In my last Blog post, I took a Catholic laywoman named Mary Alexander to task for suggesting that Fr. Richard John Neuhaus is both "simple-minded" and "naive." As an aside, I wrote: "It is very troubling that Mr. Philip Lawler will be attending the 2008 Saint Benedict Center Conference which is to be held in Nashua, New Hampshire next month. This because the Center has no relationship with the Roman Catholic Church and has been listed as an anti-Semitic hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center."
In no way does this paragraph constitute an accusation against Mr. Lawler or a condemnation of his person. However, I have just received a comment left at this Blog by someone calling himself Phil (I'm assuming this is Mr. Lawler's comment as he left a previous comment at this Blog using his full name and blogger profile and accusing me of issuing "charges" and since it is highly unlikely that two separate individuals named Phil would leave a comment at this Blog within hours of each other). Phil wrote (in part): "This thread has the earmarks of a lynching. If Mr. Lawler failed to do his homework, so be it. That's egg on his face, and he has to live with it...But are you absolutely so perfect in everything you do? I make no excuses for him, but who appointed any of you to carp so loudly about his perceived shortcomings?...You could have made the same points in a far less condemnatory tone.."
And, after chastising me for being so "condemnatory" in my tone, Phil (Mr. Lawler?) proceeds to inform me, "I'm glad you're not ordained Paul, I'd refuse to seek you for the Sacrament of Penance" and "I seriously doubt most of you possess the appropriate accreditation to elevate your personal opinions to anything higher than a self-satisfied rant."
I'm glad too that I'm not Phil's (Mr. Lawler's?) priest and that he isn't seeking me out for the Sacrament of Penance. After all, without a firm purpose of amendment, I would have to refuse him absolution. I am thankful for one thing though: that we have Phil (Mr. Lawler?) to provide us all with a shining example of charitable dialogue free of a condemnatory tone.
Obviously charity is a strong suit in this person's brand of Catholicism. I am hoping (really hoping) that this second Phil isn't Mr. Lawler. I would be even more disappointed than I am now.
I hope not too Paul. Perhaps this was his way of unloading a heap of bile on you while ensuring plausible deniability? If it is him, he is sick. Then again, it could simply be an SBC member. Remember "Paladin" and "Sander" who were leaving hostile comments here at LSJ and at the SBC Watch Blog?
ReplyDeleteI would be more interested in whether or not Mr. Lawler will be distancing himself from the anti-semitism of the SBC and its refusal to accept the authority of Bishop McCormack who has not granted the group permission to engage in ministry. This cult is not Catholic and shouldn't present itself as such. I wonder if Mr. Lawler is aware that SBC members have falsely claimed that Louis Villarrubia is an ordained Deacon at The Keene Sentinel Talkback forum?
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