By Michael H. Brown
Persecution watch:
ATTACKS AGAINST CHURCH BY ENTERTAINERS HAS REACHED POINT THAT DEMANDS ACTION
When is it too much?
When, finally, will Christians, will believers — will those of simple good will — start finally to defend their Church and Christ and the Blessed Mother?
For years now, the indifference has been deafening.
And deadening.
As a result, the secular world — especially those in the entertainment business — have run riot.
If you are reading this, do something. Do anything.
Write sponsors. Write those who advertise on stations that carry entertainers who are anti-Catholic. This is the single most effective vehicle. Advertisers often respond. They have been known to drop shows after a few letters. Write e-mails. Make phone calls. Get together a petition. But especially, fax or send a letter snail mail (this they really heed).
Recently, Borden’s Dairy and Quizno’s removed ads from a homosexual blog that routinely attacked Christians — after pressure from Christian groups (and discovering that the ads were being used there, something they did not even realize).
There is the singer “Madonna.”
Since the 1980s, this poor woman has blasphemed the Catholic Church with virtually no real opposition.
Perhaps, some day she will convert (and cause others to convert as well). We won’t judge her, or predict that. Also, we will pray for her. Perhaps her name is the devil’s trick, or perhaps God has a hidden plan.
But for now she does the devil’s work, and while she may have been born with the name “Madonna Louise Ciccone” (on August 16, 1958, a day after the Feast of the Assumption), she freely chose titles such a “Like a Virgin” for her songs and albums and named her first daughter Lourdes — nearly as a taunt (the Vatican was one of the lone forces saying anything against her) and an adopted child “Mercy.”
After a recent divorce, Madonna was linked with Jesus Luz, a male model who is nearly thirty years her junior — to the delight of headline writers who spoke of “Madonna” going out with “Jesus.” (Another little diabolical synchronicity?)
This August 15, she will perform in Catholic Poland, despite protests. One may want to ask Ms. Ciccone: Why August 15?
“Like a Virgin” mixed erotic sex with church themes. The video for the title track contained Catholic symbolism, such as the stigmata. “Justify My Love” became a Madonna’s ninth U.S. number-one single. Its music video featured scenes of sadomasochism and same-sex kissing and was so explicit it was banned from MTV. She has been known to frolic half-clad on a stage set to look like a church — but with black candles (as in satanic rituals). Meanwhile, off stage, she promotes the occult religion of Kabbalah — especially for the young.
Why are we allowing this? Why do we stand idly by as David Letterman mocks a Christian woman’s teen daughter, as Conan O’Brien uses raunchy humor, as Howard Stern continues his dark rampage, as homosexuals mock nuns, and especially as Bill Maher continues to attack the Church at the most fundamental level.
Who advertises on shows that allow Bill Maher as a guest — and why aren’t we writing them? Get them in the pocketbook. Why aren’t we boycotting their products? Can’t we all write a letter — just one?
There is Calvin Klein with pornographic billboards. There is the CNN anchorman who uses gay slang. There are the cracks about priests. There are the movies. Why have we let it get to this point? Can’t we track down who owns the billboard companies? Can’t we contact the parent companies of media outlets?
Nor is it just entertainers. A court in the U.K. is forcing Catholic agencies to allow homosexual adoption. A “faith adviser” in the White House has called the Pope “discredited.” In Connecticut, legislators want to control Church finances, while in Arizona a court has sentenced a bishop for ringing church bells under a noise ordinance!
Can’t we ring something louder?
“In defending his friend [David Letterman], Maher thought Republicans had over reacted and this was just a case of ‘fake’ outrage,” noted one blogger about a recent Maher monologue on HBO. “He then went on talking about how Letterman had invited Sarah Palin and her young daughter, Willow, to appear as guests on his show but the Governor declined because she thought it would be wise to keep her daughter away from him. Said Maher, ‘…that’s right, he’s 62 years old, he’s gonna [commit a sexual act with her] her right there on stage…it would be very wise to keep her, very wise, yes. You know, I’d worry a little more about the 18-year-old hockey players who knock up your daughters.’ To which his audience of trained seals laughed and clapped and had a good old time.”
Got HBO? Cancel it. And tell them why.
When religion-despising journalist Christopher Hitchens is on a talk show (he wrote a book called “God Is Not Great”), take note of the advertisers — then look up their addresses and send their CEO a letter.
We hate naming names. We rarely do this. But it’s open season on Catholics in a way that could graduate beyond dark commentary or cheap humor (or sardonic music).
Most companies care about their bottom line above all else and know that Christians are a huge part of the consumer outlook.
It’s time to use that.
It’s time to let them know we don’t like how and where their money is spent.
We can back them down.
We can put them on the defensive.
We can stop the attacks against Catholicism or we can watch the situation swell beyond humor and beyond the recent spate of church vandalism.
[see also: Report on Anti-Catholicism]