“We have a suggestion in the article, that must have originated somewhere, that the Catholic community is idolatrous, worships Apostles as gods, and would not allow the Gospel in. Tell me to my face, and (women and children excepted) you will not have a face.”
Fine. And you would be willing to accept criminal prosecution for doing this? Do you believe the government should jail someone for making this statement? If so, you are not a conservative at all, you are an imperialist who believes in enforcing your religion through government edict.
Let’s establish some points. Some who claim to be Protestants have variants that are extreme and distasteful to almost all Christians. Some who claim to be Catholics have variants that are extreme and distasteful to almost all Christians.
Can we agree that we prefer a government not jail people simply for not accepting the official religion of that area? Does it matter if that official religion is same as ours, or if it is Protestant, Christian, Islam or anything else?
At a basic level I would think we could all agree on these points set aside some of the arguments about who worships what.
Of course. As Catholic I do not obey laws that are injust, expect persecution for my beliefs, and defend the Church from slander regardless of what the authority might do to me.
Do you believe the government should jail someone for making this statement?
Yes, slander is a violation of natural law and therefore the governemnt should punish the slanderers.
I do not condone the specific situation in that parish, especially forced participation in festivals. Cops acting like thugs in Mexico? Stop the presses.
However, the jerk calling people idolaters who reject the gospel is a catechist. First, he should know his own faith better, and if there is an unhealthy slant in these celebrations, he should have alerted his bishop, rather than bolt to a Protestant sect. I do not recommend doing what allegedly someone did to him, -- if they did, -- but I do not see anything admirable in his actions, and so the reaction is predictable.