Quote from: Walty

Quote from: SpiritusSanctus

Some people there you can tell aren't Traditional just by looking at their avatars. Really avatar pictures from The Office tv show? Give me a break. To think I almost signed up there back in April...

This is my first post here.  I was looking around at CathInfo for the first time tonight and found this thread.

I am the same Walty with the Office avatar at FE.  My question is this: Are you really going to claim that someone isn't a traditional Catholic because they have an avatar of a particular television show?  I could see if this was Baywatch or the Real World or something particularly over the top like that, but really?  This is enough to get you to not join a particular forum?

 :wave: Hi Walty! I am the same everywhere.

Hey there.  I thought I recognized the name from FE.  They let you in too, huh?

Not that I have read this thread all that closely, but I do not recall the avatar being central to the discussion.  I believe the majority of those who are now here, but were once at FE, have had various, problematic experiences there which form the basis of their present opinions, whatever those may be.

Welcome, Walty.

I am pretty familiar with FE, FWIW.  I was there for a while, making a few thousand posts, most of which are in a folder that is now in the archives.  Vox, with whom I never had a bad experience, told me that I simply did not harmonize with the direction she wanted to take the site.  C'est la vie.

Be here, be there, be at both, drop them both...no biggie.  Pax tecuм.

Welcome, Virgil.

I cannot speak for everyone, but I know some of us were asked to leave FE -- versus us being "fed up", etc.  I only know my own case in detail, but I apparently did not fit into Vox's vision for the future of FE.  No biggie, as it is her baby, not mine.

Again, welcome.

Quote from: Walty

My question is this: Are you really going to claim that someone isn't a traditional Catholic because they have an avatar of a particular television show?

Hi Walty.

If a television show is immoral, people should not use an image from it as an avatar. A television show does not have to be very bad, like the real world or baywatch, for the show to be immoral. For example, if the show was perfectly fine, except that one of the female characters wears a short skirt, the show would be immoral. Just because the show is not as bad as the real world, does not necessarily make it okay. It may mean you only commit one or two mortal sins while watching it instead of a hundred. We would be much better off if aliens came down from the sky and stole all of our televisions.

My argument was about kind, not degree.  I certainly understand that The Office is not acceptable simply because it is better than Baywatch.  

What I don't understand is how one could be sinning mortally by watching The Office or how having an avatar of a guy in a tie giving a thumbs up is scandalous or offensive.  Perhaps you could clarify.

Walty, I forgot to mention in my post that I was not referring to your avatar or your television show specifically, but was just answering the question you asked about whether it was okay to have avatars from TV shows. But now that you ask, if the television show your avatar represents is sinful, then it would be scandalous to use it because it would remind others of the sins in the show and would make people think you watch and enjoy a sinful show.

I have never watched the office, so I cannot say if it is sinful or not, but I will try to answer your question anyway. If there are  actresses dressed immodestly on the show and you look at them with lust, you could be guilty of mortal sin, if there are any dirty jokes and you laugh at them and you continue watching the show knowing that there will be more dirty jokes, you may be guilty of mortal sin. If there is any blasphemy or use of the Lord's name in vain and you laugh and continue to watch the show despite the blasphemy or use of the Lord's name in vain, you could be guilty of mortal sin. If any of the characters hold any erroneous opinions or have bad morals, and you are influenced by these erroneous opinions and bad morals, endangering your faith, and you continue to watch the show, you may be guilty of mortal sin. If there are immoral characters who commit sins or pretend to commit sins on or off the screen and you sympathize with them and vicariously enjoy these real or simulated sins you may be guilty of mortal sin. Of course, I have never seen the show so I do not know if it has any of these elements or not.

Walty, I forgot to mention in my post that I was not referring to your avatar or your television show specifically, but was just answering the question you asked about whether it was okay to have avatars from TV shows. But now that you ask, if the television show your avatar represents is sinful, then it would be scandalous to use it because it would remind others of the sins in the show and would make people think you watch and enjoy a sinful show.

I have never watched the office, so I cannot say if it is sinful or not, but I will try to answer your question anyway. If there are  actresses dressed immodestly on the show and you look at them with lust, you could be guilty of mortal sin, if there are any dirty jokes and you laugh at them and you continue watching the show knowing that there will be more dirty jokes, you may be guilty of mortal sin. If there is any blasphemy or use of the Lord's name in vain and you laugh and continue to watch the show despite the blasphemy or use of the Lord's name in vain, you could be guilty of mortal sin. If any of the characters hold any erroneous opinions or have bad morals, and you are influenced by these erroneous opinions and bad morals, endangering your faith, and you continue to watch the show, you may be guilty of mortal sin. If there are immoral characters who commit sins or pretend to commit sins on or off the screen and you sympathize with them and vicariously enjoy these real or simulated sins you may be guilty of mortal sin. Of course, I have never seen the show so I do not know if it has any of these elements or not.

You cannot condemn entertainment which involves sinful characters.  What is important is how that sin is portrayed.  Are we morally obliged to steer clear of Shakespeare?

There is a scene in Hamlet where the prince is about to murder his uncle while he is praying. He decides not to kill him then for fear that because he is praying his soul might go to heaven and decides to kill him later while he is drunk so he will be damned. That is one of the most wicked thoughts ever put into a play. If you, in the audience, sympathize with Hamlet and think, yeah, Hamlet, kill him while he's drunk so he will be damned, are you not guilty of sin?

I am not saying that all art that portrays sin should be condemned, but it is certainly very dangerous, especially when we sympathize with the evil characters, and very often we are guilty of sin when we do so.