Pope poll
As he prepares for his upcoming visit to the United States, Pope Benedict XVI might be interested to know that many Americans see him in a positive light.
By a ratio of four and a half to one (58 percent to 13 percent), people surveyed during a recent poll said that they had a favorable or very favorable view of the pope.
The poll was commissioned by the Knights of Columbus and conducted by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion between Feb. 25 and March 5. Carl Anderson, supreme knight for the Knights of Columbus, recently discussed the poll results at the National Press Club.
According to the poll 42 percent of Americans said that they would like to attend one of the pope’s public appearances while he is in the United States and 66 percent of Catholics said they would like to attend one of the events.
Pope Benedict is set to visit New York City and Washington D.C. April 15-20.
According to the recent poll, 72 percent or more of the respondents want to hear the pope talk about allowing God to be a part of their daily lives (73 percent), finding spiritual fulfillment by sharing their time and talent (71 percent) and how they can make a positive difference in the world, their state and communities (70 percent).
Nearly two-thirds (64 percent), according to the poll, expressed an interest in hearing the pope talk about how they can have a society where spiritual values play an important role.
“The bottom line is that, despite years of very negative stories about the Catholic Church scandals, and dissenting view of the Pope as some sort of ‘panzercardinal’ determined to pursue the unorthodox to the ends of the earth, the American people have a very sensible and balanced view of Benedict and the Church,” Anderson said in a prepared statement on March 25.
“And they are very open to hearing his views on matters of how they might live their faith and put it into action in their daily lives.”
Anderson unveiled a new Web site, www.papaltrip.org for those interested in learning more about the pope’s upcoming visit. The site offers detailed information about the pope’s trip, along with historical material about previous popes and their experiences with the Catholic church in the United States.
Sin-sational list getting longer?
Any whisper coming from the Vatican about any particular subject might as well be shouted from the rooftops. If the communique gets twisted or misinterpreted, there can be all sorts of reports made on the issue before it all gets sorted out.
Such was the case when a Vatican official recently gave his opinion about ”new sins of the modern era” to the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.
All of a sudden there were reports that the Vatican had published a new list of the seven deadly sins of modern times that included such things as economic inequality and genetic manipulation.
Soon, however, a wire report turned up, saying that an interview with Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, regent of the tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, (the Vatican body which oversees confessions and plenary indulgences) was misinterepreted in the media as an official Vatican update to the seven deadly sins laid out by Pope Gregory the Great in the sixth century.
Too late — conversations and stories about the so-called new list of sins were already taking place.
For a quick update, the mortal sins known as the Seven Deadly Sins are gluttony, sloth, anger, envy, pride, avarice and lust.
Girotti, in the newspaper interview, said he could see sinful attitudes in relation to individual and social rights. Making his list of new sins to watch out for are drug use, which he said “debilitates the psyche and darkens the intelligence”; abortion; pedophila; environmental pollution; social injustice causing the rich to become richer and the poor to become poorer; and genetic science manipulation.
Whether or not these were meant to be “updates” or additions to list of sins that threaten the soul, one thing is clear: The list of sins always captures folks’ attention.
I’ve asked myself what sins I would add to the list, along with justifiable punishments. In a study I did last year for a blog series on the Seven Deadly Sins, I found that the original list had an accompanying list of horrible punishments to go along with them.
For instance, if you were guilty of gluttony, you would be forced to eat rats, snakes, spiders and toads. If you were guilty of wrath, you would be torn apart limb from limb (ouch!).
What would you list as a sin that is not already one of the seven deadly? Take it a little further: What punishment would you mete out for the sin that you added on the list?
Let me know, by sending an e-mail to chinton@oklahoman.com or send a note by regular mail to Carla Hinton, P.O. Box 25125, Oklahoma City, OK 73125.
Makeover idea gains some fans
An earlier posting about a series of extreme Hollywood makeover figurines depicting a “Christ-like” figure doing everyday tasks captured the attention of several people.
The day the posting ran on Page 2 along with a picture of one of the figurines of the “Christ-like” figure wearing jeans and riding a motorcycle, I got a phone call from an irate older woman who said she thought the whole idea was terrible. She said The Oklahoman should never have published the information about Eric Dyson’s We Are Fishermen figurine collection.
Some others who read the posting thought the figurines were OK.
“I remember years ago when a church I attended got student ministers from Phillip’s Seminary in Enid,” Oklahoma City resident Floyd Ingle said in an e-mail.
“One day a fellow rode his motorcycle to the church and came in wearing his leather jacket. We wondered if he was a Hell’s Angel member and were really judging him to each other. He took off the jacket which covered his suit and preached an excellent sermon.
“It reminds me of Paul writing to the Church at Corinth, 1 Corin. 9:20, “And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews…”
Claude Pittenger of Yukon had this to say:
“I think the idea of the figurines of Jesus is a winner. Anything that can get people to talk about Jesus, who mixed and mingled with the sinners of his day who were attracted to Him is great,” Pittenger wrote.
And Gary Gappa described the figurines as “wonderful, certainly not disrespectful at all.
“After checking the Web site (www.wearefishermen.com) and reviewing all the different figurines, I found them to be absolutely delightful and more in tune with the times than most Christians would like to admit. I especially found the ‘Peace’ figurineto be closest to my heart as my son is serving his second tour in Iraq and we pray for his safe return home every day.”
Extreme makeover: Jesus edition
The idea of Jesus getting a so-called makeover is probably irreverant to some.
Most artwork and figurines depict Jesus in the traditional robes of His day, but a Los Angeles native, Eric Dyson has changed all that.
He’s come up with We Are Fishermen, a collection of “Christ-like” figurines with what his promotional materials call an “extreme Hollywood makeover.”
The figurines, available at www.wearefishermen.com depict several looks. In one the Christ-like figure is wearing jeans and riding a motorcycle and in another he’s shown dribbling a soccer ball, dressed in soccer shorts and cleats.
In a news release, Dyson said he came up with the idea after the loss of his father and Pope John Paul II, two men he loved dearly. When he asked why the answer came from within: ”I am always with you.”
He said he came up with the figurines to inspire people and let them know that God is always with them as they live life to the fullest.
He said the figurines are intended to give people a lift, to encourage them to follow their dreams, to have courage, to believe in themselves.
In his news release, Dyson admits knowing that the new collection pushes the religious envelope, so to speak.
“That’s alright with me,” he said. “They give me hope and faith and courage and I only wish the same for others who come in contact with them.”
The figurines are sure to be conversation starters.
What do you think? Do you think they are disrespectful in some way or do you think they will do as Dyson hopes — inspire others?
Let me know: chinton@oklahoman.com
