Protestants Preoccupation With Catholics

[mark_a]

My two-cent analogy:

When I was three years old my family lived near a railroad track. My mom pounded into me “trains are dangerous” and that I must never play on or go near the railroad tracks.

The anti-Catholicism taught in many churches molds their children this way, and even though they may now be adults in search of truth, deep rooted anti-Catholicism kicks in when they discover even a single truth in Catholicism. This interior conflict causes the sense of loss of control, which manifests itself as anger. This preoccupation, in my expert (not) opinion, is an attempt to regain some of that control. And I guess that’s why they usually seem mad!!!

By the way, I’m still terrified of trains.

 

[flick427]

Some may come to try to pursuade a Catholic they are wrong.
But keep in mind that many times curious people poke their nose around and end up changing. Maybe they are honestly wanting to find out more. Who knows? But I would hope that we treat them with respect and neer talk down to them. Arguing with people is not what wins them over, kindness and respect usually do. Thay may not become Catholic, but they may understand and respect our faith better than before, especially if they were taught otherwise.

 

[Salena]

Sparky:

You know, you could have sued the school over this. Or filed assault charges.

Just pointing that out.
–Ann

You are right Ann, but I choose not to go that route. It would have caused more problems for my children had I done that. I did go to the principle who did say they do not condone that type of behavior, but no one was punished.
Those kids learned that hatred from their parents. People who have such a deep resentment towards the Church should really think hard before they pass this on to their children.
There is one who has been making comments in the “Karl E-Letter” forum (July 13th). His user name is Bernied I think. It’s obvious by the things he has said that he has a lot of anger towards the Church. If he has no children to pass this on to, then he should think about the anger he fuels in other’s who do not like the Church…like the train analogy…I liked that one.

 

[St_Veronica]

II Paradox II:

I’m just here because my interests happen to deal a lot with both Catholics and Eastern Orthodoxy (I love the study of church history). As such, I have to deal with Catholic interpretations of history quite a bit and it’s useful to get a Catholic layperson’s POV on it.

When I was studying philosophy years ago I spent quite a few years interacting with people and views that differed quite a bit from my own, this is similar to that. I’d rather not spend my days just listening to people who agree with me all the time.

ken

Ken is one of the nicest non-Catholics you will meet on the forums…I know him from another forum I used to be on (that was not overly friendly to Catholics) and he is one of the gems who while disagreeing with some of the Catholic faith, is not anti-Catholic in attitude/speech.

Good to see you around still Ken…praying for your conversion

SV

 

[II_Paradox_II]

Good to see you around still Ken…

hey SV, nice to see you around too. This forum is actually one of the more enjoyable ones out there that I have found. anyways, thanks for the kind words and prayers as well (though I’m sure you know we’d disagree as to what should be prayed for )

ken

 

[St_Veronica]

II Paradox II:

hey SV, nice to see you around too. This forum is actually one of the more enjoyable ones out there that I have found. anyways, thanks for the kind words and prayers as well (though I’m sure you know we’d disagree as to what should be prayed for )

ken

I wish I saw you more often on Ray’s forum some interesting topics there as you know!

Yeah I figured you weren’t going to jump for joy at being added to my ‘conversion list’ (you aren’t the only one on it ) but it is pretty effective…got word this week about someone converting that I have been praying for!!! Thanks be to God for hearing my prayers!

SV

 

[II_Paradox_II]

I wish I saw you more often on Ray’s forum some interesting topics there as you know!

It’s been kind of slow recently and the topics haven’t really been all that interesting. I think some of the inertia over there has come over here when this site launched…

Yeah I figured you weren’t going to jump for joy at being added to my ‘conversion list’ (you aren’t the only one on it ) but it is pretty effective…got word this week about someone converting that I have been praying for!!! Thanks be to God for hearing my prayers!

heh… well, I’ll pray for your well-being as well.

ken

 

[TAquinas]

Yes, it’s true that many Protestants seem proccupied with Catholicism. Interesting thing is, that the Orthodox, for the most part, share so many things with us…they have priests, the Eucharist, Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, Confession, liturgical worship, use of icons, etc…and yet, Protestants often totally ignore them and focus all their attention on us.

 

[II_Paradox_II]

TAquinas:

and yet, Protestants often totally ignore them and focus all their attention on us.

In fairness though, this is in large measure a sociological function. Many protestants have only the vaugest idea of what Eastern Orthodoxy even is. The orthodox church has very little publicity in the west and is largely ignored simply because it is unseen.

Protestantism is related primarily in the western tradition, not the eastern, so it is no wonder that this combined with the relative obscurity of the EO in the west would produce people who don’t really relate or think about the eastern churches.

ken

 

[BobCatholic]

II Paradox II:

In fairness though, this is in large measure a sociological function. Many protestants have only the vaugest idea of what Eastern Orthodoxy even is. The orthodox church has very little publicity in the west and is largely ignored simply because it is unseen.

If they have the vaguest idea of what Eastern Orthodoxy is, they have NO idea usually about Eastern Catholicism. They seem to think the RCC = Roman rite only.

 

[II_Paradox_II]

BobCatholic:

If they have the vaguest idea of what Eastern Orthodoxy is, they have NO idea usually about Eastern Catholicism. They seem to think the RCC = Roman rite only.

I’d agree with that too. Again though, it seems that this is probably more sociological than anything. Eastern rite parishes are also pretty rare in the west. In my county we have 1 eastern cath parish and one greek orthodox parish with probably at least 10 latin rite parishes. If those numbers are at all representative it is no wonder that very few people have heard of them…

ken

 

[mark_a]

space ghost:

i personally think and Most are just searching… some are looking to drive a few of us crazy, but most dialog is better than none… really…

don’t you think so… hey, anybody out there?

I agree. I think most Protestant visitors to this site are here to have simple questions answered and to have honest, charitable dialog. Most seem respectful, probably even moreso than if I were attacked on a Protestant board.

Just to be clear, I answered the question as it was presented about Protestants Preoccupation with Catholics. The preoccupied ones are are certainly a small percentage.

 

[Duhawk83]

I would have to say that many Protestants are preoccupied with the Catholic Church, because in order for their “church” to be legitimate the Catholic Church has to be illegitimate. So for many Protestants they must bash the Catholic Church lest the admit that they belong to a body that does not practice the true faith.

No less a protestant than Martin Luther started this with his branding the Church the “whore of Babylon”.

I think the fact that the Catholic Church hust won’t go away after 500 years of Protestantism makes them start questioning what it is they believe in.

 

[Cat]

Interesting comments about the Orthodox Church.

For many years, I have been hearing evangelical Christians say that the Orthodox Church is the closest church to New Testament Christianity.

I am a member of another Protestant computer board in which the most active poster, the one that everyone trusts, says that Orthodoxy is THE Christian Church. (He is a Baptist, BTW.)

But these same people will say that the Catholic Church is a non-Christian church, or has non-Christian theology.

My husband and I did a bit of reading to find out exactly what Orthodox Churches believe, and it’s almost exactly like Catholicism, except for the Authority issues and some of the Marian Doctrines. One of my students at the hospital came from Albania, and his parents were high up in the Orthodox Church. He told me that Orthodoxy is basically the Catholic Church, but they don’t consider the Pope the Head of the Church, but rather, think that all the Bishops are the Head of the Church.

So why do Protestants think the Orthodox Church is so cool?

And what’s even more intriguing, IF the Orthodox Church IS the Church that Jesus started, then why don’t Protestants join it? !!!

I think–and remember, I am a former evangelical Protestant–I think that Protestants, especially evangelicals, are quick to jump on “bandwagons.” If someone with some degree of authority (like Dr. Dobson or the late Francis Shaeffer) makes a statement, it gets repeated and adapted by all evangelicals until it is believed. No one ever bothers to actually check out these statements to see if there is any truth to them. They simply believe them because of WHO said them.

An example of this is the Courtship Dating, which Josh Harris popularized in his book, “I Kissed Dating Goodbye.” This is a bad book with many “stretches” from Scripture. A few years after he wrote his book (he wrote it when he was 17 years old), when Rev. Harris meets the girl he decides to marry, he breaks EVERY RULE in his first book. When someone asked him about this in radio appearance, he just chuckled and ignored the question.

But he was on Dobson’s radio show, and therefore, all evangelicals decided that Courtship Dating was THE Biblical mandate for their children, because if Dobson says it, it’s the truth.

So Protestants don’t have popes. Oh yes, they do.

 

[juno24]

We were visited and insulted on a regular basis by our Church of Christ neighbors who always commented that “this is a Christian neighborhood,” as to say we were not considered to be Christian.
This is one reason for my impatience with some of the Protestants who come here to bash me for what I believe.

One Sunday last year, I was at my roommate’s (my best friend) father’s house for Sunday dinner (a weekly family tradition at which I am honored to be included). My roommate’s stepmother was telling about an Episcopal High Mass that she had attended recently, and how beautiful the service was. We got to talking about how similar the service was to a Catholic Mass, and I said they do a lot of the same things Catholics do. Well, my roommate’s sister-in-law spoke up and said, “What? They worship the statues?” Her whole family laughed. (They are all Pentecostal) I was so offended by that remark, all I could say was we do NOT worship statues! We worship Jesus Christ! She responded that, well, that is what she has always been taught. I just answered her with, “Well, you’ve always been taught wrong.” She later told my roommate that she was sorry she offended me, but she has never apologized to me or asked for any clarification on Catholic beliefs and practices. I’m just sad and bewildered that so many non-Catholic Christians base so much of their faith on the fact that they are not Catholic, rather than what they are.

Have a great day,
Judy

 

[ichabod]

Duhawk83:

I would have to say that many Protestants are preoccupied with the Catholic Church, because in order for their “church” to be legitimate the Catholic Church has to be illegitimate. So for many Protestants they must bash the Catholic Church lest the admit that they belong to a body that does not practice the true faith.

No less a protestant than Martin Luther started this with his branding the Church the “whore of Babylon”.

I think the fact that the Catholic Church hust won’t go away after 500 years of Protestantism makes them start questioning what it is they believe in.

I’m glad I’m not the first one to notice this. In dealing with some Mormons, some of their own scholars have implied as much - without the Great Apostasy, they would have no choice but to accept the Catholic church as the true church (what that would do to Joseph Smith and his teachings, they don’t say).

To a degree, all protestants have to keep protesting, for the simple reason that others here have implied - the Catholic church is still here after 2000 years, and its teachings have not changed - at the very least, there teachings have not bowed to social pressure. Divorce, contraception, fornication, abortion, homosexual practices - these are issues on which the church has not bowed, and especially in the last 100 years or so, these issues are splintering the protestant denominations.

Has anyone noticed that the cracks are getting larger? I mean, major splits among mainstream denominations?

I think that those who see past justification of their personal agendas are beginning to see the steadfastness of the Catholic church. I don’t think that it’s any coincedence that concurrently, the “crisis” in the Catholic Church surfaces - doesn’t it seem weird that there’s so much outrage at incidents that happened 20-30 years ago (not counting cover-ups) at a rate that is actually much less than that of teachers and coaches currently in our public schools?

 

[GloriaDeo]

The reason I, a Baptist, am so preoccupied with Catholics is that I find Catholics to be more in tune with their faith day-to-day. There are many Protestants that are only Christians on Sundays. Also, as an Arminian (one who does not believe in predestination), I find myself agreeing with many Catholic teachings, including the full necessity of the Eucharist and the grace of St. Mary.

 

[GloriaDeo]

I think you have that backwards. Those who are interested in Catholocism, for the most part, are trying to get some background information in order not to be ignorant. Another Christian forum I visit has a member that describes Catholicism with many of the typical baseless assumptions you would normally hear of ignorant non-Catholics.

Lastly, last time I checked, a Christian is someone who follows Jesus as their saviour, not specific doctrines and dogmas.

 

[Salena]

GloriaDeo:

The reason I, a Baptist, am so preoccupied with Catholics is that I find Catholics to be more in tune with their faith day-to-day. There are many Protestants that are only Christians on Sundays. Also, as an Arminian (one who does not believe in predestination), I find myself agreeing with many Catholic teachings, including the full necessity of the Eucharist and the grace of St. Mary.

Most of my family are Protestant and I’ve never heard the term “Arminian” before. Thanks for the definition! I guess it wouldn’t hurt to spend some time learning more about the other religions. Justification, rapture (postmillienium, premill…), etc…I know very little about.
Glad you’re here!
Gina

 

[Monarchy]

mark a:

My two-cent analogy:

When I was three years old my family lived near a railroad track. My mom pounded into me “trains are dangerous” and that I must never play on or go near the railroad tracks.

The anti-Catholicism taught in many churches molds their children this way, and even though they may now be adults in search of truth, deep rooted anti-Catholicism kicks in when they discover even a single truth in Catholicism. This interior conflict causes the sense of loss of control, which manifests itself as anger. This preoccupation, in my expert (not) opinion, is an attempt to regain some of that control. And I guess that’s why they usually seem mad!!!

By the way, I’m still terrified of trains.

As an atheist, I can understand that. Many people, when I tell them that I am an atheist, go into a fit. Even when I’ve shown them that their beliefs about me are wrong, they still cling to what they have been told.

In fact I was discussing Harry Potter in a thread on this forum. When I brought up to the person I was debating with that I was an atheist, they dropped the discussion completly and started in on me. I told them that it was off topic and that we should discuss HP, but they did not wish to leave it alone.

But no matter what you do, or where you go, you’re always going to come across jerks. No matter if they’re Catholic, Protestant, Islamic, or Atheist