Posted on 11/12/2013 1:54:03 PM PST by Alex Murphy
LOL! I knew a JW years ago who was convinced the JWs were the most hated group, and who took that as proof of a superior spiritual pedigree. Neither your assessment nor his are scientific. You’ve raised a quantitative question, and the only reasonable way to answer it is with valid quantitative data, which I believe in the nature of the case might be very difficult to come by. Satan hates everyone, but he hates Christians above all. Measure that if you can, but as for me, I wouldn’t even know how to begin.
Not sure about the truth of that -- skimped or not, Luther and Calvin do appear on at least one Catholic university Great Books program -- but if the charge is true, would it be surprising? Aquinas is a philosopher as well as a theologian, and, as a poet, Dante is in a different category from Aquinas or Luther or Calvin.
There is no inner city where American Protestant Evangelicals are not saving folk from human trafficking, poverty, and the consumer culture that has them trapped in debt. Black churches fight for grocery stores in food deserts where only liquor stores can be found. It is fine to sniff that not all those saved from American consumerism and exploitation turn into intellectuals, but then why would they?
Once again, I'm not sure about the truth quotient here -- how many of the people attacked (or the people attacking them) actually do "escape from American consumerism"? -- but in any case, the people who make those accusations are usually talking about "White American Protestant Evangelicals," and exclude their Black brethren. They won't deny the value of the Black church. It's the White one's they don't like. Of course, that's not a theological difference, but it's something very much on people's minds.
FWIW: The separation of Protestants into two groups in the public mind may have some disadvantages for Evangelicals, but look at it this way: people are quick to make claims about Catholics or Jews or Mormons or Muslims or whatever. Protestants only have to say, "No, that's not us, that's the other guys" -- Mainstream or Evangelical, depending on who's talking. That can come in handy sometimes, I guess.
I’m only measuring by the amount of negative news about the Catholic Church vs. other Christians.
I have no specific date, but I really don’t think you are being argumentative....for in the middle east, it does not matter is one is a Catholic or a Christian. They are killed and their churches are burned down.
Amen to that. I can testify.
But Jesus loves you and if God is with us who can stand against us?
Just the opposite.
You might not be aware of it, but the "rebaptizers" were killed by both sides during your Reformation. However, the Protestants emerged from this period more in line with our views than the Roman Catholics.
Interesting, yes, but sad.
“Our reformation”
I don’t think so....give Luther that credit.
“Our reformation”
Or did you mean Our counter-reformation?
No, Evangelical Christians are truly dispised by the media and Hollywood.
While you can see many negative portrayals and mentions of Catholics, you can also find many inspiring and spiritual, and respectful movies, articles, and TV portrayals, but not so for Evangelicals.
I would guess that even Catholic Christians flinch when the knuckle dragging, hate mongering, “burn in hell sinner” evangelicals come onto the screen in movies and TV.
A hero or the cool guy, can be a practicing Catholic or a non-attending and respectful Catholic, but he cannot be a Southern Baptist, or Evangelical, the reason is, to Hollywood, Evangelicals only mean one thing, unsophisticated, unfiltered, love of Jesus and the bible, there just not any room for cool in the left’s view of Evangelicals.
I’ve never seen anyone say that before.
Then you need to get out more. Many of us state it regularly, much to the average Catholic's chagrin. And they continue in denial about it, deigning to label everyone outside of Catholicism as *Protestant*.
So are evangelicals closer to Catholicism?
No, Evangelicals are closer to the Bible. Protestantism is closer to Catholicism
I think this is done for the obvious propaganda value. Many of my Roman Catholic friends and family were surprised the first time they learned that there have always been Christian churches that were never under the Roman, or Orthodox, yoke. Just one example of this is the Waldensians. The Baptistic values you find in so many Evangelical churches today can be found in a variety of Christian churches throughout history.
No, Evangelicals are closer to the Bible. Protestantism is closer to Catholicism.
In fairness to our Reformed FRiends we find some great theological insights from some of their most revered members. I think on the core issues of our faith we stand united. It's when we get into questions about baptism, sacraments vs. ordinances, church structure, and eschatology that we begin to differ, which to your point they tend to lean towards the Roman Catholics on.
No.
That's what I was thinking, not to mention that many of the mainline Protestant denominations have gone liberal in terms of Scripture, much like Catholicism in some aspects.
Additionally, the worship services in some of the Protestant churches tend to be more formal and structured than many of the Evangelical ones. Not that it's a bad thing. Just different.
Most of our Reformed and some Lutheran brothers and sisters also consider themselves Evangelicals.
I've been told that.
FWIW, my thoughts are if your church originated with State sanction it's probably not Evangelical and if your church's number one goal is to carry The Gospel to the world it is Evangelical. I hope our Reformed brethren and the few remaining conservative Lutherans don't view this as a pejorative comment. We share a common faith on the big things. We really are just talking about definitions for the various churches that comprise Christianity.
Not at all. At least not me. As a reformed Baptist I tend to emphasize what we have in common, without ignoring or trivializing what divides us. As I have said elsewhere, Christian first, Baptist second.
Amen to these thoughts!
Great post.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_Reformers#Precursors
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Waldo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldensians
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_States
That the media does pick out the RCC above any Protestant Church, as in the case of priestly pedophilia, is often true, due to it being one single large entity, but that is her boast as being the only One True Church®.
But this article is about Evangelicals, and the idea that the Catholic Church is hated by the leftist media more than evangelicals would be absurd. Why would the Left hate the RCC when they knew Evangelicals are collectively far more conservative , and a far greater threat in voting to the Catholics? And there are far more RCs liberal pols than evangelical, which is a term that is avoided by those in national politics.
But as seen here, "hate" to RCs can mean any opposition, and any source that says anything that impugns Rome in any way is likely to be maligned, thus they even dismiss all the surveys that show RCs as overall being liberal. a strange way to rally liberal venom.
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