It would surprise you how many do, at least in the UK. There is still a law on the books, they are talking about it now, which does not allow the heir to the throne marry a Catholic. He can marry someone from any other Christian denomination and from any other non-Christian religion, or an atheist, or whatever. I had thought it was one of those laws which simply got overlooked once the UK decided that Catholics were human beings again. But not so! There are still people opposed. They say that the monarch cannot be “Head of the Church of England” if his father married a Catholic and he, then, becomes Catholic. I don’t know why the trouble - the Church of England is not state-supported. Most people, though, think the law is stupid and want to scrap it. Some even want to scrap the monarchy.
One guy was interviewed by a news anchor, and he said that the Catholic Church was backward, discriminatory and in no way should the monarchy be linked with us at all, that it sends a bad message. The anchor finally asked him whether he (the interviewee) had some Catholic skeletons of his own in the closet.
But there are still some people… they say things like we’re discriminatory because we do not accept homosexual activity and do not ordain women. They ignore the fact that many other religions and Christian denominations have the same stipulations. In fact, it might tear the Church of England asunder. Most British feel that the Anglican Church is very progressive. They already ordain women - they lost people due to that (and gained some) but now there is a debate over serving under a female bishop - some priests are not willing. The homosexual issue is a hot debate in the Anglican church. Especially among the developing nations - it is just not recognized as being a natural phenomenon in their culture. Rather they view it as aberrant. So Anglicans will talk about how progressive they are with half of the church up and arms about the so-called progressiveness on which they pride themselves.
But any chance some people get, they knock us and ignore the fact that the very church which symbolizes the UK (and other churches) are grappling with the same thing.
A new Catholic bishop was just questioned on the news about that. The anchor said “Well, then, only abstaining gays in the Catholic church are welcome,” after the bishop had explained that any extramarital sex was considered wrong. The bishop’s answer was beautiful. He said everyone was welcome and that we all struggle, we’re all sinners and we all fail. He said that if you are striving to do what is right, no matter who you are or what you are, you’re welcome. His whole stance was that people need to be in the Church because of our sinfulness, not because we are doing just fine. The anchor could not keep pinging on him - he had nothing to say to that answer.
It’s taken getting used to. Well, not really. I grew up in an area of the US which used to be very anti-Catholic. Things are much better now. And, luckily, not all British feel this way. It’s worse in the media, but not all the media feels this way.
I have a lot of Protestant friends, here and back home in the States. My beliefs are not a problem. I am married to a self-professed non-Christian and we have no problems. I have more problems with one of my siblings. He left the Church during the excesses of Vatican II and absolutely hates it. If I mention anything ‘Catholic’ in an email to him, he addresses everything else but that. Then my mom, she doesn’t recognize Vatican II. So if I say too much to her, she gets all upset as well.
I have learned not to worry about it because there’s nothing I can do and I figure that if we’re so highly criticized then we must be doing something right. After all, we were told we’d be persecuted (although I hesitate to use that word considering what some Christians are going through across the world).
Rock on!
byrdele
Hello Jerry,I hope you dont mind if i ask you this do you beleive that once you are saved you cannot loose your salvation? I studied with the Baptist but i dont remember that. Please get back Love of Christ Nancy
hay Jerry come on in the waters fine love of Christ Nancy