When did conservatives stop being anti-Catholic?

[expatriot]

My family is Methodist and my mom's parentage is very, conservative pure bred English (even though they came over in 1641, my mom's paternal line remained 100% English until after the Civil War, when someone 3/4 English was allowed in to pollute the blueblood line.
(The name, just to give you an idea was Torreyson (it was Torrey until the Revolutionary War when it became Torreyson ---- hmm.... I wonder why.)).

Any way, after the Civil War they lost their fortune because they had their ironworks in Virginia and then they became dirt farmers and went to rural Illinois where they were proud members of the KKK and as they say... there were no blacks in central rurual Illinois back then... only Catholics. And sure enough, they used to string up Catholics. My moms parents did not attend her sister's (their daughter's) wedding because she chose to marry a Catholic and they did not speak for 20 years after that. My grandma did not go to my high school graduation reception I had with a couple of my Catholic friends because it was held in the gymnasium of an old Catholic School.

I mean on FR, the conservative protestants are mourining with the conservative Catholics. What changed?

[Salviati]

1. When they realized they could use abortion as a wedge issue

[Celeborn Skywalker]

2. I think in the early 80's

fundamentalist religious groups such as Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition started to reach out to conservative Catholics in order to oppose abortion and other so called "evils" in modern society.

[jakefrep]

3. Abortion, Abortion, Abortion!

The fundies figured out that they could pimp the Catholics on the abortion issue.

[candy]

4. Times change---people change--the older folks were racist and anti

Catholic and the Catholics looked down their noses at the Protestants and the Jews were scorned by both.

Time marches on,and thank God for it.

[rodeodance]

5. conservative Prots. only moun with Cath. when it is convenient to them.

In this case--the Catholic policy of food/hydration is not seen as 'artifical'--so, there is agreement that nature should not have been allowed to take its course.

Why the Pope/official Catholic policy sees tube feedings as not articial is another issue.

[Sandpiper]

6. Oh they still think they're all going to burn in hell

They've just found single-issue conservative catholics to be useful idiots in achieving reich-wing goals.

[LostinVA]

7. They HAVEN"T

Read any Chick tracts lately? Hear about the food pantry in Charlotte? The RC's are being used just like blue collar workers are. Of course, the GOP is welcome to any and all crazy Catholics capering about in front of the Pinellas Park hospice. <shudder>

[SharonAnn]

25. Here in East Tennessee, there are fundies who still hate Catholics.

And they're pretty overt about it. I'm a former Catholic but they make no distinction between former and current. We're all Papists and Spawn of the Devil according to one man I know here.

A Baptist high school here expelled a Catholic student because he was "praying wrong".

[marmar]

8. I don't really think they've stopped...

being anti-anything. They just wear their sheep's clothing a little better these days.

[Alpharetta]

9. It's an alliance of convenience

Fundies bashed Catholics pretty good when the Roman Catholic church was opposed to the invasion of Iraq, from what I remember.

And any time the R.C. church chides the U.S. to do more about hunger or AIDS, the rightwingers start the child molester talk.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

10. It's a facade...

I come from a similar W.A.S.P. background to yours (Daughter of the American Revolution pedigree) and you "don't marry a Catholic. Our ancestors fought and died to get away from the Catholic Church...blah, blah, blah"

And the real efungelical sects believe the Pope is actually evil. They pretend to care but, after they marginalize all the gays, eliminate women's rights, invade Arab countries, they'll get back to hating the Catholics. It is useful to use the Catholics to get their agenda through right now.

No disrespect to any Catholics, but the efungelical protestant zealots aren't really your friends.

[kath]

20. Fundies actually say that Catholics aren't real Christians, because they

don't choose Christ as their personal savior, blahblahblah...

[Radical Activist]

11. When it stopped being a primarily religious movement

and became a political one that corporations use to manipulate people's religious beliefs. They realized that the prejudice was costing them politically.

The same thing has happened with Mormons over the last decade. Protestants have been teaching people that Mormons are an evil cult for over 150 years and that's the main reason Mormons never participated in the Christian Coalition. Once the CC realized that they needed to gain support from Mormons, who have a lot of political power in the mountain west, people like Pat Robertson and Dr. Dobson tossed out the anti-Mormon hate rhetoric.

[Bridget Burke]

12. They're only pretending.

There are lots of Catholics in the US & some bishops & priests were willing to dump most Catholic beliefs to concentrate on abortion. And get on the bandwagon to keep poor Mrs. Schaivo's body breathing long after her mind had left.

At the heart of the Dominionist / Christian Reconstruction movement (behind the recent politization of conservative Christianity) is a very strong anti-Catholic bias.

[WillyT]

13. Or Anti-Jewish, For That Matter !!!

BTW - They haven't... for either!

:shrug:

[Frances]

14. I have wondered the same thing

Catholicism was a big issue in the 1960 election so it was after that.

I agree that abortion is a key issue uniting fundamentalist Protestant and Catholic voters.

Also I think the fundamentalists united as Christians against the religions of the new immigrants that are Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist.

[rodeodance]

15. There are several history books written about the anti-Catholicims at

mid 1800's).---The Prots. thought they were taking over the "West" (which is the Midwest now).
Catholics moved "West' to get away from Eastern Prots who were not nice to the Catholics (like the Puritons moved to America because of religious persecution. Lots more history--this is only a smattering.

[BrklynLiberal]

16. They haven't.. They are just using them the way they are using the

very Orthodox Jews: to attain their politcal goals. When they have served their purpose they will be the next scapegoats and pushed into the internment camps with the rest of us.
None of "THEM" will be chosen for the rapture.
Some very important words are being forgotten...

"First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out.
And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me."
Martin Niemoller

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

18. My thoughts exactly.

Once they are done marginalizing the gays, demonizing pro-choice as the culture of death, vilifying liberals in Hollywood and the media, they will get around to the Jews, Catholics, non-efungelical Protestants.

[Bridget Burke]

21. Yup. They're already complaining about those radical...

Methodists & Lutherans. Not to mention the hell-bound Episcopalians.

[leftofthedial]

17. when both "conservatism" and Catholicism converged

in christianist fundamentalism

[hector459]

19. I wondered the same thing. My folks belong to a huge evangelical

church. their Bible classes always focus on Catholicism as a cult. People are so hypocritical and phony...especially so-called Christians.

[napi21]

22. I sure can't speak for the RW, but Baptists STILL detest Catholics!

I was one of them damn yakees who moved from Pa to SC in 1987 and stayed in the south! I've lived in SC, TX, and GA. I was such as naive yankee, I didn't realize until recently that Baptists believe Catholics are cultists and will all spend eternity in hell.

It's rather funny, after you get over the initial shocking words. In each State, when we first moved in our home, there would be at least one visit from the local Baptist group. They of course extend an invitation to join their church. When we responded "Thank you so much, but we already have a church and it's the Catholic church" they spun around and disappeared as if they had just met Satan himself!

[adwon]

23. They still hate us

I never miss a chance to remind Catholic Bush voters that his first stop in SC in 2000 was Bob Jones University. I've lived too long in the South to think Catholic baiting has ended.

[JNelson6563]

24. I've seen Catholic bashing from conservative

Rethugs and Dems. I remember reading a Clark blog where I was astounded by the vitriol directed at Catholics.

Julie

[orpupilofnature57]

26. When they realized catholics, were God's children too, Satan is divisive

[Scottie72]

27. The pope called

us homosexuals evil. Simple as that he sides with them on the social values and they will use anyone that they can to force their agenda on us.

[CatholicEdHead]

28. Was it really the Pope?

Seriously, he has been in tough shape for a while. Many of his "approved" edicts probably came from the proxy-popes (Cardnials).

Most of the conservative "Catholic" media (Relvant Radio, EWTN, Ave Maria Radio, etc...) are made up of many former late in life Protostant converts and you hear talk that is really not "Catholic" from what you hear from any moderate priest sermon and teaching.

That is a trojan horse for the American Catholic Church.

[Digit]

29. My brother is a born-again and gave me the scoop on Catholics...

He said that because they worship images such as the Virgin Mary, and various Saints, they are a cult.
Of course, I was shocked to hear this from him.
He also denigrated the Mormons, saying this was a cult as well.

This was after our mother's death, and since he is 4 years older, I did not say alot except to be shocked at his prejudice. This was new to me, since he only recently became a BAC.

I tend to believe that people have the right to their opinions, and that nobody has all the answers.
I live my life by the golden rule, I treat others as I would wish to be treated. Many times I am dismayed at people getting away with things, but it is not my place to judge. I am accepting of many beliefs and lifestyles.

Guess that makes me one of those darned liberals, huh?

[seabeyond]

30. only behind their backs now

along with hte blacks adn women adn hispanics that support repugs

[fishwax]

31. They didn't. They're trying to play nice right now, but

they still consider the papacy to be evil. In the same way, they will embrace mormons such as Sen. Hatch or Ernest Istook as conservative allies, but they still think mormonism is a dangerous cult. I think they have pretty much the same approach to Catholics.

The weird thing is, they get all faux-defensive about critiques of the church from the left or from popular culture (which they can try to paint as assaults on Christianity), but they have no problem attacking the church from the right.

I occasionally listen to RW christian radio, though not as much as I used to, and I still hear comments from time to time.

[applegrove]

32. To destroy democracy you need many hierarchical tribes whose

leaders will happily hand you power over wealth and military policy if you just let them how total power over the private issues in these people's lives.

It is how Indirect Rule works. If people are divided into little groups.. and do not empathize with each other.. then they do not get together and form a plurality. And if you do not have those little powers.. you encourage their growth.

Democracy is for the ME not the USA. USA is to a an elite ruled place. People will be too busy fussing and fighting for local rights.. that they will not have the focus or the power to oust the elites.