Rosie O'Donnell is no stranger to Catholic bashing, so when it was announced that she was joining the ABC-TV program "The View," we wondered how long it would take for her to start venting. The answer? Six shows. On September 12, co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck made the rather unexceptional observation that radical Islam is a threat. "Just [...]
Catholics may know preacher Jimmy Swaggart from previous accusations of anti-Catholicism directed at him. In 1983, two Atlanta television stations dropped his show after the Atlanta archdiocese complained that the evangelical preacher was slandering priests. The Associated Press reported in 1984 that Swaggart's show, in addition to being dropped in Atlanta, was also dropped in Boston. [...]
To amend the Revised Statutes of the United States to eliminate the chilling effect on the constitutionally protected expression of religion by State and local officials that results from the threat that potential litigants may seek damages and attorney's fees. -- H.R. 2679 The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and [...]
Members may recall that last November we ran an article in Catalyst, "Religious Intolerance in Education," that explained how National History Day had inserted a negative comment about Pope Pius XII into a flier regarding a student contest. We protested that it is slanderous to assume that it is historically true that Pius XII failed to [...]
Nature, a highly respected scientific journal, created quite a stir recently when it issued a press release about an article in its publication that claims to have found a way to generate human embryonic stem cells without destroying the embryo. The only problem with the news release was that it was false. The author of the [...]
A woman named Janice Taylor who considers herself a "weight-loss artist" runs a website called "Our Lady of Weight Loss." Taylor has also recently released a book by the same name, subtitled Miraculous and Motivational Musings from the Patron Saint of Permanent Weight Loss. Mixing in practical advice on losing weight and getting fit with artwork, the [...]
Occasionally, we learn of problems within private communities, where homeowner's associations inhibit the expression of individual Christian faith. The most recent case of such a situation was in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. John McMahon, whose family recently purchased a house in a new development called Byers Station, wished to display a 24-inch statue of the Blessed Mother [...]
From public property to public schools, a major issue is the separation of church and state. The issue has made headlines in a number of cases recently. We've taken the opportunity to highlight the most notable. ● One of the most high-profile cases involves the Mt. Soledad Cross, located on city property in San Diego. A [...]
Dirt Rag is a magazine devoted to mountain biking. Its online version is www.dirtragmag.com. The content, generally geared toward young males, focuses on athletics and is unobjectionable. However, we were alerted to a couple of products sold by the magazine that give us pause. T-shirts bearing the Sacred Heart and the words "Dirt Rag" are available. So [...]
The FX cable television show "Rescue Me" has again decided to use the Catholic Church as a target of ridicule. "Rescue Me" is a drama about the personal and professional lives of New York City firefighters. The show was co-created by Denis Leary, the comedian/actor who also plays Tommy, the main character in the show. Leary [...]
