Hate Crimes Against Catholics Increases

I have to wonder at some of the views people share about the Catholic Church. Now I know, not all non-Catholics view the Church so harshly, but my question is WHERE does it come from? Are people taught these things as children by their parents in an attempt to keep them from ever looking at the Catholic faith? Do people get these views from books? Their preachers sermons? Sunday school lessons? Movies? The media? Where does it come from? When I was a child and growing up I was never subjected to the horrid things I read some people believe about the Catholic Church. Was I a sheltered kid? Do other kids get fed this stuff as children? Teens? I was kept from all forms of anti-Christianity as a child. As a matter of fact, I didn't know people felt this way until the last ten years when I began to really study Christianity and it's history and I am now in my thirties. I had heard a few comments as an adult about what Catholics believe "Mary is worshipped", "those Catholics pray to statues", but I had never heard the... well... hatred people have towards the Church and in some cases toward Catholic people just for being Catholic. It's similar to the racism against African American's or Jews or Muslims. Last November, the FBI released a report that said crimes against Catholic's had increased 33%.
Here is the report:

Hate Crimes Against Catholics Show 33% Increase in 2006
November 20, 2007

According to USA Today, the latest FBI data shows that in 2006, there was an increase in the number of hate crimes motivated by bias against religion. While hate crime against people of faith in general shot up 19% from 2005, the increase in hate crimes against Catholics increased by approximately 33%. (The increase for crimes against Muslims and Jews was 22% and 14%, respectively.)
Anyone wishing to read the full report may do so by visiting the FBI's website at http://www.fbi.gov/page2/nov07/hatecrime111907.html
Copyright © 1997-2008 by Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.*Material from this website may be reprinted and disseminated with accompanying attribution.

Seeing much of what I am responding to on this blog, I can see that this is very true and I think Catholics need to do more to share with others what we truly believe. We need to get rid of the misconceptions and out right lies about our faith. Set the record straight as the saying goes. I don't know if people feel threatened by what they think Catholics believe or if it stems from something else but Catholics in my opinion need to do more to clarify what they believe and why. And to the Catholics who don't really know or understand their own faith, learn it. Read your catechism and bible together. Ask your priest. Watch Catholic education programs like those found on EWTN. Learn your faith then share it. Make sure your children know their faith so they aren't led away by misconceptions and lies. You don't have to be bible thumpers out to convert the world, just tell the truth about what Catholics believe and God will do the rest.

Stop Them From Their Agenda

Lisa writes: THE roman catholic church FOLLOWS SATAN AND SATAN ALONE AGAINST OUR LORD AND SAVIOR. THEY MOCK GOD AND HIS HOLY WORD BY WORSHIPPING SATAN AND THEIR GODDESS. STOP THEM FROM THEIR AGENDA OF CONVERTING OUR CHILDREN TO THEIR CULT!!!!!

My response: Sorry you view my Church in such a horrid way, but all that you've said is entirely untrue. The Roman Catholic Church does not follow Satan. If we followed Satan we would not be worshiping God, spreading the Gospel of Christ or baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Catholic Church does not "mock God and his holy word" in any way. We are certainly not a cult. If you feel our "agenda" is to bring the Gospel Message to the whole world so that all may be believers then I guess you would be correct. If we didn't love God and all His creation we wouldn't bother to do His will. Bringing unbelievers to the truth of God and salvation is the most important thing anyone can do for another. That is truly loving your neighbor. If you loved them you would not want them to go thru life without ever hearing of our precious Lord Jesus Christ. And I have mentioned this a few times in other posts on this blog, Catholics do NOT have a "goddess". No such thing for Catholics.

Jesus said (Matt. 28:19-20) "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

This is what the Catholic Church has done since Christ founded her two thousand plus years ago and we will continue until He comes again. If you think this "agenda" can be stopped you are wrong. Jesus told us to spread the word and baptize and teach and the Catholic Church will not stop following Christ's instructions.

"Christless Crossless Gospel"?

Baptist Grandma returns with: There is one gospel ..it centers upon Christ and the cross and if you are not saved by THAT one you are not SAVED . period .I reckon for someone willing to accept the Christless Crossless Gospel of the Catholic church , such does not matter to you and you think it hateful of me and others who actually CARE enough to share the truth ..for the Record , I understand perfectly about saving faith or faith that has an action/works to it actually BELIEVES the word and works of God / trusts in HIM and walks in it without adding things they have to do to be saved (RCC's saved by works doctrine), as opposed to walking in their OWN actions ..It takes humility to actually put all you are in God's hands you Catholics deny the work of Christ and make it out to be of ZERO power to do anything or of ZERO importance if we do not add to it by some work of our own , or some obedience to your church ..you're parroting a basic Catholic ERROR ..whenever I see it I am going to correct it lest some come reading in here who do not know and believe a lie .

My response: Welcome back Baptist Grandma. I am sure you think you explained yourself and maybe you did to others, but for the life of me, I unfortunately do not and can not understand what you mean by "Christless Crossless Gospel of the Catholic Church". The Catholic Church is neither "Christless" nor is it "crossless" as we have crucifixes in all our parish churches and Christ is the very center of our mass and worship. If you care to further explain what you mean, my email is always available or you may comment at the end of this post. You also mention "RCC's saved by works doctrine", "Catholics deny the work of Christ" and ironic in my opinion you tell me about "humility". Then, your last comment insinuates I am lying about something. Let me assure you I am not lying, I am sharing my faith and responding to misconceptions about my faith to the best of my abilities. Now if a Catholic who knows the faith better than I (and I am sure there are hundreds of thousands who do) sees an error I hope they will let me know as it is not my intention to post any Catholic belief in error. I welcome their correction and likewise when someone writes to me with something in error I am going to correct them.
In response to all you've said above, I will begin with what you THINK Catholics believe about "works". Number one, we do not believe we are saved by "works". Salvation comes by the Grace of God. Period. Number two, if you read Matt. 25 about the "sheep and the goats" you will see that action "works" is part of our faith and it is a requirement for all Christians. We can't just pay lip service to our Lord, we also need to show that we truly love and care for others as He did by serving others. Christ came to bring salvation and while he was here he helped and served others. He didn't ignore those in need and neither should Christians. THAT is what "works" is about, following the actions of Christ. We are not earning our salvation, we are living out our faith as Christ did. Can you understand the difference in that and what you erroneously called "saved by works doctrine"? How are the sheep and goats separated may I ask you? Are they separated by their faith or by their actions "works"? Where do those who do works spend eternity? Where do those without works spend eternity? You need to answer those questions and then re-evaluate your views on "works". A few scripture verses for you to consider while thinking about the faith and works in our salvation is James 2:24 "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." - James 2:26 "As the body without spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." (NIV Bible)
Next you mention "Catholics deny the work of Christ". I have to ask "How?". Jesus Christ brought salvation to the world. Christ was sacrificed for our sins. Catholics do not deny the work of Christ in anyway. If you have something specific in mind, would you clarify what it is? We look upon the image of Christ's death on the cross each and every time we look at a crucifix or go to mass. Catholics do not make Christ out to have "zero power" or "zero importance". Like I said before, Christ is the very center of our worship. Christ is our Savior and Lord of our lives. He is the King of Kings. I truly have no idea where you get this "zero" theology view from but I assure you, it is not part of our Catholic faith in any way.
And for the record, here is the definition of "humility" from my Webster's desk dictionary: "modesty in self-estimation; humbleness."
I'd like to suggest, that if you truly want to know what Catholics believe you get yourself a Catholic catechism and take a look for yourself. I believe you are picking up anti-Catholic views and erroneous information about the Catholic faith from anti-Catholic sources. And as always, you are welcome to write to me or comment here on this blog, it's open to anyone who wishes to share their thoughts and opinions on Catholic beliefs.

The RCC doesn't follow the Scriptures

Mr. S writes: I HAVE MANY ISSUES WITH THE RCC BUT I THINK THEY ALL PROBABLY STEM FROM ONE- THE RCC DOESN'T FOLLOW THE SCRIPTURES (EXAMPLE CALLING PRIESTS 'FATHER' WHEN SCRIPTURE CLEARLY FORBIDS IT). ALL THE PROPHETS WERE CHOSEN BY GOD TO WRITE DOWN WHAT GOD WANTED WRITTEN DOWN FOR US, CHRISTIANS. WITHOUT SCRIPTURE, WE WOULD BE LOST--THE CHURCH IS NOT RELIABLE IN THE LEAST BECAUSE IT PUTS ITS TRADITIONS ABOVE GODS WORD AND THINKS IT HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DO SO.

My response: I, as you probably expected, disagree with your views. First let me say, that the Catholic Church is reliable in teaching the faith because Jesus Christ created her to do so and promised that the "gates of hell" would not prevail against it. That is God's Word and you can trust in it. Now to what you view is the "stem" of all the issues you have with the Catholic Church: the Catholic Church isn't "sola scriptura", which from your comments I assume you are (my apologies if my assumption is incorrect). I too used to be "sola scriptura" or "scripture alone!". The problem with that is, God didn't drop bibles from Heaven nor did Jesus hand them out before he ascended. Jesus never even told believers to "listen to your bibles", in fact Jesus said to listen to the teachings of his Apostles (Mt.10) whom he left to run his Church on earth when He ascended. Let me ask you (general "you" to any one who's sola scriptura) to do something. Using your bible alone- no other source- tell me which books belong in your bibles and by what authority you have determined that. Have you come up with anything yet? Don't sweat it, you can't and neither could I. You know why? Because the bible doesn't tell you what books or verses belong in it, Church authority tells you that. The bible was never meant to be your authority or interpret its self. Jesus left a Church with authority to do that. The bible is not your authority, because it can't even determine what belongs in it nor can it interpret it's self to tell you what it's saying (I think you can agree that there are numerous differing- and bickering- interpretations of the scriptures among Christians). The bible is a tool for teaching but it isn't a better "tool" than Tradition. Sacred Scripture and Tradition are equal. Neither one more important than the other. They are equally important. What does scripture say about Tradition? 2 Thess. 2:15 "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter." The "we" is the Church. The "word of mouth" is Tradition and the "by letter" is our written scriptures. The bible tells us that BOTH are equal and if someone claims to be "sola scriptura" how can they get around this scripture to deny Tradition? Notice the "we" again. It does NOT say "stand firm and hold to the teachings you interpret from the bible" it says "stand firm and hold to the teaching WE passed on..." both "by word of mouth" (Tradition) "and by letter" (Scriptures). This completely defeats any notion of "sola scriptura". It shows Church authority and that Tradition and Scripture go hand in hand, together equally. The bible proves there is no such thing as "sola scriptura". It's right there for anyone willing to look for it honestly.
Now to your other comment about "call no man father". This is terribly misunderstood and leaves many confused. Are we forbidden from calling our biological and stepfathers "father"? Of course not. Was it a sin for Jesus to call Abraham "Father Abraham"? Of course not. Are we forbidden from calling priests "father"? Of course not as Saint Paul himself shows in scripture that he became a "father" to believers.
1 Cor. 4:15 "Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel."
Jesus says to "honor your father and mother", now if it was wrong to call a man "father" why would Jesus do so? Jesus also refers to Abraham as "Father Abraham", now if this was wrong why would Jesus do so? There are numerous occasions when "father" is used in scripture by Jesus and others. What Jesus meant by "call no man father" is we are not to ever elevate anyone to the level of our Father in Heaven, God. There is no way God is ever offended by us using the term "father" when we do not elevate any man to the level of God. We know this because of scripture it's self, as I've shown above.
You make one last comment about "authority" and your view that the Catholic Church does not have authority. No one has the authority (or power) over God. But Jesus did give His Church authority and you can see that in scripture.
Matt. 18:18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
John 20:23 "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
Acts 16:4 "As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for people to obey."
Note the "decisions reached by the apostles and elders"..."to obey". This IS Church authority in action shown in Sacred Scriptures. This is not people reaching their own decisions by reading a bible. The people are listening to the teachings of the Church because of Church authority. I know its very difficult for Protestants to see this because they are not taught to see it. These verses are often skipped right over and ignored because to address them would bring up questions that can not be supported by Protestantism. As a convert to the Catholic faith, I know this because I went thru it myself. It's eye opening and it rocks the boat of Protestant theology.
In Matt. 7:24-27 Jesus talks about building a house on a rock because when the storm comes such a house will prevail and still be standing. He also goes on to talk about builders who build a house on sand and that when the rain comes and wind blows the house can not stand because it's foundation is not solid. It collapses. Later in Matt. 16 Jesus changes Simon's name to "Rock" (Peter) and he says in verse 18 "And I tell you that you are Peter [Rock], and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

Here is the Catholic Church and two thousand plus years later she is still standing strong against the storms because her foundation is the rock. The gates of Hades will not prevail against her. Jesus promised us this and He keeps His Word. The Catholic Church is the church that Jesus Christ created in Scripture and He gave it authority on earth and in Heaven (Mt.18:18). That is what scripture says and I believe it.

You Care Not One Iota...

Mr G writes: YOU CARE NOT ONE IOTA THAT YOUR POPES ARE ALL LEADING YOU SLOWLY BUT SURELY AWAY FROM WORSHIPING THE LIVING CHRIST AS SPIRIT IN HEAVEN. SATAN WANTS YOUR POPE TO INVENT NEW SUBSTITUTES FOR CHRIST (THE WAFER GOD, THE EUCHARIST GOD, THE "VIRGIN" MARY, etc.).


My response: I have to disagree with your view about the popes "leading you slowly but surely away from worshiping the living Christ". We Catholics worship Christ all the time, most especially during our mass. I am sure Satan wants a lot of things, that doesn't mean he's going to get it. Satan would love for people to fall away from Christ's Church and fall into one deception or another. Satan is a deceiver and liar and unfortunately many do fall into his traps and others willingly run to Satan rather than our Savior Jesus Christ. This is a tragedy beyond all else, as nothing is more important than the eternal souls of people. Jesus does not wish that any should be lost, but he doesn't force us against our will. We come willingly to Him, repenting of our sins and He forgives us and welcomes us to Him with open arms.

Your comments about substitutes for Christ are simply untrue in the Catholic faith. There is no substitute for Jesus Christ and Catholics know it. We don't have a "wafer god". Jesus Christ tells us in John 6:55 that He is truly present in the Eucharist. If that is what you call "the Eucharist God" then so be it. Scripture fully supports the Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist.
John 6:53 "Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him."
And as far as Mary goes, she was indeed a virgin, hence we call her "The Virgin Mary". Even the Reformers believed this to be true. Have you ever read their comments on Mary?

Martin Luther on Mary: 'Christ . . . was the only Son of Mary, and the Virgin Mary bore no children besides Him . . . I am inclined to agree with those who declare that 'brothers' really mean 'cousins' here, for Holy Writ and the Jews always call cousins brothers.' {Pelikan, ibid., v.22:214-15 / Sermons on John, chaps. 1-4 (1539) }

John Calvin on Mary: 'Helvidius displayed excessive ignorance in concluding that Mary must have had many sons, because Christ's 'brothers' are sometimes mentioned.' {Harmony of Matthew, Mark & Luke, sec. 39 (Geneva, 1562), vol. 2 / From Calvin's Commentaries, tr. William Pringle, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1949, p.215; on Matthew 13:55} [On Matt 1:25:]

Huldreich Zwingli on Mary: "To deny that Mary remained 'inviolata' before, during and after the birth of her Son, was to doubt the omnipotence of God" {G. R. Potter, Zwingli, London: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1976, pp.88-9,395 / The Perpetual Virginity of Mary . . ., Sep. 17, 1522}

John Wesley on Mary: 'I believe... he [Jesus Christ] was born of the blessed Virgin, who, as well after as she brought him forth, continued a pure and unspotted virgin.' {"Letter to a Roman Catholic," quoted in A. C. Coulter, John Wesley, New York: Oxford University Press, 1964, 495}

Catholic Mother's Prayer Manual

I have a Catholic Mother's Manual Prayer book dated 1941 by A. Francis Coomes, S.J. once owned by my great grandmother and gifted to me after she had passed away. It's a small prayer book designed especially for Catholic Mother's and full of prayers on parenting, children and motherhood in general. It also includes blessings and feast information and quotes from saints. As so many children (and their parents) are now preparing for their First Communion this spring, I thought I would share a few of the prayers for children.

For Protection of the Child

I put my little babe under your protection Mary, my Mother. Make its tiny mind grow up to love the truths of faith; consecrate its will to the service of God; fill its heart with love for its Creator. Fashion its little body in all perfection; let its organs be sound, its sense acute, all its members strong and healthy. You can obtain this favor for me and my child, most powerful Mother. I put my trust in you. Amen.

Consecration of a child to Mary

Holy Mary, Mother of God and Mother of all faithful. I place my little child under your mothering protection. To you I completely consecrate it- body and soul. Take it under your care and keep it always. Protect it in its infancy and keep it sound in body and mind. Guard over its youth and keep its heart pure, its thoughts ever holy and directed to God and spiritual things. Protect it always throughout life- in its joys and sorrows, in its dealings with others. Always and in all things be a true Mother to it, Mary, and preserve it. I commend it entirely to you. Remember Mother Mary, that through this act of consecration it is by a special claim your child as well as mine; guard it and keep it as your property and possession. Amen.

For a Child’s Vocation

Dear Lord Jesus, You have entrusted this child to my keeping. He [she] is growing older now and must soon decide upon a future state of life. Please help him [her], and help me to help my child to make the decisions You want. I would be very proud and happy if You called him [her] to make a complete consecration to his [her] life to You, but You know best. Whatever are Your designs, just let my child know and follow them. Amen.

You Are A Priest Forever

From: That Catholic Show
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EOevN8hFKs&feature=related

Give A Priest A Break!

Don't take your priest for granted. Have you or someone you've known complained about a priest? He talks too softly, he's too hard on you during Confession, he gives boring homilies, he doesn't have a sense of humor or he's too liberal- he's too strict. Give a priest a break! Can you think of a more momentous and crucial job than having the responsibility of nurturing and feeding people's souls to keep them from eternal hell? Talk about pressure! These priests often leave behind family and friends to devote themselves to serving God to the best of their abilities. They may not entertain you with humor or wow you with captivating homilies but that is not what they are called for. A priest is a servant of God. They teach and guide and bring you the sacraments. This should not be taken for granted when there are so many Catholics around the world who have to wait weeks or months before a priest can get to them. How they pray and look forward to a Catholic priest coming to bring them the Sacraments! Priests are a blessing.
The next time you get annoyed with your priest for something you see as a fault in what you deem should be perfection, remember they are human beings who sacrificed so that they can serve God. They are not perfect, but then again neither are you. Cut them some slack and appreciate that you have a priest who brings you the sacraments. Others around the world aren't as blessed as you.
Hebrews 13:17 "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you."