There are some, and it has even been debated in the pages of this newspaper, who doubt anti-Catholicism actually exists. The answer to this is yes, it most certainly does exist if you mean prejudice against those who practice their Catholic faith, and attempt to live a holistic life according to its standards and teachings.
The problem is that it is not just Catholicism that is under attack. It is belief in God in general and in Christianity in particular. In recent weeks, film director Kevin Smith (who can hardly be considered a pious man, with works of his like the 1999 film, “Dogma”), suffered a massive heart attack. Film actor, Chris Pratt, a practicing Christian, tweeted to Smith, stating that Smith was in Pratt’s prayers. The backlash against Pratt’s social media comment was severe, saying that it was a waste to pray.
Pratt’s collaborator in his Marvel films, director James Gunn, came to Pratt’s defense and spoke of the efficacy of prayer. Smith finally weighed in and stated how much he appreciated any prayers! The attack on prayer, which is seen as nothing more than a useless gesture at best, and an inane trope at worst, was also seen in social media attacks by singer Bette Midler and novelist Stephen King after the horrific Florida school shootings last month. Yes, actions need to be taken, but prayer is also essential.
The consistently anti-Christian Joy Behar, of ABC TV’s “The View,” was again attacking Vice President Michael Pence last week on air, this time stating that he was mentally ill for an attempt to listen to the voice of God. This follows up with what is her most blatantly anti-Christian message from 2008, also on “The View,” in which she states: “I’m going to get in trouble for this, but you know what? I have a theory that you can’t find any saints any more because of psycho-tropic medication. I think that the old days the saints were hearing voices and they didn’t have any thorazine to calm them down. (laughter) Now that we have all of this medication available to us, you can’t find a saint any more.”
The more we support values and messages that are anti-theist, anti-Christian and anti-Catholic by smiling politely or by laughing hysterically, the more we as Christians prove that our faith does not matter to us in a practical, day-by-day basis. It’s time for us who believe in the power of prayer to first let our prayers sincerely be
lifted for Behar and for all who need our prayers, whether they want them or not.
