Do we only publicly fund entities that don’t like Christians (looking at you, Planned Parenthood)?
This may seem like I’m being a hypersensitive Christian here, but even The Washington Post said this error “practically begged Christians to renew charges that the media is biased against them.”
Feeling the need to Eastersplain to their postmodern, “no objective truth” fans, someone wrote an article for the NPR website that described Easter as “the day celebrating the idea that Jesus did not die and go to hell or purgatory or anywhere like that, but rather arose into heaven.”
Yeah, no.
Obviously, what is being described is the Ascension, which comes after Easter (May 13 in the Roman Rite this year).
They also got the “hell” part wrong too. As the Post article points out, we Roman Catholics and many other Christian denominations do say “he descended into hell” as part of the Apostle’s Creed (which we say when praying the Rosary).
Even if this writer hadn’t managed to get two huge things wrong in just twenty-five words, I would have taken objection that we celebrate “the idea” of the Easter story. We celebrate that it actually happened. To devout Christians it’s not just some plucky little story that has survived the narrative test of time. We’re not paying lip-service to an “idea,” but commemorating and celebrating what is at the very core of our faith.
If I seem a bit indignant about this, well, longtime readers know how I feel about the mainstream media. Still, come on, NPR. Christianity is the world’s largest religion and Roman Catholicism is the biggest religious denomination on the planet. It’s not as if we’re all just some fringe group that is difficult to find out basic information about.
Take some of that taxpayer funding and learn to Google.
NPR did quickly correct this, it should be noted. But again, come on.
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