2000 LETTERS
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Contents © 2000
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

APRIL 2000 LETTERS

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Jim McCoy's article on Kevin Smith was certainly in-depth; by the end I felt that I had read too much! At first I felt that McCoy might have misspent his time and talent trying to clarify why Mr. Smith's movie Dogma was roundly condemned by the Catholic League, but, by the time I had finished, I was both sure of it and not so sure! What? Kevin Smith is either a marvelous liar or genuinely confused. His theology is out to lunch! It must have been painful for McCoy to carry him through the reasoning process as he had to do. What I missed at the end of the article was a resounding shout -- "Yes, Dogma is junk and should be condemned." Thanks to McCoy for being such a good research writer.

Vernon T.
Via the Internet


NOT ANOTHER CENT

I am angry. I would be guilty of sin if I did not express this anger. Anger that is not sin was demonstrated by Christ when He chased the moneychangers from the temple; He showed His anger with the Pharisees for their self-righteousness and arrogance.

We Catholics, given the power to defend God's Church in the sacrament of Confirmation, should demand the removal of all "practicing" homosexual priests. We should not contribute another cent of money to feed, house, or clothe men who, under the deceitful inspiration of Satan, are leading many innocent souls to Hell.

How many youngsters have been seduced into a homosexual lifestyle: Do you not worry that your children, upon confessing sins of impure acts and deeds, might be wrongfully counseled into accepting these impure acts as "necessary for happiness"?

A holy priest, through good counseling, helps us rid our lives of sin. He does not end the confession with the words, "go out and sin some more."

No one is mandated to support perversity. Until our temple is cleansed we should withhold our financial support.

May God bless those holy priests who are striving under and amid such perversity to maintain a pure and celibate life.

Barbara Rodriguez
City Heights


GARBAGE OF AN ARTICLE

Your "Confessions" was something to look forward to in News Notes, but I won't be reading it any more. I have lost all respect for you after reading "What's Embarrassing" (March issue). You go to entertainment offensive to God and clearly against the Sixth Commandment and then you perpetrate and perpetuate its impurity on innocent and unexpectant readers. (Even the title of this film [End of the Affair] is enough to steer Catholics away from it.)

Do you think you are in the state of grace after freely placing yourself into an occasion of sin and then exposing the public to your garbage of an article?

Elizabeth De Cristofaro
Escondido

The author responds:

Images of nudity and sex are very often occasions of sin, as I stated in the opening of my column, but as I also stated, the way they are presented can make all the difference. In this case, a painful involvement with the characters engaged in adultery (which was not glamorized) kept the stirrings of lust at bay, at least for me. Prudence must be exercised here.

Prudence must also be exercised in writing and reading. This column concerns my spiritual life -- its contents may not be for everyone. Still, I would not want to give scandal, to cause someone else to sin by my writing. "Leading one of these little ones astray" might indeed put my soul in jeopardy. I sought to discuss onscreen sex in a way that would not be arousing to the reader. If I failed, I am sorry. Otherwise, I do not see that such a discussion constitutes perpetrating impurity on the innocent any more than discussing pornography. Describing what is offensive or sinful is not necessarily a sinful act. The manner is all.

Incidentally, I would think the title of the film might be attractive to Catholics -- if the affair is ending, isn't that a good thing?

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