The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice,   ISBN:B002QGSXK0

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As a Proud Catholic(Conservative) I might be a bit biased, However I found that the book is a Sad account of a Prejudice that is indeed ingrained in most non-Catholics. Specifically The Mainstream Media. While it is taboo to mess(by this I mean portray in Movies ,etc)with other religions and backgrounds, It certainly is not when It Comes to The Institution of The Catholic Church, And the book drives this point home. At times it is a little apologetic for such actions, But it is written by a NonCatholic.
and Intelligently done.Another good point is that "Liberal" Catholics from within are destroying the Church and Indirectly Feeding this. Author Notes how Originally it was a Nativist(Rightwing) Ideal and now it has become A Left Liberal line of attack which is very true and sad.
I disagree that the Church is Politically Left On most issues however.As it is Apolitical, And Conservative in It's Teachings.He sheds light on Special Interest Groups Such AS Act-Up, and Gay Rights Groups and Feminists,Catholics For A Free Choice. who attack the church and Want to Force their Way of Life to TRUE Catholics.As Well as So-Called "Art"- Avante Art by the Likes of Andres Serrano among others and His Disrespectful Art of Christ, this to me Is Anti-Catholic,AntiChrist. If people Want "Reform" They should Become something other than Catholic, Because to Change Her is a Betrayal.This Book is A Must for Any CATHOLIC.

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Jenkins, who teaches history and religious studies at Pennsylvania State University, seems to have launched the public concern about sex abuse by Roman Catholic clergy with his Pedophiles and Priests, published in 2001.

The author of more than a dozen books, many of which treat religious themes, Jenkins here has set out a useful account of the constant vituperative and hostile language and bigoted stereotypes commonly found in much social and religious commentary in the United States on Roman Catholics and their faith.

Jenkins examines a number of these, including alleged hatred of women, gays, and so forth. Of course, anti-Catholicism has a long history in the United States. What Jenkins shows is that, though it was once thought essentially dead, it is now alive and well and being trumpeted by the media without fear of any negative consequences for the perpetrator.

What Jenkins does not realize is that Catholics are not the only ones as Latter-day Saints are faced with the same sort of bigotry as he finds commonly directed at Roman Catholics.

The old anti-Mormonism, which also has a long and undistinguished career in America, is also alive and well. Americans seem to have been able to export every vice, along with whatever else is marketable. And hence those guilty of advancing anti-Mormonism have no fear of repercussions here or even in faraway places like Australia and New Zealand.

And so it goes . . . .

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In the very first sentence of text, Jenkins well describes the situation: "Catholics and Catholicism are at the receiving end of a great deal of startling vituperation in contemporary America, although generally those responsible never think of themselves as bigots" (p.1).

While this is not a great book, it is peppered with some insightful gems: "Through the centuries, defectors from particular religions have distinguished themselves by their fanatical zeal against their former friends and colleagues....[In the 1970s,] many arguments that would have once seemed nakedly anti-Catholic now gained an audience among Catholics themselves....Catholic divisions contributed to opening the Church to attacks by the mass media that would have hitherto been unthinkable....[1968's] Humanae Vitae spawned intense public criticism of the Catholic hierarchy, especially - and this was a vital development - from Catholics themselves" (pp. 12, 48, 49). While Jenkins does not thoroughly connect the dots, widespread rejection of Pope Paul VI's prophetic Humanae Vitae did indeed spawn incredible difficulties in the past four decades (A more detailed history of what happenned may be found in "Catholics And Contraception: An American History."). As evidenced by "Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body," Pope John Paul II dedicated enormous energy to correcting basic errors.

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I recommend this book to those who are open to the possibility of anti-Catholic prejudice. Those who might be characterised as anti-Catholic themselves might dislike its contents. However even the latter group may enjoy reading it to afford the opportunity to rationalise their position much as an intellectual who harboured strong negativity toward another race would never accept the possibility that their society was racist but would enjoy the challenge of rationalising away clear evidence.

That said this is certainly a scholarly review with a wealth of examples both recent and historical that show clear anti-Catholicism and its continuity from past to present. Bigotry is plainly distinguished from fair criticism. Where necessary he expands on historical incidents that are a forgotten part of our past subject to soundbyte rumours. The author is not Catholic and not anti-Catholic and writes accordingly.

As a Catholic I appreciated his objectivity but struggled with the 'warts and all' approach of a non-Catholic putting the issue under the microscope and not missing the opportunity to cite examples where he considered Catholics contributed to the prejudice. I would probably feel more comfortable reading a similar book from a Catholic author who accepts Catholic beliefs. However, as difficult as it might be in places, I do not shrink from recommending it to Catholics as it is useful to see the issue viewed from a different perspective not coloured by prejudice but not viewed through rose coloured glasses either.

It is clear that Mr Jenkins considers our religion to be overly extreme in respect of contraception and a tad sexist. Not that he joins the bigots even when discussing those issues. Indeed he even condemns anti-Catholicism demonstrated by improper actions based on views which he apparently shares and seeks to tone down misrepresentations relating to such issues. Such objectivity even in the face of his own biases is valuable in this type of discussion and should widen its appeal.

He takes pains to carefully document the internal issues within the Church and its implications. This is a wise approach as it confronts the Church with the fact that Catholics themselves exacerbate the problem and make it easier for bigots to make excuses. At the same time it sends a clear message that simply because some Catholics abandon large parts of the religion citing that is an excuse not a reason to be prejudiced against Catholicism.

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This book should be mandatory reading for all the politicians, activists, reporters and countless others that criticize the Catholic Church. The Church is certainly not above criticism, but the critics should at least make an attempt to get their facts straight. This book will help them do so, and puts many of the alleged offenses of the Catholic Church in a proper historical perspective, uses research and empirical evidence to debunk many of the alleged failings of the Catholic Church that are accepted as fact in our culture, and clearly explains the difference between legitimate criticism and illegitimate prejudice with respect to the Catholic Church. The author demonstrates (supported with research, unlike many of the critics of the Church) that many political organizations, members of the media and others, usually careful not to offend anybody because of race, religion or gender, seem to ignore these courtesies when it comes to Catholics.

The author gives numerous examples of the attacks on the Catholic Church by gay activists and writers, including vandalizing Churches, shutting down masses and the desecration of the communion wafer, and rightfully calls these acts bigoted. The book certainly make you wonder what would happen if these activists and writers attacked Muslims or some other religion in the same vicious and consistent manner? Given the Muslim view of homosexuality, one would think that the same gay activists and writers that savage the Catholic Church would do at least the same to Islam. All major Islamic sects disapprove of homosexuality and it is considered punishable by execution in six Muslim nations (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen) and with prison, fines, or corporal punishment in other Muslim nations, such as Bahrain, Qatar, Algeria, Pakistan the Maldives, and Malaysia. The Catholic Church does not approve of acting on homosexual desires, but the Roman Catholic Catechism specifically states that homosexuals "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition".

The book is at its best in debunking the many alleged evils of the Catholic Church that are simply accepted as true by many uninformed Americans, such as the conduct of Pope Pius XII during WWII (an excellent discussion of what actually happened), the Crusades (given that Christian Syria and Palestine were seized by the Muslim sword in the seventh century and that is viewed as acceptable, the author points out that it cannot be argued that it was wrong for Christians to reclaim those lands in the crusades, and he points out that ignoring such historical perspective would be like saying D-Day was an Anglo-American aggression against a peaceful continent) and the Inquisitions (clearly wrong, but claims of hundred of thousands of deaths are ludicrous - the best estimates for the Spanish Inquisition range between 3,000 to 5,000 deaths over a period of three hundred years).

This books may soften even the most diehard Catholic bigot. If after reading this book, you still think think that there is no such thing as a bias against Catholicism and this book is off base, I would point to a recent incident - the New York Times refused to publish the Danish Muslim cartoons, saying that such refusal "seems a reasonable choice for news organizations that usually refrain from gratuitous assaults on religious symbols." The NYT is certainly entitled to take this position, but then why did they publish an image of a work of "art" portraying the Virgin Mary adorned with elephant dung and cutouts from pornographic magazines, and why had they earlier published an image of "Piss Christ," a photograph by artist Andres Serrano showing Christ on a crucifix submerged in a vat of urine, both of which they knew were extremely offensive to Catholics. Apparently, for the New York Times, respect for religion and religious symbols does not extend to Catholics.