Archive for the 'Culture' Category

Abortion-Some Choice

theophilus October 29th, 2009

The 40 Days for Life Fall Campaign is coming to an end on Sunday.  The organizers keep a “babies saved” account which counts the number of babies saved (at least for the moment) by their prayer vigils.  This number represents the number of women who come to the abortion clinic with the intention of killing their child and leave with their baby still kicking and breathing.

For this campaign, the count stands at 460.  They also just passed a milestone of 2,000 since these vigils began.

These babies represent the miracle of divine intervention brought about by the prayers of the courageous and faithful opening up the hearts of pregnant mothers with a “choice” to make.

But in all truthfulness, what is this choice?

I was born to a single mother.  It was pre-Roe v. Wade, but I know full well that my mother had a “choice” to make.  Thankfully for me and my family, she listened to God and placed herself and me in the hands of Christ and his Blessed Mother.

I was thinking about this “choice” the other day when I read the Daily Devotional that the 40 Days campaign puts out every day during the campaign.  This particular devotion was written by Fr. Frank Pavone, head of Priests for Life and National Pro-Life Religious Council.  His reflection on this day centered around the nature of this “choice”-

Norma McCorvey (the former Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade) used to work at an abortion mill named “A Choice for Women.” She now realizes what a cruel irony that title was. She saw first hand, just as pregnancy resource center counselors see, that women don’t get abortions because of freedom of choice, but rather because they feel they have no freedom and no choice. They feel trapped, abandoned, desperate and afraid, and have been led to believe that abortion is their only option.

As Frederica Mathewes-Green has written, no want wants an abortion like she wants a Porsche or an ice cream; rather, she wants it like an animal caught in a trap wants to gnaw off its own leg.

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” That doesn’t mean that the Spirit allows us to do whatever we want or to decide for ourselves what’s right and wrong.

Rather, it means that the Spirit gives us the freedom to do what is right, the power to choose what is good, when we see it before us and yet feel pulled in the opposite direction. Liberty means that we no longer have to feel doomed to do what we know is wrong.

We are the people of the Spirit of the Lord, and when we take action on behalf of life, especially by being present at abortion mills, we are acting on behalf of true freedom, and imparting to those who are in bondage the power to do what is right.

As a kid, I always wondered why God allowed evil to exist.  It’s only really recently that I’ve realized that it’s not necessarily that God permits evil to exist, but that he so loves man that he gives us our freedom.  It’s this freedom that either leads us to embrace the goodness and love of our Father and his Son and his Spirit, or leads us to turn our back on God and allow evil to occur.  It’s not God that permits evil to occur; it’s man.  We have a choice to make; it’s up to us to make the right one.

For the past 40 days, the choice for many throughout the nation has been to exercise their freedom to pray outside the abortion mills.  At times, they were even able to get information in the hands of the mothers entering these abortion mills so that these women would know exactly what choice they were making.  It’s the fact that this information isn’t given to the mother by right that makes the “choice” so ironic.  What kind of choice is it if mothers can’t even see an ultrasound of their baby before they give a nod to the doctor to proceed?  Who truly loves these women and who is trying to hide the truth?

This campaign is the first one that I followed and I wish I could have done more.  The problem is that I’m too chicken to go down there alone.  But I have been to two vigils and I’ve prayed the devotionals everyday.  I’ve been with them in spirit.

But I know that’s not enough.  The Holy Spirit is kicking into gear.  It’s up to all of us who believe in the sanctity of all life and the dignity of all men to step forward to ensure mothers make the right “choice” – just like my mother did oh so long ago.  We have to get off of the sidelines and do something.  Christ is calling us to follow him.  Our Blessed Mother is imploring us to get moving.

BTW, the next campaign starts on Ash Wednesday.  Details to come.

Catholic Catechism & Abortion

theophilus October 15th, 2009

There is always a great deal of attention paid when the Church, specifically through our bishops, speak out against abortion.  It gets especially interesting when the Church tries to instruct those Catholics who support abortion, either directly or indirectly.

What is generally lost in this debate is a discussion as to why the Church teaches what it teaches on abortion.  Why does the Church stand so strongly on the side of the unborn?  Why must anti-right-to-life Catholics understand that their action or inaction not only contravenes a major tenet of our faith but subverts the foundation of the dignity of man?

I rarely read the Catechism – should read it more, but I don’t.  The other day was the exception.  I happened to pick it up and came across the section on abortion.  I wish I would have read this stuff earlier because the Catechism makes the abortion decision pretty cut and dry.

In paragraph 2270, we hear that-

Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.

To support this proposition, the Catechism quotes from Jeremiah 1:5-

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.

And from Psalm 139:15-

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.

There is no wiggle room here for any argument that suggests that the unborn child at any stage is anything less than a human being worthy of protection.  God knew us before he formed us; he started his relationship with us before he even made us as man; we were his children from the get-go.

How about those arguments that the Church has only recently came around to a pro-life position?  Paragraph 2271 answers this question-

Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.

Take a look at this passage from the Didache, one of the earliest writings of the Church, which the Catechism quotes-

You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.

As for the present, the Church can’t get any stronger than this statement from Guadium et spes-

God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.

The Church has always officially been against abortion and cannot be much clearer or stronger in its views today – did you see the word “abominable” – sounds real weak-kneed to me.

How serious is abortion?  Is it just another social issue to consider?  Look at paragraph 2272-

Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. “A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae,” “by the very commission of the offense,” (Codex Iuris Canonici) and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law.

Another one of those wishy-washy words – “excommunication.”

But paragraph 2272 doesn’t stop with the punishment-

The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

This teaching is all about mercy and redemption for those involved in abortion; that no matter the offense, Christ will still love and forgive us.  Like every other offense against God and man, we can seek and find salvation.  And by extension, every one of us is called to pray for, love and forgive each person involved with abortion.

Paragraph 2272 also talks about the harm done to the parents and society.  Not only does the unborn child suffer, but so do the mother, the father and society as a whole.  Abortion impacts all of us.

Paragraph 2273 goes further and talks about the role of abortion in society and how life is an inalienable right, even for the unborn.  And for those Catholic politicians out there that try to compartmentalize their faith on this issue, the Church gives some instruction-

The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation. (emphasis not added).

The Church provides some passages from Donum Vitae, from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, to further illustrate this point-

The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin. Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being’s right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death.

The moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings of the protection which civil legislation ought to accord them, the state is denying the equality of all before the law. When the state does not place its power at the service of the rights of each citizen, and in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a state based on law are undermined….As a consequence of the respect and protection which must be ensured for the unborn child from the moment of conception, the law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child’s rights.

In other words, the unborn child deserves the protection of the laws, period.

How about the argument that disabled children should be diagnosed in the womb and aborted for their own sake?

Let’s turn to paragraph 2274-

Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being.

Again, we have guidance from Donum vitae-

Prenatal diagnosis is morally licit, “if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human fetus and is directed toward its safe guarding or healing as an individual…. It is gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the equivalent of a death sentence.”

What a great line – “a diagnosis must not be the equivalent of a death sentence.”

Abortion is unacceptable in a civilized society.  In the Catechism, the Church strongly and emphatically lays out the reasons why.  The unborn child is a human being in need of the protection of society.  No legal, political, mental, emotional, logical, or theoretical gymnastics can subvert this fact or the fact the unborn child is as worthy as we are to be treated with simple human dignity.

I need to read more of the Catechism.  I might actually learn something.

Three Movies to See

theophilus September 21st, 2009

I had an incredibly grace filled weekend of movies.

Last Sunday, our homily was on William Wilberforce, a British legislator, who combatted the slave trade at the turn of the 19th Century.  I had read Amazing Grace, a book about his life and efforts, but I had never seen the movie.  So, I stopped into Blockbuster on Tuesday and found it.  While I walked out, I noticed the recent movie about Pope John Paul II, starring Jon Voight and Cary Elwes, so I picked that one up as well.  While watching Amazing Grace on Friday night, we saw a preview for The Ultimate Gift, which looked promising.  So on Saturday, I picked this movie up.  We watched The Ultimate Gift on Saturday night; and I finished up my movie weekend by watching Pope John Paul II on Sunday.

So, in one weekend, I saw a movie (Amazing Grace) about a man who started an effort almost single-handedly that ended up transforming the world.  It took him 20 years to do it but he succeeded in ending the slave trade and ultimately slavery in the British Empire – without a shot being fired.

Then I watched a surprisingly humorous movie (The Ultimate Gift) highlighting the gifts we are all given, most important of which may be forgiveness, redemption, and mercy.  But we all know that the Ultimate Gift is love and this movie reminds us how multi-layered this gift is in our lives and how often we reject it.  Watch the movie and find out for yourself.

Finally, I ended the weekend watching a movie (Pope John Paul II) about a man who recognized God’s hand in his life at every step and followed his will.   He was courageous and steadfast; approachable and full of Christ’s light which he shown to the world.  He was always one of the brightest minds in the room, but could reach everyone with Christ’s message.  And all the while, he underwent immense suffering, both physical and emotional.  The totality of his life is epic.

I am inspired and ready to go kick some serious butt for the Lord this week.  Get these movies and I guarantee you will feel the same.

Fantasy Football & Building Christ’s Kingdom

theophilus August 26th, 2009

I have my fantasy football draft coming up.  I’ve got my depth charts, ranking lists, latest news ready to go.  I’ve figured out my keepers and the rookie running backs I want to target.  I’ve renewed my vow to stay away from any Bengals, Raiders & Chiefs.

And I’ve realized that I really can’t put as much focus and attention into my fantasy football league as I used to do in the past.  It’s fun and I enjoy the league.  It’s a way to stay connected with some of my close friends.  But, I tend to spend so much time on it so I can win, yet I’ve never had a winning season to show for it.  And maybe that’s by God’s design.

I’m constantly amazed how much time I waste during the course of a day.  Fantasy football ranks right up there in things that tend to take my time and attention away from the things God wants me to be doing.  Not that fantasy football isn’t a good diversion for me, it is.  But it needs to be put in its proper place in my life.

I make a morning offering every morning to Christ.  I offer him “all my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day.”  I also say a traditional prayer that I found in a prayer book – “Direct, we beseech you oh Lord, our actions by your inspirations and further them by your assistance, so that every word and work of ours may begin from you and by you be likewise ended.”

The morning offering refers to “all” and the prayer refers to “every.”  Not “some,” but “all” and “every.”  In other words, everything that we do should be for Christ.  We are allowed to have fun and enjoy hobbies and pursuits, but even these must be for Christ.  If we spend too much time on our hobbies, pursuits, and diversions at the expense of work that makes an impact on our families, jobs and communities, then we are not doing everything for Christ.

I turned another year older this month.  My kids are starting another year of school.  Sooner rather than later, another year is going to be in the books.  And when I’m rocking away at the retirement home, it’s really not going to matter who I picked as my 3rd running back or my 4th wide receiver in this year’s league.

I’m keeping my fantasy football in perspective this year.  I’m going to have some fun, but I’m going to focus on what God wants me to be doing.   I’m going to keep in mind that while my backup kicker may be a really great guy, I really don’t think he’s going to help me build Christ’s kingdom.

And that goes for all of our hobbies, pursuits and diversions.  Take a look at how you spend your day and figure out whether every moment is spent the way God intended for you, especially in this day and age of technology when a quick five minutes checking sports scores turns into an hour or so of surfing.  Or a quick game on our kids’ game systems turns into an hour trying to get to the next level.

Christ needs all of what we have to offer.  We need to offer him all we do, including all that we do for fun.

Coach Pitino & Being a Devout Catholic

theophilus August 19th, 2009

I was trying not to read about Rick Pitino and the story surrounding his one-night stand and his paying $3,000 for the woman to get insurance/have an abortion.  I just didn’t want to read about another celebritized fallen man.  It’s just too sad and spirit-draining, especially considering he’s married and a father to five kids.

But, I broke down the other day and read some of the articles.  It didn’t help that my hometown Cincinnati Enquirer devoted a great deal of attention to the story (Louisville is right down the road/river from us).

Other than some details that made it clear that Coach Pitino operates in a different world than most of us (come on, how many of us are handed the keys to a swanky restaurant by the owner at closing time and told to lock up when we are ready to leave?), what struck me most from the AP article was this paragraph -

“Pitino is a devout Roman Catholic who does little to hide his faith. Longtime friend and adviser Father Edward Bradley is a fixture near the Louisville bench and often leads the team in pregame prayer.”

He is “devout”; he does “little to hide his faith”; he is close to a priest.

And yet he, this married father of five, this “devout” Catholic, this apostolic promoter of our faith, had random sex with a woman he didn’t know and then paid for her to either get an abortion or get insurance knowing full well that she was going to get an abortion.

And yet, my point here is not to pontificate on the quality of Coach Pitino as a person. father or husband, or even as a Catholic.

My point is that by his actions he has damaged the Church; he has made it more difficult to bring others to Christ; he has laid the seeds for others to be weakened or turned away in their faith.  He may be sincere in trying to live his faith devoutly; and he may use his leadership, charisma and zeal to spread the Gospel to his players and those who he influences.  But his words have been emptied by his actions; they have been rendered meaningless.  And he makes our job that much harder because he is so high-profile.

If you truly live your faith, it becomes a lifestyle and other people notice.  They may not understand it or agree with it, but they notice it.  Eventually, they may even try to model it.  And that is how we bring others to Christ.  We don’t have to use words; we just need to make our faith a part of every aspect of our lives.

But if we do, we must always be aware that not only is Christ watching us, but others are watching us as well.  And they may very well turn their back on Christ if their model is a hypocrite.

I’ve been praying for Coach Pitino because the well-being of too many lives are at stake because of his actions; he influences too many, most notably his own children and the young men under his tutelage.  I’ve been praying because he can be a great apostle for Christ.  But he can’t compartmentalize his faith; he cannot segregate his actions.  His whole life must be lived for Christ, as must our’s.

Holy Water, Precious Blood and Swine Flu

theophilus July 15th, 2009

Due to the Swine Flu, the Anglican Bishop of Chelmsford, the Right Reverend John Gladwin, has banned the use of holy water and seems to be on the path towards doing the same for “the wine in the chalice” (his quote).

I don’t know much about the Anglican Church, except for some studies on King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I, but I gather they tie themselves into some theological knots.

But, with all of the stories of the Swine Flu, we have some good questions to ask of ourselves in the Catholic Church.  Do we really believe that Holy Water is a divine reminder of our baptism and a sacramental that can heal the spiritually and physically sick, and do we believe that the “wine in the chalice” is the Precious Blood of Christ?  And, do we decline these gifts out of fear or indifference?

If someone is sick, it is probably prudent for everyone’s state of mind if they go to the priest for other arrangements in receiving the cup and holy water.  But, if we are not sick, are we still denying ourselves the Blood of Christ and Holy Water because we are afraid of what we might catch or because we just don’t care?

It’s a tough call in this age of pandemic alerts, but do we really believe what the Church teaches about Holy Water and the Precious Blood?

Do we deny ourselves the blessing of saying -

“By this Holy Water and your Precious Blood, wash away my sins, O Lord.”

As Catholic Online.org tells us -

St. Theresa of Avila on holy water: “From long experience I have learned that there is nothing like holy water to put devils to flight and prevent them from coming back again. They also flee from the cross, but return; so holy water must have great value.”

Holy water is a means of spiritual wealth — a sacramental that remits venial sin. The Church strongly urges its use, especially when dangers threaten. The devil hates holy water because of its power over him. He cannot long abide in a place or near a person that is often sprinkled with this blessed water.

I’m not sure if Bishop Gladwin was too reactionary, but I can’t help but think that similar actions on the part of our bishops would call into question basic tenets of our faith.  In any case, we must remember that Holy Water and the Precious Blood are gifts from God; we should not decline them lightly.

Beautiful Faces

theophilus May 22nd, 2009

Today is the feast day of St. Rita of Cascia.  She was a wife and mother in 15th Century Italy who, after her husband and sons died, entered an Augustinian convent.

She is known for being a patron saint for many things.  I looked her up on CatholicCulture.org and found she is the patron saint of abuse victims, against loneliness, against sterility, bodily ills, desperate causes, difficult marriages, forgotten causes, impossible causes, infertility, lost causes, parenthood, sick people, sickness, sterility, victims of physical spouse abuse, widows, and wounds.  I also happen to know that she is the patron saint of baseball.

But I think she should be the patron saint of another cause – facial deformities.

One day, St. Rita was praying before the Crucifix when a thorn became embedded in her forehead.  It would stay there the rest of her life; foul smelling and unsightly.  She was even ostracized by her fellow sisters.

When that thorn became a permanent mark on her forehead, St. Rita became one of many who live with a facial deformity.

I was born with a cleft lip and other cranio-facial deformities.  I’ve had surgeries to close the lip and make the other deformities less pronounced, but you can still see that my face isn’t quite right (or as I’ve had others tell me, “you look funny”).

But, my deformities don’t hinder my life in any meaningful way.  I look different, my eyes are screwed up and one of my ears is shot, but God left all of the important parts fully functioning.  And I know I am designed as God intended.

And I know that I’m not alone.  According to the CDC, cleft lips and cleft palates are the most prevalent form of birth defects in the U.S.  Approximately 6,800 babies are born every year with one or the other (Down Syndrome is 2nd with 5,500 babies).  These statistics do not include those who are born with other facial deformities.  These deformities can affect much more than appearance; they can drastically impact speech, eating, hearing, sight, breathing; basically any bodily function between the throat and the brain.  And then, there are the stares and double-looks; the snide comments from the malevolent and the innocent questions from the curious.

The good news is that these deformities can be minimized with surgery.  Lips and palates can be closed; other facial deformities made less pronounced; bodily activities for the most part restored.

For more information about facial deformities (or cranio-facial birth defects), go to AmeriFace.org and cleftAdvocate.org.

Of course, the U.S. isn’t alone in having kids born with these facial deformities.  There are kids in every part of the world who are born with some type of facial birth defect.  Except for them, these defects may not be treatable because of the medical care in their country.  Their only hope are organizations like Smile Train and Operation Smile who focus on repairing cleft lips and palates in the poorest of nations.

The work of these organizations is sorely needed.  They are doing the work of Christ.

And next time you see someone with some facial deformities or scars, think of what they must go through; and then say a little prayer to St. Rita.  I bet she already has the beautiful faces of these precious children in her sights.

Weeping or Rejoicing?

theophilus May 21st, 2009

Do you ever get the feeling that everyone is rejoicing; while you’re stuck with a feeling of anxiety mixed with a spark of hopelessness?  That somehow, you’re left on an island, solitary and alone, worried about the future; while everyone else is regaling in the excesses of the present?

Recently, I’ve actually been talking to a great number of people who share this view.  They fear that the world has gotten more dangerous, the economy more uncertain, their futures less promising, and their religious freedom less secure.

Yet, if we are to believe the polls and media, and many of our political and cultural leaders, things have never seemed more hopeful.  We are being told that we should embrace, not fear, the Teutonic shifts threatening to overthrow the way we live our daily lives; that we should join the chorus celebrating these shifts as great progress, just like everyone else.

If you’re one of these “unenlightened” folks, guess what?  Today’s (non-Ascension Day) gospel (from John 16) has a message for you.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”

Jesus was talking to his disciples on the eve of his Ascension.  He was discussing with them the meaning of the words he had just shared with them – “A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.” I can’t blame the disciples for not exactly grasping what Jesus was trying to say there; but, his followup – “you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices” – is easy enough to understand.

There are going to be times when you will be on the David side of the fight; when you will stand up for what you believe in and will be laughed at, ridiculed, demonized and demeaned.  You will be told that you are a fool, short-sighted, unenlightened, hateful, counter-cultural.  You will watch others revel in their power, influence and good-feeling, while you are stuck wondering what can possibly come next.  You will grow especially wary when even those you think should be on your side line up with the rejoicers.

The question to ask yourself in these circumstances is – do you truly believe you are standing on the side of reason, faith and truth; that you are doing God’s will and serving Christ as he deserves; that you are living as you should as a son or daughter of God?  If the answer is “yes” than you can take comfort from John 16.  It doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing, even if everyone else is “rejoicing.”  What matters is whether your thoughts and actions are in uniformity with God’s will – even if it means that you are left to “weep and mourn.”

And if you hold onto Christ’s hope and God’s will for you, especially when it’s the unpopular thing to do, you will find that you are not alone.  Others feel the same way.  Even better, you will also find that one of two things will happen.  You will find out that you are wrong and you can join in with the happy crowd; or you will find out that you are right.  In either case, you will find that one day “your grief will become joy.”

Times of Ignorance

theophilus May 20th, 2009

There’s a passage in today’s first reading from Acts 17 that seems ripe for the times.

St. Paul was addressing the Athenians and commenting on their belief in an “Unknown God.”  The Athenians, as enlightened as they were, understood there was an all powerful God, but couldn’t quite get their minds to understand anything about him, thus he remained “unknown.”  They were comfortable with Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Athena and even Hades; but they couldn’t grasp the concept of the omnipotent, monotheistic Being who we too often take for granted.

Later on in St. Paul’s sermon, he stated something that seems especially applicable to our age:

“God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that people everywhere repent because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world with justice’ through a man he has appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead.”

“Times of Ignorance” – are we living in them?

As I witnessed the totality of what occurred at Notre Dame on Sunday and on the Holy Father’s trip to the Holy Land last week; as I hear about the world’s response to Israel’s concern about its very existence and the attacks on a beauty pageant contestant who dared to honestly answer a question posed to her on national TV;  I get the sinking feeling that we are smacked dab in the middle of these Times of Ignorance.

We hold ourselves out to be the most enlightened, smartest, advanced, progessive people of all time.  Yet, we can be so ignorant.  We are ignorant when we’ve replaced the power of God with the power of man.  But, we’ve forgotten that God created the world and raised Jesus from the dead.  Based on these two facts alone, Man cannot be deluded enough to think that our power can ever be equal to His.   But when we relegate God to just another special interest or faith as just another past-time, we do just this – we assume our power is separate from His, instead of realizing that our power is derived from Him; to be used according to His will.

I always got the impression that the Athenians thought they controlled their gods.  I got the same feeling about the Romans and their stable of deities.  St. Paul succeeded in dispelling their ignorance and spreading the faith in both civilizations.  But, I wonder – what would St. Paul say to us were he physically in our midst?  What would he say were he writing “The Letter of St. Paul to the Americans”?

I bet he wouldn’t be subtle.

Small Steps

theophilus March 31st, 2009

At the end of American Idol tonight (yes, I do watch it with my family), I was met with quite a surprise.  My Fox affiliate in Cincinnati announced that they were not going to air Osbournes: Reloaded in prime time.

WXIX announed that they were going to air the show after midnight on their website.  They did not feel that the show was appropriate to air on prime-time, network TV, especially during the times when families would be watching.

After doing a quick Google search, it looks like that the Panama City affiliate beat my Cincinnati affiliate to the punch.

And, of course, we are already hearing cries of censorship.

All I can say is – bully for WXIX (Cincinnati) and WPGX (Panama City).  It’s about time.

And before the hypocrisy of some gets too loud, let’s remember it’s this crowd that applauds when TV stations routinely refuse to run any program or ad showing the unborn child in the womb.  Let’s also remember that the First Amendment pertains to government censorship, not self-censorship by a corporation or individual.

The bottom line is that, as a father, I spend a great deal of time screening shows to make certain they are appropriate for my kids.  We have picked our Direct TV programming to make sure undue influences from the screen do not add to our already extremely difficult challenge to properly raise our kids in our toxic culture.

It’s nice to know that we finally got some help from the “free” TV that we can’t realistically shut out of our homes.  It’s a small step, but a step in the right direction.  If people really want to watch this programming, there are a hundred other venues for it, but “free” TV at 9:30, following a popular show among the young – no way.

A small step, yes; but it’s about time.

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