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Show j i ! IGNORANCE OF CATHOLICITY f ' . . ' ' i The Catholic doctrines which Protestants con- l r ; trovert they as a general rule know little or nothing ? ; about, nay more they misknow them or are gross- 1 ly misinformed and misled about them, either by I ' hooks full of prejudice or ministers full of bigotry. I ; To obtain a knowledge of Catholicity pure and free I from the taint which biased minds give it. vou must I go to a Catholic source, either a well written book 1 ; thoroughly and systematically explaining our faith nr a person who by his profession is capable of im- parting the required knowledge. Now how many Protestants follow either one or other of those ! ' ; courses i Take up a Catholic book why, that's the i last thing he would think of doing. Consult some ' Catholic priest or educated layman on the subject i '. h, no, that's just as bad, so he takes his knowledge s then of Catholicity from such sources as the works ! ! of the early reformers or from the lips of minis- i tors whose only argument is vituperation and cal- j mnination. For our part we never yet took up a j Protestant book, no matter how able the writer was, f but there was in that book a series of untruths. I You will find there i '"Catholic adore, the Blessed f Virgin, the Saints and relics.-' Priests sell indul- Kcnces. Catholics are not allowed to read the 1 Bible. 4'The Catholic church is against human i progress and puts a restraint on human thought." , 'It? doctrine is a tissue of superstition and fol- 1 i 3y.' Yes. the most grossly untrue and abominable charges are made against her and without a shred of proof, and from the wilful misrepresentation that is made of her doctrines in the pulpit and the bigot press you would be led t imagine that one of the main tenets of Iheir creed is, destroy the Catholic church by any means however foul. Yes,. t verily, she is the boggey man of their childhood, the fetterer of the liberties of their manhood, the one gre.fl evil in this world against which they have to contend, and they must talk and lie about her, do everything in their endeavors to blot her out and nothing whatsoever to understand her. How different the conduct of the Catholics in relation to Protestant doctrine. Where will you find in the works of our standard controversialists such as Brownson, Newman, Manning, Ireland, one, even one misstatement of the errors which they undertake un-dertake to refute. A Catholic preacher of the most ordinary intelligence in placing before his people what Protestants hold on certain questions will never make a false statement about one of their doctrines, and if such a one was found Catholics would not tolerate him one instant in their pulpits. Catholics forthe most part have a good knowledge of the principles of Protestantism, but be iheir knowledge more or less there is one thing they have never done and will never do, and that is to attribute attri-bute to those of different creeds errors which they do not hold, nay even which they condemn. A Protestant, an honest, fair-minded man, anxious to see for himself about the doctrines of the Catholic church, will consult the proper source. We wish to learn something say about the Thirty-nine Articles, well we are certain we should go to the Episcopalians Episcopa-lians rather than the Cooneyitcs for this information. informa-tion. So it should be with a Protestant wanting to throw a little light on the doctrines of1he Catholic Cath-olic church. He should go to a competent teacher and find out from him the faith and the reasons for that faith which we Catholics have in us. But on the other hand, if such a Protestant contents ' himself with digging no deeper than the lying statements, fale misrepresentations of books and men bitterly antagonistic to the Catholic church and her doctrines, then farewell to his ever finding or knowing that truth which makes us free. |