From: khaberl@bbn.com (Karl Haberl)
Newsgroups: rec.music.misc,alt.rock-n-roll
Subject: One Catholic's view of Sinead on SNL
Date: 9 Oct 1992 19:07:32 GMT
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA
Reply-To: khaberl@bbn.com (Karl Haberl)
NNTP-Posting-Host: bbn.com

In article <57hpa2g@lynx.unm.edu> lazlo@triton.unm.edu (Lazlo Nibble) writes:
>bab@bigwpi.WPI.EDU (Brian Alan Baker) writes:
>
>> She didn't stand there and say, "Hey, the Pope is wrong in his stance on
>> contraception."  She tore up a very strong symbol of the Catholic faith
>> and yelled "fight the real enemy."  A very STRONG attack against an
>> entire religion. 
>
>Uh-huh.  And if she tore up a picture of George Bush and yelled "fight the
>real enemy", you'd no doubt interpret this as an attack on the entire
>nation of America.

Why didn't you just say "And if she tore up her underwear and yelled
'fight the real enemy', you'd no doubt interpret this as an attack on the
entire textile industry."?  Your analogy is entirely inappropriate, and
demonstrates a lack of sensitivity to how Catholics may feel about it. The
Pope is regarded both as a spiritual Father in the Church as well as a head
of state. If someone tore up a picture of a beloved member of the family,
how many members of close families that you know wouldn't view that as a
personal attack on their family and be upset by it?

Well, I *am* a Catholic, and I teach adult Catholic education in my parish.
Most Catholics who understand the tenets of their faith view the Pope as
more than just an elected official. He is the leader of our faith, and
a symbol of Christ on earth. We believe that he, together with the bishops
of the Church, constitute the teaching authority of the Church.

And in the case of this particular Pope, there are many who view him as a
very holy man, one who has suffered much for his faith, and who provides
a great deal of inspiration to us all. To tear up his picture and call him
the real enemy is not only a preposterous gesture, it is offensive and
saddening.

Many people, including many who call themselves Catholic and yet don't even
attend Mass regularly, have trouble with the Church's positions on artificial
contraception and abortion. As difficult as these teachings are for many in
modern society, particularly the teaching on artificial means of birth control
(and I include myself in the category of those who struggle with this one),
the Church's position on these issues has been consistently and clearly
taught throughout its history. The Church's teachings are not promulgated
based on public opinion polls, because the Church is not a democracy. We
believe that when the teaching authority of the Church is properly exercised
in matters of faith and morals, the accuracy of these teachings is safeguarded
by God. The Church has no desire to "take the fun out of everything" or
deprive an individual of their fundamental rights. The teachings are not
meant to stifle the individual, but rather to liberate them to more freely
know the loving power of God. Just as learning the proper technique for
shooting a basketball is not meant to take all the fun out of shooting, but
rather to help one be a better basketball player, what comes "naturally" is
not always what's best, and it sometimes requires a lot of hard work to 
learn what's right and put it into everyday practice.

Now it is also true that persons in positions of authority in the Church, 
including Popes and bishops, have been corrupt and unfortunately abused
their power. They are, after all, still people and subject to the same faults
and temptations as the rest of us. To blame the entire Church, which includes
all the members of the faithful not just the clergy, for the political abuses
of some Church leaders, whether past or present, is unfair and simplistic.
And whatever opinions you may have about Church teachings or Church history,
to tear up a picture of this Pope and call him "the real enemy" is viewed by
many, including me, as an abomination, and an inconsiderate, reprehensible act.

I have refrained from commenting on this until now, though I have been
seething inside, because usually these discussions do not enlighten anyone,
they just end up in a big free-for-all. But I guess my pot has boiled over.
I am really getting disgusted with the current attitude in the entertainment
industry that every pop singer with a million albums sold is suddenly an
important moral voice. That's not to say that one's personal beliefs should
be kept out of their artistic expressions; to the contrary. But contrast the
militant in-your-face behavior of Sinead with the quietly moving lyricism of
King's X, and you'll see what I mean. I am also tired of the attitude whereby
the popular and stylish causes get all the attention and understanding, while
it has become fashionable to heap derision and ridicule on organizations
like the Catholic Church, which with all their problems, perform many
extraordinaryly useful functions for society, in addition to providing a
spiritual home for their members.

In my classes, I teach compassion for other human beings:
whether they are Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jew, or otherwise; whether
they are living in the poverty of a run-down inner city neighborhood or the
affluence of a suburb; whether they are heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual.
We are all fellow human beings, each with our own problems, our own sins,
our own triumphs and our own heartbreaks. The moral principles taught by the
Catholic faith describe the Church's tenets of proper moral behavior. The
Church does not commend to hell those who do not always follow the rules when
the rules are tough; the Church, after all, is here for all sinners. At the
same time, the Church cannot condone behavior that it views as morally
wrong, even though popular culture might wish it do so. This is an essential
responsibility of the Church. I wish that devout members of all faiths, who
are attempting to live by their credos (and yes they can be overzealous, and
sometimes condemn others inappropriately just like the members of any other
cause), whether you agree with their principles or not, would be treated with
the respect that any human being deserves. Sinead's action, in my opinion,
intentionally showed a complete lack of respect for Catholics and the
Catholic faith.

I don't deny Sinead the right to make her statement. But don't expect me
to stand up and congratulate her on saying something important, in an
effective way. She gave her opinions. Now I'll give you mine. What she did
was, in my opinion, immature, selfish, arrogant, conceited, misguided,
deliberately offensive, and counter-productive (if what she wanted to do was
draw attention to an important issue in such a way so as to make people more
aware of it and concerned with it). But that's her prerogative. I don't know
what her life has been like, or what forces may have shaped her opinions, so
I do not condemn her personally. Nevertheless, I think her action was
ridiculous and mean-spirited, and served no useful purpose, except to draw
attention to herself.


Karl Haberl
Internet: khaberl@bbn.com









Newsgroups: rec.music.misc