Why I am not a Catholic!

[Riverwind (imported)]

The catholic church is just to political and way to powerful and when this happens they tend to think they are a God.When man thinks this way nothing ever good comes from it and the catholic church is just that way.They do more harm then good or at least thats the way i feel

The same can be said for the fundamentalist church today. Take the late Jerry Farwell for example and the hate/dogma he spewed. No difference, I do believe it's all of Christendom. Every one of them has the true path, but not one of them agrees with the next guy.

River

[Brandon86 (imported)]

I used to be a Catholic. In many of my beliefs I still am. But I started to loose core parts of the Catholic faith as I began to be honest with myself, that I am a gay man. I didn’t get upset with the Church but I realized that I could not live that way, in denial of who I really am. It was a difficult decision to leave but I think I made the right choice. Anyways, I felt I would address a few points brought up here. I’m not arguing but I do wish to help clarify a few things.

Today I ran across a film documentary that indicates that the Catholic Church has not changed its view on one important aspect of marriage since 1084. This same canon law was the reason that the Italian castrati were forbidden to marry. Cardinal Sin, the Catholic Archbishop of Manila, who died only recently, went even further and ruled that should anyone become sterile after marriage (including vasectomies and tubal ligations) their marriages should automatically be annulled by the church. Procreation was the sole reason for marriage and inability to procreate made one unfit for marriage.

Forbidden Wedding

Length: 01:00

Type of program: Documentary

At age fifteen, a bullet tore through Hedir Antonio de Brito's body, paralyzing him from the waist down. Twenty years later, he met Mara. They were to be wed. He sent out wedding invitations and applied for a marriage certificate from the Roman Catholic Church.

But forty days before the wedding, Hedir got an unexpected letter from the Catholic Church of Patrocinio, Brazil. His marriage application was denied on the grounds that as a paraplegic he could not copulate, a decision based on the Vatican's Canon Law 1084.

Filmmaker Flavia Fontes talked to the couple, their families, the local priests as well as people in their small Brazilian town. Many were afraid to speak their minds in the shadow of the Catholic Church, but they eventually expressed their outrage at a situation that put love and faith on opposite sides. Told entirely through their voices with no narration, Forbidden Wedding unfolds into a gentle love story about human sexuality, the frailties of faith, the rights of the disabled, and the magic of the heart.

That is really sad. What makes it even more sad is that within the Catholic Church, there used to be a type of marriage called Josephite marriages. Both spouses take a vow of celibacy. The requirement, though, is that they still be capable of sexual relations. I think it is part of the self-sacrifice or something. Anyways, it would seem that if sex isn’t always required, lack of certain physical capabil

ites shouldn’t be used as an impediment to marriage.

Interesting story and a sad one at that as

the priests seem to love screwing every one they can.

I assume you can cite some evidence in support of this. If you’re referring to the sexual abuse scandal, you might be surprised to learn that many secular sources have found that priests are no more likely (some sources indicate they are less likely) to sex

ually abuse children. I do not know about the percentage of priests breaking their vow of celibacy, ho

wever.

I would imagine Jesus isn't Catholic if only because he'd think one nailing to cross was enough.

I guess you’re talking about the sacrifice of the Mass. If you are, you should be aware that the Church does not teach that Christ is re-sacrificed (nailed again) on the cross. Church doctr

ine teaches that God connects the Eucharist in time with the original sacrifice of Christ that is once for all, as the Scriptures say (or something to that effect).

The catholic church is just to political and way to powerful and when this happens they tend to think they ar

e a God.When man thinks this way nothing ever good comes from it and the catholic church is just that way.They do more harm then good or at least thats the way i feel.

The Catholic Church isn’t any more political than other religious groups. It takes a fairly strong stand on issues like abortion and marriage but I just don’t see it getting too invol

ved in much else. Of course, individual Catholics do get involved but to my knowledge, the Catholic hierarchy in the US stays out of most political issues. Maybe I am wro

ng and you can provide some examples? Thanks.

Offhand, I'd say I'm not a Catholic if only because the Catholic Church sponsered the Holy Inquisition which murdered over 2,000,000 innocent people over a 500 year period.

I’m a bit curious because I’ve heard a wide range of estimates for deaths from the Inquisition. Do you have a source you can cite for your 2 million figure? Thanks.

Peace and Blessings to all,

Brandon

[A-1 (imported)]

....

I’m a bit curious because I’

ve heard a wide range of estimates for deaths from the Inquisition. Do you have a source you can cite for your 2 million figure? Thanks.

Peace and Blessings to all,

Brandon...

Perhaps THIS (http://voxday.blogspot.com/2004/06/shif ... ument.html)may be of interst to you.

Also, on THIS SITE (http://www.reformation.org/inquisit.html) it is claimed that...

...Prior to 1960, libraries in America were filled with books on the Inquisition. Today however, very few can be found. . . . Why has the Inquisition been covered up? Because the total number of victims of this atrocity reached about 68 million people.

They were Bible-believing Christians, Jews and even Roman Catholics like Joan of Arc, Savanarola, Giordano Bruno and Galileo etc., who were destroyed by the Inquisition carried out by the "Holy Office." The victims were always found guilty. They never knew who accused them. They never had lawyers, and no one would dare lift a finger to help. . . . On August 28, 1558, Walter Mill (an 82 year old Scotsman and parish priest of Lunan near Montrose), was burned alive with several others for embracing the Reformed Faith!!

Brandon,

There is nothing wrong with the Catholic Church, per se, however, remember, religion and belief in God is a private thing.

When you allow others to worry you about what religion is 'true', you lose that relationship in a manner of not being able to see the forest for all of the trees.

You end up not 'seeing' God for all of the churches...

You do what you must in this life, and you pray for guidance and mercy.

However, to get guidance you must listen to you own soul and to get mercy you must first show mercy.

Blaming the current heirachy of the Catholic Church for the Inquisition is a bit like blaming the Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is counter-productive to blame the innocent for the sins of the guilty.

If you want to justifiably criticize the Catholic Church, pick a contemporary issue like the molestation of children by preditors masquerading as Priests. In this they can take a proactive stance. Little can be done about things that happened hundreds of years ago. Except, perhaps, THIS. (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/ ... 3253.shtml)

Don't dredge up the Inquistion or the slaughter of the Aztecs and Mayans by the Conquistadors after which they plundered the gold and silver.

The world is ugly enough today without that.

[sag111 (imported)]

Iguess i am referring to the millions of dollars the catholic church has spent paying victoms of sex abuse by their priests.I see the catholic church as a very political organization within their own church body not in the government.Their are a lot of churches that beleave the same with just a few diffrences that seperate them but their core belifes are mostly the same.

[JesusA (imported)]

I always try to make a clear distinction between Christians and "christians". Those with the capital "C" and no quotation marks are those who follow the words of Jesus and the message of the New Testament. Those whom I put in quotation marks and with a small "c" are those who loudly profess a faith they do not follow – the Jerry Falwells and Fred Phelps of the world.

The distinction is very important when we have some of the capital "C" group as important members of our community. I have met Sag111 and have talked extensively with him. He is most definitely a CHRISTIAN, in all caps. There is an aura of love and kindness that surrounds him that I find quite remarkable.

This thread was started to talk about the little "c" sort of "christian". Try to keep the distinction clear.

[genderless (imported)]

So true trulycommitted and jesus!

[sag111 (imported)]

Well if you say they are bullshit i guess you have your reasions but for me I dont see this.Yes some churches are not good at all and I have seen a few of thoes and this thread mentoins one I am not to fond of.But their are some that teach the way God intended us to learn his word but you have to open your eyse and read for your self.It is said if you dont beleave nothing you will beleave anything

[A-1 (imported)]

So true trulycommitted and jesus!

RE: Avatar...

Nice Codpiece!

[sag111 (imported)]

Truley commited I understand your anger but this is what sin has brought us and sadley it has been this way all through hystory....hmmmmm theirs that word again HYSTORY.Anyway Jesus was killed by folkes who thought their shit didnt stink but they were wrong and sadly many christians today act the same way.But their are a few that know Christ comes first as well as his people and when you meet one of thies christians you will know the diffrence between people who say they are christians and thoes who are.

[A-1 (imported)]

Genderless,

That new avatar... may I lick her can... ?