Living up to Catholic Stereotypes

Last updated on: March 31, 2011 at 3:44 pm by Dave Griffey

Living up to Catholic Stereotypes 2011-03-31T15:44:00-04:00 Dave Griffey

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

So the whole Live Action thing is in the news. Fine. Looks like they’ve been calling around to see if Planned Parenthood really does provide mammograms – which is why Planned Parenthood says it needs the money, for services like that. Seems Live Action isn’t committing that mortal sin of lying in this case, and many have taken to cheering, saying well done, forgiving them their blasphemous evils, and pointing out that evil can be defeated without lying – even though I’ve not seen any more results of this honest approach than I did the much maligned sting operations of a month or so ago.

On Mark Shea’s blog, he posts an article pointing the same things out – that lying isn’t necessary, and it’s nice to see Live Action doing it right. Fair enough. But then, in the comments, I read this:

“Technically, Mark, they also asked questions like “I was hoping I could come into Planned Parenthood for a mammogram” (from their Georgetown and St. Louis PP call) Now, most of the called-in inquiries on their video were of the “Does Planned Parenthood offer mammograms?” sort, but some were fibs, for they were posing as someone wanting to come in for a mammogram.”

You see that? Live Action is only mostly perfect. They’re still not 100% perfect – and that’s where we should focus!

One of the stereotypes of Catholicism is, of course, that it guts the Gospel of its heart and soul and replaces it with a stone cold, heartless, computer microchip precision style legalism. But another is something I remember hearing as a Protestant. That Catholics firmly believe that salvation is attained by everyone[else] being 100% perfect 100% of the time. 99.9999999999999999999999999999999999% perfection just won’t do. Unless, of course, it’s my own sins – which are OK, since God loves to forgive me, I have confession, and when I sin it’s just the natural thing to do and grace and forgiveness and mercy and all that jazz.

Hence, Catholics give the dual presentation of a religion where nobody has a ghost of a chance to be saved since except for a select few (who can have among the worst lives of anyone), folks just will never be able to cut it (think Martin Luther). And yet on the other side, one that maintains a religion that continually scores near dead last on all the religious studies and surveys. A religion where its adherents have the reputation of out lying, out cheating, out screwing, out drinking, out gambling, out smoking, and out debauching the most die-hared atheist. Because the focus in on how intolerant we should be of everyone[else]’s sins, but so understanding of our own.

Of course that isn’t unique to Catholicism. It is a human trait to focus on the splinter in our neighbor’s eye while demanding nothing less than understanding and forgiveness for the logs in our own eyes. But with the Catholic Faith’s premium on philosophical wrangling in order to explain and promote this or that teaching, when filtered through that weird, strange world of the combox, it can certainly make it appear that, at least in this case, old stereotypes have at least some basis in fact.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

March 29, 2011

In America, outrage over trashing an American hero may seem strange

Next Post

April 3, 2011 My Dad has died

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Atheism Awesome things Bigotry for the hip American Blogging Books Catholic Catholic Teaching Catholics on the Internet Christian Persecution Christian Unity Christianity and America Christianity in the Post-Modern World Christianity in the world Culture of Death Culture of Life Current Events Decline and Fall of the Christian West Defending Liberty Fun Stuff Global Warming Good Causes Good News Gun Control Health Care History Holidays Homeschool Humor Important things Inspiring Stories Interesting Insights Interesting Stories Islam and the West Liberal "Tolerance" Liberal observations Life in a post-Christian world Memorial Movies Musings News Other Blogs Our Big Politically Correct Bother Politics Popular Culture Post Modern Values Prayers Pro Life Promoting LGBT Protecting Liberty Racism in the world today Scientism Social Observations Sports Strange Stories The Boys The Catholic Church and the Left The Decline and Fall of the American Dream The end of liberty The Faith and the Left The Faith and the Right The Family The Greatness of God The Internet The Leftist Juggernaut The LGBT Question The Media The Pope The post-liberal Left The Power of Propaganda Tributes Twilight of the American Experiment Uncategorized Uneducating Postmoderns When the Church is wrong Why learn from history when we can repeat it instead Wisdom in the Post Modern Age World Events

Select a Month August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Isaac's wife?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Rachel Rebekah Leah Sarah