Why do other Christians "hate" Catholics?

[KathleenGee]

I was reading these posts before Mass this Saturday am. So many of the posts today had very wise and solid observations and advice.

The reading today, 1 Corinthian 4:6b - 15 gave some insight and direction to me. I must say I grew up encountering anti-Catholicism in my neighborhood, and how we students in the Catholic school were always reminded to be very well behaved in public when we wore our uniforms. I remember a bus driver called the school about some rowdy behavior of its students. Other things came up I don’t wish to comment on.

Likewise I greatly connect with Paul Dupre’s experience of having a close family member join an anti-Catholic sect. My daughter did; she is very respectful to me. But the preacher and some among her in-laws have caused me grief and it is so sad to see, as I have openly stated,-- that we can no longer prayer together as a family, let alone endure the digs like we don’t have Jesus as much as they do.

So far I have not said anything back but it is like my daughter and her spiritual life with me has ceased and we cannot share like we used to. Yet I am glad all the years I have gone to Mass I have never heard a priest ever criticize Protestants, or come across any catechetical teaching that takes our focus away from Christ and onto other Christians’ differences. I thanked the Lord today for this, and how we must all endure to the end in the Lord.

Everyone who has come here to this thread is listening to the Holy Spirit to not keep the light of Christ hidden under a bushel. We are to be a light to others.

For those who have an evangelical spirit…even if it means holding on to your own beliefs outside of Catholicism, nevertheless you are here. And it is the Lord Himself Who is putting hunger in your souls to be in communion through dialogue, and that is very good.

People who want to bring the Lord to others likewise have most deep conviction and feelings doing so. St. Paul is our greatest evangelist and he went without clothing, food and shelter and suffered all sorts of insults.

We are more sensitive to other people’s reaction of our witness because we live our faith more deeply and seriously. So when we are insulted or put down, we in the lay life can atleast follow part of St. Paul’s example, we who are fed, clothed, and sheltered by the Good Shepherd’s hand.

St. Paul reminds us that because we are who we are, we share with him being a spectacle to the world because of Christ’s account; we are weak, we are in disrespect.

When ridiculed we must get into the habit of guarding our hearts and minds and not let the misperception or falsehood hurt us, but instead to return a blessing. When we are persecuted, we are to endure. And when we are slandered, to respond gently.

 

[Peter_J]

Do you folks really care about people who hate you?

Yes! I would catch a grenade for them. Throw my hand on a blade for them. Take a bullet straight to the brain.

If you’re open to feedback, 28562, I think you could take responsibility for a misleading thread title.

Sorry, the radio gets to me sometimes.

But seriously, in response to your saying ^^ that the thread title is misleading I have to ask: would you consider it misleading if a thread title said “Why do Catholics “hate” other Christians?”

 

[AbideWithMe]

Yes! I would catch a grenade for them. Throw my hand on a blade for them. Take a bullet straight to the brain.

Sorry, the radio gets to me sometimes.

But seriously, in response to your saying ^^ that the thread title is misleading I have to ask: would you consider it misleading if a thread title said “Why do Catholics “hate” other Christians?”

Peter—I said it was misleading because the OP complained about people thinking he meant hate or so-called “hate” (so-called by whom?) when, uh…he wrote “hate”.

If someone titled a thread “Why do Catholics “hate” other Christians?”, well, if they then complained that they didn’t mean “hate” when readers thought they meant “hate”, then, yeah, I’d think they need to stop whining about being misunderstood.

As far as the content of this imagined title, then I’d think they were simply wrong and over-generalizing.

I know I owe you some replies on another recent thread you started, Peter. I did see your responses to an earlier post from me over there; sorry as always for being slow to respond for my part.

 

[chero23]

I happened to turn on a religious radio station (not Catholic) the other night, and I couldn’t believe what the speaker was saying about the Catholic Church – I couldn’t turn off the station a/c I wanted to hear it but it absolutely “blew” my mind.

Do you rememebr what denomination this radio station was from?

 

[chero23]

I love Catholic. They preach Christ crucified. They administer the sacraments. We, as western Christians, owe so much to the Catholic Church.

Jon

I wish others taught like you Jon.

I rememebred that youi answered one of my questions from the thread an open letter to Lutherans. I was going to thank you but procrastination took over and I never did it til now. Thanks

 

[chero23]

I know the types you mean. The Catholic Church is satanic, the pope is Antichrist, the pope has altar boys hidden under his “dress”, Catholics have killed millions of people, etc. Many of these accusations are easily disproved, and you can even show them the evidence, and yet they still wallow in their hatred and lies. When I see some of the comments these people write, I want to do violence to them. (I know that’s not Christian!). But here’s the deal that I hope will clarify the subject for you:

Several times now, I have done research into the lives of these people who post the worst of anti-Catholic vitriol. It’s not difficult to do. The worse they are, the more vile and hateful they are, the more they will post on forums, blogs, articles, etc. It isn’t difficult to track these people down and find out all kinds of details of their lives and habits. They always reveal a little more, and a little more, about themselves with every post I find.

And you know what I’ve always found out about them? Without exception, every single one of these hate-mongers has been a very solitary, lonely, neurotic loner without family or friends. Many, many, of them have criminal convictions from stalking and harassment, to drug possession, to child porn. That’s the skinny on these people. The worse they hate, the more personal problems they always have. You can bet on it.

So the next time you come across a grossly anti-Catholic website, do a search and see what you can find out about the author of the site. You’ll get an eyeful. The origin of their hate is their own failures and psychoses. There is nothing rational about it. *They’re just completely nuts. *

You stated a lot of good points.

 

[chero23]

This and…

I just want to point out that I don’t hate Catholics… I am married to one!

My husbands rather large family is almost entirely Catholic… so what I know, I know from them.

1. It is frustrating to some when you hear that “it’s the true church” and “fullness of truth” and then in the next sentence state that you don’t agree with the church on Birth Control.
2. Catholic Education around here is sorely lacking. It’s pretty bad when I have to tell them what the CCC states on an issue.
3. Those who are relatively well educated tend to be overly scrupulous… very annoying to listen to.

On point 2, if you dont minf me saying this. But, you can not blame the Church and say they are wrong because of the school system. Granted, some cities have had to make some accomadations, prob a little to much but its not the Church making the mistakes its individuals.

 

[chero23]

I was a church of Christ member (Campbellite) before I converted. And on that score you are absolutely correct. But it is not solely Catholics that they hate. They hate everyone but themselves. Sunday after Sunday I had to I had to listen to LONG diatribes on how they were %100 correct and everyone else was wrong.

C of C along with other Restorationists like Mormons and SDA believe the original church became “totally apostate” and ceased to exist until their founders ‘restored’ the original true church back into existence.

There churches which they call ‘buildings’ are extremely barren because Catholic churches are decorated. They have their own vocabulary in opposition to Catholics and everything Catholic. So they call hymnals ‘song books’, churches become ‘buildings’ and ‘auditoria’. Even Sunday School not really a Catholic term, becomes ‘bible classes’.

My girlfriends sister said, their SDA by the way. Oh no all church’s are right, we believe every church has truth in it. I responded by saying, really? Really? Why then, di Ellen G. White write in her books especially the Great Controversy that the RCC is the Beast, and the Pope is the AntiChrist. That hit her hard like a ton of bricks. She placed her head down and I told her, you guys say so many lies, but try to be nice little sheeps.

 

[chero23]

I don’t think other Christians hate us… but rather they think we’re under the spell of some wicked cult that is leading us all to hell. They think:

~The Catholic Church is not “Christ-centered”.

~The Catholic Church is not “Bible-centered”.

~Idolatry.

~Worship of Mary/Saints.

~Salvation through works.

and others…

Just look at some of the major Protestant/Reformed websites/forums and see what they have to say about us. They may not hate “us” per se; but numerous Protestants (but by no means the majority, though) have no love or respect for our faith.

It might not start out as hate, but when people begin to “get evangelized” in their denominations they always want to convert Catholics and hate the CHurch and its members.

Like I said, it might not start out as hate but it gets there quick.

 

[spina1953]

What I find so sad is those Catholic’s that leave the CC and join some denominational church and tell lies and foster hatred, and BTW there are fringe denominations that do preach hate towards Catholic’s Jews, and anyone else that they do not think are Christian according to their beliefs. I know that not all Protestants who call themselves Christians hate Catholic’s, but some do. I also think that the OP’s question is general so that not protestant denomination is singled out. At least that is my take on it.

 

[PaulDupre1]

It is never healthy to ‘hate’ any group, it certainly is not Catholic

Did you read my post? I believe I made it very clear that I hate no one. I hate a corporation called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

You don’t seem to understand the difference.

I don’t hate Mormons. I see them as victims, to be pitied and helped.

Paul (Formerly LDS, now happily Catholic)

 

[dianaiad]

Did you read my post? I believe I made it very clear that I hate no one. I hate a corporation called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

You don’t seem to understand the difference.

I don’t hate Mormons. I see them as victims, to be pitied and helped.

Paul (Formerly LDS, now happily Catholic)

Paul, that is very ‘liberal’ of you. By that, I mean politically liberal, in that for some reason the left considers corporations to have a life of their own, completely apart from any human influence; rather like mythological beings that, once brought into being by humans, take off on their own flight path. It’s the reasoning that many use when they sue corporations for discrimination…the way that photographer was sued for not wanting to ‘shoot’ a gay commitment ceremony, and the way Hobby Lobby was sued for not wanting to pay for abortifactant types of birth control, and the way Catholics who ran an adoption agency were shut right down because they didn’t want to place babies with gay parents.

The reasoning there, too, was that corporations were somehow different from the people who owned and ran them, and so corporations can be made to do things that violate the religious viewpoints of the owners.

The Supreme Court has realized that this isn’t always true; ‘closely held corporations’ are indeed the people who ‘closely hold’ them.

and the corporation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints is very definitely ‘closely owned.’ It is not some Pinocchio who cut the strings and ran off to do its own thing, apart from the people who run and participate in it.

So, even though there isn’t a 'Corporation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints" legally, though there IS one called the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints, the Intellectual Reserve and a couple of non-tax exempt corporations such as Bonneville International, the church itself is not a corporation.

So…who do you hate, really?

Paul, I recently did some research into the posting habits of many of the people who routinely interact with me on this “Non-Catholic Religions” subforum. Almost ALL of them do nothing but post in Mormon threads. They don’t go anywhere else, or discuss anything else. You aren’t that focused, by any means, but I’ve gone back several months and I don’t see that you post very often in any other sub-forum, though you do, unlike the folks I mentioned, post in other topics. Still, I’d say a good half or more of your posts are in Mormon threads.

Now you are, by no means, the meanest guy on the block; I believe that you try to be as fair as you can, given your point of view and your personal decisions. However, face it; you have admitted that you do, indeed, hate.

And you’ve spent all this time not only proving that you do, but also attempting to justify it as 'OK," because, well, it’s MORMONISM.

I had a very similar experience in CARM, where someone went ranting about how evangelicals hate Catholics, and at least five people jumped all over the poster, because, well, hate is a bad thing generally, but it’s OK to do it to Catholics because, well, it’s Catholicism. That makes everything OK.

Does it?

Really?

Does the target identified make hate acceptable? Is it OK to hate Jehovah’s Witnesses because, well, they are 'JayDubs?" Is it OK to hate Jews because, well, they are Jews? Is it OK to hate snake handling evangelicals because, well, they are snake handling evangelicals? Is it OK to hate Muslims because, well, they are Muslims?

???

Just a question, Paul. I’m actually very surprised that it was YOU who did this in this thread. I might have expected it from others, but…not from you.

 

[PaulDupre1]

Paul, that is very ‘liberal’ of you. By that, I mean politically liberal, in that for some reason the left considers corporations to have a life of their own, completely apart from any human influence; rather like mythological beings that, once brought into being by humans, take off on their own flight path. It’s the reasoning that many use when they sue corporations for discrimination…the way that photographer was sued for not wanting to ‘shoot’ a gay commitment ceremony, and the way Hobby Lobby was sued for not wanting to pay for abortifactant types of birth control, and the way Catholics who ran an adoption agency were shut right down because they didn’t want to place babies with gay parents.

The reasoning there, too, was that corporations were somehow different from the people who owned and ran them, and so corporations can be made to do things that violate the religious viewpoints of the owners.

The Supreme Court has realized that this isn’t always true; ‘closely held corporations’ are indeed the people who ‘closely hold’ them.

and the corporation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints is very definitely ‘closely owned.’ It is not some Pinocchio who cut the strings and ran off to do its own thing, apart from the people who run and participate in it.

So, even though there isn’t a 'Corporation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints" legally, though there IS one called the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints, the Intellectual Reserve and a couple of non-tax exempt corporations such as Bonneville International, the church itself is not a corporation.

So…who do you hate, really?

Paul, I recently did some research into the posting habits of many of the people who routinely interact with me on this “Non-Catholic Religions” subforum. Almost ALL of them do nothing but post in Mormon threads. They don’t go anywhere else, or discuss anything else. You aren’t that focused, by any means, but I’ve gone back several months and I don’t see that you post very often in any other sub-forum, though you do, unlike the folks I mentioned, post in other topics. Still, I’d say a good half or more of your posts are in Mormon threads.

Now you are, by no means, the meanest guy on the block; I believe that you try to be as fair as you can, given your point of view and your personal decisions. However, face it; you have admitted that you do, indeed, hate.

And you’ve spent all this time not only proving that you do, but also attempting to justify it as 'OK," because, well, it’s MORMONISM.

I had a very similar experience in CARM, where someone went ranting about how evangelicals hate Catholics, and at least five people jumped all over the poster, because, well, hate is a bad thing generally, but it’s OK to do it to Catholics because, well, it’s Catholicism. That makes everything OK.

Does it?

Really?

Does the target identified make hate acceptable? Is it OK to hate Jehovah’s Witnesses because, well, they are 'JayDubs?" Is it OK to hate Jews because, well, they are Jews? Is it OK to hate snake handling evangelicals because, well, they are snake handling evangelicals? Is it OK to hate Muslims because, well, they are Muslims?

???

Just a question, Paul. I’m actually very surprised that it was YOU who did this in this thread. I might have expected it from others, but…not from you.

As I believe I made crystal clear, I don’t hate anyone. I hate an ideology and a world-view that I have seen destroy families. There are many LDS that I love dearly: my lovely sister, her current husband, her children and grandchildren - all people I love, though it appears they don’t think much of me (being an evil apostate and all…). I love my brother and his children, one of whom actually speaks to me - though he is the black sheep of my brother’s family. I love my former missionary companions, some of whom are still LDS and some are not.

I strongly suspect that the leadership of the LDS church knows that it is all a scam. After all, either one is a prophet of God or one is not. I expect that a person knows whether God has given him direct revelation or not. If not, then he is not prophet of God. Since the LDS organization is, in fact, a scam then I am quite sure that those who claim the prophetic office know that they claim it falsely.

Does no one understand the difference between hating a system and hating people?

Paul (Formerly LDS, now happily Catholic)

 

[iepuras]

As I believe I made crystal clear, I don’t hate anyone. I hate an ideology and a world-view that I have seen destroy families. There are many LDS that I love dearly: my lovely sister, her current husband, her children and grandchildren - all people I love, though it appears they don’t think much of me (being an evil apostate and all…). I love my brother and his children, one of whom actually speaks to me - though he is the black sheep of my brother’s family. I love my former missionary companions, some of whom are still LDS and some are not.

I strongly suspect that the leadership of the LDS church knows that it is all a scam. After all, either one is a prophet of God or one is not. I expect that a person knows whether God has given him direct revelation or not. If not, then he is not prophet of God. Since the LDS organization is, in fact, a scam then I am quite sure that those who claim the prophetic office know that they claim it falsely.

Does no one understand the difference between hating a system and hating people?

Paul (Formerly LDS, now happily Catholic)

Yes, I do. It hurts when people you love treat you horribly because you no longer subscribe to their faith system. Perhaps some don’t understand because they haven’t walked in our shoes.

 

[cmodrmac]

The premise is wrong-

 

[Peter_J]

Peter—I said it was misleading because the OP complained about people thinking he meant hate or so-called “hate” (so-called by whom?) when, uh…he wrote “hate”.

If someone titled a thread “Why do Catholics “hate” other Christians?”, well, if they then complained that they didn’t mean “hate” when readers thought they meant “hate”, then, yeah, I’d think they need to stop whining about being misunderstood.

As far as the content of this imagined title, then I’d think they were simply wrong and over-generalizing.

I know I owe you some replies on another recent thread you started, Peter. I did see your responses to an earlier post from me over there; sorry as always for being slow to respond for my part.

You may have a point. Looking back at the start of this thread, I myself am quite unclear as to why the word hate-in-quotes is in the title.

 

[zaffiroborant]

Paul, I recently did some research into the posting habits of many of the people who routinely interact with me on this “Non-Catholic Religions” subforum. Almost ALL of them do nothing but post in Mormon threads. They don’t go anywhere else, or discuss anything else. You aren’t that focused, by any means, but I’ve gone back several months and I don’t see that you post very often in any other sub-forum, though you do, unlike the folks I mentioned, post in other topics. Still, I’d say a good half or more of your posts are in Mormon threads.

You were way off on my posts when you said about 10 out of 150 were not about Mormonism when in actuality 67 out of 150 were not about Mormonism. And even in the Mormon threads not all my comments were about Mormonism some were like my comment on my grandfather using gasoline as a cleaning solvent. Even more of my comments were like those in the Basilica/Temple thread where I posted pictures and made comments on those. Often my posts are either only tangentially related to Mormonism or they correct something concerning Catholicism. I will never let stand a statement the say’s exaltation=theosis or spirit prison=purgatory.

 

[zaffiroborant]

Paul, I recently did some research into the posting habits of many of the people who routinely interact with me on this “Non-Catholic Religions” subforum. Almost ALL of them do nothing but post in Mormon threads. They don’t go anywhere else, or discuss anything else. You aren’t that focused, by any means, but I’ve gone back several months and I don’t see that you post very often in any other sub-forum, though you do, unlike the folks I mentioned, post in other topics. Still, I’d say a good half or more of your posts are in Mormon threads.

You were way off on my posts when you said about 10 out of 150 were not about Mormonism when in actuality 67 out of 150 were not about Mormonism. And even in the Mormon threads not all my comments were about Mormonism some were like my comment on my grandfather using gasoline as a cleaning solvent. Even more of my comments were like those in the Basilica/Temple thread where I posted pictures and made comments on those. Often my posts are either only tangentially related to Mormonism or they correct something concerning Catholicism. I will never let stand a statement the say’s exaltation is the equivalent of theosis or spirit prison is the equivalent of purgatory.

 

[dianaiad]

You were way off on my posts when you said about 10 out of 150 were not about Mormonism when in actuality 67 out of 150 were not about Mormonism. And even in the Mormon threads not all my comments were about Mormonism some were like my comment on my grandfather using gasoline as a cleaning solvent. Even more of my comments were like those in the Basilica/Temple thread where I posted pictures and made comments on those. Often my posts are either only tangentially related to Mormonism or they correct something concerning Catholicism. I will never let stand a statement the say’s exaltation=theosis or spirit prison=purgatory.

Z…they were all on Mormon threads.

Still, I need to apologize to everybody on the thread. It seems that my simply chiming in on any topic at all will bring out the critics of my belief system, even when my post wasn’t about Mormonism AT all.

With that, I’m bowing out of this thread so that it can get back on topic. I imagine that when I go, so will Z (though Paul might stick around, since he is fairly reasonable). That is, Z will go after posting a zinger or two.

If you COULD get him to talk about the actual thread topic, though, it would be a good thing.

 

[benhur]

I’ve heard that many times and fully believe it.

However, I’m curious WHY they despise us so much.

Despise is a better word but even that may be unchristian. But they stumble and I see your question is really over what. It reminds me of some folks stumbling over loving gays. It is easier to love them when they partly stay in the closet but when they come out fully, not to live quietly, but to be militant in their righteousness, and not to just be quietly accepted or tolerated but to push for equality,even moral superiority ( no phobias), then some stumble in their love. so some take offense to CC claims of superiority in a fashion no other church does, and calls all other brethren “separated” , and that only since Vatican 2 I think. Before that we were called worse and a quote from CSLewis might fit that those ignorant of history are slaves to the recent past. The recent past has been quite cordial, but has not always been the case…we are to be loving and we are drawn by God’s goodness towards us yet if we are foxes and wolves and sons of the devil He may tell us that also, as He told Peter when he was used of Satan. A true father will lovingly correct and a true son will correctly receive (undespisingly in the end).