"True Catholics don't treat heathens equally"

[Sneaux]

A friend of mine posted this on social media recently, and went along to say “Heretics preach equality” What I’m having a problem understanding is “true Catholics don’t treat heathens equally” Because in worth, everyone is equal as a human being, our lives our equal in worth, we are all loved by God, so shouldn’t we treat everyone with equal respect? I can’t imagine treating someone as if they weren’t as valuable as I am, whether they’re protestant, atheist, Muslim, gay, whatever, people deserve respect as humans, however that doesn’t mean you have to agree with their life choices, which I guess that’s maybe what she meant, but I feel like maybe she should have worded differently if that’s the case. Unless maybe I am just a heretic, I don’t preach equality in religions, I don’t preach equality in gay “marriage” but I do preach equality in value of human life. What’s your take?

 

[sticknstring73]

I was just speaking with a friend about this kind of thing. People are valuable, no one is worthless. But people are different in the way that you would not ask a baker to perform brain surgery. People have different gifts and are not equal in what they can do and in that respect they are not equal. We seem to have lost the capacity for discerment and we can only see the negative of the word discriminate.

 

[Vic_Taltrees_UK]

Whilst not knowing the context, I think we are seeing an upsurge in this kind of comment because God is fed up with the shallow state of the Church and would rather we were told by outsiders than not at all. It’s in our Bible and we even read it to ourselves but take no notice. We say “those g**s were proved wrong 1,900 years ago” and congratulate ourselves on being so right ever since. The Church had already gone wrong in St Paul’s and St John’s time.

The Church hasn’t the heart to bring good out of spiritually needy people.

Some of the “true” Catholics may not turn out to be so “true” after all.

Those faithful among CAF members don’t get much support from fellow parishioners or their hierarchy.

 

[littlestsouls2]

“… love one another as I have loved you…” (Jn. 13:34)

The Saints knew well that any good in them is a gift from God, an effect of His gratuitous love for them. Consequently, they saw themselves as the least of all. Atheists, then, are no less than Catholics. In fact, a bad Catholic is more displeasing to God than a “good atheist” (understood in the context of Church teaching).

Atheism itself, on the other hand…

 

[Sarcelle]

“… love one another as I have loved you…” (Jn. 13:34)

The Saints knew well that any good in them is a gift from God, an effect of His gratuitous love for them. Consequently, they saw themselves as the least of all. Atheists, then, are no less than Catholics. In fact, a bad Catholic is more displeasing to God than a “good atheist” (understood in the context of Church teaching).

Atheism itself, on the other hand…

I agree.

 

[Ontheway]

A friend of mine posted this on social media recently, and went along to say “Heretics preach equality” What I’m having a problem understanding is “true Catholics don’t treat heathens equally” Because in worth, everyone is equal as a human being, our lives our equal in worth, we are all loved by God, so shouldn’t we treat everyone with equal respect? I can’t imagine treating someone as if they weren’t as valuable as I am, whether they’re protestant, atheist, Muslim, gay, whatever, people deserve respect as humans, however that doesn’t mean you have to agree with their life choices, which I guess that’s maybe what she meant, but I feel like maybe she should have worded differently if that’s the case. Unless maybe I am just a heretic, I don’t preach equality in religions, I don’t preach equality in gay “marriage” but I do preach equality in value of human life. What’s your take?

Social media have become a tool that defines reality for many people. They create a consensus based on nothing, circulate ideas that are misleading and create confusion. People have lost the ability to think for themselves, to ask question and to discern. Mass media, social media and pop-culture are turning us into a heard of sheep.

If this is a friend, talk to him/her, but not through social media. Ask question and think things through.

 

[Ad_Orientem]

What does “equal” mean?

If your best friend and a random stranger ask you for $200, who are you going to give it to? If your spouse and a stranger are drowning in a lake, who are you going to rescue first?

Everybody has worth before God, but we have an obligation to some people more than others. We have a higher obligation to fellow members of our own spiritual family than to those outside it.

It doesn’t mean we treat heathens hatefully; on the contrary, we treat are obliged to treat them with utmost charity, even “the least of these”. But to neglect our own in favor of those to whom we hold no obligations would be a sin against charity.

 

[TK421]

A friend of mine posted this on social media recently, and went along to say “Heretics preach equality” What I’m having a problem understanding is “true Catholics don’t treat heathens equally” Because in worth, everyone is equal as a human being, our lives our equal in worth, we are all loved by God, so shouldn’t we treat everyone with equal respect? I can’t imagine treating someone as if they weren’t as valuable as I am, whether they’re protestant, atheist, Muslim, gay, whatever, people deserve respect as humans, however that doesn’t mean you have to agree with their life choices, which I guess that’s maybe what she meant, but I feel like maybe she should have worded differently if that’s the case. Unless maybe I am just a heretic, I don’t preach equality in religions, I don’t preach equality in gay “marriage” but I do preach equality in value of human life. What’s your take?

We are obliged to treat everybody with the same charity that Jesus shows to us on a daily basis.

Rational discrimination can and, God willing, must exist. For example, the reason we discriminate by not allowing same sex couples to marry is because same sex marriage is impossible and contrary to what the sacrament of matrimony is. Everybody rationally discriminates on a daily basis, especially when it comes to job applications, and the world is a better place as a result. We rationally discriminate when, for example, a jazz musician applies for an electrical engineering position, and we turn it down. So, to rationally discriminate is not the same thing as treating somebody unequally. You only treat somebody unequally if you treat them differently without a rational reason that demands it.

As Catholics, we ought to place other people’s lives before our own, especially those of non-Catholics who do not enjoy the graces of the sacraments as we do. What have we done to deserve such mercy? God gives us graces so that we may spread that grace to others. He does not give it only for our own benefit.

 

[Vic_Taltrees_UK]

… people deserve respect as humans, however that doesn’t mean you have to agree with their life choices, which I guess that’s maybe what she meant, but I feel like maybe she should have worded differently if that’s the case. …

Sounds like she should have worded it differently but comment in my post 3 is part of the background.