Sean Hannity faces-off with Priest who calls him heretic

[JohnPaul]

I think you guys are giving Sean too hard of a time about this. The fact that about 1% of priests 20 years or so ago abused some children pretty much means that the rest of us can do or say as we please. Don’t you guys get that?

 

[kaysette]

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/Alegre-Fe/Emoticons/Welcome.gif Welcome Home!

All Protestant churches before 1930 taught this.

For years I didn’t even know the Church taught anything on ABC. When I found out I ran to Confession even though I had stopped using it for years before I confessed it. I just didn’t know the Church even had a stance on it.

So have I and Jesus forgives and forgets! Thank you Jesus!

I believe there are Protestants who think this way. I just wish there were more.

You’re absolutely right. You are well catechized it seems.

This is great to know and I’m glad you’re expressing these feelings here with us.

:clapping:

I am so sorry about your son. I hope and pray that he is in Heaven with Jesus. May perpetual light shine upon him and may his soul, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/Alegre-Fe/Emoticons/Pray.gif Amen.

Don’t beat yourself up about it. I don’t think you are. But all I can say is, TRUST in Jesus Christ. His Mercy is greater than any sin you can commit, as long as you Trust in Jesus.

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/Alegre-Fe/DMercy.jpg

This is so true. No one should ever leave Jesus on account of Judas. If a person loves Jesus Christ they should also love His Church and therefore look for His Church and they will find it right here, the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Thank you for your kind post. Believe me, finding the church has been the joy of my life. It is kind of like the parable – found the pearl of great price in my own “back yard.”

 

[kaysette]

By the way, thanks for expressing your compassion about my son. He was a believer, but wasn’t living near me and I had planned to share my conversion and the things I had learned that very weekend. I didn’t get a chance. I have placed my hope in the Divine Mercy of God and I believe I will see him again one day in Heaven. Meantime, I find it comforting that I can now believe it is alright to pray for him. It was his death which actually brought me to the place that I could accept the teachings of the church on praying for the dead. Until then, that was one of the last holdouts I had concerning church doctrine. Incidently, it was also his death that brought me the peace and confidence to actually pray the Rosary. The very first time I ever prayed it was during the exact moment of his death and I had dedicated the Rosary TO HIM. I don’t think that was an accident at all. Also, it was Mary who I most related to when I saw his cold body in the morgue. I knew she understood what it was like to lose a son. Since then, I love the Blessed Mother like I never thought I was ever allowed to do before.

 

[kaysette]

Excellent post. I found it encouraging. I am sorry to hear about your loss. Nurture your faith and know that God is with you.

Thank you so much.

 

[susiem]

ABC should be avoided by ALL people including non-Catholics. That is what Fr. E. was trying to tell Sean. Catholics should believe in everything the Church teaches because that is what Jesus and the Apostles taught.

Fr. E. is NOT “trashing” Hannity. He is trying to inform Sean so he won’t keep in his sin. How is that Christ-like? Fr. E. is showing Sean Hannity mercy. He is trying to protect Sean from going deeper into his sin. When Jesus healed people it was not only a physical healing it was a spiritual healing from sin. You have to remember that Jesus said, “…go and sin no more.”

We just dont agree …period…the website is not Christ-like, it makes fun of Sean Hannity and calls him names…again this is not how I was taught to live. live how you see fit…but I am planning on extending love and mercy and forgiveness…“and forgive us our sin as we forgive others” the Lord’s Prayer makes it very easy for me to forgive… And the tables in the synagage were turned over, yes, not addressing an individual persons ‘sin’ problem (it was a church problem,wonder how many tables would be turned over in the Church today?) …it is a scene/scripture taken out of context…people caught in ‘sexual sin’ are characterized by Jesus finding them privately…HE went to the Well when HE knew HE could confront her in privacy and in love and truth…HE told US that the SHEPARD leaves the entire flock to find one lost sheep…also the Prodigal Son is rejoiced over and given much more than the older (self-righteous) brother…Jesus DO NOT EMBARRASS AND HUMILITATE…Amen

 

[Tom317]

We just dont agree …period…the website is not Christ-like, it makes fun of Sean Hannity and calls him names…again this is not how I was taught to live. live how you see fit…but I am planning on extending love and mercy and forgiveness…“and forgive us our sin as we forgive others” the Lord’s Prayer makes it very easy for me to forgive… And the tables in the synagage were turned over, yes, not addressing an individual persons ‘sin’ problem (it was a church problem,wonder how many tables would be turned over in the Church today?) …it is a scene/scripture taken out of context…people caught in ‘sexual sin’ are characterized by Jesus finding them privately…HE went to the Well when HE knew HE could confront her in privacy and in love and truth…HE told US that the SHEPARD leaves the entire flock to find one lost sheep…also the Prodigal Son is rejoiced over and given much more than the older (self-righteous) brother…Jesus DO NOT EMBARRASS AND HUMILITATE…Amen

The Bible tells us to admonish the sinner in order to help save his soul…is God’s Word wrong?

 

[reganq]

It’d be nice if Sean would work a little harder at being a “great Catholic.” I think it’d help him to be a better “great American.” Perhaps the best starting place would be a study of charity…

 

[susiem]

As I said before, Fr. E. was not “trashing” Sean Hannity.

“associating” with people who “resort to this behavior” is Christ-like because Christ hung out with sinners.

And again, Fr. E. did not “trash” Sean.

How in the world are you extending grace? Only God can extend Grace through the Passion of His Son Jesus Christ.

look up grace in Greek …I extend grace, and I forgive… that may be the problem …perhaps you havent read the Bible or Church dogma that speaks to believers about these matters. God Bless…bye Sandy… I really am not uplifted by sarcasm. It isnt good for my spirit…or anyones for that matter.

 

[susiem]

The use of the sex abuse crisis by Hannity simply reveals his convicted conscience, he would not address his dissent with the Church, so he tried to change the subject…typical tactic of bait and switch, sort of like when gays attacks straights about marriage saying that straights have such a high divorce rate, it’s bait and switch in order to take the light off personal sins.

It is absurd the amount of times I have read about how people on forums** know **that a person has a ‘guilty conscience’…how would any person know someones heart, mind, or conscience?..Only God is Omniscient. I think we all need to concentrating on working out our own salvation with fear and trembling…by the way…the correction (to Sean) has been made…I need to let it go…and pursue some peace…Sean, I’m sure loves God…I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt…(ie: extending grace (wink))

Concerning abuse in the church and outside of it…( doesnt matter if it was 1% or 10% of the clergy, Catholic or otherwise) Jesus Christ said that if someone hurts one of these little ones that he might as well drown himself(paraphrase)…thats what Jesus thinks of little kids being abused…thats also what he thinks of abortion…but are repentant abusers and abortionist forgiveable??? Silly question…of course they are…lest Christ died in vain.

Did you watch the tape? B/c he did discuss his ‘dissent’ from the church…just wondering …b/c I heard him say he wasn’t dissenting…Sean said that he wasn’t discussing/addressing Catholics. You might think his answer ‘stinks’ but, he did address the issue. Just for the record…

 

[susiem]

The Bible tells us to admonish the sinner in order to help save his soul…is God’s Word wrong?

God’s word is never wrong. It gives clear instructions on how to admonish…and it says the admonishment if done publically comes after several other steps and if needed, it is publically done in the church before believers…

 

[litllulu]

I see this in very simple terms. Sean *is * Catholic. Being Catholic means that you adhere to its teachings. So if you are a Catholic that believes that the pope is infallible, you should also believe that AC is wrong. So what is his excuse?

 

[fix]

Concerning abuse in the church and outside of it…( doesnt matter if it was 1% or 10% of the clergy, Catholic or otherwise) Jesus Christ said that if someone hurts one of these little ones that he might as well drown himself(paraphrase)…thats what Jesus thinks of little kids being abused

Jesus talked about leading another into sin and what would happen if one did such a thing. Publicly contradicting Church teaching on the matter of contraception could very easily mislead one into a bad act.

Fr. E did very well.

 

[Tom317]

God’s word is never wrong. It gives clear instructions on how to admonish…and it says the admonishment if done publically comes after several other steps and if needed, it is publically done in the church before believers…

Yes, and the good Father tried to communicate with Sean privately, and Sean rejected that.

It is an act of mercy for a Priest to call attention to one’s sins, and it is an act of corporate mercy for a Priest to make the thousands of Catholics watching Sean’s show know that the use of birth control is a mortal sin.

It is a lie to say that Jesus’ message was all love and did not speak to sin and that we must admonish sinners. The Bible even tells us that we risk our own souls if we ignore the sins of others.

 

[Tom317]

It is absurd the amount of times I have read about how people on forums** know **that a person has a ‘guilty conscience’…how would any person know someones heart, mind, or conscience?..Only God is Omniscient. I think we all need to concentrating on working out our own salvation with fear and trembling…by the way…the correction (to Sean) has been made…I need to let it go…and pursue some peace…Sean, I’m sure loves God…I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt…(ie: extending grace (wink))

Concerning abuse in the church and outside of it…( doesnt matter if it was 1% or 10% of the clergy, Catholic or otherwise) Jesus Christ said that if someone hurts one of these little ones that he might as well drown himself(paraphrase)…thats what Jesus thinks of little kids being abused…thats also what he thinks of abortion…but are repentant abusers and abortionist forgiveable??? Silly question…of course they are…lest Christ died in vain.

Did you watch the tape? B/c he did discuss his ‘dissent’ from the church…just wondering …b/c I heard him say he wasn’t dissenting…Sean said that he wasn’t discussing/addressing Catholics. You might think his answer ‘stinks’ but, he did address the issue. Just for the record…

The subject at hand relates to BC, not other types of sins. You are using Sean’s tactic of bait and switch.

I have watch Hannity for years, I saw that show live and on tape and I have heard others times when Hannity blasts the Church about birth control and he has blasted the Pope on many issues. He is a luekwarm Catholic at best, yet he parades around claiming orthodoxy.

As for the subject at hand, Sean is flat out wrong, period, done, end of story and he was called out for sinning in a very public manner. If a person chooses to sin in public, they should not get all mad when they are called on that sin in public, especially when Priest tried to talk to him privately.

The problem here is Catholics are unspeakably spoiled by the inactivity of Priests over the last 30 years, this should be happening to all public sinners because public sin that is allowed to go creates scandal in the Church (yes, that most definitely applies to abortion, abuse, and all sorts of mortal sins).

I cannot read Hannity’s mind, but he sure became awfully defensive and tried to change the subject and tried to make the Priest the guilty party…those, imo, are signs of a guilty conscience.

 

[Nordar]

look up grace in Greek …I extend grace, and I forgive… that may be the problem …perhaps you havent read the Bible or Church dogma that speaks to believers about these matters. God Bless…bye Sandy… I really am not uplifted by sarcasm. It isnt good for my spirit…or anyones for that matter.

You cannot extend Grace, Only God can do that Grace is a GIFT from God. Sandy was not being the least bit sarcastic with you she was stating the truth.

 

[kaysette]

Sean spends some time with Christians of other denominations. Many Protestants are great fans of his–we were some of them. I think part of the liberality on this part is due to his seeing other non-Catholic Christians teach things other than the Catholic Church. I fell into that same trap when I left my childhood church.

He also has made several comments recently in defense of the Latter Day Saint church and how he has many great friends who are Mormons.

I think it is wonderful that he has an ecumenical attitude and truly seems to love and fellowship with those outside the Catholic Church. Many Protestants have started to look at Catholics as real believers through their graciousness and non judgementalism.

Protestants are not taught there is any human on earth who merits the title of “infallible.” They don’t have an “absolute authority” except for what they read in their Bible–which also lacks some of the books included in the Catholic Bible. Many of us were so indoctrinated against the Catholics that we feared a Catholic and a Pope more than we feared Communists or Muslims. We were taught such things like the Catholic Church is the “whore of Babylon” and the anti-christ and beast will be Catholics. There is GENUINE fear there. Most of us feared Catholics far more than we feared birth control. We were taught that birth control was responsible and that God gave us the freedom to choose such things for our own family.

While I do not condone that he had a perfect opportunity to explain to the world WHY the church does not approve of ABC–he has also been influenced by the those (otherwise godly people) who are not aware of any valid reason to shun birth control. They make it sound so good–those who don’t recognize any apostolic, successive authority on the earth.

Had I read this forum 10 years ago, I would have been furious and not understood. It is only by the GRACE of God that a Protestant can have the courage to even STUDY the Catholic claims. I felt like I had to hide my studying, and even kept it from my husband for YEARS. I was TERRIFIED.

If we pray, Sean could completely come around on these issues–and if he does, God could use all of this FOR GOOD in the end. One day, many people may listen to HIM who would not have listened to any other Catholic, because they know he can relate to them. We just never know.

Maybe someone should send him a good course on the “Theology of the Body.”

 

[kaysette]

…those, imo, are signs of a guilty conscience.

Or, it could be that he has witnessed about his church to MANY Protestant believers and he is terrified that the priest will offend them and discourage them from considering the Catholic Church.

Since I am a convert, I want very much for my family and friends to see the positive side of the Church and her teachings. When something really horrible comes up on TV about the Catholics, I just cringe. Example would be the special on CNN Monday night called “The Sins of the Father.” I know that the next time I try to “witness” why I am converting, something like this will be used against me and someone will sincerely use the priest sins to sway me from making a “tragic mistake.” They SINCERELY believe this stuff.

I don’t personally believe that Sean is necessarily feeling guilty of committing secret sins–he may feel no guilt at all! If he is truly deceived in this area, he may not believe he is wrong in any way, shape or form.

Rather, he is EMBARRASSED, because he has probably been a very vocal witness to other Protestants and unbelievers about the church he LOVES. Now, he feels he has been publically humiliated and his non Catholic friends may be dissuaded from considering the Church and even perhaps feel Sean isn’t even considered a brother of the church in good standing.

Let me share a similar thing with myself. Before we can be members of the church, we have to received our annulments from marriages which took place over 35 years ago. My witnesses are deceased, it has been so long. The ones I had, refused to be my witnesses. They would do NOTHING to enable me to be Catholic–in all sincerity. They fear for my soul! We have many children between us, and our famililes are sincere Christians who live their faith in other denominations. They are watching us. They don’t understand the Tribunal process at all. At first, my fear was that we could not get our annulments after waiting so long. It wasn’t for us that I was afraid—it was for our families and particularly our children. If they would be denied, they would say “wow…you believe a church who can’t forgive your past sins? I don’t want any part of that…” or as one of my witnesses said, “You are just not a Kennedy. If you were a Kerry or Kennedy, you would have your annulments by now.”

This is the type attitude and comments we hear, and if we are given annulments and absolution, we can really be great witnesses for conversion. If we don’t get that, we will sit at mass the rest of our lives (without the Eucharist)—and our families will be sure we have joined a “cult” that “doesn’t know the truth about the grace and forgiveness of God.” We trust the church on the matter—not embarrassed for ourselves—we are just concerned for those watching and we want them to see the truth and beauty of the church.

 

[Tom317]

Or, it could be that he has witnessed about his church to MANY Protestant believers and he is terrified that the priest will offend them and discourage them from considering the Catholic Church.

Since I am a convert, I want very much for my family and friends to see the positive side of the Church and her teachings. When something really horrible comes up on TV about the Catholics, I just cringe. Example would be the special on CNN Monday night called “The Sins of the Father.” I know that the next time I try to “witness” why I am converting, something like this will be used against me and someone will sincerely use the priest sins to sway me from making a “tragic mistake.” They SINCERELY believe this stuff.

I don’t personally believe that Sean is necessarily feeling guilty of committing secret sins–he may feel no guilt at all! If he is truly deceived in this area, he may not believe he is wrong in any way, shape or form.

Rather, he is EMBARRASSED, because he has probably been a very vocal witness to other Protestants and unbelievers about the church he LOVES. Now, he feels he has been publically humiliated and his non Catholic friends may be dissuaded from considering the Church and even perhaps feel Sean isn’t even considered a brother of the church in good standing.

Let me share a similar thing with myself. Before we can be members of the church, we have to received our annulments from marriages which took place over 35 years ago. My witnesses are deceased, it has been so long. The ones I had, refused to be my witnesses. They would do NOTHING to enable me to be Catholic–in all sincerity. They fear for my soul! We have many children between us, and our famililes are sincere Christians who live their faith in other denominations. They are watching us. They don’t understand the Tribunal process at all. At first, my fear was that we could not get our annulments after waiting so long. It wasn’t for us that I was afraid—it was for our families and particularly our children. If they would be denied, they would say “wow…you believe a church who can’t forgive your past sins? I don’t want any part of that…” or as one of my witnesses said, “You are just not a Kennedy. If you were a Kerry or Kennedy, you would have your annulments by now.”

This is the type attitude and comments we hear, and if we are given annulments and absolution, we can really be great witnesses for conversion. If we don’t get that, we will sit at mass the rest of our lives (without the Eucharist)—and our families will be sure we have joined a “cult” that “doesn’t know the truth about the grace and forgiveness of God.” We trust the church on the matter—not embarrassed for ourselves—we are just concerned for those watching and we want them to see the truth and beauty of the church.

If your “guess” is correct, then that makes the situation even worse imo. Catholics are not allowed to water down or reject truth in order to win converts. In fact, we are called to spak the full truth in all seasons and to all people and trust that the Holy Spirit will guide those people hearing the truth. Lying to people is the wrong way to get them to consider the faith and it would add a mortal sin on top of a mortal sin.

 

[kaysette]

I totally understand what you are saying and I think Sean did miss a perfect opportunity to let the kind priest explain WHY the church teaches what she does on the matter. I am not justifying what he did wrong. I agree. I was merely stating that he may be deceived on this matter and that he may be past the point of conviction or guilt and needs prayer. His motives have been being discussed and people are trying to figure out his “heart” sins and motives. I was simply adding that it may not have been guilt at all. Deceived people don’t always feel guilt. You have to have GRACE to be convicted by the Holy Spirit. Consciences can be SEARED.

I am sorry if you misunderstood my post to mean that I agreed with Sean so converts could be won to the church. Truth is truth. It cannot be compromised.

 

[Tom317]

I totally understand what you are saying and I think Sean did miss a perfect opportunity to let the kind priest explain WHY the church teaches what she does on the matter. I am not justifying what he did wrong. I agree. I was merely stating that he may be deceived on this matter and that he may be past the point of conviction or guilt and needs prayer. His motives have been being discussed and people are trying to figure out his “heart” sins and motives. I was simply adding that it may not have been guilt at all. Deceived people don’t always feel guilt. You have to have GRACE to be convicted by the Holy Spirit. Consciences can be SEARED.

I am sorry if you misunderstood my post to mean that I agreed with Sean so converts could be won to the church. Truth is truth. It cannot be compromised.

I agree that Sean needs much prayer.