Catholics - Please Explain

[zerinus]

Most folks tip toe around this subject with Catholics because they don't want to offend their friends. I among of them. However I have to ask. How do you defend the centuries of mass murder, genocide, torture and wars spawned by the Roman Catholic Church. After all, these were not just some renegade priests that did all this. It was RCC practice and policy for hundreds of years and it was done at the behest of hundreds of priests, cardinals and dozens of popes. There is zero chance that Christ had anything to do with governing the RCC. How does your church address these topics?

Hi,

I did not noticed this thread, otherwise I should have replied to it sooner. That is actually not correct. It is exaggerated, and takes a narrow and shortsighted view of history. 3DOP replies have generally been very good, and I am inclined to agree with them. A lot of wrong things were done by the Catholic Church in its long history; but in general its influence in the world has been good rather than bad. It is not the â??church of the devilâ? and the â??great and abominable churchâ? etc. Those are Protestant sentiments rather than genuine LDS ones. Unfortunately in the past a lot of LDS sentiment regarding Catholicism was shaped by Protestantism rather than by genuine, authentic, LDS theology and doctrine, derived from modern revelation. Since the great majority of Latter-day Saints were converts from the Protestant world, they have unwittingly brought along with them into the Church much of their Protestant prejudices which has distorted their theological understanding of Mormonism. The Church has come a long way since then, and I am sure those sentiments are no longer officially sanctioned by the Church; but those prejudices die hard, especially among the older generation, and those prejudices still linger in the minds of some Latter-day Saints.

zerinus

[JLFuller]

Hi,

I did not noticed this thread, otherwise I should have replied to it sooner. That is actually not correct. It is exaggerated, and takes a narrow and shortsighted view of history. 3DOP replies have generally been very good, and I am inclined to agree with them. A lot of wrong things were done by the Catholic Church in its long history; but in general its influence in the world has been good rather than bad. It is not the â??church of the devilâ? and the â??great and abominable churchâ? etc. Those are Protestant sentiments rather than genuine LDS ones. Unfortunately in the past a lot of LDS sentiment regarding Catholicism was shaped by Protestantism rather than by genuine, authentic, LDS theology and doctrine, derived from modern revelation. Since the great majority of Latter-day Saints were converts from the Protestant world, they have unwittingly brought along with them into the Church much of their Protestant prejudices which has distorted their theological understanding of Mormonism. The Church has come a long way since then, and I am sure those sentiments are no longer officially sanctioned by the Church; but those prejudices die hard, especially among the older generation, and those prejudices still linger in the minds of some Latter-day Saints.

zerinus

That was certainly the case with my dad's mother who was an honest-to-goodness siege Mormon in addition to being a dna Mormon on multiple lines.

[saemo]

That was certainly the case with my dad's mother who was an honest-to-goodness siege Mormon in addition to being a dna Mormon on multiple lines.

You have me curious...what are siege and dna Mormons?

[JLFuller]

You have me curious...what are siege and dna Mormons?

During the times of the persecutions, the real bad ones, Mormons became very closed in their communities. They became suspicious of outsiders. It was a literal time of siege. There were anti-Mormon laws prohibiting LDS children from attending school, adults could not hold public office or vote. Often times they were singled out for abuse and discrimination by their non Mormon neighbors. Pastors regularly preached hateful sermons, which aroused anti-Mormon sentiments fueling further abuses. People who endured those times are known as siege Mormons because they lived under a constant state of siege by their neighbors. . My grandmother lived in western Idaho and was forbidden to go to school. Those laws lasted into the 20th century. Infact it wasn't until 1972 when Idaho rewrote the criminal statutes that they were taken off the books.

A dna Mormon is one whose family joined the Church generations ago. I have several lines that go back to the beginnings of the Church. One ancestor was baptized in the 1830's and many others in the 1840's. They were old timers before the move to Utah. Casper, Marchant, Miles, Durbin, Allison and Minor are some the names. Duncan Spears Casper, my gggrandfather was a polygamist.

[mfbukowski]

Mormons became very closed in their communities. They became suspicious of outsiders. ... adults could not hold public office.... Often times they were singled out for abuse and discrimination by their non Mormon neighbors. Pastors regularly preached hateful sermons, which aroused anti-Mormon sentiments fueling further abuses.

Oh I get it. Kinda like today huh?

[saemo]

A dna Mormon is one whose family joined the Church generations ago. I have several lines that go back to the beginnings of the Church. One ancestor was baptized in the 1830's and many others in the 1840's. They were old timers before the move to Utah. Casper, Marchant, Miles, Durbin, Allison and Minor are some the names. Duncan Spears Casper, my gggrandfather was a polygamist.

Oh, I have crazy ancestors too. my gggggrandfather was a polygamist. Probably since I am not Mormon, I am not a dna Mormon. Stringham, Ashby, Noble, Knight, Badger are the names I remember from the days I was "into it".

I don't know about sieges though. As far as I know, they all lived in UT. I have never heard of that happening in ID before. Thanks for the info.

[JLFuller]

Oh, I have crazy ancestors too. my gggggrandfather was a polygamist. Probably since I am not Mormon, I am not a dna Mormon. Stringham, Ashby, Noble, Knight, Badger are the names I remember from the days I was "into it".

I don't know about sieges though. As far as I know, they all lived in UT. I have never heard of that happening in ID before. Thanks for the info.

It was more than just Idaho and more than just the USA for that matter. LDS people in the deep south were treated very badly too as they were in Europe and England. Our ancestors were abused in just about every part of the world where they lived in any numbers. We have been a threat to religious powers everywhere and they fought back then as they do today.

[JLFuller]

Oh I get it. Kinda like today huh?

Just the evil Democrats. We saintly Republicans are widely loved.

[mfbukowski]

Just the evil Democrats. We saintly Republicans are widely loved.

By ourselves.

[saemo]

It was more than just Idaho and more than just the USA for that matter. LDS people in the deep south were treated very badly too as they were in Europe and England. Our ancestors were abused in just about every part of the world where they lived in any numbers. We have been a threat to religious powers everywhere and they fought back then as they do today.

Well, it isn't going to stop. Especially if you ride with Catholics, like you did with prop 8. There is hatred for Mormons. There is hatred for Catholics. Get us working together and the hatred nearly lights itself on fire.