About this hatred and bigotry stuff, maybe you have to be on the receiving end of it before you see it for what it is.
Perhaps also you might consider how a practicing Catholic sees “The Church”, if Catholics are your target audience in these “discussions” you should understand that when you make mocking statements about the Catholic Church WE read it as mockery of Christ.
I know you disagree with that and you’re perfectly within your rights to say you don’t care how we see it. But please think about it, every time you’ve made some mocking comment about Catholicism some Catholic (probably every Catholic who read it) felt that mockery in the core of his or her soul as a slap at Jesus Christ. Some (a lot?) of us react wrongly by returning fire but we’re not reacting in a vacuum.
That puts you in a pretty tough position, but since I believe you’re wrong there’s not much I can do to help you out of it. However, because I don’t want to collectivize or dehumanize you I’m trying to communicate with you the way I want people to try to talk to me. The way people perceive the message is often as important as the message itself. On the whole as I have lurked over the last several years it appears to me that very few people in the religion forum are willing to concede even a minimal level of good will on the part of those with whom they disagree, there are some notable exceptions.
God be with you.
Speaking out against sexually abusive priests and the Roman Catholic church which has been caught covering it up is hatred and bigotry and a slap in the face of Christ?
Really?
So, no one can criticize the church for anything, even when it’s clearly in the wrong without it being an insult to Christ Himself?
Really?
Are there no limits to what evil the church or priests can do that won’t raise the ire of Catholics when it’s exposed and condemned by non-Catholics? People looking in from the outside can recognize evil when they see it. Calling it evil isn’t hatred or bigotry, it’s speaking the truth, which is more than the Catholic church has been doing in these situations.