Be Ye Kind

Last night I went to a meeting with the Christian animal science/vet student types. We were discussing how to prove that Jesus was who he said he was, and (maybe because trusting the Bible is somewhat key to that proof) I brought up the subject of canonization. At some point I stated that the Catholics have additional books in their Bible and shortly thereafter someone leaned over and commented that there were Catholics in the room. I had been completely unaware - there was a Catholic at a previous meeting, but I completely forgot that one might be present last night.
I suppose maybe the comment was made to me because I sounded disparaging toward Catholics, and I ended up apologizing to the group. (I don't recall that what I said was unkind to Catholics, but my tone of voice may well have implied some of my opinion about Catholicism.) It is not wrong to state disagreement with Catholic positions on various matters, but it is never right for me to come across disrespectfully. I am too used to going about Catholic-less circles where I would be unlikely to offend anyone with my demeanor regarding them. But even in those circles it is not right to be contemptuous of them.

Now, another angle on this subject... I have a tendency to tailor my demeanor to fit my audience, and I need to watch that. If I came across as contemptuous of Catholics, it might have been because I subconsiously thought the others (being supposedly protestants, according to my subconsious) would have thought unfavorably of Catholicism. My opinions of present-day Catholicism are not emotionally strong against it - I actually have a fondness toward the Christian stream that has run through the Catholic church. I think the late Pope John Paul II was largely to be commended. Hence, whatever unkindness came across may have been largely, well, hypocritical, I guess.