Thursday, January 31, 2013

The Egotistic World of Catholic Bloggers

Allow me to be up front and say right off the bat that we Catholic bloggers are a puffed-up lot.  It takes a certain amount of hubris to put the things out there that we do for the world to see, and an even bigger amount of hubris to assume anyone reads it or that we're in a position to tell other Catholics what they should and shouldn't do.

Let me be even more up front and say that I don't care much for Patheos.  I have a problem with Catholics who blog for profit.  I know that some of the folks who visit me here are faithful readers of that site and I'm not knocking you, believe me.  It's just that I am not inclined to help lay people profit from that which many fine bloggers do for nothing except their own personal satisfaction and the off chance that a soul may be helped by what they write.  I haven't read a word on Patheos that could hold a candle to the gems one Mr Richard Collins puts forth on an almost-daily basis.

Every so often, there is a dust-up.  It seems to involve a gentleman named Mark Shea quite frequently.  I honestly would not know him if I fell over him.  (Nothing personal Mark, but there are many other fine but less notorious Catholic bloggers and only so many hours in a day.)  Anyway, I saw from a link somewhere that there was something Mark posted about Father Corapi.   But when I read Mark's piece,  it contained no news at all, so why did he go there?  What purpose does it serve, except to fire more potshots at a man who clearly is in need of our prayers?

I don't care for Michael Voris, but I know nothing of what kind of Catholic he is outside of The Vortex.  No one's ever forced me to read or listen to him, so except for mentioning here and there that I personally don't find him useful, what more is there to say?  I don't care for some of Father Z's politics, but so far as I can tell, he's a sound priest in good standing. No one has ever held me at gunpoint and made me read what he writes.  If he and Voris hang out together, why should I care?    Don't we all tend to gravitate toward those with whom we think we have something in common?  And if someone finds what they say and do offensive, like when they look longingly to the day when the biological solution takes out some hippie priests, why go on about it?  Repeating this stuff only gives it credence it may not deserve.

There are clearly bloggers who get under my skin.  That's why you don't see their blogs listed here.  I don't  devote blog posts to them, mock them or otherwise call attention to them. I don't respond to them or their loyal followers when I'm the subject of their derision.   I never understood why people would profess to dislike or be offended by a blogger and then call more attention to them simply by writing a post about them, even if it is denigrating.  For some, negative attention is better than no attention at all.  It boggles my mind.

When I decided to start blogging again, I honestly thought about not allowing comments, lest I become obsessed with stats and the like.  To do so, however, would deprive me of the friendship I enjoy with a small but faithful group who visit here.  I am trying to keep the blog posts down to a minimum.  There are many more things I'd like to write about but then I think there is a danger in making this about me and not about my struggle to do His Will.  Does that make sense?

 I enjoy the insight that other bloggers share about their journey to Heaven.  At Terry Nelson's urging, I have discovered Heather King.  I don't get the artsy part so much but anyone who quotes Matthew Chapter 6 AND spent a year walking the streets with the Little Flower is at least partially simpatico with me.  Far as I can tell, she writes what she does without taking aim at other bloggers.  And Magnificat thinks enough of her writing to have used her work in this month's issue as the reflection on the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul.

That's the kind of achievement more of us should work toward.










6 comments:

  1. Joyce--how on earth anyone could make you the subject of their derision boggles MY mind!

    I concur about only having so many hours in a day in which to read blogs. There are so many, you could go from blog to blog for hours! As to the dust-ups, I only seem to catch wind of them after the fact because someone mentions said dust-up. I must be dull witted I guess.

    You know I do not like seeing Fr. Corapi attacked repeatedly. Especially now, when he is completely out of the public eye, and it's all speculation and opinion. Frankly, I think it is PURELY for attention. My few little Fr. Corapi posts back when STILL pull readers, simply because his name must be searched frequently.

    So I tend to think folks stir the blog-pot for the exact same reasons, just to increase their stats.

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  2. Well, Kelly, you might be surprised LOL. It used to get under my skin but now I consider mockery an even higher form of flattery than imitation. And me too about the dust-ups. I'm usually on the periphery of them.

    You may have a point about the posts being for attention or maybe even blog traffic, I don't know. I think we have to be careful about what we get drawn into and I know I can look back at things I've said or posts I've published that I would probably not repeat. I know sometimes these dust-ups happen because people see blasphemy or heresy or feel Christ is being dishonored, so they feel an obligation to respond. But really, if someone is depending on a blogger like me to teach them the faith or show them Christ, they're in big trouble. You and I know there is nothing any of us can say that hasn't already been revealed in Sacred Scripture. All things in moderation and with all humility. Peace Joyce

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  3. LOL, it's not just Catholic bloggers who are a puffed up lot. I would say almost all bloggers are puffed up. Just think about it. One gets to write about anything they want and act like they're some expert and there's not even a college professor to grade what they wrote. It's perfect to feed the ego. As to my blog stats, they are quite humbling. ;)

    Heather King is great. I have her on my favorites, but I have to admit I don't go there very often. Her blogs are so long I don't usually get through them. She's got a fascinating story. I think she's got an extensive bio linked in there that I spent some time reading through.

    I hear what you're saying about people who earn money through their blogs. But most of those people don't have other jobs. It's how they earn a living, and what they have are writing skills and a love of their religion. I don't see what's different about that then writing a book and earning money from it. Someone has to write those books we buy. Someone wrote it and is earning money from it. All those Catholic journals and publications (and even people who are on EWTN), someone had to write the articles, make the TV shows, and they deserve something for their labor. It's not lucrative. None of them are getting rich. I would venture to bet that I as an engineer and you as a nurse are making more than they do as writers. It also spreads the faith. Our blessed Papa has been pushing evangelizing through the internet.

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    1. Good point about it's how they earn their living Manny. Hopefully, not all of them have quit their day jobs :) Also, if what they write is blasphemous or heretical, they are doing more to damage than faith than spread it. But honestly, I don't know first-hand of anyone whose writing does that kind of damage. Only what I hear from others, so I'll leave it at that. Thanks for your comment. Joyce

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  4. Joyce, I am both humbled and grateful that you should have included me in your post. The Mass of Candlemass will be offered for you and your family. KTF! Richard

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    1. Thank you Richard. We will be headed off shortly to our TLM as well and I will certainly return the favor. In Christ, Joyce

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Comments which reflect true Christian charity are always welcome. Comments which attack the Pope, the Church, priests or other bloggers will go in the dustbin, especially if they are anonymous. Thank you and God Bless you!