NotWorthy:
I tire of these proofs that since other religious leaders tortured and killed more maliciously than the Church, then its not so bad. If the Church (or its members) did wrong, then the Church (or its members) did wrong.
I agree. That is why I post on the deeds of other churches. Because I am tired of a double standard being held up against the Catholic Church. And tired of truth being suppressed.
Indeed individuals in our Church have strayed and perpetrated destructive things. We have admitted these. Our former Pope John Paul II went to extraordinary lengths not only to admit our misdeeds, but to apologize for them, make amends for them, and persistently hold out the hand of friendship and healing.
NotWorthy:
I’d rather hold us up to a higher level (as we should be) than to rationalize it by saying “well, it’s not as bad as those”.
We are held up to a higher standard. That is why we admit our faults and misdeeds, while others – perhaps with the best of intentions – point their fingers and evade self-examination.
Who, Sir, has rationalized the faults of individual Catholics by saying “well, it’s not as bad as those”? I think it is preferable to request clarity if you do not understand someone’s post, rather than leaping to your own conclusions. Pot? Kettle?
I am all too acutely aware that there are individuals who breathe fire when folks post facts concerning the misadventures of the Reformers. Are we then to not speak the truth – instead placing more and more truth on our no-go lists? Are we to continue to ignore the elephants in the room?
The plain and obvious reality is that too many folks are being misled about the ‘innocence’ of their beliefs and about the roots of beliefs which are all but ‘innocent’. Those folks cannot exercise free will without information.
While that information may be very very uncomfortable to hear, particularly among the misled, how else are folks to exercise free will? In the end, this is a discussion forum. That means that many different points of view make it to the screen.
If you disagree with a proof then say why. But please do not attempt to curtail the free exchange of ideas. What benefit is there for the lost in that? Thank you for considering my point of view.