Anne Rice Breaks Up With Christianity via Facebook

[seeker57]

I truly don’t understand all the hoopla about Anne Rice saying she wants to give the Catholic Church the boot and follow her heart.

In my church, it is expected that people will evolve and grow spiritually. If someone were to announce one day that Unitarian Universalism was no longer feeding them and they had found another spiritual home - or wished to look for one - we would certainly be sorry to lose him or her, but would wish whoever it was well on their journey.

I do find it lamentable the discussion here has, once again, devolved into a gay bashing frenzy. I don’t buy the “love the sinner, hate the sin” rhetoric. It is just such expressions that others have used to justify verbal and physical attacks against gays and lesbians.

Our congregation is in the final stages of a year-long process of becoming a Welcoming Congregation. That means we will officially not only accept openly gay and lesbian members, but we have made every effort to make the congregation a safe and welcoming place for them.

We also treat gay and lesbian relationships with the same respect we do straight relationships, including marriages.

This probably won’t go over well with some who have posted here. It is obvious from the comments that some are quite conservative and would find it difficult to accept the type of congregation we have.

 

[MormonHero]

I truly don’t understand all the hoopla about Anne Rice saying she wants to give the Catholic Church the boot and follow her heart.

She hasn’t said that she is abandoning the Catholic Church. All she has said so far is that she no longer associates herself with the label “Christian”.

 

[doughnut]

I don’t think that intelligence makes people less able to recognize their ignorance in comparison to God. I think it is pride, fueled by many years of hearing how brilliant they are, which trains them to rely on their own judgement rather than trusting someone who may know more about God. Such is the case with Anne Rice, people tell her she is a brilliant writer and they affirm what she thinks about morality and Christ, therefore she has decided she knows Jesus better than the Catholic Church.

I can’t say I am surprised that she left. Prayers for all fallen-away Catholics that they might come to love and understand their faith and return to the Sacraments.

Sometimes a more capable person get affirmation more than his less ‘intelligent’ counterpart; just like money isn’t evil on it’s own but it’s a very bog temptation for many; the intellect here serves to lure her into thinking she knows better than ‘you fools who go to church’ intelligent & talented she may be; but unwise.

We all have pride; but pride towards which subject? Many ‘devoted catholics’ are ‘proud’ of their pious-ness too.

 

[Cinette]

I truly don’t understand all the hoopla about Anne Rice saying she wants to give the Catholic Church the boot and follow her heart.

In my church, it is expected that people will evolve and grow spiritually. If someone were to announce one day that Unitarian Universalism was no longer feeding them and they had found another spiritual home - or wished to look for one - we would certainly be sorry to lose him or her, but would wish whoever it was well on their journey.

I do find it lamentable the discussion here has, once again, devolved into a gay bashing frenzy. I don’t buy the “love the sinner, hate the sin” rhetoric. It is just such expressions that others have used to justify verbal and physical attacks against gays and lesbians.

Our congregation is in the final stages of a year-long process of becoming a Welcoming Congregation. That means we will officially not only accept openly gay and lesbian members, but we have made every effort to make the congregation a safe and welcoming place for them.

We also treat gay and lesbian relationships with the same respect we do straight relationships, including marriages.

This probably won’t go over well with some who have posted here. It is obvious from the comments that some are quite conservative and would find it difficult to accept the type of congregation we have.

*In the Catholic Church the focus is on Almighty God - not the congregation. We seek to do His bidding and don’t command God or expect him to do our bidding.

We seek to obey God and His Commandments and follow his guidelines.

We have people of same sex attraction (SSA) in our Church and there is a “Gay and Lesbian Group” in our Parish to cater for their spiritual needs and counselling.

Cinette

Cinette*

 

[Tiffany_M_S]

Cinette, I think you are a very good, but very critical woman. Tell me, how old are you? Difference of opinion often comes from a generation gap.

You talk about God like you know him, yet, if you truly knew him, you would not forsake this woman, and you would seek to understand her. You may claim that you are empathizing with her, but all I seem to hear from you is a lot of negative comments and criticisms, when, in fact, none of us have the right to do that at all. It is not my opinion that you are a bad woman. However, it is my opinion that judging people is one of the worst sins you can possibly commit. You preach of God, and yet, you are breaking one of his most important commandments: “Love thy neighbor as thy self.”

“He who is without sin, cast the first stone.” --Jesus Christ

 

[seeker57]

She hasn’t said that she is abandoning the Catholic Church. All she has said so far is that she no longer associates herself with the label “Christian”.

Can someone who eschews the label Christian still maintain themselves as Catholic?

I thought that would be outside the realm of acceptable precepts.

 

[Cinette]

Cinette, I think you are a very good, but very critical woman. Tell me, how old are you? Difference of opinion often comes from a generation gap.

You talk about God like you know him, yet, if you truly knew him, you would not forsake this woman, and you would seek to understand her. You may claim that you are empathizing with her, but all I seem to hear from you is a lot of negative comments and criticisms, when, in fact, none of us have the right to do that at all. It is not my opinion that you are a bad woman. However, it is my opinion that judging people is one of the worst sins you can possibly commit. You preach of God, and yet, you are breaking one of his most important commandments: “Love thy neighbor as thy self.”

“He who is without sin, cast the first stone.” --Jesus Christ

*If I am being uncharitable please quote me - where did I demonstrate this? Because if you are right I will seek to correct myself immediately. Have you seen Post No 97? Was I being uncharitable?

Seriously, I need to know.

God bless
Cinette*

 

[seeker57]

*In the Catholic Church the focus is on Almighty God - not the congregation. We seek to do His bidding and don’t command God or expect him to do our bidding.

We seek to obey God and His Commandments and follow his guidelines.

We have people of same sex attraction (SSA) in our Church and there is a “Gay and Lesbian Group” in our Parish to cater for their spiritual needs and counselling.

Cinette

Cinette*

We don’t command God to do anything. We don’t command anyone to do anything. We don’t tell people how to live.

We are not Christians, but may use Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Wiccan, Humanist and other teachings to help us along our paths.

We also try to make ours a church where gays and lesbians can feel comfortable in pursuing their own spiritual journey without fear of reproach, condemnation or ostracization.

 

[Cinette]

We don’t command God to do anything. We don’t command anyone to do anything. We don’t tell people how to live.

We are not Christians, but may use Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Wiccan, Humanist and other teachings to help us along our paths.

We also don’t cater specifically to the spiritual needs of gays and lesbians, but we do try to make ours a church where they can feel comfortable in pursuing their own spiritual journey without fear of reproach, condemnation or ostracization.

*Christianity is not “comfortable”. It all started with Christ dying on the cross for our sins. That was not “comfortable”. Following Him is not easy or “comfortable” either.

 

[lax16]

…:ehh:…

A most ironic statement to make, lax, given everything.

Are you referring to the Cumorah thread?

Are you saying that all of the research I did and provided from LDS sources is my opinion and not a statement *of fact *according to LDS doctrine?

 

[BlueSapphire]

Jesus didn’t condemn the woman caught in adultery, just her actions. (Sin no more). Love the sinner, hate the sin. That is why I love ALL including gay/lesbians - not their actions.

John 8.

 

[LilyM]

Truth does not change…being homosexual is a natural God created variation of humanity…"

And leprosy is a natural God-created disease that afflicts humans. We do understand it better than the ancients did. And so we no longer treat lepers as though their disease is a punishment from God, and isolate them completely from society. Instead we realise that it is just like any other medical condition.

But by the same token we don’t act as if leprosy isn’t a disease or medical condition. We don’t act as if having leprosy is totally unproblematic. Instead, we recognise that it needs to be treated and cured.

God’s revelation of Himself is progressive - yes. And so we don’t treat people who are attracted to others of the same gender as if the attraction itself, absent any homosexual behaviour, is wrong or sinful. But, as with leprosy, we don’t go the extra unwarranted step. We don’t assume that homosexual behaviour is totally unproblematic.

 

[Cinette]

*I have been thinking about this Anne Rice.

You know, sometimes people who try to commit suicide do so for attention. They warn someone who comes to save them.

Anne Rice’s posting her intentions on Facebook - could this not be attention seeking?

Its not going to make me curious and read her books but I shall certainly pray for her.

Blessings
Cinette*

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Do I understand everything the Magisterium teaches? No.

Do I accept it? Yes. I have to.

Are some things easier for me to do than others? You bet.

Swimming the Tiber is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. But it was the right thing. It continues to be the right thing, no matter how difficult, no matter how uncomfortable it makes me.

We can be blown about as straws in the wind or we can cling to The Rock.

Rice reverted. For whatever reasons, thank God. Now she is as a straw in the wind. That was a hissy fit in public. When Rice again sees the light, will her apology be as public?

 

[Cinette]

Do I understand everything the Magisterium teaches? No.

Do I accept it? Yes. I have to.

Are some things easier for me to do than others? You bet.

Swimming the Tiber is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. But it was the right thing. It continues to be the right thing, no matter how difficult, no matter how uncomfortable it makes me.

We can be blown about as straws in the wind or we can cling to The Rock.

Rice reverted. For whatever reasons, thank God. Now she is as a straw in the wind. That was a hissy fit in public. When Rice again sees the light, will her apology be as public?

*I cannot find the quotation but it was St Augustine who said something like this “It is not necessary to understand in order to believe but to believe in order to understand.”

Cinette

 

[EmperorNapoleon]

Concerning the phrase “sexual orientation”. Now I am led to believe there are two “sexual orientations” but I don’t get why is that the case, I remember watching a documentary where a paedophile claimed that he had a “sexual orientation” towards children. Now why shouldn’t I believe him?.

There are actually seven different sexual orientations:

1. Heterosexuality - Sexual feelings, desires, and emotions exclusively for the opposite sex of the appropriate age.
2. Regressed Heterosexuality - Sexual feelings, desires, and emotions exclusively for the opposite sex with no regard to age (including children).
3. Bisexuality - Sexual feelings, desires, and emotions for both opposite same sex of the appropriate age.
4. Regressed Bisexuality - Sexual feelings, desires, and emotions for both opposite same sex with no regard to age (including children).
5. Homosexuality - Sexual feelings, desires, and emotions exclusively for the same sex of the appropriate age.
6. Regressed Homosexuality - Sexual feelings, desires, and emotions exclusively for the same sex with no regard to age (including children)
7. Fixated - Sexual feelings desires and emotions exclusively for children with no regard to gender.

Funny that I know of some ex-gays who now are in marital relationships with the opposite sex. Both of these examples show me that it is possible to change one’s sexual behaviour.

Changing sexual behavior doesn’t mean the sexual orientation has changed. There are a handful of studies which managed to dig up some anecdotal evidence that a microscopic fraction of self-proclaimed “ex-gays” managed to change their sexual orientation and not just their behavior but the ability to change sexual orientation has not been scientifically proven (which would actually be very easy to determine either way if the “ex-gays” were willing to participate in such a study).

 

[Australis]

If it is anything like Bono, she’ll pray and concentrate on her own personal relationship with Jesus without the middleman (churches).

I hope her prayers are answered and I hope mine are too Heaps of protestants have also done the same as Anne Rice for various reasons. It’s all part of the general decline in Christianity and part of last days. There are certain things we need a church for though, Holy Communion is an example. Is this author going to do this by herself in her kitchen using a nice red and cheese crackers??

 

[1holycatholic]

Discrimination against gay and lesbian people IS based on WHO THEY ARE…not what they do…no matter what frame of reference is used to justify it…those of us branded “liberal” do not abandon God…we abandon falsehoods perpetuated in the name of “religion”.

That’s odd. Christians believe that they are created male and female in the image and likeness of God.

Stranger still is Christ establishing one and only one Church, the Catholic Church. Perhaps you’ve heard of it, or of a very popular book that proceeds from the Catholic Church called the Bible.

 

[Publisher]

Really? Where has He revealed that to mankind?

.As a Friend, I do not confine the revelation of God to scripture alone…God’s revelation takes place in our humanity…already this revelation has taught us the worth and equality of women…it has shown us the worth and humanity of people of color so now…we do not hold people of color as slaves…nor do we restrict the “mingling” of the races,NOW anyway…it is now showing us the worth and humanity of gay people as they are understood NOW as one more variation of how two people of the same sex CAN embody the astounding diversity of God’s creation

Really? Where has He revealed this to mankind?

So you haven’t read Joshuah? Our understanding of God now prohibits us from cutting the hand off a woman when she touches a man’s testicles. Our understanding of God now prohibits us from killing the rape victim because she didn’t scream loud enough for help to come. Our understanding of God now prohibits the murder of young girls that prove not to be virgins…either by stoning or burning…we are prohibited from such actions. Our understanding of God now prohibits the killing of disobedient children…the list goes on and on…all of these “allowed murders” are instructions in the Law…or Israel’s bloody history as they “obeyed God”…

The Bible is not a mystic divine tome…it is a book which reveals the ongoing struggle of humanities need to understand the ways of God…we’ve come quite a long way from…“kill every man woman and child and beast as you enter the city.”

The words of Paul to “work out our salvation…”…or the prophets…“Come now let us reason together…”

We eventually as a people WILL embrace gay people as WHOLE COMPLETE PEOPLE and not as aberations…but a variation of the human experience.

 

[mflorence]

But then who will save their souls?

Seriously. Though her tantrum deeply offended me, and sounds like she drank Mr. Clean, then fell off the roof and landed on her head, what of her soul?

.

The question being “what of her soul?” I would humbly offer if I may that her soul belongs to God. It is of God, from God, and nothing is ever lost to God. Before there was an Anne Rice, He knew her. Before she was in the womb, He knew her. That which she truly is was never born, nor will it ever die. All is He. Whatever path she or anyone else takes, it originated at the same place and ends in the same place.

“One who always sees all living entities as spiritual sparks, in quality one with the Lord, becomes a true knower of things. What then can be anxiety for him?”