Anti-Catholic bigotry

By Matt C. Abbott

Perhaps the term "bigot" is overused these days, particularly by the libertine left when referring to those of us who oppose the homosexual lobby, which in turn promotes the homosexual lifestyle and same-sex "marriage" and denigrates the traditional family unit. (The homosexual lobby often supports the abortion industry as well.)

Yet bigotry does exist — and we orthodox Christians bear the brunt of it. Consider: Abortion and homosexual activists frequently exhibit bigotry toward us. Vicious secular humanists such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins frequently exhibit bigotry toward us. And then there's the bigotry exhibited by some Protestants toward Catholics such as yours truly. (Yes, I will concede that there are some Catholics who exhibit bigotry toward Protestants — i.e. by claiming Protestants have no chance of being saved and by not treating them as our brothers and sisters in Christ — but, thankfully, such Catholics are relatively few in number.)

I recently received an e-mail from a fellow I'll call Jim, who was responding to my April 24 column "Homosexuality and the Church Crisis." Based on Jim's initial e-mail to me, printed below, I assumed he was an anti-Catholic gay activist bigot.

'I did not read your article. I did find the title very offensive. That church is NOT only not my church, it is also not the church of most people living in the USA. The only things I know about your church is: 1. They didn't stop murdering Protestants for heresy until a few hundred years ago. 2. They shifted to buggering to [sic] children is [sic] the present day. I do not want to know anymore. I don't [sic] to read anymore. I am tired of bitching, analyzing, and whining in the newspapers. If you want to write about this crap please confine it to the Catholic press and stop bothering the rest us.'

I responded:

'I assume you're referring to this column of mine. No one's forcing you to read anything. I don't know you and I didn't e-mail you. If some leftist blog/Web site you happen to read links to and/or comments on my column, well, that's certainly not my doing. My suggestion is quite simple: If my column offends you, don't even read the title. I don't let anti-Catholic bigots dictate the subjects about which I write.'

Well, I soon found out that Jim isn't in fact an anti-Catholic gay activist bigot; he's an anti-Catholic Protestant bigot. To wit: In a subsequent e-mail (partially edited, except to show that Jim's e-mail correspondence is sloppily composed), he said:

'It is a fact that the Catholic Church persecuted and, yes, murdered Protestants in the past for high crime of heresy. Now, that was a long time ago, and I and most others don't blame the Catholics of today for the crimes of the past. But, given the history, some of us just do not like the Catholic Church very much. Calling us 'anti-Catholic Bigots' does not help either side. (btw.. Matt, do you call modern Jews, 'anti-Nazi bigots?') It is also a fact the 'us bigots' don't particular like it when the press, any press, refers to Catholic Church as THE church. Gee, does that mean that nice little Baptist church my family has attended for the past 3 generations is not a real church? Well, I guess only on god can answer that one, but according to Matt, it is obviously not THE church.

'And Matt, after you sent me the link, I did go back and read your article. Statistics and formulas. Very and impressive and probably all very true. But, this heretic's view is much more simple:

'I have know since the scandals of the early 1980's that the Catholic Church protects the pedophiles in its high and holy priestly ranks. Actually any one read newspapers in the 1980s knew that then. Are there pedophile Catholic priest? Heretics think the answer is yes. Are the pedophile Baptist Ministers? Heretics, including many Baptists, think the answer is yes.

'The ONLY difference that this heretic can see is: The Catholic Church protects the pedophile priests from criminal prosecution! (And has many times moved them new parishes were they can prey on even more children.)

'Gee, let's think about this for minute. It's... say 1985 and there is a man that really likes to have sex with young children. He was gone so far as considering entering profession that will put him in contact with young children. What are his alternatives? School teacher? If busted, he will go prison? Protestant Minister? If busted, he will go to prison? Catholic Priest? If busted, he will be protected from and criminal prosecution and be will be moved to new parish with lots of new children to molest?

'Finally, true confessions: I am a born and raised protestant who is such an anti-Catholic BIGOT that I married a nice Catholic girl about 35 year ago. We are still married (although, I admit the marriage is NOT recognized by your high and holy church. I did not convert) and my wife stayed with the church until about 5 years ago when she realized that her monthly tithe (10% of our income — earned primarily by the bigot) was going primarily to pay for the criminal defense of pedophiles and left THE church. I was pleased and proud.

'Thanks to the internet genealogy craze I have an Aunt who was actually able to verify that the family legend is true. I do have a great, great..... grandfather who was beheaded by THE church for the crime of heresy in the 1600's. He was, in fact guilty of two crimes. He was a Quaker and he had stayed on the wrong side of the Atlantic Ocean much too long. After the beheading, his family (my ancestors) migrated to place with a history that Matt may be familiar with. Today we call it Pennsylvania. Actually, I think they called it that back then but that's another story. (NOTE: His last name was Dye, I have never actually counted how may 'great''s go before grandfather, and she has details, I never bothered to get them from her. I must admit, I was surprised that we were once Quakers, all that I had know about were Baptists and an occasional Lutheran)

'I DID get linked to Matt's article though one of those far left wing web sites. It's called Free Republic. You may want to check it out.'

(I shared Jim's initial e-mail with a Catholic friend of mine who also responded to him — hence Jim is, at certain points, directing his comments toward my friend as well as me.)

I'd say Jim and his ilk have been spending too much time indulging in anti-Catholic propaganda.

What a shame.

Pertinent link:

"A Crisis of Saints"

© Matt C. Abbott