Anti-Catholic Conspiracy Theorists Tend to Ignore the Need for Critical Thinking!
Most anti-Catholic conspiracy theorists tend to ignore the need for any critical thinking. Critical thinking means you have think clearly and rationally. Conspiracy theorists are stupid especially with how they argue with guilt by association arguments. Let me remind you that even if I am anti-Catholic but I cannot embrace all the anti-Catholics as my brothers and sisters in Christ because cults do rival each other and there are also anti-Catholic cults that deviate from the Bible's doctrine. Some anti-Catholic organizations deny many essential Bible doctrines - some of them are Antinomians believing salvation grants a license to sin, some are Arminians that teach the conditional security of the believer or some of them are just plain crazy like the Westboro Baptist movement which is a huge disgrace to the Baptist legacy.
What I have observed is how a lot of conspiracy theorists is that they usually lack logic in their arguments. The way they write can be so laughably stupid, it jumps from one thought after the other and it's really full of stupidity. A lot of them are a bunch of immature people laced with a harsh personality and they are very chaotic individuals. Some of them are fond of setting up Ad Hominem or strawman arguments while accusing others of doing so... as the saying goes, thinkers doers. They are only using their emotions as they seek to "fight for the truth" which I think they have their other motives, it's possibly an emotional issue. Who knows? Maybe one of these anti-Catholic conspiracy theorists did get molested by a priest before. The problem might be rooted with the problem of unforgiveness. In my case, I have also tried passing Gospel tracts from Chick Publications even to priests and to nuns whenever I meet them along the road or just anywhere.
A lot of them are relying on the fallacy of guilt by association which is very much contradictory to critical thinking. For example, they are quick to label anybody to be a Jesuit at a very weak basis with very little or no evidence. As I said, just because a certain person does the Napoleon pose does not make the person a Mason or a Jesuit, shaking hands doesn't make you a Mason or a Jesuit or doing the okay sign does not mean you are pledging allegiance to Satan. It's very easy to accuse me of being defensive but seldom I feel like saying, "Hey look who is talking!" to them. This can also lead to misrepresent great men of God like Charles H. Spurgeon in his younger pastoral years, did the "Napoleon pose" while pointing to the Bible. Now to prove the stupidity of their arguments - Roman Catholics also do charity projects and outreach or Masons sing Christian songs but that do not make the practices wrong. As for checkered floors, they don't even mean anything at all. Whoever had the Vatican have checkered floors later in its renovations may have just been a fan of checkered patterns. You may also consider that what if a cult that worshiped a no smoking sign was in town, I hanged a no smoking sign... does that make me a member of the cult? Or what if a person who is a member of the fishing club had a sign of a fish on his car, is he a worshiper of Dagon? An eye clinic has an eye symbol (I am aware of the eye symbol of the Illuminati) but that was just an eye sign to let people know it's an eye clinic.
Another is their paranoia and the tendency to use sensationalism along with their paranoid way of thinking. After they have their "Aha! You are a Jesuit!" with very little or no evidence for their false accusation, they get more laughable with how they are so paranoid they write almost everyone to be a secret Jesuit or a Jesuit agent. They can get as illogical as, "So you dare question my claim that the Jesuits carried out the bank robbery yesterday? Then you must be a secret Jesuit!" and present all the shaky, stupid evidence that so and so is an agent of the Jesuit priests or a Jesuit priest in disguise which makes me go with sarcasm like, "Wow, you must be special to think I am a Jesuit priest with so little evidence, thinking it weighs much? Why, I didn't realize that you were so smart and that I was so special to have become a Jesuit priest without even taking the Jesuit oath or getting trained by the Jesuits!" What is even more laughable is how they tend to use the Jesuits as scapegoats to the point that they get rid of historical accuracy. According to the Reformers, the Dominicans were the founders of the Spanish Inquisitions and not the Jesuits. The Jesuits only took over it and became the real masterminds. However, powerful as the Jesuits are, they are still humans with limitations and if you have Jesus Christ, you don't need to fear the Jesuits at all. They are not guilty of just almost everything as the sensationalist anti-Catholic conspiracy theorist may claim them to be or or that some evil organizations are independent of the Vatican like atheist communities and some pornographers may be Roman Catholic but they are attending a non-Jesuit parish but may be Franciscan or Dominican operatives.
At the same time, most conspiracy theorists' sites are not even worth a visit. While pictures can be proof and it can mean a lot, but as said, unsightly images can be very inappropriate. Do you know why blurring out of certain parts of a video happen during a news? It's because the sight is so unsightly or inappropriate. You may also consider how newspapers are sometimes ordered not to publish the pictures of a torture incident even if they are asked to report it. Most of these sites are just laced with sensationalism, fundamental pet issues, false accusations (ex. some of them also tend to misrepresent Reformed theology preachers to be teaching works salvation or the other party, to be Antinomians when neither accusation is true), sinister gossips and loathsome tales. While some of them do post a plan of salvation page, it's much easier for the guest to read the sensationalist stories and the sites seemed to be well-calculated to maximize the "shock" value. Pastor Phil Johnson of Grace to You is right to call such pages as exploitation instead of ministry. Being cheesy and offensive as possible is just as bad as watered down preaching. Most of them end up making true Christians look bad with their ridiculous and not to mention, childish behavior that gives them very questionable credibility.
Remember Jesus said in John 7:24 to judge by righteous judgment instead of appearance. For example, the Jesuits may appear to be holy and righteous but a mere event like a Jesuit priest getting overly upset over not getting a VIP seat or the sad spiritual state of Jesuit academies will show judgment. Remember in Matthew 7:3-5 warns us that we are to judge ourselves before others. Christians are commanded to judge the actions of individuals, not individuals themselves. Sad to say but anti-Catholic conspiracy theorists might be spending too much time arguing they feel to see that Roman Catholics are the mission field, not the target to exterminate. Again, some paranoid people may say I'm just a Jesuit in disguise (HUH?!) or that I am still a Roman Catholic (DOUBLE HUH?!) but as said, I don't want to waste my time with irrational people. Again, poor judgment will always lead to poor conclusions. While weighty evidence can be misinterpreted but it can be re-examined to get a better conclusion but poor evidence always results to poor conclusions. Sad to say but people choose to get tickled in their ears rather than learn the truth.
Ephesians 5:11 calls Christians to rebuke the works of darkness. However, rebuking must never be done out of spite but out of concern for the person and to let the person know of their sin and need for salvation. Sad to say but when a person gets cheesy and offensive as possible, it's like adding too much muriatic acid while cleaning tiles. Instead of getting the tiles cleaned up, the floor gets destroyed no thanks to excess use of muriatic acid. At the same time, any watered down preaching can be compared to trying to clean dirty tiles with so little muriatic acid that the dirt cannot be gotten rid of. If the parable of the sower is applied, too much of soil preparation will cause erosion and it will become useless for farming. Balance is something that needs to be maintained. For example, a godly preacher will not compromise with the Vatican. However if a pastor should shout something like, "Well here's the solution. We must kill every Jesuit agent to get corruption out of our government. We must also call for a bloodbath of Roman Catholics if we expect our country to be saved from idolatry." or "I'll pray that Jesuit agent of a president will die and go to Hell." That is no longer appropriate as Ephesians 6:12 says that the battle is not against flesh and blood but against demons.
I also would agree with what Bro. Gerry Soliman had to say when it came to overdoing it. People can get crazy whether you like it or not. Like people can get accused of worshiping Satan by saying LOL means Lucifer Our Lord but again LOL can mean many things or it could be a person's initials or as said, it means Laughing Out Loud. As said, always engage in critical thinking while you do your work for God. Don't let your emotions get the best of you or you end up like the unfair critics who are very emotional individuals. Instead of focusing too much on the Vatican's activities, it's best to continue soulwinning. While it's good to keep an eye on what the Vatican is doing (since these are signs of the end times) but the greater priority is soulwinning any lost person than to keep going after endless speculations. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that it's best to cast down every vain imagination because it creates nothing more than confusion. As said, focus more on soulwinning Roman Catholics than keeping yourself occupied with unearthing any secret Jesuit activity... because the next person who might be won to Jesus might be someone who was planted by the Jesuits.
See also:
What I have observed is how a lot of conspiracy theorists is that they usually lack logic in their arguments. The way they write can be so laughably stupid, it jumps from one thought after the other and it's really full of stupidity. A lot of them are a bunch of immature people laced with a harsh personality and they are very chaotic individuals. Some of them are fond of setting up Ad Hominem or strawman arguments while accusing others of doing so... as the saying goes, thinkers doers. They are only using their emotions as they seek to "fight for the truth" which I think they have their other motives, it's possibly an emotional issue. Who knows? Maybe one of these anti-Catholic conspiracy theorists did get molested by a priest before. The problem might be rooted with the problem of unforgiveness. In my case, I have also tried passing Gospel tracts from Chick Publications even to priests and to nuns whenever I meet them along the road or just anywhere.
A lot of them are relying on the fallacy of guilt by association which is very much contradictory to critical thinking. For example, they are quick to label anybody to be a Jesuit at a very weak basis with very little or no evidence. As I said, just because a certain person does the Napoleon pose does not make the person a Mason or a Jesuit, shaking hands doesn't make you a Mason or a Jesuit or doing the okay sign does not mean you are pledging allegiance to Satan. It's very easy to accuse me of being defensive but seldom I feel like saying, "Hey look who is talking!" to them. This can also lead to misrepresent great men of God like Charles H. Spurgeon in his younger pastoral years, did the "Napoleon pose" while pointing to the Bible. Now to prove the stupidity of their arguments - Roman Catholics also do charity projects and outreach or Masons sing Christian songs but that do not make the practices wrong. As for checkered floors, they don't even mean anything at all. Whoever had the Vatican have checkered floors later in its renovations may have just been a fan of checkered patterns. You may also consider that what if a cult that worshiped a no smoking sign was in town, I hanged a no smoking sign... does that make me a member of the cult? Or what if a person who is a member of the fishing club had a sign of a fish on his car, is he a worshiper of Dagon? An eye clinic has an eye symbol (I am aware of the eye symbol of the Illuminati) but that was just an eye sign to let people know it's an eye clinic.
Another is their paranoia and the tendency to use sensationalism along with their paranoid way of thinking. After they have their "Aha! You are a Jesuit!" with very little or no evidence for their false accusation, they get more laughable with how they are so paranoid they write almost everyone to be a secret Jesuit or a Jesuit agent. They can get as illogical as, "So you dare question my claim that the Jesuits carried out the bank robbery yesterday? Then you must be a secret Jesuit!" and present all the shaky, stupid evidence that so and so is an agent of the Jesuit priests or a Jesuit priest in disguise which makes me go with sarcasm like, "Wow, you must be special to think I am a Jesuit priest with so little evidence, thinking it weighs much? Why, I didn't realize that you were so smart and that I was so special to have become a Jesuit priest without even taking the Jesuit oath or getting trained by the Jesuits!" What is even more laughable is how they tend to use the Jesuits as scapegoats to the point that they get rid of historical accuracy. According to the Reformers, the Dominicans were the founders of the Spanish Inquisitions and not the Jesuits. The Jesuits only took over it and became the real masterminds. However, powerful as the Jesuits are, they are still humans with limitations and if you have Jesus Christ, you don't need to fear the Jesuits at all. They are not guilty of just almost everything as the sensationalist anti-Catholic conspiracy theorist may claim them to be or or that some evil organizations are independent of the Vatican like atheist communities and some pornographers may be Roman Catholic but they are attending a non-Jesuit parish but may be Franciscan or Dominican operatives.
At the same time, most conspiracy theorists' sites are not even worth a visit. While pictures can be proof and it can mean a lot, but as said, unsightly images can be very inappropriate. Do you know why blurring out of certain parts of a video happen during a news? It's because the sight is so unsightly or inappropriate. You may also consider how newspapers are sometimes ordered not to publish the pictures of a torture incident even if they are asked to report it. Most of these sites are just laced with sensationalism, fundamental pet issues, false accusations (ex. some of them also tend to misrepresent Reformed theology preachers to be teaching works salvation or the other party, to be Antinomians when neither accusation is true), sinister gossips and loathsome tales. While some of them do post a plan of salvation page, it's much easier for the guest to read the sensationalist stories and the sites seemed to be well-calculated to maximize the "shock" value. Pastor Phil Johnson of Grace to You is right to call such pages as exploitation instead of ministry. Being cheesy and offensive as possible is just as bad as watered down preaching. Most of them end up making true Christians look bad with their ridiculous and not to mention, childish behavior that gives them very questionable credibility.
Remember Jesus said in John 7:24 to judge by righteous judgment instead of appearance. For example, the Jesuits may appear to be holy and righteous but a mere event like a Jesuit priest getting overly upset over not getting a VIP seat or the sad spiritual state of Jesuit academies will show judgment. Remember in Matthew 7:3-5 warns us that we are to judge ourselves before others. Christians are commanded to judge the actions of individuals, not individuals themselves. Sad to say but anti-Catholic conspiracy theorists might be spending too much time arguing they feel to see that Roman Catholics are the mission field, not the target to exterminate. Again, some paranoid people may say I'm just a Jesuit in disguise (HUH?!) or that I am still a Roman Catholic (DOUBLE HUH?!) but as said, I don't want to waste my time with irrational people. Again, poor judgment will always lead to poor conclusions. While weighty evidence can be misinterpreted but it can be re-examined to get a better conclusion but poor evidence always results to poor conclusions. Sad to say but people choose to get tickled in their ears rather than learn the truth.
Ephesians 5:11 calls Christians to rebuke the works of darkness. However, rebuking must never be done out of spite but out of concern for the person and to let the person know of their sin and need for salvation. Sad to say but when a person gets cheesy and offensive as possible, it's like adding too much muriatic acid while cleaning tiles. Instead of getting the tiles cleaned up, the floor gets destroyed no thanks to excess use of muriatic acid. At the same time, any watered down preaching can be compared to trying to clean dirty tiles with so little muriatic acid that the dirt cannot be gotten rid of. If the parable of the sower is applied, too much of soil preparation will cause erosion and it will become useless for farming. Balance is something that needs to be maintained. For example, a godly preacher will not compromise with the Vatican. However if a pastor should shout something like, "Well here's the solution. We must kill every Jesuit agent to get corruption out of our government. We must also call for a bloodbath of Roman Catholics if we expect our country to be saved from idolatry." or "I'll pray that Jesuit agent of a president will die and go to Hell." That is no longer appropriate as Ephesians 6:12 says that the battle is not against flesh and blood but against demons.
I also would agree with what Bro. Gerry Soliman had to say when it came to overdoing it. People can get crazy whether you like it or not. Like people can get accused of worshiping Satan by saying LOL means Lucifer Our Lord but again LOL can mean many things or it could be a person's initials or as said, it means Laughing Out Loud. As said, always engage in critical thinking while you do your work for God. Don't let your emotions get the best of you or you end up like the unfair critics who are very emotional individuals. Instead of focusing too much on the Vatican's activities, it's best to continue soulwinning. While it's good to keep an eye on what the Vatican is doing (since these are signs of the end times) but the greater priority is soulwinning any lost person than to keep going after endless speculations. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that it's best to cast down every vain imagination because it creates nothing more than confusion. As said, focus more on soulwinning Roman Catholics than keeping yourself occupied with unearthing any secret Jesuit activity... because the next person who might be won to Jesus might be someone who was planted by the Jesuits.
See also:
- Being Careful About Being Given Into Fables and Guilt By Association in Apologetics
- Conspiracy Theorists Usually Bring More Gossip Than The Truth!
- Never Mind the Conspiracy Theories
- Sometimes Some Christians Can Get Overboard!
- When False Accusers Who Claim to Speak the Truth Get Questioned, They Get Really Itching!