O'Reilly compared Catholic leaders' silence over "war" on Christmas to Church's reaction to pedophilia scandal
Bill O'Reilly compared Catholic leaders' silence on the so-called "war" on Christmas to their silence on the pedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church.
Asserting that Catholic leaders are "MIA in the Christmas controversy," Fox News' Bill O'Reilly compared what he said was the Church leadership's silence on the "war" on Christmas to the Church's handling of the pedophilia scandal. O'Reilly's guest on the December 14 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, Rev. Richard McBrien, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, responded by saying, "This controversy over a Christmas celebration ... is a very minor issue in comparison."
O'Reilly attempted to further compare what he depicted as Catholic leaders' indifference toward the "war" on Christmas with Protestant-led Christmas movements, citing the leadership of Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder and chairman of the Moral Majority Coalition and American Family Association president Don Wildmon. McBrien countered that Falwell and Wildmon represent "a certain segment of the Protestant side ... But mainstream Protestants generally are in the same boat, as it were, as mainstream Catholics and their bishops."
McBrien then asserted:
Today there are many, many millions of non-Christians beyond the Jewish community. And so, you know, business is business. It's out to make a profit, and it doesn't want to alienate potential customers.
O'Reilly's responded: "[T]hat's dopey, Father."
Promoting the segment earlier that day on his nationally syndicated radio show, The Radio Factor, O'Reilly asked, "Why aren't the prelates of the Catholic Church in America, the cardinals and the archbishops standing up for Christmas? Why? ... If you don't stick up for the baby Jesus, who are you going to stick up for?"
From the December 14 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Now, Father, we had almost the exact same discussion -- Father McBrien -- about the priest pedophilia scandal, when I just said, "Look, we can't get one cardinal, one archbishop to come on the program and say anything." And now here we are again; the same thing except for [Archbishop of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Michael] Sheehan. What's going on?
McBRIEN: Well, first of all, Bill, this is a very different sort of issue. I mean, the pedophilia crisis and scandal that it was associated with it was enormously significant. In fact, I think the most important crisis the Catholic Church in America has ever faced.
This controversy over a Christmas celebration -- whether to say "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas" or to allow nativity scenes, crèches, and so forth, or to call Christmas trees "Christmas trees" rather than "Holiday trees" -- is a very minor issue in comparison.
[...]
O'REILLY: Look, look, here's the deal. We've got 65 million American Catholics. OK? And they don't hear a word from any Catholic leadership on the subject at all.
The Protestants have at least a half dozen -- what, you got, Falwell, Wildmon (they're going to be on next week); we've got campaigns that the Protestants have organized to say to retailers, "Hey, listen, if you don't -- if you disrespect the holiday of Christmas, we're going to let our people know." All of this is in play on the Protestant side; zippo on the Catholic side.
McBRIEN: But --
O'REILLY: Listen -- go ahead.
McBRIEN: But, Bill, it's only, it's a certain segment of the Protestant side, and I'm not -- I don't intend to diminish them or to put them down. But mainstream Protestants generally are in the same boat, as it were, as mainstream Catholics and their bishops.
Look, for decades, Catholics and mainstream Protestants have bemoaned the commercialization of Christmas, the using the religious aspects of the feast to sell products.
And what's happened -- two things have happened -- one is that this nation has changed. In 1955, Will Herbert, a very famous social scientist, wrote a book called "Protestant, Catholic, Jew." In 1955, that was the religious landscape of this country. The only real non-Christians in this country were Jews, and they were a small minority. Today, there are many, many millions of non-Christians beyond the Jewish community. And so, you know, business is business. It's out to make a profit, and it doesn't want to alienate potential customers.
O'REILLY: Yes, but that -- you know that's dopey, Father.
From the December 14 broadcast of Westwood One's The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly:
O'Reilly: And, uh, we also have a very provocative segment, why aren't the prelates of the Catholic Church in America, the cardinals and the archbishops standing up for Christmas? Why? There's only one who will talk to us, Sheehan out in New Mexico. Archbishop Sheehan. Where are the others? Where are they? If you don't stick up for the baby Jesus, who are you going to stick up for?
Now, they were MIA in the priest/pedophilia scandals. Now, they're MIA in the Christmas controversy. What the heck's going on with them? So we're going to do that, and I'll probably get excommunicated again. How many times can you get excommunicated? No, I haven't been excommunicated, not that I know of.
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This obsession that OReilly has with the so called "war on Christmas" is some sort of self-promotion campaign. I'm fine with him pointing out certain things that are anti-Christmas (as long as he doesn't make things up as he has been doing) but to compare this to the sex scandals in the church is really downplaying the seriousness of those charges.
OReilly needs a reality check on this whole war on Christmas. The thing is, reasonable people are pointing out his errors and he willfully ignores their points. Perhaps Cal Thomas should go on "The Factor" and school him on solid conservative thought on the matter.
Sheesh, leave the poor Catholics alone. They've got enough going on without getting dragged into this whole Faux War on Christmas charade.
And as if "standing up for Baby Jesus" has any relevance at all. If Billy wants to declare war on something, how about crass commercialism?
People on the left and the right agree for the most part that Christmas has been too commercialized. The problem with O'Reilly decrying that is that Fox needs to pay their bills like everyone else. Much of the advertising revenue generated this time of year comes from the commercialization of Christmas. Don't expect the corporate media to ever bite the hand that feeds them.
unless it was crass commercialism that benefitted a liberal.
It's beginning to seem that this phony 'war' is escalating into something that is distracting from the real war, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and from the real issues surrounding that real war, such as...
Mr. Murtha's (People's) plan for ultimately redeploying the forces whose regime-toppling mission has been accomplished...
The Presidents lack of any such (People's) plan, and instead an apparent (Defense Contractor's) scheme for an unending funding of that war...
Republican Randall 'Duke' Cunningham treasonously taking bribes from Defense Contractors while U.S. troops are in the field, losing their lives so that he can tool around in a Defense Contractor provided Rolls Royce...
...and of course the corporate media's role in all of this, which is to provide public relations coverage, and distractionary cover, for the administration, and against the People.
And so how about standing down the phony 'war', and standing up to the real one. It's what the People want, and need.
"Merry Christmas" used to inspire a warm, fuzzy feeling, and now whenever I say it I think of Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter: "Merry Christmas" as kind of an "F-You". Sad.
I agree, the way that the swarmy O'Reilly, creepy Gibson, and down right mentally unstable Hannity use "Merry Christmas" now as an insult and an attack is truly revolting. Leave it to the three not-so-wise men to ruin Christmas. They have turned "Merry Christmas" into an insult. I now use Happy Holidays precisely to indicate that I do not want to be associated with their ilk.
Have a Jesus-y Christ Christ and a Christy New Christ.
"why aren't the prelates of the Catholic Church in America, the cardinals and the archbishops standing up for Christmas? Why? There's only one who will talk to us," --- Maybe the cardinals and archbishops don't want to talk to Bill because he has a history of attacking Catholicism. He lashed out Pope John Paul II for his dissent on the Iraq war. He lashed out when the Church's resolutions to the pedophelia crisis weren't up to O'Reilly's standards. Now he's lashing out at the Catholic Church's upper ranks again over his trumped up Christmas crusade. Is it any wonder these guys don't want to talk to him?
Bill is exercising his right to dissent in regard to the decisions made by those in positions of leadership. Wow, sounds like something that a lot of people in America are doing today, only their doing it over Iraq.
Yes, Bill his exercising his rights...and we are exercising our right of point out what a moron he is.
I think you give Bill too much credit for having offended or annoyed or "got" the Catholic leadership. My guess is they don't give a rat's butt what O'Reilly says. Instead, as his guest said, they just don't see what the big friggin' deal is about O'Reilly's war on Christmas. It's a non-issue.
I caught this last night and this is the latest example of McCarthyite attacks on people. So far Bill says those who don't to join up are in favor of abortion, legalized narcotics and now pedophilia. I guess next week I'll be in favor of cannibalism.
The priest from Notre Dame was very rational and sane, not "dopey". As Bill knows and take this from an Irish Catholic from the same area as Bill, the Roman Catholic Church is very selective about getting involved in public debates with the exception of abortion and the death penalty. They are more concerned with the spiritual nature of the Holiday not Il Loofah's wa.
As a protestant I was shocked to read that Falwell was also a protestant. I'm going to have to look into to converting to a Lutheran!
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If it weren't so pathetic, this would be comical. The "War On Christmas" is the largest right-wing fabrication since the Swift Boat liars.
The difference is that I mourn the fact that Mr. O'Reilly is lying in Jesus' name.
And how ironic this crusade is being run by a guy who condemned Ed Klein's book, and if I recall, was not that hot on the swiftees... although I could be wrong.
Go figure.
Quite frankly I hope the Baby Jesus does not want those like Bill defending him.
And if that is the case in a fight my money is 5:1 on the kid.
I am a Christian. Not some born again 700 clubber, AFA Talbanist, but a "love your neighbor as yourself" Christian. I don't want a hate mongering Nazi like O'Reilly speaking for me during this holiday. His polarizing comments and moronic portrayal of accepting diverse holiday greetings as being anti-Christmas, or even an issue, are just one more way that he is selling a celebrity, not a real person.
He is laughing all the way to the bank masquerading as a great white male American moral crusader, while spouting hateful rhetoric. He has a good audience if you are aware of the illiteracy and reading level statistics of this country. It worries me that the ignorant will accept his blasphemy against god and america as gospel. Whats the big deal? There is none. It is only as big a deal as Bilious Bill makes it out ot be.
Overall I think thatBill cannot drive the wedge he seeks to drive because most of us realize that there is a separation of church and hate.
So, even though our corporate sponsors poop their pants everytime they hear us say it: Merry Christmas to all. This is, over and above it all, a celebration of the renewal of mankind to serve and love each other. I would even forgive Bill. I am sure that my Atheist brother in law, my Muslim friend, my Jewish friends and my African friend are cool with that.
that the christo-fascists only want to embrace the symbols and trappings of Christianity -- not it's values.
All of the "C" vs "H" issues involve activities that are a part of the popular culture surrounding Christmas. There's nothing in the bible about red and green, nothing about shopping, ice skating, Santa -- nothing about getting wasted at your office Christmas party and nothing about saying "Merry Christmas" to everyone you see between November 24th and Dec 31st. If you stuck to the bible your "C" greeting would be "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
Big celebrations inevitably drift off-topic -- toward feasts and treats and secular goodies -- and everybody including the pagans and agnostics like a good party.
All those phony defenders of Christmas are doing is finding enemies and scapegoats who, they say, want to ruin it all. They want American Christians to be the ones who wear the right colors and say the right greeting and have the right plastic decorations -- and most importantly they want American Christians to turn to the right people to find out who to fear and hate.
That's what facists do. The particulars of the dominant religion or the culture are of no importance in the process.
Yes this "War on Christmas" if full of phooey but it is not some presage to a Fascist takeover either. It's a bunch of people with time on their hands trying to stir up hysteria to get ratings for their programs. Because if people think everything is OK, they are less likely to tune in.
to enforce arbitrary cultural rules as basic training for a fascist populace. O'Reilly's fans are becoming accustomed to worshiping their own culture and lifestyle and seeing anyone who doesn't fit in as enemies. His callers are reporting new enemies they've spotted, hoping that he'll force them to conform to his arbitrary rules.
You say "fascist takeover" like it's going to be an army of strangers. Not so. The calls are coming from inside the house.
No Bill . . . what's dopey is you equating the RC Church's "silence" on a nonexistant media war on Christmas {that only you perpetuate} to their supposed silence to the very serious charge of pedophilia . . .
It has to be the most unforgivable sin to use lies like this to exploit people's religious faith. The sad thing is he doesn't even realize he's lying. And he's going to keep doing it because it's effective, and it accomplishes his objective. I hope there's a special place in hell for Bill O'Reilly.
Do you think Jesus gives a hoot whether you say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings?? How about we sing a simple Happy Birthday...
I think O'Reilly is looking for his Edward R. Murrow vs. Joe McCarthy moment. Based on the war on X-mas, he's getting pretty desperate.
Perhaps, the military will be called in next. See below for the text of the resolution and link.
Link to H. RES.579
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the symbols and traditions of Christmas should be protected.
Whereas Christmas is a national holiday celebrated on December 25; and
Whereas the Framers intended that the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States would prohibit the establishment of religion, not prohibit any mention of religion or reference to God in civic dialog: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the importance of the symbols and traditions of Christmas;
(2) strongly disapproves of attempts to ban references to Christmas; and
(3) expresses support for the use of these symbols and traditions.
I really wonder if they are even aware enough to realize that they are very nearly meaningless.
As Tiberius said when the Senate declared that they would pass any law he sent to them:
"Oh, how eager they are to be slaves."
Are they gonna pass a Halloween resolution next?
Look, these folks have to find a war to win. Since Iraq is such a non-victory best start a new war...one right here at home!
It's like the Today show and their own obsession with thier own entrapment of the nasty pedifiles...
Just trying to make a scene and divide everyone in the country even further.
Not worth the time.
Has anyone noticed another of O'Reilly's little inconsistencies: when he wants to build his case for how huge a majority of the American populace celebrates Christmas, he includes virtually every group that calls itself Christian, including Roman Catholics. However, when it comes to being on the front lines of his own private "war," he's willing to jettison the Catholics.
What's his next step, I wonder? Will he notice that no members of the Lutherans of the Missouri Synod have come on his show and played yes-man, and subsequently denounce them as well? How about the African Methodist Episcopalians? What of COGIC? Where will it end?
He can't tell everyone who doesn't agree with him that same ridiculous line: "If you don't stick up for the baby Jesus, who are you going to stick up for?" Or can he?
This is what Bully O'Reilly said
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O'REILLY: Look, look, here's the deal. We've got 65 million American Catholics. OK? And they don't hear a word from any Catholic leadership on the subject at all.
The Protestants have at least a half dozen -- what, you got, Falwell, Wildmon (they're going to be on next week); we've got campaigns that the Protestants have organized to say to retailers, "Hey, listen, if you don't -- if you disrespect the holiday of Christmas, we're going to let our people know." All of this is in play on the Protestant side; zippo on the Catholic side.
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The facts are not that anyone is disrespecting Christmas though.
They are inclusively respecting all people by saying Happy Holidays, rather than excluding all those that do not worship Jesus Christ. Bully O'Reilly suggests that his way is better. Excluding people is better than being inclusive.
But that is anti everything that Jesus taught. Jesus was inclusive.
It is people like Bully O'Reilly that are being disrespectful of others. It is a manufactured war that he describes.
There is no war against Christmas.
There is a war against inclusiveness, and that war is being led by people like O'Reilly. He has it backwards. But that is not a new thing, that he is confused and deranged.
What confounds me is that O'Reilly can even convince anyone to come on his show. Maybe that is why he has sunk to the level he has and is drudging up trivial non-issues like "The War on Christmas". It's all part of his intimidation tactics to focus all of those of his ilk on hating those who are different or are just unconcerned over the 'proper' language to use.
Soon prospective guests won't want to demean themselves by appearing on the same screen with him. Have you ever noticed how Bill is always on the largest screen?
He is a hate-monger. The funny thing is that even die-hard Republican right-winger folks that I know, and spar over politics with, think the man is a pimple on the butt of society.
But then I am talking about bright people who can, and do, read and think. Rich, poor, whatever. I have yet to run into more than one person who supports this man.
O Leilly is a Joke and Faux news is a paid political announcement for the ultra conservative agenda an the white house.
Bill O'Reilly is almost always wrong--about everything. But, and I shudder to say this, he's right about this issue. As a lifelong Catholic, I find it rather despicable that the holiday becomes more secular each year. While the Church generally remains silent on issues like this, a few words from leading prelates would help focus the notion that Jesus is indeed the reason for the season.