Denver, Colo., Aug 10, 2017 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholic YouTube junkies of the world, unite – you are needed for the New Evangelization.
That was essentially the message of the recent Catholic YouTubers Hangout, the first-of-its-kind online meeting of dozens of Catholics from around the world who last month about bringing the Gospel to their YouTube channels.
About 50 channels logged on to take part, hailing mostly from the United States, but also with channels joining from places like Italy, Brazil and Spain.
The hangout started as the brainchild of Daniel Glaze, who is one-half of the channel “That Catholic Couple” – the other half is Daniel’s wife, Ana. On their channel, they show their followers (dubbed “The Donut Squad,” a play on Glaze) all about their life as a young Catholic couple and first-time parents.
Daniel said the idea for the hangout came when he was watching a Catholic YouTube video one day and wondered whether Catholics on YouTube knew each other or ever collaborated together.
Steve the Missionary (aka Steven Lewis) of the “Steve the Missionary” channel, and Maria Mitchell, the producer of the “Ascension Presents” channel, had similar questions. Why weren’t there more Catholics on YouTube, the way there were on other social media platforms like Twitter? Why wasn’t there a Catholic community on the platform?
“(We all) noticed that there really wasn’t a cohesive community of people who create together, react to each other, or collaborate with each other,” Lewis told CNA.
“Daniel was the one who was smart enough to start calling his friends and asking what we wanted to do about it.”
And that’s how the Catholic YouTubers Hangout was born. The free online conference was open to any channel that was in some way, shape or form, Catholic – meaning either the content explicitly talked about Catholicism and the Catholic church, or the creator of a channel is a Catholic who is letting their faith influence their work.
The goals for the hangout were twofold: to create a community of Catholic YouTubers, and to encourage further collaboration within that community.
Each host of the hangout also gave a keynote address, the main ideas of which can also mostly be found in this collaborative by Daniel, Ana and Lewis: https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=inXOliuYdQk&t=21s
This community of Catholic YouTubers is necessary, Lewis said, because “Catholics need to get their voice in the hyper-progressive, strictly materialistic, and atheist and agnostic conversation happening on YouTube.”
He said he wants there to be a “Catholic YouTube” of sorts – a corner within the platform dominated by explicitly Catholic conversations and creators, like there is on Twitter or Instagram.
“But I know that that’s not enough,” he said.
“The second thing I want is for Catholics to be a part of every other corner of YouTube. We should be earning our rights to be heard in the conversations happening on ‘Gamer YouTube,’ ‘Politics YouTube,’ or ‘Movie-Nerd YouTube,’” he said.
“Having both of these is important to spreading the Gospel. The first is important for answering the explicit questions of people interested in the faith, the second is important for putting the Gospel in new places among the people of the world.”
Lewis, who has been creating videos for his channel since 2013, said he was inspired to start making videos because he was already a major YouTube junkie, as well as a missionary with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) at the time. He realized there was a need for the Gospel to reach one of his favorite online platforms.
“I love trying to say old truths in new ways. I love seeing and explaining the new ways that deep truths percolate into our lives,” Lewis said.
While many of his videos could fit in a category of apologetics and faith conversations geared towards millennials, they also include things like Lewis’ thoughts on the World Cup, eulogies for closing coffee shops, or his ability to eat bacon on certain Fridays in Lent when some dioceses were granted dispensations and others were not.
Daniel noted that even within his own Catholic-themed channel, the conversations are not necessarily explicitly Catholic, but are about life as a young family, informed by a Catholic view.
“We need more variety of Catholic content on YouTube, which means we need Catholic content creators living out their faith and showcasing it through video. For example, my channel ‘That Catholic Couple’ is a vlogging (video blogging) channel where we regularly share what it means to be a young family. Yes, we speak about our faith, but our content isn’t always explicitly Catholic. Plus, we need different perspectives on the platform to put the Gospel in the niche corners of YouTube,” he said.
During the hangout, Lewis said he challenged Catholic YouTubers to do two things: first, to watch and subscribe to each other’s channels, because it helps build community. Secondly, he encouraged them to keep watching their favorite secular videos on YouTube, because it can help creators to hone a more professional style.
“Don’t be afraid of the secular influences on your style,” Lewis said.
“We think of Audrey Assad (a Catholic singer/songwriter) as writing in the tradition of modern praise and worship writers. While that’s true, if you ask her what her musical and lyrical interests are, she’ll tell you about artists like Paul Simon: a secular artist of such quality, that anyone can learn from him,” Lewis said.
Daniel added that the community is important, because it will allow Catholics to push each other to be better. Creating great art is something that the Church used to lead the world in, but has fallen behind in recent years, especially when it comes to creating good video.
“To be frank, the time of bad Catholic video content needs to end,” he said.
And the need for good Catholic video has never been more urgent, as video streaming has exploded in recent years with the boom of smartphones, Lewis added.
“The explosion of streaming video, especially through our phones, means that people are open to the possibilities of what a video can show them. Like any media, streaming videos can be baptized and used to glorify God. Let’s not waste our time!” Lewis said.
“It’s tough because we are currently outnumbered on YouTube, but so were the Apostles, so we’re in good company,” he added. “Also, I really like this new bromance I’ve got with Daniel.”
Daniel said that the hangout was only the beginning, and the he plans on continuing to look for opportunities to provide resources to foster community and collaboration among Catholic YouTubers, ultimately to help further the message of the Gospel.
“A good friend of mine once said, ‘conversion of the heart isn’t fostered by one video, but it can start one.’”
Lewis urged all Catholics to share videos and blogs that further the Gospel message. And, if they find a gap somewhere, to fill it.
“Online evangelization is not about getting famous, it’s about seeing a need and addressing it,” he said.
“If you find a video/post/blog that says what you need to say right now, like and share it! If you can’t find that video/post/blog, I guess it’s time for you to make it yourself!”
[…]
What stuns me is how deeply and swiftly into a loss of a common sense the world is falling. Shouldn’t it be self-evident that, if a child’s normal puberty (hormonal production) is being blocked his fertility (and not only fertility) will suffer long term?
It appears to me that many modern people see their bodies as some plastic dolls – inject into that plastic shape some meds, shake it well and later, if it does not work, we can just pour out, rinse and be fine and try something else. The same attitude pervades those who happily go for plastic surgeries, I think. There is no normal apprehension “what if it will go wrong” before doing something drastic with one’s own body or the body of one’s own child. This, by the way, is sharply at odds with “a nature = Gaya worshiping”.
Puberty blockers and hormonal meds affect not only physical but psychological health as well. They can cause a wide spectrum of reactions, from severe depression and anxiety to psychotic elation. However, those “doctors” who usher them on the trans-road somehow do make a connection between the meds they already prescribed and the worsened mental symptoms, up to suicidal ideation. “Look how depressed you are” they say to a child/teen, “do not worry, take those meds and you will feel far better after we get your breasts/penis cut off”.
Anyone who thinks you can ply a human being with all kinds of hormones (even those that are contraceptives) – especially during the developmental years – and not cause damage to the organism are either certifiably insane, irreversibly stupid or evil (some win the trifecta). I also place in the same category those lemmings who take experimental and untested vaccines because the government tells them they should (and also shields the pharmaceutical companies that makes them from product liability lawsuits.)
Were you vaccinated? Do you also deny the validity of all other vaccines against diseases? If bit by a rabid animal would you refuse treatment? Do you really believe that the multiple attempts to find a way of preventing COVID around the entire globe was an evil conspiracy concocted by a much corrupted medical profession. Perhaps COVID was created and intentionally released by evil people for unknown reasons; but to believe that the attempt to treat the disease and prevent multiple deaths is evil makes no sense at all. Yes, it’s highly likely that some people took advantage of this situation for selfish and or evil purposes ( this is to be expected of our fallen human state ); but that does not negate the good intentions or motivations of those who produced the vaccines. It may be true that the vaccines were ineffective or even harmful, but we do not really know that and surely did not know it at the time . The epidemic was so sudden and unexpected and the nature of the virus so unknown, that there was not time to subject create and test possible treatments the way we usually do. Time was of essence and risks had to be taken. It’s easy for an armchair Monday morning quarterback to make judgements on a play; but it’s much a different situation for the quarterback himself in pocket in the heat of the game with sore muscles and dirty sweat in his eyes. He throws his best ball in spite of it all. No one can really judge him, because they were not him in his shoes. The same can be said for the whole COVID scenario. Let’s give thanks for the many good people who tried their best to save lives. Let’s at least give them the benefit of doubt. My dear Deacon, we may disagree and still be brothers in Christ. May God bless your ministry , you are in my prayers.
Mr. Connor, I don’t see anything in Deacon Edward’s comments that suggest a rejection of all vaccines. Many people are concerned about the side effects of pharmaceuticals & especially those created in a hurry.
I really don’t think we’ll have all the answers about Covid for years. And considering it’s possible source, perhaps never.
I was a child myself once (I’m pretty certain all of us were). So was my brother. I remember that by the time we reached school age, both of us were very self-conscious about allowing even our parents to “see us” unclothed! I remember not using the school bathroom all day because there were no doors on the stall (what insanity prompted that policy?!). Both my brother and I were terrified of doctors and nurses who poked and prodded us during examinations–I remember screaming while a doctor examined me. What horrors must these children be experiencing while they are being “examined” and questioned? How does a child feel when a “professional” who has just poked and prodded their bodies announces, with a gentle smile, that the child “feels bad” because they are in the wrong body? Does that make them feel “better?!” Really?! Do they really think, “Thank goodness, this kind doctor has figured out how to help me feel happy again!” Do they even understand the differences between boys and girls at these young ages? How horrible for a child to wake up with sore/painful incision wounds on their private parts–these wounds will require daily wound care!–surely it is an awful experience for these children to have a parent or health care professional touching their body parts that they were always told by parents and teachers are “private!” The mental and psychological trauma caused by these surgeries surely causes any depression and/or anxiety to worsen! And in the meantime, is anyone trying to figure out alternative reasons why a child might feel “sad” all the time? Perhaps it’s because a pet died, or a cherished relative or friend, or perhaps they are anxious because they are watching a scary TV show that their parents are laughing at but that the child is afraid of? Or maybe they are being bullied, not because of their sex, but because bullies are MEAN and often, no teacher is allowed (or has the courage) to confront a bully and put a firm STOP to their violent taunts, threats, and physical attacks. Maybe the child has stomachaches or headaches because of a physical issue–e.g., food intolerance or over/under eating, or maybe the child needs glasses.
What medical professionals are violating their “do no harm” oath when it comes to treating supposedly “trans” children? They should be stripped of their licenses and forbidden to ever be around minor children or teenagers again.
The medical and legal establishment is now monetizing surgical experiments on human beings.
Eighty years ago we fought against fanatics who committed such human experiments, and we put them on trial for crimes against humanity, and hung them for committing these crimes.
I don’t foresee hanging but I do expect to see litigation.
Yes, it is the gist. But in the Nazi concentration camps the victims were unwilling. Now they are willing and it means that humanity hugely advance on its path to a total and “soft” mind control. Imagine some Gypsy woman willing coming to Ravensbrück (women concentration camp) and requesting that she and her daughter will be sterilized. This is exactly what is happening.
There are some cancers that are hormone based. To keep another tumor from happening the patient is given hormone blockers.
Catch 22. Depending on the hormone the patient must have a procedure to rebuild the bone; or else the patient will have osteoporosis.
The big difference is most people who develop a hormone cancer are adults. They are past childbearing years.
Teenagers are to become parents. What are these blockers and replacement procedures doing to all of the organs? When a 30 year old wants to marry and have children but discovers they are sterile. Will they figure out this is a delayed side effect from the trans drugs.
The advent of the contraceptive pill and its acceptance in medical practice represented a fundamental abandonment by the medical profession of the Hippocratic Oath. It was the first time that the profession allowed the deliberate prescription of a substance designed to interfere with normal physiology and function. Early varieties of oral contraceptives caused unexpected complications, most notably venous thrombosis complicated by pulmonary embolism and death. Rather than banning such prescribing, modifications to dosage were tried and tested for no reason other than to allow big pharma the ability to continue making obscene profits – not to care for the needs of women. The outrageous use of gender altering medication and risky surgery to alter the external appearances of normal gender development is in the same category, contrary to the ideals of Hippocratic medicine which sadly continue to be eroded. Worse, of course, is the cooperation of the law, once the great protector of human life in all its forms, in aiding and abetting these abominations through legislation. And where was this abandonment of the ideals of medicine born? In the USA!! God love America – with hands on heart, of course. The Mayo clinic data screams out “Abandon this abomination and affirm its criminality through laws that punish it rather than, as happened with the contraceptive pill, approve, aid and abet it.
Amen! Let’s not forget, however, that one of the biggest cheerleaders for this trans-mania is our devoutly Catholic president, Joe Biden, according to whose word — and how could anyone doubt that? — the pope himself called “a good Catholic” who should continue receiving Communion.
Thank you in advance min.
For friends who are looking for a gacor slot site that is trustworthy and has the biggest bonuses, here are several sites that might be your reference for playing.
https://abkhaziya.net/