Anti-Catholicism

[goodcatholicman]

I have always known that there are some terribly misguided people that are anti-Catholic as I am sure there are anywhere. However, I was not aware of how far back and how serious this went with regards to Catholics in the U.S.

I recently took a trip to Savannah Georgia and took the “walking history tour” which I highly recommend. During the time the colony was first formed and continued during the first years of Georgia statehood being found giulty of being Catholic was an automatic death penalty! The penalty in those days was swift and you were hung within 48 hours of your conviction. There is a large Lutheran Church in Savannah near River Street that has a very large, very old oak that is said to be the tree where those given the death penalty were hung (mostly Catholics but others as well). It was said that the parishioners of the Lutheran church complained to the city because often there were bodies hanging in the tree (the body had to hang for 24 hours) when they went to church on Sunday. Savannah did not stop the practice, merely moved the “hanging tree” back a couple of blocks to avoid conflict.

I am sure there are tons of examples, many more recent out there. I was just taken back to hear this kind of thing. Feel free to share other stories.


Lord Jesus Come

 

[notself]

I have always known that there are some terribly misguided people that are anti-Catholic as I am sure there are anywhere. However, I was not aware of how far back and how serious this went with regards to Catholics in the U.S.

I recently took a trip to Savannah Georgia and took the “walking history tour” which I highly recommend. During the time the colony was first formed and continued during the first years of Georgia statehood being found giulty of being Catholic was an automatic death penalty! The penalty in those days was swift and you were hung within 48 hours of your conviction. There is a large Lutheran Church in Savannah near River Street that has a very large, very old oak that is said to be the tree where those given the death penalty were hung (mostly Catholics but others as well). It was said that the parishioners of the Lutheran church complained to the city because often there were bodies hanging in the tree (the body had to hang for 24 hours) when they went to church on Sunday. Savannah did not stop the practice, merely moved the “hanging tree” back a couple of blocks to avoid conflict.

I am sure there are tons of examples, many more recent out there. I was just taken back to hear this kind of thing. Feel free to share other stories.


Lord Jesus Come

This is why it is so important for Catholics in particular to support the Separation of Church and State. Hatred of Catholics is very common among Fundamentalist Christian denominations everywhere.

My sister sent her children to a Christian School that was supposed to be non denominational. We were shocked at the anti Catholicism of the 4th Grade History textbook. She politely complained about it to the school administrator, but he said that the textbooks came as a set and he could do nothing about them.

The kids are now in public school.

 

[SyCarl]

This is why it is so important for Catholics in particular to support the Separation of Church and State. Hatred of Catholics is very common among Fundamentalist Christian denominations everywhere.

My sister sent her children to a Christian School that was supposed to be non denominational. We were shocked at the anti Catholicism of the 4th Grade History textbook. She politely complained about it to the school administrator, but he said that the textbooks came as a set and he could do nothing about them.

The kids are now in public school.

But is this separation only one sided? Did not Pius IX decry the separation of church and state, as it applied in Catholic countries, in his Syllabus of Errors?

 

[RevDrNorth]

No doubt there was anti Catholicism early in US history and even up to the JFK era. I think it still exists but that is not too much different than the general animosity to Christianity in general.

Rev North

 

[notself]

But is this separation only one sided? Did not Pius IX decry the separation of church and state, as it applied in Catholic countries, in his Syllabus of Errors?

I am more interested in preserving the Constitution of the United States from attack by certain segments of our population than I am about the anti-clericalism in Italy 150 years ago.

 

[SyCarl]

I am more interested in preserving the Constitution of the United States from attack by certain segments of our population than I am about the anti-clericalism in Italy 150 years ago.

I am not from the United States. But don’t get me wrong. I fully support the separation of church and state. I was just pointing out that the Catholic church has not always done so.

 

[notself]

I am not from the United States. But don’t get me wrong. I fully support the separation of church and state. I was just pointing out that the Catholic church has not always done so.

True. I think that many religions would like to be the only religion in the country. Regardless of the religion it is always a bad idea in my opinion.

 

[po18guy]

This is why it is so important for Catholics in particular to support the Separation of Church and State. Hatred of Catholics is very common among Fundamentalist Christian denominations everywhere.

My sister sent her children to a Christian School that was supposed to be non denominational. We were shocked at the anti Catholicism of the 4th Grade History textbook. She politely complained about it to the school administrator, but he said that the textbooks came as a set and he could do nothing about them.

The kids are now in public school.

Bishop Sheen said that it is “better to place your children in public schools and make therm defend their faith”. Unfortunately, the second half of that quote is “than to place them in Catholic shools and have them lose it”

The evil one roams.

 

[dosdog]

Do you fear that this, your perception of the church’s failure to address your favorite issue—or to take the orthodox or radical position that you espouse, will cause the church to lose most of its members?

The Roman Catholic continues to grow globally. It has even reversed the trend in defections from her to pentecostal and evangelical churches in Latin America.

The latest United Council of Churches’ report in its 75th Yearbook of American and Canadian rate of growth The top 25 churches that grew in the USA and Canada, per the UCC 2007 report, are:

1. The Catholic Church, 69,135,254 members, increase of 1.94 percent.

Number of Catholics and Priests Rises Pontifical Yearbook of 2007 Releases Data

Qatar’s first Catholic Church will be inaugurated in February

The Christians Are Coming Back to Arabia – Fourteen Centuries after Mohammed

China Catholics throng to church Sunday, 23 September 2007 Beijing’s Southern Cathedral has the kind of congregation many Catholic churches in Europe can only dream of attracting.

Catholics set to pass Anglicans as leading UK church
catholiccamp.blogspot.com/

 

[blacktiger057]

I have always known that there are some terribly misguided people that are anti-Catholic as I am sure there are anywhere. However, I was not aware of how far back and how serious this went with regards to Catholics in the U.S.

I recently took a trip to Savannah Georgia and took the “walking history tour” which I highly recommend. During the time the colony was first formed and continued during the first years of Georgia statehood being found giulty of being Catholic was an automatic death penalty! The penalty in those days was swift and you were hung within 48 hours of your conviction. There is a large Lutheran Church in Savannah near River Street that has a very large, very old oak that is said to be the tree where those given the death penalty were hung (mostly Catholics but others as well). It was said that the parishioners of the Lutheran church complained to the city because often there were bodies hanging in the tree (the body had to hang for 24 hours) when they went to church on Sunday. Savannah did not stop the practice, merely moved the “hanging tree” back a couple of blocks to avoid conflict.

I am sure there are tons of examples, many more recent out there. I was just taken back to hear this kind of thing. Feel free to share other stories.


Lord Jesus Come

Yes, every religious group has another group, religious or not, that hates it.

Hey, look on the bright side… If I told my faith(Wicca), then most of my friends would be 1. scared of me or 2. hate me… . It really is horrible no matter what faith it is in the end, isn’t it?

 

[Singinbeauty]

I have always known that there are some terribly misguided people that are anti-Catholic as I am sure there are anywhere. However, I was not aware of how far back and how serious this went with regards to Catholics in the U.S.

I recently took a trip to Savannah Georgia and took the “walking history tour” which I highly recommend. During the time the colony was first formed and continued during the first years of Georgia statehood being found giulty of being Catholic was an automatic death penalty! The penalty in those days was swift and you were hung within 48 hours of your conviction. There is a large Lutheran Church in Savannah near River Street that has a very large, very old oak that is said to be the tree where those given the death penalty were hung (mostly Catholics but others as well). It was said that the parishioners of the Lutheran church complained to the city because often there were bodies hanging in the tree (the body had to hang for 24 hours) when they went to church on Sunday. Savannah did not stop the practice, merely moved the “hanging tree” back a couple of blocks to avoid conflict.

I am sure there are tons of examples, many more recent out there. I was just taken back to hear this kind of thing. Feel free to share other stories.


Lord Jesus Come

So because this was a practice, what, 200 years ago you still complain about it today??? Anti-catholocism, Anti-protestantism… There is no difference. It exists on both sides. Why do we quibble about these things???

 

[Kitty_Chan]

So because this was a practice, what, 200 years ago you still complain about it today??? Anti-catholocism, Anti-protestantism… There is no difference. It exists on both sides. Why do we quibble about these things???

I agree, maybe its

something about stiff necked people

Its awful we wont let each other into our clubhouses.

I truly wonder somedays what Dads gonna say when He comes back.

 

[Petergee]

I am not from the United States. But don’t get me wrong. I fully support the separation of church and state. I was just pointing out that the Catholic church has not always done so.

You are mistaken. In fact it was the Catholic Church which invented the idea of separating religion from the State. Pius IX was talking about something quite different. When the militant atheists he confronted talked about “Separation of church and state” they meant that they wanted the Church, if it was permitted to exist at all, to be a subservient sub-branch of the State, completely controlled by the State, and unquestioningly carrying out and supporting the State government’s wishes. Quite the opposite of separation in fact. And they meant it too. That’s exactly what they had done (or done their darnedest to achieve) in Revolutionary France, and later in Marxist, Fascist and Nazi regimes.

 

[Tonks40]

In my experience, a lot of times the anti-Catholicism I meet are many times unprovoked. It’s hard to stop quibbling about these things when this happens.

 

[St_Violet]

I guess it depends where you are from, I used to live in Los Angeles, and there is a lot of Catholics, but they are also tons and tons of rebel youths who happen to be brought up catholic and constantly have this anti catholocism personality and grow up this way because being anti christian especially catholic has become such a trend, and it’s like this towards Protestants too, protestants have modernize (especially non denominationals) christianity soo bad to the point where it’s not wrong to be anti-catholic.

I moved to Washington state and it’s pretty much the same but you happen to experience anti catholocism with mostly protestantism because there just aren’t many Catholics here. But i find it funny how the protestants here seem to be soo loving and soo godly and yet have no tolerance for catholics

 

[Singinbeauty]

I moved to Washington state and it’s pretty much the same but you happen to experience anti catholocism with mostly protestantism because there just aren’t many Catholics here. But i find it funny how the protestants here seem to be soo loving and soo godly and yet have no tolerance for catholics

Funny, I hail from Washington also and I find just the opposite… I have never run into anti-catholic protestants… I guess it is just what you are looking for is what you find.

 

[fellowChristian]

I never noticed the anti-Catholism ever!

Then I started living my Faith.

And oh boy what a difference!

Try making the sign of the cross without people making snide remarks!

And once I was outted as a Catholic?

I would walk into the lounge at work and I would be hit by both Protestants and ex-Catholics alike.

I believe God put me in these situations to educate.

And boy did I !

Now when a new person goes to say something about Catholics (they do) and I am in the room. You see people smile and put their heads down and chuckle.

Because I am going to educate you!

The last person said “I have friends who are Catholic and they couldn’t explain it, wow ,thanks”

He was telling everyone at lunch that he saw Catholics worshipping a statue! I asked him are you sure thats what you saw? He said “yah! I was there thats what they were doing.”

He knows better now.

I’m in the Tri-Cities.

 

[Kay_Cee]

Funny, I hail from Washington also and I find just the opposite… I have never run into anti-catholic protestants… I guess it is just what you are looking for is what you find.

Someone carved swastikas into the window sill of my church.

When I taught in a Catholic school, one night my classroom was broken into. The perpetrators left swastikas all over the room and their feces in my desk drawer.

I have no idea who did these things, and I certainly hope they weren’t Protestant. But believe me, I wasn’t looking for anti-Catholicism. It came to me.

 

[SyCarl]

You are mistaken. In fact it was the Catholic Church which invented the idea of separating religion from the State. Pius IX was talking about something quite different. When the militant atheists he confronted talked about “Separation of church and state” they meant that they wanted the Church, if it was permitted to exist at all, to be a subservient sub-branch of the State, completely controlled by the State, and unquestioningly carrying out and supporting the State government’s wishes. Quite the opposite of separation in fact. And they meant it too. That’s exactly what they had done (or done their darnedest to achieve) in Revolutionary France, and later in Marxist, Fascist and Nazi regimes.

I would suggest that you look at some of the posts on the following thead.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=185516&page=2

I have read both the Syllabus and the accompanying Pius IX’s Quanta Cura. I think that he was definitely against the separation of church and state.

I am always amazed though by discussions such as appear in the thread I linked to. What is the value of having an infallible teaching authority if you cannot agree when that authority is used or what the authoritative statements mean? Statements are made and the people must decide what they mean. It is not private interpretation of the scriptures but in effect private interpretation once removed as people interpret what the authority states from Scripture and Tradition.

 

[BlestOne]

I never noticed the anti-Catholism ever!

Then I started living my Faith.

And oh boy what a difference!

Try making the sign of the cross without people making snide remarks!

And once I was outted as a Catholic?

I would walk into the lounge at work and I would be hit by both Protestants and ex-Catholics alike.

I believe God put me in these situations to educate.

And boy did I !

Now when a new person goes to say something about Catholics (they do) and I am in the room. You see people smile and put their heads down and chuckle.

Because I am going to educate you!

The last person said “I have friends who are Catholic and they couldn’t explain it, wow ,thanks”

He was telling everyone at lunch that he saw Catholics worshipping a statue! I asked him are you sure thats what you saw? He said “yah! I was there thats what they were doing.”

He knows better now.

Totally agree here… I have had people who were very nice to me until they found out I was Catholic. Once I learned to defend my faith, I found that the people who attack the faith in front of me usually only do it once… when I stand up to them and explain the truth and debunk their misconceptions… they never bring it up again, which makes me wonder if they are just spewing out what they have been taught but hasn’t been taken to heart or if they really hate Catholics… Most of the time, it is the misinformation they have been taught.

Last night at Bible Study (YES CATHOLICS HAVE THIS!!!) a woman who is slowly trying to come back, was talking about not being allowed to read the bible… OMGOSH!!! This of course is the same person that blames the Church because her mom got divorced and thinks they threw her “out” of the church because of it. After probing her she admitted that in her family the Bible that had her families genealogy was not allowed to be touched but they did have other Bibles in the house to read… Now it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out… when the kids were little mom and dad probably didn’t let them play with it because it was precious and valuable to the family… they fact that they had other Bibles in the house indicates that they were “allowed” to read the Bible… just not the “family” keepsake one. My family has one of these too… it is beautiful and irreplaceable. But each person also had a Bible on their nightstand by their bed…

As a matter of fact… when mom was drawing up her will and asked us kids what we wanted, that Bible is all I wanted. I let my brothers and sisters fight it out over the antique crystal and china… and all the other “valuables”. When my oldest sister found out this was the only thing I asked for, she said, “Well you know the Bible stand should go to me because I bought it for dad as a gift…” When I said fine… she then mentioned that it should go to the oldest son (which I am definitely not)… Ummm ok, but he doesn’t read the Bible or practice any faith…

I find former Catholics that are poorly catechised to be the worst anti-Catholics… very sad!