Testify, Andy!
February 5, 2008, 12:25 pm
Posted by David Gibson
Here’s a Baptist Press story headlined, “Andy Rooney rebuffs street corner witness.”
This is a rare case when I’m on Andy’s side. Except for the atheism part.
So Mr. Didlo has had conversations with a lot of Catholic young men, told them they’ve sinned, and will one day have to face their God.
OK.
And Didlo has not sinned?
I’m with Andy on this one, too!
Andy Roney is one of the reasons I continue to watch Sixty Minutes -a very funny guy.
This incident raises the questions for me, when does “pushy” Christiainty become obnoxious and its own wordt enemy?
An interesting question for the “new” apologists I might add.
Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work [our way into heaven] we go!
I think the implication is that the young Catholic men violated the Ten Commandments by holding Catholic beliefs. I suppose Didlo is coming from a “faith not works” angle, but I don’t know where he finds that in the Ten Commandments.
I will take an atheist any day over a Christian who believes you are going to face judgment because you don’t believe in his brand of Christianity. Atheists don’t give Christians a bad name.
Perhaps Didlo (does anyone else have to struggle to NOT transpose the spelling of that man’s name?!) thinks the young Catholics are putting false gods ( the Pope, Virgin mary) ahead of Jeeeeeeezussssss, as I suspect he pronounces it.
I’m sure Didlo is a good proof-texter. He needs to remember this one:
Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Robert, I’m with you on the name. You just beat me to it :)
Jimmy, I don’t have gospel, chapter, or verse, but I distinctly remember Jesus saying that prostitutes and (tax collectors?) would enter heaven ahead of the self-righteous guys. What I do recall is that Jesus does not describe these sinners as “ex” as in ex-prostitutes, etc.
The first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” is construed by Baptists to mean not worshiping graven images of God (crucifixes and statues). They also believe that veneration of the saints usually veers off into worshiping them as minor dieties.
Most Baptists know that Catholics don’t believe you are “saved” by works alone, but they also believe that works are dangerous because they lull people into a sense of “false” security.
Most tract-wranglers go after the people who’ll give them the biggest rebuff. It feeds their joy of being persecuted for Christ and allows them to talk about how awful mainstream society is because they won’t even listen to the Gospel.
Mr. Didlo is doubtless ecstatic about catching a big media celeb like Andy Rooney, whose brush off proves that the national media has a liberal atheist bias.
Andy Rooney is right; it’s sad that these people believe what they do. It’s sad that so many Catholics want to cuddle up with them.
David, I’m interested to know more about your disagreements with Andy Rooney on other matters. For example, how could you disagree with his assessment of phone trees, or paper clips, and other newfangled technology?
I’ve always taken him as something of an authority, so please let me know more about your issues with his judgment.
Thanks in advance!
Kathy, my “disagreement” is really a matter of heart more than head. His cranky old crank shtick wore thin a long (for me) a long time ago, and he’s no Mark Twain. Besides, I get enough dyspepsia looking at my own cranky self in the mirror. I don’t need to see my future every Sunday evening!
Happy Lent!
You know, for the most part I find the bloggers here to be rational, balanced, and easygoing . . . except when situations like this come up. Sure, it’s inconvenient to be stopped by a street preacher. Of course, some of the things that Mr. Didlo professes don’t square with what we Catholics believe to be true. And no one could read the story about Andy Rooney without a wry grin.
But really. To call Mr. Didlo self-righteous based solely on this one article is over the top, just as assuming he’s in this thing to feed an ego that loves being persecuted for what is right. I noted that Didlo is not just a street preacher but is dedicating a good amount of his time to helping troubled young men–not your run-of-the-mill paper pusher but someone trying to the best of his knowledge and ability to serve God. Shouldn’t he be given some consideration? Isn’t there something in his dedication that deserves some respect, even if we don’t agree with his doctrines and take offense at the assumption that we are going to hell for praying to Mary or eating Jesus?
Rather than a rebuff, how about inviting the guy for coffee and trying to explain Catholicism to him rather than dismiss him as a crackpot? Or if you’re short on time, how about a polite answer, such as, “Thanks, and may God bless you. As a Catholic, I do believe in Jesus as God’s way of salvation, and I’m trying my best to follow him. I know we have disagreements, but I really appreciate your faith and your courage. Let’s join hands right now and pray the Lord’s Prayer, asking God to finally bring about the day when all Christians are united?” If you want, you can even take some non-self-righteous pride in having taken the fellow by surprise and in putting him in an uncomfortable position.
If we keep judging and condemning people like Mr. Didlo, how are we any different from the self-righteous Baptists or others out there who do the same to us?
Mark, I don’t think this post was quite that serious–seriocomic, perhaps, at least from my point of view. I am sure Mr. Didlo does wonderful good works (which are especially good as he’ll get no credit for them with God!). But that isn’t the point. I think a dialogue requires a measure of mutual respect, at least some starting point. He is a typ, I could safely say, and a type that precludes conversation–I mean real conversation. I have dealt with so many of his ilk, and your phrase of blessing, as admirable as it is, would never get out before he interrupted. I think “Bless you” would be sufficient. I thought the juxtaposition of Atheist Andy and Dogma Didlo was funny. And that Mr. Didlo could make me empathize with Rooney was even funnier. To each his own…
David,
And with your spirit.
Kathy,
Was that a joke?
No, Grant. I was wishing David a happy Lent, too.