Online anti-Catholicism rears its ugly head

OSV ^ | Tom Tracy

[netmilsmom]

Rosalie and Michael (not their real names) are a Catholic husband and wife from the Northeast who run an upscale hair salon in the South; they have long been what might be called "perpetual parish shoppers," ever looking for a church community that perfectly fits their spirituality.

Not long after Rosalie began attending an evangelical Christian mega-church whose spirituality emphasizes Biblical fundamentalism, church members directed her to a plethora of Internet sites aimed at revealing to Catholics the "truth" about the Catholic Church.

One example of the sort of misinformation present on such sites: The back of the pope’s chair in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is inscribed with an upside-down cross — proof that the pope is allied with Satan, right?

Perhaps a poorly catechized Catholic like Rosalie would fall for that explanation, but others will remember that St. Peter asked to be crucified upside-down because he did not feel worthy to die in the same way his Lord did.

[netmilsmom]

I think I know some FReepers who may have read these!

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[WinOne4TheGipper]

I'm glad that Catholics are presenting the facts of what's going on. I think some of my fellow Protestants may be a bit on the ignorant side when it comes to some Catholic traditions. And you're right, they need to read this. But I also think that we all should take the time to understand each other's point of view. That's what FR is all about.

[AAABEST]

Good post, I'm with you.

My pet peeve is a "I'm going to heaven and you're not" Christian.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

Well, I finally got something right.:)

[Warlord David]

As an evangelical christian I have to disagree with how the catholic are being displayed in this article. I do not at all agree with this one evangelical church.

I do not agree with the catholic doctrine or the whys or why nots. But I do agree that most catholic have a genuine desire to want to know the Lord. Something the catholic church is found wanting. See how that the catholic church is falling apart over gay priest, gay marriages, and other internal conflicts.

These problems exist because of the false doctrine that is so much apart of the catholic church. And many catholic are begining to see the light, despite the clergy.

No doubt the clergy who wrote this is looking for symathy and striking out in revenge. Trying to sterotype evangelical churches has half baked. Nice try.

[AAABEST]

I don't know - I've seen my share of "I'm going to heaven and you're not" Catholics, too. :)

Yes you do know and I agree more than 100%. I actually intended my statement to include them.

In fact we can be the worst violators of all.

Lately I've been making an effort to put my Christianity before my Catholicism. This is one area where I part ways with my fellow traditionalists and orthodox types.

IMO, acceptance of other Christians is one of the few gems of Vatican II. We don't have to worship like them, but condemning, rejecting or judging them is very wrong.

Paul spoke about this at length.

[Pyro7480]

These problems exist because of the false doctrine that is so much apart of the catholic church. And many catholic are begining to see the light, despite the clergy.

I respectfully disagree. The problems exist because no one in the hierarchy is correcting them. Heck, some of the hierarchy are even involved!

[OpusatFR]

Really?

I do training in different religious groups and in the community and my last venue was for a methodist pastor and his parishoners who when told I was Catholic, turned to me and said, "I am sorry."

Now, in all Charity, I kept quiet. But this was a hideous example of the garbage I put up with in some circumstances.

[ahadams2]

This reflects one of those good news/bad news situations:

the good news is that the internet is a great way to bypass the 'mainstream' media's censorship because anyone can self-publish on the web..

the bad news is that *anyone* can self-publish on the web.

While many of the mainline denominations (Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc.) are dealing with issues related to previous infiltration by those espousing 'liberation theology', homosexual 'rights', and a wide variety of other 'post-modern' nonsense, the Evangelicals and Pentecostals have their own problems.

The majority of the latter would appear to result from two primary issues:

1. Some (and that's an important qualifier) portions of both the Evangelical and Pentecostal movements do *not* place much emphasis on ministerial training; thus resulting in men and women in leadership positions who have only the basics of their own theology, and no basis for accurate comparison with theological basis of other denominations. This is especially true on the fringes of both groups (which is where a lot of the 'pope is the antichrist' sorts of nonsense come from).

2. Most Evangelical and Pentecostal groups tend to concentrate their authority at the level of the local congregation. There are some exceptions - for instance The Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal denomination, although made up primarily of 'sovereign congregations' expends a great deal of time and effort policing their own folks to keep them from wandering too far off into theological la-la land.

However, all of us - Mainline folks, Evangelicals, and Pentecostals too, have our share of 'tinfoil hat' types.

It's been my observation that (possibly due to the two above factors) the *fringes* of the Evangelicals and Pentecostals seem to attract more than their fair share of 'tinfoil hats', many of whom may have fled other denominations due to lack of acceptance of their views...and then we're right back to the good news/bad news about self-publishing on the web.

just my 2 cents' worth on that one,

[Campion]

These problems exist because of the false doctrine that is so much apart of the catholic church.

That's funny, my copy of the Bible says "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor," not "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, unless you really don't agree with the doctrines of his religion and like to recruit people out of it, in which case it's okay."

Maybe I need to get an updated version?

[Luircin]

It's happening both in Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. The difference is (or at least it seems to me) that the Roman Catholic Church is highly centralized, and so the hierarchy is split in opinion and belief. The Protestants are generally separated along denominational lines (though there are in-denominational debates and fights too, like the recent hoo-hah in the Episcopal Church and now in the ELCA), and so most like-minded people are lumped together into one denomination. Thus, the stereotype of conservative Baptists and liberal Episcopalians.

[AAABEST]

Your post is actually too silly to address.

God bless you.

[siunevada]

No doubt the clergy who wrote this is looking for symathy and striking out in revenge.

— Tom Tracy is a senior correspondent for Our Sunday Visitor. He writes from Florida.

He seems to be hiding the fact that he is a member of the clergy, too.

[Desdemona]

The phrase I really hate is "recovering Catholic".

If you're Catholic, you're Catholic for life. You may fall away or turn your back on it, but that doesn't change that you're still Catholic.

The big problem is still that people don't know the faith because no one taught us what it is. And it's up to us to raise the roof with that little tidbit.

[Warlord David]

I respectfully disagree. The problems exist because no one in the hierarchy is correcting them. Heck, some of the hierarchy are even involved!

What does that tell you about the leadership of the catholic church. And what does the leadership(those best to judge a matter) think about the catholic doctrine, considering their behavior. And why is the problem not fixed. There are several excuses that can be given, but it all comes down to the heart. Where do my loyalities lay. Doctrine will build you up in the faith or corrupt you, depending on the doctrine(s).

[Warlord David]

I apologies. I leap before I look.

[HarleyD]

With all due respect to such a wonderful person as yourself, I have had numerous Catholics on this site who have told me in no uncertain terms that if you're not Catholic, you're not part of Christ's Church. In fairness to these Catholics, this is the official teaching of the Vatican and this position has not been rescinded. On the other side, most mainstream fundamentalist Protestants believe Catholics to be part of the family of God.

As for Catholics complaining about anti-Catholic websites I would gladly challenge anyone to do a search on Catholic verses a search on Calvin and see how many negative hits one will get. Whenever I do a search for Catholic information I get loads of positive Catholic websites verses many negative websites for Calvin. The facts don’t support the contention of this article.