Pope Joan

Get ready everyone.
A new movie is being filmed that, sadly, many will not recognize as fiction . . . . but as a real biography. You know the routine. We have been through this before with different levels of infiltration into our culture . . . think, Da Vinci Code.

This movie is about "Pope Joan," an alleged Pope in the middle ages who was secretly a woman. The film is scheduled to start filming next month and stars John Goodman. It is based on a 2005 book* by Donna Woolfolk which was touted as an historical (fiction?) novel.
I love how Creative Minority Report describes it: "The film looks to be heavy on the sex and pretty short on theology as the Pope's got a steamy love interest in the Vatican. You know, because too much theology might make it not suitable for children."

Here's the myth of Pope Joan, according to Patrick Madrid:
In the middle ages, an extraordinarily brilliant young woman entered a theological university disguised as a man. Her intellect outstripped her male classmates and she shot to the top rank of students. Her brilliance was so widely acknowledged that she eventually became Cardinal and finally "Pope Joan," by hiding her gender. No one knew she was a woman until, during a papal procession through the streets of Rome, she went into labor and gave birth to a child. She and the baby were killed on the spot by the crazed Catholic mob, enraged at her imposture.

Here is some more of what CCR says:

"So, the movie looks to be a whole forbidden love thing. Now, of course, there's no evidence of any of this being even close to true but believers point to the lack of evidence as proof of a cover-up by the Church. Convenient, right?

And you know that when this trash hits the screens, there will be many specials, documentaries, and promotional interviews about Pope Joan and female ordination. Fr. Richard McBrien will be quoted in the New York Times saying, "if it's not true it should be." Larry King will ask Bill Donahue what the female Pope might say about the Church if she were alive today and Donahue will actually explode right there in front of the cameras. And Pope Joan will still be seen by many "Entertainment Tonight" watchers as a real biography of one of the first feminists who made it to the top of the all boy's Catholic Church."

Remember Christ said His Church would be persecuted right till the end.

When people question me I do not plan to waste time debating whether there was ever a Joan. I think it makes sense to approach such discussions from a different perspective.

If there had been a female impostor pope, this would just mean that an invalid election had taken place, nothing more. Other invalidly elected claimants to the papal office have come and gone over the centuries, and the fact that a woman made that list would simply mean that a woman made that list, She would not have been pope - no one invalidly elected would be. And nothing in the Church's teachings about the papacy would be injured or disproved.

(Thank you Patrick Madrid for this wording!)

* This is not the first book written on this subject.
Emmanuel Royidis wrote the novel, Pope Joan (1954)
& Liv Ullmann starred in a film called, Pope Joan, in 1972

Vatican Timeline

I found this Vatican Timeline at VaticanTimeline.com. I thought it looked like a great Easter present for the family. At $25.00 it isn't inexpensive but looks to be of high quality.

Has anyone any experience with this company?

They also offer a Vatican Board Game. The author is Stephen Haliczer is a Distinguished Research Professor at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. Dr. Haliczer received his B.A. from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, and his Ph.D. from St. Andrew's University in Fifeshire, Scotland.

Here is an interesting quote of Haliczer's:

"The Vatican board game really is an effort to dispel some of the mythology surrounding the Catholic Church. In popular culture there’s not only a great deal of curiosity about the inner workings of the Catholic Church, there’s also a great deal of confusion because of the secretive nature of some of its deliberations and processes. . . . I think (playing this game will help people) understand a great deal more about it, and they’ll see that the process involves a careful nurturing of talent over a long period of time. In other words the cardinals that do emerge as possible papal material are cardinals that are seasoned. They have a distinguished record in a pastoral sense as archbishops. For example Pope Benedict XVI, as Archbishop of Munich, was very widely respected in his role as pastoral leader. And then they have experience in two very important areas, serving in episcopal organizations like bishops conferences and synods on the one hand, and serving the central administration of the church, the curia. My game reflects that."

H/T to VoxNova's contributor Blackladder for this find. Original VoxNova post here.

Happy Chinese New Year!

By the Chinese calendar, 2008 is the Year of the Rat.

Our family will be making Chinese food for dinner tonight (Chicken Orange Stir Fry). Then we plan to watch Ratatouille as we sew Valentine gift bags.

Clash of cultures? Nah!

We like to think of it as a colorful kaleidoscope of cultures.

Our dinner recipe for Chicken Orange Stir Fry

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 boneless, skinless organic chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Sauce:
• 1/3 cup orange juice* (*If this flavor is too overpowering, mix orange juice and water to make the 1/3 cup)
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon chile paste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 slice ginger, minced
  
• Oil for stir-frying, as needed

PREPARATION:

Place the cubed chicken in a bowl, and add the marinade ingredients. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce ingredients and the garlic and ginger.

Heat the wok (or big, deep skillet) and add oil.

When oil is ready, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until aromatic.

Add the chicken and stir-fry until it changes color. Push up to the sides of the wok (or skillet), making a well in the middle. Add the sauce.

Combine the sauce and the chicken. Stir-fry for another minute and serve hot. We eat this with brown & wild rice.

Decent Films

Decent Films is an example of the private sector providing reliable reviews for movies.
If you are not familiar with it --- check it out! You will probably want to bookmark it (especially if you have kids).

Here is a "copy and paste" from their about us page:

Decent Films Guide is a site of film appreciation, information, and criticism informed by Christian faith.

Decent Films is the online home of the film writing of Steven D. Greydanus, who is film critic for the National Catholic Register. A member of Online Film Critics Society and the Faith & Film Critics Circle, he also writes for Christianity Today Movies and Catholic Exchange.

He appears weekly on the syndicated radio show “Heart, Mind, & Strength,” hosted by Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak, and is a recurring guest on the “Catholic Answers Live” radio show. He contributes monthly to “Life on the Rock” on EWTN television, and has been a regular guest on Relevant Radio.

Steven’s work has been published in Catholic World Report magazine, This Rock magazine, and elsewhere. He has also written for the Office of Film and Broadcasting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, EWTN.com.

Steven has a BFA in Media Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York, and an MA in Religious Studies from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook, PA.

He lives in New Jersey with his wife Suzanne and their five children.

Features of the Decent Films Guide

The Decent Films Guide has useful features to help users evaluate and choose films. Features of the website include:

• A rigorous but easy-to-use four-part ratings system that evaluates films for overall recommendability, artistic-entertainment value, moral-spiritual value, and age-appropriateness.
• Robust new search options that allow the user to browse and search reviews by a wide range of criteria, including film title, genre, or any of the Decent Films ratings.
• Ratings information from the Motion Picture Association of America and the US bishops Office of Film and Broadcasting.

The Golden Compass -- good review of info

I wrote a post on The Golden Compass on November 1, 2007. Today I found a movie review that kind of put information together in an easy to read fashion. Before I copy and paste into my blog let me preface this by letting you know where I stand in the world of opinions on this genre of entertainment (be it movie or book).

I am actually a huge Harry Potter fan. So, I do not consider myself ultra conservative when it comes to literature and movies. I have recently heard that the spells the Hogwarts students use were researched by Rawlings and are verbatim black magic spells. That did not make me happy but I still like the stories. And when this whole Gay Albus Dumbledore info surfaced I was disappointed in Rawlings for jumping on the gay bandwagon -- I think she did it to sell more books and movies. It's cool to be gay? Well, hey, guess what.... Albus Dumbledore is gay.
Yeah right! And if he really was -- then it sure looked like he lead a celibate life. There is no sin in being a homosexual. Giving into those temptations is a sin -- as is adultery -- you know all this.

So now you know something about the person writing this post. Here is the movie review and it is from the Diocese of La Crosse. I really like how it is in question answer form and footnoted.

New Movie Release - The Golden Compass —Diocese of La Crosse So, what is the big deal about this movie? Why should parents be concerned? The movie The Golden Compass is the first book of the trilogy, His Dark Materials. Parents need to be concerned because it attacks the foundation of the Catholic Faith.1 Author, Philip Pullman says, • “My books are about killing God.”2 • “I am all for the death of God.”3 • “I’m trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.”4 The author is an atheist, but how does that affect the film? “Though much of Pullman’s trilogy involves… mystical worlds with talking animals and magical witches, the underlying theme is no simple fantasy. In the fictional universe of His Dark Materials, there is no real God; rather there is a high angel called the Authority, who purports to be God.”5 The Catholic Church, frequently called the Magisterium, is portrayed as the dark force to be overcome. Isn’t His Dark Materials just fiction? It is fiction but it presents good as evil and evil as good. It portrays the evil of dark, demonic forces that battle God and ultimately kill God. So a film like this (and especially the trilogy it is based on) invites us to join forces against God. How is the Golden Compass different from Narnia and the Lord of the Rings? The Chronicles of Narnia are a fantasy representing the battle between God and His followers and Satan and his devils. In the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien shows the power of God and His grace and invites the reader to join Him. Pullman’s trilogy, His Dark Materials, promotes the lie that evil can ultimately defeat God. But we know that Jesus’ death on the Cross has already won the ultimate victory. Why can’t kids go to it as a fun, fantasy movie? What am I to tell my child? It is no simple fantasy. It is about evil being presented in an enticing and glamorous way. As the first teachers and protectors, parents would not allow their children to be desensitized to evil so that it becomes commonplace and they no longer recognize it as dangerous and seek to avoid it. It is the same as saying that parents would not let their children drink poison. Tell your children that this movie is definitely poison for the soul. In the Our Father, Jesus taught us clearly to pray, deliver us from evil.6 Jesus does not want us to toy with evil even when it looks fascinating. The producers say any references to the Catholic Church have been removed. Doesn’t this leave the movie as just a fun fantasy adventure? The references to the Catholic Church have been removed from the movie but a different word has been substituted, it is the Magisterium. The producers of the movie are not stupid. They have removed some of the most sinister aspects against Christianity. But don’t be fooled. The fundamental direction of the story is the same even if it has been sanitized and Pullman’s goal is to entice people to read his books and reject God. The books are much more detailed, more evil, and they attack, with a hateful vengeance, priests, nuns, bishops, the Mother of God and the Pope. What is Pullman’s philosophy and how is it dangerous? Pullman’s worldview is a world without God. He thinks the very idea of God needs to be destroyed. Pullman spreads his hatred for religion through these books. The Christian worldview is that God is our loving Father. We cannot exist without Him; God created us and has given us everything out of love. To believe in God and embrace Him for all eternity is the joy and very center of our lives. How can we use this movie’s debut as a teaching experience? Talk about this with your children. Do not be in denial that evil exists and that skilled marketers can disguise it and make it look attractive. We need to have a healthy level of concern about the power of evil even though Satan does not have equal power with God and cannot defeat God. Satan is a fallen angel who hates God and wants us to hate God.7 We love God and therefore we reject Satan and all his evil. This is why you promised at baptism: “to reject the glamour of evil and refuse to be mastered by sin.” What should Catholic parents do? Please do not go to the movie and do not buy the books. Return the books if you have already bought them. Spread the message to family and friends. Embrace the positive movies that have come from Hollywood like the Chronicles of Narnia or read the Lord of the Rings, and refuse to give your money or your approval to “Dark Materials” that try to snuff out the Light.8 1 1 John 4:1-4 “…every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God.” 2 Tony Watkins, Dark Matter, pp. 21, 152. 3 Philip Pullman, www.books.guardian.co.uk 4 Alona Wartofsky, “The Last Word; Philip Pullman’s Trilogy for Young. Adults Ends With God’s Death, and Remarkably Few Critics,” Washington Post, Feb. 19, 2001. 5 The Golden Compass: Agenda Unmasked, Catholic League. p. 7. 6 Matthew 6:13, Philippians 4: 8 7 See Revelation 12:7-9; John 8:44; I John 2:18-25; Catechism of the Catholic Church, #391. 8 Wisdom 4: 12 “ … the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good.” One last thought from me, Soutenus. . . . "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Phil 4:8).

The Golden Compass

A movie called, "The Golden Compass" is to be released this December. It stars Nicole Kidman and will be highly marketed around the world. We need to get the word out about this movie
~~> an atheist produced it (just a fact to lend background info to what I have to tell you next)
~~> it is marketed for children and
~~> in the end they kill God.

The series' author, Philip Pullman, is an avowed atheist who has averred that "I don't profess any religion; I don't think it's possible that there is a God." Critics of Pullman's books point to the strong anti-religion and anti-God themes they incorporate, and although literary works are subject to a variety of interpretations, Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald that "My books are about killing God." (Conservative British columnist Peter Hitchens labeled Pullman "The Most Dangerous Author in Britain" and described him as the writer "the atheists would have been praying for, if atheists prayed.")

Please pass the word along - many unsuspecting parents will be taking their children to see this movie - it is important to unmask the truth about its meaning.

Here is part of what The Catholic League's writes about on this subject -- even if you do not like the reputation of The Catholic League -- it is still good info.:

"A film called "The Golden Compass" opens December 7. It is based on the first book of a trilogy titled His Dark Materials. The author of this children's fantasy is Philip Pullman, a noted English atheist. It is his objective to bash Christianity and promote atheism. . . TO KIDS.

"The Golden Compass" is a film version of the book by that name, and it is being toned down so that Catholics, as well as Protestants, are not enraged.

The second book of the trilogy, The Subtle Knife, is more overt in its hatred of Christianity than the first book, and the third entry, The Amber Spyglass, is even more blatant. Because "The Golden Compass" is based on the least offensive of the three books, and because it is being further watered down for the big screen, some might wonder why parents should be wary of the film.

The film is bait for the books: unsuspecting parents who take their children to see the movie may be impelled to buy the three books as a Christmas present. And no parent who wants to bring their children up in the faith will want any part of these books.

Note from Soutenus: I believe it is important that all Christians, especially those with children or grandchildren, read the booklet that can be ordered here. Anyone who does will be armed with all the ammo they need to let friends and family members know that there is nothing innocent about Pullman's agenda. Though the movie promises to be fairly non-controversial, it may very well act as an inducement to buy Pullman's trilogy, His Dark Materials. And remember, his twin goals are to promote atheism and denigrate Christianity. TO KIDS. Our school is pulling any reading books, picture books, activity books, stickers or promo materials for The Golden Compass that Scholastic sends our way. Adding this to the list of books that we pull from our Scholastic Book fairs, I want our school to discontinue ANY sales in partnership with Scholastic but that is not to be quite yet.

For snopes fans:
Even the snopes.com site has verified this.
http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

Please get the word out.