"The Christianity of history is not Protestantism. If ever there were a safe truth it is this, and Protestantism has ever felt it so; to be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant." (-John Henry Newman, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine).

"Where the bishop is, there let the people gather; just as where ever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church". -St. Ignatius of Antioch (ca 110 AD)a martyr later thrown to the lions, wrote to a church in Asia Minor. Antioch was also where the term "Christian" was first used.

“But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15

"This is the sole Church of Christ, which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic." -CCC 811

Thursday, September 24, 2009

For Those Who Hate the Catholic Church

There's a sincere request from the owner of this beautiful and very informative Catholic apologetical site called "Fish Eaters which requests all who hate the Catholic Church to consider answering some of his questions with all honesty (or click the Index of "Fish Easters").

Ask yourself: why do I hate the Catholic Church? Who taught me what I think I know about the Catholic Church? Is what I was taught true? Have I looked at what the Catholic Church has to say about itself, using official resources such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church and papal encyclicals? Could my opinion of the Catholic Church possibly be based on bias, bigotry, bad history, propaganda from the secular media, or the bad priests who get publicity (i.e., the sick, and sickening, ephebophile priests or those certain heretical modernist priests the secular media love to give press to)? Is it fair to judge doctrine by such things? Is any group with human beings in it free from sin and scandal? If I am wrong about the Catholic Church, what does that mean?

Here are some common myths about the Catholic Church:

Wrong: Because Catholics reject the tradition of "sola fide" ("faith alone"), they think they can work their way into Heaven and believe they are saved by works
Wrong: Catholics think the pope does not sin
Wrong: Catholics re-crucify Christ at their Masses (or at least think they do)
Wrong: Catholics think Mary is part of the Godhead and is to be worshipped
Wrong: Catholics worship statues
Wrong: Catholics think they can't pray to God directly but have to go through saints
Wrong: Catholics conjure the dead
Wrong: Catholics believe people can be saved after they die
Wrong: The Catholic Church teaches that one who isn't formally a Catholic is damned to Hell
Wrong: The Crusades are an example of Catholic aggression
Wrong: The Inquisition(s) killed hundreds of thousands of people and targeted Jews
Wrong: Pope Pius XII was "Hitler's Pope" and didn't do a thing to help Jews during WWII
Wrong: The Catholic Church wasn't around until the time of Constantine, a pagan who controlled the Church. The Catholic Church did more than baptize pagan calendar days for the good of Christ, it is pagan in its very roots.


If you believe any of the above myths, I implore you to research. For doctrinal questions, ask the Church what it teaches; it's the only fair thing to do. For historical questions, look at balanced and objective scholarly research from a variety of sources (including Catholic ones).

And as you research, keep in mind the common logical fallacies that are often used in attacks against Catholicism:

Generalization:

"I knew a Catholic/ex-Catholic (or I was a Catholic) who was (mean, a drunk, not holy, didn't like the Church, was superstitious, didn't know the Bible, didn't have a deep relationship with Jesus, etc.), so therefore, the teachings of the Catholic Church are wrong." (Ignores the fact that bad catechesis, misunderstandings, or other shortcomings of a few Catholics do not reflect on what the Catholic Church teaches)

Bifurcation:

"If the Catholic Church doesn't teach that it's faith alone that saves, then it must teach that men are saved by their own works." (Ignores that we teach that we are saved by Grace alone -- a Grace with which we must cooperate through "faith that works in love")

Cum hoc ergo propter hoc:

"Winter Solstice is on 21 December; Christmas is 25 December. Therefore, Christmas is a pagan holiday. (Ignores that fact that there are only 365 days to choose from in a year and that the early Church Fathers had good reasons to choose the date they did. It also ignores that Protestants' "Reformation Day" is celebrated on 31 October, the pagan festival of Samhain.)

Post hoc ergo propter hoc:

"Constantine must have been the real source of the Catholic Church's teachings because after his reign the Church grew tremendously, and before his reign it wasn't as well-known" (Ignores the simple fact that Constantine merely stopped the persecution of Christians with the Edict of Milan and allowed Christianity to spread. It also ignores the writings of the Church Fathers who lived before Constantine -- and who were Catholic.)

Straw man:

"You guys worship statues, and that's evil. Therefore, your religion is Satanic." (Ignores that fact that we don't worship statues)

Meanwhile: The Final Challenge

... and now I challenge each of you who calls on the Name of the Lord to take two hours of your life to listen to theologian and former very anti-Catholic Presbyterian minister, Scott Hahn, and to Rosalind Moss, who was raised Jewish and later became Evangelical. Both are now Catholic; don't you want to know why? Truly, I challenge you to listen and pray and think about what you hear, all with an open heart to God's will. (Listen to the audio here found at the bottom page).

10 comments:

  1. CathDef:
    [Wrong: Because Catholics reject the tradition of "sola fide" ("faith alone"), they think they can work their way into Heaven and believe they are saved by works]
    __________

    JJR:
    Eh diba naniniwala kayong kailangan ang mabubuting gawa para ariing-ganap ang isang tao sa paningin ng Diyos?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for visiting my blog Joseph.

    You said "Eh diba naniniwala kayong kailangan ang mabubuting gawa para ariing-ganap ang isang tao sa paningin ng Diyos?"

    Are you asking a question or you are stating a statement here?

    "FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD"
    FAITH+WORK neither is independent.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tinatanggi niyo po kasing "Catholics... think they can work their way into Heaven...", Pero diba po ayon sa doktrina niyo eh aariing-ganap ang tao ayon sa kanyang mga mabubuting gawa na bunga ng pananampalataya?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello Joseph,

    "Pero diba po ayon sa doktrina niyo eh aariing-ganap ang tao ayon sa kanyang mga mabubuting gawa na bunga ng pananampalataya?"

    Again are you trying to ask a question or you are trying to state a statement here.

    Since you are saying "diba ayon sa doktrina niyo..."

    Can you please provide us the link where can you find that particular doctrine?

    I appreciate if you keep that head-leveled discussion by quoting Catholic official teachings and provide us your source. You can find them all at the tip of your finger in the internet.

    God bless,

    Sincerely,

    Catholic Defender

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kaya nga po humihingi ako ng kumpirmasyon diba? Yan po kasi ang pagkaka-alam ko: na ang justification para sa inyo ay sa pamamagitan ng mga mabubuting gawa NA BUNGA NG pananampalataya. Ibig sabihin hindi SOLA FIDE, kundi FIDE + GAWA.

    Tama po ba?
    (Nagtatanong po ako)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello Joseph,

    Tutal nagbabasa ka rin lang naman sa net, bakit di ka mag-search ng kasagutan sa sarili mong tanong? Bakit kailangan pang manggagaling sa akin?

    Parang walang argumento, umpisahan mo munang magbasa sa link na http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/columns/guests/dwightlongenecker/whatistruth.asp

    At kung kulang pa, ang dami-daming pwede mong pagkuhanan ng sound information, first hand galing sa mga Theologians ng Catholic Church.

    Kung gusto mo ng tamang information, ask the experts sabi nga nila, huwag kang magtanong sa mga mangmang...

    Salamat po at pagpalain ka ng Dios sa iyong masugid na paghahanap ng katotohanan.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ang punto ko po kasi dito, tinatanggi niyong "Catholics think they can work their way into Heaven", eh diba po para sa inyo ay kasamang ibinibilang ang mga gawa sa pagtatamo ng kaligtasan? Sa madaling salita, KAILANGANG pagsikapan ng isang katoliko na matamo ang kaligtasan sa pamamagitan ng kanyang mabubuting gawa, tama?

    Hindi ko po alam kung bakit ayaw niyong sumagot ng tuwiran. Ang nais ko po sanang kausapin ay ikaw, kaya sa inyo po ako nagtatanong, naturalmento sa inyo rin po dapat manggaling ang sagot.

    Hindi niyo po ba kayang ipaliwanag sa akin ang mga paniniwala niyo?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Joseph,

    What do you really need? Do you need the TRUTH?

    What I can sense now is that you want argument more than an answer. That will not work for me Joseph.

    If you want to know the TRUTH, no one is preventing you. I think this article you are commenting to is already enough to understand IF ONLY YOU ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Katotohanan po ang hanap ko. Kasi sa wari ko po ay hindi kayo nagsasabi ng totoo nang i-deny niyong "Catholics... they think they can work their way into Heaven", kaya po ako humihingi ng kumpirmasyon.

    Huwag niyo naman po sanang ipagkait ang inyong paliwanag.

    Salamat.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Joseph,

    You are not consistent with your intentions. If you want TRUTH bakit pinagkakait mo ito sa sarili mo?

    I am not the Truth, Jesus IS and his truths are deposited in the Church.

    If you really want truth, please search for it, and be convinced later that you have found it.

    The problem here is that you are trying to answer your own question without searching for it.

    Ask this one: Is it true that Catholics have to work it out in order to be saved and that saving power is through work and not by faith alone?

    Happy searching Joseph and I hope you will find it sooner. God be with you.

    ReplyDelete

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