Same Pathologies, Different Communion

One of the things you notice as you survey the Christian world is that people can be grouped according to self-chosen societies such as Dominicans, Presbyterians, Jesuits, etc. But in another way, people who appear to have nothing in common and who are, in fact, mortal enemies can oddly resemble and even need each other. It’s something of a cliche to note that not a few involved in the Catholic apologetics community (particularly on line) could use an estrogen injection or two and just learn to chill out and not approach life as though it is a series of hand to hand combats with the foe. I’ve discussed this at some length in the past and Mark Brumley’s written an entire book about the phenomenon.

But, of course, it isn’t just the Catholic Church that has a small percentage of testosterone-driven triumphalists spoiling for a fight. Here, for instance, is some guy defending the Orthodox Churches, and in the process berating St. Francis as suffering from “total spiritual blindness.” He also bashes Sts. Catherine of Siena, Theresa of Avila, Ignatius of Loyola, and Therese of Lisieux.