Why is Catholic Bashing soooo popular?

[CWBetts]

Catholic bashing is popular because like other forms of hate and perjudice, it is taught. In this case however, it is taught not only in home but in the schools. Other than the Spanish Inquisition and the Crusades, what Church history to Protestants know? The Reformers are presented in glowing terms. How many saints not in te Bible do most people know? Catholic bashing is acceptible because we represent Western Civiization (annyoing the Left), we represent God (annoying the atheists), and we represent the True Church (annoying the Evangelicals)

 

[Roza]

That’s just it, never would’ve thought I was bashing. But I had stopped going to Mass and dabbled in the occult, was delivered from it in 2003 and kept praying if I should go back to Catholic or go to a Protestant church. One church kept sticking in my mind so I tried it. I still know some of the prime sites I thought were proving how backwards Catholicism was and I was way off. It’s been a journey and in many ways still is.

 

[revelations]

Everyone’s responses have been very good, but this is the ULTIMATE reason, as put by the Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Nuff said!

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=85089

 

[4Squarebaby]

Why kind of bashing is going on? examples?

That was my question. Has anybody considered the posibility that when any other faith is attacked or “bashed” your prejudice says they were not “bashed” but just confronted with the truth. It could be any group the humanist, Scientologist, Muslims, Sabbath Keepers, Mormons, nontrinity believing followers of Jesus, Evangelic Protestant, mainline Protestant and on and on and on.

Is any disagreement a bash? Do you want the state to protect you from bashing as many Islamic states protect Muslims?

 

[Monarchy]

Simply put, Catholics have the largest congregation (unless there has been a HUGE demographic shift I am unaware of) and the others want to be that large. It’s a lot like Wal-mart, you attack the most successful at something, instead of looking taking an honest look at why you are not.

 

[BlessedRosary3]

Ignorance is the problem. People mock what they don’t understand. Most people don’t bother to learn more out of fear that they might agree with a Catholic

This…and the fact that today’s society is afraid of the Truth - they don’t want to know and/or hear about not being able to engage in mindless orgies, to have sex rule your life, to have to observe and respect the Sabbath Day, that Christmas really ISN’T all about presents, etc., etc., etc.

PEOPLE WANT THE EASY WAY OUT - it’s human nature, unfortunately.

 

[warpspeedpetey]

That was my question. Has anybody considered the posibility that when any other faith is attacked or “bashed” your prejudice says they were not “bashed” but just confronted with the truth. It could be any group the humanist, Scientologist, Muslims, Sabbath Keepers, Mormons, nontrinity believing followers of Jesus, Evangelic Protestant, mainline Protestant and on and on and on.

Is any disagreement a bash? Do you want the state to protect you from bashing as many Islamic states protect Muslims?

no, we dont need protection from the state

what makes interactions bashing is the attitude in which those interactions occur, i, along with almost every Catholic i know, has been bashed.

disagreement can be faced, generally it can be defeated as outright wrong, but then you dont find a change of mind, they just start calling you names.

i have seen many arguments refuted, but i have seen pitiful few converts, rather they just take the defeated argument to a new audience as though they still believe it is the truth, i see it on the forums all the time.

 

[Misty5054]

Because we are funny, funny people. I’m not sure how, but we are.

I’ll tell you what I use to think was funny. Keep in mind this was the thinking of a 12 year old girl. I saw a family sitting down to eat and they did the sign of the cross. I started laughing because who did that anyway. People think something is funny if they don’t ever see it. I have never experience Catholic bashing but then again I’m a convert in a family of cradle Catholics.

 

[AustralianGuy]

Is catholic bashing really that much more popular than mormon bashing, islamic bashing, jehovah’s witness bashing, scientology bashing and so on?

It might be different in Australia but whilst there is a lot of anti-catholic jokes and such (especially in the lead up to WYD!), I find there are quite a lot of anti-mormon, anti-islamic, anti-scientology jokes and ridiculing as well. For me, it’s hard to say who gets the most criticism but I feel that lots of people who believe in Christianity get criticised in this day and age. A few of the Christian religions get less criticism due to their more lenient stances though.

Scientology and mormons have both been ridiculed quite a bit I think. People see these as crazy religions just as they see the Catholic church in a negative light (I’m not sure whether we’re seen as crazy though I guess we might be?).

Though, I think Catholics do get ridiculed a lot more in the press due to the fact we are always giving our opinion on the big issues (like abortion, same sex marriage… etc). So, in that way, I think the Catholic church is seen by some as more of a meddler in public affairs? Or at least that’s the impression I get from an atheist friend of mine. Maybe that causes a bit of negativity from the public. Whilst I think we should be standing up for what we believe in, I think a lot of people who don’t share those beliefs feel otherwise. They feel we should “move with the times”.

The fact that a lot of Catholics aren’t fully understanding of their beliefs might also be a reason lots of other Christian religions don’t take us too seriously. When they talk to Catholics, they get mixed answers and thus think the church must be wrong. I think a lot of the journey to a stronger faith and less “Catholic bashing” would be educating existing Catholics so that they all know how to share and speak their faith when confronted with this “bashing”.

 

[CWBetts]

Tere is also the concept that we are a HUGE target!!! Theres like 1.1 BILLION Catholics in the world!!!

 

[Curt]

1. Cuz it’s EASY. As a former Catholic basher, I can say with all conviction that Catholics are EASY targets. I can say, really, whatever degrading awful things I want to say to you (and I HAVE said them) and you can’t say boo back to me because then you aren’t being ‘christ-like’. See how easy? It’s like kicking a puppy.
2. It’s fun. I’ll be having a conversation with some ill-informed catholic and I can run circles around them philosophically. It’s not that I’m smarter than them, that’s not it at all, they just don’t know their faith. it’s like kicking a dumb puppy.
3. Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd. If everyone is bashing catholics, surely I can, too.
4. (And this is one that Catholics need to take a good listen to) They’re weak. They shouldn’t be, mind you. They’ve got truth on their side, and in the end, what else matters besides that, right, but Catholics have NO IDEA what they’ve got, and they WASTE it, absolutely waste it. They lack conviction. They lack a SPINE. They lack unity. A house divided and all…

With all that said, there is something oddly peaceful about some Catholic woman quietly praying her rosary while angry people shout obscenities at her (saw this at an abortion clinic). This storm of people circling around her, and she was in the quiet eye of it all. It’s an image I like very much.

 

[Curt]

I am a cradle Catholic who has spoken to many Protestant Catholic bashers. Most interesting is that when they find that I know my faith and am knowledgeable of the Bible, they either get angry and leave abruptly or they look at me in amazement.
Hang in there Catholics. Listen to Cahtolic Answers Live every weekday. A 2000 year old Church instituted by Christ can never be wrong on faith and morals. It was promised by Christ himself in Matthew 16:18.

 

[anon5216]

While the causes for “bashing” presented so far are accurate in specific cases, there a couple perspectives not being touched on.

The Catholic Church, in practice, is a “Do as I say, not as I do” authoritarian structure. This in itself already attracts a certain amount of “bashing”, regardless of whether the person or organization is religious or secular, etc…

Now, if you voluntarily join such an organization and are OK with that style, then that would be your free will choice. Personally, I will not follow leaders who can’t walk the talk, (or worse yet, redefine the talk to match their crooked walk).

A much more serious reason, is that the Catholic Church has the agenda of imposing their rules/understanding/interpretation on everyone else.

If you are honest, you have to admit that basically amounts to an attack. You can justify it by claiming it’s in the best spiritual interests of the non-Catholic or that, (as far as Catholics believe anyway), the Church is spreading Truth. However, from the non-Catholic perspective, the Church is just a human institution aggressively pushing their agenda. Objectively looking at the disparity between talk and walk, it should be clear that the Church simply has no leg to stand on when it comes to proving their position to non-members.

Note that I’m not denying members the right to believe the Church’s positions - just pointing out that the Church trying to impose these positions on non members rightfully would be perceived as hostile aggression by those non members. Those that push back against this aggression may seem to a member to be “Catholic bashing” when in fact they are not.

 

[CWBetts]

While the causes for “bashing” presented so far are accurate in specific cases, there a couple perspectives not being touched on.

The Catholic Church, in practice, is a “Do as I say, not as I do” authoritarian structure. This in itself already attracts a certain amount of “bashing”, regardless of whether the person or organization is religious or secular, etc…

Now, if you voluntarily join such an organization and are OK with that style, then that would be your free will choice. Personally, I will not follow leaders who can’t walk the talk, (or worse yet, redefine the talk to match their crooked walk).

A much more serious reason, is that the Catholic Church has the agenda of imposing their rules/understanding/interpretation on everyone else.

If you are honest, you have to admit that basically amounts to an attack. You can justify it by claiming it’s in the best spiritual interests of the non-Catholic or that, (as far as Catholics believe anyway), the Church is spreading Truth. However, from the non-Catholic perspective, the Church is just a human institution aggressively pushing their agenda. Objectively looking at the disparity between talk and walk, it should be clear that the Church simply has no leg to stand on when it comes to proving their position to non-members.

Note that I’m not denying members the right to believe the Church’s positions - just pointing out that the Church trying to impose these positions on non members rightfully would be perceived as hostile aggression by those non members. Those that push back against this aggression may seem to a member to be “Catholic bashing” when in fact they are not.

This is a perfect example of the endemic nature of anti-Catholicism in the United States. Notice ther is no evidence for any claim. The Church does not push its views on anyone. Show me the disparity between talk and walk. The sex abuse scandal is not evidence. It is a case of the media attcking the Church without any comparitive statistics!! I am nod defending the guilty parties, but looking at the statistics, more people are abused by teachers than priests. Where is the call to arms aginst our public education system? More people are abused by their own family members, yet the mainstream media is silent. Even individual Catholics are not as invasive as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, of Fundamental Evangelicals, with their door-to-door evangelization schemes. Comparitavely I would say Catholics are a relatively laid-back faith. So I want evidence! Where is the “aggressively pushing agenda”? Where?

 

[4Squarebaby]

Comparitavely I would say Catholics are a relatively laid-back faith. So I want evidence! Where is the “aggressively pushing agenda”? Where?

I would say look at the thread which question the faith of those who vote for Obama or smaesex marriage. Or even worse thew threat that the full Catholic experience being withdrawn for US politicians who vote for abortion rights or Filipino politicians who vote for birth control methods/ or having civil divorce laws for everybody else besides those who married under Sharia law as is current Philippine law…

 

[CWBetts]

I would say look at the thread which question the faith of those who vote for Obama or smaesex marriage. Or even worse thew threat that the full Catholic experience being withdrawn for US politicians who vote for abortion rights or Filipino politicians who vote for birth control methods/ or having civil divorce laws for everybody else besides those who married under Sharia law as is current Philippine law…

This is putting to task those who claim Catholicism, but do not follow the CHurch’s teachings. This is much different than pushing our views on society as a whole. If you claim to be part of the Bride of Christ, you must accept certain things, among these the intrinsic evils of abortion and artificial contraception. I, for one, am tired of claims of impsing our beliefs on society on the whole, when it is simply sheperding the flock.

 

[4Squarebaby]

This is putting to task those who claim Catholicism, but do not follow the CHurch’s teachings. This is much different than pushing our views on society as a whole. If you claim to be part of the Bride of Christ, you must accept certain things, among these the intrinsic evils of abortion and artificial contraception. I, for one, am tired of claims of impsing our beliefs on society on the whole, when it is simply sheperding the flock.

Perhaps you should tell the Conference of Bishops in the Philippines?

 

[CWBetts]

How did this turn into a talk about the Phillipines. We are talking about the US

 

[4Squarebaby]

How did this turn into a talk about the Phillipines. We are talking about the US

I was talking about a church with examples drawn from both sides of the world. Perhaps the case against individuals Catholics in the US is strong, yet against the Church in the Philippines is weak?

 

[CWBetts]

I was talking about a church with examples drawn from both sides of the world. Perhaps the case against individuals Catholics in the US is strong, yet against the Church in the Philippines is weak?

Your criticisms are not valid. I guess it is just an examle of how deep anti-Catholicism runs. If you want to talk about examples from both sides of the world, can we talk about legitimite religous persecution. In the modern age the Roman Catholic Church is the persecuted, not the persecutors.