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Thursday 24 July 2014

Where's the love, empathy, kindness? -- Indeed Michael Coren, indeed!

Roberta Flack once asked in a song, "Where is the Love?" My old friend Michael Coren asks the same thing in today's Catholic Register. Unfortunately, he has not asked it of himself.

In his latest diatribe, Michael reveals how thin-skinned he really is. As for this "extreme right wing Catholic blogger," there were months of resistance despite requests to challenge his new found support for so-called same-sex marriage. However, a few weeks ago, his words became so radical that my own conscience could not longer allow me to remain silent.

Michael Coren has made tens of thousands of dollars on Catholics. We have bought his books and appointed him as guest speaker for fees at our events; he was given a vehicle to sell his books and raise his profile. For this, Coren has misrepresented the teachings of the Catholic Church in terms of homosexual lifestyle and has insulted and defamed on social media many Catholics who have gone to him respectfully and in charity to ask him, question him and discuss with him, his positions.

He has become harsh and rude, even publicly insulting and uncharitable.  He retorted to the world that I was nothing more than a "strange man" whom he "feels sorry for" and as someone whom "he tried to befriend." Thank you Michael, but I have everything and need no pity party.

Today, he writes again about his own "change" in thinking and how all Catholics choosing to disagree with him are extremist and even like unto, the "Taliban" though he tries to disguise it by invoking a certain priest that used the phrase.  A more "broken and dysfunctional group" Michael Coren cannot find.

According to Coren, all Catholics hate homosexuals and wish them damned. It is such a preposterous position as to simply be impossible to challenge.

His column is nothing more than a whine and whimper from a man that takes relish in insult and hyperbole to those having the temerity to challenge him. He is obviously less intelligent than he lets on; or he would debate rather than poke fun, insult and defame as he does to others in public. 

He speaks of his closeness to the Saviour as being the reason for his changing views on the homosexual lifestyle, yet he turns his venom on his fellow Catholics. What about all that "love, empathy and kindness,"  eh Michael?

Coren's latest includes the absurd statement that "one particular sexual act is actually fairly rare among gay men and impossible among gay women." Rare, really? Is that why there were hundreds of thousands of Toronto World Pride condoms made and distributed?

Do you really expect us to believe that being gay is about poetry and nice wine and love and wallpaper and his and his towels and nothing else? 

If two people wish to engage in sodomy is it my business? 

They've had the legal right since 1968, to be sure; but Michael, "error has no rights." I have no "right" to sin. The law of God as defined through His Church comes first and as Catholics there is no choice about that. It is not "legalistic" or "hateful" to say it or to have an opinion. Love the sinner, hate the sin.

It becomes my business when what began as a movement to secure "civil rights" and promote "tolerance" now would see my rights for a contrary opinion to be taken away. The gay movement along with most liberalised causes has become fascist in practise. Our culture has been irrevocably changed and not for the better.  Coren has used the same tactics as these liberal fascists right out of Alinsky's Rules for Radicals to target and defame the enemy.

Michael Coren complains that people are writing to the Catholic Register to have him fired and that churches are being urged to cancel his appearances.

Should he be fired? 

That is not up to me; however, if I were the Editor of the Catholic Register, his latest column would have been spiked and he would have been given notice; -- "Michael, if you wish to write in a secular manner then you cannot write for the Catholic Register."

Should Legatus, Una Voce, and various right-to-life groups and parishes cancel his appearances? 

That is up to them but they should look up the word scandal in the Catholic Encylopaedia and they will find their answer. I can tell you that I won't pay him again to speak as I did previously. He has betrayed those that were his greatest supporters. 

His whining and "shock" with those who disagree with him whilst tens of thousands of Catholics have been driven from their homes and murdered is trite and embarrassing. 

Michael Coren is simply, a well-spoken bully.

An old parishioner, now deceased, once advised me, "don't trust that man." 

She was right.

9 comments:

Freyr said...

Michael Coren thrives on controversy and his latest column is little more than an attempt to keep the fires stoked.

Barona said...

Michael Coren has yet to answer a simple question: does he, or does he not adhere, without equivocation to the simple, three paragraphs laid out on homosexuality in the Catechism.

TH2 said...

What a post!

The Vox is awesome.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Murray said...

I'm one of those who wrote to one of Coren's occasional outlets (Catholic Answers), and I posted my message in a previous comments thread on this blog. I didn't call for him to be fired, simply informed them that Coren appeared to be dissenting from Catholic teaching on this matter, and that he had chosen to insult his interlocutors rather than engage them.

I received a pleasant reply from a Catholic Answers staffer, thanking me for informing them and letting me know that they'd be checking into this more closely before inviting Coren on again. They also said they'd received a similar message from another concerned Catholic.

And this is the thing: as Barona points out, Coren is being remarkable slippery about whether or not he continues to adhere to orthodox Catholic teaching on the morality of same-sex behavior, preferring to take refuge in histrionic evasions about hate and Taliban Catholics.

One thing that comes through loud and clear from this latest article is that Coren is feeling the heat, as illustrated by his whining about people trying to get him fired. THIS MEANS IT'S WORKING. Coren depends on access to Catholic media outlets to promote his books and publish his columns. Without those, he loses a substantial amount of clout and becomes just another talking head on Sun News. Fine. I'm sure he's well paid for it. But to all the Catholics out there: keep up the pressure on Catholic mediato reconsider their support for Coren. Stay charitable and polite; don't get angry or vitriolic. Just point out that on this issue. Mr Coren has left the realm of orthodox Catholicism, and does not seem able to behave rationally. Write letters, phone people, STAY POLITE, but keep up the pressure!

Suzanne said...

I love how Coren is quick to state how he defends the Virgin birth and the Eucharist, but not whether he adheres to Church teaching on homosexuality.

JD said...

anal sex rare?

more like 40% of all gay sex acts:
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2011/10/18/346473/new-study-of-gay-and-bi-mens-sexual-behavior-has-implications-for-health-advocacy/
abd this one:
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/homosexuality/ho0075.html

Brian said...

For years I received the Catholic Register. Finally, I had enough when the newspaper had a piece, lionizing Gregory Baum. Never renewed the subscription. The Register, is just not a reliable source for Catholicism. I doubt if the Register would jettison Coren. They are two confused whelps from the same confused litter. They deserve each other. Will Coren still be writing articles in Catholic Insight? I hope I don't have to cancel that subscription.

Cory said...

He goes on about Christ not judging, but this same Jesus asked us to make a right judgment (John 7:24).

Coren is simply allowing modern culture to influence his view on this issue. Tradition and the Word should be our sole guides.