A reader sent me this.
They call it a "game".
I wonder how Moslems would enjoy seeing a game app for the iPhone called "Ramadan". How about a "Salaat" game app? How about the "Hajj" game?
Would Jews enjoy a "game" app called "Yom Kippur"? How about the app for "Bar Mitzvoh" game? How about the "Shabbat" game? Good idea?
This was made by zimzer.
I think people need to complain to Apple iTunes about this "game".
Who can find the right contact information?
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There’s also an app where you can shake a baby to death to stop its crying.
“Confession of one’s secrets”
Secrets?
We don’t confess secrets. We confess sins.
This is highly obnoxious, and the whole saint/sinner thing gives a totally misrepresentative image too.
Call Apple Customer Service, and they can probably refer you to the right people that handle complaints
Here’s the phone number:
1-800-676-2775
Apple Public relations is probably also a good place to contact.
Here is their number:
(408) 974-2042
I also e-mailed the Catholic League about this “app”, and I’m confident that Bill Donohue can take care of this situation.
Let me know what response you get back from Apple if you call one of those numbers.
Milq Media, who made this “app”, is a Dutch company. Who is the Archbishop out there? Does he know about this app?
I agree with the hypocrisy. I am not expecting to see “iBris” anytime soon.
I remember one of the Apple guys taking the moral highground recently, saying that – for example, – one would not be able to get porn on the iPhone, etc. So, maybe they will be quite receptive to complaints.
Google the controversy and email that guy directly; don’t try customer services because they’ll have their own script to stick to.
I got a very good response from Apple through their customer service number. They mentioned that there were already quite a few complaints lodged against it.
By the way, Father:
For info, any graphics you post never show up, so I actually have no idea what you’re referring to.
For all I know it could be this, which seems perfectly legit: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iconfess-confession-handbook/id307804649
I sent the link to this page to Robert Ritchie at America Needs Fatima. He does a lot of eProtests that have been very successful. I believe that his site, http://www.anf.org is attached to TFP. This should get handled quickly.
@Mark M
It is most likely an issue with your browser? I never am able to view them while using Chrome, however, in InternetExplorer they are rendered as intended.
I prefer Chrome, so I just copy/paste the address over to IE whenever a picture is discussed.
Also Mark M, the link to the app in question:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/confession/id370138549?mt=8
Even worse, in the iTunes App Store it carries the following warning:
You must be at least 17 years old to download this game.
o Frequent/Intense Horror/Fear Themes
o Frequent/Intense Profanity or Crude Humor
o Frequent/Intense Mature/Suggestive Themes
So it’s profane and crude, “mature” and suggestive, and frequently and intensely so.
I sent an email to the iTunes App Store Customer Service.
By the way, there is another app called “Confession Booth” that is similar. It doesn’t carry the same warning as the other. But one of the graphics shows a curtain with “Vent yo’self fool!” on it.
The developers of both of these apps are just boneheads of the first magnitude.
One of my college classmates got a whole course credit in art for doing the same thing. He posted a phone number to call and “confess” and then built a rudimentary confessional in which one could sit and listen to the recorded calls. A whole course “credit” in “art.” It recalls the wisdom of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, “You’re so ugly you could be a modern art masterpiece!”
Who said, “God puts limits on Man’s intelligence, but puts no such limits on his stupidity.”? If you give a man enough kindling, he will burn himself. Do I have to add “Apple” to my extensive list of companies I’m supposed to boycott? It’s really getting ridiculous.
This is disgusting!
You’re right, Father Z; Apple (or any other company for that matter) would never do anything to offend Jews or Moslems. But we Catholics end up being a ‘punching bag’ and having our beliefs and sacraments held up to ridicule.
I hope that Bill Donohue of the Catholic League really lets Apple ‘have it’!
For those of you who don’t want to call public relations or customer service to complain about this app, I was able to find the corporate contact info for Apple. That’s the best I can do.
Apple
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
Phone: (408) 996-1010
Hope this helps!
There’s always a double standard and such hypocrisy. Only the Catholic Church is fair game, no other religion. Such is the case with the abuse issue also. As horrible as it is, other organizations or groups receive no attention or exposure.
Sad. The last acceptable prejudice.
“IBris” ROFL
I am reminded of Archbishop Sheen’s frequent admonition that when the Church stops practicing something the secular world picks it up.
His specific examples had to do with Catholics leaving behind the confessional, and psychiatric couches filling up. Also, when Catholics stopped praying rosaries, the hippies put them on.
I think he would not be shocked by this at all — mad, probably, but not shocked.
I called the phone number from Blissmeister and spoke to a woman who “took my complaint”. I didn’t get the impression that she understood why I was offended though – and I did use the examples of apps for Bar/Bat Mitzvah and pointed out that if Apple had even tried to ridicule anything Muslim, there would already be a fatwa out against them.
Perhaps more importantly, I told her I was thinking of switching from my Blackberry to an iPhone, but would not buy anything at all from Apple as long as that was available. But unfortunately, you probably can’t unring the bell. It could end up being a collector’s item for sick people.
at my incredibly anti-Catholic, super-liberal college, as part of a “scavenger hunt” one of the things participants were given to do was find a local confessional and make up ridiculous stories and sins to confess [or use real ones for all i know]. points were given based on how severe the penance was.
how i came back to the faith in that place… truly only God knows
lux perpetua, What college was that, if you don’t mind sharing.
They’ve committed blasphemy, in my humble opinion.
Tell them of this, complain, and if they don’t respond or laugh at you, leave them to the Lord, figuratively shaking the sand off your feet as the Good Book tells us to do.
God will not be mocked forever. Let your hearts not be troubled.
Why should we take such offense to this? “Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers. Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven.”
You cannot remove darkness, but through light. I encourage all those who would complain to Apple to spend that time thinking up ideas for positive iPhone apps that will bring more people to faith.
The iTunes Customer Service rep sent me the URL for the Apple iTunes Feedback page for registering complaints.
Blissmeister86,
Yep, Mr Donohue is definitely our Church’s “bulldog”. I have very high hopes he’ll be right on it. I like the man very much. :)
I’ve just managed to leave a stinking complaint on itunes site.
I got offered the survey through the “Provide itunes feedback” on my itunes shop page.
Apparently they are running some type of survey on how customers use and rate the site at the moment.
Then they give you a lovely big field to write your opinions on – very considerate of them, seeing as I had plenty to say about this “app”.
I tried to rate the app itself but you have to own it to rate it.
There’s more than one way to skin a flea!
With all due respect, one has to point out a sin; isn’t that a Corporal Work of Mercy?
The positive ideas along with it is great though I doubt they will do anything to reflect Christianity in a good light. But who knows?
I just clicked on the link Dunangus posted and was told
“Your request could not be completed.
“The item you’ve requested is not currently available in the US store.”
Looks like it’s been removed, at least temporarily.
Emilio III, I got the same message just now. Looks like Apple removed the app. Praise God!
It’s absurd, ridiculous and reprehensible; but, who knows, maybe it will spark a conscience out there! Some say there is no such thing as bad publicity….
*Yep, Mr Donohue is definitely our Church’s “bulldog”. I have very high hopes he’ll be right on it. I like the man very much. :) Comment by doanli*
Very good, my man, but don’t rest your laurels on just this one man! He also needs warriors willing to fight for him, and take up his banner!
The fight is very much bigger than you can ever imagine, but I totally agree with you that Donohue is in the vanguard!
But, his milieu is media-wise and external; there are also very serious internal problems in the Church. Still, I very much admire Donohue, even where those on the left and right of the Church find fault in him!
I mean, come on, he’s just one man fighting a lions battle!
Whoever made it also has not been to confession in a long time or is not Catholic. Most modern churches don’t have confessionals and if they do they certainly do not look like that.
It’s not available on the Australian iTunes store – looks like it has been pulled.
Good!
Sorry, but I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. “Confession is good for the soul” is a common saying, and it isn’t just Catholic. I saw an episode of a silly TV show, “That 70’s Show” where one character received a great deal of relief from confessing something bad that he had done, and spent the rest of the episode driving everyone crazy confessing to them because of the relief he felt. The best part was when he said with delight “why doesn’t some religion come up with something like this!” There will probably be some gross stuff on that site, but I don’t think they’re stealing anything we can claim as just our own. Confession is a human need, and it’s very likely that some users of the application will realize the truth of that and be reconciled to sacramental confession as a result. You never know.
Catholic Sacramental Confession, which is being mocked here, isn’t like anything else that is common to all, as if it were just another form of psychotherapy or some self-help psychobabel fad of the 1970s (when all the confessionals were abandoned first by priests).
If one loves, one loves the entire body of Christ, head (Christ) and members (others), with the same act of love.
If one sins, one offends the entire body of Christ, head (Christ) and members (others), with the same sin, whatever it is.
If one is reconciled, one is reconciled to the entire body of Christ, head (Christ) and members (others), with the same reconciliation, whereby the priest says the words of absolution in the first person, even while the grace comes directly from Christ, with the priest at the same time, also by his ordination, representing all the other members of the body of Christ.
The wisdom of Christ in bringing us to Himself is awesome, personal, utterly unlike anything such apps or their analogous activities have to offer.
If good is to be brought out of evil, Christ will also look to our prayers for this end.
But a good result does not excuse the evil means.
Oremus!
I can only imagine that at some point the issue of sexual abuse of kids comes up in this game… I can’t imagine how it wouldn’t. Hopefully this can get pulled quickly.
From the comments above, and my own search on the iTunes app store just now, it appears to be gone.
Wow! The power of the internet, and especially of Father Z and the followers of WDTPRS!!
You cannot remove darkness, but through light. I encourage all those who would complain to Apple to spend that time thinking up ideas for positive iPhone apps that will bring more people to faith.
Comment by wandering_sheep — 11 May 2010 @ 5:07 pm
This comment deserves some considered thought and subsequent action. I’m thinking surely someone can do something with the Holy Father’s ‘themes'(I don’t have a better word)Catholic Identity, Catholic Continuity, Catholic Unity, er, sorry Fr. Z, Christian Unity…meaning the Church is the ICU for the Soul. May someone(s) from WDTPRS do it and send it or some such to Apple A.S.A.P. In other words, let’s keep Apple’s conversion going…along with our own.
“With all due respect, one has to point out a sin; isn’t that a Corporal Work of Mercy?”
Spiritual.
bliss,
i went to swarthmore college, outside of philadelphia. a school where blasphemous chalkings of the Blessed Virgin are often featured during “coming out” week on the college’s sidewalks and where a favored developmental biology professor loves to give talks of his adventures trying to convince silly Vatican officials that “personhood” doesn’t begin at conception [he confuses personhood with life]
He gave a lecture called “when does personhood begin: avoiding a Syllabus of Errors” a year or two ago. a modified version can be found here:
http://media.swarthmore.edu/featured_events/?p=132
Etc. Thank God for God’s Grace or who knows where i might have ended up.
A little late into the game, but I emailed Steve Jobs directly about this. Didn’t get a response, but the app was taken down within 24 hours. Can’t say whether my email had anything to do with it, but…