Persecution

[Cheshangle]

I’m curious as to what kind of antisemitism Jewish New Yorkers meet every day, that is, living in New York City.

Well, it’s three years ago I met them, so I can’t really remember the detail, but I think it came down to name-calling and innuendo. And of course some people are more sensitive than others. I know non-white people here who say they’ve never encountered racism, and other who claim to encounter it frequently.

The couple said that they were particuarly “got at” by “the Irish”, by whom I think they meant Irish-Americans.

 

[Cheshangle]

I strongly agree.

Jesus g

I don’t know if you’ve come across Harriet Baber? She’s an Episopal writer and scholar in San Diego. She says that when she was at University, she felt the need to keep her faith quiet in the light of the jeers and sneers she got. You are not alone.

In Australia a gloomy Presbyterian elder told me that I wasn’t a real Protestant, “just a watered down catholic”. Some RC friends were quite amused by that! I can’t say I found it particularly offensive, merely interesting.

 

[Chowdah]

I can’t tell anyone at work I’m Catholic, for fear that I might lose my job (it’s San Francisco after all ); my mom has the same problem. I’ve had to stop watching TV (except for kids’ shows) because nearly every show and movie mocks the values we stand for. The Protestants who know we’re Catholic have no qualms telling us our rituals are voodoo. Then you have the “pedophile priest” jokes and charges of “intolerance”… and don’t even get me started on the attacks on Christmas and other Christian traditions!

It’s a bit like being Muslim, except we don’t have the Left defending us. As much as I disagree with the teachings of Islam, I do feel sorry for them, because as a Catholic, I know what it’s like to be hated for one’s religion.

So why don’t you ask a real Catholic if we encounter anti-Catholicism instead of speculating?

This post got me thinking a little. For a variety of reasons, members of the military tend to be a little bit more religious than the civilian world. Thus, I am required to take the jabs, barbs, and jokes quite often. But this is because I have proudly exclaimed to everyone I know that I am Catholic – with an attitude of what are you going to do about it!

One of the aims of the Legion of Mary, of which I am a member, is to “inflame those who are lukewarm.” In other words, we want lukewarm Catholics in our work or at our schools to become comfortable speaking about their unique, ancient culture and to come out of hiding.

What better place to be a beacon of truth than San Francisco. Announce to everyone that you are a real Catholic! Let them try to destroy you – don’t resist. Your suffering is the only way the enemy will see the errors of his ways.

 

[mathematoons]

What better place to be a beacon of truth than San Francisco. Announce to everyone that you are a real Catholic! Let them try to destroy you – don’t resist.

Did you real the part about how I could be FIRED? I have my family to think of, and God understands that.

Your suffering is the only way the enemy will see the errors of his ways.

I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.

 

[Chowdah]

Did you real the part about how I could be FIRED? I have my family to think of, and God understands that.

I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.

Yes, good point about the family requirements. Still, you don’t have to proselytize, you just have to let people know that you’re a Catholic and then show them how to live by your example. And most importantly, you have to love and pray, according to Christ, for your coworkers/enemies.

You can also demonstrate the Gospel by your example (without having to read it to them), but it sounds like you’re already doing that.

If you get fired, well then you have the courts on your side and you will likely win – thank God we live in America!

Why do you think Jesus asked us to “turn the other cheek” and to love our enemies?

The two actually go together. By loving your enemy, by turning your other cheek when he strikes you, by disciplining your mind to discover the good left in your enemy (that is, to pray for your enemy), you may actually CHANGE YOUR ENEMY.

One of the greatest practitioners of non-violent resistance since Christ was Martin Luther King. He once noted: “Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption.”

I envy the opportunity you have to be a witness to the world. I don’t think people like you get enough recognition for the raw challenges you face in a morally decaying world.