Why are history classes in high school so misinformed about Catholic Church history?

Question

The inquisition has been highly over rated in High School History courses because protestants and others have been taught exagerations. If it weren't for the inquistion you would be speaking in Arabic and praying to Alah. Many protestants criticise the Catholic Church for teaching about the Eucharist and the 7 Sacraments, yet the Eastern Churches and the Orthodox Church teach the very same things? Yet High School history in many places, doesn't even teach about the "East." The Middle Ages are called the "Dark Ages?" Why, only to make the church look bad. But the reality is that the Catholic Church built western civilization. Why not look at various issues in the Catholic Encyclopedia in your local library and see the Church's side of the issues? Because High School History courses have the motivation of making the Catholic Church look bad in order to promote a false idea of the Reformation. But the reality is that now kids are having no faith at all, except secularism.

I have been a Public School teacher and Instructional aid for many years. Public Schools teach Evolution as a fact! Not a theory. The public should consider why their local public school is spending so much time and money on Evolution. I don't care if you believe in evolution or not. My point is that evolution is being used to divide christians. Its doing a very good job at it too. The government's support of evolution (Your local public school IS GOVERNMENT) is only promoting the "take god out of everyting" today.

I got an idea. Why not read your son's or daughter's science textbook? Why not sit in on some science classes? Why not ask your kid what was taught in school today? Or you can do the stupid thing and blindly send your kid to school and think that the "teachers know what they are doing."

One person replied that the Catholic Church has killed millions. Can you give me names, places, dates and statistics. Not just "I feel" but actual historical data to back up your point. Please be as specific as you can be.

Public schools have no business picking on the Catholic Church. If the government is to remain neutral towards religion then why is it ok to teach bad things about the Catholic Church yet tell nothing of the protestant inquisition in Geneva with Calvin? You can't have a double standard, one for atheism, secularism, protestantism and then target Catholicism.

Answer 1

Where did you learn your high school history? in Catholic school no doubt.

Answer 2

You call the murder and persecution of countless millions "over rated" (one word actually, so-called teacher). Do we also overrate the holocaust by emphasizing all the negatives? Your argument that the Inquisition is alone responsible for our not being Muslim is hilariously unrealistic and naive. I hope that whatever subject you teach, it's not history. I have yet to see any proof that the Inquisition brought anything less than totalitarian rule to the Catholic Church and may in fact have been partially to blame for why so much of Europe readily embraced the Reformation. There's more support for this about your argument: had it not been for the Inquisition, we might still be a united Christian church today.

There is an irony in your questions and rants against Islam and other non-Catholic faiths: don't you realize you're just as fanatical as the ones you keep criticizing?

Finally, why are you a public school (it doesn't have to be capitalized unless you're using a proper noun form and giving the name of the school) teacher when you'd obviously be a lot happier at a private Catholic school. If I were in your class, I bet I'd have a lot to say to my parents about what I heard in school today. I hope some student or parent recognizes your picture and shows what you're posting to the principal.

Edit: Considering all of the arguments you've put out without any specifics or any evidence, I find your call for evidence from others to be hilariously hypocritical. Fine, self-named "teacher," the countless millions I mentioned may have been hyperbole, but when have you ever proven that the Inquisition alone was responsible for Western civilization's failure to convert to Islam?

To answer one of your other arguments, if kids in public schools don't have faith today, that is the fault of their parents. It's my parents' choice and responsibility to teach me about faith--a right guaranteed by the Consititution. I would never want to attend a school where my teachers tried to shove their religious views down my throat.

Answer 3

I agreed with you all the way until you foolishly started bashing biological evolution. Yes history books have taught of the Inquisitions of Catholicism in a rather biased scheme (two of the four or five that have occurred haven't even been led by the Catholic Church, they have been led by certain monarchies of Europe with the initial blessing of the Vatican). In fact, most people erroneously assume that "The Inquisition" (the one that expelled the Jews and Muslims) was a one time event that occurred in Spain. This is only one of the five inquisitions and is one of which wasn't LED by the church. I don't think that schools refer to the Middle Ages as the Dark Ages as a means by which to incite negative stigma of the Catholic Church, rather the name was adopted due to the economic, scholastic, and mortal state of Europe at the time. Plague and famine swept Europe leaving millions dead or starving. Obviously the Catholic Church didn't "cause" this, none-the-less a society that is stricken with death and starvation likely will not mature much in areas of philanthropy.

Now on to the part of your rant that is completely unfounded: Natural Selection is JUST ABOUT fact (though in Science NOTHING is fact, just WELL SUPPORTED HYPOTHESIS with sufficient evidence).

Teaching that natural selection is the mechanism by which biological evolution occurs in no way undermines God or the Catholic Church (as you assert). The theory makes no inference as to who or what instituted or authored such a mechanism only that it exists and is viable in all life.

Time and time again biological evolution has more than adequately explained how life has occurred whereas strict literal interpretation of Genesis (which leads to theories of intelligent design and/or Platonic philosophies of essentialism) has done no such thing.

If you literally interpret Genesis, then you are obligated to believe that outer space is all water, that the earth (and subsequently our Sun which is a very young star) was created before all other stars in the heavens, and that humans were created before plants.

If you do not accept natural selection as valid then may you please offer an alternative theory with empirical, scientific evidence?

Thank You.

Answer 4

If all you read is the Catholic version of history, of course you'll feel the way you do. But start to read less biased histories and you'll begin to see the Catholic Church for what it really is -- a festering wound of corruption and perversion.

The Inquisition was not against the Arabs; you're confusing the Crusades. The Inquisition was the Catholic Church's attempt to wipe out all opposition to it's authority. And through it, it persecuted the true beliefs and believers of God and the Bible.

The "Dark Ages" were indeed dark, because of the Catholic Church. Rome fell, partly because of the Catholic Church, and with it civilization fell into ruin; and civilization remained in the dark because of the RCC. It wasn't until people started rejecting Catholic dogma that civilization began to blossom.

I have read articles from the Catholic Encyclopedia in my studies. They are true masters of deception and twisting words -- spin doctors extraordinaire.

It is a pity, however, that high school history isn't broader in scope.

Answer 5

Public schools are not in the business of teaching religous Truth. As you have pointed out, their secular recalling of the Inquisition (the Crusades as well) leaves a lot to be desired. Imagine how much worse it would be if public schools were allowed to teach theological doctrine!

There are some things that public schools simply shouldn't teach. One's own religious instruction, anything to do with morality concerning sex, thing like that should be taught in the home and through one's own religion's education system.

It's no accident that these topics are handled better at private schools that specialize in teaching such things. I think this is one of the reasons private Catholic schools have a much stronger track record when it comes to providing education.

Answer 6

I think it's a result of a majority Protestant America. There are many, many things that American society owes to the Catholic Church, like the university, secular law, scientific method, etc., but those things are little known. Instead they harp on the sinful parts of history to make the entire Church look evil. Wasn't there something in the bible about forgiveness, and weren't those things done by sinful men, and not the result of an errored Faith?

Just wondering.

Answer 7

High school history teaches a lot of things wrong.

Whether they teach the truth about the catholic church...well, the inquisition had little or nothing to do with Arabic issues. The dark ages were called the dark ages because education and knowledge froze, and it was a time of famine, death, war, and disease.

The catholic church doesn't need other people to make it look bad during those times. It suppressed knowledge, oppressed women, and generally stunted the growth of society.

Answer 8

The accounts of the early Christians prove the Catholic Church to be at fault during the inquisitions. The inquisitors are recorded to have commendered homes and lands from Christian owners; literally taking their properties and feigning not to know what took place to where it happened. The Waldos were another group of people heavily persecuted during the inquisition according to accounts.

It is not just the history books that shed a poor light on the subject, but it is the actual accounts of the Christians of those days that puts the nail in the coffin.

God bless.

Answer 9

Do not blame Protestants for teaching about the Inquisition.

It is the educated worlds reaction to Catholic History that has caused Europe to become Secular, and pushed America down that path.

The Catholic Church does look bad. It is horrible.

What needs to happen is that Catholics need to openly acknowledge that the Catholic Church is evil, repent of your sins, accept Jesus Christ, and become Bible-believing Bible-practicing Christians. Then you will begin having a subtle but positive impact upon the world.

Answer 10

I'd much have preferred to live under Islam than under Christianity. It was not just the Inquisition, but also the Crusades and anyone else who did not agree with the church. At least, for most of history, I'd have been able to practice my Judaism in peace, under Islam, as I could have not done under Christianity.

Answer 11

i dont blame anyone for the past....but thats a menaltiy that
has grown in the last fe decades....blame people today for
what happened 200-300-1000 years ago...and never let them forget it....

you can extort alot of stuff with guilt.