Sure you can find “bad apples” in any ministry. If I let the MANY “bad apples” who called themselves Catholic influence me, I would have never converted.
I agree that there could be bad apples in any group, but when do you consider it to be too many? What if these bad apples are occurring at more than one location? A majority I have seen come back the same as they were before, but I have not seen any return from these retreats as better people and have seen several come back acting less Catholic Christian than they did before the retreats.
ACTS is a cult? That’s a real stretch.
ACTS meets the dictionary definition of cult, as I posted earlier – and not one person has specifically denied any of the definitions. The cloud of secrecy around ACTS does not help denounce the cult image.
At an ACTS retreat, everybody goes in a bus, although some of the team members bring their cars.
The ACTS retreats in my area do not provide transportation. You pre-pay to attend. You pay your own transportation. You pay.
Why would a legitimate retreat charge attendees fees and make attendees pay all their own expenses? Shouldn’t the focus be on helping people become better Catholic Christians rather than being on the dollar sign? Or is salvation only for those with the money to buy it?
However, you really cannot make a determination unless you’ve actually attended an ACTS retreat.
Hmmmmm . . . just more secrecy.
There isn’t anything secretive about the process or what goes on at the retreat though.
Those that have attended retreats in this area (from more than one parish) say they were told they cannot talk about ANYthing from the retreat. 100% secrecy. All we know is that they go, can only use their cell phones in the evening, then return with an attitude that they are better than those that haven’t paid the dollars and been to a retreat.
My intent is to have anyone considering a Cursillo or ACTS weekend, to be fully informed about what happens there.
Exactly!
But the whole secrecy of ACTS prevents people from knowing until they are already there.
If you read through the other thread, you will find that there were people that wanted to leave. But they couldn’t. They weren’t allowed to have a car, so they couldn’t drive themselves. They didn’t have a phone to call for a ride. And when they asked that someone else do so, it took hours for the ride to materialize.
VERY characteristic of cults and communes.
So, if you’ve got doubts about something Catholic, besides the above, YOU DON’T HAVE TO PARTICIPATE.
But, as Catholic Christians, isn’t part of our responsibility to help protect others from going astray? Using your logic, it would be okay to let someone walk in front of a bus as long as you didn’t walk in front of it yourself.
On its own website, the Knights of Columbus explains that it was founded when Father McGivney “proposed establishing a lay organization, the goal of which would be to prevent Catholic men from entering secret societies whose membership was antithetical to Church teaching, to unite men of Catholic faith and to provide for the families of deceased members.” Father McGivney could have simply chosen to not participate, but he chose to protect fellow Catholics from “secret societies”.
I have tried to get a better understanding about ACTS but since it is so secretive it is hard. My wife just returned from the retreat Sunday and from what I can gather from her, this retreat makes no sense.
How do you deepen your faith by taking a person on an emotional roller coaster? If one is suppose to be getting in touch with the Holy Spirit, why is control over the participants so strong? No watches, no car, no contact at anytime with family members except when allowed by the coordinators?
Purposely messing with one’s emotion as a way to deepen faith makes no sense. Can you not achieve the goals without having to control participants to such this degree?
One other question is, if the participants are suppose to evangelize the faith after attending the retreat, how were they prepared for this? Do not the bracelets suppose to symbolize fisherman of men?
ACTS sounds to me to be a retreat where emotions play a big part.
“secretive” Too secretive.
That is what the bracelet are supposed to symbolize, but they have become an idol that has replaced Catholic Christian action. A symbol so the attendees can recognize each other in public.
Taking people on emotional roller coasters weakens them and makes them more susceptible to suggestion and control. Ask anyone that has been a POW or been through POW training.
