They used to Burn Catholic Churches, now they Burn Mosques

[eridani]

http://www.juancole.com/2010/09/they-used-to-burn-catholic-churches-now-they-burn-mosques.html

The hysteria about mosques in the United States is nothing new in our history. Even though the United States was founded by a ragtag series of religious heretics seeking freedom to worship as they would; even though its constitution enshrines freedom of religion– even so, periods of religious intolerance have reared their ugly heads repeatedly in American history.

The kind of opposition nowadays expressed toward the mosque and the Quran was directed in the 1840s against Olde St. Augustine Church in Philadelphia, its ‘dangerous’ Irish congregation, and their Catholic Bible.

Even though Pennsylvania was founded on the principle of religious toleration as set out in William Penn’s Charter of Liberties, even though its leaders in the 18th century made a place for Catholics and Jews and various Protestant groups, by the 1840s a bunch of bigotted yahoos called ‘Nativists’ were desecrating those noble American values.

In 1796 two Irish friars were sent by the Vatican to buy land for the church, and its cornerstone was laid. “Contributors to the church included President Washington, Commodore John “Father of the U.S. Navy” Barry …, and Constitution signer Thomas Fitzsimons.” Note that the Founding Generation supported the church even though it received Foreign Funding. And, in Britain (and British-ruled Ireland), Catholicism labored under severe disabilities, having been until the late 18th century more or less outlawed. Even in the beginning stages of Catholic emancipation, Catholics were required to assert that they rejected the idea of the Pope having temporal power in order to get basic rights.

As with today’s anti-Muslim bigots, who charge Muslims with wanting to rule the world and impose their religious law on everyone, so the mainstream Protestant rap against the Catholic church was also the charge that it sought political dominance.

[and-justice-for-all]

1. The same folks used to burn 'witches' and torture...

and kill those who did not fall in line with their dogma.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. I thought Juan Cole blew his hyperbole budget earlier this year, clearly I was mistaken

[eridani]

3. On your planet the Know Nothings never burned churches or convents? n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. Actually it was the nativists in the US

and lets not forget the entire Reformation violence in Europe.

Cole put mosque burning in his title and then never addressed it. He was called out for it in the comments