Tech Tips for Catholics

I just posted a comment over at ChurchCrunch on a post titled “Vatican Goes YouTube – A Digital “95 Theses” Expected?” The author brings up some good points.  Read the article and previous comments before you read my (Joshua’s) following response.

There are many Churches who are using YouTube.  I think you do bring up some really great points though.  Should a Vatican channel allow comments, video responses, and the such?  This is something that needs to be discussed prior to going live.

I think people tend to see the Catholic Church as “old fashion” or say that she needs to “get with the times.”  These same people don’t understand, let alone respect liturgy.  These same people want to live their lives according to the world’s standards and the only way to rationalize it is to try and change the Church.

John Paul II spoke often of a “New Evangelization.”  Should Christians use the tools of today to spread the Gospel message?  Of course!  Should the Church replace the sacred liturgy with videos, skits, and the latest style of music?  Most certainly NOT!  This would be a cheapening of the mass.  I would not expect non-liturgical Christians to understand this, nor am I blaming them for their ignorance.

G.K. Chesterton wrote that “the New Religions are suited to the new world; and this is their most damning defect.”  He also wrote, “The Catholic Church is the only thing which saves a man from the degrading slavery of being a child of his age… The New Religions are in many ways suited to the new conditions; but they are only suited to the new conditions… If the [Catholic] Faith has all the freshness of a new religion, it has all the richness of an old religion.”  Now even though Chesterton was a writer of the early 20th century — prior to the internet age — his words are quite relevant today.  God Bless †

I would encourage any and all Catholic geeks to post your thoughts over at ChurchCrunch.  You might have your own unique opinions to add to this discussion.

Below are some related links to this topic:

• Proposed Vatican YouTube channel
• Will The Pope’s YouTube Channel Be A Hit?