I guess that is where we differ. Catholics believe they are The Church. It is the people that make up the Church. That is why we say the Catholic Church is made up of sinners. You can`t separate the Catholic Church from Catholics. Of course, there are some who do not practice the Catholic faith who still call themselves Catholic.
Oh, sure. Catholic literally means “Universal” so that’s understandeable. It’s a religion meant to universally cover all people.
There is a form of shunning that is supported by the Church, it is called Disfellowship. It is used formally and members use it as a basis to justify there own infomal actions. My sister was Disfellowshiped and may be on her way to Excommunication. I have family that only speak to me when I speak directly to them and then they get away as quickly as they can so as not to “catch” my non-belief.
Let’s put the shoe on the other foot. What if a daughter or son left the Catholic church and became LDS? What would people do who are Catholic on this forum do? Would they shun? Also remember they will show up at Thanksgiving, Christmas, a new baby, and other such time and start injecting Mormon theology into the family environment by sultle statements such as: Well free agency allows me to …
Disfellowshipment is a form of Church discipline. Every church must have some way of disciplining its members who transgress or step out of the line. It is a less severe form of discipline that excommunication.
Disfellowshipment is not an exercise in “shunning” people. Usually Church members are not aware when someone is disfellowshipped (unless he/she chooses to reveal it to them). A disfellowshipped person is encouraged to attend Church, and participate in all Church activities. But they are restricted in some of the things they can do, such as pray in Church or partake of the sacrament, until their repentance is complete and the restrictions are lifted. But no one need ever know that they are “disfellowshipped” that they should want to “shun” them. Even excommunication is not an exercise in shunning people, never mind about disfellowshipment.
Disfellowshipment is not a “prelude” to excommunication. It is a lesser from of discipline than excommunication. It shows how little you understand about the Church and how it functions.
What is your “unbelief”? You haven’t told us what that is. But I very much doubt what you say is true. My guess is that you drive them away from you because you want to hoist your ideas on them, as you try to do here. So they get fed up with your smug and self-righteous attitude and want to get away. I don’t blame them. I suggest you first take the beam out of your own eye, and then try to take the mote out of your brother’s eye.
We have family, uncles,aunts,brothers, and even sisters and cousins of other faiths.
I can only tell you what my wife’s Catholic family did when my wife converted to Mormonism. They attended our wedding reception. They welcomed us at family gatherings. All her Catholic relatives (even the very Catholic ones) accept her without question.
Actually, I am a she and I choose not to respond to “Z” or debate with him. He only reads what he wants he already believs and apparently never lived in small-town Mormanville. I only know what I know based on my own experiance.
People oftne dont understand the full meaning of the term Catholic… It means the Church is present in it’s entirety whenever any part of it meets. So when the local parish holds Sunday Mass, the CATHOLIC CHURCH in it’s fullness is meeting.
My apologies, ma’am.
And that’s waht the building of the church is when one is Protestant. The Real Presence is not there.
Just a thought about all of this with the members being the church. It sounds wonderful in theory, but think about it. If all members decided to support a new idea, would that make it new doctrine? Would that mean that the church changes to hold what the members want it to. I think that the difference in idea here is that mormons see the church as separate. No matter what the members are like, the church and it’s beliefs are the same. The church teaches love and kindness to all regardless of what the members do. I think, if you think about, Catholicism is much the same. Do you calm that if some one in your congregation hit an innocent child that because they are part of the church, your church believes that it is right? Just a thought.
LOL…Well right…At least they are correct in their assumptions !
We don’t believe anything of the sort. The poster was not claiming that the members determine doctrine. His post had nothing to do with doctrine.
I am Eastern Orthodox Btw, but that is Catholic enough for this thread.
Mormonism is the only form of true Christianity. Your version of Christianity is apostate. It is a different and unrelated religion to the true Christianity. It is not the Christianity that Jesus established. It uses Christian sounding terms to make it look like true Christianity; but in reality it is false and dead religion, and the opposite of true Chritianity.
Old Heresy never dies they just change thier name to LDS