In truth the Church has consistently intervened as the protector of the Jews, Stark demonstrates. Peter Schafer, director of Judaic studies at Princeton, is even quoted to show that the early Jews condemn Our Lord and His followers as heretics, boldly claiming credit for His death. Additionally, it was Jews who persecuted early Christians as if they were a heretical sect. Voltaire wrote profusely against everything CatholicĬicero described them as “at variance with the glory of our Empire” and many other Roman authors described them in even worse terms. Stark defends the Church against this alleged anti-Semitism by pointing to the fact that discrimination against the Jews far pre-dates the time of Our Lord. The following topics are but a sample of the myths refuted by this engaging read.Īfter World War II, the Catholic Church is often accused of anti-Semitism, smeared by those who would like to paint her as a Jew-hating tyrant. Readers will be led to question the myths that are being taught in our earliest history courses. Despite these shortcomings, I believe the book is good in that it destroys a considerable number of lies about the Church’s past. He adopts several syncretistic perspectives on paganism that are similarly distasteful.
His favorable comments on Vatican II detract from the overall objective character of the book. I must point out that at times the non-Catholic perspective of the author becomes apparent. This work stands to destroy the anti-Catholic prejudices that have so tainted the American mind for what they really are, sad slanders devised by bitter and petty enemies of Church. Occupying the curious position of a non-Catholic defender of the Church, Stark argues that his work is “in defense of history.” His arguments, amply demonstrated with concise logic and reliable sources, utterly refute the slanders that are still being propagated about the Church to this day. The author, Rodney Stark, is a professor of religious social sciences at Baylor University and the author of numerous books. Bearing False Witness is a work dedicated to refuting the most popular myths spread about the Catholic Church.
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