Bigotry

Catholic League president Bill Donohue caused a stir when he attacked two bloggers for the John Edwards campaign (both of whom have since resigned). He called them “anti-Catholic vulgar trash-talking bigots.” Now, he is being appropriately critiqued for his own bigotry, but he does not seem to understand his hypocrisy. Media Matters noted he was recently asked about one of his hateful comments: “Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular.” When asked about it, Donohue responded:

I’m not going to put up with it. I’m not the issue here.

Actually, he is and should be. Anytime we speak out, part of our persuasiveness depends on our credibility (or ethos). If one is being hypocritical, then they do become part of the issue. While the bloggers were completely wrong in making their hateful comments, Donohue was also completely wrong. Keith Olbermann put it well in his response to Donohue:

Vulgar, trash-talking bigotry can transcend race, religion, creed, or color.

Amen! It is time for Christians to stand against all types of bigotry. By the way, Donohue is one of the Christians critiqued in my book: For God’s Sake, Shut Up!: Lessons for Christians on How to Speak Effectively and When to Remain Silent. He shows up because of logical fallacies in his comments at “Justice Sunday.”


UPDATE [2-15-07]: Who thought Donohue could reach a new low? Now he is telling racist jokes about Asians. While he was attempting to say his opponent in the debate was being hypocritical, he does not seem to realize that is as well.