Wednesday, November 10, 2004

YEAH, THAT'S ANOTHER LIFE LONG GOAL TO CHECK OFF...


I actually made it into an article in the November 2004 issue of Elle magazine.

[Good Lord! A fashion magazine!]

They have a feature running this month on Barbara Hall called "Heaven Can't Wait" - or something like that. It's primarily about Barb's spiritual journey, and so the reporter interviewed me as the person who had met with Barb for RCIA.

The piece isn't bad. It isn't great either. They are desperately trying to make Barbara Hall someone they can live with in the story. They got her to own up to being a Democrat, and then insinuated that she is pro-choice and pro-gay rights by citing her saying 'The Church has to evolve."

[the rolling of eyeballs]

Everyone over the last 2,000 years who has said the Church needs to "evolve" is now dead. And the Church rolls on somehow....But in three years of knowing her, I've never heard Barbara make that kind of comment. It made me mad because she's much more circumspect than that, and putting those words in that context makes her come off as one more blue-state Hollywood cliche. And she's really not. So, I'm officially taking a little bit of umbrage for my friend.

After the story was written, the editorial fact-checker called me and wanted to be sure that Barbara and I were actually in fact Roman Catholics. She said (paraphrase) "The editors were confused because of your emphasis on encouraging spiritual and intellectual questioning. That didn't seem to match with the Catholic Church as they have ever experienced it."

[good grief....oh, did I say that already?....Sheesh!]

I suggested that maybe they needed to expand their experience.

The best part of the piece from my standpoint, was not anything I said, but rather something that was said to me, that I was happy to pass on. On the day she was received into the Church, when Barbara went up to receive her first Communion, her ten year old daughter, faith leaned over to me and said, 'This is making her very happy."

I thought that was so neat. Here was a woman who runs television shows, with immense cultural power and influence, who has more money than she can ever spend, with talent to burn in several art forms, and who is on the receiving end of much of the best things the world has to give, but, it was God who was making her really happy.

Lovely.

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm confused. I've read again and again in this blog and in people's comments to this blog that anyone who professes to be a Democrat cannot then profess to be pro-life or against special rights for gays -- it's all or nothing; black and white. Yet now I am reading that you think Barbara Hall was maligned by Elle because they made some assumptions about her beliefs based on her political affiliation. If Barbara Hall as a thoughtful Democrat is *more circumspect* and not just *one more blue-state Hollywood cliche*, wouldn't it follow that there likely are other Democrats that fit that category? I don't mean to beat a dead horse with this stuff, but I can't help but question these inconsistencies.
Christy

WGA Member said...

Hey Christy - thanks for keeping the vast editorial Board of Church of the Masses honest.

Actually, I have never said you can't be pro-life and Democrat. My parents are both Democrats, (my mother ran for office as a Democrat). I would say you can't be a happy pro-life Democrat. But you can certainly be a sad one.

Anonymous said...

Ohmigosh, I can't believe your parents are Dems! Do they know you're outting them? ha
Yes, we pro-life Democrats are very sad these days. Actually, I'm thinking of re-registering as Independent. Abortion, embryonic stem cell research, loserhounds Kerry and Daschle...there's not much to feel good about in the democratic party these days. sigh
Christy

Anonymous said...

Another option is to be Democrat and vote in the primaries for the best pro-lifer around. Then vote for whomever is not at least a mortal sin in your judgement. If the answer is none of the above, write in a name or vote for an acceptable third party candidate that get's your point across.

"The editors were confused because of your emphasis on encouraging spiritual and intellectual questioning. That didn't seem to match with the Catholic Church as they have ever experienced it." What a hoot. What better evidence that we are truly the church of Israel than our love for questioning everything and anything. There are millions of pages of Catholics discussing and pondering everything from the number of angels on the head of a pin to the most sublime mysteries of God. These literary types have been in a cultural and historical vacuum. Someone send them something to fill that vacuum. Quick!

Therese Posting anonymously cause I forgot the password again!

Anonymous said...

Um, I've heard Barbara Hall say in speeches that the Church has to evolve. And how can anyone who saw how the Church dealt with the Boston crisis and similar situations in Louisville, LA, etc, not agree with that?

Saying the Church has to evolve isn't a sacrilege. The Church is a living, breathing thing.

And Barbara, unfortunately, your statement that the Church hasn't evolved in 2000 years is kinda ridiculous. For example, priests' vow of chastity, that wasn't from Christ's era -- that was a development in the Middle Ages. Part of the Church's evolution. Vatican II, that was also a part of the Church's evolution.

Let's not hate the Church for being a living, breathing thing that organically develops with the times. I don't think any of us would want to be a part of the Church that existed in 400 AD. Or the Church that sponsored the Crusades.

At least I don't.

Anonymous said...

Miles, I love that you said *I do.* You put a smile on my face! I'm in love with our church, too -- warts and all.
Christy

Anonymous said...

Really, I don't see why anyone should find it surprising that Barbara Hall would say that the Church should "evolve" on certain issues. Do you watch her shows? She's never really addressed the abortion issue strongly, but she's very gay-friendly, featuring this season (in "The Election), on JOA, as one commentor said, "more male-on-male action than we've seen in five years of Will and Grace." One of her writers also has credits on "The L Word" - Showtime's lesbian soap/drama.

I'm glad she's Catholic, too, but watching Joan of Arcadia, I frankly don't feel like I'm watching the show of a Catholic, even an open-minded, searching Catholic. I feel like I'm watching the show in which "God" is used as a gimmick and who spouts watered-down Kahil Gibran as "theology." Nothing great, at all.

Anonymous said...

Following in my humble opinion or personal observation

“Everyone over the last 2,000 years who has said the Church needs to "evolve" is now dead.“

Kind of confused by that statement it sounded like the Catholic Church does not evolve.

The Church has evolved over time. Sometimes in the way that a particular person wanted the Church to evolve and sometimes differently and not in the way that a particular person wanted the Church to evolve but the Catholic Church has evolved.

In example the Church that for centuries used to execute (or support the execution of) gays, heretics, witches and others has evolved to being against any death penalty.

I would think that a Catholic would have trouble being happy in either the Democratic or Republican party. You either have to deal with people who support abortion (dems) or deal with people who support the death penalty (republican) {all generalizations of course trying to keep this short}

My observation of Catholic Church policy right now tends to be quite liberal on many social economic policies and quite conservative on many moral policies. So in my observation it could be quite hard to be happy much in either party.

I observe in the Democratic party you have a powerful minority of lasped Catholics and various anti conservative religious people. (Holly wood their stereotypical home) In the Republican party you have a powerful minority of the type of radical Protestants who still have elements of the old Prodistant vs. Catholic conflict in their beliefs and/or don’t consider Catholics Chirstians at all. (Stereotypical home the South)

{I don’t have personal experience with Hollywood type but I have had many encounters or observations of the anti Catholic Protestants in the south}

I’m not a Catholic but I have a great respect for the Catholic Church. Although I often have disagreements with Catholic doctrine I find the arguments deep, well thought out and logically consistent. On the other hand as a moderate liberal protestant I often find the arguments of the conservative Protestants quite illogical and simple. (Not always but too often)

I have observed an ignorance of the other sides point of view is a quite common problem currently. People are tending to only pay attention to media that support their views. I try to observe and interact at least part of the time with media and people I disagree with even if sometimes I greatly dislike the experience. So after the current election many on both sides could not understand how the other side thinks the way they do but I felt that I had at least a partial understanding of how both sides thought.

I did not intend this to be Anonymous I just wanted to post without having to sign up to Blogger yet.

I’m Milferd at Milferd@mac.com

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