Posted on 01/08/2011 4:15:03 PM PST by Natural Law
What are we to make of the anti-Catholics?
What are we to make of the anti-Catholics? How can we explain the assault on the Church by those who profess in their words the same mission of the Church, the Salvation of mankind, but through their deeds deny it? Are the fabrications, falsehoods, and lies about the supporting beliefs of the Church, about the lives of its saints and clergy, about the verifiable facts of history justified because of doctrinal disagreements? Does any of this matter in the face of the greater assault on Christ and his flock? It defies rational thinking.
In the face of a Muslim onslaught that is bombing Christmas Masses, executing Christians for a nonexistent heresy and apostasy, and a jihad against Christians of all stripes on a massive scale we get shrill unwarranted criticism of how Catholics peaceably worship the One true God. Is smells and bells really a greater sin than sawing off heads in the name of the prophet?
In the face of a secular socialist assault that is killing babies at a pace that outpaces the crimes of Hitler, Stalin and Mao combined there are degrading insults and accusations over the difference between worship and veneration. Corrections and explanations are ignored and the apologists are pilloried. For what purpose?
In the face of the threat of Communist China that suppresses worship of all kinds and enforces forced abortions we get feeble ad naseum criticism of the Real Presence in spite of the acceptance by Catholics, both Eastern and Latin Rite, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Methodists. All the while the anti-Catholics continue the charade of Christian unity, minus those damned Catholics of course.
So in the face of the advance of worldwide evil some would have us believe that it is the Catholic Church should be destroyed when the destruction of the Church would serve to provide aid and comfort to that evil. Why? Qui Bono, for whom the benefit?
That the Church is and has always been a target of evil cannot be denied. Neither can it be denied that the Church has never been harmed or compromised by that evil. Satan can only work in this world through the actions of his willing accomplices. Those accomplices have long ago recognized that the greatest harm can be done from within the Church and history has produced numerous examples of sinners wearing the collars of priests. Regardless of the contentions of the anti-Catholics that does not negate the good that the Church has done not diminish the saints who have served God through her. Nor does it excuse those who blame one of the victims of the evil doers, the Church itself.
Perhaps those who irrationally assault the Church daily, those who spend inordinate hours researching the internet looking for dirt, those who accept any lie or indiscretion on nothing more than its bias against the Church are consciously or unconsciously in league with evil. Lex Parsimoniae, the principle which generally recommends accepting the answer that requires the fewest assumptions, when the potential answers are equal in all other respects. Is there a simpler answer?
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary professor William Dembski’s book, The End of Christianity (B&H Academic), argued that the universe is billions of years old—rather than thousands, as young-earth creations contend—and that God brought death, decay and natural disasters to earth long before Adam and Eve sinned
We’re making some progress on the book burning thingie, too.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary professor William Dembski’s book, The End of Christianity (B&H Academic), argued that the universe is billions of years old—rather than thousands, as young-earth creations contend—and that God brought death, decay and natural disasters to earth long before Adam and Eve sinnedHere you have Southern Baptists and Presbyterians arguing against your young-earth and I don't see you cursing them or calling them slurs -- why the animus against Catholicism? Is it just that it's easy to call us names and insult us?
***“What are we to make of the anti-Catholics?”***
>>>A bonfire?>>>
That response is totally uncalled for. Not funny, if that is what you intended. If serious, as a Catholic, I am deeply offended.
I’m sorry to butt in on the little squabble you guys are having, but when I read “take a long walk off a short pier.” I get a funny mental image of bugs bunny walking off a cliff and not noticing it (physics of the cartoon world, if you don’t KNOW you’ve walked off a cliff, you can walk on air!!)
Isn’t it funny how people can disagree? I thought the comment was hilarious.
With love.
See my post 121.
"I was making the very plain and obvious observation that you and most ________ hold the same view of rural American chr*stians that Obama and the liberals do. "
"Unfortunately, _____ reject the historicity of the Biblical narrative of the first eleven chapters of Genesis out of hand because “that’s what the trailer trash believe.”"
"But you_______ don't know diddly squat about being "under attack" at Free Republic."
"_________on FR (and elsewhere) regularly wage open warfare on Genesis as if it were an evil, subversive book that is threatening to derail the entire ________ religion"
" I took the hypocrisy of the teachings of the _______"
"________ reject the literal truth of Genesis because "that is what the white trash believe."
"The _____________ despises the simple people of rural America while celebrating pompous intellectuals and third world illiterates"
“Isn’t it funny how people can disagree? I thought the comment was hilarious.”
Religious humor is an underappreciated and not fully explored part of the Religious Forum.
I have to agree. :(
Here’s a joke:
Two men considering a religious vocation were having a conversation. “What is similar about the Jesuit and Dominican Orders? “ the one asked.
The second replied, “Well, they were both founded by Spaniards — St. Dominic for the Dominicans, and St. Ignatius of Loyola for the Jesuits. They were also both founded to combat heresy — the Dominicans to fight the Albigensians, and the Jesuits to fight the Protestants.”
“What is different about the Jesuit and Dominican Orders?”
“Met any Albigensians lately?”
You mean, other than at Planned Parenthood?..:o/
I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing
on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said “Stop!
don’t do it!”
“Why shouldn’t I?” he said.
I said, “Well, there’s so much to live for!”
He said, “Like what?”
I said, “Well...are you religious or atheist?”
He said, “Religious.”
I said, “Me too! Are you christian or buddhist?”
He said,”Christian.”
I said, “Me too! Are you catholic or protestant?”
He said, “Protestant.”
I said, “Me too! Are you episcopalian or baptist?”
He said, “Baptist!”
I said,”Wow! Me too! Are you baptist church of god or
baptist church of the lord?”
He said, “Baptist church of god!”
I said, “Me too! Are you original baptist church of god,
or are you reformed baptist church of god?”
He said,”Reformed Baptist church of god!”
I said, “Me too! Are you reformed baptist church of god,
reformation of 1879, or reformed baptist church of god,
reformation of 1915?”
He said, “Reformed baptist church of god, reformation of 1915!”
I said, “Die, Heathen”, and pushed him off.
Here’s another one:
Lost on a rainy Friday night, a priest stumbles into a monastery and requests shelter there. Fortunately, he’s just in time for dinner and was treated to the best fish and chips he’s ever had.
After dinner, he goes into the kitchen to thank the chefs. He is met by two brothers, “Hello, I’m Brother Michael, and this is Brother Francis.”
“I’m very pleased to meet you. I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful dinner. The fish and chips were the best I’ve ever tasted. Out of curiosity, who cooked what?”
Brother Charles replied, “Well, I’m the fish friar.”
Father turns to the other brother and says, “Then you must be....”
“Yes, I’m afraid I’m the chip monk...”
“Romish Mary-worshipping dogma-following mackeral snapping, etc.”
I didn’t realize what a firestorm I was setting off. I was sarcastically describing MYSELF, using some of the names hurled at me by non-Catholics over my sixty-plus years of existence. I also characterized my current fundamentalist critics (in the workplace no less) as backwoods snake-handling goobers, which ol’ Z.C. finds highly offensive. Guess what, my coworker not only handles snakes, he keeps them at home! He refuses to give his kids gifts at Christmas time, calling the practice `pagan’ and `of the devil’. And I’m sick of his pastoral emails.
Anyway, I digress. I worship my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Founder of the universal Catholic Church. I venerate and honor Blessed Virgin Mary; I wear her Miraculous Medal and ask for her intercession and that of the saints. And I pray that when my time comes to leave this earth, that a priest will be there to administer Extreme Unction and hear my last Confession.
But yes, it’s true that anti-Catholicsm is the last respectable prejudice remaining in our society.
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