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Ah! you’ve actually done some historical research — GOOD FOR YOU! Forcing innocent people to leave their homeland and possessions behind because they refused to give up their ethnic and cultural identity is simply wrong. It’s myopic, cruel and imperialistic. On this point, you can’t rewrite history. Spain did eventually pay for it’s fanatical cruelty via Elizabeth I of England.

Martin Luther was a devout Catholic — not a liberal! LET’S GET REAL!!! We’re talking about the Middle Ages! Witches and prostitutes are not even favorably looked upon by many in our modern society. The man was simply a product of his time not “a visionary”.

Cathy T, an intelligent person can usually tell the difference between health related caution and OUTRIGHT BIGOTRY! I have no problem shaking anybody’s hand because I carry hand sanitizer and baby wipes in my purse. Most people who have colds will tell you so and decline to shake hands. I have also done so, myself, from time to time. As I said, the Catholic Church’s history is certainly not perfect. So, why pretend? It won’t accomplish anything!

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Perhaps you should supply an example of a “reform minded scholar” who was “tortured and executed” by the Roman Inquisition. It was Martin Luther who advocated for the torture and execution of prostitutes, witches, and Anabaptists.

About the exchange of peace during mass, I don’t know what you’ve experienced, but let me say that there are people, myself included, who hate shaking hands during mass. It feels out of place and then there are people with moist sticky hands. Eww. I rejoiced when it was temporarily stopped because of swine flu.

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The only “ignorance” that was emphasized in my post concerning instances of the Catholic Church’s “dark” and “fanatical” history was the cruel and callous way it has treated various groups. By the way, your definition of “shunning” would certainly apply to the instances that I mentioned.

Concerning the Jews who were driven out of Spain during the Middle Ages, many of them were actually “practicing” Roman Catholics. In order to appease the Spanish authorities and societal customs, they joined the Catholic church, attended mass and honored the church’s feast days in addition to honoring their much older Jewish customs. Being driven out of your native country would certainly qualify as “SHUNNING”. Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation, was also a very devout Roman Catholic scholar. If the church authorities in Rome could have gotten their hands on him, he would have been tortured and executed like so many other reform minded scholars before him. Galileo, a brilliant Italian scientist was relentlessly harassed by the Roman Inquisition because he strongly supported the “heliocentric” view of the universe as opposed to the church mandated “geocentric” view. The poor old man simply caved in so those fools would leave him the hell alone.

Cathy T, LET’S GET REAL!!! I’m an African American and there are people who have been so brainwashed by the Catholic Church, they won’t even shake my hand as a customary offering of PEACE during mass. I would certainly consider such behavior an example of “shunning”. For you to insist that Catholics don’t shun is somewhat out of touch with reality. Historically, the Roman Catholic Church has tortured, executed and SHUNNED GOD knows how many people for various reasons. In fact, I can’t think of too many things “under the sun” it hasn’t done! Stop living in a fantasy world and “CALL A SPADE A SPADE”!

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