Which Is Worse?

[LosingMyReligion]

I hear so many horror stories about each denomination. So who is worse, Catholics or Southern Baptists? I would have to vote for Southern Baptist. While Catholicism is very rigid growing up a Southern Baptist is a real head trip. The fundies in Baptists church are obnoxious and incredibly stupid. I would also rank Pentacostal churches(I was in Pentacost for a few years) as cesspools of insanity.

[kellyb]

A lot of Catholics are pretty mellow. 100% of Southern Baptists are fanatical zealots. So I vote SB is worse.

[Brother Jeff]

I was "saved" in a Southern Baptist church after seeing "The Jesus Film" on March 7, 1985. It wasn't long before I became involved in the Charismatic movement and the outrageous insanity that is so much a part of it. I too vote for the Southern Baptists as the worst.

[LosingMyReligion]

I should have made this into a poll. So far Southern Baptist: 3...Catholicism: 0

[Callyn]

Catholocism, in practice, is very mellow. Sure, it has some crazy beliefs, such as a married woman remaining a virgin for life and most of the weeping statues and things are seen by Catholics, but the majority are not crazies. Catholics actually actually believe in works. Sure, there are crazies everywhere, but Catholics have nowhere near as many as Southern Baptists. It probably has something to do with the areas where they are prominent, though ( Catholics in the northeast, Southern Baptists obviously in the south.)

[Robbobrob]

Never had any of my Catholic relatives disown me or preach to me....so I vote Baptist.

[Lycorth]

They're both wicked, given the religion they preach, and the Catholic Church has much more blood on its hands, historically speaking.

 

However, the Catholic Church has lost much of its sick fire, and today is slouching towards full-on senility. The SBs are more alive and well, sadly, so they get my vote as well.

[robbie]

Southern Baptist, without a doubt.

 

Of course, many of you will know that I'm still quite fond of the idea of a lot of Catholicism, and I've only ever been a Catholic and gone to Catholic church, so I'm quite biased, I must admit.

 

If nothing else, most Catholics are only nominally so. And the Catholic Church, in my opinion, is much, much more reasonable. It has more culture, more mystery and draws on a much wider (not to mention much more respected, intellectual and reasonably decent) variety of intellectual, artistic, literary and other sources.

 

Catholicism, it seems to me, is hate and ignorance filled out with a lot of harmless tradition, culture, art, ritual etc. Baptist denominations (and, imo, all fundies) take away all the relatively pleasant practices and beauty. Their only culture, it seems, is the hate and ignorance themselves.

 

Oh, and Catholics aren't prohibited from dancing, gambling, drinking or even getting drunk. In fact, go to any parish event outside Mass and you'd think they were encouraged to do those things.

[Ahh!]

Do I even have to say it? Southern Baptist.

[R. S. Martin]

I think I can provide an unbiased perspective because I am neither Baptist nor Catholic. I've heard so much grief around Southern Baptists just from reading this forum since I joined last summer. I get the impression that, like you say LMR, all denominations have the capacity to be abusive and all of them can be and are abusive at times. But SB just stands out from all the others, going by what people tell about their experiences. Well, maybe it's the number of ex-Southern Baptists we have on here. I get the impression there are more ex-SBs on here than from all other denominations combined--but that's ONLY impression. I'd be interested in the actual numbers if anyone knows how to go about getting them. I know what. I'll start a poll on it and see what happens.

 

LATER: The poll is here.

[DarthOkkata]

I hear so many horror stories about each denomination. So who is worse, Catholics or Southern Baptists? I would have to vote for Southern Baptist. While Catholicism is very rigid growing up a Southern Baptist is a real head trip. The fundies in Baptists church are obnoxious and incredibly stupid. I would also rank Pentacostal churches(I was in Pentacost for a few years) as cesspools of insanity.

 

Isn't Baptism a type of Catholosism? I'm assuming this is a comparison between Roman Catholics and Southern Baptists.

 

At any rate, the Southern Baptist by far outstrips any others as far as being loud and obnoxious. They also have a tendancy to be very large people. They are deleriously happy, and not much of a threat per say.

 

I still think Scientology and Mormonism to be far crazier than any Christian religion. Proving something didn't happen 2000 years ago can be difficult. Proving something didn't happen 200 years ago, isn't much of a challenge.

 

If we're really talking about just plain old Christies, The Jehova's Witnesses are just creepy. I've had families come to my doorstep regularly, and try to entice me with their young daughter's sexual wiles to join their church. with dad standing in the driveway looking on. That was a weird and uncomfortable experience. Especially since it was pretty obvious I wasn't aloud to actually touch anything.

 

It was kind of insulting. 'Join our church, and cute girls like us will talk to you and be friends.'

[ShackledNoMore]

Southern Baptists. They have the extensive fanatic zealot factor.

[bluewizard]

I was raised Southern Baptist and still go to a Baptist church once a week(thanks Dad) and I definitely vote Southern Baptist, more people into extreme fundyism there and more people more than willing to tell you to repress your lifestyle for God, I really hate the way they manipulate children into thinking they're going to Hell and playing with emotions in order to get a bigger church number. Almost anytihng you do is a sin and there's more people who are revolving door SB's than any denomination I'd be willing to bet, by revolving door people who are SB's and stoip going to church and go and keep in a cycle of going back for forgiveness and living the Christian life for a day. I am biased I'm sure because I was raised Southern Baptist but I tihnk they take it.

[Rhia]

Fred Phelps Vs. Former Hitler Youth ass-bastard who wants to start a second Inquisition...

 

Damn... hard choice.

 

Catholics CAN be mellow, but we know from those on the site who used to be ones, that it can get pretty crazy, what with the whole infallibility of the Pope and being in hell with red-hot pokers shoved up your arse for all eternity.

 

Then again, there's the Southern Baptists, who make me want to gather a collective of people and go destroy the whole Phelps family.

 

I don't know, they're both horrible, and completely piss me off.

 

I guess it's harder though to laugh at Southern Baptists, so they get my vote.

[qadeshet]

As a former Southern Baptist I would agree that, today, SBs are the worst. But given half a chance, and the ploitical power to do so, the Catholic church would happily be torturing and burning heretics.

[Thranil]

I agree that Catholicism has the most bloody history, but given the current context, I would have to vote that SB and all other fundamentalist/evangelical sects are the most reprehensible.

[Toxic]

I'd like to vote for Anglican/Episcopal. Check out some of their Churches if You want cesspools of insanity.

[R. S. Martin]

In case someone hasn't found it yet, here's a poll about which churches people went to. My hypothesis underlying the poll is that more exChristians decoverted from the worst denominations than from less bad denominations. I have no idea if that holds true because it seems most of us deconverted because of theology rather than the way we were treated. I listed all the denominations I could think of at the time. I missed a LOT. I do include Southern Baptist and Roman Catholic. It seems there are lot of different kinds of Baptists. So the poll is there for what it's worth. I like knowing about different denominations so it's proving to be educational for me.

[Piprus]

Woo...no doubt about it.

SB and their fundie co-stupids the Pennycostals. THE WORST.

No respect for humanity, no tolerance, no allowance for alternative, in their words read: "devil-spawned" ways of thinking.

[robbie]

As a former Southern Baptist I would agree that, today, SBs are the worst. But given half a chance, and the ploitical power to do so, the Catholic church would happily be torturing and burning heretics.

 

I highly doubt it. Since Vatican II, and even before that, the Church has become a lot less extreme and bloody. Even the Vatican as it is wouldn't want to do that...and the Vatican is almost as conservative as you can get without being part of some weird ultra-traditionalist splinter group like the SSPX or something.

 

Although the Council of Trent does declare that the burning of heretics is not 'contrary to the Will of the Spirit' and proclaims the opposing view to be anathema.

 

^^The inability to forget the most insane details of Catholic dogma, history and devotion is really starting to piss me off now.

[qadeshet]

As a former Southern Baptist I would agree that, today, SBs are the worst. But given half a chance, and the ploitical power to do so, the Catholic church would happily be torturing and burning heretics.

 

I highly doubt it. Since Vatican II, and even before that, the Church has become a lot less extreme and bloody. Even the Vatican as it is wouldn't want to do that...and the Vatican is almost as conservative as you can get without being part of some weird ultra-traditionalist splinter group like the SSPX or something.

 

 

I wish I could believe that the Catholic church has reformed. But I wouldn't bet my life on it.

[Thunder 34]

To tell you the truth I basically know nonthing about either. But I will say Southern Baptist. Because I have been with non southern baptists and I hear that SBs are worse then THEM. Which I can hardly believe. I have no idea whatsoever about Catholics though.

[Guest Nymphetamine]

I say southern baptist they take the Bible as word for word and Catholics don't any more and taking that book word for word can be pretty scary.

[Cracked]

Personally, I think they both suck. But if I have to choose, I will pick the baptist. I was raised a free will baptist, so that's what I have the most experience with.

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But they both still suck shit.

[Deva]

Raised fundy Baptist and they are worse than Catholics. They are both bad, but Catholics have a more merciful doctrine because they maintain that there is a puragatory or some hope of "salvation" (whatever that may mean) after death. Also they hold out the possibility of people being saved outside their religion. With Baptists if you die "unsaved" (meaning you don't agree with their dogmas) you go straight to hell with no other possibility of reconciliation with God after death.

 

As I am typing this all of it seems so absurd.