Update (4:00 p.m., January 29, 2021): The CWR Twitter account has been unlocked. The Tweet in question remains in the CWR Twitter feed. Twitter has not yet, of this writing, communicated with CWR about this change in course. This story has received much attention from a number of outlets and from a substantial number of readers, which we appreciate very much. More to come.
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This past Sunday, January 24th, CWR received the following e-mail from Twitter:
Your account, @cworldreport has been locked for violating the Twitter Rules.
Specifically for:
Violating our rules against hateful conduct.
You may not promote violence against, threaten, or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.
Please note that repeated violations may lead to a permanent suspension of your account. Proceed to Twitter now to fix the issue with your account.
The Tweet in question (screenshot attached) was of this Catholic News Agency news brief, written by Matt Hadro, posted on CWR on January 19, 2021. It stated:
“Biden plans to nominate Dr. Rachel Levine, a biological man identifying as a transgender woman who has served as Pennsylvania’s health secretary since 2017, to be HHS Assistant Secretary for Health. Levine is also a supporter of the contraceptive mandate. https://t.co/mY1Y8S5p2S
CWR’s managing editor David Kilby sent a note to Twitter on January 25, stating in part:
The reason given was that this Tweet violated Twitter Rules “against hateful conduct” and suggested that it might be promoting “violence” or somehow “harassing” others.
Can you please explain how this Tweet—a news account on a news site—specifically violated Twitter rules and/or how it supposedly involved “hateful conduct” or “harassment”?
Two days later, on January 27th, CWR received the following response:
Thank you for your patience as we reviewed your appeal request for account, @cworldreport, regarding the following:
Our support team has determined that a violation did take place, and therefore we will not overturn our decision.
You will not be able to access Twitter through your account due to violations of the Twitter Rules, specifically our rules around:
In order to restore account functionality, you can resolve the violations by logging into your account and completing the on-screen instructions.
It seems evident that Twitter’s focus is the descriptive of Levine as “a biological man identifying as a transgender woman…”
Since Levine is “transgender”, it’s curious why Twitter would think it harmful or hateful to note what Levine is “trans-gendering” from or to.
Twitter is clearly indicating that unless CWR and other outlets jump through arbitrary and constantly-changing rhetorical and ideological hoops, they cannot use Twitter. Just as bad, Twitter is implicitly making CWR admit to hateful or bigoted language, even though such was never the case. Not only is such an approach subjective in nature, it is an overtly biased, unfair, and discriminatory approach that both stifles free speech and undermines CWR’s right to report on current events.
Catholic World Report, which is operated by Ignatius Press, was founded by Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., thirty years ago. In late 2011, CWR went entirely online, and I was appointed as editor. At that same time, CWR opened its Twitter account; by the start of 2021, CWR’s Twitter account had 8500 followers.
The vast majority of CWR Tweets have been of links to CWR articles, reviews, interviews, and news briefs, with a headline, short descriptive, and link.
CWR is currently reaching out to other outlets about similar experiences and expects to post more on this story soon.
If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!
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A violation to incite hatred is in process of across the board reinterpretation by the Media communications Giants, who are aligned with the political Left – to cite the slightest perceived nuance that transgender, LGBT in general is unnatural, and consequently subject to hatred. Their judgment disallows the mention of that difference, an unconstitutional free speech violation. It threatens religious freedom to determine moral and immoral behavior. Our quandary is that this Administration fosters this and will likely enforce it. This policy is narrowed to target Christians, Republicans, Trump supporters, alleged White supremacists, and incongruously tolerates Rev Louis Farrakhan who calls Jews termites, Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who preaches death to Israel and America, and hateful tweets by liberal journalists, Antifa. What is fearsome is that this oppression is growing, backed by powerful politicians, former CIA, FBI chiefs, even former top military commanders. The reason as you alluded previously is theological and spiritual. The Marxist Left, which is what it has become perceives the Right as a fascist threat to their concept of Liberty and free choice. As Cardinal Gerhard Muller seems to suggest it’s motivated by evil intent. Liberty absent of natural law moral principles by nature imposes despotic rule.
I hope CWR doesn’t kowtow & remove or edit their original statement.
It would be un-Catholic to give in and not stand for what it right. That’s why the Church is in the state it’s in. Majority afraid to speak the truth.
I agree, Fr Morello! It’s the same with the sexual abuse problem with the clergy! We and the Church are all aware what the root of the problem is but are afraid of saying it. The elephant in the room is homosexual behavior, period and nothing else. Until the USCCB put in place an admission policy for ALL seminaries in the country, the problem will go on. Twenty years we will be reading about abusive priest who are being educated in our seminaries NOW, TODAY, at this very moment! I didn’t mean to change the subject the it leads right into what is plaguing the Church today!
I hope the USCCB is listening and gathers up the courage to address this issue. Shall we have to anticipate an underground Church because our bishops lack courage? St. John Fisher, pray for us!
Good comment, Jayne, but we can forget about the USCCB doing anything about anything! I have written them many times without even one response. They are afraid and have been duped by society. But they will have to face God someday! Until then they had better watch out for anyone carrying a mill stone!
Why can’t Catholics and other religious groups have their own platform? Twitter can’t kick you off then! What’s really sad is that Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have bribed or be paid to do this even though in the process they are denying us religious freedom!
Twitter—-a medium mostly for junior high level communication controlled by kindergarteners.
What is wrong has become right and right has become wrong. As Catholic Christians we cannot agree to the world view that violates the Commandments of God. Tere are two sexes, male and female. Because a person decides that he/she is a sex of his/her choice does not change the fact that there are two biological sexes and only two. Satan has taken over the sick minds of many in our modern world. He will be defeated but will take millions of misguided individuals with him to hell.
Who is God if a misguided individual is condemned to hell?
He is Truth; and the misguided individuals are those who have been told falsesly that they get to decide what is true; but nonetheless they know that they are lying and they know that it is wrong, hence the violent and vicious responses to the truth.
Thank you, sir, for your opinions which reflect my and my wife’s thoughts exactly. Please continue to speak the truth and stand for our Christian faith. God bless you.
Amen. 🙏
Father, I try hard not to hate or disparage anyone. It is against my psyche and my Catholicism. The Catholic isolation label of LGBTQ “community” and parishioners as “Liberty absent of natural law moral principles by nature imposes despotic rule.” I get conflated by my attempt to define the LGBTQ as humans are either born with the “malady” or have chosen their plight. Plight is used to reveal the “choice” is not only sinful, but is life threatening… why would they come out of the “Catholic closet”? Please tell me how to remove my quandary.
God bless.
“Father, I try hard not to hate or disparage anyone. It is against my psyche and my Catholicism.”
You have countless comments here about Donald Trump that say otherwise…
There is no cost to coming out of the “Catholic closet” because too Catholics like to prove how enlightened they are. There are probably more Catholics than not who prefer to show how unwilling they are to feel embarrassed in front of their cocktail party friends by socially or publicly endorsing or promoting Catholic values. They will not even defend the unborn in front of those who advocate their slaughter, nor will they even refrain from giggling along at anti-Catholic humor.
I find it really sad that you are using your Catholic identity to publicly humiliate others. Dr Lavive’s lukewarm political lightweight arguement shows cowardice by hiding behind twitter to attack others for political effect was not inspired by the Holy Spirit. We are not reading the writings of St Augustine here. As a Christian, there are ways of dealing with these issues. Read your Bible. When the Apostle Philip encountered the Eunuch (Acts 8: 26:40) he prayed for him and actually baptized him. There was no judgement passed on the Eunich. That is what separates God’s chosen people from people all of us sinners. If you read Hebrews 11, it talks about Faith. That should be our goal not criticising and judging others( Psalm 34:4). Dr Lavine should not assume moral superiority because and perhap of his race, education, political views and Christian beliefs. God has no favourites(Luke 5:32, Ephesians6:8). Ruth was chosen before she believed in God. Moreover Trump is definitely not your ticket to Heaven as shown by recent events (John 14:6). You have Jesus Christ baptized in his name why settle for a lesser being?(2 Corinthians 13:5).Why be the first one to cast a stone? The righteous ones are those who pray for others and never pass judgement especially as it shows ignorance of your Scriptures (Jonah 2:2). Sexuality or identity ideology always has been with us human beings even during Jesus time. He came to save and give His life for many (Matthew 20:28)(Ecclesiasticus 2:1-3).
Very well said!
I’m sorry, Mag…what is the point you’re trying to make? If you want to proof-text Scripture, I’ll give you Gal 6: 7-8 and 1 Cor 6:9. (Check them out and please get back up with us.) And to be clear, no one is “condemning” Dr. Levine, except potentially himself.
“Sexuality or identity ideology always has been with us human beings even during Jesus time.”
What?
And if you’re “There was no judgement passed on the Eunich.”
If you mean for being a eunuch – just what gives you the idea that he was one wilingly?
Well said Fr. Pete.
To engage on the Twitter platform you first have to agree to denounce yourself and then pitch your offending comments down the memory hole.
No thanks.
Dr. Levine is a man. There is nothing that he can do to change that. Telling the truth isn’t “hate.” Forcing, or attempting to force, people to deny reality is evil.
Agreed. Truth is not hate. Keep telling the truth CWR. Censors like Twitter will come and go. The Truth is here to stay.
The gestapo has arrived. Have these elitist and self-righteous speech police on social media platforms never studied history? They cannot possibly be ignorant of Soviet purges, Chinese cultural revolutions, Khmer Rouge re-education camps, Nazi tyranny. What they are doing NEVER ends well.
The Marxist agenda involves canceling history. That’s why it hasn’t been taught in our schools for so many years. Facebook recently deleted photographs from Auschwitz showing shoes and suitcases piled to the ceiling. They want people to forget the past so that they can repeat it.
It is clear that sexual preference is a personal matter.
Our sex is what we have between our legs and our gender comes from what is between our ears.
I see nothing wrong with reciting facts but as language is so important to the present rulers of society mores, perhaps using their words are best suited to reaching the public ear and mind.
Sex is biology. Gender is grammar, or alternately a synonym for sex. It has nothing to do with “what is between our ears.” Thinking doesn’t change reality. If I’m a girl who thinks I’m a boy, what I am is a girl with mental problems, not a boy of any kind.
And I will not adopt the language of liars.
Having been in a relationship with a transgender man– a woman who lived as a man because she believe s she is a man — and ultimately having to leave it because I knew it was wrong in the eyes of God (I was for all intents and purposes living a homosexual life — I can attest to the truth that biology and anatomy trump what’s between a person’s ears, at the end of the day. Saddest thing I ever chose to do was to end it but truth is truth is truth, and our Lord and our faith expect that we live in nothing other than truth.
I am so glad that you had the wisdom and the grace to know the right thing to do and to do it. May God bless you.
R.Selbie Well said!
Sexuality is a personal matter until you attempt to force others to acknowledge what is not only a fiction but until recently was considered a mental illness. “Dont ask dont tell” is more aligned with my feelings. I dont want to know your sex and I dont want anyone trying to force me to pretend that a man who has his genitals removed is a woman in any way. OR that such actions are normal. The high suicide rate among those who are “trans” speaks volumes about the mental health aspect.
Facebook suspended my account for 30 days for making a similar comment about Dr. Levine. I’ve avoided Twitter, and now will probably get off FB. So far the alternatives are either being suppressed or they’re not as easy to navigate. The coming years are not going to be pleasant, I fear.
Dorsey and his cabal of brown shirted bullies can do whatever they please but that doesn’t change the fact that Richard Levine aka “Rachel”(sic) Levine is an intrinsically disordered sexual deviant.
Do not lose your soul to gain the world. Change platforms.
Bingo.
There is most certainly a ‘disorder’ involved here, but some of your language may be unkind. I like Carl’s description – it is clinical and accurate without being judgmental.
“And why even of yourselves, do you not judge that which is just?” Jesus Christ, Luke 12:57
Censorship works. It got Biden elected.
Cheating got Biden elected. But censorship tried to help.
Amen
Amen
How dare anyone say the truth in their pretend world…this has to stop before our children and young adults become totally lost. Please, please CWR do not cave in to them!
Why are you playing their stupid power games and pretending that Twitter matters? Since when is Twitter (or FACEBOOK) essential in order for the Church to evangelize? Get rid of all these impediments and stop playing into their hands. You are dealing with people who commerce in evil. Cannot Catholics devise their own technological platforms to advance the Kingdom?
Thank you, Deacon, for saying what I’ve been saying to friends and family for YEARS! Social media are as unimportant in the real world as professional sports. They have entertainment value, and are convenient for light communications, but in no way are they essential. Discard any who limit free speech! I haven’t ever used any of them, with the exception of LinkedIn, when I was changing jobs. That account has sat idle for over 8 years, and I haven’t missed it, nor missed vital communication with anyone. If you must use a social medium, then try Parler, or one of the others who don’t have this ‘god complex’. The best way to stop this behavior is to make them irrelevant.
Are we to just circle the wagons, then? Our religious freedom requires us to face this issue where it is. We need to have freedom of speech in the public square in order to evangelize the culture.
That’s great, Deacon! But who exactly will foot the MILLIONS of necessary dollars to do that? And how will it avoid being completely crushed as Parler was a few weeks ago?
I think CWR should sue Twitter. I’ll contribute to fund the lawsuit.
I agree! Call in the lawyers.
Good people should stop using Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. All are heavily controlled by men/women who have given themselves over to evil. But at this point, it also would be good to sue them, for the sake of fighting against and standing up to evil. But definitely people need to stop using these platforms in the future. Parler is off for now, but Gab is a good option for Twitter. And Rumble is an option for YouTube, although it will be a while until Rumble comes close to equalling YouTube’s vast coverage of everything.
Tempting. Unfortunately Judges/Law is part of the corrupt plan.
No way is Levine a woman. The Wokestapo cannot win this argument on merits, reason and logic, so they try bullying and intimidation.
I don’t Twitter or use other social media platforms. I think that Catholics should stop using Twitter. Their management won’t change policies as long as people are still using the site.
The state of the Church is such that if you informed every Catholic in America of your proposed boycott, most Catholics would go out of their way to give Twitter their support. In the twisted minds of superficial Catholics, the majority of Catholics, they are being heroic when they defy Catholic values.
CWR was punished for stating fact reinforcing the fake news claim. This is reminiscent of Nazi information control. What everyone needs to do is cancel their Twitter accounts. Leave the mind control to an echo chamber of people willing to submit to their views.
Cancelled mine, I’m done with them.
It’s possible the objection also had to do with the story linked, which declined to use preferred pronouns and went into more detail. The basic problem though is that if you insist on inverting reality it’s hard to limit the insanity.
May aswell be hung for a sheep as a lamb CWR
As much should be clear by now.Ditch the PC doublespeak ‘biological man’
This is predictable. The left has been working at destroying the presidency of Donald Trump since the day he was elected, and with their success they are overplaying their hand, which is predictable.
With the flurry of pro-abortion executive orders emitting from the home of Mr. ‘Rosary in my pocket’, and Archbishop Cordileone replying in no uncertain terms to Nancy Pelosi, things are heating up.
We’ve been complacent for too long in allowing Marxism/Communism to infiltrate our education system, our churches, our government and our society. Now we are beginning to pay the price. We need to influence people around us to see what is going on and fight as best we can in our corner of the world, and we need to beg God and Our Blessed Mother to help us in this battle for the soul of this country.
CWR indeed has a valid claim against Twitter censorship if the ban was based simply on the the January 19 news story. I suspect however that the AI robot they use to search for offenses against their no hateful speech policy was based on the string of comments that followed that news story. Please post on your home page all those comments so that CWR readers can evaluate the Twitter action themselves.
Any criticism of this absurd appointment will immediately be labeled as ‘hate-speech from the extreme right wing’ or some such absurdity.
Is anyone really surprised by this?
Not a problem. Just dump Tweetle and Bookface. Soon agenda driven sheeps will be talking only to themselves.
Don’t look now, but we have lost our freedoms. Religion, speech, assembly — gone, perhaps never to return.
Thank you, CWR, for being worthy of being banned by the new fascisti. White martyrdom is upon us.
I am sending you $100 as an homage to a job well done.
Well done, “Catholic” Democratic voters! Espousing the Catholic faith is now forbidden.
How long will it be until the red martyrdoms begin?
I was banned from Twitter and Facebook for saying the same thing. But Twitter is for idiots, and I only use Facebook for free video phoning with my children and grandchildren, so I couldn’t care less.
Take care, Mr. Williams, of what you say on that Facebook phone!
The mind of the PC crowd, shaped and infused by cultural Marxism, is not interested in debate, in an exchange of ideas. They are in their own minds right, purely and simply. Always, every time. Therefore, there can be no discussion, no appeal, no challenge. They will not, and in a sense, cannot engage in an interchange.
This intellectual pathology was all laid out years ago by Eric Voegelin in both Science, Politics, and Gnosticism and in The New Science of Politics. Once a person buys into the leftist mentality, he/she will dutifully avoid exposure to contrary ideas. Voegelin refers to it as self-censorship.
Marx is as responsible for this state of affairs as much as anyone. Voegelin exposes him for the intellectual, philosophical fraud he was. But more than just a fraud. Satanic is probably not too strong a word. Voegelin is difficult, but should be read.
It’s time to move off of Twitter.
I did so yesterday.
I have been around since way before computers, I quit writing code when computer screens were green, and 300 baud was a fast connection. The computer to me was always a tool, mostly used to keep up with the way it changed how business was run. And yes, I appreciate email and spare uses of the internet.
But, regarding Twitter, and its big brother evil, Facebook, there is no reason to utilize these tools of the devil. I cannot imagine how any good comes from actions controlled by him. Just stop using it. Twitter offers repeated, repeating negativity, using mostly biased, misleading information and outright falsehoods as ‘the truth’ favoring ultra-liberal / communistic ideology. This is the new truth. This is the devil convincing us that his truth is the only truth, any understanding of what we learned from, say, the Bible, is just wrong-thinking. CWR experienced this firsthand. Personally I have seen someone addicted to these incessant ultra-liberal fear-anything-conservative postings, and exposure to this constant, anti-charitable pro-everything-goes yet one-sided perspective has caused personality and ideological changes, and terrible intolerance towards contrary viewpoints. Won’t even go to church, the priest is ‘too conservative.’
The very definition of brainwashing.
I’ve said this before, “Animal Farm” and its ilk were warning us about a bad future, not offering us a guide towards it.
What can we do to tell twitter what they are doing is wrong? Perhaps a letter that we can send.
The news is unsurprising. It was only a matter of time before the fools at Twitter cracked down.
If not already on it, consider getting on board at https://gab.com/
A poodle of the oligarchy gives them the thumbs down – see https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/what-is-gab-the-far-right-social-media-site-that-google-and-apple-banned-and-that-is-still-gaining-thousands-of-new-users-after-twitter-and-facebook-deplatformed-trump/articleshow/80223259.cms – so they must be doing something right!
Their CEO’s page at https://gab.com/a speaks volumes.
Liberals, who espouse freedom for all, ending up wanting to restrict freedom for those that don’t thet don’t agree. When anyone compares them (Liberals) to facist, they take great offense, even though they call anyone not agreeing with them as Nazis, racists etc.
I think the Catholic Church helped to bring this travesty on by the minimal confrontation with abortion, especially by not excommunicating Catholic politicians voting for abortion laws. It was an easy out to put one’s head in the sand. The Church’s head in the sand approach is now bearing the fruit, it’s not tasty. It is a nasty poison to personal freedom, and the country, but more importantly to the soul and the Catholic Church itself.
I quit using Twitter a couple of years ago. I think most people are finding other outlets these days as free speech is supposed to be one of our rights in this country.
Sad, but the Good News is “the Almighty” just may know the diff here. Church has been a victim before, my worry is the Will of the People is “… I will not serve!”.
Congratulations Catholic World Report and wear it as a badge of honour.
“All comments posted at Catholic World Report are moderated. … those that are deemed by the editors to be needlessly combative or inflammatory—will not be published.”
I guess an element of subjectivity is exercised by CWR editors, too. IMO, we all need to be careful in the words we use, and sometimes we slip up. Whether inadvertently or subconsciously, who is the judge of this and by what standards?
I think you are missing the point. I am sure EVERY website will disallow ” inflammatory” speech, including the use of racial epithets, advocating murder or other physical violence, and the promotion of those groups which suggest such actions. Most civil societies would be more than ok in moving such extreme violent attitudes to the side. However, CWR made the point that they had simply re-tweeted the FACT that this appointee was trans. Are we are the point where mentioning this FACT is a problem to be suppressed? Or are we hiding such appointments from becoming known? The nature of free speech is that people are , in fact, disagreeing on many things. In such discussions, people might be offended or have their feelings hurt. This is a known side effect of an exchange of opposite points of view. The constitution guarantees free speech and practice of religion. It does not say it is OK to squash everyones opinion but your own because it hurts your feelings. Or, in the case of recent DEM hysteria, thats its ok to suppress all expression of a political opinion which is in direct opposition to yours by falsely claiming it is a revolution brewing.
Get on gab.com
Free speech Twitter alternative run by a Christian
Gee, just happened to read an article on the Daily Wire saying that Twitter has been making profits off of the dissemination of Child Sex Abuse Material. When asked by a former victim to remove this content, Twitter responded that it did not violate their policies!
Please find ways to communicate that accept Truth and leave Twitter behind. Many have already left in frustration.
If I may be succinct, we are in the midst of spiritual warfare. The social media moguls are clearly acting under the influence of Satan. Our most potent weapon is constant prayer, which includes praying for our enemies. Finally, we get to show our mettle to God amidst the increasing persecution of Christians. Let us be bold in professing our faith and total reliance upon God.
Interestingly CWR also censors thoughts they disagree with. Change is best when started with self. Maybe it is time to stop telling people their email will not be published!
God bless and help us all,
tom
What are you referring to exactly?
Dear Mr. Olson,
“Your email address will not be published.” is what I receive when I hit reply to a CWR article. You tell me why this is so. Once society starts censoring free speech, there is no end until we all live in a totalitarian society. Change always begins at home and moves out into the community.
I like most of your writing and bible exegesis, so thank you!
God bless,
tom
Ummmmmm – Tom, nobody’s e-mail is published. That notice is to reassure us that although we have to provide an e-mail address in order to comment, it’s not going to be posted where raving nutcases can use it to harass us or stalk us. It’s to help protect our privacy. Why on earth would you want your e-mail to be published, to begin with, and why would you think it’s censorship not to do so?
Dear Leslie
Thank you for your thoughts, but CWR knows what I mean. I made a comment about wayward Jesuits and CWR would not let me post anymore comments, so I use a different email address to post a comment.
God bless,
tom
What if Jack Dorsey has a Kafkaesque moment and wakens to the illusion he’s a cockroach. Must we abide to this obvious delusion if he insists? Just a probing thought.
He looks as sad as a man can look. He’s not in control of himself.
I’m with Ms Anderson on the subject of social media. They are controlling you. Invading your privacy and earning money too. Go back to real life.
On the Twitter account suspension. I am proud to never have had a Twitter account, and never will. Funny how Twitter will only support science if it supports their flawed views. If you where to take a DNA sample of a Transgender female, you would still find an X and a Y chromosome. Last I looked in science and biology books that indicated a biological male. So much for true on Twitter’s part.
No doubt the democrats will be changing the textbooks very soon in that case. Because the books must be in error, right? Then again arent they the party who touts following the SCIENCE??? In this case they seem to favor “painting the roses red” like the Queen in Alice in Wonderland.
Why not identify the true villain here: If so called Catholic Joe Biden didn’t nominate a trannie to his New Epoch entourage this whole assault on free speech wouldn’t have happened. I wonder if it was a calculated bait for Catholics clinging to Mosaic Law and the teachings of Jesus Christ. Excommunication Now before Satan completely takes over.
I think Twitter is involved in hate conduct towards CWR.
This sounds like the same treatment that was given to the New York Post when they published the Hunter Biden laptop story. A Twitter competitor service Parler was recently deplatformed by Amazon Web Services. Parler’s apps were removed from the Apple and Google app stores. They are currently off-line until they can secure new hosting services.
Like printed and broadcast media, society needs to start publicly identifying and describing outlets by their deep seated biases–in some cases bigotry and bullying. Facebook and Twitter–You Tube becoming more so– are anti-Christian, pro socialist organizations. As private enterprises they may enjoy “free speech” and the power to dismiss or ignore those who differ from their life perspective, but I (and many others) find THEIR ideology deadly to both body and soul and therefore “hateful.” Moreover, what must be challenged in the courts, and soon, is also the right for other beliefs and opinions to enjoy platforms of communication, unencumbered by this popular mob mentality. Let us recall that prayer was removed from school because one atheist parent objected. We are a nation that constitutionally protects the individual and in his or her quest for freedom of religion, speech, and the press (now including electronic communication.)
“My administration will always rely on science… um, unless a man thinks he is a woman; then we will rely on fantasy.” – Bejing Biden.
If Catholic World Report can be found offensive everything can be. Where is our remarkably Catholic president and the American Catholic episcopate to be found at this moment? Hiding under their desks with their heads up their posteriors.
Give the devil an inch and he’ll take a mile.
We have brought this upon ourselves.
Calling Dr Levine a “woman” because he wears a dress and had surgery is as absurd as Ralph Northam an African American because he wears blackface.
I would hope that CWR and any other faithful Catholic voice would not use Twitter, Facebook or Youtube. Dependency on these satanic secular platforms is a scandal. It is obvious that faithful Catholic media outlets must band together and develop their own platform.
Many excellent Catholic comments here! Thank you, readers! You give me hope that we will succeed in combating this “social media”. Let’s keep reading, commenting and being God’s servant!
Three things occur to me with regard to this situation: (1) Twitter is a private company that, in a free democracy, is allowed to set its own rules about what it will support. It is an independent business and is not an arm of the government. No one is “entitled” to use their platform. If you don’t like their rules, don’t use them. The internet is your oyster. Either find some other platform that agrees with you or remove the rude descriptor that you used – which brings me to number 2. (2) If someone is a “biological male that identifies as a transgender female” it is, at the very least, rude to describe this person in that manner. The gender of this person has nothing to do with the job for which they have been hired, and bringing in your obvious disapproval of their personal struggle with gender IS “hateful.” It certainly isn’t compassionate, kind or respectful of the person you’re discussing. It is like saying, that she “is a mulatto who identifies as white.” Or how about, she is “a gray-haired lady who identifies as a redhead?” What about “She was born with an unsightly birth defect on her nose but identifies as a beautiful woman?” I could go on for days. (3) THE PROBLEM, really, is that some Catholics have decided that, instead of evangelizing the population so that they naturally perceive the good and the beautiful, it is now our job to force everyone else into behaving as if they belong to our faith by the use of mean, disrespectful and bullying tactics. You’re making us all look bad, ESPECIALLY in light of the massive number of sex abuse cases that have been in the news. NO ONE looks to us as beacons of moral rectitude. Not any more (if they ever did.)
I have, in the past, gotten pushback for my opinion about this. Very often, my fellow Catholics will say, “But it’s TRUE,” as if truth is the only criteria for what we will say about someone in public. Many things are true but should not be said. For instance, I am fat and I do my best to hide that fact with slimming clothes. If you wrote a tweet about me, would you find it necessary to label me as a fat women when tweeting about me? NO. While it is true that I am fat, it is rude, unkind and uncharitable to label me as such in public – ESPECIALLY if you’re talking about some other issue like a job to which I have just been appointed. The fact that the editors and writers of this paper don’t immediately SEE their error when it is pointed out by Twitter tells me that you are clueless. I think you should ask yourselves what good thing you expected to accomplish with your mean comment.
“It is an independent business and is not an arm of the government. No one is “entitled” to use their platform. If you don’t like their rules, don’t use them.”
What “rules”? Seriously. They insist the content was hateful, but that’s ludicrous. The “rules”, simply put, are whatever they want at the moment. There are countless Tweets out there that are actually nasty, hateful, and full of falsehood, but they went after this one. Hmmm.
“If someone is a ‘biological male that identifies as a transgender female’ it is, at the very least, rude to describe this person in that manner.”
Lord have mercy. It’s called “a fact”.
Fact is Mary Magdalene was a prostitute or adulterer! What did Jesus do?
Gotta love these sort of “gotcha!” attempts. This is about language and reality. Jesus didn’t shy away from the facts, did he? And the tweet/story in question was not mean, harsh, bigoted, or even judgmental.
It is about way more than language and “reality”. I actually agree with the point of view that the comment should not have been moderated and the CWR Twitter account locked although I think the wording in the reality of the social context was slightly ( and unnecessarily ) provocative. This is the reason for my comment, not a gotcha attempt. It could be equally said that the tweet was a “ gotcha” moment. Yes?
Does scripture refrain from describing Mary Magdalene accurately?
mrscracker, the question i’m asking people to reflect upon is how did Jesus respond to the situation Mary found herself in by the choices she made and the choice that the men who had been with her made in the circumstances and time they lived in. Then reflect upon how this would inform the public response of CRW via twitter to Dr Levine. Even more so the many comments made here in response.
Mary Magdalen was repentant, whatever her sins may have been. As for what Jesus did – he cast seven devils out of her, for one, and forgave her her sins.
St. Mary Magdalen did not obstinately persist in her sin and insist that everyone must deny reality by saying that what she did was not a sin. Nor did she cling fondly to the seven devils and invite them back when they had been cast out.
Please. What poppycock you post. Considering there are voters out there with a point of view similar to yours, one where ‘inconvenient truths’ should be suppressed in favor of appearing to be ‘nice’, I can almost make myself believe that Beijing Biden perhaps didn’t steal the November election….almost but not quite. What I have to say about Levine is that, whether he’s a doctor or not, I wouldn’t want a guy who dresses like him to so much as give me a haircut. I’d be afraid of laughing so hard that I’d cause him to cut my ear.
A sad reflection on the person of Jesus who you follow?
“Twitter is a private company that, in a free democracy, is allowed to set its own rules about what it will support. It is an independent business and is not an arm of the government.”
Twitter is claiming protection under a section of the law by insisting that it is not a publisher and therefore isn’t responsible for anything people post on it beause it doesn’t edit the content – and then edits the content.
“No one is “entitled” to use their platform. If you don’t like their rules, don’t use them.”
Twitter colludes with other big Internet companies and creates a monopoly. Parler, for example – removed by Apple from its app store, thrown off of servers by Amazon. The Bell System was broken up for less egregious behavior.
“Either find some other platform that agrees with you or remove the rude descriptor that you used – which brings me to number 2.”
It wasn’t a rude descriptor except possibly to hypersensitive and reality-denying snowflakes.
“(2) If someone is a “biological male that identifies as a transgender female” it is, at the very least, rude to describe this person in that manner.”
There is no such thing as a “transgender” anything. It is not possible to change one’s sex. Dr. Levine is a man. That he “identifies as a transgender female” is an indication of mental problems, just asit would be if he “idenfied as Napoleon Bonaparte” or “identified as a unicorn.”
“The gender of this person has nothing to do with the job for which they have been hired, and bringing in your obvious disapproval of their personal struggle with gender IS “hateful.””
People who knuckle under and refer to “gender” as if it’s something other than sex are a large part of the problem.
“It certainly isn’t compassionate, kind or respectful of the person you’re discussing.”
I consider that telling the truth is more compassionate, kind, and respectful than pretending that a lie is the truth and condescendingly pretending along with a person who is delusional.
“It is like saying, that she “is a mulatto who identifies as white.””
I looked up the definition of mulatto. “A person of mixed white and black ancestry, especially one having one white and one black parent.” It’s not a word that tends to be used anymore, so is hardly comparable to the word “man” or the phrase “biological male.” The more likely word would be “biracial” – “He is a biracial man who identifies as white.” Or, as in the case of Barack Obama, “He is a biracial man who identifies as black.” The point is that there is such a thing as a black man, and there is such a thing as a white man, and to identify more closely with one half of one’s heritage rather than another is not a denial of reality.
“Or how about, she is “a gray-haired lady who identifies as a redhead?””
A woman with gray hair can dye her hair red and thereupon becomes a redhead. Or she might have been a redhead once and her hair turned gray but she still thinks of herself as a redhead out of habit or because of other characteristics of many redheads, such as pale skin or eyebrows or eyelashes, may still remain. She is not pretending to be something it is not possible for her to be.
“What about “She was born with an unsightly birth defect on her nose but identifies as a beautiful woman?””
I know of nobody who would use a moronic phrase like “identifies as” in regard to beauty. It would be more likely something like “She was born with an unsightly birth defect on her nose but nevertheless thinks she is beautiful.” And she would not be demanding on pain of banishment from online conversation that everybody must, must, must agree that she is beautiful or they’re meaaaaaaaaan. In any event, beauty is subjective. Being a male or a female is a matter of scientific fact.
“I could go on for days.”
And no example that you could come up with would change the facts.
“THE PROBLEM, really, is that some Catholics have decided that, instead of evangelizing the population so that they naturally perceive the good and the beautiful, it is now our job to force everyone else into behaving as if they belong to our faith by the use of mean, disrespectful and bullying tactics.”
Your accusation is misplaced. The ones who are using mean, disrespectful, and bullying tactics are the ones denying the dominion of Nature and Nature’s God.
“You’re making us all look bad, ESPECIALLY in light of the massive number of sex abuse cases that have been in the news. NO ONE looks to us as beacons of moral rectitude. Not any more (if they ever did.)”
The sex abuse cases have nothing to do with this situation. And nobody will be a beacon of moral rectitude who cravenly caves in and allows people who are denying truth and reality to force their delusions on the world.
“I have, in the past, gotten pushback for my opinion about this. Very often, my fellow Catholics will say, “But it’s TRUE,” as if truth is the only criteria for what we will say about someone in public.”
Truth is not the only criterion, but it is vital, especially when the enemies of truth are trying to force one to deny it.
“Many things are true but should not be said. For instance, I am fat and I do my best to hide that fact with slimming clothes. If you wrote a tweet about me, would you find it necessary to label me as a fat women when tweeting about me?”
I am fat, too. If I used Twitter, which I don’t, I would not find it necessary to label you as a fat woman or even mention your weight, unless you were in all seriousness insisting that you were slender and that everybody must agree that you are because you say so, on pain of banishment from online conversation. And if you sincerely believed it I would question your mental fitness.
“NO. While it is true that I am fat, it is rude, unkind and uncharitable to label me as such in public – ESPECIALLY if you’re talking about some other issue like a job to which I have just been appointed.”
If you were insisting on being described as “Silver, a slender woman” when you are not, and trying to force others to do so, it wouldn’t be rude, unkind, or uncharitable to point out that you were either lying or delusional.
Dr. Levine is unsuited for this job not only because of his mental problems but because just before ordering New York nursing homes to accept people
infected with coronavirus who were released from hospitals he carefully removed his mother from her nursing home.
“The fact that the editors and writers of this paper don’t immediately SEE their error when it is pointed out by Twitter tells me that you are clueless.”
The fact that you think Twitter is a worthy arbiter of anything tells me the same about you.
“I think you should ask yourselves what good thing you expected to accomplish with your mean comment.”
I think that the good accomplished is the refusal to deny reality.
Bravo Leslie!
‘…personal struggle with gender IS “hateful”…’
Firstly, people still falling for this whole “gender” terminology is a sign of the times.
Every time someone imposes the loaded term “gender”, people are entitled to bring them back to terra firma with the right term >> sex. Much the same goes for resisting the pronoun policing – example: https://uwm.edu/lgbtrc/support/gender-pronouns/
Secondly, there is no “struggle” in the case of “Rachel Levine”. Down the line, all are required to celebrate the “identity”!
And in case anyone has still not woken up…
1) Stefonknee Wolscht – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3356084/I-ve-gone-child-Husband-father-seven-52-leaves-wife-kids-live-transgender-SIX-YEAR-OLD-girl-named-Stefonknee.html
2) The Nadir of Western Civilization – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e2KJ7tpQ88
3) ‘Identifying’ as ‘transracial’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzRxbqvGXzw
4) ‘TransSpecies’ Discrimination – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85fSBUbjE20
5) ‘Animal people’ – https://youtu.be/tJiXRGrZq3c?t=15
6) A ‘dog’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rZ_sR3KS34
7) ‘Identifying’ as a ‘cat’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLmwLcLikXQ
8) ‘Transgender Dragon’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d_nycoiLwo
9) ‘Gender Transcendent Mermaids’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=344vfUOXrtI
10) ‘Elf’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI57pUhW_-w
11) ‘Hexasexuals’ – https://hexasexual.com/ and their ‘manifesto’ – https://hexasexual.com/manifesto/
12) ‘Insect lovers’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXbTazg271A
13) ‘Engaged’ to a chandelier – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqdSLNgsybA
14) ‘Genderless alien’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lkybOCvLTA
15) ‘Identifying’ as a “virtuous pedophile” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-Fx6P7d21o
or a “non offending pedophile” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yWklRbXDOY
Wouldn’t they love to see 10-Year-Old Boys Dancing for Men at “Gay” Bars? >> Don’t be a Hater! >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNVB2al1e6o
Nothing to see here.
Move along, folks.
Be nice.
Smile.
Don’t hate.
You know – because Jesus said so!
Would you like the phone company to tell you what you are allowed to say on your phone? It is also a private company free to make their own rules. The problem is these social media sites have become virtual monopolies. “Find some other Platform”??? REALLY?? They have used their monopoly power to destroy the “alternate” platform Parler, declaring their postings unacceptable—-to THEM. Yet oddly places like facebook that had declaredand banned Republicans of ALL types “guilty” of something(??????) still permitted child porn on their site. It didnt violate their “rules”. Now if you believe conservative opinion is more dangerous than child porn, or the military threats of middle Eastern despots which were still being posted, I would say you have led an uninformed life.Have you heard of McCarthyism? Have you heard of guilt by association? Twitter and other social media are the new telephone for the general public and as such have a moral obligation to allow ALL political opinions on their site. Or they should be sued for attacking free speech.Are Trans a special protected class of people? If so, why? Why do their rights supercede the rights of a religious person? Why is a gay couple’s rights more important than the baker who refuses to make the cake?? Odd the media cancel out Republicans but not third world murderers or pornographers. Odd that they seem to support McCarthyism as long as conservatives are the victims. I have NEVER used Twitter or Facebook. I would urge everyone who doesnt want to support the suppression of free speech and religion here in the US to cancel their accounts to Twitter and Facebook immediately.
Ms. Parnell:
You are not making a serious statement when you write as you did the following:
“If someone is a “biological male that identifies as a transgender female” it is, at the very least, rude to describe this person in that manner. The gender of this person has nothing to do with the job for which they have been hired, and bringing in your obvious disapproval of their personal struggle with gender IS “hateful.” It certainly isn’t compassionate, kind or respectful of the person you’re discussing. It is like saying, that she “is a mulatto who identifies as white.”
It is not serious for you or any person to argue that this man Dr. Levine should be treated as if he is a woman because he wants others to treat him like he is a woman.
Dr. Levine is insane, because he wants to pretend that he doesn’t have to accept reality.
It is not serious for you to argue that this man Dr. Levine’s publicly pretending to be a woman “has nothing to do with the job for which they have been hired.” The fact that Dr. Levine is a man pretending to be a woman is the only reason why he was hired, and his hiring was a public act of defying reality by Biden, and a tyrannical demand from Biden that any citizen who respects reality will be called an enemy of the public.
It is not serious for you to argue that this man Dr. Levine’s pretending to be a woman is akin to the reality of a person’s race.
Your point of view is an outright rejection of reality, which is fundamentally unjust. The political consequence of publicly rejecting reality, which is a an act of injustice, is that your point of view requires that people respecting reality will be threatened with under force of unjust law if they refuse to deny reality.
Chris, your post and the logic expressed, is evidence of the pile on anyone commenting here is subject to who expresses a differing well expressed and articulated opinion. In reading Ms Parnell’s comment, i thought reasonable and of a legitimately serious nature and the substance of your disagreement in fact lacks substance and is anything but well thought out. To me it comes across as somewhat toxic in nature, a toxicity of the heart that permeates throughout these pages and pages and pages of commentary. God help those visiting these pages to read in the hope of finding out who Jesus is…..
Well, folks visiting these pages will at least find out Jesus is the Son of God, not the daughter.
🙂
mrscracker, in the beginning was the word. Answer me this question, what gender?
The word used for Word is Logos; it is a noun of the masculine gender.
If what you’re referring to is sex, Jesus was a man.
What ̶g̶ ̶e̶ ̶n̶ ̶d̶ ̶e̶ ̶r̶ sex was the Word in the beginning?
Some indirect responses to where that conversation can go…
1) http://simplecatholictruth.com/2016/10/30/why-is-god-portrayed-as-masculine-in-the-bible/
2) https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/is-god-gender-confused/
3) https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-abolition-of-man
4) https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/controversy/feminism/why-god-is-a-he.html
5) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=8279
6) https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2019/08/09/catholicism-masculine-and-feminine/
7) https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2015/04/10/the-battle-over-the-sexes-catholic-perspectives-on-the-gender-debate/
In any case, “transgenderism” cannot be justified by appealing to the perspective that the Word transcends the category of sex. Non sequitur.
That’s like saying wink-wink, hint-hint that since Jesus’ love transcends age and includes little children, “virtuous pedophiles” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-Fx6P7d21o and “non offending pedophiles” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yWklRbXDOY are right in taking a leaf from Him. Non sequitur.
C Hallam:
You, like the man Dr. Levine, are pretending that reality is not happening, and you, like Levine and Ms. Silver, are insisting that other people must pretend that reality is not happening, and that those who won’t pretend for them will be smeared and silenced with malicious censorship such as Ms. Parnell immediately employs, such as the label “hateful,” which is violent and coercive and unjust, the malicious and subversive tactic of the sex revolution.
Your appeal is an appeal for the toxic empire of The Lie, which is at war with reality, reason, logic, reasonableness, substance, which is always an appeal leading away from Jesus, even while you use his name.
Silver, I think you did a great job of explaining why Twitter and countless others would find the description of Dr. Levine offensive. Thank you!
I know why they would find it offensive: because liars hate the truth.
I am not on Twitter, or Facebook, or any other platform where I would be subject to the greatest array of proof for the abject sinfulness of Mankind. CWR, delete this stuff. You will survive without confirming yourself to the world… one day this culture will wake up, find itself craving to eat the pods of the pigs, and return home to the Father. Have faith, be patient.
From the Wikipedia profile of Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter:
Dorsey was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri,[8][9] the son of Tim and Marcia (née Smith) Dorsey.[10][11][12] He is of English, Irish, and Italian descent.[13] His father worked for a company that developed mass spectrometers and his mother was a homemaker.[14] He was raised Catholic, and his uncle is a Catholic priest in Cincinnati.[15] He attended the Catholic Bishop DuBourg High School. In his younger days, Dorsey worked occasionally as a fashion model.[16][17][18][19][20] By age 14, Dorsey had become interested in dispatch routing. Some of the open-source software he created in the area of dispatch logistics is still used by taxicab companies.[10] Dorsey attended the University of Missouri–Rolla for two-plus years (1995–97)[15] before transferring to New York University, but he dropped out in 1999,[21] one semester short of graduating.[15] He came up with the idea that he developed as Twitter while studying at NYU.[15][22]
I rather like the moniker someone on the Internet developed for Dorsey, Adolf Twittler.
LOL!!!!! THAT is FUNNY!!!!!!
Twitter is truly pathetic. They had done something similar with LifeSite News. I have left a comment on CWR quoting Twitter Support and denouncing their conduct. They truly are deeply intolerant of anyone not supporting their morally and intellectually bankrupt ideology.
“Political Correctness is Fascism dressed as manners” – indeed.
All the more reason not to use Twitter (or Facebook). Every Twitter and FB account that is created simply puts more money into the already filthy-rich pockets of Mark Z and Jack D. so they can further destroy our culture. Jump ship and join Parler once it returns, which it will.
DO NOT WASTE TIME ON TWITTER. (period) It is a juvenile compendium of Sophomoric trash. The Big-Handed Orange Embarrassment who abused the Power of the / OUR / Presidency conducted his communication on Twitter. THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS! no one should consider Twitter serious. TWITTER IS FOR TWITS.
Lots of buyer remorse among Biden voters has already started. Beginning with the pipe-fitters union who endorsed Biden and found themselves unemployed his first day in office along with 11,000 union workers when he destroyed the Keystone pipeline deal. Also, can’t wait to see how many millions of uneducated and unemployed illegals will now be pouring through the border.I have seen them on TV being interviewed saying that Biden promised he would help them. With OUR tax dollars, no doubt. Our border communities should kiss goodbye the lower crime rates that resulted from Trumps building of the wall and his immigration law enforcement.The 1776 Project of TRUE American history cancelled. he is already tampering with the Middle East peace progress Trump made possible. I hope the Jewish voters who supported Biden enjoy that. Many other Executive orders signed which were clearly not remotely thought through. But gee, having your country crash and burn is so much better than listening to a competent but sometime abrasive guy tweet ( which, ya know, could have been ignored). In fact, given how constantly he was attacked over NOTHING for 4 straight years, I found the man much calmer than I would have been in his place. Lets see if you are still smiling that we have Biden in another 6 months, honey.Somehow I doubt it.
You are missing an important point. Main stream media was censoring, misrepresenting, distorting and ignoring President Trump’s accomplishment. He had little choice but to communicate directly using the avenues available. He was a communicator — witness his unrivaled availability to the press and contrast it with the current “Roman Catholic” interloper clutching power in the Oval Office. I offer this as one who has never even crossed Twitter’s path and essentially agree with you that it appears to be an gravely abused means of communication — but then we would have acknowledge the gross reality that nothing is any longer handled with respect in Church or society. We inhabit a time of unique decay and decomposition of the social order. It has been long in coming but the mid-century council was the decapitation of Catholicism — Judaism, Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy had already been castrated, Catholicism had to go next. “Cult” extinguished culture evaporates or a new “culture” is supported by a confected fraudulent idolatrous cult. We are observing that being accomplished at this moment.
Man! In all charity, Levine should not have attempted womanhood. Pearls and lipstick won’t help.
I just checked out his photo. Wow!
liberalism is a mental disease. Never give in or change because of the democrats who have stolen the election.
Cancel twitter, facebook, and Instagram, snap chat … and use gab.com and telegram. Currently, those two sites are allowing free speech.
The most important thing you have as a publisher is your audience (and your email list). Social Media does not represent the minds of good Catholics or Americans. Instead, social media is a part of the propaganda machine of left leaning FASCISTS who will do whatever they can want to silence TRUTH. Providing great content and pumping it out via email to interested people is a better option.
CWR and all Catholic and Christian/Jewish organizations should not NOT be on twitter or facebook … you cry foul, yet you keep playing the game … Who’s the bigger fool here … I’m a strict Catholic Conservative but I’m not on twitter or facebook … I’m on GAB, MeWE and Parler …
Re: the suggestion that the tweet was unkind and making analogies to publicly describing another person in an insensitive manner. This individual is in public office and representing the public so no, the etiquette is not comparable. It is a necessary good to discuss the agendas behind appointments such as this; therefore being silenced for breaching politically imposed polarized etiquette is indeed a violation of rights. It’s dangerous. We do indeed need to stand up for the right to discuss things in the public interest truthfully. We do need to be able to discuss what issues we have with these matters; and what is right and wrong. Yes we need to be allowed to say we don’t support the transgender language paradigm.
While I strongly disagree with the actions taken by Twitter and Facebook in the past year as biased assaults on free speech and opinion, I now believe that unless the the US government changes the companies’ status from platforms to publisher, and thus editor of content, the best thing to do is to stop using and investing in them as with any other product. The present administration is unlikely to pursue this issue when the social media big guys support secular progressive ideals as means to social control.
It’s clear and obvious CWR was making a point. There is no need for the reference to assigned sex at birth since that is implicit in the description of the person as transgender. The only point of the redundancy is to inflame a certain segment of readers with hostile attitudes towards transgender people.
For the record: false. Period.
Why the problem with truth?
‘Hostile attitude towards transgender people’…
Where is your hostility for the truth instead of a confirmation of a ‘process’ that isn’t and is unable to do what it claims? Which does tremendous damage down the line; the reality now or continue to embrace a stunning lie that damages life beyond repair in the name of radical self-autonomy?
Sex is not “assigned at birth,” it is recognized. If I look at a geranium and say “Oh, look, a geranium,” I’m not “assigning it” as a geranium, I’m recognizing the fact that it is one.
There is no such thing as a “transgender” person. One cannot change one’s sex, and gender (when not a grammatical matter) is merely a synonym for sex. Do stop trying to push your bizarre, unscientific – in fact, anti-scientific – nonsense on us.
See last two paragraphs of http://archphila.org/archbishop-chaputs-first-synod-intervention-at-the-synod-2018-on-young-people-the-faith-and-vocational-discernment-october-4-2018/ – it is referring to Church documents but the basic principle can be adopted elsewhere too. It may seem harsh but that is just a (wrong) perception – it is only a case of ‘tough love’.
Any opposition – what is gaslighted as “hostile attitude” – is directed only toward acts / behaviors / false and dangerous “identities” that are harmful to an individual as well as to society.
The sinner is always loved; the door is always open to all of us sinners. The sin is always hated and resisted keeping the welfare/best interest both of the sinner and the community in mind.
What a waste that Jack Dorsey was raised Catholic and even has an uncle who is a priest. What an asset he could be for Truth.
Comments that express a toxicity of heart – like all of the false accusations you hurled against Cardinal Pell on this very site for months. We haven’t forgotten. “Remove the beam from your own eye first…”
Mr. Hallam,
Thank you for your question about that scripture verse. Posting comments can be a bleesing or a curse. In this case it’s a blessing because I’ve been given an opportunity first thing Sunday morning to get out my Catechism and Bible for some reading.
From what I see in my mother’s bible, “the Word” as used by St John was to designate Christ as a distinct Divine Person emanating from the Father and who became man in order to reveal God to us and accomplish our redemption.
So in short, the Son of God who St. John naturally describes as “he”.
My Catechism states that the Trinity may be a mystery but it’s not a contradiction.
Christians are never called to be unkind to others by word or actions but we are also called to witness to the truth. It’s a balancing act sometimes but we should strive for both.
Your not the only one that got locked out for the same subject. One of “Focus on the Family”, “The Daily Citizen” is also locked out because of the same subject that they posted on Twitter. From what they are stating they have not received any response from Twitter from the appeal.
May I suggest that the Catholic World Report stop badmouthing the Pope. Weigel and other contraries to Papa Bergoglio are reducing the Catholic World Report to nothing more than a sounding box for their vitriol.