A top Roman Catholic cleric in England has accused Disney of corrupting children, encouraging greed and turning its make-believe world into a latter-day pilgrimage site.
Christopher Jamison, the abbot of Worth Abbey, in southern England, charges Disney with “exploiting spirituality” and helping to generate a culture of materialism while pretending to provide movie, book and theme park stories with a moral message.
Jamison, the star of a British Broadcasting Corp. television series, The Monastery, and a candidate to succeed Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor as leader of the Catholic population of England and Wales, lodged the accusations in his new book, Finding Happiness.
I guess there were no abortionists, gay marriage enthusiasts, Islamic extremists and proponents of radical secularization left for him to roast. It’s very encouraging that Britain’s problems are so few and or of minimal consequence that the good abbot has time to take on Walt Disney.
Under the mercy,
[url=http://ad-orientem.blogspot.com/]John[/url]
An [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj4pUphDitA]Orthodox [/url] Christian
In preparation for a family trip to WDW (Flordia), I spent some time doing research – best attractions, cheap eats, and so on. There are multiple internet (non-Disney) sites/boards devoted to all things Disney and some of them do verge on a kind of idolatry. It’s interesting that Walt – himself an avowed atheist- worked hard to have not anything remotely connected with religion in the original parks. Epcot is a good example. The piece on the history of communications/civilization in Spaceship Earth is masterful in what it leaves out. What would Walt think about the almost fanatical-devotion of his fans?
When I visited the first time, it was all pretty godless, sterile, and, naturally, filled with illusion (or maybe delusion would be better). This more recent visit (15 yrs later), there is an increased emphasis on the “circle of life” theology and the waiting areas of Everest Expedition (big, new roller coaster) has folks strolling through a replica of a Tibetian monastery. The Asia sectionof Animal Kingdom is heavy with Buddhist adn Hindu accents (all decorative of course)
On the other hand, Epcot is hosting during the “Holiday” season, a three times a night “Candlelight Procession.” It is sold out every night and features a reading of the Nativity by well known personages (Steven Curtis Chapman on Christmas Eve, I think) along with orchestra and choir singing traditional (Christian) carols. And, Prince Caspian and Narnia are hanging out at Disney Hollywood. So, maybe a few inroads are happening. I do agree about the merchandising though…between the movies and television stuff – it’s rampart.
Something I loved when we there on Thanksgiving Day was the sky writer in a small plane who kept writing such sentiments as these: Mickey (symbol with mouse ears) (symbol for does not equal) God; Thank God; and Love God. Couldn’t miss it.
#1 – the Church in England’s current leadership (the “Magic Circle” pace Damien Thompson) are problematic to say the least. Pray for England!
(though I am no fan of Disney by any means, and plan to keep that stuff away from my kids)