Mark Wahlberg

[tomarin]

So being famous is the goal? Rather than being both a good person and (if famous) a good role model? Y’know there are people who manage to combine all of the above - even in Hollywood there are people like Tom Hanks for example.

Remember the criticism heaped by Jesus upon those who cause children to sin? You think innumerable kids haven’t been influenced to imitate the crass and sinful behaviour which many of Wahlberg’s recent efforts seem intent on glamourising (which is a different thing to merely portraying it)

While I agree that Tom Hanks appears to be a generally good person, I had to wonder why he agreed to star in those two gratuitously insulting and cynically pseudo-historical “Da Vinci Code” movies.

 

[pnewton]

So being famous is the goal? Rather than being both a good person and (if famous) a good role model? Y’know there are people who manage to combine all of the above - even in Hollywood there are people like Tom Hanks for example.

I think it is not possible for anyone here to comment on how good a person he is. That sort of judgment is reserved to God alone. To whom much is given, much will be required. How can anyone who has been given much judge one to whom less was given? Also, to understand even the objective nature of any sin, it would be necessary to know how much of what we see on the screen was him and how much was the producer, director, and others involved. Or for that matter, how much culpability goes to the adult that takes the minor, the theater that lets them in, the people that work there and he who sells the popcorn.

I understand objectionable movies being harmful. Since this man is active in his church and goes daily to Mass, I think it best that his spiritual growth be an issue between him, God, and maybe his priest.

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

There is a new program on A&E called Wahlburgers. The whole family can watch it seriously. They set up hamburger resteraunts.

I like the show!

My favorites are Alma, and Paul. Then Donnie, then Mark.

Alma seems like such a lively, nice lady. I enjoyed the episode about the tomato sauce recipe! I hope it features some of the other siblings as well.

I’d like to get to Whalburgers in MA before it becomes like Carlos’ Bakery in Hoboken, NJ, too crowded.

 

[Brandall]

So being famous is the goal? Rather than being both a good person and (if famous) a good role model? Y’know there are people who manage to combine all of the above - even in Hollywood there are people like Tom Hanks for example.

Remember the criticism heaped by Jesus upon those who cause children to sin? You think innumerable kids haven’t been influenced to imitate the crass and sinful behaviour which many of Wahlberg’s recent efforts seem intent on glamourising (which is a different thing to merely portraying it)

I think I mentioned that he had a questionable past and that was just what I looked up on the internet because he isn’t someone which I am familiar.

From Wikipedia:
Assaults and conviction
Wahlberg had been in trouble 20–25 times with the Boston Police Department in his youth. By age 13, Wahlberg had developed an addiction to cocaine and other substances.[9][10] At fifteen, civil action was filed against Wahlberg for his involvement in two separate incidents of harassing African-American children (the first some siblings and the second a group of black school children on a field trip), by throwing rocks and shouting racial epithets.[11] At 16, Wahlberg approached a middle-aged Vietnamese man on the street and, using a large wooden stick, knocked him unconscious while yelling a racial epithet. That same day, he also attacked another Vietnamese man, leaving the victim permanently blind in one eye.[12][13]

For these crimes, Wahlberg was charged with attempted murder, pleaded guilty to assault, and was sentenced to two years in state prison at Boston’s Deer Island House of Correction. He served 45 days of his sentence.[12][14] In another incident, the 21-year-old Wahlberg fractured the jaw of a neighbor in an unprovoked attack.[15] Commenting in 2006 on his past crimes, Wahlberg has stated: “I did a lot of things that I regret, and I have certainly paid for my mistakes.” He said the right thing to do would be to try to find the blinded man and make amends, and admitted he has not done so, but added that he was no longer burdened by guilt: “You have to go and ask for forgiveness and it wasn’t until I really started doing good and doing right by other people, as well as myself, that I really started to feel that guilt go away. So I don’t have a problem going to sleep at night. I feel good when I wake up in the morning.”[16]

After going to prison for assault, he decided to improve his behavior. According to Wahlberg, “As soon as I began that life of crime, there was always a voice in my head telling me I was going to end up in jail. Three of my brothers had done time. My sister went to prison so many times I lost count. Finally I was there, locked up with the kind of guys I’d always wanted to be like. Now I’d earned my stripes and I was just like them, and I realized it wasn’t what I wanted at all. I’d ended up in the worst place I could possibly imagine and I never wanted to go back. First of all, I had to learn to stay on the straight and narrow.” Wahlberg first relied on the guidance of his parish priest to turn his back on crime. He told his street gang that he was leaving them and had “some serious fights” with them over it. The actor commented in 2009: “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life and I’ve done bad things, but I never blamed my upbringing for that. I never behaved like a victim so that I would have a convenient reason for victimizing others. Everything I did wrong was my own fault. I was taught the difference between right and wrong at an early age. I take full responsibility.”[17]

From this, it looks like he was well on his way to a life of crime. Being rich and famous is a much better option than living a life in prison for doing horrible things. That is my opinion and I don’t claim to have the same judgement that you have.

 

[LilyM]

I think I mentioned that he had a questionable past and that was just what I looked up on the internet because he isn’t someone which I am familiar.

From Wikipedia:
Assaults and conviction
Wahlberg had been in trouble 20–25 times with the Boston Police Department in his youth. By age 13, Wahlberg had developed an addiction to cocaine and other substances.[9][10] At fifteen, civil action was filed against Wahlberg for his involvement in two separate incidents of harassing African-American children (the first some siblings and the second a group of black school children on a field trip), by throwing rocks and shouting racial epithets.[11] At 16, Wahlberg approached a middle-aged Vietnamese man on the street and, using a large wooden stick, knocked him unconscious while yelling a racial epithet. That same day, he also attacked another Vietnamese man, leaving the victim permanently blind in one eye.[12][13]

For these crimes, Wahlberg was charged with attempted murder, pleaded guilty to assault, and was sentenced to two years in state prison at Boston’s Deer Island House of Correction. He served 45 days of his sentence.[12][14] In another incident, the 21-year-old Wahlberg fractured the jaw of a neighbor in an unprovoked attack.[15] Commenting in 2006 on his past crimes, Wahlberg has stated: “I did a lot of things that I regret, and I have certainly paid for my mistakes.” He said the right thing to do would be to try to find the blinded man and make amends, and admitted he has not done so, but added that he was no longer burdened by guilt: “You have to go and ask for forgiveness and it wasn’t until I really started doing good and doing right by other people, as well as myself, that I really started to feel that guilt go away. So I don’t have a problem going to sleep at night. I feel good when I wake up in the morning.”[16]

After going to prison for assault, he decided to improve his behavior. According to Wahlberg, “As soon as I began that life of crime, there was always a voice in my head telling me I was going to end up in jail. Three of my brothers had done time. My sister went to prison so many times I lost count. Finally I was there, locked up with the kind of guys I’d always wanted to be like. Now I’d earned my stripes and I was just like them, and I realized it wasn’t what I wanted at all. I’d ended up in the worst place I could possibly imagine and I never wanted to go back. First of all, I had to learn to stay on the straight and narrow.” Wahlberg first relied on the guidance of his parish priest to turn his back on crime. He told his street gang that he was leaving them and had “some serious fights” with them over it. The actor commented in 2009: “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life and I’ve done bad things, but I never blamed my upbringing for that. I never behaved like a victim so that I would have a convenient reason for victimizing others. Everything I did wrong was my own fault. I was taught the difference between right and wrong at an early age. I take full responsibility.”[17]

From this, it looks like he was well on his way to a life of crime. Being rich and famous is a much better option than living a life in prison for doing horrible things. That is my opinion and I don’t claim to have the same judgement that you have.

People become rich and famous for many different reasons. Al Capone was both rich and famous. He became rich and famous by being a murderous criminal thug. Mr Wahlberg has become rich and famous by making movies and tv many of which are very morally questionable. His having done so in no way redeems him as a human being, even if he has stopped committing crime. Many highly immoral and sinful behaviours are not crimes.

 

[Costner]

There is a new program on A&E called Wahlburgers. The whole family can watch it seriously. They set up hamburger resteraunts.

I’ve watched it and thought It was a very interesting show, too bad it’s on a horrible network (a&e).

 

[LongingSoul]

I have a real soft spot for the Wahlburg boys even though Mark has some questionable aspects past and present. As a Catholic I think you have to meet people where they are at and respect their journey. Not many movie stars really ‘own’ their Catholic faith in the way it should be and Mark does that admirably and I really believe that speaks pretty deeply to others who might feel they aren’t worthy enough to talk about God and faith for fear of being called a hypocrit. Poor old St Ignatius and Augustine tried and failed, tried and failed for years before properly getting off the fence.

We’ve just started getting the series Bluebloods here and I’ve watched the first two series ravinously. How wonderful that a family can be portrayed so unapologetically as Catholic to the core even though they aren’t perfect. Donnie is my favourite character in that.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

I haven’t seen Wahlberg in many movies. I did want to see the recent one about the Navy SEAL, but haven’t gotten to.

I have seen him on a few interviews recently, and he often mentions (or brings up) his Catholic faith, and the importance of the Eucharist to him and his family. How often do you see a popular, successful actor be that up-front about his Catholicism?

Good for him.

 

[LilyM]

I have a real soft spot for the Wahlburg boys even though Mark has some questionable aspects past and present. As a Catholic I think you have to meet people where they are at and respect their journey. Not many movie stars really ‘own’ their Catholic faith in the way it should be and Mark does that admirably and I really believe that speaks pretty deeply to others who might feel they aren’t worthy enough to talk about God and faith for fear of being called a hypocrit. Poor old St Ignatius and Augustine tried and failed, tried and failed for years before properly getting off the fence.

We’ve just started getting the series Bluebloods here and I’ve watched the first two series ravinously. How wonderful that a family can be portrayed so unapologetically as Catholic to the core even though they aren’t perfect. Donnie is my favourite character in that.

Yes, saints such as Augustine and Ignatius tried and failed. Neither they nor anyone else bleated on about what wonderful Catholics they were while they were failing! I respect the journey, sure, but people (including himself) are acting like he’s reached the summit when he’s merely taken a step or two.