The singer/actress Ariana Grande delivered a solid performance at the AMA’s last night. Grande was raised Catholic. I know that most of you don’t even know who she is but what she said recently to the press I found intriguing just for its sheer stupidity. She was talking about why she converted from Catholicism to Kabbalah. Her reasons are just pure nonsense so I just had to share.
“I was born Roman Catholic but I lost faith when the Pope decided to tell me everything I loved and believed in was wrong. The church said (cartoon character) Spongebob Squarepants is gay and he’s a sinner and he should burn in hell. And Harry Potter was a sin. And working women. I was like ‘Enough! First the gays, then Spongebob and now Harry Potter? Get out my house!’ I was not having it. And the working woman thing? It was a moment for me. I needed something else to believe in.”
What? What is she even talking about? Has she been concussed repeatedly? Does she get her religion talking points from the Weekly World News or the New York Times?
And here she talks about her recent encounter with a demon.
What? She said there was a fly in the car!!!! And that like never happens.
November 25, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Gotta say – I must not have been paying attention because I missed all these papal declarations.
November 25, 2013 at 2:19 pm
Bishop Fulton Sheen gets credit for one of my favorite quotes, which is quite relevant here…
There are not a hundred people who hate the Catholic Church for what it is. But there are millions who hate it for what they incorrectly believe it to be.
I think this ignorance of church teachings is the single biggest problem in the Church. Some, though ignorant, teach errors. Some make decisions based on errors and this young lady left a church she doesn't even know. Its a failure in catechesis. It's a failure aided by letting non Catholics and government money into catholic schools. It's unknowable whether had she known she was referring to pat Robertson rather than the Pope, she might still be Catholic, but at least she would do so under correct assumptions.
Can I call this catholicophobia? Or is that type of jargon inspired thought control reserved for left wing politics.
November 25, 2013 at 2:42 pm
"Converted from Catholicism to Kabbalah"? That's like converting from Judaism to Thomism, Kabbalah is just the major Jewish theological school, based on Hermeticism the way Aquinas was based on Aristotle or Augustine on Plato. Of course, because it's based on Hermeticism (the non-Manichean Gnostics who also give you alchemy, Freemasonry and Mormonism), it's esoteric; you're not actually allowed to learn real Kabbalah unless you're a male rabbi over sixty who's never violated a major Jewish precept. "Kabbalah for Dummies"—which is a real book—is like "Completing the Great Work of the Alchemists for Dummies" or "Becoming a Taoist Immortal for Dummies".
Also, it was Jerry Falwell who said Spongebob was gay, not anybody Catholic; and it was J. K. Rowling herself who said Dumbledore, not Harry Potter, was gay. It's too bad Kabbalah for Dummies is a crock, because this goofus is definitely its target demo.
November 25, 2013 at 3:14 pm
Well…it's probably Madonna's version of Kabbalah which is pretty distant from Judaism, especially when one considers that Jews frown upon conversion. It's a culture (and a nation, with its own Law) before anything else.
November 25, 2013 at 3:22 pm
By Kabbalah she probably means the fake stuff, kind of the equivalent of being "converted" to astrology. She seems very interested in fake pronouncements!
November 25, 2013 at 3:23 pm
I'd say the New York Times. . . that or the SSPX, the Weekly World News is too high brow for her.
November 25, 2013 at 3:31 pm
I think the problem that she has publicly made this statement is an even bigger problem…she is now living in "another" and very serious mortal sin…by denouncing The Church. She is obviously not too bright to begin with, lived in a home which did not nurture the faith and went to "pastor feel-good" suburban "Jesus loves you just the way you are" parish where she and countless others learned nothing about the faith. When I see articles like this I selfishly worry about who will pray for my soul in Purgatory!
November 25, 2013 at 3:49 pm
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November 25, 2013 at 3:52 pm
Kabbalah … good grief… Anyway, falling away is unfortunately typical of many Catholics, including myself. Thankfully I came back!
Her "real" reasons (minus the likely drug-induced weirdness) is that the Church has rules and a Magesterium, as well as Tradition and Scripture. All of the other religions generally don’t (i.e. Protestantism, Sola Scripture, whatever the hell Kabbalah is, etc). Due to these three legs of the stool, there are a lot of "rules" that we need to abide by. Our Lord knew this when he instituted the church though, and knowing that we were all sinners, he also gave us the sacraments of healing (reconciliation and the blessed Eucharist). On top of the "rule issue", many Catholics don’t know about the sacrament of reconciliation, and that topped with AWFUL catechesis, we were guaranteed to fall away. Thank God I came back though, and I hope that others don’t have to fall into the bad "worldly" problems that I had to deal with before discovering that God and the Church were waiting for me the whole time. Catechesis, Catechesis, Catechesis…. This is what’s needed for all, and I put blame not only on our Sheppard’s, but also the parents of every Catholic that's fallen away, that gives up on their duty to raise their children in the One Holy Catholic Church… Kabbalah … good grief…
November 25, 2013 at 4:40 pm
Has she gone through high school already?
November 25, 2013 at 6:01 pm
Must get her news from the Huffington Post.
November 25, 2013 at 6:03 pm
For the sake of not thinking the worst of her…I suspect she was acting "in character" for something. Her characters end up being idiotic, ditzy, froofy teenaged girls who hardly know how to read, much less form or refute logical arguments.
If she wasn't…maybe I'll write her a letter. She might listen to a teenaged boy 😛
November 25, 2013 at 7:38 pm
My condolences to her. I only know of her because of my 8 year old grand-daughter but from what I have seen, she appears to be but just another adolescent worker in the Disney diamond mines.
November 26, 2013 at 12:49 am
Is this the last stage before her acting out to lose the Disney image?
November 26, 2013 at 2:55 am
Perhaps Ms. Grande will put down the Orwellian telescreen and try thinking for herself instead obeying The Voices.
November 26, 2013 at 11:42 am
"Born Catholic"? As our bishop once said to me when I mentioned to him that I am a convert, "Every Catholic is a convert." No one is born Catholic.
She claims to have "lost faith". No one loses faith. "Oh, hey—has anyone seen my faith? St. Anthony, please come around… ." (Apologies to St. Anthony.) We, each one of us, can let slip the responsibility to practice the Faith, but lose it? Not buying that excuse.
November 26, 2013 at 1:42 pm
I am still wondering how the "anchor" in that "news story" "reported" it all with a straight face. "We kind of believ her…do you?" Goodness! I fear for our future if this is what people think of as news.
November 27, 2013 at 2:07 pm
I'm afraid if I didn't go to Catholic School as a non-Catholic , Proteios1 , then I wouldn't have ever become a Catholic , nor would I be on my way to Holy Orders , or perhaps it's non-Catholic teachers you're referring to ?
November 27, 2013 at 3:24 pm
@ Johnny death. I reread my post and I can see it coming off a bit vague. Fr clarity, I am Catholic. I see evidence to support the diluting of catechesis where it exists and other prominent areas where it doesn't exist at all..like a public school. Having catechism or catholic school teachers who refuse to sign loyalty oaths is beyond my comprehension. The state requires it of public employees. I signed one as a university professor. Yes, parents are first teachers. Our job in all respects. We look to the church and our schools for assistance in this and sometimes we get it, sometimes not.
The other point is that there are bad Christians out there and we get lumped in as one homogeneous pool of believers, which people confuse with the Catholic Church which is to maintain the full and accurate deposit of faith.