I would like to provide some clarification here by way of some facts surrounding the subject.
Here is a quote from Bruinicks:
*“The University of Minnesota is committed to establishing and nurturing an environment that actively acknowledges and values a very broad diversity of points of view that are free from racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice, intolerance and harassment,” wrote Bruininks *
Here is the info from the U of M - the description of the play:
- In the Piazza San Pietro thousands of hungry children, the fruits of the Pope’s birth control doctrine, are crying for food. Meanwile he contends with assassination attempts, Mafiosi, drug dealers, sinister bankers, and inept cardinals. Fo’s point is that it is easy for a rich church to rage against abortion when millions are born into poverty, and become victims of the drug trade, from which people uder the Vatican’s protetion can fill their pockets." *
events.tc.umn.edu/event.xml
How, exactly, can the two above contrasts be reconciled? Simple…they can’t. The U’s description alone is an attack upon our faith and our beliefs.
As far as the token strawman argument about pedophilia or homosexuality and abuse among priests…that is not a part of this conversation and the facts surrounding that do not in any way negate our duty as Catholics to defend our faith.
Cheese, this question is directed to you, as you referenced “bullying”. What do you think of the ACLU"s tactics? Do you support them or condemn them? They bully people into paying them, cowtowing to them, and acquiescing to every demand to avoid the enormous lawsuit and court fees…which the victim STILL has to pay…and give up their own rights to free speech surrounding Christianity.
There is a larger issue here than this play alone…it is the fact that for too long we (Catholics) have remained silent for too long as the ACLU and other like-minded groups have been stripping God from our society, and in the meantime they denigrate our faith and tell us that the Church is “big enough to take it”.
The fact that we are protesting this play does NOT constitute bullying…it rather is our Constitutional right to DEMAND that our religion be respected as much as Islam, or Wicca, or any other politically popular faith. (I really use the term “respect” loosely here…God only knows that our society has no respect in general other than the individual “truth”)
If the U of M shuts down this show, it will be a victory, for in other places, protests of this play have NOT resulted in its being shut down. It’s time that the “good guys” win one. After all…Athiests and the ACLU win all the time…why not us? Why are we bullies if we stand up for ourselves, but if other groups do it they are “protecting free speech?”
Can anyone explain this to me?
