Catholics are deciding for themselves

[OhioBob]

Wichita:

I am writing a response to a commentary in the local newspaper by a “lifelong practicing Catholic”. I would like to hear your response to this article.

kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/editorial/8978331.htm

I think she needs to keep “practicing”. She is apparently not very good at it yet.

Just another example of the common rationalization that “lifelong practicing Catholics” make that goes something like this: “Since the Church has botched the handling of abusive priests, I have a right to abandon any teachings of the Church that I have a problem with”. Nonesense.

I echo the earlier comment. Good riddance. Don’t let the door hit her on the way out. She apparently stopped being Catholic long ago anyway.

 

[Elizabeth_B]

T.A.Stobie:

Ask her is Jesus would do it? And if she says yes, have her explain why Jesus would to you.

Thanks for the tip! This is a loving way to guide her and respect her growing maturity.

 

[meglin]

Like so many other people, she defines our Catholic faith by it’s detractors.

I wonder where she practices her faith?

 

[Calvin]

meglin:

I wonder where she practices her faith?

Wherever it’s convenient, of course…

… or every third Tuesday from 7:14-7:28 AM, whichever is easier.

-C

 

[Veronica]

After reading her article, this woman sounds like she is a life long sinner, (as we all are) in that she sins against the first commandment, which is the sin against hope. We worship God by acts of faith, hope and charity. The sin against hope is presumption and despair. She presums that God has given up on us and left us to the world and she is in despair of never being called to Heaven as a Saint (Holy One). She needs prayers.

As a Confirmed Catholic, you have a duty to correct her. Its the christian thing to do and to let her know you will pray for her. Maybe she just doesn’t have good Catholic friends.

 

[Salena]

Sounds much more like a lifelong “anti-Catholic” to me!

Do let us know how your response goes!

 

[condan]

Virtually every statement is false from the terming the recent crisis a “pedophelia” scandal when it is known that over 80% of the cases involved teen boys making it a crisis of unfaithful, dissident homosexual priests who opposed established Church teaching on sexual morality and preyed on young boys (not children) to the alleged Catholic failure to protect Jews from Hitler. (St. Maximillian Kolbe comes to mind.) The Crusades? The Islamic world had decimated the Holy Land, was slaughtering Christians and had made its way to Vienna. (Sound familiar?)

Pre-marital sex is the accepted norm? That explains the 1.5 million abortions each year. Not much of an argument.

Same-sex marriage is here to stay? Its an oxymoron. No matter what happens in our crazy legal system, by the definition of marriage, two people of the same sex just can’t be married in the true sense of the word. (And its just plain goofy!)

Unfortunately, this type of ignorance of history and theology are the true crisis in our Church. I’ve long said that we don’t have a shortage of priests, we have too many people sitting in the pews who don’t belong there.

 

[Ken]

condan:

Virtually every statement is false from the terming the recent crisis a “pedophelia” scandal when it is known that over 80% of the cases involved teen boys making it a crisis of unfaithful, dissident homosexual priests who opposed established Church teaching on sexual morality and preyed on young boys (not children) to the alleged Catholic failure to protect Jews from Hitler. (St. Maximillian Kolbe comes to mind.) The Crusades? The Islamic world had decimated the Holy Land, was slaughtering Christians and had made its way to Vienna. (Sound familiar?)

Pre-marital sex is the accepted norm? That explains the 1.5 million abortions each year. Not much of an argument.

Same-sex marriage is here to stay? Its an oxymoron. No matter what happens in our crazy legal system, by the definition of marriage, two people of the same sex just can’t be married in the true sense of the word. (And its just plain goofy!)

Unfortunately, this type of ignorance of history and theology are the true crisis in our Church. I’ve long said that we don’t have a shortage of priests, we have too many people sitting in the pews who don’t belong there.

Gay marriage is here. Same sex people are being married in Massachusetts. It’s real. They won.

If they are not married in the true sense, then it shouldn’t be a problem.

 

[Ken]

condan:

Virtually every statement is false from the terming the recent crisis a “pedophelia” scandal when it is known that over 80% of the cases involved teen boys making it a crisis of unfaithful, dissident homosexual priests who opposed established Church teaching on sexual morality and preyed on young boys (not children) to the alleged Catholic failure to protect Jews from Hitler. (St. Maximillian Kolbe comes to mind.) The Crusades? The Islamic world had decimated the Holy Land, was slaughtering Christians and had made its way to Vienna. (Sound familiar?)

Pre-marital sex is the accepted norm? That explains the 1.5 million abortions each year. Not much of an argument.

Same-sex marriage is here to stay? Its an oxymoron. No matter what happens in our crazy legal system, by the definition of marriage, two people of the same sex just can’t be married in the true sense of the word. (And its just plain goofy!)

Unfortunately, this type of ignorance of history and theology are the true crisis in our Church. I’ve long said that we don’t have a shortage of priests, we have too many people sitting in the pews who don’t belong there.

And the explanation for the other 20% who were also protected and enabled by Catholic bishops? And the explanation for the bishops themselves? And the explanation for the continued abuse by priests detailed this week in thre Dallas Morning News?

 

[davy39]

If catholics are “deciding for themselves” as she states, by breaking all the church laws, then they should no longer consider themselves catholics. Maybe she never was, who knows. It’s just another attempt to discredit the catholic church, and to bring it to its knees. It never worked before, and it never will. Pray for her. Hey Ohio Bob, I’m from Ohio too, can’t you tell?

 

[condan]

Ken:

And the explanation for the other 20% who were also protected and enabled by Catholic bishops? And the explanation for the bishops themselves? And the explanation for the continued abuse by priests detailed this week in thre Dallas Morning News?

There is no explanation. There is no defending the indefensible. Anyone who does is either foolish or insincere.

For sure, things are not fixed yet, not by a long shot. But let’s just make sure that we know what the scandal is so we can make try as hard as we can to make things right.

It won’t be easy but true fidelity to our faith is the only way to make it happen. Bishops must lead effectively, strongly and courageously. Priests must be faithful to Church doctrine and committed to their vocation.

 

[condan]

Ken:

Gay marriage is here. Same sex people are being married in Massachusetts. It’s real. They won.

If they are not married in the true sense, then it shouldn’t be a problem.

Unfortunately, its not as simple as “live and let live”. The short and long-term effects of same-sex marriage on society as a whole is another thread entirely.

 

[maggiec]

After reading her article I have to wonder what happened to her that made her so bitter and full of hate towards the church.
I will pray that something something touch her life to bring her back to the true church.
maggiec

 

[DrCat]

YinYangMom:

Geez Louise! Just 'cause ‘everybody’s doing it’ doesn’t make it right. Such a basic life truth, don’t you think?

Or as my mother used to say

If everybody else was jumping off a cliff, would you join them?

John

 

[Ken]

condan:

Unfortunately, its not as simple as “live and let live”. The short and long-term effects of same-sex marriage on society as a whole is another thread entirely.

The short term effects will be interesting. We should be able to observe and measure them over the next two years in Massachusetts.

 

[condan]

Ken:

The short term effects will be interesting. We should be able to observe and measure them over the next two years in Massachusetts.

You are correct. But it is the long-term effects that will ultimately impact our society’s future.

 

[milimac]

Ken:

And the explanation for the other 20% who were also protected and enabled by Catholic bishops? And the explanation for the bishops themselves? And the explanation for the continued abuse by priests detailed this week in thre Dallas Morning News?

It’s true that there are still problems and the credibility of some bishops have definitely been eroded.

It’s true that evil has been done by sinners of the Catholic Church, some who are high-ranking clergy.

It’s true that our society seems to be in moral decay where various immoralities are widely accepted and practiced, even by some Catholics.

So the Church should just shut up about proclaiming the truth. It shouldn’t even try. We’ll just figure it out ourselves. I just want to go to church to feel uplifted and good about myself. I want to use my conscience the way it is without trying to make it a properly formed conscience.

In essence, this is what MMH’s article is saying. I suggest similarly-minded people read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1790-1795, regarding erronous judgement.

MMH’s article makes no mention of whether she believes these widely accepted and practiced behaviors are moral or not. She sounds like what’s described in 1791: “In such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he commits”.