Anti-Catholicism in the U.S.: A hate much loved and lied about

http://www.sunspot.net/ ^ | May 11, 2003 | Michael Pakenham

[Polycarp]

Anti-Catholicism in the U.S.: A hate much loved and lied about

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By Michael Pakenham

Sun Staff

Originally published May 11, 2003

Is a need to hate essential to the human condition? No. But history and contemporary life insist that hating has beguiling charms. Denying them is a main job of civilization. That job's not being done very well these days.

For the moment, put aside African-Americans, Jews, Latinos and other traditional hate targets and consider the Roman Catholic Church in the United States.

The most elegant description of anti-Catholicism I have read is John Highham's: "the most luxuriant, tenacious tradition of paranoiac agitation in American history." That surgically precise diagnosis is quoted in The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice by Philip Jenkins (Oxford, 288 pages, $26).

Jenkins is a chaired professor of history at Penn State and has written 15 previous books, several of them involving the Catholic Church and Christianity in general. Answering the inevitable question, he writes "I was a member of the Roman Catholic Church for many years, but I left without any particular animosity, and since the late 1980s, I have been a member of the Episcopal Church. ... I have never been a member of the clergy in any church, nor a seminarian, nor was I associated with any religious order." (And, no, lest you ask, I am not and never have been a Roman Catholic.)

Jenkins examines the phenomenon slowly, methodically, tracing its long history and its European origins, its often-disguised currency among orthodox liberals, the Church's treatment in novels, movies, television and the mainstream press. The array of issues on which anti-Catholicism can flourish today in the United States. is very powerful - feminism, homosexuality, contraception, abortion are at the top of a longer list.

He builds with methodical patience - to a conclusion that there prevails today in the United States. rampant, forceful, shameless and largely uncriticized anti-Catholicism.

[Polycarp]

Worth reading, especially in light of the persecution of Roman Catholic Senator Santorum by the laimstream media and agents of the homosexual juggernaut.

[gcruse]

the homosexual juggernaut.

Bitch-slap you, do they?  Yeah,
it's a reg'lar Inquisition.

[nickcarraway]

At least we don't have to worry about this on Free Republic.

[.45MAN]

Thanks for the bump. Good article, I am always amazed how the lack of understanding can create hatred in people.

[from occupied ga]

"the most luxuriant, tenacious tradition of paranoiac agitation in American history."

What prolix drivel!

That surgically precise diagnosis is quoted in The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice by Philip Jenkins (Oxford, 288 pages, $26).

This is what the reviewer considers to be "surgically precise?" The words when strung together in this manner purvey little meaning. I can tell this is $26 that I won't spend. Let the perfesser feller learn to write in a concise logical manner and not pad his sentences with redundant adjectives that would get him a C- at best in a freshman english compostion class.

[FreedomPoster]

Please, not a new victim class.

Personally, I see a lot of anti-Christianity in the general media, not a lot of specific anti-Catholocism. And much of what could be perceived as "anti-Catholocism" is really people speaking out about the Church hierarchy's (mis)handling of the problem of homosexual chickenhawkers in their clergy.

[Desdemona]

BUMP

And, as usual, the people who really need to read this and think about it, either won't or will and will rip everything the man says to shreds.

Des's prophesy.

[Desdemona]

Please, not a new victim class.

That's just it. We're not allowed to be victims. Not by faith and not by the media. It's perfectly acceptible to tear at the church and it is done all the time.

[FreedomPoster]

You appear to have missed my point. The media, and much of the public, will tear at any sign of Christianity. Just because its Catholics this week doesn't mean its any different for other denominations.

[showme_the_Glory]

"Please, not a new victim class.

Personally, I see a lot of anti-Christianity in the general media, not a lot of specific anti-Catholocism. And much of what could be perceived as "anti-Catholocism" is really people speaking out about the Church hierarchy's (mis)handling of the problem of homosexual chickenhawkers in their clergy."

You are very close to to the truth. BTTT

[Polycarp]

Let the perfesser feller learn to write in a concise logical manner and not pad his sentences with redundant adjectives that would get him a C- at best in a freshman english compostion class.

I think you missed the key fact that the "perfesser feller" was quotiung someone else.

[Polycarp]

Did you actually read this whole article? I honestly doubt it.

[Polycarp]

Des's prophesy.

Amazin'! Your prophecy is being fulfilled already!

[FITZ]

Worth reading, especially in light of the persecution of Roman Catholic Senator Santorum by the laimstream media and agents of the homosexual juggernaut.

I've seen protestants get it just as bad ---Robertson, Falwell etc -- fundamentalist Christians might be persecuted more than Catholics. I'm Catholic but have never felt like a victim and I think things are a lot worse in other cultures for Catholics.

[Polycarp]

Amen. </sarcasm>

[FreedomPoster]

Yes, I did, and my previous statements still stand.

Yes, mainstream America historically was perhaps slightly prejudiced anti-Catholic. This is tied to the fact that many Protestant Americans in the late 1800's and early 1990 saw Catholics as poor, rough around the edges newcomers (Irish and Italians), and saw their reverance of the Pope as antithetical to allegiance to America. However, this era pretty much came to an end with the election of JFK.

We now have frequent public anti-Christian statements regularly made without challenge, and to think that it is somehow worse for Catholics (oh! woe is me!) serves no one well. Again, if there weren't the poorly-handled issue of the homosexual component of the clergy, I see no reason to think that the Catholic Church is any more mistreated in public discourse than any other anti-abortion denomination.

[FreedomPoster]

Thank you.

[FreedomPoster]

Correction - that should be "early 1900's"