Here's part of a story from Tuesday's
Decatur Daily, which I think perhaps ties in to some of these posts more directly than the one pax posted. Unfortunately, it's a bit late for this now...the best topics always seem to come up during Shabbat or holidays when I can't be online
.
Wagner said she attended a Catholic church as a child and accused Catholics and all religions of worshipping idols. "Early in life I was involved in a Catholic Mass as kids," Wagner said. "It's the same thing, monotone prayer, no feeling for God. They're just jumping through hoops."
Although Turgeon and Wagner believe in Christ, they don't call themselves Christians. They say they practice spirituality, not religion.
"Adam kicked over the altar, and I was busy yelling about idol worship," Wagner said. "Adam believes God spoke to him, telling both of us to go call out the evils of the Catholic church. We are followers of Christ."
Turgeon and Wagner said they believe the End Times have begun because of widespread famine, epidemics and natural disasters like hurricanes and a tsunami that killed thousands. The couple spoke of their readings in the book of Revelation, saying changes in the moon, stars and an asteroid he believes is the woodworm, were all predicted.
Both Turgeon and Wagner believe Pope Benedict is the antichrist. They said Pope Benedict changed his pallium, a band worn over the pope's shoulders, and the color of his ring. "He changed the color to red," Turgeon said. "A symbol of the blood of the lamb. Every time he puts the ring on he's saying, 'I'm God.' " Turgeon said he discovered the difference in the pope's attire while browsing the Internet.
The Loughmans are both members of Flint Baptist Church but rarely attend, said the Rev. Billy Cagle, pastor. He said he could recall seeing them at church only two times in 1½ years, once for a directory photo and once for worship.
Cagle said he and Flint Baptist are not anti-Catholic and the couple did not get their beliefs there. He said the Loughmans appear "real impressionable."
Cagle called the Rev. Joe Culotta, pastor of Annunciation, on Monday to assure him of their concern. "We wanted to make sure he knows that they did not get (their attitudes) from us," Cagle said.
Culotta said Cagle's call touched him, and he appreciates the contact. Culotta said he does not harbor anger toward the four but is hurt. He said the most painful thing was the intentional breaking of the altar. "We had just celebrated the Eucharist on it. . . . We felt violated," he said. The grown men who witnessed the altar breaking shed tears over that, not out of fear, he said.
The pastor was impressed with how worshippers tried to reason peacefully with the intruders after they shouted and pushed over the altar. "I was really proud of them," he said.
The Catholic church does not worship idols but uses items as symbols of faith, said church leaders. They question how critics could judge what Catholics feel in their hearts when they use crosses or other symbols of Christianity in worship.
I agree with nb that all this underscores the importance of not exacerbating tensions by jumping to conclusions about people's motives. However, as Rev. Cagle's righteous act
demonstrates, that responsibility is a two-way street. The reality is that mutual distrust, unease and hostility often underlie Catholic-evangelical relations, however PC things may appear on the surface.
I think this is particularly true in the Deep South. I can't speak for other regions, but growing up in rural Mississippi, I heard LOTS of what Sherry Darling is talking about, and I don't recall a single instance of it coming from anything other than an evangelical (
usually Baptist) perspective. I never heard the phrase "whore of Babylon," but I did hear over and over that Catholics are idolaters, Catholics are heathens or pagans, Catholics believe in or practice "magic," and the Vatican is an evil, sinister institution devoted to power, "mammon" and idolatry. (I recognize that there are legitimate criticisms aplenty to be made of the Vatican, but I'm not talking sober, informed discourse here; I'm recalling a tone bordering on disgust that signaled loud and clear,
especially to children, that anyone associated with that institution must be suspect also.)
As far as the other side goes--harder to say. Catholics were a minority, and a close-knit community who generally stuck to their own schools and kept a low profile. In my two years at a Catholic high school in the vicinity, I did hear a few ugly, reflexive associations of evangelicals with "rednecks," a sentiment which I suspect had broader currency. In general, though, the invective seemed several degrees cooler and a lot less pervasive.
Anyhow--point being, when such a climate exists, doing the right thing means going beyond holding the victim of the moment responsible for staying coolly dispassionate until all the facts are in. Judging from some of the editorials that appeared in this newspaper and others, I'd say verte's response was pretty common. Rev. Cagle's response demonstrated an admirable (and necessary) willingness to take responsibility by extending an unconditional gesture of support when it was most needed, yet from a "rational" perspective, least called for. That's good leadership, by any denominational name.
