Rod Dreher

Why Are You A Conservative (Liberal)?

The Anti-Christian Culture

By Rod Dreher • February 13, 2012, 11:46 AM

I am comforted, I guess, by the fact that the reaction to the rapper Nicki Minaj’s hysterically blasphemous, expressly anti-Catholic performance on the Grammys last night has been largely negative. One would hope that her portrayal of a demoniac who vanquishes priests, one that used explicitly Catholic imagery, and that incorporated a sinister chorus of “O Come All Ye Faithful,” would not exactly be cheered by people. But it strikes me that the most telling thing about this disgusting spectacle is that none of this was spontaneous. This was a highly stage-designed, heavily choreographed performance. The Grammy producers signed off on this, and it was shown on national network television. I’m not freaking out over it — Nicki Minaj is, on evidence of her performing and her songwriting, a complete nitwit — but surely this is a sign of the times. It’s not Nicki Minaj that concerns me; it’s the producers for whom this sort of thing was deemed acceptable. It’s the Culture of Death, again.

It’s tiresome when Christians respond to things like this by saying, “They would never consider doing something like using Islamic imagery.” But you know, it’s true. It’s always true. Let those with eyes to see…

76 Responses to The Anti-Christian Culture

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AnotherBeliever says:

February 13, 2012 at 6:21 pm

The main difference is that our society does not condone violence over religious matters. It’s very deeply ingrained in our historical and philosophical DNA. Add to that one major advantage of christianity over Islam is that our major prophet and founder was radically anti violence. Do much so that few of us have managed to vary out his actual teachings, and many who have are recorded on the rolls of history as martyrs. Despite our imperfect and inconstant application of Christ’s teachings, they remain in the back of our minds. A split between right and might is arguably our faith’s best secular contribution to humanity. Even if it’s not really secular and even if it hasn’t ever actually materialized.
Sean Scallon says:

February 13, 2012 at 6:24 pm

I’ve got a wonderful idea to deal with this dilemma. Next year, do what I do – don’t watch the Grammys.
J says:

February 13, 2012 at 6:53 pm

Catholicism has been taken seriously ever since Catholics provided the illumination for Nero’s gardens.

The trend line hasn’t been real good recently, though.
Dave D. says:

February 13, 2012 at 6:56 pm

“We often read nowadays of the valor or audacity with which some rebel attacks a hoary tyranny or an antiquated superstition. There is not really any courage at all in attacking hoary or antiquated things, any more than in offering to fight one’s grandmother. The really courageous man is he who defies tyrannies young as the morning and superstitions fresh as the first flowers”

“What’s Wrong With the World,” G.K. Chesterton.
JonF says:

February 13, 2012 at 7:06 pm

Martin Snigg, I don’t recall mentioning abortion. Or religious hatred. Perhaps you need glasses since you certainly did not see those words in anything I posted. (Jalapenos– yes. But one out three is a failing grade usually)

And personal insults are out of bounds here. Your apology is suggested.
Roger says:

February 13, 2012 at 7:26 pm

When it comes to religion blasphemy – even this utterly calculated commercial blasphemy – is the sincerest form of flattery.

It tells you that even amongst the young your ideas and symbols still have enough power to be worth attacking.

If the Roman Empire had been completely tolerant and happily let the Christians do their thing without persecutions and martyrdoms you’d still be an insignificant Jewish heresy.
Polichinello says:

February 13, 2012 at 8:05 pm

I don’t care for Gaga’s music, but I have to admire the cheek of the woman (I mean that figuratively!). It’s like she and her manager have a running bet, “Let’s see what idiotic thing I can do next to generate album sales!” Sure enough, whatever it is, her marks go for it.
Martin Snigg says:

February 13, 2012 at 8:07 pm

Ciccione-sex,sex,sex = makes babies ($$ says just kill them and keep consuming) Germanotta/Minaj Big $$ incites young ppl to hate Big $’s only opposition.

Your feigning ignorance of the liberal culture war is farcical, that’s all http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF09H36.pdf

“the culture of polyamory has figured out its way to survive and even thrive by controlling three critical areas of public policy, which yield big gains in “converts” from the culture of monogamy to theirs. These three are childhood education, sex education and the control of adolescent health programs.

Controlling these three expands the polyamory culture’s reach into the traditional monogamous culture and gradually dismantles it, especially when aided by the entertainment industry, which today especially, is a very powerful institution aligned with the culture of polyamory with a massive operative bias against the monogamy culture.

By controlling these three areas (education of children, sex education and adolescent health) the culture of polyamory diminishes the influence and dismantles the authority and influence of parents of the culture of monogamy particularly in their ability to form their children as members of their own culture. In a polemical vein, one could say they “snatch” children away from their parents and from the culture of monogamy”
The Sicilian Woman says:

February 13, 2012 at 8:17 pm

Thank you all for watching this so I don’t have to.

The more I tune out to pop culture, the better off I am.
AnotherBeliever says:

February 13, 2012 at 9:44 pm

LOL. So glad I don’t even watch TV. Just the shows I like, on Hulu. John sums it up best of all:

“John E, on February 13th, 2012 at 12:25 pm Said:

The Onion had the best take on this years ago:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/marilyn-manson-now-going-doortodoor-trying-to-shoc,459/

Last Friday at 4 p.m., Mark Wesley, 46, a resident of Overland Park’s exclusive Maple Bluff subdivision, heard the sound of “animal-like shrieking” coming from the vicinity of his front lawn. Upon opening his front door, he was greeted by the sight of a pale and shirtless Manson carving a pentagram into his chest with a razor blade.

“Look at me, suburban dung,” Manson told Wesley. “Does this shock you?”

When Wesley replied no, he said Manson became “petulant.” Recalled Wesley: “He started stamping his feet and shaking his fists, saying, ‘What do you mean no? Aren’t your uptight, puritanical sensibilities offended? Don’t you want to censor me so you don’t have to confront the ugly truth I represent?’ So I say, ‘Well, not particularly.’ Then, after a long pause, he says, ‘Well, screw you, jerk!’ and walks off sulking.” “
Roland de Chanson says:

February 13, 2012 at 10:18 pm

The Sicilian Woman: The more I tune out to pop culture, the better off I am.

I am totally in accord. Although I’d heard of Whitney Houston, I didn’t know any of her songs. I asked my kids. Then I listened to her on youtube. It’s not my preferred style of music, but I do think she had, as Rod well described it, a “majestic voice.” Not that I am being “unfaithful” to Kiri Te Kanawa or Sissel.

But I will spare myself the agony of listening to the video embedded in this thread. Vita brevis et ars longa but may this “art” be short lived indeed.

Be of good cheer, ye who despair. The pendulum of history swings both ways. And it swings back with ever accelerating vengeance.
Siarlys Jenkins says:

February 13, 2012 at 10:29 pm

Yes, John E. certainly nailed the cultural and political significance of this performance.

Anti-Christian culture, unlike the Platte River, is a mile deep and an inch wide. Its adherents are loud-mouthed narcissists whose self-love is fed by the emotionality their act strikes in prominent critics. Most people aren’t really paying a whole lot of attention.

Lord Karth is quite correct that “This creature’s performance was malicious, blasphemous, quite probably slanderous, and utterly disrespecting of her audience and such intellect as the said audience has.” Most of her audience knows that. She’s not going to get a lot of traction. She’s just going to have the pleasure of sniggering in her own inner circle, “Did you see what I said about them?”

I must note, however, that the parallels between the Roman Catholic hierarchy and the Communist Part, as far as indoctrination and control are concerned, are quite close. No Pope said anything really favorable about democracy, until the Vatican found itself facing a rising tide of post-war communism, with nary an emperor to offer the Pope an army. In fact, the only army that could take on the Russians was fielded by that infidel republic across the Atlantic.
Patrick says:

February 13, 2012 at 10:58 pm

“I must note, however, that the parallels between the Roman Catholic hierarchy and the Communist Part, as far as indoctrination and control are concerned, are quite close.”

Haha. Communism has forced confessions. Catholicism has voluntary confessions. Communism has confiscating property. Catholicism has voluntary donations. Communism sends you to a re-education camp by force if you don’t accept it’s doctrines. Catholicism can only toss someone out of the Catholic Church if they don’t accept it’s doctrines, and rarely does that. Communist “hierarchs” enrich themselves and their families. Catholic hierarchs spend their time ministering to whomever comes through the door, whether he is poor as dirt, sick, elderly, deaf, diseased, a drunk, a pervert, or whatever.

Basically, the only “parallels” you cite is that the Catholic Church, like communism, has “doctrines” and “bosses”. Every organization has doctrines and bosses. Is Bank of America like the communists? They’ve got some corporate protocols and bosses. I’ll bet they’ve got corporate slogans, too. Is yoga like communism? They’ve got some “sutras” and some hierarchs. What an absurd argument.
elizabeth says:

February 13, 2012 at 11:09 pm

Eric Harris, one of the two Columbine shooters, was a psychopath and his actions had nothing to do with the news cycle. Psychopaths are born, not made. He was missing a critical “chip” that makes us human.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/assessment/2004/04/the_depressive_and_the_psychopath.single.html

Bad art, outrageous art and blasphemous art have been with us for a long time. It does not cause normal – even depressed normal – people to pick up guns and start shooting.
Gentillylace says:

February 13, 2012 at 11:42 pm

After reading all these comments, I am glad that I decided to watch “Downton Abbey” on PBS instead of the Grammys!
Charles Curtis says:

February 14, 2012 at 2:27 am

It all boils down very quickly to this:

If Jesus Christ is God and the Catholic Church is his, then this performance is yet more high test blasphemy at the very center of our culture.

As Rod says, let those with ears hear.
JustMe says:

February 14, 2012 at 10:10 am

But yeah these are Gaga’s ‘monsters’ coming of age, soon to be able to put all this hatred into full effect.

Lady Gaga’s fans are pretty much everyone across the age spectrum. It’s not teenagers paying for those $150 stadium concert tickets.
Floridan says:

February 14, 2012 at 3:41 pm

Elvis, Little Richard, Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison, Sid Vicious, Ozzy Osbourne, Sinead O’Connor . . . haven’t we heard all this before?
JonF says:

February 14, 2012 at 6:19 pm

Re: Anti-Christian culture, unlike the Platte River, is a mile deep and an inch wide.

Actually, Siarlys, that is the Platte River.
VikingLS says:

February 14, 2012 at 10:44 pm

People still watch the Grammys?
Siarlys Jenkins says:

February 14, 2012 at 11:53 pm

No JonF, the Platte River is a mile WIDE and an inch DEEP. I flipped the syllogism deliberately. But thanks for highlighting the original, in case my reference was a bit obscure for some.

Patrick, after writing my entire argument for me, you decide that its a really bad argument, and reject it. That shows good judgement. I decline to make any use of the bad argument you offered to write for me. If you want to know why I find the Communist Party and the Catholic Church rather similar, ask me, and I’ll fill you in.

Hint: I was once acquainted with a number of dedicated communists who had been raised in the Roman Catholic Church. A couple of them had a sister who was a nun. Another had been sent a St. Jude’s Card by her great-aunt. They freely cited church teachings on indoctrination in support of the communist use of same. I don’t blame THAT on the church, but the parallels were entirely understandable, as well as deplorable. Adherence to the church is voluntary ONLY because the church has been deprived of most of its secular coercive powers, thank God.
economista says:

February 15, 2012 at 1:46 pm

Michael said:

“Come on. If you’re going to be aimlessly shocking, be original and offend some people you’re actually going to cross paths with. Do a duet with Chris Brown where he beats you as part of the dance routine. Or burn Whitney Houston in effigy–THAT would have made an impression at the Grammys, the day after her death. But until then…yawn.”

Don’t make me choke on my tea laughing. You hit the nail on the head here. Most people who even know who Nicki Minaj is, or listen to her music, probably had the same reaction to this performance. The big dilemma I see in it is that many young people (myself included) wander in the muck of untalent and meaninglessness for years until they wake up and realize what is actually beautiful and true and worth being interested in. How to keep one’s own children from getting lost in the same seductive haze?
Patrick says:

February 15, 2012 at 5:17 pm

“If you want to know why I find the Communist Party and the Catholic Church rather similar, ask me, and I’ll fill you in.”

Is it possible to put this on the next “Catholic Church thread”? Also, so as you know, I’ll be giving up the Internet for Lent so commentary from me will go dead in one week (try not to be too upset, hahaha).
Trent says:

February 15, 2012 at 11:22 pm

Hi all. I want to direct this following piece to the author of this article. I wish I could direct it to the catholic church but you’ll have to do.

First off, I want to say… this is art. You have no right to criticize without a proper understanding of where it comes from. It takes the combined efforts of hundreds of visionaries who work tremendously hard to see one singular vision come true. Until you understand that, don’t claim that you know anything about what this performance stands for.

The whole Nicki Minaj “Roman” character is, in my humble opinion, an incredible expression of struggle. The whole concept is that Roman is homosexual and his mother is very religious so he is shut down and even though he is accepting of himself, his mother believes there is something wrong with him and that he can be fixed through prayer and brainwashing.

But Roman knows nothing is wrong with him, that he’s just a normal kid who isn’t okay with the Roman Catholic church portraying homosexuality as a “demon” within someone that can be exorcised out. He speaks his mind and gets angry and passionate all the while doing it through Nicki, a sexy woman who knows how to act. Roman is never exorcised in a metaphoric way to say that if you believe in something hard enough, it’ll come through.

It’s not anti-Christian, it’s more pro-gay, and if you want to make it anti-Christian you’re grasping at straws because there are many Christians who have no problem with homosexuality. If you do, that’s a personal hang up

The whole message is that to try and “fix” gay individuals is wrong and will just lead to them feeling unwanted, useless, helpless, and hated and all that anger and negativity will bubble up until they can’t take it anymore. A lot of them take their own lives at this point.

Nicki is an amazing performer, actor, artist and rapper, and in this country where everyone has to grab onto something and make a big deal about it because it personally bothers them, I’m glad she’s around to rap the truth. Not a catholically biased truth, a REAL truth.

If you don’t like the program, don’t watch tv. If you don’t like this country, go live somewhere else.

Also: christianity is the dominant religion in the US. Of course it’s not the same as doing something like this to Islam. But if you think about it, similar themes could be done for any controversial aspect of religion. Remember when Lady Gaga did the tribute to women of Islam under Sharia law that are objectified and can’t wear what they want? And I’m sure something like a bris ceremony would also be a controversial but needed wake up slap to America.
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Siarlys Jenkins says:

February 16, 2012 at 11:14 pm

Patrick, in all sincerity, I wish you a Lent the imposes sufficient sacrifice to feel sanctified, but nothing that causes debilitating pain. I think I’m going to give up asparagus for Lent again this year. If I gave up blogging, I fear I would break my vow.