Answers to anti Catholic questions

"There are likely less than one hundred people who hate the Catholic church but thousands who hate what they wrongly THINK is the Catholic church" (Fulton Sheen)

Since there has been a rash of anti Catholicism on social media lately, here are some answers to the usual allegations:

To answer the question, first: about a man wearing women's clothing, (the anti Catholic referred to the Pope's robes). The "Dalmatic" (robe) worn by the Pope is similar to the garment that Jesus wore.  In looking at the profile photo of the anti-Catholic, I noticed he wears a unisex hairdo... I think it's rather hypocritical that his hair is worn in a hairdo which I have mostly seen in women, when he criticized others for "women's clothing", referring to ecclesiastical robes, beating us with a Bible verse quoted out of context. (Deut 22:5) Answers to other questions:
1. Pedophile priests? Fact, less than one percent of Catholic priests have been accused of sexual misbehavior and less than that, convicted. Compare to the 10% of Protestant/Evangelical leaders accused and the 20% of public school teachers accused.  These are govt statistics... which can easily be looked up on the internet. But keep in mind, the church is NOT a haven for the perfect but a hospital for sinners. A perfect church with perfect people, would have no place for any of us in it.
2. Catholics do not pray to Mary...they ask Mary to pray to Jesus for us, like we ask our fellow Christians to pray for us.  If you believe in Christianity, you should believe that Christians who departed from this life before us, are in Heaven (as Jesus promised) and certainly CAN pray for us here on earth but there are several places in the Bible which affirm the practice of intercessory prayer.
3. The Rosary is a meditative prayer which uses Mary the mother of Jesus, like a prayer partner in order for us to LISTEN to GOD rather than the Evangelical way people pray of talking to God and not listening.  There are many Protestants who pray the Rosary also. This, you would need to study to understand it and how to do it.
4. Actually, you can get extremist about symbols...the early church incorporated many pagan symbols, Christianizing them.  For example, if anyone who has a Christmas tree at Christmastime, is using a pagan symbol. Trees like that were decorated for a pagan feast called Saturnalia.  That issue is handled in several places in the New Testament, for example "It's not what GOES IN TO THE MOUTH which is evil but what comes out." (for one, Matt 15:11)
5. The present Pope saying he felt he was not one to judge homosexuals or same sex attraction was being true to what Jesus told us (rather emphatically) to not judge, like in Luke for example: "Luke 6:42 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye." Catholics do not believe in sex outside of marriage and less than 25% of Catholics can indulge in sex without committing sin.  Must be in a Sacramental marriage, must not be using birth control and must be male and female.  The rest are expected to observe chastity.  I personally know a Catholic who left the church so she could co-habit with her boyfriend.
6. The pope is never worshiped - he's just the leader of the Catholic church and respected as such because the lineage, religiously, can be traced back to St Peter to whom Jesus gave the "Keys of the Kingdom". Also see John 20:22 ff: "And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit.Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." or also in Matthew 5...
6. The Catholic worship service which we call "the Mass" from the Latin "Missa", can be found almost the same as it is celebrated today, in the writings of Justin the Martyr, who lived around 150 AD.  It includes over 30 minutes of Bible reading.

Well, you are perfectly welcome to quote this in case an anti Catholic comes at you, beating his/her Bible but keep in mind that ignorant people may not read through all of this because typically, ignorant people have poor reading skills.

Mass Children grave near a convent

 

 

A recent story in a blog announced a "Nun Scandal" specifically, a mass grave of 800 children found close to a home for unwed mothers run by Catholic sisters.  The blogger blab-ographer, of course, ASS-U-MEd the worst - they hinted that the nuns were likely either killing the kids or encouraging the mothers to do same.

 

A mass grave sounds like death from plague or influenza rather than the onesies and twosies of abortion! The legend that nuns meet priests in the basements of convents and do improper things, then have abortions and/or encouraged unwed mothers to indulge in abortion or other, has been around forever - it is the type of dirt that the enemies of Catholicism love to dish but I have researched it and there is absolutely NO EVIDENCE of this at all in history. 

 

Additionally - also we should keep in mind that it was the Catholic church that got rid of abortion in the first place back in Apostolic days and the Catholic church which continues to take a very strong stand of respect for the sanctity of life "from the womb to the tomb"!  I was in the convent for 9 months and believe me, there was totally NO IMPROPER behavior. 

 

In the early part of the 20th century, something like 70% of children born (or more) did not make adulthood - they died of things like diphtheria, polio, typhoid fever, influenza etc. That's why birth control was never an issue in "days of yore" - a woman had to have several kids to have couple of them, survive into adulthood.

 

Bottom line, it's good to remember "garbage in - garbage out" and with the press twisting and misquoting and dishing dirt about all things Catholic, it ends up being less than a waste of time for Catholic readers - who'd be better spending their time reading the Bible and get their news from Catholic News Service or similar.

 

When I was in the convent, I didn't read news at all and found it was rather pleasant without the daily dirt dishing of the news services - the important stuff filtered down and the rest I never missed.  So upon coming out, I continued not bothering with the news and I've never regretted that decision! :)

 

 I really get weary of the media attacks but then Jesus foretold it - "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." We follow a crucified Christ to the cross and into Heaven!!!  (Photo is of me as a postulant in the convent in 1964)