Why do "some" or "many" Protestants have a visceral HATRED of the Catholic Church?

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porthos11 said:
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K9Buck:
I recently joined a non-denominational Christian forum (Worthy Christian Forums) and there is apparently no shortage of people there that seemingly HATE the Catholic Church and despise Catholics.

Why is that?
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Because as much as they don’t consciously realize it, or deny it to themselves, the Catholic Church must be wrong if their belief system is to have any merit. In other words, the Catholic Church must be wrong for them to justify their existence.

Because if the Church is right and teaches the truth, then there is no reason for their group to exist, because their history traces back to the Reformation, which was a separation from the Catholic Church.

Since the Catholic Church bases its authority on Christ and the Apostles, it does not have the same worry about these groups.
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Very good response-

Peace!!!
 
The Catholic Church holds people up to a much higher standard, and so they rebel. The word “Protestant” basically means protest and that’s what they do.

They will tell you about somebody they knew who had to be able to remarry; their ex was a horror. Or they will not understand why they can’t contracept in marriage. Or they will have an issue with Mary or the Pope. Or they will not understand that priests sin too, that we’re all sinners. Or they will be opposed to priestly celibacy.
 
I had a fellow Catholic tell me that Lutherans are more Catholic than the Catholics. 🙂
 
Most don’t actually KNOW anything about Catholics or Catholicism. They think they do but it’s all bunk.

We fear and hate what we do not understand.
 
K9Buck said:
I recently joined a non-denominational Christian forum (Worthy Christian Forums) and there is apparently no shortage of people there that seemingly HATE the Catholic Church and despise Catholics
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Christians hating and despising? That’s the problem right there. Protestants like quoting the Bible right? Here are a couple for them:

If any one says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also. 1 John 4:20-21

Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 1 John 3:15
 
porthos11 said:
Because as much as they don’t consciously realize it, or deny it to themselves, the Catholic Church must be wrong if their belief system is to have any merit. In other words, the Catholic Church must be wrong for them to justify their existence.

Because if the Church is right and teaches the truth, then there is no reason for their group to exist, because their history traces back to the Reformation, which was a separation from the Catholic Church.

Since the Catholic Church bases its authority on Christ and the Apostles, it does not have the same worry about these groups.
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This is the very obvious answer. The very existence of the protestant churches, and please not the word “protest” stems from their rejection of catholicism. They must hate it to rationalize and explain their continued existence. If they don’t reject catholicism, their denomination has no foundation.
 
One thing that bothers me is that some Protestants act like they have existed since the time of Christ and deliberately want to ignore history/where they come from. Like Cardinal Newman said: ‘To Be Deep in History Is to Cease to Be Protestant.’
 
K9Buck said:
I recently joined a non-denominational Christian forum (Worthy Christian Forums) and there is apparently no shortage of people there that seemingly HATE the Catholic Church and despise Catholics.

Why is that?
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Why not ask those people and let us know their response?
 
“Worthy Christian”? - that in itself is a red flag.

There have been now 500 years of telling lies* about the Church, mostly to justify division. “Oh, no! You see, that is the whore of Babylon, an abomination/demon-filled/the devil’s slave blah blah blah.” In most cases, it is willful, even culpable ignorance. If the Catholic Church was not evil, then they would have to be received into her.

Such thinking sends them off to diluted Christianity and sometimes pseudo-Christianity, as those groups are all so welcoming! They don’t have any rules at all! No commandments to follow except to make sure you bring your tithe! (someone has to pay for pastor’s 5K Hugo Boss suit!)

Utter waste of time. At those forums, you are arguing against ego and no one can win - unless you agree that they are right. You can argue against intellect, but not against ego.

Years ago I briefly joined one and my last of about three posts read: “That sound you hear is me shaking the dust from my sandals.”
  • Lies, untruths, rumors, gossip, myths, legends, stories - whatever you call them - about Christ’s Church, and all have the same father.
 
I came from a protestant background and in my experience growing up anyone who was catholic was a fellow follower of Jesus Christ.
 
po18guy said:
! They don’t have any rules at all! No commandments to follow except to make sure you bring your tithe!
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With all the hatred of which the OP speaks of these people having they don’t even follow Jesus’ Greatest Commandment and New Commandment. Without that foundation their faith is a clashing cymbal built on straw. Note I am specifically speaking of the hateful people mentioned in the opening post and not in any way all or most Protestants.
 
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“You will know them by their fruits”

Anger.
Hatred.
Division.

And many are not baptized, thus they are . . . not . . . truly . . . Christians.
 
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@K9Buck

I think it depends from person to person. I don’t hate or despise Catholics or Catholicism at all. On the contrary, I have a healthy respect and a certain admiration for both. That’s why I remain in CAF.

Some Protestants have misconceptions of Catholicism based on their own religious upbringing and world view. In some cases, Catholics don’t fit their paradigm of what true Christianity is.

Others may perceive Catholicism as a giant multinational religious business enterprise rather than a genuine religion.

Some dislike what they perceive as arrogance within Catholicism because some Catholics denigrate their Protestant faith as being inferior, lacking “fullness”, and not even rising to the the level to be called a “Church”, although the CCC affirms that Protestants are fellow Christians.

Most Protestants in my circle of friends and acquaintances don’t have any animosity towards Catholics or Catholicism, although they don’t desire to be one.

Most just go about their lives trying to live out their form of Christianity as best they know how with God’s help and are concerned with daily tasks such as work, family, relationships, and trying survive each day and make it to the next.

If asked, my recommendation to Catholics would be to be genuine in your faith, be respectful, don’t condescend, be a true friend in all areas, and be available and willing to share and explain your faith with your Protestant friends when they ask questions and when you are led by the Holy Spirit to respond.

These things, when combined, will help you be a good ambassador for Catholicism in my opinion. That has been my experience anyway.

I have never been on other religious forums other than CAF, but I suspect each faith has its intolerant zealots who enjoy embarking on “search and destroy” missions of other faith traditions that differ from them instead of engaging in respectful dialogue and debate.
 
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Yes I have met that in real life (don’t hang out much online) . I believe its because they think we worship Mary and the saints. Of course I know protestants who are better informed and don’t hate us, so that’s why I think that. Once they understand us a bit better then the hatred falls away. The hatred is understandable really, they think we are blasphemous and instead of trying to love us ‘right’ they fear us (which is not what Jesus taught) and so fall into Satan’s trap that’s why the passion of it is so strong. I don’t think it’s all protestants either which is obvious from what I said, I’m just reiterating. Some are taught that we are idol worshiping blasphemers and others not. Some make up their own minds.
 
We all (Catholic, Protestant and otherwise) must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Jesus best knows and understands Protestant hearts and motives.

However, the rest of can seek to discern and be wise and have a good influence.
 
Probably for the same reason that so many other people appear to actively hate groups of people who are “other”. They feel they have to demonize or dehumanize the “others” in order to justify their own group’s belief and choices. You see this in every category from religion to race to politics to sports teams, to things as basic is whether to use cloth or disposable diapers on their kids tiny hineys.
 
Most protestants have a strong inclination towards sola scriptura, where scripture is the sole source of authority. This is coupled by their identity where most relate to God primarily by reading the scriptures deeply and a fixated focus towards justifying that they are right through referencing scriptural sources only.

A lot feel that if the practice isn’t biblical, they will outright reject the practice, such as praying with the sign of the cross, rosary, purgatory, transubstantiation.

I think another reason is that a lot of protestants emphasize the idea of the “invisible” church in the priesthood of all believers, they don’t like the inclusiveness of the catholic church such as closed communion and the emphasis on following the Magisterium and instead to direct the focus on Christ.
 
Rau said:
Why not ask those people and let us know their response?
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I have. They claim that they don’t dislike Catholics but only Catholicism. Still, I’ve detected a rather coarse attitude toward Catholics like myself.
 
Your primary research is probably more informative than the speculation of others.
 
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