novus Ordo” Mass, i.e., the vernacular Mass promulgated after Vatican II. To so strongly encourage people to not attend parishes that offer this Mass and, instead, only attend a Latin Mass, to me, smacks of fanaticism.
 
Here’s their page on the Mass, and the reasoning makes sense to me: fisheaters.com/TLMintroduction.html

They have other pages on the order of the traditional Mass, etiquette, and things like that in the same section. fisheaters.com/beingcatholic.html

The site’s search engine isn’t returning anything that the Catholic Culture site says it should be. Maybe it’s an old review.
 
I came across this site earlier last year when I returned to my Faith, but it didn’t take me long to see that there was something intrinsictly wrong with it. I was especially uneasy with the spewings of their ideas about the NO and papal authority.

Didn’t need another website to see this.
 
The webmaster of this site dumps on the NO Mass. Suspect, at the very least.
 
As this thread has gone in the direction of solely discussing a particular website, it has been moved to Popular Media. Thanks to all who have so far given such informative responses!
 
Catherine A:
Here’s their page on the Mass, and the reasoning makes sense to me: fisheaters.com/TLMintroduction.html

They have other pages on the order of the traditional Mass, etiquette, and things like that in the same section. fisheaters.com/beingcatholic.html

The site’s search engine isn’t returning anything that the Catholic Culture site says it should be. Maybe it’s an old review.
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Catherine A,

I understand your zeal, because the things you are reading (mostly all in the “being catholic” section of the site) are correct, accurate, and informative.

However (sigh) 😦 , it looks like it has become my own personal crusade to speak out against this fisheaters site. The fact that there are some good things on the site can’t blind us to the fact that there is a serious lack of fidelity exhibited there as well.

For instance:
  1. A polemic against John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI which repeatedly ask the question (after presenting excerpts from various pre-Vatican II Popes) “How can you reconcile the above with Pope John Paul II’s ideas” or “can you defend these words of John Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, elevated to the Cardinalate by Pope Paul VI, ,to the Roman Curia by Pope John Paul II, and now the Pope?” Thus an attempt to set up a dichotomy between traditional Chruch teaching and Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.
This page concludes with this bon mot:
“If a Pope were to ask you to kill an innocent person, would you? Why or why not? If your answer is no, what does this tell you about the nature of true Christian obedience? Are there times when it is right to not obey?”
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  1. The site points out that Popes John Paul I, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI did not take a certain Papal Oath, and by implication, calls into doubt their loyalty to the Church.
  2. One more instance of the constant ax-griding against John Paul II, here attacking the encyclical on the Rosary:
This novelty does not change the true Rosary and is merely presented as an option for Christians. This option, however, is one that totally disrupts the relationship between the Rosary and the Breviary’s Psalms. Stick with the classic tried-and-true Rosary. . . . adding Mysteries to the Rosary was a most horrible idea
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4.This “warning” to new converts
“Neo-conservatism,” also called “Neo-Catholicism,” is the most typical brand of “Catholicism” whose adherents see themselves as “orthodox.” Most of these people are quite virtuous and truly do try to “do the right thing” by going along with their Bishops and the Holy Father out of a wonderful sense of obedience. The problem is, though, that there exists a false sense of obedience and a false understanding of the nature, extent and conditions of papal infallibilty. You will find “neo-Catholicism” taught in so-called “conservative” dioceses and parishes, and at some of the otherwise great and effective institutions for evangelization, such as EWTN, Catholic Answers, Crisis Magazine, Envoy Magazine, etc. When using such media – media which do tend to do a wonderful job at defending some of the basics of Catholic thought! – keep in mind that you will not be getting the full story, and will hear Vatican II and the papacy of John Paul II defended in ways that are inexcusable.

My heart goes out to the Neo-conservatives (I was one for a long enough time . . .they endure in trying to get their “Novus Ordo priests” to get a little more “traditional” or at least follow the rubrics of the inherently bastardized Novus Ordo Mass that followed Vatican II.
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The list goes on and on and on. This website seems to *want *to cultivate an attitude of disrespect towards the Church and the Popes. Although the author protests that she is only fighting the good fight against modernism. . . the lack of humilty, the snarkiness, the ax-griding against anything and anyone post-Vatican II betrays, in my opinion, a serious deviation from the attitude that should be cultivated by a loyal and true son or daughter of Holy Mother Church.

Ironically, her critique of EWTN, Catholic Answers, and conservative parishes, et al. should actually be directed at the fisheaters site itself: the site does “wonderful job at defending some of the basics of Catholic thought” but those who patronize fisheaters should “keep in mind that you will not be getting the full story.”

As I have said before, it only takes a little poison to make the drink deadly.

There are better sites out there.

Humbly submitted,
VC
 
I’m just not seeing what you’re seeing, VC (and that warning page doesn’t show up on the site map anywhere, so maybe it’s an old page?)

I think the questions asked need to be answered, and don’t see criticism of certain things as necessarily bad. A lot of bad things have happened since Vatican II and we have to open our eyes and sort things out. I mean what’s wrong with the question about obeying to the point of murder? It’s food for thought and makes us question where the lines are. If we don’t ask questions like that and find the lines, then we’re the “pope-worshippers” the Protestants accuse us of being (I hate when they say that!). St. Catherine of Sienna told the Pope to grow up and act like a man, so criticism isn’t “un-Catholic”. Same with St. Paul having words with St. Peter “to the face” in Galatians.

I like the site so far. It’s got about everything in it and I am wanting to make it to the indult and learn how things go there with the sacraments and little rituals I never got to learn. If I find anything I think is nasty I will post it here. I know that there are SSPXers at the forum, so… but there are people who go to the indult mass there too.
 
I’d just like to point out, as I frequent that forum, that the webmistress herself attends the Indult Mass, and is most assuredly “in communion with Rome.” As the poster above pointed out, there are many contributors who attend the Indult Mass as well, and many who attend the Novus Ordo Mass.

The website (particularly the “Being Catholic” section) is incredibly useful, having many resources. The author has put in lots and lots of time and effort to compile all that information, and put it together in website form like it is.
 
Verbum Caro:
The list goes on and on and on. This website seems to *want *to cultivate an attitude of disrespect towards the Church and the Popes. Although the author protests that she is only fighting the good fight against modernism. . . the lack of humilty, the snarkiness, the ax-griding against anything and anyone post-Vatican II betrays, in my opinion, a serious deviation from the attitude that should be cultivated by a loyal and true son or daughter of Holy Mother Church.
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My thoughts exactly. If you’re constantly calling into question the decisions made by the legitimate authority of the Church, I fail to see how you are other than a dissenter.
 
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DominusTecum:
I’d just like to point out, as I frequent that forum, that the webmistress herself attends the Indult Mass, and is most assuredly “in communion with Rome.”
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Dominus Tecum (et cum spiritu tuo),

Welcome to the forums!

Your point is well taken. I have thoroughly read over the site (including the correspondence), and I am aware that the webmistress attends a FSSP church and not a SSPX group. I do not doubt that she is “in communion with Rome”, nor do I doubt her fervor, intelligence, sense of humor, diligence etc.

Nor do I contend that there are not useful resources to be found on the site.

However I do not recommend the site. I especially do not recommend it to converts or reverts, who may be a little bit more prone to imitate the (what I find to be) insulting manner of criticizing Holy Mother Church and Her Priests.

Obedience can be grudging or generous and loyalty can be suspicious or unwavering. Yes she may be obedient and loyal, as far as the letter of the law is concerned, but perhaps. . . there is something yet lacking?

Everyone who criticizes the Church (and I mean everyone) thinks they are on the side of Truth, or that they are courageous, or that they are valiant. Yes, there was a St. Catherine of Siena. Yes she did reprimand the Pope. But are all of those who do so like St. Catherine? Not from what I can tell. St. Catherine was, after all, a saint. I’ve read her letters to Pope Gregory XI. She did not choose to publicly belittle him, nor foment others to do so.

So, all in all, I say that the site lacks the spirit of prudence and charity and fidelity and humility that is necessary. I know people have legitimate concerns (Adoremus anyone?), but there is a better way.

God Bless you and welcome the forums again!
VC
 
Verbum Caro:
Hi John, welcome to the forums!

First, congratulations on RCIA. (I’m a RCIA graduate myself).
Second, yes, unfortunately you have found a site that while containing some good information also exhibts a sad lack of true fidelity to the Church.

Catholic Culture.org has a review here: catholicculture.org/sites/site_view.cfm?recnum=1915
and gives the site a “DANGER” warning in regard to fidelity. It gives examples of the highly suspect statements found at Fish Eaters.
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According to that link, Catholic Culture.org gives Fish Eaters a “Caution,” not a “Danger.” In any case, there is a lot of good information there – tons of it!
 
Catherine A:
According to that link, Catholic Culture.org gives Fish Eaters a “Caution,” not a “Danger.” In any case, there is a lot of good information there – tons of it!
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Yes Catherine A, Catholic Culture NOW gives it a “Caution”, because their review was updated 12/20/05, after my original post informing you of the “Danger” rating (which it carried at that time).

Look, everyone knows that it has some good information. But not everyone (especially those who are newcomers to the faith) can recognize some of the skewed viewpoints that are also presented on that site.

Hence the “Caution”. Why was it changed? Perhaps the site has become a tad bit more moderate? In any event while I respect those who wish to use the site to glean some good information, I will also warn about the possible dangers as well. I feel it is my duty to counter every good reccomendation with an appropriate caveat.

And sense you seem to be enamored of the site, please, be careful.

St. Catherine of Siena, true reformer, true daughter of the Church, pray for us!

God Bless you,
VC
 
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