At The American Catholic we get almost daily comments submitted by anti-Catholic bigots. We routinely place them in our trash file as unworthy of the effort to respond to. However, I thought that our readers might be amused to see the typical type of rant we receive from these individuals. This one was submitted in response to my post about Eric Metaxas, a Dietrich Bonhoeffer biographer and a non-Catholic, comparing the contraceptive mandate of the Obama administration to the initial moves of Nazi Germany against the German churches in the Thirties of the last century.
If the Catholics want to get into a political battle then don’t whine. That’s Politics. Chaplains want to use their positions to push their political ideology from Rome. That not their job. Use your own time not USA;s time. For a Catholic to talk about freedom of speech and liberty with their history of killing people, persecution, and enslaving western civilized is and utter joke. Hate is what the Catholic showed to all non Catholics. Catholics want a political fight then lets fight. Significant number of priests are gay or child rapists, then your church shopped them around. This is been going on since the 1100?s. The Church’s political views against women health will alienate women. How about shinning a light on church supporting fascist counties in WW2. Germany, Italy, Spain, Argentina, and Croatia. The pope told all of their leaders they were Christ defenders. Your religion killed our ancestors civilization (Greek and Roman) and produced the Dark ages. That is the politics of pain and suffering and I will proudly fight against it.
Well, let’s examine this screed shall we?
1. Note that Catholics are not treated as individuals. Catholics are simply CATHOLICS!!!, an object of hate. Hatemongers for centuries have used this technique. Isaac and Rebeckah may differ on quite a bit, but it doesn’t matter in the eyes of an anti-Semite. They are simply Jews and collectively responsible for all the ills in the world.
2. Catholic chaplains are then accused of pushing a “political ideology” from Rome. Actually, in the fight over the contraceptive mandate, the “political ideology” being pushed is that of the Founding Fathers, as enshrined in the religious freedom section of the first amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The drafters put into the first amendment the freedoms they viewed as most essential, and freedom of religion topped the list. Our bigot’s true argument is with men named Adams, Washington, Madison, Jefferson, etc., and not with the bogeyman Catholic Church he has conjured up in his fevered imagination.
3. The historical illiteracy of the rants of anti-Catholic bigots I find particularly amusing, and the sample under examination is no exception. The bigot says that Catholics have no right to speak about freedom or liberty. He of course has never read any of the writings of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the Catholic Founding Father, on the subject, and he is completely ignorant, which comes as little surprise, that the freedom that he enjoys today in this country is a long process brought about by the Catholic Middle Ages in Western Europe.
4. He naturally brings up the scandal of pedophile priests, not to make any substantive point in his argument, but because it is simply another club to wield against the object of his hate. His bringing up of the “1100’s” is probably due to his belief that is when celibacy began for priests. (Recall that he is bone ignorant in regard to the history of the Church.)
5. Of course we have the accusation of the Church being against “women health”. I rather doubt that our bigot correspondent is a feminist, but, as noted above, any club against Catholics will do. If a Catholic bashing administration came out in favor of cannibalism, rest assured that the drafter of this missive would soon include a slam against the Church for being opposed to the essential liberty of feasting off human flesh, just as he is now exorcised about employees of Catholic institutions being deprived of the essential liberty of someone else having to pay for their birth control or abortifacients.
6. Few anti-Catholic diatribes are complete without a display of blinding ignorance as to the history of the Church in World War 2. He might as well have indicted Winston Churchill as Hitler’s right hand man to complete the display of someone reading history writ in another frame of reality far, far removed from the one the rest of us inhabit.
7. Then we have the peroration, indicting the Church for killing the civilization of Greece and Rome, which would have shocked those monks down through the centuries who preserved the histories of those cultures which, I am sure, our friend has studiously failed to read. Ignorance on such a vast and universal scale is almost awe-inspiring.
Well, that is a typical sample of the anti-Catholic missives we normally receive, and why they normally go immediately into blessed internet oblivion.
…….and this, I presume, is from a voting age American, Don?
Not at all surprising, but indicative of the importance due the pursuit of truth among those who have made up their mind, absent the facts. Apparently this is a sampling of the fruits of our system of education, or is that, indoctrination?
It gives one pause to reflect upon the fragility of the long-term prospects of civilized society.
Karl
This is typical of the atheist.
“I know that my Redeemer lives.”
From Father McCartney’s sermon, “Jesus came to take sin out of the world. He did not come to take suffering out of the world.”
The same “thing” hit me right between the eyes, Karl.
The republic is doomed.
Imbeciles such as that vote and so we have Obama and his gang blithely tearing the Constitution to shreds and destroying the economy.
It’s all over.
No it isn’t T.Shaw. Fools and bigots are always with us. The task for us to prevail against them.
You very ably dismantled the “reasoning” of this fool point by point, Donald. I have little to add except to note the terrible grammar and poor writing skills on display. Mr. or Ms. Bigot, if you are going to pose as some sort of champion of civilisation, at the very least you should write complete sentences. A nun of the old school never taught this illiterate dolt how to diagram a sentence, more’s the pity.
Mac,
I guess. Sitting in occupied America, it’s hard to be optimistic.
I hope you’re right.
We won’t go down without a fight.
I saw a poll that 39% agree with the idiot agenda. Hope it carries through November.
Meanwhile, for what it’s worth strategic investing: God. Gold. Whiskey.
Donna, unimaginative illiteracy is almost always a feature of the anti-Catholic diatribes we receive. I do credit our correspondent however for leaving out references to the Illuninati, Pope Joan and Jesuit mind control, which I sometimes think are included in some sort of style guide for anti-Catholic rants.
Their number is legion.
Now I know where my comments have been ending up….
.
.
.
.
What?
Don,
I agree with Donna. Your reasoning is clearly superior to the Bigot’s.
I’m surprised you didn’t say anything about the lack of proper punctuation and grammar in this example you offered.
In the 1970’s, my parents were featured in the NY Times for the arrival of their 16th child. My parents held on to the mail that arrived after that article was published, the majority of it bashing large families. When I read through most of the letters they received, I’m surprised by the apparent illiteracy of those who bought into the myth of overpopulation.
I see the same lack of knowledge exhibited in the example you offer, and I’m not surprised, frankly. An inability to intellectually study the Church (or any world affair for that matter) rightly indicates a lack of intellectual ability – period.
And so, I’m left with the question: “Is it worth our time and energy to even respond, when it would seem that intellectually, our adversaries are incapable of understanding our reasoning?”
Sister Colleen, bigots such as my correspondent are harmless to us and warrant no response. Bigots who hold power in government, or who have platforms where they sway public opinion, always warrant swift, pointed and effective responses from all faithful Catholics who have the knowledge, talent and spine to do so, especially in a democracy. Our ancestors in the Faith understood this. Archbishop John Hughes of New York, known universally to friend and foe as “Dagger John”, after a Catholic Convent was burned to the ground in Philadelphia in the 1840s, advised the anti-Catholic mayor of New York that if one hand was raised against a Catholic Church in New York, New York would look like a second Moscow, referencing the burning of Moscow in 1812. For too long Catholics in this country have been used as a punching bag by those who hate us and the Faith. Time for Catholics to peacefully, but forcefully, defend themselves in the Public Square, and to remember that there is a reason why we are called the Church Militant here on Earth.
“Now I know where my comments have been ending up”
🙂
True, Don…I was referring to the letter-writing brand Bigot! Those in power are even more dangerous, power+ignorance=disaster.
Quite right Sister. Unfortunately power and ignorance too often walk side by side these days.
Whenever I run across a comment like this one, I try to engage the other person. Calling him a typical athiest doesn’t show any more imagination than his collective attacks on all Catholics. I would probably say that he underestimates the amount of child abuse by about 1100 years – but how does that prove that Catholicism is right or wrong? Or, I’d admit to Croatia, and explain to him the truth about Germany and Spain. I don’t think you can do much more than get in one or two points on the internet, but if they stick, or if someone else reads them and they stick, well then I’ve sown a seed.
‘ And so, I’m left with the question: “Is it worth our time and energy to even respond, when it would seem that intellectually, our adversaries are incapable of understanding our reasoning?” ‘
Sr. Colleen Clair: I would say, Yes. This is an important time. Whether or not understanding is established isn’t as important (or possible?) as actively defending the freedom to exercise religion and protect our 1st Amendment rights.
If your mission involves young people, be sure they understand the Catholic Church established by Jesus is their meaning in life. It is where they will find a lifelong way for life to be manageable throughout their lives. Our young need direction and hope to work for now. I think our Father in Heaven wants us to learn to defend His Church for His people. Youth with direction will remember and carry on, they will care.
PM You are correct, our children need to be armed against whatever the devils throws at them.
[…] Bigot Mail – Donald R. McClarey, The American Catholic […]
Its a universal problem.
I , along with a few other Catholics, and some protestants, on our most popular secular blog are continually having to defend or counter much of the screaming anti-christian sentiments and lies perpetrated by some of the commenters.
It’s almost a sport – let’s hope it doesn’t become a blood sport !!
The scary thing is that this commenter is a Mensa candidate compared to some of the followup commenters (obviously not the ones who posted here and were approved). Sin makes you stupid.
Yeah, our trash file has been busy today!
I have to wonder how much longer it will be before Christian blogsites are ordered to give equal time to the liberal atheists, or worse, they are shutdown as “hate speech.” Liberty, equality and fraternity were Robespierre’s watch words.
My response to such an Order Paul would be “Eat lawsuits Feds!”
Praise God for men like Donald McClarey.
Wait just a doggone minute, now! No Pope Joan?
But . . . but . . . She’s my very favorite false idol to which I like to bow down and pray to!
(sarcasm/off)
Thank you for giving me a smile!