Anti-Catholicism: Encyclopedia II - Anti-Catholicism - Religious anti-Catholicism

Anti-Catholicism - Religious anti-Catholicism

On the Internet anti-Catholic sites are reportedly rampant. A check on the words "Catholicism is evil" yields some examples.[1] The Southern Poverty Law Center specifically cites groups like the New Black Panthers, as an anti-Catholic group with an Internet presence. Other groups deemed to be Anti-Catholic who have an online presence include "Reaching Catholics for Christ"[2], "Good News For Catholics"[3], and Chick Publications. Further, when a Christian humor site called "Ship of Fools" recently asked for offensive religious jokes as a rebuke of proposed religious anti-defamation laws, the jokes they received and deemed to be "too far" generally concerned Catholicism or Catholic priests. see story By "too far" what was normally meant is that the jokes were essentially about expressing hatred rather than attempting any kind of humor.

Traditional anti-Catholic works include Charles Chiniquy's 50 Years In The Church of Rome and The Priest, the Woman and the Confessional in which he accuses Catholicism of being pagan. Such sentiments are common among some Protestant fundamentalists Christians, specifically those that deny the Catholic Church's standing as a Christian church. Proponents often cite Scripture, such as the Book of Revelation, chapters 17 and 18, which they claim depict the Pope as the Antichrist or the False Prophet and the Catholic Church as being the "Whore of Babylon". Proponents of anti-Catholicism also claim that the Mass is an abomination in the eyes of Jesus Christ. Many anti-Catholics also claim that Catholics worship the Blessed Virgin Mary. Curiously in recent times this idea of Marian Goddess worship has arisen in some Neo-Pagan or New Age circles who view it more as a positive or ambiguous trait.

One high-profile example of anti-Catholicism is the series of tracts produced by noted anti-Catholic and comic book evangelist Jack Chick, in particular his Alberto series. These tracts accuse the papacy of using the Jesuits to incite revolutions all over the world, and claim that the papacy was the driving force behind Muhammad and helped both Communism and National Socialism come to power. Chick's works also claim that "Catholic Germany" was responsible for the Holocaust. One of the most famous tracts is titled Are Roman Catholics Christians?, in which the reader is told that the Catholic Church's doctrines are against God and inspired by Satan. While these views are not widely held, several Roman Catholic organizations continue to battle anti-Catholic sentiment fed by, or explicitly formed by, such materials. Jack Chick's chief source of Anti-Catholicism is Alberto Rivera who claims that he was a Jesuit and that he infiltrated many Protestant churches.

Neither Jack Chick nor Alberto Rivera have substantiated his claims. Christianity Today published a repudiation of all claims that Alberto was a true story, and proved that Rivera was never a Jesuit, never graduated High School, never graduated any Seminary or received Holy orders. Evidence provided by Chick failed to give any date where Holy Orders was given, and consisted of secondary documents stating Rivera was claiming to be a Priest.[4]

Other Anti-Catholic works in the religious domain include John Foxe's Book of Martyrs in which he chronicles the Church persecution of Protestants. During the 19th century, Rebecca Reed's Six Months in a Convent sold 200,000 copies in a month within publication in 1835. Reed was a nun who alleged she had been held captive in an Ursuline convent near Boston. Though the Mother Superior of that convent denied Reed had been a nun, an angry mob burned the convent. Reed's story led to other anti-Catholics publishing tales. One was told by a Canadian girl named Maria Monk and became an even larger best-seller called Awful Disclosures of the Hotel-Dieu Nunnery. In the book it was claimed that nuns served as a harem for Catholic priests, and any children born to such unions were murdered after baptism. Alexander Hislop's The Two Babylons claims that the Catholic Church originated from a Babylonian mystery religion and that its practices are pagan.

Outside of Protestantism, Russian Orthodoxy has expressed anti-Catholicism at times. This was strongly influenced by their rivalry of, and then rule, of Poland. In many cases their Anti-Polonism and Anti-Catholicism went hand in hand.[5]. Some objected on theological grounds and felt special antipathy to the "Uniates." Those who spoke Russian and belonged to a "Uniate" church were often encouraged (or pressured) to "return to the fold." The most noteworthy Russian writer to have religious antipathy to Catholicism is Fyodor Dostoevsky. In the chapter of The Brothers Karamazov called The Grand Inquisitor, the Catholic Church is alleged to have become a servant of Satan some time in the eighth century. This date is not arbitrary, as it coincides with the last Ecumenical Council recognized by both faiths. Curiously the book is said to be well-liked by Pope Benedict XVI, perhaps because he sees it only as a criticism of the Inquisition. However, such an interpretation is flawed as it ignores the consistent anti-Catholicism in his writing and thought. In Notes from Underground the main character fantasizes about making the world a better place by eliminating or overthrowing the Pope, even his characters who defend Catholics believed in Jesuit conspiracies. In more modern times the Center for Religious Freedom states that Russia currently restricts the travel of Catholic priests and other former Soviet states restrict Catholic seminaries as threats to Russian Orthodoxy.

Sedevacantists, such as the Palmarian Church, condemn the succession of Roman Popes as illegitimate and Antipopes, pleading for other Popes. Former Catholics like Sinead O'Connor have also been known for anti-Catholic spectacles.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Religious anti-Catholicism", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki