Do not assume what Catholics consider based mostly on politics or Web memes — GetReligion

It stays invaluable to listen to and skim the viewpoints of Catholics throughout the doctrinal spectrum. Whether or not these individuals are writing for non secular information retailers or have their very own social media channels, the response to The Atlantic piece was swift and widespread — precisely the kind of viewpoints and opinions that ought to have been contained within the unique article. 

They weren’t included, in fact.

If something, this text highlights the rise of one-sided reporting to highlight a pattern or difficulty. However reporting only one facet of any story usually portrays an inaccurate image — once more precisely the case whenever you learn different viewpoints on the rosary. Right here at GetReligion, that is known as “Kellerism” (click here for background).

Catholic News Agency, in its protection of the rosary story, reported this:

The article set off a frenzy of reactions amongst Catholics, starting from amusement to grave concern over what some see as anti-Catholic sentiment.

The journal later modified the article’s headline from “How the Rosary Grew to become an Extremist Image” to “How Extremist Gun Tradition is Making an attempt to Co-Decide the Rosary.” Amongst different edits to the textual content, a picture of bullet holes forming the form of rosary was changed with an image of a rosary.

These editorial modifications, nonetheless, left the article’s thesis that there’s a connection between the rosary and extremism intact. The creator’s rivalry was based mostly, partly, on his observations about the usage of the rosary on social media and rosaries bought on-line.

And sure, the article truly quotes consultants that professionals at The Atlantic might have simply consulted with a couple of clicks of a pc mouse and a smartphone. Here’s a sampling, beginning with a Catholic scholar with an impeccable resume:

Requested to touch upon the article, Robert P. George, professor of political concept at Princeton College and former chairman of the USA Fee on Worldwide Spiritual Freedom (USCIRF), instructed CNA:

“It seems to me just like the man who’s politicizing the rosary and treating it as a weapon within the tradition battle is … Daniel Panneton. I do know nothing concerning the man aside from what he says within the article. I hadn’t heard of him earlier than. Though it’s onerous to overlook the basic anti-Catholic tropes within the piece, maybe he isn’t truly a bigot. Perhaps he simply overwrought and must take an aspirin or two and lie down for some time.”

Chad Pecknold, theology professor at Catholic College of America, instructed CNA the publication of the article factors to a “theo-political” battle within the tradition.

“The politically elite core in left-liberal media hate Western civilization and so they imply to topple each pure and supernatural signal of it. That’s why it’s not adequate to easily run a chunk on right-wing gun cultures, however they have to tie it to one thing which is theologically central to the civilization they really feel most threatens their progressive ziggurat. It’s an indication of the theo-political battle which now grips us; even nonetheless, they severely underestimate the ability of Our Woman to reign victorious over evil,” Pecknold mentioned.

Fr. Pius Pietrzyk, OP, a Dominican priest of the Province of St. Joseph, instructed CNA, “The article is a long-running stream of inaccuracies, logical fallacies, and distortions.”

Over at Catholic Culture, the at all times quotable conservative Phil Lawlor wasn’t so forgiving in his evaluation. Right here’s the important thing part:

The intent of the article by Daniel Panneton is, fairly clearly, to introduce the notion {that a} conventional Catholic prayer is an indication of extremism, with the corollary that individuals who pray the Rosary must be considered with suspicion. Panneton hopes to alarm readers by reporting that many conventional Catholics, along with praying the Rosary, additionally use navy metaphors to explain the wrestle in opposition to evil, and a few of them additionally personal weapons. Which kind of proves, he hints, that these individuals are a hazard to society:

On this extremist fringe, rosary beads have been woven right into a conspiratorial politics and absolutist gun tradition. These armed radical traditionalists have taken up a religious notion that the rosary is usually a weapon within the combat in opposition to evil and turned it into one thing dangerously literal.

Unpack these two sentences, and also you discover that Panneton is first stapling collectively the Rosary tradition and the “absolutist gun tradition,” after which drawing the conclusion that the Rosary tradition is harmful. Non sequitur. How, I ponder, might a prayer pose a risk to society?

To reply that query, Panneton invokes the ever-present Massimo Faggioli, who complains a few “Catholic cyber-militia that actively campaigns in opposition to LGBTQ acceptance within the Church.” Aha! So the grave risk to society is posed by a cyber-militia, which presumably makes use of such harmful weapons as Tweets and Instagram posts, fairly than AR-15s and firebombs. And spot that the marketing campaign just isn’t aimed in opposition to anybody’s life or property; it’s aimed in opposition to efforts to alter the educating of the Church. Thus the “rad-trad” Catholics portrayed by Panneton (in very obscure phrases; the article doesn’t identify names) usually are not a risk to anybody’s safety; they’re a risk to an ideology.

And but that’s sufficient. The custodians of liberal ideology can’t tolerate resistance, and so the rad-trads have to be defeated, banished, remoted. And Panneton just isn’t alone is taking this stand; the editors of The Atlantic should have been sympathetic; in any other case they’d not have allowed the looks of such an ignorant and illogical article.

Bishop Robert Barron, a theologian and creator, took to his YouTube channel to dismiss the article. The takeaway from one other frequent voice in media experiences: This was “offensive” for “the insinuation that in some way the rosary as Catholics pray it’s caught up in some kind of, , senseless militancy.”