Is Michelle Bachman an anti-Catholic? Or merely a Protestant? {ECUMENICAL thread}

Catholic Culture ^ | 14 Jul 2011 | CC

[Cronos]

An unusually ignorant story in The Atlantic--with a completely misleading headline—questions the religious affiliation of Rep. Michelle Bachman Republican presidential candidate.

Bachman was—but no longer is—a member of a Minnesota Lutheran congregation that belongs to the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The latter, a theologically conservative group, teaches that the Roman Catholic Church embodies the spirit of Antichrist—although a representative of the group reports that this view is rarely expressed today. Columnist Joshua Green asks whether Catholic voters will find Bachman’s beliefs offensive.

But Bachman herself never professed that belief. When questioned about it, she repudiated it, and said that she regards Catholics as good Christians. Moreover, she has formally withdrawn from the Wisconsin Lutheran parish.

Writing for GetReligion, Mollie Ziegler Hemingway (who is Lutheran) finds it remarkable that Green should be shocked by the beliefs of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. They are Protestants, after all; if they agreed with the Catholic Church they would presumably be Catholics. She argues that the Synod’s official statement shows only that “they’re still Protestants who still don’t believe in the papacy and still think it sits in opposition to the Gospel of Christ.”

[Cronos]

NOTE: this is an ECUMENICAL Thread.

the rules for an ecumenical thread are here

Ecumenic threads are closed to antagonism.

Unlike the “caucus” threads, the article and reply posts of an “ecumenic” thread can discuss more than one belief, but antagonism is not tolerable.

when in doubt, only post what you are “for” and not what you are “against.”

Note -- I'm Catholic and while I don't like the language in the WELS statement, I recognize it as a historical viewpoint not their belief today. They disagree with my beliefs as I do with theirs.

Michelle, one may like or not like, but she does not hold to his belief and I would be surprised if this was a regular sermon at her WELS Church

I posted this as an example of media trying to toss anything and everything against a viable GOP candidate. This is in the religion section as I thought this required ecumenism in that we all recognize that we disagree on topics but recognize how much we do agree on

[Cronos]

From Christian century.org

WELS Synod spokesman Joel Hochmuth said in an interview the anti-papal doctrine is "not one of our driving views, and certainly not something that we preach from the pulpit." Hochmuth said he doubts whether many members of WELS are aware of the doctrine, which dates to Protestant Reformer Martin Luther.

Bill Donohue, president of the watchdog Catholic League, said he does not believe Bachmann is anti-Catholic

[Westbrook]

> Columnist Joshua Green asks whether Catholic voters will
> find Bachman’s beliefs offensive.

Yes, of course. I’m sure Catholics will find Bachman’s Lutheranism far more offensive than 0bama’s pro-abortion, pro-homo, pro-Moslem, anti-Christian, anti-business, anti-American positions.
/sarc

[livius]

LOL!

I think the question, actually, was whether she found Catholics offensive and thus would be hostile to them.

Any Catholic who has been on FR for very long is pretty used to raving Protestant hostility by now! But in general, I don’t think this would be a problem with her; she’s an intelligent, educated Christian adult and not a member of Billy-Bob’s First Church of the Flaming Snakehandler, so I think she’d be fine. Certainly better than, as you say, the pro-abortion, pro-homo, pro-Moslem, anti-Christian, anti-business, anti-American creature now in the WH!

[Cronos]

It's a hit-piece by Joshua Green. His agenda to try to destroy Bachman's candidacy is blooming apparent.

The only reason I'm guessing this is happening is because the Catholic vote in Canada went conservative as Catholics finally got fed up of libs. And Obambi has p**** off quite a few folks here. His supporters are getting desperate.

[livius]

They also want to make her look like some kind of primitive from the backwoods, which of course she is not. They criticize her education the same way.

One of the problems is that media can’t understand anybody who’s not just like them, and they live in an environment where there is nothing but contempt for people who are not like them.

[YankeeReb]

In a way I see this story as a good thing. It shows liberals are scared wit-less.

[Westbrook]

Thanks, guys.

I’m not a Catholic, but I am definitely not an anti-Catholic, either. There are a lot of folks in the Catholic church that I consider to be brethren in the Lord.

I have a good relationship with one of the leaders of the Catholic Congregation in my town. We have had many a great chat going round and round on the Bible.

At one point in one of our discussions, he asked, “How can you know so much about the Bible and not be a Catholic?” To which I responded, “How can you know so much about the Bible and still be a Catholic?”

We had a great laugh together and maintain a good relationship to this day.

[Westbrook]

> It shows liberals are scared wit-less.

:)

Praise the Lord! Scared people will speak and act irrationally. The less rationally they comport themselves, the more they will be exposed for the inept, wit-less, permanent adolescents they are.

[Prole]

She’s an intelligent, educated Christian adult and not a member of Billy-Bob’s First Church of the Flaming Snakehandler, so I think she’d be fine.

Now that is both funny and true!

Am Catholic myself, and will vote for Bachmann because she is a pro-life Conservative.

[ALPAPilot]

I’m sure the “Reverend” Jeremiah Wright is next in line to be Archbishop of Chicago. /sarc

[Redmen4ever]

Can we criticize Barack Obama for belonging to a racist “Afro-centric” church, and not criticize conservatives who belong to an anti-Catholic church?

We CAN make a distinction between church dogma that is dormant and not embodied in the life of the church. The so-called Reverend at Obama’s church actively engaged in race-bashing from the pulpit, reserving his worst venom for blacks in inter-racial marriages. Do ministers at Bachmann’s church actively engage in Catholic-bashing from the pulpit?

Is this distinction enough?

On the other hand, a few years ago, when the word got out that there was a ban on inter-racial dating at a certain church-based institution in South Carolina, a lot of people started praying that the leaders of this institution would get a word of knowledge on the issue. I might also mention that a prominent black conservative with his beautiful wife, who is from India, and their beautiful children, went there; and, he delivered a powerful speech (sermon?) on Christianity and race. The leaders of the institution did get that word of knowledge. Such in the power of God to transform hearts.

Let us not diminish God’s grace.

Let us use this occasion to prayer for the unity of the church.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

Thank you, Cronos, for a level headed approach. I saw an article about this yesterday and I forget where it was published. So what, it was obvious the author was trying to stir up trouble.

If the WELS thinks the papacy is the anti-Christ, the Catholic church also teaches that all non-Catholics are going to hell as one cannot be saved unless a Catholic.

We have differences of opinion, that doesn't mean we despise each other. For those who stop and think about this, it needs to be disregarded.

[Cronos]

Certainly better than, as you say, the pro-abortion, pro-homo, pro-Moslem, anti-Christian, anti-business, anti-American creature now in the WH!

Exactly

[Cronos]

Am Catholic myself, and will vote for Bachmann because she is a pro-life Conservative.

I haven't made up my mind completely yet, but I would possibly vote for Bachman to become our candidate. If she wins the candidacy, then I'm going to vote for her no matter what! I haven't completely decided if I would vote for ANY GOP candidate even a RINO if he/she goes up against BHO -- anything is better than BHO...

[muawiyah]

You're getting out of line there ~ that's pretty antagonistic toward the snake handlers. As everybody knows who's had anything to do with them "socially" they are pretty much mainstream Protestants ~ very much like Methodists or Presbyterians ~ but they have this thing about snakes.

There aren't very many of them either ~ the snakes see to that!

As far as Raving Protestant hostility is concerned, I do believe all the principals at Free Republic are, themselves, Roman Catholic! Are you suggesting they aren't good Catholics?

[Cronos]

Quite frankly cgg, I don't even want to discuss what our churches have written down in small print -- we don't hear sermons at the pulpit that rail on either side, do we?

As red put it correctly -- there is no active bashing.

more importantly: the lib writer who brought this up doesn't really care what the WELS thinks about Catholics or vice-versa.

I doubt he even really cares what either Church teaches at all -- he just wants to disrupt Michele's candidacy.

As a Catholic I would be distressed if we even discussed this aspect wrt Michele's candidacy. It is a non-issue about Michele.

We can discuss this separately on a separate context, but to discuss this in ANY context with Michele is succumbing to the left's dividing tactics.

[Rashputin]

This is just another “divide and conquer” hit piece. Bachmann must be making more than a few people nervous.

[Mad Dawg]

Great story!

[sayuncledave]

I agree wholeheartedly. We who love the Lord, whether Catholic or Protestant, are not the target here. This is another attempt to use our differences against ourselves, and each other to sink one of the better-floating campaigns we’ve thus far seen for 2012. I haven’t yet seen or heard much that disappoints me about Michele, although I am nowhere near making up my mind on who I’ll support. She does impress, with reason. And thus, the left is a cowering pile of jello in the corner yet again. Since they’ve nothing of substance, one of their usual tactics is displayed for us: divide. If it cannot be reduced by fact, use innuendo and lies. Nothing new. Versus the left, I’ll side with every one of you, always.