But I thought some folks might find this email interesting:
Jonah:
Can’t wait for your “Fascism” book.
Your Corner post today on “Liberal Roots” recalls a similar phenomenon in
Catholic/Protestant discussions.
Protestant apologists will often put Catholics on the defensive with some
stupid/incendiary/un-P.C. (pick one) statement by a pope or a saint. This
requires Catholics to defend, explain, or minimize the significance of the
statement. Catholics, OTOH, can’t easily do this to Protestants, most of
whom do not have a sense of heritage outside of Scripture itself.
RC: Calvin said . . .
Prot: I’m not a Calvinist.
RC: Luther said . . .
Prot: I’m not Lutheran.
RC: Jerry Falwell said . . .
Prot: I’m not a Southern Baptist.
etc. Of course, there are exceptions. But still, the sense of heritage is
much larger for Catholics than it is for any Protestants. For example, a
Catholic could be put on the defensive by any nasty statement attributed to
any Catholic figure; a Lutheran, however, though presumably interested in
what Luther wrote, wouldn’t feel at all responsible (I think) for what John
Knox or Wycliffe might have said.
Don’t know if that helps or is interesting. But I thought of it immediately
when I read your post.