Your Worst Anti-Catholic Experience

[Ave Maria]

The only anti-Catholic comments i hear are online or from real life CAtholics..lol. Heres what i hear from real life Catholics alot "i think that the whole NO birth control thing is a bunch of garbage!" or "The Catholic church is always asking for money." or "when are they just gonna let Priest get married, the church needs to get into this century"

Wow, I accept the Catholic Church's current teachings on all of those things.

 

[Ave Maria]

I was anti-roman catholic for a long, long time.
I am sorry.

You are already forgiven in my eyes, dear brother in Christ.

 

[U R my Sonshine]

Bigotry in any form is ugly. I have seen this both ways. Hopefully we can all just name ourselves after Christ and be "Christians" with no separation of people who love the Lord. Just following his commands, no matter what we choose to call ourselves.

 

[Miss Shelby]

I was anti-roman catholic for a long, long time.
I am sorry.

We all make mistakes. No biggie.

Michelle

 

[Epiphanygirl]

I've oftened wondered what will happen in the future. What if there does come a day when all Christians are persecuted and are being killed(not mattering what Chucrch you go to, just that you believe in Christ)Will be suddenly become "Christians in THEIR eyes?

What if many had to go into hiding? Would they help us? Would we help them? There might come a day, God forbid, that this might happen. If it did, it won't matter what Church doors you walk through, the enemy doesn't care, a Christian is a Christian.
All hypothetical, but it makes you think...

 

[Dream]

I have been fortunate enough not to have to deal with too much anti-Catholicism in person. However, I do distinctly remember a good friend of mine in high school telling me I was going to Hell because I was Catholic. (And he was completly serious)

The best way to deal with anti-Catholicism is to tell the truth. When somebody ridicules you for worshiping Mary, tell them the truth of why we pray to her and that we don't worship her.

If all else fails, tell them you'll pray for them, and then do so.

Here is an excellent article by John S. Martignon entitled Apologetics for the Scriptually Challenged: http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2004/0405fea4.asp I recommened everybody reads it.

 

[Epiphanygirl]

I have been fortunate enough not to have to deal with too much anti-Catholicism in person. However, I do distinctly remember a good friend of mine in high school telling me I was going to Hell because I was Catholic. (And he was completly serious)

The best way to deal with anti-Catholicism is to tell the truth. When somebody ridicules you for worshiping Mary, tell them the truth of why we pray to her and that we don't worship her.

If all else fails, tell them you'll pray for them, and then do so.

Here is an excellent article by John S. Martignon entitled Apologetics for the Scriptually Challenged: http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2004/0405fea4.asp I recommened everybody reads it.

Never fight hatred with hatred, or never fight ignorance with ignorance!
I've had people tell me the same thing. I usually just say "I'm sorry you feel that way, that' not what our Faith teaches" "If you want to really know, I can show you" and I leave it at that.
I've found that some just want to debate, PERIOD! Some don't want to know the truth or understand. That's okay, I just tell them I will pray for them. For some reason that tends to scare them

 

[U R my Sonshine]

I've oftened wondered what will happen in the future. What if there does come a day when all Christians are persecuted and are being killed(not mattering what Chucrch you go to, just that you believe in Christ)Will be suddenly become "Christians in THEIR eyes?

What if many had to go into hiding? Would they help us? Would we help them? There might come a day, God forbid, that this might happen. If it did, it won't matter what Church doors you walk through, the enemy doesn't care, a Christian is a Christian.
All hypothetical, but it makes you think...

VERY well said.

I would hope that we would all help each other as Christ's family. I know I would help a Catholic just as sure as I would help one of my fellow protestants. If you love Christ you are my family.

If we don't show some love for each other (should be easy enough, because we really are one in Christ) it could come to what you described above. I have a feeling then we would cling to ANY fellow Christian we could find, and all these petty differences would fall away.

 

[HappyMomof4]

Most of the worst anti-catholic comments I have gotten were from ex-catholics. Go figure. People like my mom who have been "liberated" (in her view) from the rules of the church. I think part of the reason is that she is divorced and feels like she's in a state of mortal sin anyway. Sometimes I see signs that she may come back. I don't know, I keep praying for her.

She can say nasty things about the church which used to bother me a lot. But now I think it all comes from the fact that she is conflicted. On one hand she wants what she grew up with, on the other hand she feels like she can't rejoin. (This is all my theory anyway--I may be wrong).

 

[Gwendolyn]

The worst was during the West Coast Walk for Life a couple of months back. Some of the counter-demonstrators were just absolutely viscious -- talking about how I supported the rape of innocent children, how I wanted to oppress women, etc. I just handled it at the time by holding my head high and kept on walking. There's no point in feeding such behavior.

That nearly made me cry just reading it because it's just so horrible... who in their right mind would say such things and have the audacity to call themselves Christian? That hurts. It hurts a great deal.

More often, I come across simple ignorance about what the church actually teaches. There's a wonderful quote from Bishop J. Fulton Sheen that I believe went, "There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church—which is, of course, quite a different thing."

I think that is very true.

Where I am, I have not experienced very many venemous comments to my face. The majority of the opposition I experience is online. However - ironically - I have received opposition from people who are Catholic, but do not understand the Church's teachings on sexuality, etc. They don't usually say venemous things, though; just opinions based on misinformation.

 

[Dream]

She can say nasty things about the church which used to bother me a lot. But now I think it all comes from the fact that she is conflicted. On one hand she wants what she grew up with, on the other hand she feels like she can't rejoin. (This is all my theory anyway--I may be wrong).

Yes, this is known as cognitive dissonance. When people hold inconsistent attitudes, they feel compelled to reduce that tension. One of the ways this done is by convincing yourself that you made the right decision and it is much more desireable than the alternative. Judging from your brief post, this appears to be what your mother is facing.

 

[BillH]

That nearly made me cry just reading it because it's just so horrible... who in their right mind would say such things and have the audacity to call themselves Christian? That hurts. It hurts a great deal.

Well... I don't think that many of those people would have necessarily called themselves Christian.

Insofar as I ever hear anything that might be interpreted as anti-Catholic from our Protestant brothers and sisters, it is due mainly to misconceptions that they have about what the Catholic Church actually teaches rather than any real malice

 

[U R my Sonshine]

Insofar as I ever hear anything that might be interpreted as anti-Catholic from our Protestant brothers and sisters, it is due mainly to misconceptions that they have about what the Catholic Church actually teaches rather than any real malice

That is because an real Christian Catholic or Protestant doesn't hold malice for another. If they do they need to be repenting.

 

[Ave Maria]

That is because an real Christian Catholic or Protestant doesn't hold malice for another. If they do they need to be repenting.

Agree with the sentiment but wouldn't necessarily agree with it literally. You can be a real Catholic or Protestant even if you do hold malice for one another but I'd say you'd be in a state of sin.

 

[U R my Sonshine]

That is because an real Christian Catholic or Protestant doesn't hold malice for another. If they do they need to be repenting.

Hey Holly

A real CHRISTAIN Catholic or Protestant.....is what I wrote

 

[The Black Knight]

Hi All!
I've had it here, at CAF, other forums, both Catholic and non...in my face in person (one guy said He thought he should "crack" me for standing up for the faith when I pointed out the inconsistencies in a Francis Schaeffer video we'd seen!). It gets nuts sometimes...but I really sort of get a laugh out of (though it's be a lot funnier if they weren't serious!)

They seem to love to bash away at the Blessed Mother, and some of the other stuff like we worship statues... I just posted a list of 17 OT passages that show that people bowed with their face to the ground to each other all over the place and it wasn't worship. over at CAF in response to this very thing.

It just gets weird...but I love to share my faith and I've actually had friends convert after they attacked some aspect of the faith and I explained it. Most of it is just plain not klnowing better and misundrestanding...though there are some folks who seem to get off on misrepresenting what we believe to seel their books, tracts , tapes, and seminars.
Pax vobiscum,

 

[twosteppin]

The only anti-Catholic comments i hear are online or from real life CAtholics..lol. Heres what i hear from real life Catholics alot "i think that the whole NO birth control thing is a bunch of garbage!" or "The Catholic church is always asking for money." or "when are they just gonna let Priest get married, the church needs to get into this century"

sounds like my mother's family. They are the most anti-catholic Catholics I have ever met.

 

[churl]

My ex-husband who REFUSES to "honor thy mother and father".
It is just heartbreaking for me to witness this.

 

[Wolseley]

I have to admit that I've run into more of it in on-line message boards than in real life, but I've had my share of debates with Protestants, no doubt.

And all of these boards, save one, were Christian boards. I could name them, but I will be charitable and refrain. A lot of the old-timers here know exactly the ones I'm talking about, though.

 

[Ave Maria]

Hey Holly

A real CHRISTAIN Catholic or Protestant.....is what I wrote

Yes I know. My point is that either is capable of sin and committing a sin does not make one not a Catholic or Protestant.