My father once told me, that everyone steps out for the little guy, doesn’t matter who is against him. People feel a natural instinct of protecting the vulnerable ones, though it seems like sometimes there’s not even something to step out for and yet, the majority gets a bad time.
Catholic Religion is the most powerful of all. The one that owns the most resources, the one that owns the most followers. Maybe this is why it’s one of the most criticized (to not say the most) and least defended. I should know this because I am one myself and part of the most traditional ones. There are many things you need to know and do before you dare to offend us.
- What the Vatican says and does has no direct connection with what the religion is about: I am catholic, but this doesn’t mean that I support or defend the pedophilia issue that the Vatican has caused. The Vatican represents the Catholic Religion, this is true, but it’s not a decision made by us, there is no such thing as “Pope Elections” (at least not ones where we get to vote) and we have no control whatsoever on what happens in there. I have the right to follow catholicism without being related to the Vatican. The Religion is made by the beliefs that the bible dictates, anything else is additional
- What the extremist Catholics think, has no relation to what the religion thinks: Often, Religion is used to justify hate and discrimination, like in the case of Terrorist Groups. But I notice a difference when it comes to how most people (at least educated ones) perceive the extremist groups of other religions in relation to the catholic extremist groups. For instance, after every single attack, these generous people make sure to let everyone know that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam, that is, for a fact, a religion of love and peace. But when it comes to racist, homophobic or just very ‘conservative’ Catholics, nothing gets cleared out which leads to accusations to the innocents (which are the majority). But again, I’ll straight things up right here. For example, it is true that Catholicism categorizes the LGBTQ as sinners (Everyone is a sinner, now that we’re on it), but it is also true that it gave us a new commandment “Love one another, as I have loved you”. So while many would say that we have homo-hating beliefs (or that we are just judgy, in general), we actually believe that we have to love everyone, no matter who. A true Catholic knows that we’re not supposed to hate or reject in any way. We’re no one to judge, remember “Whoever is without sin among you, let him be the first to cast a stone at her”.
- What the Vatican can or cannot do, shouldn’t matter to you: If you’ve been around atheists long enough, you may have heard at least once the “I’ll become Catholic the day that the Vatican sells all their gold to end poverty” and even criticize the legitimacy of our values because of that. First of all, Catholic religion already gives quite a good amount of money to the cause. If you don’t know, then now you know: Every single Sunday, worldwide, in every single church and specifically in every single mass, money is collected for the most unfortunate. Second of all, what lays in the Vatican is history and legacy. It’s more than just “Things” and many of them are significant to the followers. It’s almost as if you were asking for everything in the Louvre to be sold. It’s just not that simple. Third of all, remember again, we don’t control what the Vatican does.
- Stop changing our traditions: Christmas it’s meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus, not to celebrate the “Holiday spirit”, not to celebrate “Santa”. The Advent is not meant for just gifts, it’s the preparation for Jesus Birth. Easter is not meant to hunt chocolate eggs, it’s meant to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. So, not only do you expect to celebrate all these things without believing in God, but you also expect to change their meaning in order to celebrate them without acknowledging them as Christian festivities? Really?
- Stop making fun the religion: Either you’re an atheist or a catholic, that’s fine with me, but reading every single line of the Bible with exclusive intention to find something wrong and hold it against us, it’s just wrong. Also, Stop making jokes out of religion without feeling guilty about it. It seems like Religion is such a taboo topic except when it comes to Catholicism.
Catholicism gets hate from so many, hate that a great majority doesn’t deserve and that’s alright, but we do need respect. No matter what, respect most go both ways, or not go at all for any.
