Catholicculture Gives Us A Yellow Rating :(

[Winchester]

[quote name='Socrates' date='06 June 2010 - 04:12 PM' timestamp='1275855179' post='2124741']

2) Yes, I think the whole issue with the movies on there was silly and wrong-headed on their part (and there's really no way of knowing who's responsible at this point- could be clueless newb on their staff). However, their review of Phatmass was on the whole quite positive, and gave some strong praise, with only a few notes of caution. It was far from a trashing or condemnation of Phatmass. (This can be contrasted to the orgy of condemnation and ridicule of CatholicCulture going on among some in this thread.)

[/quote]
They are our mortal enemies. We will conquer them and rule them sternly, but justly.

[Hassan]

I can't help but worry that dUSt's [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=105682"]recent decision to make me tyrant ruler of phatmass[/url] could have had something to do with this.


As tyrant my powers only extend to the boarders of phatmass. But as Sultan I can call upon the armies of Allah to push past phatmass boarders and punish those who slander the orthodoxy of my subjects.

If I feel like it

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Socrates' date='06 June 2010 - 04:12 PM' timestamp='1275855179' post='2124741']
Totally agree here - one of the few voices of reason and balance in this thread. (I thought this was a bit ironic, as Bro. Adam and I got in an online fight on the topic of CatholicCulture.org some years ago.)

Thought I'd add some points:

1) I've known the founders of CatholicCulture.org for most of my life, and they're truly good people, and faithful Catholics. Founder Dr. Jeffrey Mirus (who also founded Trinity Communications, and before that was a founding member of Christendom College), is a good, hardworking man, who's devoted much of his life to work involving the spreading of the Catholic Faith (mostly at no financial gain to himself. He and the other members of Catholic Culture are orthodox Catholics in good standing, who try to stay loyal to the magisterium. Dr. Mirus continues to write high-quality articles on Catholicism, some of which were recently linked to and discussed on Phatmass. Saying that Catholic Culture has "gone off the deep end" based on one poorly-conceived review caution is not fair.
Those accusing them of "iffy" theology and such need to provide something more substantial to back up their claims.
A lot of the bashing and trashing of Catholic Culture going on here is at least border-line slander of people you know virtually nothing about, and quite frankly has no place on a "Catholic" message board.

2) Yes, I think the whole issue with the movies on there was silly and wrong-headed on their part (and there's really no way of knowing who's responsible at this point- could be clueless newb on their staff). However, their review of Phatmass was on the whole quite positive, and gave some strong praise, with only a few notes of caution. It was far from a trashing or condemnation of Phatmass. (This can be contrasted to the orgy of condemnation and ridicule of CatholicCulture going on among some in this thread.)
While, as noted, I disagree with some points, I myself would probably issue similar cautions about this board, which could be confusing for those not already having a solid knowledge of orthodox Catholic teaching. I wouldn't say the problems are the fault of the Phatmass administration so much as inherent to the nature of any internet message board where absolutely anyone can wander in and post their $.02 worth.

3) CatholicCulture.org nowhere claims infallibility in its reviews, nor do they claim that anyone who disagrees with them is schismatic or not Catholic.
Any reviews of this kind are going to be fallible and somewhat subjective. Their ratings are in essence no different from any other such reviews, such Consumer Reports' ratings of products, or an entertainment magazine's reviews and ratings of movies and music.
The reviews are not infallible, but I'd say they are overall good, and perform a valuable service for those looking for solid Catholic material on the web.
To completely trash Catholic Culture based on a disagreement over part of a site review is uncalled for. I've seen plenty of stupid garbage posted on Phatmass. Should we thus condemn Phatmass altogether?

Everyone needs to step back, say a prayer, and put things in perspective.
When Catholics spend their efforts attacking and condemning other orthodox Catholics, rather than working together to fight the greater evils in the world, you know the devil is laughing.
[/quote]
I agree that they do a lot of good work, but at the very least, they need better guidelines for whomever does their reviews. The issues they list against PM are simply not anything the site should be held responsible for. The content of individual posters should not come into play. I understand warning folks that there may be unorthodox or uncharitable posts, but marking that as a negative under the "fidelity" category is absurd. User-driven content shouldn't count at all, but when a site strives to moderate that content, as PM does, that should be an enormous plus. Furthermore, when they give a site a low review regarding "fidelity," I'd have to disagree with your claim that the aren't calling us non-Catholic. Perhaps they're just saying we're less Catholic than they are, but when all the official opinions of those who run PM are orthodox, that's entirely unfair.

Aside from that, I appreciate the hard work they do and their efforts to spread the faith. I just don't think they have the right to go giving ratings on their reviews. Movies are rated by the Motion Picture Association of America, which is an established part of the industry and has the competence to judge such things. Ratings on very subjective things (such as recipes on Epicurious) are done by public vote, which makes sense given their subjectivity. I don't mean to call Dr. Mirus and his folks incompetent, but what competence do they have to give ratings on all manner of Catholic websites? They have no legitimate authority in that realm. The sites they rate really ought to be reviewed by a panel of well-educated and catechized Catholics with theology degrees from a variety of reputable universities. That would ensure that the reviews are based on the truth, the Catholic faith, and it would also prevent bias, such as unfavorable opinions of Catholic hip hop or the charismatic movement (which are, I'm told, quite popular sentiments at Christendom). A panel review would provide balance, in order to back up the principle "in necessary things, unity, in unnecessary things, liberty, and in all things, charity." Furthermore, they should have someone on the panel to speak on technical matters. A reviewer who doesn't realize that this or that disagreeable post is spam? The sites should also be reviewed over a period of time, not just a pop-in visit from out of nowhere. Finally, they should make an association of Catholic websites they have "accredited," much like universities may join, if they meet certain standards. That way, websites that are committed and would like to be accredited for a seal of approval could find out what they need to work on, while other sites could remain in "green" status for being faithful without necessarily cutting certain unfaithful elements, such as user-driven content. Such associations are voluntary and it might be better understood that sites not accredited are still faithful, just not a part of the ongoing accreditation system.

That's what I would do, if I were Dr. Mirus.

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

[quote name='Socrates' date='06 June 2010 - 03:12 PM' timestamp='1275855179' post='2124741']
While, as noted, I disagree with some points, I myself would probably issue similar cautions about this board, which could be confusing for those not already having a solid knowledge of orthodox Catholic teaching. I wouldn't say the problems are the fault of the Phatmass administration so much as inherent to the nature of any internet message board where absolutely anyone can wander in and post their $.02 worth.

[/quote]

Just for the record, I have never had a problem on Phatmass with being able to tell the difference between a poster who is reflecting orthodox Catholic teaching, and a poster who is not. It's usually clear from the poster's remarks. On the few occasions when I haven't been entirely clear on the position of the Catholic Church on a particular subject, I have simply asked, and I have gotten very good answers. (On the whole, Phatmassers have been extremely helpful.)

I think that people DO notice what is written in the blurbs under our Avi's. I certainly do. And, any number of people have commented (not negatively, just noticed) that my blurb says "Anglican." I think the blurbs make pretty clear anything about a person's beliefs that isn't already clear from the remarks the poster is making.

Also, no one reads the posts of just one person. If someone posts something that is against Orthodox Catholic teachings, that fact is usually commented on very quickly, if not immediately. I think most people read, if not the whole thread on a topic, at least enough of a thread to be able to tell which posters are reflecting Orthodox Catholic teaching, and which are not.

So, speaking as someone is not a Catholic, I think Phatmass does a very good job of making clear what is Orthodox Catholicism and what is not. To me, the fear that non-Catholics might be "confused" is largely unfounded. For me, at least, I'm not confused at all. And, one thing that I have been impressed by on Phatmass is the high intelligence level of most of its posters. I've been active on other boards, and one of the reasons I keep returning to Phatmass is because most of the people are smart, and also very nice. (Yes, some posters aren't, but the difference is obvious.)

[Hilde]

I got some yellow ratings when I was playing handball.

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='Hilde' date='06 June 2010 - 04:40 PM' timestamp='1275864004' post='2124905']
I got some yellow ratings when I was playing handball.
[/quote]
You have a very lovely yellow bunny avatar.

[KnightofChrist]

What's important is that Catholic Culture more often than not gets it right with its rating system. But in this case not so, they've jumped the gun on this one. Receiving a yellow rating because of SPAM is unjustified, SPAM that was deleted. Even though they say it was not moderated or edited.

They made a mistake and need to fix it. I would even say in this case they owe dUSt and phatmass an apology.

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='KnightofChrist' date='06 June 2010 - 05:09 PM' timestamp='1275865773' post='2124923']
What's important is that Catholic Culture more often than not gets it right with its rating system. But in this case not so, they've jumped the gun on this one. Receiving a yellow rating because of SPAM is unjustified, SPAM that was deleted. Even though they say it was not moderated or edited.

They made a mistake and need to fix it. I would even say in this case they owe dUSt and phatmass an apology.
[/quote]
I agree. It is unjust to give a "yellow" rating for spam posts. To be blunt, it really is not possible to control everything that is posted in the phorum, which is open to both Catholics and non-Catholics.

[Catholic Fox]

[quote name='HisChildForever' date='06 June 2010 - 10:09 AM' timestamp='1275836979' post='2124566']
They will probably tack on another "weakness" - criticizing a fellow Catholic site - if they ever see this thread.
[/quote]

Judge not, least you be judged.

[HisChildForever]

[quote name='Catholic Fox' date='06 June 2010 - 07:19 PM' timestamp='1275866389' post='2124932']
Judge not, least you be judged.
[/quote]

Did you just judge me.

[Catholic Fox]

No, I did not. I was referring to the judgment of us by Catholic Culture.

[HisChildForever]

[quote name='Catholic Fox' date='06 June 2010 - 07:24 PM' timestamp='1275866643' post='2124936']
No, I did not. I was referring to the judgment of us by Catholic Culture.
[/quote]

Just checking.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Apotheoun' date='06 June 2010 - 07:01 PM' timestamp='1275865291' post='2124915']
You have a very lovely yellow bunny avatar.
[/quote]
Her avatar tried to assassinate bunny Hitler. It's historical fact.

[Brother Adam]

[quote name='Socrates' date='06 June 2010 - 05:12 PM' timestamp='1275855179' post='2124741']
Totally agree here - one of the few voices of reason and balance in this thread. (I thought this was a bit ironic, as Bro. Adam and I got in an online fight on the topic of CatholicCulture.org some years ago.)
[/quote]

Yeah. I flip flop like John Edwards. Some phatmassers went off and even got me to become Catholic a while back.

[Winchester]

[quote name='Hassan' date='06 June 2010 - 05:13 PM' timestamp='1275858806' post='2124815']
As tyrant my powers only extend to the boarders of phatmass. But as Sultan I can call upon the armies of Allah to push past phatmass boarders [/quote]
Phatmass has boarders? Where are you pushing them?