Why do people who don't know Catholicism try to pass off lies as fact?

Question

Someone here said in an answer tonight, "According to traditional Catholicism, the Pope is never wrong."

WHERE DO THEY GET THIS STUFF?

You are on the World Wide Web! It's easy enough to look up a good Catholic site and read the truth for yourself. A few clicks of the mouse and you'd know what the Church REALLY teaches.

Then, you'd be able to answer a question and sound semi-intelligent. Now many of the anti-Catholics here are just repeating misconceptions they've heard from someone else, who is most likely uninformed or just hate-filled.

Look it up, read the truth and THEN we might even take you seriously.

Answer 1

I have answered so many questions that perpetuate lies about the Catholic Church and provided websites to back up my answers. I also ask these "Christians" why they are perpetuating this lie and why they continue to follow a church that would slander another church in an effort to discredit it. Today, I had to make my questions and answers private because these same "Godly Christians" have started a campaign to get me kicked off yahoo by reporting abuse on my answers (none of which violated any community standards). I think the truth really scares some people. BTW, I'm not even Catholic, I just don't suffer fools and liars.

Answer 2

You are right . If AntiCatholics want to "reach' us and expect informed Catholics to take them to be serious and sincere, they should at least own and read and quote in context,The Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Companion to the CCC, Denizer,The Documents of Vatican II and the dialogue volumes of the official dialogues between the catholic Church and various churches on the subjects they "harp on".

However, many,if not most ,anti-Catholics are not interested in factuality and fair presentation but only in senationalist negativity( preferably dripping with hatred,hysteria and hoopla). There is certainly much to criticize when Catholics,including clergy, do not live according to the teachings of the CDhurch,but Catholics could make a perhaps longer list of Fundamentalists of varied types who do not live up to the teachings of their churches.

As you noted,all they have to do is hit official Catholic sites and apologetics sites to get information,but so many are not only content with lies and misrepresentations,but seek,invent and circulate them.

We need to pray for them and refute and expose them at every opportunity. They seem to forget that God is a lover of truth,honesty,charity and goodness.

Answer 3

People seem to lock onto the term "Papal infallibility" and stop reading any further. Just look at the answers here. They figure "Oh, this must mean that Catholics believe that EVERYTHING that the Pope does is infallible." In fact, it looks like everyone here did do some research. However, they never made it past their preconceived notions.

The notion of Papal Infallibility does not, as they assume, pertain to every word or action of the Pope. It DOES mean that the Pope is "never wrong" on matters concerning church dogma as revealed by revelation through the Holy Spirit.

Also, few seem to realize that any action taken under the guise of Papal Infallibility must be backed by sacred scripture and sacred tradition.

And it amuses me how many people missed this quote in their research:

According to 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Catholicism': "In reality, the pope seldom uses his power of infallibility......rather than being some mystical power of the pope, infallibility means the church allows the office of the pope to be the ruling agent in deciding what will be accepted as formal beliefs in the church."[2] Since the 1870 solemn declaration of Papal Infallibility by Vatican I, this power has been used only once: in 1950 when Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary as being an article of faith for Roman Catholics.

Peace and Love be with you all- read more with your Spirit and less with your preconceived notions.

Answer 4

lets take a biblical perspective to what infallibility is!

when the first christians had a disagreement, they didnt simply open their bibles(that would be the old testament) to decide who was right did they? No because bibles were hand printed and extremely expensive and most people were illiterate.; they held a council, which made infallible binding decrees (Acts 15:1-29) (council of jerusalem) the very books of the bible were determined by these apostles( who eventually appointed successors) in the late 4th century.
2 of those books in particular were written By peter the apostle, whos successors are historically linked to the current pope in rome.

Would people agree that 1st and 2nd Peter are infallible while the person of Peter is not? How about all the books of the bible?

If the Holy spirit was sent to guide the church even today, is it not conceivable for the current pope to have that power to make binding decrees that are infallible regarding faith and morals?

The church is the spirit and ground of the truth (1 tim 3:15)
for those of you who insist that you only need Jesus to know the truth would then be cast into the group of christians who had decided that gentiles needed to be circumcised. these people were well meaning but the church authorities, the apostles had to step in and make a binding decree to settle the dispute.

Church teachings are teachings that have existed from the beginning, explicitly or implicitly in scripture, that are not made into dogma except when a dispute arises as was the case in the jerusalem council. as was the case after the reformation, and as is the case today.

EX Cathedra means from the chair of Peter, which means that the decree is binding. It doesnt mean that the pope cant have unofficial non binding writings or teachings. faith and reason have a place in putting forth teachings, but the pope imust not abuse the privelege in order to change settled truths, but to authoritatively put existing truths forth in order to settle disputes.

again, infallibility is rarely invoked, done only to settle disputes, and applies only to teachings regarding faith and morals and doesnt suggest that the human being himself is infallible in his actions.

Answer 5

People do that about anything they disagree with. First they make up the thing, then they shoot it down. And, of course, they win.
You cannot argue with bigots and it's difficult to argue with people who don't even understand what they read.
As some have said, the Catholic Church teaches that the pope MAY teach something infallibly about faith or morals but only when he expressly means to do that and makes it clear. You may not believe it, but intelligent people don't make fun of the beliefs of others. Rather they respect every person and their religion even if they consider the religion to be wrong.
Catholics also don't pray to statues; are allowed to critically examine what the Church teaches; do not give up their intelligence. And as for "Hail Mary.." that is a quote right from the Gospel and it's the angel Gabriel who said it! I'd say that anyone else who says it is in good company.
"Being saved" is a new invention in the 2000 year old history of the Christian faith. The first Christians, the ones Saint Paul wrote the letters to and those for over 1600 years after that would have no idea what you were talking about if you asked if you were saved and you answered with a day and a time. Saint Paul clearly says that "We work out our salvation day by day."

Answer 6

computer is spot-on. I even have considered/heard this customary-hand, myself, years before we had cyber web boards, and it somewhat is not any marvel -- besides the actual incontrovertible fact that very unhappy -- that it keeps. i've got given this slightly concept. i don't think of it somewhat is a controversy of spreading hate, as much as an ingrained knee-jerk reaction to all issues Catholic. for people who've made up their minds that the Catholic Church is idolatrous and evil, even the excellent efforts of Catholic apologists to suited incorrect information and show the Biblical foundation of doctrine won't gain changing their minds. it somewhat is in all probability that not something in need of direct intervention with the help of the Holy Spirit would do so. We Catholics have 3 alternatives while confronted with blind obstinacy and vitriol from fundamentalists: respond in variety, respond patiently with the actual fact many times, or decline to work together in the argument in any respect. If we decide for the 0.33, we could additionally pray for them, remembering that inspite of the indisputable fact that we are estranged they are notwithstanding our brothers.

Answer 7

It's easier to repeat someone else's lies than actually find out the truth for yourself, as many of the people replying to your question are proving so well. And once you know the truth, you're either going to have to admit that you were wrong or else continue to give lip service to a lie.

If God came down and told some people, "Either you admit that you were wrong or else you're going to die," they'd go ahead and order their caskets.

Answer 8

Now you know when the Pope speaks on matters of faith and morals infallibility is guaranteed by the holy spirit but when speaking outside of that he can be wrong

Answer 9

People who don't have a clue about something try to pass lie as a fact?

People do that ALL the time with everything here on R&S

They do it with evolution
They do it with islam
They do it with Harry Potter (actually, im guessing on that one)
They do it with Christianity like 3 times per question
They do it with Non Catholic Christians more than with any other group
They do it with homossexuality

etc etc etc

Paz de Cristo dude, don't get angry

Answer 10

It's called "contempt prior to investigation", and comes from a lack of critical thinking skills. It's rampant among fundamentalism where people are taught that the first rule of order is to adhere to a particular set of beliefs without question.

When one is required to believe ANYTHING without question, any pretense of true critical thinking is lost. After that, one can be programmed to follow the party line. Whoever the party deems hateful is so automatically. In this case, Catholicism.