Apparently, attacking John Zmirak, and slandering him was a bridge too far.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/mark-shea-would-lie-to-attack-pro-lifers-but-not-to-save-anne-frank-or-babi
Good job, Remnant, for giving him a platform to spew.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Mark Shea Fired From NCR
Edit: in an official statement today at the National Catholic Register, professional Catholic, Mark Shea has been let go from his position because while his contributions to their paper met editorial expectations, his online presence elsewhere was not charitable. How about heretical? It's still a good move and we applaud the Register for finally seeing the light after many long years.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
68 comments:
About time.
Well and truly overdue!
Now if various other neo con groups can wake up to this vile man, he may be consigned to the dustbin of wolves pretending to be conservative Catholics.
So when are they going to fire simcha fisher?
https://stream.org/pro-life-catholics-deserve-better-writers-national-catholic-register/
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, EWTN,for doing the right thing.
Mark Shea was a discredit to the National Catholic Register and the EWTN apostolate.
True! Her social media posts in response to pro-life supporters, traditional-Catholics, or anyone who disagrees, has been nothing but vicious and vile, unworthy of a any Catholic writer.
Amen !!!
eponymousflower, do you have a source for his departure yet? Or even a statement from NCR? I've been trying to find one...
Mark Shea is a thoughtful, rational, and sometimes overly-passionate writer, but whose arguments have been proven correct after the veil of time has fallen away. That is an ancient definition of a prophet. For the record, Mark Shea is completely against abortion in any way, shape, or form. He has said so himself multiple times, and has publicly stated that the Democrats are "dead wrong" when it comes to their abortion platform. Instead of rejoicing in his misfortune, the proper Catholic response is to pray for him. In fact, if I am completely wrong, and if he truly is an enemy of the faith, then praying for him - for his good - is not optional; it is a mandate from Jesus himself.
It was from an email from NCR to Deacon Jim Russell via Austin Ruse and Father Richard Heileman.
Why is the Remnant mentioned? Is that a typo?
He has a well-established reputation of being less-than Catholic, and yet the Remnant has in the past, given him a platform to promote his ideas and even endorsed his books.
They do share similar positions on economics and politics, so it's partly a birds of a feather kind of thing.
There's not apparently been a published statement from NCR; however, Mark's name no longer appears on their list of bloggers.
I'm sorry it's had to come to this. Mark's "This Is My Body" was important to me as I was coming in to the Church, and I later had an opportunity to work with him briefly, intermittently. I'm fond of him, and the more unpleasant, even embarrassing outbursts have been painful to watch. I think there's a lot of unresolved anger from a lot of things that boils out when it ought not ---
Pray for him. Don't gloat over this -- don't celebrate it ("There, but for the Grace of God. . .") Just - pray for him.
He has a well-established track record of slander, outlandish hysteria and malicious behavior, see his treatment of John Zmirak for example. Therefore, I'd have to say your encomium is delusional, but you're not alone in this.
I don't think those who've been unjustly maligned and stalked by him would be as understanding as you are.
"Encomium" - nice one. :)
Mark Shea has defended a professed, practicing homosexual and when asked whether it mattered that the man was not celibate - i.e. he actually had homosexual physical relations - Mark Shea said it did not matter. Mark Shea has viciously attacked Donald Trump yet defended the abortion loving, Catholic Church hating, Hillary Clinton.
Mark Shea has repeatedly attacked traditionally minded Catholics in the most derogatory terms, while defending those who could only be considered enemies of the Faith.
He has told people to vote for Hillary.
You know, the martyrdom claims are going to come hard and fast, fueled by Simcha and others. The claim is going to be that he was fired for his views, when he was fired for his behavior towards others, as the statements says. I wish there was a public page that posted evidence - screenshots, etc - of his bullying and name-calling.
It seems to me Mark Shea has gone completely off the rails. His advice to vote for Hillary was so over the top, I can only presume he's lost his marbles. I pray he finds them again, but in the meantime I'm glad to see he won't be appearing on the Register blog. Now they should invite Pat Archbold to return.
I think Somechump Fisher needs the few extra shekels she gets from NCR too much to make much rain from this, but we'll see.
Hey Mark. Clearly you're still lying to yourself ("Anonymous" :) but you're heading in the right direction by mentioning the possibility that we need to pray for you! I truly do ask God to heal you and make something decent of your life (the same prayer I ask for myself). I would suggest doing some charity work. It really helped me when I was miserable from constantly complaining about everyone and everything. Often we start yelling at each other so much, we don't realize we're not really doing anything helpful.
We could go through my Disqus! :)
Go to the Banished By Mark Shea Facebook page. Your will find plenty of posted evidence there.
I didn't follow Mark Shea's conversion story but was he a preacher before he became Catholic? Making his living the same way he did before his conversion was a mistake. He was treated like a latter day St. Paul from day one and everyone forgot that St. Paul made his money from tent making and remained silent in Arabia for three years before he went to see St. Peter and began preaching. Was he always mean and nasty back in his Protestant days or did this come about due to spoiling?
You can pray for someone all you want but again that someone you pray for has to accept the Grace with their free will. There is always the chance someone will reject that Grace you prayed for and then there are some that will accept that Grace. But just be forewarned and not to be discouraged when people you pray for do not change their ways.
Mark Shea needs to repent. He is in Mortal Sin for rebelling against Church teachings which is protected by the Holy Spirit. Sinning against the Holy Spirit by calling the Third Person of the Holy Trinity a Liar is very, very grave indeed. He must reconcile or else his poor soul is doomed and all those who follow him off the cliff. A very good move by NCR.
Mark Shea has written in outrageous contemptible fashion for several years, sitting in judgment of Catholics who are not like him. I had begun to think he considered himself some authority, Pope Shea. He has become morally and intellectually bankrupt. We must hope that he experiences some conversion of his soul through all this. I am among those proudly banned from his blog by calling him on his conduct.
Perhaps. But for the good of our own sous as well, prayer is always an appropriate response. One can still pray for a persecutor even while being relieved that justice is being done and hoping that the guilty party may learn from the experience and perhaps eventually amend his ways.
I have never read anything that resembles a rebellion against Church teaching in Mark Shea's writing. He is a faithful defender of the faith in everything I have read from him. The vicious and triumphant content and tone of this thread is revealing and troubling.
Best wishes to him in his future endeavors. Correct action by NCR. Correct action for Mr. Shea as well. In Faith follow the path God leads.
Of what faith is he a defender?
I saw them utterly take him apart in a debate so I would have to disagree that the Remnant was a promoter of Mark Shea.
If anything, I got to see more clearly what he espouses and the flaws in it without having to read his off-putting writings.
LOL "thoughtful" "rational" http://contrapauli.blogspot.com/2012/09/top-tips-for-faithful.html
I would not be surprised to see Mark Shea experience a Michael Coren style epiphany once he alienates enough Catholics--a man's gotta eat.
This happened to a friend. They gave an opinion on a matter and was viciously attacked by Simcha and her followers. It was very disturbing.
here
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10153985758031939&id=576926938
The man can hold an essay, I give him that, but his religion is more of a generic ecumenism, which may garner him a desk at Christianity Today.
Shea's 'defense' of the faith consisted of attacking and insulting faithful believers for no reason other than that they practiced the faith in ways that he did not like and that they voiced their faithful concerns, a voice which he wished to deny them.
I was never banished by him but he closed down the comment section on one of his articles at NCR when I argued with him about what the new catechism and Vat 2 both say about Islam. I remember being really hurt and wondering if I was wrong for an EWTN theologian to become so angry with me.
That was 21/2 years and a LOT of reading and investigating ago. Now I'm a crusty old sedevacantist with no illusions about the Vat 2 church and its faux hierarchy. Mark is irrelevant in my life, but he is previous to our Lord so I will pray for him.
Seattle Kim
Darn I meant precious not previous.
Shea was never a preacher. He was always a layman. And I suspect he was always this nasty in his Protestant days. I don't think people change all that much over the years, so I think if someone were to do some research on his earlier years, they would discover he was a piece of work in his younger days.
One of the best decisions I've made recently was to stop reading anything written by Mark Shea or his ideological associates, that was 4 years ago.
I wasted too much time responding to his puerile clickbait, time that would have been better spent reading Saint John of The Cross, Saint Teresa of Ávila, Dom Guéranger, Chesterton or any number of other Catholic authors.
Really, Kim?
Sedevacantism?
That's not a theologically sustainable position, but it is, I suppose, emotionally pleasing to the self-appointed magisteriīs.
Extra ecclesiam nulla salus.
Thanks for posting that, I was unaware of just how outrageous, annoying and just plain wrong Shea and company can be.
I quit Facebook because it's a data vacuum operation for jerks like Zuckerberg, a time vampire and a source of venial sin (intemperate speech). Reading the nonsense from these people is another confirmation that it was the correct decision.
None of these people are Catholic theologians. Not by education nor experience, their emotional ramblings are exercises in opinionism.
I have no idea how such people gain such an incredible amount of influence. If the Church isn't going to censure Catholic laity such as Veronica Lueken (Bayside "visionary") or Humanae vitae "dissenters" they're not going to do anything about the likes of Shea or numerous others sowing discord.
I have heard his name before but don't know anything about Mr.Shea.
100% agree!
To: Utubeo
Extra ecclesiam nulla salus----absolutely!!
Seattle kim
"they do share similar positions on economics and politics". I didn't know the Remnant is telling people to vote for Hillary.
"Good job, Remnant, for giving him a platform to spew."
Shouldn't that say "Register" as opposed to "Remnant"?
So, then why place yourself outside the Church?
sedevacantism is definitely schismatic by definition and strongly arguably heretical (ironically).
In its declaration it effectively says there is no Church since there is no head to be united to. Additionally, by this time there is no episcopacy to re-establish a head, thus an insolvable problem.
It's just a variant of protestantism that on one hand like Luther defines itself by attacking the papacy on the basis of corruption and on the other anglican by attempting to maintain the sacraments but with apostolic succession issues that eventually eliminates the episcopacy.
You better think this through.
A lot of people, including Steve Skojek thought he at least held his own.
Good riddance. None of those phony Catholic Evangelical converts should be official spokespeople for the Church. They're extremely bigoted Protestant fundamentalists and pentecostals, not Catholics.
Please get Disqus! I have tried three times to post something. Here goes again.
The statement in this thread that the NCR statement came "via Austin Ruse" is false. I am not in touch with NCR on this matter or any matter. The announcement came to me, like everyone else, through those who ARE in touch with NCR.
I have assiduously avoided contact with Mark Shea, having only ever mentioned him once and briefly in a recent column about the F-word.
I have taken no position on his employment at NCR, though like many others, have wondered when his tone would eventually catch up to him.
Yours sincerely,
Austin Ruse
I don't know about his early days, but the anger and bitterness is something that has really emerged in just the last few years. He used to be fairly calm and charitable.
I don't blame them for firing him. I think that his views are mostly aligned with Catholic teaching, but his behavior recently has been a real problem.
There's no question that in his online interactions, Mark often falls into a pattern of some pretty gross misrepresentation of those he disagrees with. It's really unfortunate.
Now, is it intentional? I'm not sure. For years I used to read Mark Shea's blog every day and there was a lot of informative and amusing stuff on there. It was one of the great "truly Catholic" blogs of the early days, by which I mean that much like Jimmy Akin's old blog it delved in to everything from religion to science to pop culture to humor to anything else you can imagine, all from a solid Catholic perspective. At a certain point, he started to really drift more and more into political topics, and as he did so his temper became shorter and shorter and his tone towards those who disagreed more and more nasty. I eventually had to stop reading because it was just an awful experience and frankly an occasion of sin for myself.
Based on that experience, my take is that Shea seems to be a man who is ultimately a slave to his emotions. Certain evils and certain classes of injustice really bother him - many of them quite indeed worthy of ire. The problem seems to be that when he is confronted with these kinds of evils or, most problematically, even the initial appearance or suggestion of them, his passions take over and he has a hard time thinking clearly. As so often happens with our passions, I think they really start to drive him to view people as guilty by association, almost like when a person sensitive about one friend's critique starts to see everyone else as ganging up on him whether they are or not.
He's also not without humility, which is good and I truly hope it serves him in this moment in his life. Throughout the years I have interacted with him on other people's Facebook pages and when someone asked me to read one of his blog posts and I just couldn't help it, and I certainly became a person whose name he usually recognized was very ready to paint with a broad brush, accuse rashly, etc., but even so I would often call him on his problematic rhetoric and he'd often, if not always, acknowledge it and back off. I remember one case in particular where I very directly told him that his anger over the state of the world caused a tendency in him to blindly demonize anyone who disagreed with him, and he very meakly replied that I was right. In fact, over the years my most common kind of interaction with him was to reach out on a post or Facebook thread and try to call him to recognize how these things were an occasion of sin for him and repent, and truth be told in most cases he did seem to recognize it.
I also have a few friends who know Mark personally, as they have attended the same parish, who very much recognize the kinds of problems he runs into in online discussions but say that like so many of us he seems to fall to the temptations of "online anonymity" (even as a public figure) and is actually quite a nice guy face to face.
My point in all of this is that as a lot of talk and Mark Shea bashing goes around the internet right now, the most important thing we can do is pray for him because he is a man who on some level recognizes his weaknesses and could have a transformative experience from all of this if only he is able to receive it. We should do everything we can to help him.
I doubt a transformative experience is possible, not that prayers don't help, but any expectation, or hope, that a pathological liar who attempts to publicly destroy people's reputation to satisfy his erroneous progressive political views isnt realistic.
I don't understand how someone like him has managed to avoid being sued for libel.
You were the first person we saw who published the e-mail.
It's not so much his tone that's the problem, really, but the things he believes, his progressive evangelical pov, if you will.
I wouldn't have endorsed his book or hailed him as a fellow Catholic, frankly, but that was done, and Chris Ferrara was very ginger in his treatment of Shea. Although I and the majority of the readers of this blog thought Shea lost, there were many who did not.
At some point people have to be held accountable, and pewsitters have allowed Shea's clerical equivalents to get away with their shenanigans for years because of the "well, we'll just pray and pay," while the Father Pfleggers and Bishop Gumbletons of the world get a free meal ticket to promote progressivist and anti-Catholic agendas.
I'm continually shocked that Red Medaille, the economic and slimmed down version of Shea is a regular columnist at Remnant:
http://remnantnewspaper.com/Archives/2012-0430-medaille-zombies.htm
Anonymous 0553 turned out to be correct.
This is hilarious. You exhibit each and every trait of the hyperbolic caricatures he wrote about. Self-righteous, self-appointed judge of Church teaching, self-appointed inquisitor of sins. All of these things Shea has written about at length and you have, in your detraction, become the epitome of his rants. If you fail to see the irony of your comment, then there is no use in instructing the invincibly ignorant.
But...but... Not only is slander a mortal sin, but it's a legal hazard as well.
Shane, do you have any idea why there's so much "Mark Shea bashing" going on right now? The man hurt a lot of people. He publicly tried to destroy reputations. He stalked me on the internet for seven years. Shea is a liar, a bully, a moral idiot, a coward and a con man par excellence. He and Fisher fooled a lot of sincere yet naive and puerile Catholics with their gibberish. Well, the jig is up -- and none too soon, I might add.
Shea is done and dusted as a Catholic commentator. No serious Catholic outlet will want to hire or contract with him, or publish his work. He got fired because he became an embarrassment to the National Catholic Register. Continuing to use him would mean sabotaging their credibility.
To: Utubeo
Have thought it through thoroughly. I believe this is a false church with a false hierarchy now. Certainly there are still a lot of good and well-intentioned laity and religious there---like yourself--but slowly some of us are coming to this conclusion. I receive the sacraments at an independent chapel with a priest in the Bishop Thuc line.
A toast to Jorge Bergoglio for helping me see the light!
Seattle Kim
Kim,
Well, I appreciate your graciousness.
I’ll try to gracious in return. I prefer not doing apologetics because I don’t have the temperament for it.
Your trajectory over the last couple of years has been ever increasing fragmentation. If you were to step back and evaluate, the only source of authority you’re operating on is ultimately your own private judgment. You should know from Baptist days how dangerous that is. Given the direction you’re headed, you’re going to end up in a church of one. If you’ve determined you were wrong before on a number of occasions, how do you know you’re right now? Christ established the Church and her authority precisely so we could know with certainty those truths necessary for salvation.
Sanborn, in one of his FAQ’s says:
“In the Great Western Schism, in which there were three claimants to the papal throne, St. Vincent Ferrer condemned those who were indifferent as to who was the true Pope.”
This is ironic considering that Ferrer was wrong on who the true pope was. It was Ferrer’s support for Benedict XIII that gave him most of his credibility. One sede site tries to use Ferrer’s eventual repudiation of Benedict XIII as an affirmation of private judgment, but fails to deal with the question of whether that was rather a correction of the initial error in affirming Benedict XIII in the first place. And if Benedict XIII—who did not abdicate—really was the true pope and had a successor, shouldn’t you be concerned about a false hierarchy going all the way back to the 1400’s? That raises the question of whether you can even accept Thuc as legitimate.
Again, Sanborn asks and replies:
“Do we have the authority to say that these Vatican II popes are not true popes?”
”We do not have the authority to legally declare it.”
No authority. Well how about that.
Do you see the rabbit hole you’re headed down?
“Where Peter is, there is the Church” -- Ambrose.
If Francis is not Peter, then who is? And how do you know?
As it is in sede land, it seems as if only the wise can figure things out. Do you think God would have no regard for all the simple Catholics out there who are not capable of complex research and parsing documents? What of them? Did God abandon them entirely?
We can take this off-line to email if you want.
Is Iceland real ? No. It is not.
Post a Comment