| Actually, what I just described is more or less where most mainstream religions are. Even in "The Cardinal", representing attitudes in early and mid- century, the main character is loathe to say that one has to be a Catholic, only that it is better, and that is more or less the tack the Church has taken since Vatican 2: that other religions (and not just Protestantism) have some portion of the truth, but the fullness of truth is found in the Church. Among Protestants, it is not unusual to change denominations, without worrying about the doctrinal niceties of Presbyterianism or Methodism, and there is very little residual anti- Catholicism. My Jewish grandmother would not say a word against Christ, only that she thought he was a great teacher, whose message was obscured; and the Catholic Church I attended as a teenager had a couple of seders, with youths from the local synagogue invited to make sure they were done right, to emphasize the importance of Judaism to Christian practice. Religious tolerance is the norm among church goers, not the exception...... |
