Same here.
I suppose the main element of surprise comes from the fact that we don't harbor these feelings toward Protestants. Certainly, growing up, the attitude was "They're decent people, certainly fellow Christians, though they have a few things wrong with their theology." There was definitely a sense that we're all in together, viz., the effort of living out the Gospel in our own lives, and bringing it to others.
Generally speaking, when the masses get into hysterics about something, it's a good sign they're wrong. Global warming Climate change, for example. Turning off that noise and assessing the situation calmly and rationally is the cure for this. The same is true for these trumped-up scandals. Having to go back 20, 30, 40 years to dig up cases ought to raise a red flag. In most of those cases, the accused is long dead and so cannot defend himself. But all that business about the right of the accused to face his accuser is just for whiny civil libertarians, I suppose. Suspending statutes of limitations, which are in place because memories fade and evidence disappears over time, is fair game, but only if Catholics are targeted. In New Hampshire, they tried to introduce legislation to force priests to break the seal of the confessional, first amendment rights be damned.
If the bishops had insisted that each and every one of these accusations be subject to the standards of a court of law, almost none of the claimants would have a case. In fact, the John Jay study shows a significant drop-off in accusations (not all of which are likely to be true) after the mid 1980's. But the mission of the Church extends beyond civil justice to moral justice, and if an internal investigation suggested a case had merit, the bishops settled them instead of spending the money on court fees and attorney fees. It's the honorable thing to do, but the Church will not be given credit for that. The pay-outs do not come from the tax payers, nor from the personal wealth of the clergy, which is minimal, but from parish funds, which means, ultimately, from the parishioners and their ancestors who donated the money to establish their parishes. Their reward is bankrupt dioceses and closed churches.
Now, you might think that on a conservative site, dedicated to Constitutional restoration, our separated brethren would have enough presence of mind to see that Catholics' rights are jeopardized by these actions. You'd think that they'd realize that if our rights are in danger, so might theirs be in the days to come. You'd think they'd notice the timing of these media events, and realize that they are staged to discredit the Catholic Church, which has been most vocal in its defense of the unborn, of traditional marriage, of the integrity of the family, and of subsidiarity (essentially states' rights in the US). You'd think they'd realize that destroying all these things is the agenda of the Leftists here in the US and in the EU, and that if the Church is weakened the Left is strengthened. You'd think they'd understand that jumping on this politicized bandwagon is injurious to their own cause.
You'd think that, but if you did, apparently you would be wrong. The irrational hatred for the Church on the part of certain people on FR trumps everything else. It's sick, and it's sad, and it's not going to stop.
As our republic continues to degenerate into socialism and fascism, we can either stop slinging mud at each other and join forces against the decline, or we can sit back and watch it fail.
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Exactly right.
Don't take it the wrong way... there are lots of Protestants here who don't harbor anti-Catholic feelings. And there are a few Catholics who can be over-the-top too (and at times, admittedly, that has been me).
You'd think that, but if you did, apparently you would be wrong. The irrational hatred for the Church on the part of certain people on FR trumps everything else. It's sick, and it's sad, and it's not going to stop.
Bingo. It's irrational, and at times, maybe even diabolical (certainly that's the case for some anti-Catholics in the world at large). But the key is learning to pick battles wisely, and knowing when to let the other person's words stand on their own - when they've gone off the reservation entirely, the other FReepers and lurkers can generally tell.
Welcome to FR, by the way.
In other words, the Lord Actons are my friends, the Antonio Salazars are not.
Welcome to FR.
And thank you for yur thoughtful post.
Exactly.
Your description of the Catholic attitude towards Protestants is also correct; I remember when I was growing up that Catholics thought that Protestants were wrong theologically, but not that they (individually or as a group) were evil incarnate or supported evil.
I live in the South now, and I've gotten used to things like a van strategically parked in front of our Cathedral with Bible verses and "Rome is the Whore of Babylon" painted on it. The van's occupants come in and scatter offensive leaflets in the pews from time to time.
I guess I should be used to it by now, but I'm still saddened by this.