What's the craziest Anti-Catholic whopper you've ever heard?

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“Catholics think that the Pope is God…He knows everything and is always right”

and apparently the Protestants discovered one of our closely kept secrets: That we sacrifice children on Halloween and do witch dances around bonfires.

Darn.
 
Well, it ain’t anti-Catholic, but just plain stupid. And one of my favorites.
That’s right, the ole’ “screams from Hell” tale.😃
Scientists drilling in Siberia went too far and ended up punching a hole through to Hell, where the screams of the damned drifted up to them. Turned out it was a Weekly World News article. But, ah…what did PT Barnum say once?
About twelve years ago I heard a preacher cite this story. After the service I told him “you know that story is lie…right?” He said, “Oh yeah, I know. But if it gets people to accept Jesus, who cares if it’s a lie”.:rolleyes:
 
How about the Mormon charge that the early Church fell into apostasy? Granted, this is more of a general criticism than a specifically anti-Catholic one but since most people know that the Catholic Church is the early Church, it does kind of relate.
 
Catholicgirlie said:
apparently the Protestants discovered one of our closely kept secrets: That we sacrifice children on Halloween and do witch dances around bonfires.
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Panic!!!

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
When I was a child a neighbor lady told me that all the Catholics had guns in their basements and were waiting for a signal from the pope to take over the world:shrug:
 
DCNBILL said:
When I was a child a neighbor lady told me that all the Catholics had guns in their basements and were waiting for a signal from the pope to take over the world:shrug:
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:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Aw man seriously these people ruin all the fun when they find these sort of secrets out!
 
**John MacArthur’s charge that the Vatical has the largest library of pornography in the world…

THAT guy is a real piece of work . . .**
 
A word of caution. Just as there are anti-Catholic crazies, there are anti-Protestant crazies, some of them showing up here on CAF. I even wonder if such a thread as this is not basically aimed at demeaning Protestants.
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My own view is that Catholics and Protestants are both guilty of wild accusations, often outright falsehoods, more often half-truths. I recall as a child a good Catholic neighbor telling me that another child down the street was born with some sort of strange covering over his face. Why? His family had converted to Protestantism, and all children of such people were born with such a covering, a sign of God's condemnation. 

  I also recall being told that Protestants hate the Virgin Mary, which is totally false, of course. True, they do not venerate her, but some of their churches have beautiful Christmas creches with Mary at the center, and they have sermons on the 'Seven Last Words" in which John is told, "Son behold your mother." Etc.  

 We live in a country founded by Protestants and with a Protestant majority. Catholics have done very well here (even a Catholic majority of six on the Supreme Court, all appointed by Protestant presidents) and true followers of Christ should do nothing to promote prejudice or misunderstanding. I consider religious bigotry as unpatriotic as well as unChristian, the same way I view racial bigotry. Protestants and Catholics both have been gravely guilty of it, so neither group has a right to feel superior. 

 God bless Catholics, Protestants and all of his childrenh of every creed, race and nation. Let religion become a bridge rather than a barrier.
 
Correction, Roy: I have never in my life heard any really terrible things said of non-Catholic Christians. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen–but it’s definitely a lot worse what we hear on our end…and in more extremes. Many can testify to that.

Catholics are going to hell

Catholics worship the goddess Mary

Catholics are cannibals

Must I go on?

I have never heard anything said like that about non-Catholics Christians from the mouth of a Catholic. You’re very blessed!

We respect our fellow Christians. We emulate your love of Scripture. Even though many protestant denominations make it their business to lead people away from the Catholic Church through lies, we see the bigger picture. 👍
 
MarcoPolo said:
Really? Do you have a link for that comment?
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It was from a tape. I believe it is called, "The Scandal of the Catholic Priesthood" - made about 9 years ago
I have it in my archives at home.

**In it, he also claims that women are coerced into becoming nuns in the confessional. That’s where most of the recruiting gets done, he says. He cites Lorainne Boettner (of all people) for many of his claims against the church. **

When he isn’t quoting Boettner, he uses heterodox, renegade “Catholic” authors to glean his filth from.

Whereas, I can respect a non-Catholic’s defense of his faith - I simply cannot respect MacArthur because he is is a bald-face liar.
 
elvisman said:
It was from a tape. I believe it is called, "The Scandal of the Catholic Priesthood" - made about 9 years ago
I have it in my archives at home.

**In it, he also claims **that women are coerced into becoming nuns in the confessional. That’s where most of the recruiting gets done, he says. He cites Lorainne Boettner (of all people) for many of his claims against the church.

When he isn’t quoting Boettner, he uses heterodox, renegade “Catholic” authors to glean his filth from.

Whereas, I can respect a non-Catholic’s defense of his faith - I simply cannot respect MacArthur because he is is a bald-face liar.
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Trust me, I know MacArthur has made some moon bat accusations on the Catholic Church. Like when he said it is a “front for the kingdom of Satan.”

So you have this as a cassette tape? Is that correct?
 
DCNBILL said:
When I was a child a neighbor lady told me that all the Catholics had guns in their basements and were waiting for a signal from the pope to take over the world:shrug:
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I heard the same allegation:
The Catholic churches all had big guns in the basement, and the Vatican’s plan to conquer the world and annihilate all Protestants, Jews and other non-Catholics was called the “Cannon Law.”

… http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/ponyguy/Haha.gif
 
Roy,

I don’t think we can generalize about all protestants. But fundamentalists and evangelicals do say terrible things about Catholics. Go to CARM and other forums run by these groups.

In general I have never heard any Catholics say terrible things about protestants. They might say that protestants don’t have the fullness of the faith and that they are outside the Church founded by Christ.

There are some groups of “Catholics” who are outside of the Church themselves that might say nasty things about protestants, but they also say the same and worse about the Catholic Church.

It really is pretty much one sided and some of the comments are so bad that a person has to question if they are Christian.

The usual exceptions are Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists etc., the churches that were established early on. The further you get away from the break in the Catholic Church the worst the accusations against the Church are. There are no facts, just someone’s false opinions and/or downright untruths.

Most Catholics pray for those outside the faith to come into the fullness of the Church. I know many Catholics and have never heard any making fun of protestants.

I also have never heard a priest preach against protestants as many protestant preachers of certain denominations do.

In fact if you read many posts on CAF, you will find Catholics finding fault with some other Catholics or what is done in some parishes. Some of the views are legitimate if a parish has abuses within the liturgy.

If we are all honest with ourselves we need to admit that Catholics are the most hated church in the US. We are attacked constantly by the media and other groups.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette
 
lil_flower_luv said:
We respect our fellow Christians. We emulate your love of Scripture. Even though many protestant denominations make it their business to lead people away from the Catholic Church through lies, we see the bigger picture. 👍
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You know… I dig what you’re saying, flower, and I think it’s great that you’ve never heard any anti-Protestant slander from a Catholic, but… I have. It happens. It used to happen a lot more. And, frankly… we have blood on our hands, just like them. I’d get citations, but… frankly, reading about the Thirty Years’ War makes me feel queasy.

So, all I’m saying is, let’s not get too morally superior here. Certainly, a lot of Protestants could stand to be a lot more charitable. But it does cut both ways.

That being said, I don’t think there’s anything wrong, Roy5, with sharing some of the crazy lies we’ve heard. Hopefully sometime soon somebody will read one of those crazy lies on the Internet somewhere, and Google (for instance) “Catholic Egyptian communion IHS Horeb cannibalism,” or “Galileo tortured death,” and they’ll find this thread, and their minds can be at peace, because those claims are nothing less than laughable.

It’s good to talk about lies. Lies thrive in the silence and in the backs of people’s minds. Talking about them robs them of their power.

All of the above IMHO.
 
First off, I come from a mixed Catholic/Protestant heritage. The Catholic side was not able to so much as enter a Protestant church when I was a child, and they would not attend a bacculaureate service for high school graduation if it were in a Protestant church. This created considerable friction in my childhood home town at graduation time unless the service was in the local Catholic church.
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 This meant, also, that Catholic relatives could not attend such ceremonies as baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals in Protestant churches. In contrast, Protestant relatives were free to attend anything held in a Catholic church.

 Now, tell me. Is that prejudice, or what? It suddenly changed with Vatican II, thanks to John XXIII, my favorite Pope.

 I attended worship in both traditions and came to respect both traditions. But I remember when some relative died and she could not be buried alongside her husband because his family plot and grave was in a Catholic cemetery and she had not converted to Catholicism. Now, was that a local thing, or was it the law of the Catholic Church at that time? And I remember relatives who married a non-Catholic and the wedding could not be held in the church, only in the Rectory. And the Protestant had to sign a pledge to bring up the children Catholic. What about that? If I thought for a few minutes I could come up with more examples of Catholic bias. But you get the gist.

 And the scurrilous material circulated about Martin Luther and John Calvin - horrendous. The material condemning Henry VIII was largely truthful, although Henry VIII kept all of Catholicism except for papal authority. 

  We could go on. I don't know about anti-Catholicism because I never hear it in Protestant churches I have attended. I do know that when at a Catholic wedding, funeral, etc., the priest always says that non-Catholics are not to receive communion. I realize why, but to Protestants it sounds like prejudice. Recently, when I attended a First Communion service, the priest was quite specific, inviting Protestants to come forward, cross their arms, and receive a blessing. Some Protestants I know thought that was demeaning, too. Second-class Christians. Most mainlines Protestant churches welcome 'whosoever will' to the communion table. If it is invalid for any reason, God will make that determination and neither the church nor its pastor. 

  I must say that the old prejudices have largely disappeared. I credit Vatican II, because I also recall hearing about Pius IX and his "Syllabus of Errors" from old Protestant kinfolk years ago. Now, tell me that that wasn't dripping with anti-Protestant as well as anti-dmeocratic venom. 

  It is likely that certain Protestant extremists are anti-Catholic. I suspect that these same people are very hostile to most other Protestants, too. They are narrow-minded ideologues, which we also often spot here on CAF. Since coming to CAF I have been surprised and disheartened by the postings full of half-truths about Protestantism.

  Both groups need to show more humility and good will. Fortunately, after Vatican II Catholic priests joined local clergy group, Catholic women joined Church Women United, etc. Let our religion, Catholic or Protestant, be a bridge and not a barrier. Jesus would be disgusted with the nonsense spread about both expressions of the Christian faith. The same commandment applies to both - love God and love one another. Everything else is secondary.
 
While there has definitely been rabid anti-Protestant nastiness among certain individuals in the Catholic Church, Roy5, there has certainly been at least as much – I would argue, quite a bit more – from the Protestant end of things. Just as flower’s anecdotal experiences of religious bigotry are confined to a very small cone of vision, so are your own.

More imporantly, though I can certainly understand why you would be hostile to the strictures that you found in place pre-Vatican II, not a one of the things that you mentioned were in any sense “prejudiced” rules. The Catholic Church has traditionally taken its mission very seriously: it was, is, and ever shall be the only path to salvation. We trust in the mercy of God and hope for certain sorts of fine theological flexibilities on the other side, but this we firmly believe: this Church is the Body of Christ. This Church is the primary and ordinary source of grace on Earth. This Church is how you are going to get to heaven. Protestants are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We share much in common with them, and we hope and pray for their reconciliation to the Truth. Protestantism as an institution, however, is only good insofar as it acknowledges the truths revealed by Christ through the Church. Insofar as it is in rebellion from Catholicism, Protestantism per se is heresy. It is the enemy. It is a destroyer of souls. The particular damages it wreaks vary from denomination to denomination, but all of them cut themselves off from the apostolic succession, from the authority of the Holy Spirit, and from Christ and the graces He offers through the Sacraments. Protestantism is a tool of the devil, and it is absolutely to be opposed. This we believe. We always have. We always shall.

Given that we believe this about Protestantism, is it at all surprising that many of our bishops prohibited their flocks from entering these houses of deranged reason or participating in the enemy’s rituals? Certainly, good people do come out of the Protestant churches, and the Catholic Church, as the Body of Christ, longs for them. But the churches themselves are evil! Is it not reasonable for a bishop to say, “We want no part in your perverse worship”?

Now, these strictures were a matter of prudence, not eternal laws, and, as circumstances changed, the bishops saw reason to change some of the rules within their dioceses. This happened not directly because of Vatican II, which (while clarifying that Protestants are not totally cut off from God and the life of Christ) did not for a moment suggest that there truth in them. Rather, cultural tides and new attitudes and some wise theological judgements (and some unwise ones) led bishops to change the details of how Catholics and Protestants were to interact. I approve of the changes that allowed Catholics to attend Protestant baptisms and weddings, because those are valid sacraments even in rebel churches. And I think the absolute ban on entry into Protestant churches created too many prudential problems in communities where the Protestant worship space was used as a meeting hall. But Protestant confirmations? Sunday worship? Nothing good comes of Catholics attending false sacraments which only confirm Protestants in their sinful ways. Catholics to this day are not supposed to receive Protestant communion, and that is unlikely to change, ever.

Another rule still in place: the pledge to raise the children Catholic. This remains a major part of the Church’s teaching on marriage, in fact. And of course it is! What kind of a responsible Church would we be if we said, “Well, yes, Protestantism is the work of Satan, but feel free to raise your kids in it.” We’d be insane! Sadly, enforcement of the pledge is not what it used to be – but the requirement is definitely still on the books.

I’m not familiar with the “scurrilous lies” told about Luther and Calvin. The only one I know is the one about Luther’s anti-Semitism, but that one’s true. (But, hey, who wasn’t an anti-Semite back then?)

Also of note is the fact that, unless I am much mistaken, the Catholic Church still stands by every word of the Syllabus of Errors, insofar as it summarizes those documents which it cites. There is nothing in it which is inconsistent with more recent encyclicals, although anyone who reads the Syllabus should be advised to read the cited texts for contexts before commenting on it.

You are absolutely right about at least one thing, though: Jesus instructed us to love God and to love one another. All else is secondary. It’s just that loving someone isn’t the same as accepting everything they do. In fact, true love will embrace the person and reject their sin.

And, however you want to slice the semantics (and there are a lot of indirect ways of saying this, and many qualifications you could add about invincible ignorance and all that, but still:) being a Protestant is a sin.

The Church believes that. The Church acts on it. That’s not prejudice; it’s our truest, fullest expression of love.

Why don’t you come join us? We do have that whole valid sacraments / priesthood / Body of Christ thing going on, which is sweet times.

Having said all this, I heartily agree with you that Catholics should not engage in false bashing of Protestants or Protestantism. We need to never compromise the truth we teach, but we must always teach in honesty and, above all, charitable love.

That’s probably not the most pleasant post you’ve ever read, but I hope it clarifies some things.

If my fellow-Catholics think I’ve gone too far with anything I’ve said here, please go ahead and comment – hopefully in a spirit of fraternal correction!
 
I was once reading an online article about Russian Orthodox missionaries on the Pacific coast. It contained the tale of some Orthodox Aleuts being tortured to death in California by Spanish Jesuits apparently to force them to convert to Catholicism. It was a fairly feeble fable. The author must have read too many English pseudohistories, because there were absolutely no Jesuits anywhere near the area at that time. Besides, Jesuits don’t use physical torture, they just make you read.

It’s not the craziest anti-Catholic whopper I’ve heard, but it really caught me by surprise because up to the torture story I thought I had been reading an authentic historical account.
 
Wowbagger said:
And, however you want to slice the semantics (and there are a lot of indirect ways of saying this, and many qualifications you could add about invincible ignorance and all that, but still:) being a Protestant is a sin.

The Church believes that. The Church acts on it.
…]
If my fellow-Catholics think I’ve gone too far with anything I’ve said here, please go ahead and comment – hopefully in a spirit of fraternal correction!
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Then, in the spirit of fraternal correction, I clarify. The Church holds that converting to Protestantism is a sin. The mere fact that one is a Protestant, however, is not necessarily sinful; those who are born into it cannot possibly be guilty of apostasy. It’s rather impossible to turn away from the truth if you were never turned towards it in the first place.

Sam, the Neon Orange Knight
 
Roy5 said:
A word of caution. Just as there are anti-Catholic crazies, there are anti-Protestant crazies, some of them showing up here on CAF. I even wonder if such a thread as this is not basically aimed at demeaning Protestants.
Code: 
My own view is that Catholics and Protestants are both guilty of wild accusations, often outright falsehoods, more often half-truths. I recall as a child a good Catholic neighbor telling me that another child down the street was born with some sort of strange covering over his face. Why? His family had converted to Protestantism, and all children of such people were born with such a covering, a sign of God's condemnation. 

  I also recall being told that Protestants hate the Virgin Mary, which is totally false, of course. True, they do not venerate her, but some of their churches have beautiful Christmas creches with Mary at the center, and they have sermons on the 'Seven Last Words" in which John is told, "Son behold your mother." Etc.  

 We live in a country founded by Protestants and with a Protestant majority. Catholics have done very well here (even a Catholic majority of six on the Supreme Court, all appointed by Protestant presidents) and true followers of Christ should do nothing to promote prejudice or misunderstanding. I consider religious bigotry as unpatriotic as well as unChristian, the same way I view racial bigotry. Protestants and Catholics both have been gravely guilty of it, so neither group has a right to feel superior. 

 God bless Catholics, Protestants and all of his childrenh of every creed, race and nation. Let religion become a bridge rather than a barrier.
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I don’t think this thread was aimed at Protestants. Having been on both sides…just having coming home to the Catholic Church from the Protestant side…I will tell you I have faced much more discrimination against me as a Catholic in the short time I have been back. Now it sounds like from your posts below that you have some serious wounds from the Catholic church and I am sorry for that. However I can tell you that I have found so much more discrimination against the Catholics then I ever found as a Protestant. It is a Catholic forumn so of course we would talk about the discrimination we have faced.
 
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