Alive! Free Catholic Newspaper

[The OD]

Does anyone get this in their letterbox? I seem to get it on a regular basis, usually pay it no real mind, but had a flick through the recent edition and was surprised, to say the least with two articles in it one which seems to oppose the cervical cancer vaccine (a promiscuity jab I think it was called?) and also the idea that children should be thought what to think instead of how to think, the basis being that they cannot possibly be able to make up their minds on every issue put to them so they must fall back to what they are told - the article was actually prefaced with the tag line ''Bart Simpson teaching children how to think''.

How influential is this publication? It seems to me to be overly right wing in its attitude, dismissing such topics as climate change amongst other things? I asked a friend who is a practicising Catholic and she finds that it suffer from a complete lack of humility and whilst she would agree with the points of some articles, would shy away from the confrontational and paranoid attitude of the writers.

I for one enjoy reading about others beliefs, I dont always agree with them but find it interesting nonetheless, but the two articles above would seem worrying - I can understand Catholic opposition to issues like abortion, contraception, stem cell research and euthanasia, no issue there (in terms of understanding their viewpoint), but find the opposition to a life saving vaccine and how children should think to be somewhat bizarre?

Thoughts?

[meriwether2]

I used to get picke dup at a church regularly once upon a time when I had to go somewhere, and it was always in the porch.

Anyway, its a pile of demented nonsense.

[the_Observer]

I read a copy once. It took a nice long walk to calm me down.

[farnaby]

You make it sound on the verge of reasonable. Reading it (as I do frequently) is like a glimpse into the Christian fundamentalist mindset we thought limited to the US. Constantly and gleefully prophesising the demise of the EU; bemoaning any deviation from 1950s sexual morality and gender roles; hinting at climate change and evolution denial...

I particularly recommend the article in the latest edition that declared (based on some bishop's remarks) that Obama was leading the USA towards despotism. It's only half way through the article that the basis for this is revealed - some legislation relating to health care workers and abortion...

[tmesis2008]

Alive! is I suspect an embarrassment to the established church in this country (or, at least it should be). It's also pure comedy gold. You couldn't make it up, if you wanted to.

[TradCat]

It probably does on no harm to read a newspaper one disagrees with now and again. I like to take the Socialist Worker occasionally for that very reason.

[Andrew49]

According to Wiki: Wiki_live!_(newspaper)

It has a circulation of over 300,000. The present editor is Fr. Brian McKevitt. The newspaper is recruiting non-Catholic Christians (particularly "disaffected anglicans") for conversion at the present time. It also preaches the Gospel to disenchanted people of the lower classes and opposes "the evil of the contraceptive act".

I thought "disaffected Anglicans" were once disaffected Roman Catholics !!!

And who exactly are the 'lower orders' ?? Are they Religious Orders on a downward slope?

Gosh there's a lot about Roman Catholicism I don't know or understand.

Thank god!

[The OD]

You make it sound on the verge of reasonable. Reading it (as I do frequently) is like a glimpse into the Christian fundamentalist mindset we thought limited to the US. Constantly and gleefully prophesising the demise of the EU; bemoaning any deviation from 1950s sexual morality and gender roles; hinting at climate change and evolution denial...

I particularly recommend the article in the latest edition that declared (based on some bishop's remarks) that Obama was leading the USA towards despotism. It's only half way through the article that the basis for this is revealed - some legislation relating to health care workers and abortion...

I ''make it sound reasonable'', because the line taken by the publishers seems to be one of paranoid defensiveness. Attacking people like this seems to be exactly what they are hoping for so they can put on their martyrs hats and feel all warm and cuddly.

I'm not going to fall into that trap with them - I suspect the people who publish it are in a minority of Catholics anyway, but dont want to give them anything to be crying about (I can see the headline next time out - Evil Online Liberals attack us because we hate Baby Jesus, or something similar?).

[The OD]

It probably does on no harm to read a newspaper one disagrees with now and again. I like to take the Socialist Worker occasionally for that very reason.

Me also, I read a variety of things, online and in print that I dont agree with in the least, but its good to get an idea into how others think, always a worthwhile exercise and one many religiously fundamental people would do well to practice?

[CookieMonster]

I've read it a number of times. Once I got very angry and threw it away and once it reduced me to tears with laughter. I see no harm in it though, I suspect all it does is preach to the converted.