[Sca-cooks] Catholic/Christian, was: The Fallwell/Robertson statements

[jenne at fiedlerfamily.net]

> Catholics consider themselves to be Christians.  Some Protestant sects
> consider them to be Christian, too.  But, some Protestant sects consider
> Catholic worship of Saints and the elevation of the Pope to a status

Catholics consider it 'veneration' not worship.

> above normal humans to be worshiping false idols.

The doctrine in question is the Pope's ability to speak Ex Cathedra. It
has been used once, to declare the doctrine of the Bodily Assumption of
Mary into Heaven.

However, the extreme veneration of Mary and the doctrine that one can pray
to the Saints to ask them to pray for people is a major sticking point for
Protestants. Perhaps that is what you were thinking of?

> Catholics consider an
> awful lot of texts (i.e. the writings of Thomas Aquinas,) to be holy
> writs, which is antithetical to Protestants who consider only the New
> Testament to be the word of God.

Actually: no, the works of the theologians are not considered Holy Writ by
Catholics. However, there are several books included in the Catholic Bible
that are not in the Protestant Bible (stop by your public library and ask
for a New Jerusalem or other Catholic bible to see a list.)

Both Catholics and Protestants consider the Old Testament to be Holy Writ
as far as I know.

> Catholic rites such as the Host are
> considered magical or otherwise un-holy in some views.  And, the fact
> that many Catholic churches still forbid parishoners to read the Bible
> for themselves is a big sticking point in many Protestant views.

Tara, I'm not sure what Catholic churches you visited where you
experienced this. I recieved a bible on my confirmation in my Catholic
days, and as a church lector I read the bible aloud to the congregation
during the celebration of Mass. I have never encountered a Catholic church
that was beholden to the Pope in Rome (there are rogue segments that told
the Pope  to piss off after Vatican II) that discourages people from
reading the bible. Catholic bookstores sell Catholic bibles, people are
taught to study the bible during the Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults (conversion classes).

> Catholics are expected *not to* read the Bible, but to let their church
> leaders explain it all to them.  So, those preachers theoretically could
> (and historically, sometimes did) teach anything that fits their agenda.

Catholics are expected to read the bible, and to experience the bible. If
you attended Mass every day for three years, you would HEAR the entire
bible read out loud in the liturgies.

Note that post-Vatican II Catholics not only consider Protestants
Christians (even when the reverse courtesy is not extended) but under Pope
John Paul II the church went out of its way to declare that Judaism is
STIL a valid religion, i.e., Judaism is the correct religion for Jews and
Catholics can expect to see them in heaven.

-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa
jenne at fiedlerfamily.net OR jenne at tulgey.browser.net OR jahb at lehigh.edu
"Are you finished? If you're finished, you'll have to put down the spoon."