anti-Catholicism ?????

Question

I yahooed 'Catholic' to find some catholic websites and found yahoo Answers at the bottom. Sadly, I was not shocked at some of the anti-Catholic 'answers'. People have aways told me that anti-Catholicism is the last accepted form of bigatry in the US. And in the last few years I've come to believe it. My question is why do so many Protestants- specifically evangelicals, fundamentalists and 'born-agains' so hung up on what they think the Catholic church teaches? Why not concentrate on your own faith and what you believe in?

Answer 1

The amount of anti-Catholic bigotry on this website by people who call themselves "Christian" is both disturbing and depressing. The hate people have in their hearts truly troubles me. I love all my Christian brothers and sisters and I respect that they worship God differently than I do. The same courtesy has never been extended to me. But as Christians, I wish we could all agree to love one another. The following is a list of items I have written in the past to explain the faith. Enjoy.

The top 10 most common misconceptions of the Catholic Church are:

1. Catholics worship Mary. No, we pray to Mary for her intercession, just as you would ask a friend or family member to pray for you. The traditional “Hail Mary” prayer recited by Catholics is a mirror of the words spoken by the Angel Gabriel in the first chapter of Luke.

2. Catholics think works get them to heaven. No, we believe, as it says in the Book of James, that faith without works is empty. We further believe that we are saved by the death and resurrection of Jesus and that He paid the debt for our sins. Our good works show that our faith has merit.

3. Catholics worship the Pope. No, we believe that the Pope is a human being, capable of sin, just like all the rest of us. We do believe that he is the successor of St Peter on earth as it says in the Gospel of Matthew and that when he speaks from the Chair of Peter, on a matter of faith or morals, he speaks without error. As a matter of point, Pope Benedict has never done this.

4. Catholics pay to get their loved ones out of purgatory. No, we ask that masses be said for our dead loved ones just as St Paul reminds us to pray for the living and the dead. A small donation ($5) might be made to pay for the card that we then send to the family to let them know that a mass was said in honor of the deceased.

5. Catholics do not read the Bible. Yes, we do. John Paul II declared the year 2000, the Year of the Bible, and Catholics around the world read the entire Bible during that year. Virtually all Catholic Church’s have a bible study program. At every Sunday Mass, there are three readings from the Bible. Catholics are required to attend Sunday and thereby hear the Word of the God.

6. Catholics think the Sacraments get them to heaven. No, we believe that only the death and resurrection of Jesus get us to heaven. We believe the Sacraments, such as the Eucharist Jesus instituted at the Last Supper, give us grace to help us follow God's will for us.

7. Catholics belong to a cult. No, our church has been around for 2000 years, much longer than any other Christian church. The first Protestants didn't show up until 1450. At more than one billion members, the Catholic Church is the single largest Christian denomination. Many people join and some (sadly) leave the Catholic Church every day of their own free will.

8. Catholics don't baptize. Yes, we do and our Church started baptism. Whether a person is immersed or sprinkled is a man-made technicality. It cannot be believed that Jesus would condemn someone to hell for all eternity because of the rite of Baptism they received. There are countless historical Christian texts, of reliable authorship, that speak of sprinkling in the very early Christian Church.

9. Catholics are not Christians. Yes, we are and we profess with our lips and believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord, the Messiah, the Son of God come down from heaven to save men from their sins. We pray the Apostles Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus name is mentioned in some form more than 50 times at every Sunday mass. We strive to follow the two great commandments of Jesus to love God with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourselves.

10. Catholics have a different Bible. No, we have the Bible approved by the Universal Christian Church since the year 380. Protestants took several books out of the Bible during the reformation in the late 1400s. Martin Luther even took the Book of James and Revelation out of the Bible as well, before they were restored. The Catholic Bible has been the most consistent of all translations for more than 1600 years.

Answer 2

I believe what Ellie meant by 'concentrating' on their own faith was- why are these 'Christians' not content to practice their own faith? Why do they feel the need to bash other faiths? Very un-christian like to me! For all their scripture quoting I've never had a born again quote me Jesus' greatest commandment- love thy neighbor. Jesus wasn't just talking about the neighbor sitting in the pew next to you but all people.

Coldstream26 says 'I know very well what the Catholic Church teaches' you know VERY well the MISCONCEPTIONS of what the Catholic Church teaches. Educate your self on the true teachings- go to a reputable source- the Roman Catholic Church. Nobody is going to get in your face and try and convert you. Go to your local Catholic shop and get some books and literature- read Surprised By Truth by Patrick Madrid.
Don't go to a 'non-denominational' christian bookstore- they will have 'catholic' books filled with misconceptions about the Catholic faith.

Carol M-like most born agains you are quoting scripture(John 14:6) to suit your purposes without really knowing what the passage means- it is a reference to the Holy Eucharist.
We stress knowledge of the bible not memorizing chapter and verse.

FYI Protestants- you are not reading the full UNCUT Holy Bible- during and after the reformation, the reformers tore out passages and whole books of the Holy Bible that they could not twist to conform to their beliefs and teachings.
So when you say to me-'where does it say that in the bible?' I'm thinking-'It's in the part y'all tore out!'

Answer 3

That's an excellent question, especially in view of the fact that the beliefs of many Protestant denominations are more different from other Protestant denominations than they are from Catholicism.

However, when you come into existence through a rebellion, you are under pressure to demonstrate that what you rebelled against was BAD. Because otherwise your rebellion itself was BAD. And so, the only thing Protestants agree on universally is that the Catholic Church is wrong, even though they themselves cannot reach universal agreement on any doctrinal issue.

Answer 4

chippy1080- that quote refers to trying to raise the dead, the bible also says 'anyone who belives in Him will have everlasting life' so they're not dead.

okay man, heres the skinny,
i once asked a similar question. the thing is, of all christian churches there is 1 catholic church and about 2500 protestant churches, with all different beliefs, the one thing they can rally over is 'at least we are more right than the catholics'

then its just that they dont understand the practices so they critisize them, as chippy just proved.

also, since the catholic church came together before the bible was fully decided, many doctrines come from letters and other scripturely things that werent added to the bible in the long run. for example, the purgatory doctrine is mentioned in the debtor in jail parable, but also mentioned in a letter, it said 'before heaven all souls must pass through purgation to be cleansed.' or something like that.

i guess those churches never paid attention to the 'why do you see the speck in your neighbors eye but fail to see the log in your own' quote

-edit-
C P R- kkk was protestant, they hated catholics along with jews and black people.

Answer 5

I do concentrate on my own faith , however since you asked the question, I will oblige you with an answer. Catholicism is seen by many religions as paganistic given the fact that they pray to Mary for intercession, pray to the dea(saints) and carry out numerous other doctrines that have no reference in biblical scripture. However, if you are catholic then you should believe whatever you choose. God will decide who is right or wrong if there even turns out to be such a thing amonst the mixed religions and not man.

Answer 6

The protestant churches originated in outspoken opposition (enmity) to the Catholic Church, so this opposition is, so to speak, their raison d'etre.

If the Catholic Church was ok in their eyes, they wouldn't have any reason to exist at all (and they would have had no reason to cause one of the greatest religious splits in the world's history), so they more or less need to keep up the fantasies of the bad, evil, dangerous Catholic Church.

Answer 7

I agree with you.

in answer to the other answers-
Born Again- Catholics are Christians - we are the original Christians. Any one who believes Jesus Christ is their savior is a Christian.
Carol M -You have been totally brain washed! You want to talk man made doctrine- all these protestant churchs that keep popping up, with self made ministers who have never gone to a seminary or bible college, they don't have man made doctrine?

Several of you have proven the asker right in believing that there is a lot of anti-catholic bigotry.

Answer 8

I completely understand your point of view. I have friends of many faiths and we all get along perfectly and have great discussions about religion. However, by just coming to yahoo answers I have really found that there are several people out in the world that are anti-catholic. I do not preach my religion, I just follow it and people need to respect that!

Answer 9

If people in this forum ask a question about differenty types of Christianity, why do you feel we are not concentrating on our own faith. Thats exactly what we are doing. And Catholics don't hold any monopoly on being bashed. "Born Again" christians are the number one target. And to correct you, most of us ( not all) are not just saying what we THINK the RC church teaches. What they teach is not some secret that only you know. I know VERY well what they teach, probably more than most practicing Catholics. You should look into these claims if you think they are false. Look at your own Catechism. Have you read it?? I have. RC's do not want anyone pointing out what their own religion teaches. No one is saying you can't believe in it ,if you choose, but that does not change facts.

Answer 10

I accept as true with others who've informed you it is not something new. lack of understanding and bigotry enter into it on occasion, yet there is likewise an factor of what I evaluate religious conceitedness (for loss of a greater advantageous term). The Christians who owe their doctrinal historical past to the Reformers, and others who've come alongside considering then, have the thought *they* are people who've Biblical reality. all of it boils right down to this: they don't settle for the apostolic authority of the Church to interpret Scripture and define doctrine, nor do they settle for that God works in the process the fabric problems with His creation interior the sacraments. a strategies from not "examining ourselves as we could continually" (yet another spiritually conceited fact), committed orthodox (small "o") Catholics learn ourselves lots greater in many situations than does the non-Catholic Christian. We accomplish that at each Mass, at a minimum. many persons accomplish that daily as a factor of our prayer existence. i would not, notwithstanding, equate anti-Catholicism with anti-Semitism. The Jewish human beings have a lots longer historic past of handling bigotry, genuine persecution, and worse.