Ecumenism « POWIP

15Nov/0970

I Hate that F**king Fig Tree

Warning - More Theological Stuff Below.

While we have been on the subject of intolerance as it relates to religion, I thought I may as well beat the dead horse oto death completely - and then kick it in the jaw for good measure.

Dan's post about the vitriolic bigotry spewed by the hateful commentariat (any time and every time an article is written about the Pontiff, the Catholic Church, or anything relating to the Church) and the posts of a particular "Jeremy" (a self-proclaimed Born Again) made me think about one particular aspect that bothers me about Protestant Christians who rip on the Church.

Here is what kept crossing (so to speak) my mind:

The Catholic Church was the only game in town for the first 1000 years after the time of the Christ. Then we had the Great Schism. But in Europe Proper, She (the Church) was the singular Christian Tabernacle for 1500 years - until a certain Martin Luther instigated the Protestant Rebellion Reformation. And then of course we had Henry VIII who at first suppressed and then served as catalyst for the split from Rome - giving birth to the C of E.

Given that the main of American Christians can trace their origins to Europe Proper, I will confine this post to the Protestant Reformation.

I'll be honest: when I see/hear/sense bigotry toward the Church, I am quite literally offended. Here is why: Which Church is it, specifically, that promulgated the Christian Faith through those first 1500 years? To which Church, specifically, belonged the thousands upon thousands of Martyrs that quite literally gave their lives for the Faith? Which Church, specifically, is responsible for defending Christendom from the aggressions of the Moors? How many Christian women, children, and other defenseless believers were spared?Â Maybe most importantly, which Church, specifically, preserved the Word, published the Word, spread the Word, promoted the Word, defended the Word, and re-introduced the Word to Europe Proper after the fall of the Roman Empire? From which Church, specifically, came the most brilliant of the Theologians? To which Church did, say, St. Paul belong? St. Peter? St. Catherine of Sienna? St. Thomas Aquinas? I will not even go into the Gifts the Church and Her members have bestowed to all of Mankind (for free) with regard to Feminism, Science, Literature, Education, Medicine, the Arts, etc, etc. I will ignore all of that...

But I do want to ask all that bash the Church who call themselves Christians, "Do you owe nothing to Her? Do you think the Faith was buried in a time capsule from the time of Christ's Crucifixion until Luther dug it up in the 1500s?"

And finally, I would ask, "Why are you so spiteful of those who transmitted the Good News throughout the ages so that you, today, could come to 'hear and believe'? Many have sacrificed for you to bring the message to you. And yet you spit and beat them with the reed. Why?"