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Tilting at Windmills
Blogged by James Preece on 20th April 2009
Many years ago, when a newspaper asked prominent writers of the time to respond to the quesiton "What is wrong with the world?" my favourite author responded with a brief letter: 'Dear Sirs: I am. Sincerely Yours, G.K. Chesterton.'
Those words came to mind as I drove between Hull and York on Sunday morning. I was to discuss the question "Is the Pope a liability?" on The Big Questions (watched, I am told, by approximately 1.3 million people). Pope Benedict, I am sure, is not a liability. If anybody was going to be a liability on Sunday morning, it was going to be me.
I'm not a media person. I don't know about sound bytes and TV. One of the criticisms often levelled against my blogging has been that I go to things and don't say anything and then the next day I blog and complain. Why did I not say anything at the time? Perhaps because I am not as quick as I would like? I'm more a chess player than a kick boxer, I'd rather go away and think about something and get it right, than blurt something out and get it wrong.
Still, another Chesterton quote came to mind: "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly."
I was going to have to blurt out something...
It would have been stupid to go on a TV programme I've never seen, so Ella and I watched a few previous episodes on YouTube. It rapidly became clear that each debate had three sides, the friendly liberal gay-women-priest side, the neutral here-for-another-question side (who generally agree with the liberal gay-women-priest) and the religious nutter. In previous episodes the religious nutter had been a Muslim cleric in favour of stoning and an Evangelical Christian who thinks the world is only 6000 years old.
It was pretty clear that this week, I was going to be the nutter. The Catholic who agrees with the Pope about condoms. The shock! The horror! I don't think the producers of the show intended to cast me as the nutter, but I was concious that in 21st Century Secular Britain, anybody who thinks condoms are a bad idea for Africa is a de facto nutter. Ditto anything to do with homosexuality.
I'm not complaining. A few people have mentioned how unbalanced they thought the show was, they felt it was a one sided set up designed by the BBC to make the Pope look bad. I didn't think so.
In fact, I thought the production company were excellent. From the researchers who bothered to look around for a good Catholic voice to Nicky Campbell who I thought did a great job of giving everybody a go at saying their piece, you couldn't see it, but whenever somebody was talking he was glancing around looking to see who would speak next and every time I let him know I wanted to say something he let me have a turn. He was critical of the Church but then he was critical of everybody, it's his job to stir things up.
No. It was one sided because it was representative of Britain today.
The simple fact is if I had defended the Pope in a pub, instead of on TV, I would have met with the same opposition. Resentful lapsed Catholics, angry gay people, confused Anglican feminists... The story would have been the same. You don't have to put a lot of effort in to find people who disagree with the Church.
I don't mind that I went on TV and it was a hostile environment, I knew exactly what I was letting myself in for and if I fell on my backside then I deserve all I get. What bothers me is that all over Britain young Catholics are leaving school and finding themselves in equally hostile environments such as universities and the workplace and they don't have the first idea what they are letting themselves in for or how to deal with it.
That needs to change.
One last word from Chesterton: "I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean."
Many thanks to everybody who was watching and praying yesterday and thanks for all the nice comments, I went to the shop last night to buy some beer and nobody said "it's that bigot off the tv" and punched me, so I think I got away with it...
Reader Comments
Laurence England said...
Hi James
Well done, again. I was wondering though, whether there were any priests or a bishop in the audience defending the Holy Father.
If not, why not? I fear I know the answer, but, similarly to Joanna Bogle, it is incredible that many Laity are willing to put their necks on the line for the Pope but, seemingly, so few ordained priests and bishops.
I hope and pray we bloggers meet either on this side of Heaven, or Heaven itself one day.
God bless
Laurence
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Marc said...
Mediocrity never arouses such hatred as we have seen expressed towards the Holy Father and the Church. Pope Benedict is the opposite of mediocrity and he rightly disturbs the conscience of many worldly and self-centered people.
What is of the world, the world never opposes. What is of God, the spirit of the world opposes, maligns, persecutes, and crucifies.
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Fr Francis Marsden said...
Dear James,
I didn't see the programme but I've read about it. Well done for standing up for the Faith and for Pope Benedict - one of my parishioners mentioned you to me - he was very impressed with your performance. When people with knighthoods who have served poorly the church and been well paid for it, now openly play the part of Judas, your fidelity and conviction are all the more impressive. God bless you. Young Catholics like you give us older soldiers hope!
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Mac McLernon said...
Again, like Fr. Francis, I didn't see the actual programme, but I've read several accounts of it, and you appear to have done more than your fair share to uphold the teachings of the Church.
Many, many congratulations on a job well done, and God bless.
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Lauren said...
James, I read your "I'm going to be on TV" post too late to see the programme but read with interest (and a little disgust) the comments which followed. I think you did really well to put yourself forward on TV to speak about your views (I may not agree with all of them but I certainly admire you for standing by them) knowing that it would be a hostile environment for you. That alone deserves credit, and those who would seek to insult you ought to consider whether they have the courage and mental capacity to do the same. I doubt it :) God bless (hope Leona, Ella and the baby are well - not long to go!) :)
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Phil Atkinson said...
Well done on your telly performance. It says it all about the BBC that it frames the question in terms of the Pope being a "liability". To whom? To what?
We need to develop a simple, clear programme of apologetics that would change the terms of debate - we're always cast as the baddies and put on the defencsive. Maybe the guys at Ecclestone Square might give it a thought?
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roddy said...
I agree with you 100%.How absurd,to have someone from the imploding,C of E,tell the Catholic Church its errors.Then there was the nonsense that the Holy Father should change the teachings on homosexuality,because of some;"obscure passage."liabilty,"more like,thorn in the side.
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Ronan said...
It must have been hard putting yourself forward on the tv like that. Glad to read you went into it with your eyes open, and that you've managed to keep your sense of humour throughout. As for young British Catholics, it would help if the Church in Britain would actually do what it is meant to, which is teach! I've learnt more about the Church from nutters with blogs than I ever did from a decade in the Catholic school system.
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Ches said...
Well done, James, and God bless you for your courage and steadiness.
There's a few thoughts about the show towards the end of this post:
http://thesensiblebond.blogspot.com/2009/04/of-slums-and-bear-pits.html
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Liam said...
Just to say well done again, I do not normally watch TV on a Sunday morning, but I'm glad I did this time. I often wonder are programs like the one you were on any good, it is so rare to find an articulate, genuinely loyal Catholic. You have more courage than I, I salute you.
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Femmy L'bril said...
I thought yout face looked stupid and your voice sounded silly!
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Fr. Stephen said...
James,
I read about the program on Fr. Tim Finigan's blog, and then watched it on the iPlayer link you provided. Thank you for your defence of the Holy Father and the Catholic Faith. It should not surprise us that aspects of the Church's teaching are met with hostility - Our Lord met with hostility and was crucified, a point which came across clearly in the program.
Perhaps, too, we should remember the Holy Father's homily the day prior to his election, in which he focussed on the grave dangers of "The dictatorship of Relativism."
Well done,
Fr. Stephen
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Francesca said...
Very well done, James. I'm not quite sure how you kept your cool. Peter Jennings was excellent too.
You brought a little joy to my morning. God bless you and your family.
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Lindi said...
Well done , James for speaking up for the servant of the servants of God. Most of the others spoke for themselves !! They also became ruffled with " righteous indiganation ". Catholics need more people in the media to just say clearly what the Church's teaching is - just calmly.
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Delia said...
I watched the programme via the link on Fr Tim's blog, and think you did a feisty job. Infuriating how Wall & Co. shamefully misrepresented the pope, but I rather agree with you about Campbell. Anyway, very well done, and many thanks for putting your neck in the noose!
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Kathleen Lundquist said...
I just heard today about your Adventures in Television from Mark Shea. I'm disappointed that I can't access the video from here in the US, but I read the transcript on Fr. Finnigan's blog.
Well done, James! Your courage is such an inspiration.
From the descriptions I read of "The Big Questions", we have plenty of shows of a similar type on American TV - pseudo-news shows that gather a panel of anti-Christian "experts" to spin a token traditional Christian/Catholic on a catherine wheel for the audience's entertainment. And I think you're right - it's not the networks' fault for being biased; the hostility comes from the state of devolution of Western/Judeo-Christian culture, and society merely reflects and expresses that.
May the Holy Spirit continually fill your heart and mind with His light, truth, and peace in Him. Gary and I will continue to keep you and your family in prayer, that you'll go "from strength to strength".
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Fr Chris Findlay-Wilson said...
Likewise, i-player via Fr Tim's blog.
Utterly superb, particularly for remaining so cool and collected. I think Our Lord is going to make use of you in time to come. (Didn't we hear even Peter Jennings imply the Church's teaching on contraception wasn't doctrine and therefore was reformable?)
God bless you James.
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Magnus Arnander said...
I haven't watched the show because I know that i'll get too annoyed and exercised by the superficial anti Catholic propaganda and sentiment that swills around and find myself ranting at the screen.....and rather than watch it
I am now going to pray a rosary and offer it up for your intentions and your forthcoming baby...thanks be to God!.
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jaykay said...
James,
I didn't see the programme and in fact I probably would have decided not to watch it in any event, on the basis of the title alone - not knowing there was going to be a lone voice of sanity :)
Anyway, very well done! I know that I would not have had the courage to do it. Despite the little cartoon at the top of your blog... you're no sheep, man!
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