July 29, 2005
I Love Anti-Catholics!
It is probably because I am a bigot myself, but I can't help but feel a warm glowing feeling when a Baptist or some other semi-literate Prottie goes mouthing off about the Church. To do the right thing means making enemies, and if our enemies are the likes of Ian Paisly, Jerry Fallwell, Martin Luther, Brigham Young, and so one, well, it is a sign that we are on the right track.
Ultimately Anti-Catholicism says more about the anti-Catholic than it does about the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. You will notice that the most decent of the Protties, like Billy Graham, do not go stooping to this level. This is not to say that there is much chance of their salvation, because I tend towards a fairly narrow interpretation of EENSE, not quite Feeneyite, but with little inclination to think that C.S. Lewis is anywhere but fairly deep in the Eternal Bog. We don't know, and, naturally, we should err towards caution. No fence sitting.
So, finding this thread on historical anti-Catholicism (courtesy of TSO, was a delight indeed.
For too many years the American Catholic, when accused of taking orders from a foreign potentate, wanting to abolish the separation of Church and state, not believing that all ideas were equally valuable insofar as they were cherished by various individuals, etc, would bend over backward to prove how American they were. I won't pinpoint a specific type of American Catholic, but let's say that I would figure that JFK is probably getting the treatment from the same demon that is tormenting C.S. Lewis.
Hopefully when we look at these old tracts and cartoons we can stand and say, "yeah, that's right. I do take orders from a foreign potentate, I do take a dim view of secularism, and so on. Oh, but look at how well your Freemasonic, French Endarkenment ideas have served you! Oh, you can't talk now, because you must rush off to your son's (by your fourth marriage) homosexual "marriage"? Too bad. Maybe after you pick up your other child's ritalin we can continue the argument!"
That is your ecumenical moment for the day!
Posted by erik at July 29, 2005 1:28 PM | TrackBackErik:
You know my pinion of Lewis, but I think you go too far with his consignment to eternal flames. The real problem is with certain anglophiliac Catholics who confuse the Inklings, Chesterton, et al with the doctors of the Church.
SC
Absolutely! However, they are just more subtle. I blame it on Reagan. The modern Republican believes that everything is for sale, and that includes moral values. Part of blind faith in the market is a "customer is always right" mentality. You can rope in more dupes by playing the part of Kindly Uncle Fester than by playing the role of Grumpy Uncle Gus. They have learned a lot from Darth Ronnie. Treat everything like a business, with a PR department, nickel and dime with a grin, etc., and the fruits of the prosperity Gospel will be yours!
I actually think that the modern Evangelical is even less admirable than the Know Nothing of Old, who at least believed in something deeper than the dollar.
Now I do exempt Graham from this invective, because by his words and deeds he seems every bit a gentlemen of honor. There is another one who went evangelizing in post-Commie Poland, but encouraged people to turn back to their own churches, rather than try to poach them into Prottie megachurches.
Posted by: Erik Keilholtz at July 29, 2005 2:26 PMDon't you think that Evangelical anti-Catholicism is less pronounced than ever before?
Posted by: little john at July 29, 2005 2:15 PM