[trisham]

Particularly when you're dealing with sola scriptura protties, raised to be rabid anti-Catholic, frothing at the mouth obsessives.

*****************

Have some compassion. Life is difficult for those whose only amusement is to be anti-something else. Never pro, never positive, never creative, since it's all but a mouthing of what they have learned in their religion.

Imagine that you belong to a religion that was born of another, whose very existence relies upon the repudiation of that original Church, whose very credibility hinges on the constant denigration of another.

[mgist]

Imagine that you belong to a religion that was born of another, whose very existence relies upon the repudiation of that original Church, whose very credibility hinges on the constant denigration of another.

I guess that explains a lot. Thanks.

[mgist]

In all honesty there is also the fact that the Catholic church coverted millions of people around the world after Jesus' death. Just one example is the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe (http://www.michaeljournal.org/guadalupe.htm ) in 1953. It was one of many apparitions in our church history. This was the event that led million of Mexican indians to Jesus.

These people tended to mix there native traditions, which were certainly pagan, with Catholism. Similar tendencies happened in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. I can see how some would see that influence of pagan culture, mixed with their limited Catholic knowledge of the time, and misunderstand Catholic teaching. Some of that mixture of culture and religion exsists to this day. I've seen some distortion of Catholic beliefs in Cuban households. I will certainly, lovingly remind them, that it is NOT Catholic. Those instances are really the exception. The Cathechism of the Catholic Church should clear up any of those doubts. I don't think too many of those who slander the "RC" have bothered to read the Cathechism.