Say what you will about the Catholic Church, they have a long tradition of teaching economic justice. The "Prosperty Gospel" and "Jesus would cut taxes" here.
Of course, I don't expect it to influence Newt, nor any of the Congressional GOP. But one can always hope. #ddtb
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Catholic Bishops To GOP: You Have A ‘Moral Obligation’ To Extend Unemployment Insurance
As Republican lawmakers hem and haw over the much-needed extension of unemployment insurance, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are hoping they not only recognize the economic benefit, …
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Not only the Catholic Church has a long tradition of teaching economic justice, but if I recall, most of the Protestant churches at one time were pretty progressive for their time. Of course, that was some while ago. Still, it is interesting to read quotes from, say, Protestant ministers of the late 1800s and realize they would be called “socialists” and worse today.
@Paul – True … the “Puritan Work Ethic” colors out sense today of how some of that worked, and the alignment of the Religious Right with the Economic Right starting in the 1970s had the most profound impact on that sense of what Protestantism and Christianity stood for.
Taking it a step further, I would say that alignment was tied to or driven by the televangelist movement, which was largely S Baptist, and southern Conservatism as well (ditto). Televangelism definitely pushed the Prosperity Gospel (God proves he loves the rich because they’re rich, so if you are good, then God will make you rich, and if you fail to become rich, the obviously you’re not pleasing God). Tie that to reactionary movements against the social tumult of the 60s-70s and the rise of the women’s movement, gay rights, etc. …
Some of what are consider the old guard mainstream Protestant denominations remain much more mixed, if not largely more progressive in the arena of social justice.
Well, alls I can say is I was born and raised in Nashville, TN and raised in the Baptist/Church of Christ church – I though Catholics were a different religion and not even "Christian" so it wouldn't surprise me if others think that the Pope really has no say in a "Christian" Nation…
That Catholics aren't considered Christians by certain denominations of Protestants is something I regularly note when folks start talking about who's a Real Christian (particularly in context of, say, Mormons, or how this country should be run by Christians).
I was raised Catholic, and had no idea of that perception until my girlfriend noted she'd been raised to think of Catholics as idol-worshipers, etc.
I was shocked the first time I heard a coworker say “Catholics aren’t Christians.” I was raised Catholic, and certainly fit any definition of “Christian” I was familiar with. Furthermore, I had always understood that the Catholics were the first Christians. Do I have that wrong? (My google-fu indicates that I do not, but who knows what I might have missed or misinterpreted.)
@Avo: A lot of it dates back to the Reformation, to be honest, and the doctrinal and liturgical changes that stemmed from that.
One could argue that the Catholic Church follows the ancient creeds, believes in the fundamental doctrines of Christianity (the Trinity, the divine nature of Christ, the redemption of sin), but there are a few fundamental differences with (most) Protestant sects that those who object to the RCC on theological grounds point out:
– The role of the priesthood in the relationship between Man and God.
– Priestly celibacy.
– The authority and hierarchy up to the Pope and the validity/importance of the apostolic succession through the papacy.
– The plethora of official sacraments
– The nature of what happens in Communion, and the focus on the Eucharist.
– The nature and importance of saints and the Blessed Virgin as intercessors between God and Man
– The veneration of objects and images associated with the saints and the Blessed Virgin, as well as the use of crucifixes vs crosses
– Inclusion of the Apocrypha in official canon of the Bible
– The importance of works vs. faith, and the ability of Man to strive toward salvation vs. the people being predestined as the Elect.
– The focus on the liturgy
– The debate of which is the Official Church.
Off the top of my head. I probably missed something in there.
Different Protestant sects go different ways with some of these — the Anglican/Episcopal tradition is in some areas much closer to the Catholic Church than the others (the Lutherans in some areas are close behind). To my mind (prejudiced, perhaps) it seems to me that Catholic Church is quite Christian, and most of the differences are more practical than in fundamental (I suspect some Protestants and some Catholics would vehemently disagree with me).
Didn’t Newt claim he’d become a Catholic?
Prosperity Gospel: Christianity with 98% less Christ.
@Randy – Yes, he identifies as a Catholic. Thus the headline.
Prosperity Gospel: We promise that needle has an abundantly huge eye!
I don't recall being taught they were idol worshipers, just different. For us, your religion constituted your denomination like Baptist or Methodist (as you said, Protestant denominations). Everything else was just off the radar and "somewhere else" with "other people". Hell, I didn't even know that Pagans existed in current times…I thought Pagans were ancient people (read Celts).