Anna Antonio hardly stands out. She is no political radical. She is no class clown. A friendly and diligent math major at the University of Florida, Anna is also a devout Christian. As she enters her junior year, Anna is just starting to fit in, to find her niche. Unfortunately, though, one of the craggiest niches for Anna to occupy is among her Christian friends.
No matter how quiet or friendly Anna is, she eventually faces a chilling question from her Christian peers. To an outsider, the question seems as harmless as a hand-grenade looks to a two-year-old. But to Anna, it rolls into a conversation with as much destructive power as a live grenade tossed into a barracks.
"So, Anna, what's your faith background?"
"Oh, I'm Catholic."
Stunned silence. Suspicious stares. Words are unnecessary. Their faces say enough: "Catholic? I thought you were a Christian. Don't you love God enough to...?"
I haven't experienced this personally although there is ample evidence in the media of general anti-Catholicism. Its surprising how many jokes or comments are routinely reported without comment that would cause an outraged outcry if made about any other group. I have long wanted to read The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice by Philip Jenkins. This article may be the impetus I need to finally spend that money at Amazon.
In addition to his own site, Elliot Bougis is the guest blogger at Catholic and Enjoying It which is where I saw this.
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