In 2000, the online magazine, Salon.com, published several articles attacking one aspect of Catholicism or another. Most of its attacks were centered on the Church’s teachings on sexuality. Its latest foray occurred on December 13 when it published a statement allegedly written by a 15 year-old girl charging that her Catholic school is anti-gay. The piece, “Teens, sex and God,” accused the Catholic Church of hating gays and contributing to “intolerant attitudes” that “contribute greatly to teen depression and suicide.”
The Catholic League registered its thoughts on this matter with media outlets across the nation:
“A review of Salon’s articles on religion demonstrate an hostility to Catholicism that is unique in its coverage of other religions. For example, on November 22, in a story on a young woman who decided to become a nun, it was said, ‘The Catholic Church is hardly the center for the young, brilliant and inspired these days.’ Makes us wonder whether the author had mistaken the Church for Salon. No matter, now we have a broadside against the Church for its alleged anti-homosexual teachings. Indeed, we learn that Catholic teens pick up on the idea of ‘If Jesus hates fags, religious leaders (e.g., Jerry Falwell) hate fags, then I can hate fags too.’ Now couldn’t the author have found at least one Catholic leader who ‘hates fags’ instead of citing the Baptist Jerry Falwell? Probably not.
“Salon’s fascination with sex is jaded at best. Today it has two pieces, one on teens who perform oral sex on each other and the other on a woman who bit off a man’s testicle. It is not surprising that with this kind of journalism Salon is going belly up. On December 11, the Los Angeles Times wrote, ‘Salon.com’s stock has tanked,’ explaining that what saved it from going under is the round of layoffs it experienced last summer. With its stock now in the penny-stock range, it is only a matter of time before Salon declares bankruptcy. That it is already morally bankrupt is beyond dispute.”
