Cardinals Discuss Pentecostal Threats

[benedicter]

Quoted ‘One doesn’t believe then suddenly not believe. I think it would be fair to say I never believed what the Church teaches.’

As a Catholic who fell away and has returned. I disagree. I truly believed that the Eucharist was the Body of the Lord etc. What I didn’t accept, and never admitted to myself this was the problem but excused myself and accused the Church of being wrong was the moral teachings. I wanted the Caontrceptive pill, I wanted to sleep with my boyfriend etc. Sin erodes the ability to grow in the faith. God could only do so much with me at that time - and in reflection God was showing me I was just saying no. In the Protestant or Pentecostal Churches they marry and marry again. They have difficulties with morality but they are inconsistent when it comes to marriage and divorce. Perhaps it effects to many of them. I think morally it is easier to be a Protestant than to be a fully obedient Catholic.

I

 

[Polycarp1]

I agree with you. Being a good Catholic is tough, especially with all the moral degadation around us everywhere. Fortunately we don’t have to be perfect, but just have to keep striving for it. I guess we all can stray, but as straying sheep the Sheppard rounds us up!

 

[johnstown_johnn]

Catholics enter through the “narrow gate.”

 

[Polycarp1]

Well the narrow gate is better then to sqeeze past that camel going through the eye of a needle!

 

[peary]

Incidentally I went back to the pastor’s wife and ‘discussed’ the incident and the book ‘Babylon Myster’ (which the author has retracted). Regardless she hung on to her views of paganism, tracking back through Church history she decided that even the apostles must have got it wrong! Yes the experiential was probably in step with our cultural heads, but in the end the hunger of faith needs to go deeper. The couple of Pentecostals I talk to admit they don’t pray that much privately, that is listening and spending time etc. Interesting.

You should have recommended that she read the writings of John Henry Neuman, who answered all those questions, provided, of course, that she can read above the 5th grade level. I wouldn’t be too sure.

 

[benedicter]

You should have recommended that she read the writings of John Henry Neuman, who answered all those questions, provided, of course, that she can read above the 5th grade level. I wouldn’t be too sure.

It is very sad, that even in the face of the retraction from the author she keept trying to find more arguments to go against the Church. I asked her if she had been to a Mass. Yes, once when she was a teenager. How was it? I asked. Okay she said, except she thought they said something in Latin!!! I said to her that the beliefs of the Catholic Church and all its interpretations were extremely transparent, not ‘mystery, paganism’. I asked her if she had ever read the catechism or encyclicals, they were all online. No she had never even tried to source the teachings at all. So she liked the ‘myths and stories’ even though as I reminded her the Holy Spirit may not be impressed. The blindness of bigotry. Such a shame - I know for a fact that cost one Catholic mother with four children (her husband was not a Catholic), the son became a fundamentalist pastor in training and he told me he had always liked the Catholic Church and wondered when he was young if he was called to the priesthood - but the family changed churches.

 

[peary]

the son became a fundamentalist pastor in training and he told me he had always liked the Catholic Church and wondered when he was young if he was called to the priesthood - but the family changed churches.

**If he isn’t married, he still may have a chance! **

 

[benedicter]

**If he isn’t married, he still may have a chance! **

Unfortunately, he is married. But we dialogue by email. I introduced him to the Bishop where he lives. That was a positive meeting. He loves the Sacraments. He knows I want him to come back to the Catholic Church but he says he is happy where he is. He is moving back to be near his parents in my town. I think one day he will come back. I don’t think he will get the peace he wants until then. He has come to me for spiritual matters and that has been positive. Lack of ongoing prayerlife for one.

God provides these people in our lives for a reason I suppose. It is interesting coming back to the Church through an Anglican (Episcopal) Church with the pentecostal minister. My husband was brought up Anglican. So God used that comfort zone to collect him and then zettisoned us both into the Catholic. God of surprises! I never wanted to be an Anglican - we sort of accidentally went there after my aunts death (it was her church) as a gesture of friendship from the family and we just kept going because it seemed impolite to not show up! Another surprise move from God.

 

[bakhita]

I would also say that I didn’t truly understand that the Eucharist was the “central pillar” of the faith until I was in my late 30’s. I came to that realization after a life time of God loves you, be nice to each other, let’s color a rainbow, Kum bah yah, checklist catechisim. All my brothers and sisters have since left the Church too.

Nohome

The kum bay yah, let’s color a rainbow experience you described is the same experience a lot of Catholics who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s had. I really do believe that this wishy-washy touchy-feely substitute for the real firm truth of the Catholic faith is the reason so many have left the Church.

 

[benedicter]

The kum bay yah, let’s color a rainbow experience you described is the same experience a lot of Catholics who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s had. I really do believe that this wishy-washy touchy-feely substitute for the real firm truth of the Catholic faith is the reason so many have left the Church.

I agree and also it met the free wheeling morality and challenges such as feminism and the Pill etc at the same time. I came to the Catholic church in that era as I was atrracted, after being at a Presbyterian Girls school. At that school they just talked social justice issues in religion classes. When I went to the Catholic school I kept hearing about Grace. I was drawn (had quite a personal calling, thak you Lord) through the spiritual but the Church didn’t put the meat on the bones so I fell off again (my own fault, but I did search for answers but no one really answered speaking from the Church). I questioned the Pill with the Priest who confirmed me and he said just to do the best I could. No one gave me a reason why the Church didn’t agree. No one suggested reading Humane Vitae, I didn’t even know what an encyclical was. Also speaking to me, from a Protestant background no one suggested reflecting on Psalm 139 (I say this as that sorted me later). One priest I discussed things religious with felt (at the time) that communism was Christianity in secular form!!! Obviously into liberation theology. It was a confusing time for everybody.

 

[benedicter]

I would also like to say that the Church can in some places (not Rome) seem to have an over emphasis on social justice teaching at the expense of (not in addition to) firm teaching on Jesus, God, the Church etc. I was repelled from Presbyterianism in the 70’s when I was a young teenager because of this, I really wanted to hear about Jesus and the spiritual.