THE GOOD, the bad & the (at times) ugly

This month sees the celebration of 3 different 25th anniversaries. All 3 of these have had a profound effect on the world. 1 for good, 1 for bad & 1 that while at times bringing good has also had some ugly effects on life. The good is the 25th anniversary of EWTN. The bad is the 25th anniversary of MTV. The (at times) ugly is the 25th anniversary of the launch of IBM's PC.

On 1 Aug 1981 MTV (for Music TeleVision) launched its cable service with the music video Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles. At 1st it seemed fairly innocuous as all it did was play videos of songs. But that didn't last long. Soon controversy about some of the videos surfaced. At times it was overblown. But some of the videos did foretell the garbage to come. As time went on it devolved into what it is today, a network where raunchy, soft porn programs are the norm. Most of the time it spews out shows that promote promiscuity, sinful lifestyles, & immodest, immoral behavior. Occasionally it does still play a few videos. I am not going to debate to what extent MTV has influenced the culture & to what extent it merely reflects the state of American culture today. All I will say is that to the extent it reflects our culture, it shows how far our country has turned from the decency & morality that were a part of the Judeo-Christian foundation America was built on. Clearly MTV is a force for bad by what it does, even though I'm sure the would argue the point. In their twisted viewpoint what they are promoting is making the world better. they will deny the reality that what they are selling is garbage at best, poison at worst.

On 12 Aug 1981 IBM launched its 1st personal computer (PC). At the time few people realized the far reaching effect that it would have on the world. There were just a few business applications available & some of them not very good. Since IBM aimed its products towards businesses the PC 1st began to appear in offices across the country. Before this most computers were hugh things that could take up a whole floor of a building & cost a fortune to buy. Data was still often being fed in by punch cards. Apple, Commodore & Tandy did have a few small computers for home use. Nothing as powerful as the PC. For example, my 1st computer at home was a Commodore VIC 20 with 2K RAM. Soon the PC began to appear in homes. People began using them at home for things like word proccessing & filing. Playing games quickly became a large part of the time spent on them. & with the launch of the internet, well, the fact that you are reading this shows how much a part of everyday life computers have become.

The effects of the internet are why I call this anniversary the (at times) ugly. A computer is morally neutral. It is just a tool. & like any tool how it is used is what makes it good, bad or ugly. Back with the early home computers there were community bulletin boards. I ran a section of 1 via a phone modem thru my VIC 20 & my cassette drive. The bulletin board was operated on a Commodore 64 with 2 floppy disk drives. By todays standards what we were doing was what Spock would describe as "using stone knives and bearskins" (Star Trek: The City on the Edge of Forever). Today via the internet so much more can be done. The internet is the information superhighway. People can get needed info, news etc, faster & easier than ever. While that is good there is the other, ugly side of the internet. It enables sexual preditors to hook up with children/teens & take away their innocence. It allows easy access to 1 of the worst things on Earth, something that should never exist, child porn. & except for abotion, there is nothing uglier than that.

Then on 15 Aug 1981 EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) began to send out its programs to the few cable systems that carried it. It was founded by Mother Angelica PCPA, abbess of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Birmingham, AL. There were 4 hrs of programs a day that went into 60,000 homes. Not a very big start. Today EWTN has programs 24 hrs a day. It is available via cable, sattelite & the internet 24 hrs a day. There is also a shortwave radio station & radio programming for those who want to carry it on a local station. & there is also a Spanish version of the radio & TV networks. It carries quality solidly orthodox Catholic programming that teaches, entertains & inspires its viewers adults & children alike. It is spreading the Good News of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is doing the ultimate good that can be done on Earth.

A timeline (short with links that go into more detail for each decade) is available on their website:

http://www.ewtn25.com/timeline.htm

So, how did an Italian cloistered Franciscan nun come to the point where she started a global cable TV network? & do so in the Bible Belt? & in doing so proclaim the truth thus become the bane of those so-called progressive Catholics who would misappropriate Vatican II & use it to try & destroy the Catholic Church & what it has stood for for 2000 yrs, replacing its Spirit lead teachings with heresies? The answer is the story of how God can work miracles thru a "dodo" (her own description) who is willing to trust God to do the impossible.

The short version: In the late 70s Mother Angelica began to appear on CBN, doing a series of programs about Catholic teachings. The station where she filmed the shows was about to carry a program from the network it was affiliated with that she considered blasphemous. Mother asked the station owner not to carry it. He refused. Having been a guest on The PTL Club & The 700 Club & doing the programs she decided she could do this herself. Thru a series of miracles of God's provision she was able to start the network that has grown into what it is today.

If you would like the full story I recommend reading Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles by Raymond Arroyo. It is an excellent bio that doesn't cover up the flaws & faults of Mother Angelica.

EWTN has been a blessing to countless people over the years. It has been faithful to the Magesterium of the Catholic Church. In doing so it has upset, as I pointed out earlier, those who are not faithful to the Magesterium, & at times, even a few American bishops. The Network has been a tool used powerfully by God to bring healing, to bring comfort, to bring the Gospel to a world that needs it even if it doesn't always welcome it.

In the name of full disclosure I must admit that I have met Mother Angelica twice. The 1st time was in the mid 80s when she spoke at the 5 Flags Civic Center here in DBQ. The 2nd time was in 1989 when I went down to Birmingham to visit the network. While there I got to attend the live program & also the celebration of 1 of the sisters taking her vows. I got to see Mother at work & at play.

I have not always agreed with how Mother has done some things, but I agree wholeheartedly with her vision. Mother, as pointed out in the bio, has at times let her Italian temper get the better of her, at other times that same temper has been the impetus to get accmplish what needed to be done. Sadly, the last few yrs she has been unable to do much because of her health. Even so, God is still working thru her as she offers up her sufferings. The fact that EWTN has thrived without her visible presence is evidence that its foundation is Jesus, not Mother Angelica.

EWTN has been a great blessing in my life. I praise God for the work He has done in my life thru EWTN. There are times when I have been encouraged in the midst of struggles. There are times when I have learned more about my faith. There have been times when I have been challenged top more fully live out my faith. & there are times when I have been very uncomfortable watching it. Those are the times I am most thankful for. Those were the times when God was convicting me of sin, calling me to repentance. Throughout it all, esp those times of calling me to repentance, God's love have been revealed to me.

EWTN

HAPPY 25th ANNIVERSARY!!!!!