Why is there a seemingly perpetual stigma towards the Catholic Church?

[xTx]

That is a very simple way to put it. I agree with your perspective! Nicely put.

God bless you.

God bless you too.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

I've noticed that there are many anti-Catholic protestants out there (I know not all protestants are anti-Catholic, but some are) who truly hate Catholicism and the Catholic Church.

Typical arguments I see from AC Protestants are:

"Catholics aren't Christian"

"Catholics worship Mary by praying to her"

"Catholics worship the pope"

"Catholics worship the sign of the cross and not Jesus"

"Catholicism is a pagan religion"

"Catholics believe in salvation through works"

"Catholics call priests and the pope 'father' because they worship him"

"Catholics held books from the public and burned people for blablabla.."

"Catholics were responsible for the Inquisition and the Crusades"

"Hitler was a Catholic"

Etc.. Etc...

These are the sorts of comments that I hear from people mostly online although sometimes people will say them in real life. How can people be this ignorant? Where did such a hatred of the Catholic Church come from and why is it so prominent among a lot of people? I would be very offended if someone walked up to me and told me that I worshiped Mary or something preposterous of the sort.

How should I defend myself from this? Is there a way to inform people like this of the truth?

There are those who love the Catholic Church and those who hate it and few in between.

 

[Berndt Totterman]

Jesus,our Lords peace be with You.
Dear friend,I live in Finland (wich explain my bad english) and we have close to 10.000 catholics here,so it is not a big topic here,and finnish people tends to respect religion. But when it comes to Your thread,I do give advises,some good,some bad,but I know one thing for sure,the truth is in the Bible and the Holy Gospels,and the Bible and the Gospels are what our Catholic Church,I am a devoted catholic,teaches. But to my advise,what is moore importen to You,be right and have everybody to know it,or beeing right and only God knows it? Don't argue about faith,nothing good comes out of that,be strong in Your faith,and a lot of good will come out of that.
Bless You.

 

[xTx]

Don't argue about faith,nothing good comes out of that,be strong in Your faith,and a lot of good will come out of that./QUOTE]

Berndt. Totally agree with you. I avoid debates these days.

At work, a Protestant said that the Da Vinci Code is true.

I did not argue with him. I just spaced out and the conversation flowed on to other topics.

The Protestant kept bringing up anti-Catholic statements, I just was not interested to respond.

To me, anybody wants to know about Catholicism will find out for themselves.

Anybody who wants to argue just want to cause trouble.

I believe in building each others faith. Instead of tearing apart the faith of people.

Only the devil tears down. Angels build.

 

[ebia]

At work, a Protestant said that the Da Vinci Code is true.

I did not argue with him..

And you managed not to laugh?

 

[xTx]

And you managed not to laugh?

will remember to laugh, next time

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

Subscribing

 

[KeenanParkerII]

One word: prophetic fulfillment. wait....

I think the animosity towards the Catholic Church is twofold.

Firstly there is the historical view. No one can deny that the RCC hierarchy has been “a little bit naughty” throughout history. I mean, the various inquisitions are testament to this. The killing, the torture. This is bad fruit. It’s obvious. The Papacy attempted to rule Christians through canon law and continues to do this today. The RCC is the oldest organized religious institution. But this means that Satan has had more time with it than any other church to infiltrate it from within.

Secondly we have the doctrinal aspect. The RCC hold to certain rituals which many non-Catholics find to be pagan in origin and therefore not Biblical. Most of these things have already been mentioned by previous posters.

I’m not knocking the RCC per se. I mean, the RCC doctrines that people don’t agree with can be traced directly back to Pharisaic Rabbinical Judaism.

Hogwash dude. As both a Catholic and a senior history major, I can tell you honestly that that is incorrect. You are thinking of state run inquisitions. The Papal inquisition was about as soft as they come. Punishments were along the lines of prayer, going on a pilgrimage, wearing a cross sewn into your clothing.. Likewise, your argument that Popes were generally naughty is quite simply historically unfounded. The Catholic Church has, comparatively, a better track record than any other institution on earth.

The Catholic Church does not rule anybody through canon law. WE are the Catholic Church. The Holy Spirit guides us. We love our Papa Benedict and all his predecessors. He is our spiritual counselor, not a tyrant. Who is any non-Catholic to tell us who rules us. Christ rules us.

You are right we are the oldest Christian institution, and what did Jesus say about that? Read the Gospel and know that the gates of hell shall never prevail against us, and your false witness.

Lastly, your argument for pagan and Judaic origins are simple made up. Rabbinic Judaism didn't even overlap with Pharisaic judaism. Are you just throwing words together?

 

[saintmichaeldefendthem]

I think the animosity towards the Catholic Church is twofold.

Firstly there is the historical view. No one can deny that the RCC hierarchy has been “a little bit naughty” throughout history.

What was Jesus thinking entrusting the leadership of the Church to fallable human beings?

I mean, the various inquisitions are testament to this. The killing, the torture. This is bad fruit. It’s obvious.

Sorry, I don't just roll over and belly up at these rash generalizations. What events are you talking about that "no one can deny"?

The Papacy attempted to rule Christians through canon law and continues to do this today. The RCC is the oldest organized religious institution. But this means that Satan has had more time with it than any other church to infiltrate it from within.

I guess that's fair, the Protestants in their short 500 year history have certainly racked up their fair share of massecres, witch trials, and various other atrocities.

Secondly we have the doctrinal aspect. The RCC hold to certain rituals which many non-Catholics find to be pagan in origin and therefore not Biblical. Most of these things have already been mentioned by previous posters.

The biggest lie ever told in the history of Christiandom is Sola Scriptura and it can't even be defended by scripture.

I’m not knocking the RCC per se. I mean, the RCC doctrines that people don’t agree with can be traced directly back to Pharisaic Rabbinical Judaism.

Then in that same tradition, I'm glad you agree that we have been invested with authority even as the pharisees, as Christ said, sit in the seat of Moses.

Onward Christian Soldiers!

 

[Husky7]

I've noticed that there are many anti-Catholic protestants out there (I know not all protestants are anti-Catholic, but some are) who truly hate Catholicism and the Catholic Church.

Typical arguments I see from AC Protestants are:

"Catholics aren't Christian"

"Catholics worship Mary by praying to her"

"Catholics worship the pope"

"Catholics worship the sign of the cross and not Jesus"

"Catholicism is a pagan religion"

"Catholics believe in salvation through works"

"Catholics call priests and the pope 'father' because they worship him"

"Catholics held books from the public and burned people for blablabla.."

"Catholics were responsible for the Inquisition and the Crusades"

"Hitler was a Catholic"

Etc.. Etc...

These are the sorts of comments that I hear from people mostly online although sometimes people will say them in real life. How can people be this ignorant? Where did such a hatred of the Catholic Church come from and why is it so prominent among a lot of people? I would be very offended if someone walked up to me and told me that I worshiped Mary or something preposterous of the sort.

How should I defend myself from this? Is there a way to inform people like this of the truth?

As a non-denominational christian, the reason I view the church in a negative light is because some of the church's beliefs, and traditions don't match up with scripture, and they occasionally contradict them. Obviously, because this is a catholic thread I'm not going to get into specifics, but that's my personal reason for not liking the RCC.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

One must realize that the Church, as the Body of Christ, will suffer the same trial of Christ, who Himself was accused by former disciples of horrible crimes and activities.

The best way to defend oneself is to be charitable and truthful. Charity disarms pride, anger, and indifference while truth disarms lies, ignorance, and confusion.

That should also go for any non-RC Christian me thinks.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

As a non-denominational christian, the reason I view the church in a negative light is because some of the church's beliefs, and traditions don't match up with scripture, and they occasionally contradict them. Obviously, because this is a catholic thread I'm not going to get into specifics, but that's my personal reason for not liking the RCC.

I tend to agree with you on this.
Just because I disagree with some of their doctrines and dogmas, does not mean I hate them, just as I disagree with a lot of EO and Protestants docrtinge, views and beliefs.

 

[Husky7]

Don't argue about faith,nothing good comes out of that,be strong in Your faith,and a lot of good will come out of that./QUOTE]

Berndt. Totally agree with you. I avoid debates these days.

At work, a Protestant said that the Da Vinci Code is true.

I did not argue with him. I just spaced out and the conversation flowed on to other topics.

The Protestant kept bringing up anti-Catholic statements, I just was not interested to respond.

To me, anybody wants to know about Catholicism will find out for themselves.

Anybody who wants to argue just want to cause trouble.

I believe in building each others faith. Instead of tearing apart the faith of people.

Only the devil tears down. Angels build.

Protestants and Catholics alike are ill-informed about religious matters. There are people like this from every faith.

 

[xTx]

What is most important is the kindness we show one another.

By trying to be good to one another, we have to respect the believes of everybody.

All good from any religion comes from God. But, truth and grace comes from Jesus alone.

 

[Scouting husband]

First I must state that I am not Catholic and have no plans to become Catholic. However, my wife has recently completed the RCIA class and I have taken it upon myself to at least try and study Catholicism so that I can understand why she believes what she believes.

One of the biggest conflicts for me as an outsider is communion. I truly believe that all who desire to take communion should be able to do so. However, the RCC has an exclusionary practice regarding this matter. This easily could appear as a “Holier than Thou” attitude and can make someone feel that Catholics do not consider non Catholics equal in the eyes of God or the RCC. Even if someone who is not a Catholic believes in the transubstantiation they are still excluded from the table that God invited all to join.

Another possible conflict is the order of the Mass. Since my wife joined the RCC I have gone with her and she has to tell me what is going on. Yes I understand that Mass should be the same at each RCC church no matter where it is. However, unless someone goes through the RCIA class or sits with a friend that is Catholic there is no way to easy follow the service (without frequent visits).

Those things mentioned above give non Catholics a feeling of being excluded. I truly believe that this in not the intent of the RCC church but we are dealing with emotions and feelings which do not always follow logic.

Now the most important part I want to say and if you only focus on one part of my comments I want it to be the following.

We are Christians. We believe in the same God. In the end it does not matter if we put on our left shoe first or our right shoe first. In the end we have on both shoes. Determining which shoe to put on first is just a personal preference.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

First I must state that I am not Catholic and have no plans to become Catholic. However, my wife has recently completed the RCIA class and I have taken it upon myself to at least try and study Catholicism so that I can understand why she believes what she believes.

One of the biggest conflicts for me as an outsider is communion. I truly believe that all who desire to take communion should be able to do so. However, the RCC has an exclusionary practice regarding this matter. This easily could appear as a “Holier than Thou” attitude and can make someone feel that Catholics do not consider non Catholics equal in the eyes of God or the RCC. Even if someone who is not a Catholic believes in the transubstantiation they are still excluded from the table that God invited all to join.

Another possible conflict is the order of the Mass. Since my wife joined the RCC I have gone with her and she has to tell me what is going on. Yes I understand that Mass should be the same at each RCC church no matter where it is. However, unless someone goes through the RCIA class or sits with a friend that is Catholic there is no way to easy follow the service (without frequent visits).

Those things mentioned above give non Catholics a feeling of being excluded. I truly believe that this in not the intent of the RCC church but we are dealing with emotions and feelings which do not always follow logic.

Now the most important part I want to say and if you only focus on one part of my comments I want it to be the following.

We are Christians. We believe in the same God. In the end it does not matter if we put on our left shoe first or our right shoe first. In the end we have on both shoes. Determining which shoe to put on first is just a personal preference.

I understand your feelings in this matter. While I'm not RC either, I am a confessional Lutheran, and we practice "Closed Communion" for exactly the same reasons as the RCC does.

We believe in the real presence of Christ's body and blood in the Eucharist. We also take the Biblical admonitions that those who receive in an unworthy manner eat and drink judgement upon themselves. While we can not know what is in the heart of the recipient, we can ensure that those who do have been properly instructed at the very least through catechesis and Confirmation.

We believe that we eat and drink Christ's body and blood, and we also believe that in doing so we receive God's grace by receiving the forgiveness of sins; just as both the RC and EO Churches do.

While our belief is virtually the same, I would never consider communing in either of these Churches, because in doing so, I would be showing that I am in full agreement with all of their doctrines, not just the Holy Sacrament; just as they would not partake at my Church for the very same reasons.

Also, we will only commune with other Congregations and Synods which are in full fellowship with our own; as we know that their belief, and teachings are consistent with our own.

Practicing Closed Communion is not being exclusive, rather it is done out of Christian love for fellow Christians, in that we do so to try and limit the opportunity for sin.

I hope this helps.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

Why is there a seemingly perpetual stigma towards the Catholic Church?

LLOJ subscribes

Blue Letter Bible - Lexicon
Strong's Number G4742 matches the Greek στίγμα (stigma), which occurs 1 time in 1 verse in the Greek concordance of the KJV

http://www.olivetree.com/cgi-bin/EnglishBible.htm

KJV) Galatians 6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks/stigmata <4742> of the Lord Jesus.

 

[Virgil the Roman]

We believe in the real presence of Christ's body and blood in the Eucharist. We also take the Biblical admonitions that those who receive in an unworthy manner eat and drink judgement upon themselves. While we can not know what is in the heart of the recipient, we can ensure that those who do have been properly instructed at the very least through catechesis and Confirmation.

Very True.

We believe that we eat and drink Christ's body and blood, and we also believe that in doing so we receive God's grace by receiving the forgiveness of sins; just as both the RC and EO Churches do.

Yea, we do receive Christ's grace through his holy sacraments (provided we provide no personal barrier or impediment on our part; that is to say, impenitence).

While our belief is virtually the same, I would never consider communing in either of these Churches, because in doing so, I would be showing that I am in full agreement with all of their doctrines, not just the Holy Sacrament; just as they would not partake at my Church for the very same reasons.

. . .

Agreed.

Practicing Closed Communion is not being exclusive, rather it is done out of Christian love for fellow Christians, in that we do so to try and limit the opportunity for sin.

I hope this helps.

Spot on! You're on the ball today!



Mark is correct indeed, my friend.

Hello, Mark! Good to see you once again.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Very True.


Yea, we do receive Christ's grace through his holy sacraments (provided we provide no personal barrier or impediment on our part; that is, impenitence).


Agreed.
Spot on! You're on the ball, today!



Mark is correct indeed, my friend.

Hello, Mark! Good to see you once again.

Hi Virgil.

 

[CatholicandaHalf]

Well, actually Luther didn't; the reformed protestants excluded the Apocryphal books... but that's a topic for another time and place.

NOT true. Luther did throw out 4 books of the bible and he wanted to throw out more but his colleagues wouldn't let him. I dont know where you get your info, but i have read this from very reliable sources and more than just a few

It has been my experience that anti Catholic, or anti any specific denomination often springs from a person's or denomination's insecurity in their own beliefs. By labeling another as "bad" or "evil", it becomes easy to justify one's self as being "good and right".

insecurity... hmmm... never thought of that b4 but it makes sense. And how can one be secure when one is outside the Church Christ Himself established?

One historic example comes to mind. Reformed Protestants deny the real presence in the Eucharist. They went so far as to mock the words of institution/consecration used in the Mass "Hoc est Corpus Meum" by coining the phrase "Hocus Pocus". This not only mocks the Mass, but blasphemes the Words of our Lord. In effect they mock scripture, yet they claim Sola Scriptura; no wonder they are insecure.

Respectfully,

Mark

yes but the Lutherans do not have the Real Presence either.

Only an ordained Catholic priest can consecreate the bread (actually it is Jesus working through the priest) and Transubstantiate it into the Body of C hrist