Heard any new misconceptions lately?

[Catholic4aReasn]

Just when I think I’ve heard every misconception about Catholicism there is someone always surprises me. Here are the most recent ones I’ve heard:

1. Mary’s mother was a virgin when Mary was conceived
2. Catholics pray to saints because they believe their own prayers are less worthy than those of the saints.

What are some new or unusual misconceptions you’ve heard?

In Christ,
Nancy

 

[mercygate]

Your number 2 isn’t exactly a misconception but rather more like an overstatement. Catholics believe God hears our prayers, but we also believe, with St. James, that “the prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Since the Saints are in heaven, perfected in Charity and enjoying the beatific vision, we do have strong confidence in the efficacy of their prayer. The “misconception” as implied in your statement would be that Catholics have no confidence in their own direct prayer to God. That would be a misconception.

 

[Montie_Claunch]

I heard that we beleive that we worhip bread (I.E. the adoration of the blessed Sacrament) and that Transubstantiation as well as Hell and the Immortal Soul was a sign of Pagenism in the Catholic Church and by logical deduction the Anti-Christ (True Story I was acctually told this). And I expect to here next that we beleive that Jesus is actually Mary in disguise (because of her Immaculate Concption).

 

[Forest-Pine]

See if you can follow these wacky ideas:

1. We do not believe Jesus ever came off the cross (because of the crucifix)
2. We do not believe Jesus ever came out of the tomb (the alter being symbolic of the tomb and Jesus is inside it)
3. The more we pay the ushers, the closer to the front of church we can sit

And all of these were from the same person in one sitting!

 

[Steven_Merten]

Hello Catholic4areason,

I was at a party one time. In Wisconsin of all places (go Packers). Anyway they were trying to remember the ten commandments. The group effort had come up with three or four. It was funny but sad. I stated the ten commandments for them.

Afterward, a woman came up to me and started preaching to me as to how I really did not know ALL the commandments. She told me, “What good was it to follow some of the commandments when you don’t really know ALL the commandments.” I looked at her in great surprise and asked, “What are you talking about?” She replied, “Well, when Moses came down the moutain, he droped one of the stone tablets and it broke. There were really fifteen commandments but five were lost when Moses droped one of the stone tablets. Its all right there in the bible.” She meant it in all sinsarity.

I responed, “You have been watching too many Mel Brooks movies.”

 

[Thomas_More_1]

Forest-Pine: in some parishes I’ve been to, people must be paying the ushers so they can sit farther back.

 

[Gene_C]

Steven,

She must have gotten that story from The History of the World, Part 1, by Mel Brooks. Brooks as Moses comes down the mountain with three tablets but one of them breaks.

Gene

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

Forest-Pine:

1. The more we pay the ushers, the closer to the front of church we can sit

!

Someone seriously believes this???

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

mercygate:

Your number 2 isn’t exactly a misconception but rather more like an overstatement. Catholics believe God hears our prayers, but we also believe, with St. James, that “the prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Since the Saints are in heaven, perfected in Charity and enjoying the beatific vision, we do have strong confidence in the efficacy of their prayer. The “misconception” as implied in your statement would be that Catholics have no confidence in their own direct prayer to God. That would be a misconception.

There are people who really believe that we pray to saints INSTEAD of to God. The person who made the comment about our prayers being less worthy seemed to be trying to give a reason for it.

In Christ,
Nancy

 

[Steven_Merten]

Gene C.:

Steven,

She must have gotten that story from The History of the World, Part 1, by Mel Brooks. Brooks as Moses comes down the mountain with three tablets but one of them breaks.

Gene

Hello Gene,

I am sure she did. But she firmly believed she had gotten this information from the bible. I am sure, over a matter of time, without really studying the bible, the movie became the reality. No doubt, judging by the sermon she gave me, there was some guilt and denial driving the cross wiring of information. In the scheme of things I think that this is somewhat how all these misconceptions germinate in people’s minds. A lack of true information driven by a subconcious, denial desire for the false information to be the true information. False information translated into “true” information that fits better into their present standing as a not yet repentant, Protestant or what ever their present standing is.

Hello Catholic4areason,

I mention Wisconsin (go Packers) because I am originally from Wisconsin. I grew up in America’s Dairy Land milking cows. Gotta love Wisconsin.

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

Steven Merten:

Hello Gene,

I am sure she did. But she firmly believed she had gotten this information from the bible. I am sure, over a matter of time, without really studying the bible, the movie became the reality. No doubt, judging by the sermon she gave me, there was some guilt and denial driving the cross wiring of information. In the scheme of things I think that this is somewhat how all these misconceptions germinate in people’s minds. A lack of true information driven by a subconcious, denial desire for the false information to be the true information. False information translated into “true” information that fits better into their present standing as a not yet repentant, Protestant or what ever their present standing is.

I once talked to a woman who was convinced that her priest and others were writing doctrine in the basement of her church. Nothing I said could convince her otherwise!

Where in WI did you grow up? Would you believe I’ve never in my life milked a cow??

In Christ,
Nancy

 

[E.E.N.S]

Catholic4aReasn:

What are some new or unusual misconceptions you’ve heard?

EA_Man (from this forum) just claimed that non of the popes were “heavy hitters” and that none of them could “speak for themselves” when it came to speak theologically.

What a joke.

 

[trumpet152]

I used to work at a Christian bookstore. One night we got a call from a lady wanting to know how to baptize her cat. She was serious too.

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

E.E.N.S.:

EA_Man (from this forum) just claimed that non of the popes were “heavy hitters” and that none of them could “speak for themselves” when it came to speak theologically.

What a joke.

What’s the mean, exactly??

In Christ,
Nancy

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

trumpet152:

I used to work at a Christian bookstore. One night we got a call from a lady wanting to know how to baptize her cat. She was serious too.

Well that’s certainly…unusual.

Speaking of bookstores, I was browsing in a Christian bookstore once and noticed that they didn’t have any Catholic books. I inquired about Catholic books at the service counter and was told “I think those sorts of things have to be ordered directly from the Church”.

In Christ,
Nancy

 

[E.E.N.S]

Catholic4aReasn:

What’s the mean, exactly??

In Christ,
Nancy

So that I don’t misquote him:

EA_Man:

The Pope is the supreme teacher of the church. That being said, it is odd that of the 260 plus men—give or take an antipope—that have occupied the chair, not one has been a theologian of the first order. The real thinking has come from further down the chain-of-command, to wit., Anselm, Aquinas, Augustine, Bonaventura, Newman, Rahner, Scotus, and von Balthasar. One must wonder, when advisors and other theologians are more distinguished teachers than the Pope is, what exactly are the teaching credentials required for the papacy?

Whenever a case had to be made in defense of papal preeminence during the Reformation, who made it? Wouldn’t the Pope be the natural candidate to present the case for his own preeminence? Again, none of the heavy hitters were Popes, but men who spoke on their behalf, i.e., Eck, Cajetan, Bellarmine and Stapleton. Now if the Pope is supposed to be the supreme teacher of the Church, then why can’t he speak for himself? Can’t he even make his own case? If he isn’t up to the job of laying out his own credentials for the job, then what does that say about his credentials for the job?

 

[Steven_Merten]

Catholic4aReasn:

I once talked to a woman who was convinced that her priest and others were writing doctrine in the basement of her church. Nothing I said could convince her otherwise!

Where in WI did you grow up? Would you believe I’ve never in my life milked a cow??

In Christ,
Nancy

Hi Nancy,

I grew up in Burlington Wisconsin. Most of my family still live in that area. Still farming too. Burlington is twenty west of Racine, south of Milwaukee. I love the West but I miss Wisconsin.

 

[bettyg51]

The strangest one I’ve ever heard is, “Do Catholics have to shave their pubic hair?”
I still laugh when I think of that one.

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

bettyg51:

The strangest one I’ve ever heard is, “Do Catholics have to shave their pubic hair?”
I still laugh when I think of that one.

WHAAAAAAAAT!!!

 

[sententia]

ROTFL

I have the 1st rcia class of the fall tonight… I bet there will be some interesting things come up!