Monday, August 22, 2005

From the Philly Pages

Those who know this town know that the Daily News is the more scrappy and controversial of our two papers. And their letters page makes our resident MadTrads look like happy campers.

Check this contribution in response to a column about the religious (i.e. Catholic) identity of judges....

CHRISTINE Flowers tells of her childhood experience with anti-Catholic bigotry (Aug.8). She fast forwards to the present, alleging that this same bigotry is alive today in the form of questions about Supreme Court nominee and Catholic John Roberts' views on abortion.

I grew up as a Protestant in an all-Catholic neighborhood in the 1960s. I was told repeatedly by my friends that "the nuns" said that anyone who wasn't Catholic was going to hell. So, Christine, spare me the crocodile tears.

Whenever any person, such as the pope or Billy Graham, or institution, such as the Catholic Church or the Southern Baptists, enters aggressively into the public arena, it is fair game for criticism. You can't demand a seat at the table, then refuse to pay the bill.

Stinging. But the writer has a point about being "fair game...."

Say what you will.

-30-

2 Comments:

Blogger Jimmy Mac said...

I'll go the writer of that letter one even better. My best friend in "sister school" had a Catholic father and Methodist mother. During a religion class (3rd or 4th grade)the parish priest stated that old canard, i.e., unless you were Catholic you were doomed to hell. My friend asked about his mother and that SOB of a priest repeated his statement without any apparent sense of concern for the boy's psyche.

My friend went home, told his folks. The father took him out of school and the entire family started going to the Methodist church with the mother.

Another example of Catholic Christian terrorism in action. That was in the 1950s, but who knows how many similar incidents happened over time, and might still be happening in some of our more "traditional" parishes.

22/8/05 17:39  
Blogger Jerome said...

Extra ecclesiam nulla salus.

23/8/05 20:17  

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