Denver Archbishop - Media Scapegoats Religion Re: Club Q Shootings
- Religion is stupid and makes you hate people.
- Gay is good.
- Catholic leaders - who are mostly gay themselves, yet are supposed to teach the opposite (ie sex is only for the creation of life) - find themselves in a difficult position where they want to be pro-gay but not too pro-gay.
- No matter how pro gay Christians are, it will never be pro gay enough for gays.
The “unmitigated tragedy” of a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs gay nightclub prompted “irresponsible” press coverage that wrongly scapegoated religious communities for their stands on sexual morality and identity, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver has said.
Given the fact that the Church as a body appears to be doing its level best to give very mixed messages about sexual morality and identity at the moment, I find it frustrating to hear a bishop, one of those able to influence messaging, strategy and direction, moaning about the way in which we as a Church are perceived. But is this the very front line of the battle: Perception? Perspectives on Christianity and Christians tend to bear small resemblance to what it is in actuality and the struggle I hear about time and time again from all denominations is always about getting the message to those who actually come to hear it as much as those who don't. People who are definitively choosing to act in contradiction to everything it stands for are hardly likely to be receptive to the core message of Jesus, or am I missing something?
“This type of irresponsible commentary is increasingly common,” he said, summarizing the assumption as “You don’t accept what I believe, therefore you are not only wrong but hateful.”
“Unfortunately, the reaction has thus far fostered more vitriol and division than peace and unity as the press has blamed religious communities, including the Catholic Church, to which the shooter has no apparent connection,” Aquila said.
His comments come in a Dec. 8 commentary for the Wall Street Journal weeks after the Nov. 19 shooting. Perhaps he feels the dust has settled enough for him to actually say something? Frankly we as Catholics are lucky he wasn't attached to the Catholic Church or claimed some kind of Christian background. We do such a bad job of explaining all this it is little wonder that so many people are convinced that Christians actually hate some people instead of the truth, which is that Jesus taught us to love everyone for the uniquely special, amazing creation that each and every one of us is and that labels like "gay" just divide us.
The alleged gunman, 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, entered Club Q just before midnight on that Saturday and began shooting. Several people at the club overpowered the gunman and subdued him. The gunman killed five and wounded 17 people.
In the wake of the shooting both Aquila and Bishop James Golka of Colorado Springs voiced their concern, prayers, and sympathies for the victims and others affected. Golka’s statement specifically lamented the apparent targeting of “members of the LGBTQ community.”
Aquila also criticized the New York Times for placing the mass murder in the context of Colorado Springs’ evangelical community and its opposition to same-sex marriage.
“A reasonable approach to the tragedy at Club Q would ask some essential questions, such as: Is there evidence that Christian teaching influenced the gunman? Was he a believing or practicing Christian in any sense?” Aquila asked. “If reports about the shooter’s background are accurate, the answer to these basic questions appears to be no.”
Given the fact that the Church as a body appears to be doing its level best to give very mixed messages about sexual morality and identity at the moment, I find it frustrating to hear a bishop, one of those able to influence messaging, strategy and direction, moaning about the way in which we as a Church are perceived. But is this the very front line of the battle: Perception? Perspectives on Christianity and Christians tend to bear small resemblance to what it is in actuality and the struggle I hear about time and time again from all denominations is always about getting the message to those who actually come to hear it as much as those who don't. People who are definitively choosing to act in contradiction to everything it stands for are hardly likely to be receptive to the core message of Jesus, or am I missing something?
“This type of irresponsible commentary is increasingly common,” he said, summarizing the assumption as “You don’t accept what I believe, therefore you are not only wrong but hateful.”
“Unfortunately, the reaction has thus far fostered more vitriol and division than peace and unity as the press has blamed religious communities, including the Catholic Church, to which the shooter has no apparent connection,” Aquila said.
His comments come in a Dec. 8 commentary for the Wall Street Journal weeks after the Nov. 19 shooting. Perhaps he feels the dust has settled enough for him to actually say something? Frankly we as Catholics are lucky he wasn't attached to the Catholic Church or claimed some kind of Christian background. We do such a bad job of explaining all this it is little wonder that so many people are convinced that Christians actually hate some people instead of the truth, which is that Jesus taught us to love everyone for the uniquely special, amazing creation that each and every one of us is and that labels like "gay" just divide us.
The alleged gunman, 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, entered Club Q just before midnight on that Saturday and began shooting. Several people at the club overpowered the gunman and subdued him. The gunman killed five and wounded 17 people.
In the wake of the shooting both Aquila and Bishop James Golka of Colorado Springs voiced their concern, prayers, and sympathies for the victims and others affected. Golka’s statement specifically lamented the apparent targeting of “members of the LGBTQ community.”
Did Golka miss an opportunity here to emphasise that any loss of life is an awful tragedy? Instead you have to wonder if all he actually did was to give way to a divisive, anthropologically incorrect label in an attempt to appease? It may seem like splitting hairs but the lack of clear consistent teaching is what leads us to a place where no one even knows what Christians believe, let alone are able to give an account of it or defend it!
Some reactions to the shooting in the news media seemed to blame Catholicism and other Christian communities, Aquila noted. “Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric leads to violence” was the headline of a Nov. 20 Denver Post news article he cited.
Some reactions to the shooting in the news media seemed to blame Catholicism and other Christian communities, Aquila noted. “Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric leads to violence” was the headline of a Nov. 20 Denver Post news article he cited.
So is this just about him being scared he is going to be victimised for being a Christian?
You can see here how this all works with the narrative that states if you are not a supporter of LGBTQI+ nonsense, you are literally killing them. Pure gas lighting and a total misrepresentation of any position that calls these ideas into question. Another example of the woke, progressive ideologues shutting down any discussion. The total illiberalism of the so-called liberals.
“The piece asserted that ‘hateful rhetoric directed toward transgender people and the broader LGBTQ community has been aired from ‘church pulpits’ to ‘school board debates and libraries,’” the archbishop continued.
What a joke! He is certainly right to be indignant at that assertion! If only the progressives realised that the vast majority of bishops and priests ARE gay and they can't wait to subvert the truth about Church teaching in any way they possibly can. Even the so-called good ones are running scared working to control every word spoken in case it should offend someone and media savvy Bishop Barron, with a huge following, seemingly complicit in pushing the confusing mixed messages.
“The piece asserted that ‘hateful rhetoric directed toward transgender people and the broader LGBTQ community has been aired from ‘church pulpits’ to ‘school board debates and libraries,’” the archbishop continued.
What a joke! He is certainly right to be indignant at that assertion! If only the progressives realised that the vast majority of bishops and priests ARE gay and they can't wait to subvert the truth about Church teaching in any way they possibly can. Even the so-called good ones are running scared working to control every word spoken in case it should offend someone and media savvy Bishop Barron, with a huge following, seemingly complicit in pushing the confusing mixed messages.
Aquila also criticized the New York Times for placing the mass murder in the context of Colorado Springs’ evangelical community and its opposition to same-sex marriage.
“A reasonable approach to the tragedy at Club Q would ask some essential questions, such as: Is there evidence that Christian teaching influenced the gunman? Was he a believing or practicing Christian in any sense?” Aquila asked. “If reports about the shooter’s background are accurate, the answer to these basic questions appears to be no.”
Aquila should be careful here with what is an extremely subjective approach. Irrespective of any individual interpretation of what it means to be a Christian, the Tradition and teaching has always been that we value every individual as unique and made in the image and likeness of God; every human person is to be loved and cherished, valued and nurtured, encouraged to grow in an authentic model of humanity revealed to us by Jesus.
Aldrich “obviously violated” the biblical commandment “Thou shall not kill,” the archbishop noted, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, he added, teaches “that gay people shouldn’t be unjustly discriminated against.”
“Rather than suffering from overexposure to Catholicism, it seems he suffered from being raised in a dysfunctional household,” Aquila said. The alleged shooter’s parents separated at a young age and he sometimes lived away from his mother.
Aquila comes close to saying something valuable here (but doesn't quite). He surely should have said that more exposure to Catholicism would have encouraged Aldrich to recognise the dignity of the people he attacked. The stark contrast between someone who walks the "way" of Jesus and someone who walks into a club with the intention of murdering as many individuals as possible could not be more stark and obvious.
“Reports indicate that the shooter’s father admitted to encouraging him to violence during his formative years,” the archbishop continued. “The shooter has since described himself in court documents as ‘nonbinary,’ suggesting still further detachment from Catholic teaching.”
Aldrich’s lawyers said he identified as “nonbinary” and uses the pronouns “they/them,” though a Dec. 8 Associated Press analysis said there is no known evidence he professed this identity before the shooting. A nonbinary identity is sometimes professed by those who say they do not identify as a male or female.
While some initial news reports tried to put the shooting in the context of religious disapproval of LGBT causes, news reports are now scrutinizing Aldrich’s previous encounter with local law enforcement. In June 2021, he threatened his grandparents, professed a desire to become “the next mass killer,” and held a standoff with a SWAT team, the AP reported. Authorities discovered bomb-making materials at his home.
Felony charges against Aldrich were not pursued, reportedly because family members refused to cooperate.
Aldrich “obviously violated” the biblical commandment “Thou shall not kill,” the archbishop noted, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, he added, teaches “that gay people shouldn’t be unjustly discriminated against.”
“Rather than suffering from overexposure to Catholicism, it seems he suffered from being raised in a dysfunctional household,” Aquila said. The alleged shooter’s parents separated at a young age and he sometimes lived away from his mother.
Aquila comes close to saying something valuable here (but doesn't quite). He surely should have said that more exposure to Catholicism would have encouraged Aldrich to recognise the dignity of the people he attacked. The stark contrast between someone who walks the "way" of Jesus and someone who walks into a club with the intention of murdering as many individuals as possible could not be more stark and obvious.
“Reports indicate that the shooter’s father admitted to encouraging him to violence during his formative years,” the archbishop continued. “The shooter has since described himself in court documents as ‘nonbinary,’ suggesting still further detachment from Catholic teaching.”
Aldrich’s lawyers said he identified as “nonbinary” and uses the pronouns “they/them,” though a Dec. 8 Associated Press analysis said there is no known evidence he professed this identity before the shooting. A nonbinary identity is sometimes professed by those who say they do not identify as a male or female.
While some initial news reports tried to put the shooting in the context of religious disapproval of LGBT causes, news reports are now scrutinizing Aldrich’s previous encounter with local law enforcement. In June 2021, he threatened his grandparents, professed a desire to become “the next mass killer,” and held a standoff with a SWAT team, the AP reported. Authorities discovered bomb-making materials at his home.
Felony charges against Aldrich were not pursued, reportedly because family members refused to cooperate.
So the truth is that this individual was actually a member of the community he attacked, part of the pain and confusion that is being precipitated precisely by people turning away from Christ and likely more influenced by Satan.
If the supernatural dimension to this came up to you and beat you with a bat, it couldn't be any clearer, could it?
When bishops seek to soften (or even reverse) Church teaching on human sexuality, they play an extremely dangerous game which has tragic and massive consequences for real people. They also can never appease the LGBTQI+ lobby who regularly sacrifice members of their own supporters and community if they are unable to keep up with the constantly morphing goals and rules of their twisted, idolatrous ideology.
Bishops should be exposing the huge problems this causes for society instead of acting as agents of appeasement and mediocrity.
I think this article is overly harsh toward Archbishop Aquila. I commend him for calling out the very biased, irresponsible media.
ReplyDelete