Why is there so much hate in fundamentalism toward Catholics and Orthodox

[anna ~ grace]

I also have noticed that it is very, very, very hard to accept as real, helpful, or true many things within Catholic and Orthodox theology and praxis if you're coming out of a Sola Scriptura context. Very hard.

It is kind of like taking a huge bite of eggs when you've been told your entire life that you're deathly allergic to eggs. It feels kind of counter-intuitive, and scary.

 

[Light of the East]

I also have noticed that it is very, very, very hard to accept as real, helpful, or true many things within Catholic and Orthodox theology and praxis if you're coming out of a Sola Scriptura context. Very hard.

It is kind of like taking a huge bite of eggs when you've been told your entire life that you're deathly allergic to eggs. It feels kind of counter-intuitive, and scary.

When your Fundamentalist mentors repeated tell you that ALL Catholics and Orthodox are going straight to hell when they die for "trusting in their good works instead of in Christ," it makes it almost impossible to even have a passing interest in anything that the Catholics or Orthodox say.

 

[anna ~ grace]

When your Fundamentalist mentors repeated tell you that ALL Catholics and Orthodox are going straight to hell when they die for "trusting in their good works instead of in Christ," it makes it almost impossible to even have a passing interest in anything that the Catholics or Orthodox say.

Definitely heard that, too. It's sad. Such a gulf.

 

[bbbbbbb]

I also have noticed that it is very, very, very hard to accept as real, helpful, or true many things within Catholic and Orthodox theology and praxis if you're coming out of a Sola Scriptura context. Very hard.

It is kind of like taking a huge bite of eggs when you've been told your entire life that you're deathly allergic to eggs. It feels kind of counter-intuitive, and scary.

Eggs? Perhaps not. A huge drink of strychnine seems more apropo for an analogy. I am told that strychnine actually is rather tasty.

 

[DeaconDean]

When your Fundamentalist mentors repeated tell you that ALL Catholics and Orthodox are going straight to hell when they die for "trusting in their good works instead of in Christ," it makes it almost impossible to even have a passing interest in anything that the Catholics or Orthodox say.

Here again, I repeat what I said previously.

Up to the point of salvation, it makes no difference whether your a Catholic, Orthodox, Fundamentalist, or Baptist, we are in agreement.

It's what is taught after salvation that will separate us.

God Bless

Till all are one.

 

[anna ~ grace]

...

 

[bbbbbbb]

Here again, I repeat what I said previously.

Up to the point of salvation, it makes no difference whether your a Catholic, Orthodox, Fundamentalist, or Baptist, we are in agreement.

It's what is taught after salvation that will separate us.

God Bless

Till all are one.

Although you are correct in your observation, there are various denominations which insist that salvation cannot occur until after death. Therefore, everything that they have in common with other Christian denominations as well as all those things which set them apart are part and parcel to salvation.

 

[lismore]

When your Fundamentalist mentors repeated tell you that ALL Catholics and Orthodox are going straight to hell when they die for "trusting in their good works instead of in Christ," it makes it almost impossible to even have a passing interest in anything that the Catholics or Orthodox say.

Hello Light. This is quite a nuanced issue. My late Grandmother, a fine Catholic Lady, I have no doubt she is saved. At her funeral the Monsignor brought up all the good works she had done, but she had not trusted in these works, she had done the works because she trusted in Christ.

On the other hand I have met self identifying Catholics (and indeed members from many denominations), respectable folks who if you tried to talk about trusting in Christ, salvation or indeed anything spiritual, they would not have the first clue what you're on about. I have Catholic relatives who are regular attenders but might even openly question whether they truly believe in God.

And not meaning to hurt your feelings, but perhaps the fact that in certain denominations babies are baptized and then seen as 'in the fold' means you will meet many who were baptized as babies, nominal members, cultural Catholics who are dragged to church occasionally by family but would not have a personal faith. There seem to be screeds of these on the fringes of the RCC, to the outsider giving the distinct impression of 'wooliness' in the church. The church of Scotland (presbyterian) is another with a similiar repute, in England the Anglican Church. You could run into someone self-identifying as part of these three who openly sneers at some of the teachings of Christ. Census evidence picks this up, a much higher percentage of people identify as 'Christian' than actually follow any of the teachings of Christ.

Jesus said 'You must be born again'.

God Bless

 

[anna ~ grace]

...

 

[Albion]

But if those Catholics who thrive on teaching and believing that all "non-Catholics" are out to misrepresent "the Church," what would they do for a replacement morale booster??

 

[Goatee]

I find the hate etc is down to a lack of knowledge and understanding of Catholicism. People brought up in a family of Catholic haters who carry on that tradition.

 

[Albion]

I find the hate etc is down to a lack of knowledge and understanding of Catholicism.

That does seem to be an essential myth for many Catholics.

Interestingly enough, Lutherans and Methodists aren't heard moaning all the time that everybody is out to get them, to misrepresent them, or that no one but members of their own denomination understand what it teaches.

So I think that that rather paranoid attitude you described must be important to Catholics for some reason.

It's odd, in a way, since there are more Catholics in the world than any other denomination, the RCC has political power that other denominations do not have, and the RCC has persecuted more "non-Catholics" in its history than ever persecuted her.

 

[Goatee]

That does seem to be an essential myth for many Catholics.

Interestingly enough, Lutherans and Methodists aren't heard moaning all the time that everybody is out to get them, to misrepresent them, or that no one but members of their own denomination understand what it teaches.

So I think that that rather paranoid attitude you described must be important to Catholics for some reason.

It's odd, in a way, since there are more Catholics in the world than any other denomination, the RCC has political power that other denominations do not have, and the RCC has persecuted more "non-Catholics" in its history than ever persecuted her.

Lol....coming from you!

 

[bbbbbbb]

That does seem to be an essential myth for many Catholics.

Interestingly enough, Lutherans and Methodists aren't heard moaning all the time that everybody is out to get them, to misrepresent them, or that no one but members of their own denomination understand what it teaches.

So I think that that rather paranoid attitude you described must be important to Catholics for some reason.

It's odd, in a way, since there are more Catholics in the world than any other denomination, the RCC has political power that other denominations do not have, and the RCC has persecuted more "non-Catholics" in its history than ever persecuted her.

I had a peculiar childhood growing up in a staunchly Catholic city where my family had endured four generations of Catholic hostility, only to be told time and again by Catholics how it was that everyone hated and persecuted Catholics only.

 

[Light of the East]

Here again, I repeat what I said previously.

Up to the point of salvation, it makes no difference whether your a Catholic, Orthodox, Fundamentalist, or Baptist, we are in agreement.

It's what is taught after salvation that will separate us.

God Bless

Till all are one.

Define when the point of salvation is.

 

[DeaconDean]

Although you are correct in your observation, there are various denominations which insist that salvation cannot occur until after death. Therefore, everything that they have in common with other Christian denominations as well as all those things which set them apart are part and parcel to salvation.

That may be, but their not Catholic or Orthodox are they?

God Bless

Till all are one.

 

[DeaconDean]

Define when the point of salvation is.

You being Catholic, I have to be very careful to answer that.

From my Baptist, Protestant, Reformed argument, it is when you kneel in contrition, under conviction by the Holy Spirit, asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins, believing that He is the Son of the Living God, born of a Virgin, died on a cross for your sins, risen on the third day, who now sits on the right hand of the Father.

Now I assume you'll tell me how wrong my answer is.

God Bless

Till all are one.

 

[lismore]

Define when the point of salvation is.

The Lord is this passage talks of crossing over from death to life:

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24)

Isaiah also talks of the moment the Lord gives the sinner a free pardon:

Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon (Isaiah 55:7)

God Bless

 

[bbbbbbb]

That may be, but their not Catholic or Orthodox are they?

God Bless

Till all are one.

Hmmm. There just might be a passing resemblance.

 

[Light of the East]

You being Catholic, I have to be very careful to answer that.

From my Baptist, Protestant, Reformed argument, it is when you kneel in contrition, under conviction by the Holy Spirit, asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins, believing that He is the Son of the Living God, born of a Virgin, died on a cross for your sins, risen on the third day, who now sits on the right hand of the Father.

Now I assume you'll tell me how wrong my answer is.

God Bless

Till all are one.

Of course it is wrong. I'm sorry and I don't mean to be rude, but that is neither the traditional understanding from the very beginning of the Christian faith nor is it in line with the Covenant of God and how He deals with us in a covenant paradigm.

Salvation is being made part of the Covenant Kingdom. In the Old Covenant, we see that the worst curse that could be placed upon a man was that he was "cut off from his people." That is because salvation is corporate, not individual. Salvation is being brought into the Kingdom as a member of the covenant.

And how was that done in the Old Covenant? Circumcision. It made the one being circumcised to be part of the Kingdom of God, which at that time was National Israel.

In continuing along that same principle, baptism replaced circumcision as the ritual of covenant entrance.

Also, salvation is not a "once and done deal" as Evangelicalism teaches. Salvation is a journey, a trek into becoming more and more like Christ. In the Orthodox Church we call this "theosis." The Romans call it "divinization" but it means the same thing - being changed into His likeness more and more and more. Ultimate salvation is nothing less than union with God, which is achieved not by some legal decree of "Not Guilty" in the courts of heaven (Augustine's soteriological idea as refined by the Medieval Catholic Church and Protestantism, i.e. "forensic justification) but by what St. Paul said "putting off the old man of sin and putting on the new man created in Christ." It is an eternity long process which begins here by being made part of the Kingdom by baptism into the covenant.

The people of Christ are covenant people. Jesus said "This is the New Covenant in my Blood." The word covenant is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible, making it a very important principle. Therefore, since our salvation is covenant in nature, it must follow the principles of a covenant.

Go to Amazon and find the book THE DANCE OF ISAIAH by Patrick S. O'Hara. He does a pretty good job of explaining this as a former Protestant turned Catholic.