The Pope's Loyal Opposition

[aj830]

To day in my English class we had to read a excerpt from the book Why I Am Catholic by Gary Wills. It was titled The Pope’s Loyal Opposition. I was wondering how I can defend the papacy in class which there is bound to be discussion with my atheist teacher. Wills states things such as the papacy having been at fault over long stretches of time, the Church itself being flawed, and how papacies techings have changed over time. His arguments seem like a lot of false things that he just throws out there without ever backing them up. MAybe people familar with this book can help me out. And also is Gary Wills really Catholic? It doesn’t seem to be from this essay that I have read. I have to go to class tommorrow so any help on this subject is appreciated.

 

[fix]

If the Pope has the authority from Christ to bind consciences and to transmit the truth in matters of faith and morals I would like to know how one may consider themself “loyal” when opposing truth? Is it not illogical?

 

[Della]

I’d like to know why your atheist teacher chose a reading from a book on Catholicism to read in your English class? Is this a Catholic school or a secular one? If a secular one I’d complain to the principal and if s/he doesn’t do anything about it, I’d take it to the school board. If your atheist teacher is a believer in the so-called “separation of Church and state” s/he might want to begin acting on it in his/her own classroom.

 

[Genesis315]

Wills is the most soul-killing kind of anti-Catholic–one who claims to be Catholic and to love the Church all the while trying to undermine her from within. Pray for his conversion and salvation. He profits by pleasing the children of this world at expense of the Church and God almighty

 

[aj830]

I’d like to know why your atheist teacher chose a reading from a book on Catholicism to read in your English class? Is this a Catholic school or a secular one? If a secular one I’d complain to the principal and if s/he doesn’t do anything about it, I’d take it to the school board. If your atheist teacher is a believer in the so-called “separation of Church and state” s/he might want to begin acting on it in his/her own classroom.

This is a secular high school but it is a community college class through the “duel-enrollment” program. It isn’t from the book but is in an anthology called Writing in the Disciplines:A Reader for Writers

 

[Veritas41]

This may not be in time to help you for tomorrow, but Patrick Madrid has a book out called *Pope Fiction *that addresses many of the fallacies and myths that have been fabricated about the papacy over the centuries.

 

[Alison]

Hi there aj,
do not despair. I’m sure you have a lot of gas :bigyikes: right now thinking about the atheism of your teacher and your feelings of inaqequacy in counteracting your teacher. I remember I was in your exact situation over the Da Vinci code which one of my anti-catholic classmates was going to present. I had not read the book and I knew he would be bound to incite hatred over my Catholic faith as I knew his ignorance to do (he had made many hateful remarks about catholicism in the time that I knew him). So, don’t despair; you are not suffering alone.

First, before thinking about this class, go to God. Really, I mean really pray about it. After I prayed about the Da vinci situation above, the next day…the person was miraculously disallowed from presenting because the slots for presentation had filled up…and he NEVER got to present. So I say, PRAY about it. Really. God knows your anxiety and your desire for others not to be misguided. I shall pray for you too.