A gentleman named Evan posted a comment here indicating that he would like to see the Cohen Center issue an apology for Mr. Knight's remarks regarding the Catholic Church. What follows is his comment and my response:
Paul, I sure hope they do. I want to believe the best about the Cohen Center. I hope they make this right. My heart has been so very heavy about all of this that I just wrote this at the Sentinel Blog.
"I would like to add my own thoughts and then I will say no more. I have visited the various Blogs mentioned. In the course of visiting the SBC Watch Blog, several individuals - including David Kochman and Susan - expressed their concerns over a Blog post which had to do with Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida. Specifically, the authors of SBC Watch were attempting to equate this fine Catholic community with the SBC. I remember Susan and David Kochman expressing their concern over the fact that Blog posts and comments were becoming anti-Catholic in both tone and tenor.
Therefore, it is false for anyone to suggest that Susan and the other Catholics who complained about anti-Catholic comments at SBC Watch many months ago have suddenly changed their mind and are opposing SBC Watch or efforts to oppose the now-documented anti-Semitism of the SBC.
At least Susan, Paul, Elizabeth and others who are Catholic are consistent. I really appreciated Elizabeth's post here where she said she and Paul oppose every form of discrimination. Shouldn't we all? Why the rage at Paul for standing against anti-Catholicism? The Southern Poverty Law Center has not only opposed anti-Semitism but anti-Catholicism and anti-Catholic groups as well.
Why can't we object to every variety of unjust discrimination. Why should anti-Catholicism be acceptable? This really bothers me greatly. If those who have been actively resisting the hatred which comes from the SBC are motivated not by a desire to oppose hatred but by a desire to attack Catholicism, this would be very tragic.
I agree with what David Kochman said. We should also avoid anti-Catholicism. I really respect him for that."
12:36 PM
Paul Anthony Melanson said...
I hope they do too Evan. It would be the right thing to do. Especially since so many have been offended. But primarily because the comment was offensive in and of itself. Even Mr. White realizes this in his heart I suspect and that is why he tried to convince me that Mr. Knight was referring to Christianity in general and not the Catholic Church.
You know what would be so amusing were it not so tragic? I have been labelled a "turncoat" and a "traitor" by an SBC supporter and now one of those who has been opposing the Saint Benedict Center is basically saying the same thing. I haven't changed my mind on anything. I have always opposed prejudice and discrimination wherever I find it. Jesus calls us to be a Sign of Contradiction.
I have had liberals berate me for being "too conservative" and conservatives berate me for being "too liberal." I have had homosexual activists viciously attack me because I oppose homosexual acts on the basis of Catholic teaching and have been attacked and ridiculed by some Catholics for defending homosexual persons from unfair attacks against their character or person - especially in the form of hateful epithets.
As Catholics, we are called to follow the Lord Jesus. No one ever said it would be easy. In fact, the way is narrow isn't it?
God love you Brother. Hang in there.
4 comments:
Evan, I remember that exchange. After a bunch of people complained, the Provosts changed the title of the Blog post. But if you return to the post you can see Susan's comments about anti-Catholicism and a post from Mr. Kochman. In fact, Mr. Kochman said, "I agree with Susan 100%. There seems to be no reason to be discussing Ave Maria at all...Ave Maria is a newly created University and Town that devout Catholics may choose to live in. Why would anyone object to that?"
You have to wonder then what was behind that post.
I found Terri's comment at the Sentinel blog to be completely hypocritical and indicative of a double-standard. For something like a year she and others have been complaining (and rightly so) about the ugly words and offensive labels which the SBC was directing at them because of their opposition to the cult. Now that Catholics are disenchanted with the Cohen Center and its anti-Catholic comments, she tells them to stop "whining."
Hypocritical.
Russ Provost writes
"To John Ansley and others that posted their concern on my posting on SBCWATCH.BLOGSPOT.COM entitled "What would it look like if we had a Catholic America". This was a direct statement not by me, but by SBC Prefect and Prior Brother Andre Marie. I was quopting him. He has stated it on his site and the site referenced. Remeber the blog is SBCWATCH, not CATHOLIC WATCH- dealing with the SBC and only the SBC in Richmond. He has stated again and again his intention to make RICHMOND (my town) a holy (as he defines it) Catholic Community."
This misses the point. The title of the Blog post only served to imply that should America become Catholic, tyranny and intolerance would rule. And the comparison of Ave Maria with the SBC was very troubling.
I left a comment at that post saying that, "There is a very big difference between the two. Ave Maria - both the University and the town - are authentically Catholic" and asked if his post was "more anti-Catholicism."
David Kochman agreed with me writing, "I agree with Susan 100%. There seems to be no reason to be discussing Ave Maria at all. Richmond is a sovereign and diverse town with a rich 250 year history. Ave Maria is a newly created University and Town that devout Catholics may choose to live in. Why would anyone object to that?"
And Mr. Kochman was right. There was absolutely no reason for attempting to draw a comparison between the two. Interestingly, a person calling themself "anonymous" wrote, "Susan: This post isn't anti-Catholic. You appear to be overly sensitive.."
Was Mr. Kochman also being "overly sensitive"? What possible reason could Mr. Provost have for attempting to compare Ave Maria with the SBC? And what about the fact that I was called "overly sensitive" by a person who only went by "anonymous." That didn't appear to bother Mr. Provost whatsoever. Nor did he ever complain when I was posting using my name. Now he is attempting to darken my good name and others who object to his anti-Catholicism by asking "who are these people?"
The real question is: Who is Russell Provost? Crusader against the SBC and its anti-Semitism for good motives or anti-Catholic whose real motivation for opposing the SBC has now been revealed?
Posted at the Cohen Center Blog:
Sally May, I’m afraid you have your facts all wrong. SBC Watch has engaged in anti-Catholicism at times and you would know this if you reviewed past posts at that Blog. Whenever such offensive remarks were made, those of us who are Roman Catholic always objected.
You are right about one thing though. Things started to really change on November 29, 2007. It was discovered that SBC Watch had teamed up with this Blog and that Mr. Henry F. Knight had leveled a false accusation against the Church. This being all the more troubling since the weight of Keen State College was now behind anti-Catholic sentiments.
Also, as I related at La Salette Journey:
“Things are really getting strange. Just the other day (November 29, 2007), SBC Watch published (and their comments are moderated) a slanderous attack on Paul in the form of a comment left by Tobias Torgerson (aka Petrus). Specifically, Paul was falsely accused of saying that the SBC is “Neo-Nazi.” Paul has never made this claim. And one has to wonder why SBC Watch published this slander without first checking the facts. The link is here:
http://sbcwatch.blogspot.com/2007/11/did-united-states-bomb-nagasaki-japan.html
I left two comments about this slanderous attack on Paul. I hope this will end this whole affair.
I asked Russell Provost twice to remove this post and he didn’t. What motivated Russell’s decision to publish a slander against Paul Melanson? What do you think? Then Victoria posted a comment here telling people all about her nd her husband’s Blog SBC Watch but making absolutely no mention of La Salette Journey.
It would appear that the Provosts and the Cohen Center wanted to exclude Paul Melanson because he is Catholic and that the Provosts wanted Paul to be slandered in an attempt to tarnish his good name.
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