Posted on 04/13/2002 7:13:03 AM PDT by NYer
Ask yourself: why do I hate the Catholic Church? Who taught me what I think I know about the Catholic Church? Is what I was taught true? Have I looked at what the Catholic Church has to say about itself, using official resources such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church and papal encyclicals? Could my opinion of the Catholic Church possibly be based on bias, bigotry, bad history, propaganda from the secular media, or the bad priests who get publicity (i.e., the sick, and sickening, pedophile priests or those certain heretical modernist priests the secular media love to give press to)? Is it fair to judge doctrine by such things? Is any group with human beings in it free from sin and scandal? If I am wrong about the Catholic Church, what does that mean?
Here are some common myths about the Catholic Church:
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Because Catholics reject the tradition of "sola fide" ("faith alone"), they think they can work their way into Heaven and believe they are saved by works |
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Catholics think the pope does not sin |
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Catholics re-crucify Christ at their Masses (or at least think they do) |
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Catholics think Mary is part of the Godhead and is to be worshipped |
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Catholics worship statues |
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Catholics think they can't pray to God directly but have to go through saints |
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Catholics conjure the dead |
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Catholics believe people can be saved after they die |
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The Catholic Church teaches that one who isn't formally a Catholic is damned to Hell |
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The Crusades are an example of Catholic aggression |
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The Inquisition(s) killed hundreds of thousands of people and targeted Jews |
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Pope Pius XII was "Hitler's Pope" and didn't do a thing to help Jews during WWII |
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The Catholic Church wasn't around until the time of Constantine, a pagan who controlled the Church. The Catholic Church did more than baptize pagan calendar days for the good of Christ, it is pagan in its very roots. |
If you believe any of the above myths, I implore you to research. For doctrinal questions, ask the Church what it teaches; it's the only fair thing to do. For historical questions, look at balanced and objective scholarly research from a variety of sources (including Catholic ones).
And as you research, keep in mind the common logical fallacies that are often used in attacks against Catholicism:
Generalization:
"I knew a Catholic/ex-Catholic (or I was a Catholic) who was (mean, a drunk, not holy, didn't like the Church, was superstitious, didn't know the Bible, didn't have a deep relationship with Jesus, etc.), so therefore, the teachings of the Catholic Church are wrong." (Ignores the fact that bad catechesis, miunderstandings, or other shortcomings of a few Catholics do not reflect on what the Catholic Church teaches)
Bifurcation:
"If the Catholic Church doesn't teach that it's faith alone that saves, then it must teach that men are saved by their own works." (Ignores that we teach that we are saved by Grace alone -- a Grace with which we must cooperate through "faith that works in love")
Cum hoc ergo propter hoc:
"Winter Solstice is on 21 December; Christmas is 25 December. Therefore, Christmas is a pagan holiday. (Ignores that fact that there are only 365 days to choose from in a year and that the early Church Fathers had good reasons to choose the date they did. It also ignores that Protestants' "Reformation Day" is celebrated on 31 October, the pagan festival of Samhain.)
Post hoc ergo propter hoc:
"Constantine must have been the real source of the Catholic Church's teachings because after his reign the Church grew tremendously, and before his reign it wasn't as well-known" (Ignores the simple fact that Constantine merely stopped the persecution of Christians with the Edict of Milan and allowed Christianity to spread. It also ignores the writings of the Church Fathers who lived before Constantine -- and who were Catholic.)
Straw man:
"You guys worship statues, and that's evil. Therefore, your religion is Satanic." (Ignores that fact that we don't worship statues)
... and now I challenge my brothers and sisters in Christ to take two hours of your life to listen to theologian and former Presbyterian minister Scott Hahn and to Rosalind Moss, who was raised Jewish and later became Evangelical. Both are now 100% Catholic; don't you want to know why? Truly, I challenge you to listen and pray and think about what you hear, all with an open heart to God's will.
Real Audio: Listen to Scott Hahn tell his story
Real Audio: Listen to Rosalind Moss tell her story
“The trouble with modern education is you never know how ignorant people are. With anyone over fifty you can be fairly confident what’s been taught and what’s been left out. But these young people have such an intelligent, knowledgeable surface, and then the crust suddenly breaks and you look down into depths of confusion you didn’t know existed. Take yesterday. He seemed to be doing very well. He’d learned large bits of the catechism by heart, and the Lord’s Prayer and the Hail Mary. Then I asked him as usual if there was anything troubling him, and he looked at me in a crafty way and said, ‘Look, Father, I don’t think you’re being straight with me. I want to join your Church and I’m going to join your Church, but you’re holding too much back.’ I asked what he meant, and he said: ‘I’ve had a long talk with a Catholic -- a very pious, well-educated one, and I’ve learned a thing or two. For instance, that you have to sleep with your feet pointing East because that’s the direction of heaven, and if you die in the night you can walk there. Now I’ll sleep with my feet pointing any way that suits Julia, but d’you expect a grown man to believe about walking to heaven? And what about the Pope who made one of his horses a cardinal? And what about the box you keep in the church porch, and if you put in a pound note with someone’s name on it, they get sent to hell. I don’t say there mayn’t be a good reason for all this,’ he said, ‘but you ought to tell me about it and not let me find out for myself.’””What can the poor man have meant?” said Lady Marchmain.
”You see he’s a long way from the Church yet,” said Father Mowbray.
”But who can he have been talking to? Did he dream it all? Cordelia, what’s the matter?”
”What a chump! Oh, Mummy, what a glorious chump!”
”Cordelia, it was you.”
”Oh, Mummy, who could have dreamed he’d swallow it? I told him such a lot of things. About the sacred monkeys in the Vatican — all kinds of things.”
-- Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited.
The Pope kissing the Koran? The RC Church's protecting the homosexual priests? The RC Church insisting on fighting against the Christian Orthodox Faith in the newly freed nations previously under the Communist yoke? The lack of apology for the Croatian Catholic genocidal regime in WWII?
C'mon explain these facts!
I appreciate the softer tone, too.
The other side of that logic is that you can err, as many, I believe, have (myself included) and be convinced of a doctrine by jumping around and distorting the scripture, making the point that it says something it does not say, or doesn't say something it does. Peter mentioned "craftily devised fables" in his second epistle which was primarily concerning false teaching and the warning to be on guard against it (a warning/command expressed in the writings of every author of the new testament). So I agree with the premise that you can "construct" a doctrine with different scriptures which do not necesarily state that doctrine explicitly, but you can also construct very convincing false doctrines with the same method.
As far as Mary being recognized as Co-Redemptrix and Co-Mediatrix, you say that this doctrine is being pushed by feminists and those who have had abortions. You are dead wrong here, my friend. I have heard this title of Our Lady defended quite ably by such notorious feminists as Mother Angelica and Fr. Benedict Groeschel. The problem which you and many others have is semantic. When Our Lady is identified as Co-Redemptrix, this is simply an abbreviation for Cooperator in Redemption. Mary was redeemed by Christ's death on the Cross. The Church teaches that she was Immaculately Conceived (free from Original Sin) based on the foreseen merits of her son Jesus, so she actually owes even more to Jesus' redemptive sacrifice on the cross than you or I. That said, it cannot be denied that she cooperated in Jesus' redemptive work. When the Angel came to her to ask her to be the Mother of Jesus, she used her free will to say yes. (Imagine where we would be if she had said no). That is cooperation. At the Foot of the Cross, she watched her Beloved Son suffer and die. The Church Fathers tell us that her sufferings were greater than those of all the martyrs combined. Again, that is cooperation. She was present praying with the Apostles when the Holy Spirit descended upon them, the Birthday of the Church. Again, cooperation, to name but three prominent examples of Our Lady's unique coopeation in her Son's repemptive Mission. Hence, her Title abbreviated to Co-Redemptrix. It does not place her on the same level as God, but it does give her proper credit for her role in the salvation wrought by her Son.
Another thing that the church might ought to worry about is WHY all these misconceptions abound. I don't beleive they are around because of catholic haters/bashers/etc. but because of the actions of catholics. When someone who doesn't understand, sees people kneeling and praying in front of a statue, lighting candles, crowning statues, bringing flowers to set in front of statues, praying to someone other then God, have an infallible leader, these "misconceptions" are understandable.
I came out of 12 yrs. of catholic school believing alot of these misconceptions, because of the actions and teachings I saw in school.
Besides, there are alot of misconceptions about what all faith's believe, but I don't see many "Prostestants" running around screaming "Protestant basher/hater." IMO, catholics just ask for misconceptions with their actions, so they should not be so quick to accuse people of bashing/hating/bigotry. It doesn't help your cause. JMO:)
Becky
Paul, in Acts 17:11 said the nobel approach is for people to search the scriptures daily to see if what he said is true. Why not be a Berean? Think through the implications of this verse in light of your post.
Neither have I. I have simply present my experience here in the Northeast. I by no means wish to present them as an example of the Catholic church or the Charismatic movement. In my experience, however, there was too much of an emphasis on Mary amongst a few select women, who all had some rough experiences. They were not feminists (actually they were "anti-"feminists, they were quite bitter about NOW). Going to Medjugorje (whose apparitions are not yet Church sanctioned) was more important to these women than, for example, a pilgrimage to Jeruselum. Yes they recognized that Jesus was our Savior.
Now this is exactly the kind of misconception I was speaking of about "Protestants," Actually I think this is a pretty common one too, and coming from a catholic, I as a fundementalist, can understand your having this misconception, but I won't call you a fundemental HATER/BASHER. That would just make you less willing to try to understand my beliefs if we ever got around to sharing that type of info:). I'm always taken aback by being called a cathlic hater just because I disagree with, well, most of what the RCC teaches.
Becky
That all said the reformation would never had happen for none the Word would have been preserved. Nor would the Protestants been a movement. The Catholics today is still a strong voice for Jesus Christ and the Ten Commandments.
There is much good that can be found in a Church that defends the Lord Jesus Christ.
The small group of women that I spoke of wanted this recognition to emphasize Mary's role in Jesus' life. They wanted this recognition to show how Mary suffered along with Jesus. They wanted this recognition to show how we could live like Mary. This is all fine and good, but their zeal was over the top.
Becky
I think you meant to ping OHelix in your post, didn't you? My name is missing the "O".
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