Propaganda 101: As The World Turns' Progressive Plot Line

If you watch each clip from the top down, you'll get a better sense of the plot line. These characters are supposed to be teenagers. I don't watch soap operas, so I don't know how popular this show is, but this plot line should make you stop and think. It makes me think of what Our Lady said at Fatima.

Any thoughts?

Comments

[Donald]

Sorry, I meant that Atlanta Catholic and Patrick are correct...also, that the sadder part are the good young SEMINARIANS that didn't make it to the priesthood...sorry!

[Atlanta Catholic]

Joanne,

Sorry to hear about the pain you have suffered from deceit. Please know that God will always provide the truth to those that seek Him.

The priest who told us about the seminaries was on a fact finding mission from the Holy See. His perspective dealt only with reality. There was not one bit of exaggeration from the facts he had discovered. If anything, there were facts that would terrify many people that are not common knowledge. We have been spared from hearing many of the evil details of the scandals. The priests who claim that this is an exaggeration have either been blessed in a cocoon of goodness or they are uncomfortable with talking bad about the church. Confronting evil is never easy. Jesus has promised us that the gates of hell will not prevail.

One bit of helpful information is that this priest basically surmised the whole problem with the description of the root problem. He said that there was an attack to destroy belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The means of this attack are disguised and facilitated by these outward scandals. The bottom line is that if you can destroy priests, this will help destroy belief in the Real Presence. We must pray for our priests to be strong, holy men. The laity can do their part by demonstrating their belief in the Real Pressence by their own reverence and behavior in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

Bishop Fulton Sheen said, "The laity must be the eyes and the ears for the Church"!

There are beautiful pockets of goodness and holiness. Where evil is, grace abounds more.
Sometimes people are not strong enough to know things. This is where we need to pray but be wise and on guard.

[joanne]

"The priest who told us about the seminaries was on a fact finding mission from the Holy See."
That is not good news in that so little has been done to clean the wound. It won't heal by hiding the truth; in fact the worst part of the deceit is that the truth is still not told. We can't be stuffed back into a box of make-believe. I do pray that Church authority will realize that the worst damage to the image of the Church is not scandal but falsehood. We cannot recover in an atmosphere of lies and denial by our shepherds any more than we could recover our spiritual health without the continual truth and forgiveness offered in the sacrament of Reconciliation.
To worry now over what people would think if they knew the truth is ridiculous.Their imaginations will supply worse nightmares than reality will.

[Donald]

Atlanta Catholic summed it up beautifully...and to paraphrase her last comments of be wise and on guard...At the risk of secularism to drive home a point, I will phrase a famous scene in the movie, Godfather II...Michael Corleone said to Frankie Pentangeles, "My father taught me many things...right in this room...he said, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." Be wary and listen to the words and mindful of the actions and deeds of all clergy, especially if they use terms such as "tolerance"...Through prayer, your eyes will be open.

[joanne]

"Be wary?" But this wariness is hurting us. The Church is our refuge.
We cannot view our priests as potential enemies. The culture of suspicion is a culture of spiritual death. Christ's instruction to His apostles was not meant for us in regard to our shepherds.
We should be wary of the world. We are losing our innocence and our obedience. We will be like sheep without a shepherd, like orphans, like...Protestants if this continues.
I am not saying that we should deny what we see, but that it does more harm to our souls to be always on guard than to SUFFER by our vulnerability. It is better to double over at the shock of receiving the Body of Christ to the tune of "Proud to Be an American" than it is to sit in silent judgment and defense over the potential abuses that may occur. I know because I have done both. The first hurts my heart and my mind; the second eats away at my faith.

[Donald]

Joanne says, "It is better to double over at the shock of receiving the Body of Christ to the tune of "Proud to Be an American" than it is to sit in silent judgment and defense over the potential abuses that may occur. I know because I have done both. The first hurts my heart and my mind; the second eats away at my faith." To my way of thinking, that is "settling" for the better of two evils...

It is not by choice that we wish to be wary...it is by the actions of the "bad apples" in the barrel...the problem is, their blatant disrespect is the iceberg we see...it's what's below the surface that should concen the laity. I think that's what Atlanta Catholic means...don't have blind faith because a priest is wearing a collar...I wished it were different, but, the experiences are telling me differently. And, again, it is in NO WAY to intimate all clergy is bad.

[Atlanta Catholic]

Pray for the right balance. Your faith will remain strong.

[Patrick]

The sacraments are not necessarily invalidated because of a priest's personal sin.

When the priest absolves you of your sins in the confessional you are absolved even if he is in mortal sin. He only needs faculties from the bishop to hear confession and to say "te absolvo" or "I absolve you." It is really between you and God with the priest acting as a stand-in for the Lord.

Three conditions must be met for a Mass to be valid: proper matter (the right kind of bread and wine); proper form (the correct words); and proper intention (the priest must intend what the Church intends--consecration).

Therefore, do not allow the personal or private sins of SOME priests eat away at your faith. Remember, we have even had some really bad popes! Sometimes looking upon the sacraments and liturgy with a bit of legalism and objectivity is a good thing.

One of the reasons I think we need to get back to the traditional liturgy is that it is a carefully regulated ritual. The priest's personality is not an issue. In fact, Father Chucko disappears and an "alter Christus" appears. The priest is a stand-in for Christ at that moment. God will deal with the priest's personal issues when He chooses.

Father Chucko is not there just to tell funny jokes, deliver a comforting homily, or have that special "flair" at the altar. It isn't about Father Chucko.

It is when a priest's personal sins become public scandal that serious harm can be done to the Faith--as in the priest sex molester scandals. If Father Chucko attacks altar boys in the sacristy and Bishop Wimpy covers it up, it leaves people angry, hurt, and distrustful of the Church. It isn't such a good deal for the altar boy either.

[Atlanta Catholic]

What is even more damaging is when a majority of good people know that Bishop Wimpy is supporting Father Chucko's bad behavior and they do nothing. They must pray for their conversion or their removal with great fervor. Otherwise, they should remain silent and accept the terrible consequences without being hurt or shocked. The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing.

[Patrick]

Atlanta,

I agree that we must raise Cain when appropriate. If a priest is taking advantage of a minor, he is committing a serious criminal offense. The police should be notified immediately. It must stopped and the conditions which helped to enable the situation to occur must be eliminated.

However, when it comes to non-criminal behavior (consensual adults) we must avoid the mistake of creating a public scandal when none already exists.

If I have knowledge that Father Chucko is involved with his secretary, I would pray (as you suggest) and take it up privately with Father Chucko--then with his bishop. If the bishop refuses to act, then take it up with members of the parish. However, there is little to be gained from immediately spreading it all over the internet.

Also, we must be careful not to weaken the faith of others by being overly cynical and pessimistic. This is my concern with Anon's comment. I believe he intends to sow doubt about the Church, in general, while fostering sympathy and support for the homosexual lifestyle. Let's not fling damaging imputations at the entire priesthood.

Maybe I am naive, but I still think that most priests and seminarians are good guys. There are probably a significant minority in most dioceses that are problematic. And, in a few notorious dioceses the problem individuals may constitute as much as 40%.

[LJ]

On EWTN's website Audio Library they have a three part series by Fr. Benedict Groeschel that puts this scandal into some perspective. It's called An Urgent Appeal and was made in 2002. it's in the archives in Real Audio format.

His judgement I trust.

As for TV, I don't watch it any more anyway, partly because I have better things to do with the time I have, and partly because I noticed this gay promotional trend some time ago, and I take it that it is into the soaps now. But of course, I don't think anyone would want to suggest that the soaps were ever a source for good moral teaching. Years ago I used to watch The Young and the Ridiculous and it seemed that everyone on that show had slept with everyone else at one time or another. It was just a matter of shuffling the deck for the next hand.

[joanne]

Patrick,
I appreciate the balance and wisdom in your last comment. "If I have knowledge that Father Chucko is involved with his secretary,..." .

"Also, we must be careful not to weaken the faith of others by being overly cynical and pessimistic. This is my concern with Anon's comment. I believe he intends to sow doubt about the Church, in general, while fostering sympathy and support for the homosexual lifestyle."
Good points, worth repeating as often as necessary! Thanks.

[A Simple Sinner]

Thomistic,

Do you think we can get a new post to talk about? I drop in here from time to time to see what is new if anything...

A week of opening up our beloved Roman Catholic Blog to be confronted with images of pansexualism from soap operas is taking its toll. Anyone here who has a TV already has the opportunity to see that nonsense.

[Patrick]

Simple Sinner,

Don't you want to see the episode where Luke travels to San Francisco and meets Bruce? :o)

[joanne]

I can't wait until the next time I get stuck in a grocery line! Then I can scan the magazine rack to find out what Bruce and Luke feed on, complete with recipes! Plus, their exclusive exercise tips in the same issue!

[Atlanta Catholic]

Thomistic,

I think that these pictures have been up for so long that Luke and Bruce might repent!

[joanne]

There's always hope, Atlanta Catholic!

[A Simple Sinner]

A much better YouTube clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMFy3sJx8DQ

[A Simple Sinner]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMFy3sJx8DQ

A much better YouTube video.

[joanne]

Simple,
That clip was so over-the-top dorky that it was sweet. Brought tears to of sympathetic embarrassment--totally uncool & great in dumb human way! No wonder it was called "The Awkward Song"! That could definitely develop an empathic following!

[Katherine]

It is so sad that after decades of our afternoon soap operas being Christian morality dramas, they have made such a break from their admirable past and are now showing more gay sex then you find at the Mens Room at Republican party HQ.

Imagine, trash and sleeze on a soap opera. Next you will be telling me there is gambling at Rick's.

[Thomistic]

Katherine,

If Senator Craig, who clearly prompted your swipe at Republicans, cared about the dignity of his office he would resign, but he doesn't seem to realize this, does he?

One thing I suspect he won't be doing is writing a book, like corrupt, Democrat, former New Jersey Governor, Jim McGreevey; a man who was known to be corrupt before he came out a "a gay American" in order to shift attention and cover up his crimes.

When Republicans have been caught in the past, they generally skulk away (like Mark Foley). Some try to stay, but admit they were wrong (like Senator David Vitter).

Ann Coulter wrote about this in the wake of the Mark Foley debacle:

The object lesson of Foley's inappropriate e-mails to male pages is that when a Republican congressman is caught in a sex scandal, he immediately resigns and crawls off into a hole in abject embarrassment. Democrats get snippy.

Foley didn't claim he was the victim of a "witch-hunt." He didn't whine that he was a put-upon "gay American." He didn't stay in Congress and haughtily rebuke his critics. He didn't run for re-election. He certainly didn't claim he was "saving the Constitution." (Although his recent discovery that he has a drinking problem has a certain Democratic ring to it.)

In 1983, Democratic congressman Gerry Studds was found to have sexually propositioned House pages and actually buggered a 17-year-old male page whom he took on a trip to Portugal. The 46-year-old Studds indignantly attacked those who criticized him for what he called a "mutually voluntary, private relationship between adults."

When the House censured Studds for his sex romp with a male page, Studds — not one to be shy about presenting his backside to a large group of men — defiantly turned his back on the House during the vote. He ran for re-election and was happily returned to office five more times by liberal Democratic voters in his Martha's Vineyard district. (They really liked his campaign slogan: "It's the outfit, stupid.")

Washington Post columnist Colman McCarthy referred to Studds' affair with a teenage page as "a brief consenting homosexual relationship" and denounced Studds' detractors for engaging in a "witch-hunt" against gays: "New England witch trials belong to the past, or so it is thought. This summer on Cape Cod, the reputation of Rep. Gerry Studds was burned at the stake by a large number of his constituents determined to torch the congressman for his private life."

Meanwhile, Foley is hiding in a hole someplace.

However, there seems to be a new breed of shameless Republicans who want to have their cake and eat it too and think that they can make themselves victims, like Democrats tend to do when they're caught.

Florida State Representative Bob Allen (R) was arrested at Veteran's Memorial Park in Titusville for soliciting an undercover male officer inside the restroom after offering to perform oral sex for $20.

Allen told police he was just playing along when a undercover officer suggested in a public restroom that the legislator give him oral sex and $20 because he was intimidated , according to a taped statement and other documents released Thursday.

..."This was a pretty stocky black guy, and there was nothing but other black guys around in the park," Allen, who is white, told police in a taped statement after his arrest. Allen said he feared he "was about to be a statistic" and would have said anything just to get away.

Allen has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence, his intention to fight the charges against him, and his desire to remain in office.

Senator Craig and State Representative Allen want to hold on to their power, despite their shameful behavior, perhaps emboldened by men like Bill Clinton and Gerry Studds, who did just that and got away with it.

The difference is, Republicans don't tolerate that sort of behavior, whereas Democrats defend it, so Republicans like Craig and Foley don't stand a chance.

I suspect Senator Craig will be forced to resign (eventually). He's just in denial right now.

I'm happier than the Democrats that the corrupt elements are being purged from the Republican party.

Whereas the Democrats seem poised to nominate of their most corrupt elements as their 2008 presidential candidate.

What baffles me is why Democrats think any of this bad Republican behavior is worse than supporting legal, elective, baby-killing for any reason as a fundamental human right!

Talk about needing to remove the plank from one's own eye!

Pax,

Thomistic

[Brhannada's Armour]

Keep watching, Thomistic - Luke and Noah go on their first date next week, and have their first lovers' quarrel!

Seriously, you shouldn't watch if it's not to your taste. After all, there hasn't been a Catholic character since Jade (the con artist and adulteress in these clips), and there haven't been any stories about eternal damnation. Luke is godfather to his little brother, he used to go to Sunday school and put everyone but himself in his prayers at night, but we don't even know if his church is one that will allow him to marry the man of his choice. Most of the stories on As The World Turns are filth, and I don't watch the actual show at all. I only catch YouTube clips of Luke and Noah, which is the only normal and decent story right now. The writers nearly ruined it by making Noah seem genuinely interested in his girlfriend, but now the boys are a chaste couple facing the possibility that Luke may never again feel anything below the waist. It would be nice to see some heterosexual characters showing such exemplary love and commitment.

Jesus Christ got it right when he praised the love between the centurion and his manservant.

[Eric]

"My confirmations are confirmed- there is no love in relationships like this, it is violence and diabolic perversions."

How's the weather in the 12th Century?

[Kelly]

The character of Luke Snyder is very grounded and very centered. He is very family oriented. He is not promiscuous and still a virgin, in fact. The character of Noah is very well mannered and polite. They just happen to both be gay and in love. There is just love and adoration between the two an love is love.