USCCB Review of "Brokeback Mountain"

Faithful Catholics are left wondering about the USCCB's decision to give this film a rating of "L" (Limited Adult Audience) rather than a rating of "O" for "Morally Objectionable"...

Perhaps it can be understood why if we read the the review a little more closely:

As the Catholic Church makes a distinction between homosexual orientation and activity, Ennis and Jack's continuing physical relationship is morally problematic.

It's quite a bit more than "problematic"...It's morally reprehensible and a most serious abomination...what is "problematic" is the USCCB review's failure to speak clearly regarding the serious immorality of acts and attitudes of those in this movie.

The adulterous nature of their affair is another hot-button issue.

Words are supposed to mean something - words are supposed to be used as a means of communication, as a means to promote clarity of thoughts and reality. Adultery is not a "hot button issue" except to those who would promote it as a natural human experience. It is a grave (mortal) sin against God and against ones neighbors...While those who wish to corrupt the truth with special nuancing and wordsmithing may flower their language with terms like "problematic" or "hot button issue", it is inconceivable why such languange is used in a USCCB movie review, unless it is designed, as it seems, to diminish the gravity of sin and promote movies aimed at further destruction of family life and the natural law, let alone Divine Law.

But there is even more:

While the actions [homosexuality, adultery, lust] taken by Ennis and Jack cannot be endorsed, the universal themes of love and loss ring true.

What the reviewer (and apparently, he was unwilling to pen his name to the review) fails to realize and explain is that acts of homosexuality do not, can not, and never will exist under the umbrella of "universal themes of love" - it is not "love" to act on one's unnatural desires. It is not "love" to violate the will of God. It is not "love" to commit adultery. It is not "love" to engage in sodomy. Authentic love is repulsed by sin because it offends God. What we have here, being portrayed as "love", is a love of self and of self-will, an embracing of lust and self-gratification, masquerading as love.

Perhaps this unnamed reviewer should have had his review checked for clarity and doctrinal adherence by the head of the department before posting it...Then again, maybe he did?????

It's sad, but then this is just one more reason among the multitude of reasons which demonstrate why the USCCB has become so irrelevant...

The USCCB review can be read here.