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Holly3278
Guest
Hi everyone. I have been having a few doubts about Christ’s Church, the Catholic Church, lately. Please pray for me that these doubts would go away.
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jazzbaby1
Guest
Praying for you, Holly. As an aside, may I suggest praying the Novena to the Holy Spirit? It’s been helpful to me in the past and He loves you.
jazzbaby1
jazzbaby1
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Holly3278
Guest
I don’t know if I’ll pray a novena to the Holy Spirit or not but I will certainly say a prayer or two to Him.
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Kamonian_Wax
Guest
You’re not alone. This very often happens to me because I am deeply interested in world history, and different cultures. Opening myself up to a whole bunch of religions, can make my head spin with silly questions like, “what if we’re all wrong and there really isn’t such a thing as an intelligent, loving creator of the universe?” Apart from knowing that the One Church is the longest surviving and unbroken institution in the world by the intercession of the Holy Spirit. Opening myself up to the love God brings in the Holy Eucharist and in Confession always helps me. I recommend that you read about the lives of some of the early martyr saints during Roman persecutions, like the story about St. Agnes, or St. Cecilia. I also recommend you read about my favorite saint, St. Gerard of Majella.
Foremost, God Bless you, take advantage of this time of doubt because God put this in front of you as a test! You’ll come out of it a whole lot stronger!
Foremost, God Bless you, take advantage of this time of doubt because God put this in front of you as a test! You’ll come out of it a whole lot stronger!
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fermat
Guest
Praying…
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Petergee
Guest
I’m praying for you Holly.
Maybe it would also be helpful to tell us here specifically what your doubts are, so that we can discuss and so refute them?
St Thomas Aquinas said, “Not every Truth of the Catholic Faith can be proven by rational discussuion. But every objection to any of the Truths of the Catholic Faith can be refuted by rational discussion.”
Maybe it would also be helpful to tell us here specifically what your doubts are, so that we can discuss and so refute them?
St Thomas Aquinas said, “Not every Truth of the Catholic Faith can be proven by rational discussuion. But every objection to any of the Truths of the Catholic Faith can be refuted by rational discussion.”
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Holly3278
Guest
Well, basically, I am doubting the Church’s position on marriage. I just don’t understand why the Church can forbid gays from marrying. I mean, we have separation of church and state in most nations these days so why would the Church want us to ban gay marriage?
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w2bp88
Guest
Praying for you.
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Trishie
Guest
Holly I ask God to help you to grow strong in God’s truths as recorded in God’s word, the holy Bible.
Jesus said, “Have you not read that from the beginning, the creator made them male and female and this is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body? They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So, then, what God has united, man must not divide.” [Matthew 19:4-6]
May God impress on you that ever at any time does God bless any union in marriage that is not male and female, but that the only mention of gay unions in the bible is displeasure.
May God impress on you that separation of Church and State is a human action. God should be in everything.
Jesus said, “Have you not read that from the beginning, the creator made them male and female and this is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body? They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So, then, what God has united, man must not divide.” [Matthew 19:4-6]
May God impress on you that ever at any time does God bless any union in marriage that is not male and female, but that the only mention of gay unions in the bible is displeasure.
May God impress on you that separation of Church and State is a human action. God should be in everything.
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St_Gabriel
Guest
Praying that Jesus increases your faith …
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
Also, “separation of Church and State” isn’t even constitutional.
What the Constitution speaks of is the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment: Congress shall make no law regarding an establishment of religion, nor prohibit the free exercise thereof.
"Separation of Church and State’ is a phrase from a private letter of Thomas Jefferson to a group of (if I remember correctly) Baptist ministers. It was a personal (not an official) letter.
In the last 100 years or so, and more particularly within the last 50, certain judiaciary on the Supreme Court have been arguing as though the sentiments of Mr. Jefferson in that letter (which, in any case, was favorable to the cause of religion in the context, and not to the state, again in the context), somehow meant that the Constitution had said “Church and State must be Separate”. It didn’t. I’m not saying I think that Catholicism should be the ‘established religion’ in the U.S. (even if I thought that way), but I am saying that the current fad of arguing that the U.S. government wants to 'keep the church out of the state and vice versa" as though they were two explosive chemicals that couldn’t ‘mix’ without setting off a nuclear explosion, is ridiculous. They aren’t mutually exclusive in that way at all, and treating them as if they were has been very harmful.
I believe that currently 38 of the 50 states have what is known in their state constitutions as a Defense of Marriage clause which specifically defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, Holly. . .so it’s not as ‘simple’ as claiming that "the Catholic Church wants to keep gays from the ‘right’ to marry’. "
It doesn’t seem that in many places the states (government) recognize a ‘right to marry’ for gays by definition. And that is without even considering the ‘religious’ point of view.
What the Constitution speaks of is the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment: Congress shall make no law regarding an establishment of religion, nor prohibit the free exercise thereof.
"Separation of Church and State’ is a phrase from a private letter of Thomas Jefferson to a group of (if I remember correctly) Baptist ministers. It was a personal (not an official) letter.
In the last 100 years or so, and more particularly within the last 50, certain judiaciary on the Supreme Court have been arguing as though the sentiments of Mr. Jefferson in that letter (which, in any case, was favorable to the cause of religion in the context, and not to the state, again in the context), somehow meant that the Constitution had said “Church and State must be Separate”. It didn’t. I’m not saying I think that Catholicism should be the ‘established religion’ in the U.S. (even if I thought that way), but I am saying that the current fad of arguing that the U.S. government wants to 'keep the church out of the state and vice versa" as though they were two explosive chemicals that couldn’t ‘mix’ without setting off a nuclear explosion, is ridiculous. They aren’t mutually exclusive in that way at all, and treating them as if they were has been very harmful.
I believe that currently 38 of the 50 states have what is known in their state constitutions as a Defense of Marriage clause which specifically defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, Holly. . .so it’s not as ‘simple’ as claiming that "the Catholic Church wants to keep gays from the ‘right’ to marry’. "
It doesn’t seem that in many places the states (government) recognize a ‘right to marry’ for gays by definition. And that is without even considering the ‘religious’ point of view.
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Petergee
Guest
Well in short, the way you’ve framed the question is based on a series of false notions.
The Church doesn’t forbid gays from marrying. The Church gives them exactly the same rights to marry as non-gays have.
The Church can’t “ban” so-called “gay marriage” because there is no such thing as “gay marriage” - it’s an oxymoron (two words which contradict each other). Marriage by definition is the union of a man and a women for the purpose of procreating and raising children. The Church didn’t invent this fact and neither did any State. It has been an essential part of human nature since the very beginning of humanity.
Lastly this has nothing to do with “separation of Church and State”, which properly understood is a good thing. It means that Church authorities don’t try to govern the State and that State authorities don’t try to govern the Church. It doesn’t mean “the Church isn’t allowed to point out to State authorities whether proposed laws are moral or immoral.” In fact that is one of the Church leaders’ essential roles.
And in any case until the 19th century the State had nothing to do with the regulation of marriage. That was entirely the responsibility of the Church.
I presume you have read the Special Report on this site
catholic.com/library/gay_marriage.asp
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xyneshia
Guest
Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen
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