Wacky Fundamentalism

To their credit at least they're not just singling out Catholics

Yeah, but they seem not to know the difference between Orthodox and Roman Catholic, or the difference between veneration and worship, for that matter.

The Jack Chick tracts linked to at the bottom of the page tell me all I need to know about this woeful display of ignorance.

Exactly how can you worship Satan (or God or Shiva or Buddha) without realizing it? Surely worship is about giving oneself wholly to someone or something. I can no more accidentally worship an alien god than I can accidentally sin. Both require intention and consent.

Paranoid fundie junk.

Fr. Philip, OP

Protestants have always thought this about us. It shouldn't be a surprise. This is why I laugh at ecumenicism and so do they. There are shouts for joy if a Catholic "finds Jesus" and becomes a Protestant, but if a Protestant becomes Catholic? He is shunned and not spoken of.

Most American Catholics are Protestant lap-dogs, trying to "be good" so their masters will throw them a treat. They should wake up and realize that their masters despise us for our "backward religion".

I know what they're talking about; I heard this dreck all the time at my Baptist high school. To this day I fear I will ever have a speck of skepticism regarding the Faith (I'm a Presbyterian, for the record), though I am willing to listen and respect now. All I can say regarding Mary and the Saints (great name for a band) is that sometimes it's easy to confuse the forest with the trees. Just my two cents.

Your link seems to be broken to the page.

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Russian_Orthodox/ro-idolatry.htm

If you want a good laugh, go to the main page on that site. Talk about headache-inducing!

All the links at the top that they're attacking make me wonder just what *is* good in the world, and whether they think my family is going to Hell because I went to a place last week where you can pick your own apples.

Rob is totally right. I am a convert whose ex-husband refused to cooperate with my annulment, mostly because of the ignorant ideas his pin-headed Assembly of God pastor had put in his head about Catholics. The only way I can see for ecumenism to happen is for the Church to become more Protestant, and that just cannot happen!! Those that look for truth and seek the true Church convert--those that are content with what their Pastor says and with what makes their extended Protestant family happy stick with the status quo.

Goodness.

I grew up with a lot of this stuff. And now, I am Catholic. Which just goes to show you "you can't stop the signal."

I am fascinated by this concept of "accidental worship" which was already criticized on one of the above comments. I can see someone being tricked into worshipping the wrong entity through some sort of supernatural bait-and-switch. An example of this would be Wiccan's whose personal hunger for power lead them to worship demons by other names or Mormons whose prophet slowly changed his theology until something unholy and monstrous resulted (same for Islam, really).

You could say this tactic is a common ploy of post-Christian religions and probably even comes from a cynical extra-Christian assessment of the popularity of Authentic Christianity.

Of course, if you are tricked into performing misdeeds for Satan, then you would not be as culpable for that sin but you are still a victim as long as you participate. Such is the nature of being duped. But it would not be worship per se unless, as stated above, you intentionally poured your heart into the devotion.

Otherwise, the world would become a frighteningly random place where our every action could result in unintended "worship."

Did you go on one knee to tie your shoe? That's shoe-olotry! Feed the goat at the petting zoo? How dare you cavort with the horned one! Have you put up your son's crayon drawing on the fridge for everyone to see? Crayon-olotry and sinful veneration of your son's image!

The real shame here is how such attitudes confirm Secularite prejudices about religion. This once-Protestant state banked on upholding many unfounded prejudices concerning Catholics. Those same anti-Catholic beliefs led to an anti-supernatural cynicism which led to the current trend of hatred towards all faiths today.

Think about it.

How many times do you hear people say that religion is just a tool for power, or that believers are feeble-minded followers, or that science and religion are opposing forces with one representing truth and the other representing warm feelings.

Lies lies lies. But more importantly: Lies That Can Be Traced Back to Protestant Attitudes Concerning Catholicism.

Protestants have always known the case for Protestantism's existence is weak and have instead relied attacks totally lacking in substance in order to tarnish the image of a really cool faith. It is people like Jack Chick who keep the the Secularite dream of life without faith alive.

Amy, you have described the reason for the attempted coup d'etat, the Protestantizing of The Church. Protestant pride, yes...same sin of Lucifer, does not let them come back to The Fold. I am not talking about holy Protestant souls who have the humility of Christ and thus do not shun Truth. Those are the converts that have come Home. I am talking about those and their leaders who harbor hatred and pride (two good Christian virtues, eh?). For centuries they have plotted to whittle down The Church. After all, once the priesthood is gone, the Eucharist is gone,...no Holy Orders, no Penance, no Communion. What is left? Only that which they already have and even you and I can perform at least one of them ourselves.

Once The Church was no different from their own, they would be able to simply walk through the door and already be home. An old plot as transparent as it has always been.

Pardon me while I yawn. Ain't happenin', folks!

"This is why I laugh at ecumenicism and so do they."

Perfectly put. Anyone who doesn't believe this should spend some time reading some recent convert's stories, like Steven Ray, Scot Hahn, etc...to see what they really think of us.