I don't know why anyone takes Sullivan seriously. Everything he says is self-contradicting.

He proposes we get rid of certainty in favor of doubt. If he really believed this, he'd be a torture-apologist and would be asking, ala Pilate, "what is torture"?

He proposes we get rid of the law in favor of love. Yet he's the one who constantly rants about the criminal actions of the Bush administration, and uses disrespectful and terrorist-mimicking terms like "Christianist"

He proposes that we let go of the pursuit of certainty. Yet he is more certain than anyone on the planet that gay sex and so-called "gay marriage" are equivilent to hererosexual sex and real marriage.

The important thing to understand about Sullivan is that he is not consistent on anything except his homosexuality. He will bend all logic, law, reason, and rights to further that quest. Thus, his campaign against torture is inconsistent with his campaign in favor of doubt. Either you doubt that torture can be defined as a certain thing, or you think it can. But if you think it can, you don't believe in some heresy of doubt.

The stupidity of his positions is so self-evident that it's probably caused more people to dismiss him than his hateful rhetoric.
Sydney Carton | 10.31.06 - 12:43 pm | #

I don't read Sullivan, but just speaking as a Catholic artist... that painting you posted with the story REALLY creeps me out.

Did you intentionally post this scary picture for Halloween, Mark?
Tim J. | Homepage | 10.31.06 - 1:15 pm | #

Where did you get that awful, gaudy picture? It is really ridiculous!
Ignacio | 10.31.06 - 1:15 pm | #

Jesus had a mullet?!?! Need oxygen...can't breath...sdfjdvb
John Henry | Homepage | 10.31.06 - 1:28 pm | #

"Jesus, I'd like you to meet my partner, Chris. Chris, this is Jesus- he works out at my gym."
thomas tucker | 10.31.06 - 1:34 pm | #

I've been looking for that image for years - I just love it! (for mocking purposes, of course)

My favorite part is the slight cock of the head and lean-forward that Jesus has in his handshake: that is totally how most wannabe-power-execs shake hands!

Although somebody has got to talk to Jesus about that outfit - hasn't he ever heard of Brooks Brothers?
francis | 10.31.06 - 1:43 pm | #

"I'd like you to meet Mr. Nazarene, our newest author, who's going to write his autobiography for us. Jesus, tell Mr. Carmody here how you punched the centurion in the face and then broke the cross over his head.

"And then, what he did to the Sanhedrin shouldn't happen to my worst enemy!"
Pavel Chichikov | Homepage | 10.31.06 - 1:55 pm | #

You know, what's sad is that the artist obviously possesses some skill. He worked hard at the image.

Like Mark, I have no particular gripe with a black Jesus, or what-have-you... inculturation happens.

But this is just so surreal. What's scary is that some people clearly find inspiration in images like this, as well as from movies like "Facing the Giants".

Buddy Jesus!
Tim J. | Homepage | 10.31.06 - 2:29 pm | #

Jesus, I'd like you to meet Tom Hanks. He starred in The DaVinci Code, which told all about your church.
Susan | 10.31.06 - 3:01 pm | #

Is that supposed to be Tom Hanks or Kirk Cameron?
c matt | 10.31.06 - 3:14 pm | #

"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony". John 3: 31-32.

Especially part of that last phrase - "no one accepts his testimony" thunders in my ears.
current lector | 10.31.06 - 3:20 pm | #

I sense a caption contest...
Sydney Carton | 10.31.06 - 3:31 pm | #

Where is pace? I'd think he'd have something to say here.
Ed the Roman | 10.31.06 - 5:33 pm | #

Tribal Catholics tend to know what they know of the faith, not through careful study, but through a sort of osmosis that takes popular anecdotes and confuses them with Bible stories or (in this case) takes a phrase popularized by Pope John Paul II and makes it "what Jesus *always* said".

Of course anyone who *has* done careful study and anheres to Catholic teaching is branded a "Neo-Catholic who is a actually a fundamentalist out of touch with Catholic culture.
Scott W. | 10.31.06 - 6:06 pm | #

Which one is Jesus?
pace | 11.01.06 - 1:09 am | #

Mark Shea, you are so intolerant! Obviously, what's true for me is not what's true for you! How dare you say that words are supposed to have meaning! Boy, your Jesus sure is different from my Jesus.

I know! Why don't we invite your Jesus and my Jesus to lunch sometime? How does next Thursday look for you? I'll check with my Jesus and get back to you.

Seriously, nice post, Mark.
Inspector Fruiteau | Homepage | 11.01.06 - 9:48 am | #

"There lies the difference between Christianism and Christianity, between what these fundamentalists preach and what Jesus actually taught. Be not afraid, Jesus told us - always"


Then why is Andrew so afraid of the "fundamentalists?"
dpt | 11.01.06 - 10:49 am | #

Hey, how come this Jesus doesn't have a Blackberry and a cell phone? How will anyone ever get in touch with him?
Mark Windsor | Homepage | 11.01.06 - 11:08 am | #

Great post!
Jeff Tan | Homepage | 11.01.06 - 7:43 pm | #