Fr. Barron comments on "2012" (SPOILERS)

Another part of a video series from Wordonfire.org. Father Barron will be commenting on subjects from modern day culture. For more visit http://www.wordonfire.org/

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• Fr. Robert Barron
• Word On Fire
• Catholicism
• faith
• Jesus
• Christianity
• 2012
• roland emmerich
• book of revelation
• end of days
• john paul 2

[filthyswit]

And why is Catholicism flourishing in Africa? Because the people are poor and ignorant. Same goes for the Philippines and Mexico etc. That was the grand plan for colonialism; seek and destroy other cultures and religions and try to make the world "as it should be".

It's no wonder Europe is falling out of love with religion; they're too educated! And look how religious the middle east is. Why? They're severely undereducated. Let's not forget South America and the Caribbean.

[wordonfirevideo]

@filthyswit Well, I'll overlook the incredible cultural arrogance and condescension in your remarks and simply draw your attention to the United States of America, which is the most developed nation in the world and which has one of the best educational systems in the world and which also remains predominantly religious, in terms of both belief and practice. There goes your theory, I'm afraid.

[filthyswit]

To those born into religion I will compare it to the story about the baby elephant that had his foot tied to a chain and couldn't go anywhere. When the elephant was fully grown he had given up trying to break free from the chain because he didn't think he was strong enough. Though fully grown he certainly could break the chain, but just didn't try any longer because he believed it was impossible. Not his fault; that's just how he grew up.

And I'm not saying it takes ignorance to be religious.

[wordonfirevideo]

@filthyswit Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, John Henry Newman, G.K. Chesterton, Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolgang Amadeus Mozart, Dante, Michelangelo, Isaac Newton, Georges LeMaitre, Descartes, and Gregor Mendel were all devout Christians. On your reading, they were just poor baby elephants chained to their superstition! I mean, friend, can't you see that it is you who is chained by your blind secularist prejudice?

[filthyswit]

@wordonfirevideo I don't think it works that way. Secularism has always been; religion was created. So there are no chains of secularism to break free from. There are no secularist beliefs drilled into children as they grow up. But children are indoctrinated into whatever religion their parents belong to.

[wordonfirevideo]

@filthyswit Secularism has not always been! Not by a long shot. As an ideology, it's of very recent vintage. Belief in God or the gods has characterized every society we know of--until some societies in the present day. And if you don't think secularist beliefs are indoctrinated...well, you're just being naive.

[wordonfirevideo]

@Sadslab Look up Roland Emmerich's biography and honestly tell me that he wasn't using this movie to bash Catholicism.

[elitegumby]

Thank you for this very insightful and helpful video. I haven't seen 2012, so I was unaware of the anti-religious themes contained in the narrative. I just wanted to add my own theory in regards to Roland Emmerich's decision to have the human population migrate to Africa. Unless I'm mistaken, isn't that where "pre-historic" man allegedly came from? So in other words, "we need to start over and evolve." Clearly Roland has an anti-evangelical agenda with this picture too lol.

[gayamaruyama7129]

Thank you Fr. Barron for these videos!!! My children, ages 19 and 23 years old are watching them and they are so impressed by your comments and short explanations on Catholicsm,I will pray for your good health and long and blessed life! More POWER TO YOU!

[Stitchman3875]

@filthyswit You also fail to understand with this argument that there have been secular governments who were guilty of atrocities in our history, especially in the 20th century. And many values are taught to people based on secular ideas to children as we grow up. Most do not notice because for one, we are lead to believe it's a normality, and it presents an immediate gratification. Ergo, this presentation is fallacious at best.

[Stitchman3875]

@filthyswit That is a very poor presentation of Plato's Cave. However, considering that most of the forerunners of science and other forms of knowledge where adherents to a religion of some kind (and this includes Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), you simply set of the false dichotomy between education and religion. Even today there are many people who are highly educated and are religious.

[xtrashed]

@filthyswit

And what of the religious explosion in China, Japan and South Korea? All wealthy countries.

[CoryTheRaven]

I read an interview with Emmerich in which he said explicitly that he included scenes like the Jesus statue crumbling to show his disapproval of religion. The thought I was struck with was that, this being the case, he must not be much of a fan of the Earth or anybody on it.

[CoryTheRaven]

@filthyswit If our beliefs are phenomena of the mind or the society, that is equally true of secularism. Atheists are rarely atheist about atheism. It's just another social and mental phenomena with no inherent truth value. It's just a belief that can be studied like any other belief.

Besides, you are mistaken about the order. Religion is a sui generis phenomenon: it just happens, and new religions happen all the time. Atheism is a learned behaviour.

[AnthonyCapoFilm]

Wow. I didn't want to see this movie because I knew it sucked, let alone the anti-religious themes.