Of Christian Slander
Posted by: tony on 11/22/2006 10:25 AM
Updated by: tony on 11/27/2006 06:41 PM
Expires: 12/23/2006 12:00 AM
“There are not a hundred people in America who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions of people who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church— which is, of course, quite a different thing.” -- Abp. Fulton Sheen
On the weblog Of Christian Women, Carrie is doing a series on "Catholicism"1. The comments are currently turned off. But while they were turned on, John, a regular commenter on her blog was once again following the rules, and using scripture only to defend the Catholic Church. Even though it's like debating with one hand tied behind his back, he's doing wonderfully. He says at one point:
Carrie: Now, I don’t appreciate you twisting these talking points to support your Catholic doctrines. [ed.- Translation, "How dare you use scripture that I didn't anticipate!"]
John: Sorry, I was only trying to show our own understanding of scripture.
Carrie: I don’t mind discussing scripture with you John, but I am not going to allow this comment section to be a sounding board for the false doctrines of your faith.
John: Ok, fair enough. However, I thought you were covering these topics just so you could tell your readers what the Catholic Church actually believes.
I see my role here not to debate or convince others of my faith. I just want it portrayed (1)accurately and (2) fully. You have done well with the accuracy, but the 'fully' issue gets me posting.
So the truth comes out.
John addresses this woman with charity, much more charity than I'm able or willing to use consistently. As such, he's a much better example of a good and patient Catholic than I. He leads Carrie gently through Scriptural support for Catholic doctrines. She will not be led. Rather than read Scripture illuminated with the light of the Holy Spirit who she claims to posess, she cherry picks only those passages which appear to support her claims of the "false doctrines" of the Catholic church. She gets very frustrated when someone like John, who is Catholic and is not supposed to know Scripture, effectively quotes the word of God. When it comes to Bible thumping, Carrie likes to be the thumper. She doesn't take kindly to being the "thumpee".
There is a little history that anyone who reads Carrie's missives on the Catholic Church needs to be aware of.
Carrie is a "recovering Catholic". The term "Recovering Catholic" strikes me as really close to "recovering alcoholic" or "recovering crack addict".
I call myself a recovering Catholic because by the grace of God I was able to overcome my entrapment. I believe that Catholicism is a dead religion that fools people into thinking they are bound for heaven when most are not. I believe this because of my own experience growing up in the Catholic church and because of my continual interaction with my Catholic family members and friends.
Nobody is trapped in the Catholic Church. People are able to leave any time they want to. As a matter of fact, there are many notable Catholics who have been kicked out.
Since she lists herself as "recovering", it leads me to believe that she hasn't "recovered" yet. There is still some attachment to the Catholic Church and the "false doctrines" even though she's been "born again" and has "accepted Jesus as her personal Savior".
One can only hope that she "relapses" and falls firmly back into the arms of Jesus through His Church. From her obsession with Catholicism, one would think that she still isn't completely convinced that she's right, and has to constantly has to validate her false impressions of the Catholic Church. Johh is making that hard on her.
Her missives on Catholicism are as accurate as a recovering alcoholic discussing the benefits of social drinking. These articles, though somewhat accurate on the surface, use multiple documents such as the CCC, the Baltimore Catechism, and the Council of Trent. She picks and chooses whichever statements out of context that will appear to support what she wants people to think the Catholic Church teaches.
If you want to look at sites like Carrie's you can go here or here.
With regards to salvation, the CCC states:
817 In fact, "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame."269 The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ's Body - here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism270 - do not occur without human sin:
Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers.271
818 "However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."272 [ed.- But Carrie chose to leave the Church. I'd imagine the sin of separation applies. We really need to pray for her.]
819 "Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth"273 are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements."274 Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him,275 and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."276
So rest assured, no matter what words were written in the Baltimore Catechism, or any of the previous Ecumenical Councils, non-Catholic Christians can be saved. But that doesn't negate the fact that the fullness of worship, and the most complete understanding of Jesus is found in the Catholic Church.
I have only gotten one comment so far but I will not be posting it because it did not follow the rules I outlined.
Instead of telling me where I have inaccurately described the Catholic faith in my posts, the complaint is more directed at my motives for doing this series.
I have no issue with the comment itself, but my husband has told me I don’t follow my own rules in the comments section and allow the discussions to get off-topic. He is right. So I am being a stickler with the rules.
I am also willing to concede a point. If disagreeing with the teachings of the Catholic faith makes me “anti-Catholic” then so be it. However, I would prefer the term “pro-Bible only”.
I don't know why the problem with the term anti-Catholic (I'm surprised she didn't say anti-"RCC"). It's a viable term, and it describes her current attitude perfectly. It's nice to see she's embraced the reality if not the term.
I know that I didn't want to play by her rules. I asked a question of Carrie that never made it through moderation (I'm sure nothing makes it through moderation that might make her look bad):
Is a baptized Catholic infant who dies going to go to Hell.
I'd love her to answer that one.
My discussion section is open. The only rule is no nastiness.
-- [1] I put "Catholicism" in "sneer quotes" because what Carrie calls "Catholic" bears a passing resemblance to Catholicism, but is not.
