What Race is Catholicism?

[Calico Jack Rackham]

I figured I'd start a thread about this because I was called a bigot, racist etc. because I used the outdated term "Papist"; furthermore others compared it with calling a Black person darkie or nigger. Have things gotten so bad that we can not disagree with a religion without being labeled a racist against an organization not an actual ethnic group?

[rkc3]

1. Yes they have gotten this bad.

Now kiss my ass you bigot.









<sarcasm off>

[mark414]

2. i would just say ignore those people

they are probably the same people who think the word cracker is just as bad as the word nigger

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. No it's just we have a few extremists here on DU

regarding THAT religion

[VelmaD]

7. Oh you are bad...

;)

And I'm worse 'cause I'm gonna note that some of the most extreme have this nasty tendency to exempt their own digressions from Church doctrine from any scrutiny while preaching the party line on issues that don't affect them personally.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

10. Say it isn't so!

that would be hypocritical!

[VelmaD]

11. Wow...I shocked...

nothingshocksmeanymore. It's a world gone mad. :crazy:

[lastliberalintexas]

16. Because we all know that

the Pope is infallible and Church doctrine must go unchallenged. Unless, of course, it is the characterization of homosexuals as evil. There, and apparenly *only* there, is the Church wrong. :)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

18. But the same catholic catechism that has all the other rules

states that if you are gay, you must be chaste and not be sexually active...it's right there in the rule book.

Why should I respect your religion if you can call it wrong?

[lastliberalintexas]

22. Because that rule book

only applies to *others* silly! You think I have to live by the same rules I want forced on other people and women? :P

[VelmaD]

23. *snort*

"other people AND women"...oh that's too funny :rofl:

[lastliberalintexas]

27. Yeah, I hoped y'all

would get that part. :)

[VelmaD]

28. I had to laugh...

the alternative is to commit shovel-beatings upon the heads of certain people who are obviously opposed to women just on general principle.

[tx_dem41]

12. I definitely agree....

the evidence of their existence is quite apparent, even on this very thread. People just go "extreme" when Catholicism is mentioned.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

17. I don't think there's anything extreme about having an opinion that is

less than glowing of the Catholic religion, and you can feel free to use the search to see if I have posted anything since the pope passed away...

Telling people they MUST respect your religion is worse than extreme.

[leftofthedial]

4. Them

[Mutley]

5. i don't get it

how is using the term papist bigoted???

i've heard all sorts of people on the tv/radio using that term...

[Calico Jack Rackham]

I think because traditionally it

was a derogatory term for Catholics. Perhaps I posted improperly and should have clarified that that term should be reserved for thr ultra conservative Catholics.

[LdyGuique]

6. This is not to confuse popery with potpourri

unless one is discussing popery funeral incense burning :hide:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

8. I'm with you, since there are Catholics who are NOT Papist

e.g. the ultra-right-wing whackos Mel Gibson likes. They think the Pope is too liberal. (!!!!!)

[Bellamia]

9. Catholicism is not a race

it's a Religion, but surely you knew that. IMO Papist is a perjorative term, used to demean, find fault with, another person, one not of YOUR "religion". Kinda like "Fundie". We have a long history of intolerance of another's views, beliefs, religions, in this country. I see nothing new in your experience. Sad, we haven't come all that far, have we?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

13. literal translation of the word Catholic is Universal

[Burma Jones]

14. Well, ya see.............

The Irish Immigrants were Catholic and used Roman Catholicism as a source of cultural identity. The Native Born white Americans did not care much for the Irish. Thus, Roman Catholicism was excoriated among most Americans. Even to the point that a fairly large political party, the Know Nothing Party, existed pretty much exclusively as an anti-catholic party. See Gangs of New York.......

When the waves of mostly Catholic Eastern European and Italian immigrants followed, the general racism aimed at what were, nevertheless, white Europeans, had to be expressed somehow, and Catholicism was the most convenient way to do so.

Back in the Day, Papist was used as a Derogatory term for Roman Catholic. Catholic is used in the Apostles Creed to indicate a Universal church, Catholic meaning Universal. Thus, Protestants would be loathe to call followers of the Pope "Catholic" since it would indicate that Roman Catholics are part of the Universal Christian Church.

I gotta say, that except for all the death and destruction that have accompanied these sort of religious differences, I find it all to be pretty much like Dr. Seuss' Sneetches

[Book Lover]

31. Point of clarification: Not every Irishman/woman is a Roman Catholic

Point was driven home to me forcefully when growing up in Catholic Queens. I was told, and used to know where to find this info, that more Irish Protestants than RC's immigrated during the Famine.

[aintitfunny]

15. Well, Papist was always

used in a negative way. As there are many catholics in the world, and on this board, I can understand people being offended by the use of the word. You can certainly disagree with the tenets of a religion, I was raised catholic and disagree with much, therefore I am no longer a practicing catholic. I respect the beliefs of others even when I disagree with them.

I did experience religious bigotry because I was raised in the Bible belt and was the only Catholic in my high school (who owned up). So it does exist. I have a friend and co-worker who is a right-wing Christian preacher and he has some obvious religious bigotry toward Mormons and a couple of other religions.

So, you are not a racist when you denigrate Catholicism as Catholics have members of every race. Your use of the word "Papist", however, to describe followers of the religion could certainly be labeled as bigotry. Perhaps you were unaware that the term Papist was considered to be derogatory.

[Egalitariat]

20. It's not racism, b/c it has nothing to do with race. It is bigotry

however, as being a bigot is not only about denigrating another race, it's simply the denigration of a whole group of people (no matter what binds them together as a group).

[ArkDem]

19. Well, the word 'Papist' is a smear.

[Burma Jones]

21. Ha Ha, I get it......n/t

[lastliberalintexas]

24. *groan*

:spank:

[ArkDem]

29. Please, someone, I need a rimshot!

[Leilani]

25. Because the word "papist"

has been used by anti Catholics, such as Bob Jones, KKK, etc.

It's their grand conspiracy that Catholics are taking over the US & it will be cotrolled from Rome by the Pope.

When JFK ran, he faced this bigotry; now it is much more subtle, but many Fundies still believe the theory & call Catholics "Papists."

[republicansareevil]

26. It's certainly possible to be bigoted against a religion.

I'm not familiar with the term "papist." If it's an offensive term you used inadvertently, the appropriate response to you would be to educate you about the offensive connotations of the word. If it's an offensive term you used deliberately to denigrate Catholics, shame on you. Racism might be technically incorrect, but it's in the right neighborhood. Bigotry is what it is. If the term is not offensive, I see no problem, but since you talk about "disagreeing with a religion," I suspect its use was not that innocent and that you agree it's not a complimentary term.

[Calico Jack Rackham]

32. Oh no, I know what the word means and how it was used

I just think that I should have emphasized I was addressing Conservative catholics who for all intens and purposes have replaced christ with the Pope.

[Magrittes Pipe]

30. It's not racist.

It's just KKK-related bigotry.

[theboss]

33. It's the same as Redskin, Guinea, Darkie, Chink, etc

Or any other slur from the 19th century.

The intent behind it is to imply that Catholics worship the Pope and not God.

[Skinner]

34. The word "Papist" is a derogatory slur.

It has no place on this message board.

You are free to disagree with religion, but using derogatly slurs goes beyond "disagreement" into the realm of bigotry.

I am stunned to see so many people here on DU saying that such terms are totally fine.