CARose:
Oh, and if I haven’t offended you (which I truly hope I haven’t), do you not take the writings of the CCC as definitive on the subject?
None of you offend me. The blessings I receive from this forum come in many forms, including others telling me what I look like to them.
There is no doubt that I have personally made some pretty angry posts and have earned distrust. Sherlock actually impresses me a great deal, especially as he has demonstrated in this thread. Being harsh is something we all are tempted to do at times (at least speaking for myself) and that’s what we’re here for. To learn how to discuss controversial issues in a safe environment where nobody can shoot me like last month when the guys next door to us killed each other over alleged religious dispute.
Sherlock, I was not hurt in any way, and as CARose said, I did come back too strongly and I apologize. Maybe a quick PM would have been in better order than to try to paint you as a Bad Guy.
I have certainly played the pharisee when I was in leadership positions in the church (VP of parish council, pres of Home and School, etc) working with a bunch of essentially CINO folks who – get this – literally refused to so much as even consider what Christ taught about His Church , and the worst part about being a pharisee is not the ineffectiveness, but the psychological imbalance it brings when you go nuts wondering why these seemingly good people are so stupid and evil when it comes to listening to the Lord. I was working on a database by which I was entering thousands of private comments to the Church who solicited them for the Third Synod of Wichita right up until the day I got locked up. I think part of my psychosis was due to hearing so many heartfelt opinions both for and against the Church when I was already at odds over Church leaders about some of the exact issues.
Believe it or not, one of the main reason I attack what I think to be harsh tactics by “orthodox” is not a slam on being orthodox, but by taking a path that leads to insanity, because if they think they are going to change the minds of the moral relativists by citing Canon Law and such, they are decieved. Maybe a victory once in a while, just to keep feeding their enthusiasm. I am honestly concerned not only that they are deepening the divisions they would heal, but that they themselves are typically in a perpetual frantic state. I know when I was really upset about some things happening right under my nose that I couldn’t stop, I literally stayed awake night after night, trying to draft letters to them to “fix” them.
Guess what happened? My lack of sleep and my tendency toward mania fed each other in a vicious cycle and I made a lot of enemies, who luckily have forgiven me at least on the surface they are polite. Of course, I no longer hold leadership positions at the orders of my psychiatrist.
Yes, I want to protect the “victims” of orthodox putting down CCs, but I see two victims. I see the CC as being vaccinated further against belief, or even the desire to join a club to which the orthodox belongs. (Why agree to join up with somebody who treats people like me, like that.) Therefore the CC is the victim of being pushed away, not the benefactor of being called by the Shepherd (through a voice that sounds confusing if not downright angry). It’s like when my dog runs off, yelling at him angrily to get back does less good than offering him food.
I also see the orthodox as an unwitting victim of his own actions, because it , Hey I’m getting tired of my own words. You people are smart enough to fill in the blanks. In short, my admonitions for orthodox and attacks against their pride (which they view as comfortable certainty) are, believe it or not, intended to help the orthodox at least as much as the CC.
Somebody has to stop the cycle of this endless bickering and each person yelling at the other that lack of unity is Their Fault. I may use methods that confuse or even irritate people from time to time, and I’m sorry people go through that, but I’m on a mission of sorts at any given moment and a little collateral damage, to me, can be easily turned to gold. For example, I am completely impressed by the responses to my aggressive post toward Sherlock.
Every day I am both humbled and exalted on these forums, and I for one believe my life is a great deal better for them. I don’t care who says what to me anymore; I believe the spirit is guiding us to the medicine we need, whether or not it tastes bitter.
Sherlock, I was surprised at your comments to me because I had it in my mind that I had a great deal of respect for you. Thank you for responding to my message instead of my tone (and thanks GoldenArrow for your intervention to help with that) and at the risk of sounding too chummy, I have not lost respect for you but gained respect for you via this thread.
Now I gotta go find somebody to beat up after all this sickening pleasantness.
Alan
I mean, only Barbarians pick their nose with their bare hands. 
). ROFLOL!!! You get my point.
