I'm not a catholic because ...

[vera_dicere]

Yep… funny but sad at the same time that some are so quick to ignore the teachings they claim to follow so closely. I certainly don’t claim to be perfect in that following but I’d like to think that I at least have respect for other peoples’ beliefs.
.

To be fair, that person has only made a few posts. Probably trolling.

 

[vera_dicere]

I’m a polytheist. I believe in a good many gods, some created humans, some didn’t.

Link Look at the second definition and third for how I define gods.

Are you able to have a relationship with these gods? A personal relationship? Do you perfer one god over another, will the other gods get irritated because you’re chummy with another?

I’m geniunally interested in how polythesists work this.

 

[Holly3278]

I am a Catholic because of several reasons:

1. 
   *]The Pope/Papacy
   *]Scripture
   *]The Eucharist
   *]The Sacrament of Reconciliation
   *]It is the Church that Jesus Himself founded.
   *]It is the only religion where you will find the fulness of the Truth.

 

[Holly3278]

Because I believe in the gods

Well Cyberwolf, I must tell you, there is only one God and that is the Most Holy Trinity. Any other so-called “gods” are nothing more than worthless idols. They can’t and won’t answer your prayers and they can’t save you from your sins either. They also can’t assure you an eternity of happiness in the life to come.

 

[cyberwolf001]

Thanks for the indication, I also looked at the link in your signature.

It is a fine group our founder passed away from cancer last year. We are carrying his legacy now.

I am just trying to understand why it makes sense to you to believe in multiple gods. However, I will not be able to comprehend it at all unless I have a decent understanding of what they are and who they are.

I understand, even as a Catholic monotheism made no sense.

I still have a few questions if you do not mind answering. Do all the gods have the same capabilities, I mean can they do the same things or do they have the same powers? Do you believe in major and minor gods like the ancient Greeks and Romans did?

I am asking you because you have been around CAF quite a bit, and you showed to be open in sharing your thoughts. I am not trying to prove you wrong, I am just curious.

You can probably already guess. As my gods are the ones the Greeks, Romans, Norse, Celts ect. worshiped. Different capabilities, different powers ect.

Calling someone’s beliefs rubbish, insisting that they must be an atheist and implying they’re not going to heaven THEN stating that you’re not here to judge is beyond ironic. You’re on a Catholic forum claiming to be Catholic… maybe you should try a little charity.

Ironically Polytheism angers many monotheists AND atheists. There is a one or the other attitude and we come along and take option number three lol

Are you able to have a relationship with these gods? A personal relationship? Do you perfer one god over another, will the other gods get irritated because you’re chummy with another?

I’m geniunally interested in how polythesists work this.

Yes indeed, closet are with Ancestral Gods of course or local Land Gods. But you can get chummy with the bigger names and sometimes than can get annoyed over and don’t even get me started on what happens if they start fighting each other…

 

[rossum]

Are there any gods in Budism?

Buddhism has tens of thousands of gods, however none of them are of any real importance. Their major function in scripture is to applaud at the right places when the Buddha is speaking.

Buddhism isn’t about gods.

rossum

 

[Ashurie]

I am very spiritual, I do not judge other people’s religions and beliefs. Catholicism is the religion, I practise and this Easter, I have started myself in a one year journey of spirituality and discovery. I have attended the Last Supper last night, the Witness Walk this morning, and Mass this afternoon for Good Friday, don’t worry, I am very respectful, I go up during communion to get blessed, I do not take the host. I am doing this for myself, and no one else…this is my journey with God and finding myself in this world.

 

[cheese_sdc]

I’m a Catholic what aren’t you:shrug:

Because I do not believe that Jesus was Divine, and I believe that the Christian belief system has a few fundamental flaws.

 

[rotlex]

The short and probably best answer to the question, for me and perhaps many others, is that I was not born Catholic, but instead was born Jewish. Now I realize people do convert to Catholicism, or Protestantism, or Judaism, or Islam, or Buddhism, etc. But my feeling is most people do NOT convert, even as adults. Rather, they remain members of their own faith. If I were born Catholic, I most likely would have remained Catholic and believed in the teachings of Catholicism.
The long answer would involve Jewish apologetics, which I prefer not to get into since it would be inappropriate on a Catholic Forum.

Catholic here, but if I weren’t, this pretty much mimics what my answer would be.

 

[vsedriver]

Buddhism has tens of thousands of gods, however none of them are of any real importance. Their major function in scripture is to applaud at the right places when the Buddha is speaking.

Buddhism isn’t about gods.

rossum

Isn’t Buddism a philosophy instead of a theology?

 

[meltzerboy]

Catholic here, but if I weren’t, this pretty much mimics what my answer would be.

I’m glad you agree; it’s always nice to have some validation! One qualifier in my answer is that I believe one is not exactly born Catholic but rather baptized in the Catholic faith. I really meant born into a Catholic family. In Judaism, if one’s mother is Jewish, one is born Jewish.

 

[mdrummer5]

Ironically Polytheism angers many monotheists AND atheists. There is a one or the other attitude and we come along and take option number three lol

lol how dare you?! I won’t ask you to go into details as I don’t want to have you accused of proselytizing but I am curious as to any sources that you might offer as evidence that what you believe is true. Something similar to a book on apologetics that a Catholic might offer to someone who is a skeptic of Christianity. For instance I’ve been reading The Case for Christ lately and it offers very compelling evidence that the bible (specifically the gospels) is not just “a bunch of stories” as some believe. But growing up I did study Greek and Roman Mythology but I’ve never seen anything that suggests those stories to be true. Please understand that I’m not trying to mock your beliefs at all, I’m just curious.

To also answer the question at hand, before I decided to convert the reason I wasn’t Catholic (though I’m still technically not) was primarily because Christianity in general was forced down my throat to the point that I was completely turned off to it. But even when I gave it consideration I was not educated in what Catholics believe or why. In my studying I’ve obviously changed my mind

 

[Madaglan]

Why am I not Roman Catholic? A variety of reasons. While I believe that Catholicism is right in many respects, and one of the few major voices of sanity in the West today, it has gone off track in some areas, in doctrine, but more foremost to my mind now, in pastoral care.

A major turning point for me was several years ago when I, suffering from health problems, received the advice from a Catholic priest friend that I ask a local Catholic priest for anointing. I was at college at the time, and I went to a local parish priest. I asked if he could anoint me, for I had several chronic health problems. He responded, no, I cannot do that. Why, I asked. Because you are not sick (i.e. not dying)! After I briefly explained my health problems in a little more detail, he repeated his rejection, and then asked me to leave his church.

After some research, I understood why he responded as he did… He was an elderly priest whose church was more traditional appearing than most, and he was toting the line that anointing of the sick only is for the moribund. However, I did not feel this was right. I did not think Christ would turn people away so bluntly for healing. Several years later, when I learned that the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches consider anointing as a sacrament (mystery) for all illnesses, physical and spiritual, it made perfect sense to me.

I am grateful to my many Catholic friends, and to the Catholic priests who have helped me. My experience with the Catholic Church as an institution though has not been the best, and I ran into similiar off-putting experiences in the next few years before becoming Orthodox.

There are doctrinal issues as well that led me to Orthodoxy, but I think having just been anointed this past Wednesday, this incident is foremost in my mind at this time.

 

[JonNC]

I’m a Catholic what aren’t you:shrug:

Hi Pat,
I’m not Catholic because if I were, I would be a “cafeteria Catholic”. IOW, there are a certain few things in Catholic teaching that prevent me from becoming Catholic. The one leading issue, which in many ways encompasses some others, is the current Catholic teachings regarding the infallibility (ex cathedra) and jurisdiction of the Pope. I believe that these teachings are not consistent with the early councils of the undivided Church, particularly Nicea, canon 6.
However, I could be convinced that it is, if and when our Orthodox siblings are convinced.

Jon

 

[rotlex]

Why am I not Roman Catholic? A variety of reasons. While I believe that Catholicism is right in many respects, and one of the few major voices of sanity in the West today, it has gone off track in some areas, in doctrine, but more foremost to my mind now, in pastoral care.

A major turning point for me was several years ago when I, suffering from health problems, received the advice from a Catholic priest friend that I ask a local Catholic priest for anointing. I was at college at the time, and I went to a local parish priest. I asked if he could anoint me, for I had several chronic health problems. He responded, no, I cannot do that. Why, I asked. Because you are not sick (i.e. not dying)! After I briefly explained my health problems in a little more detail, he repeated his rejection, and then asked me to leave his church.

After some research, I understood why he responded as he did… He was an elderly priest whose church was more traditional appearing than most, and he was toting the line that anointing of the sick only is for the moribund. However, I did not feel this was right. I did not think Christ would turn people away so bluntly for healing. Several years later, when I learned that the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches consider anointing as a sacrament (mystery) for all illnesses, physical and spiritual, it made perfect sense to me.

I am grateful to my many Catholic friends, and to the Catholic priests who have helped me. My experience with the Catholic Church as an institution though has not been the best, and I ran into similiar off-putting experiences in the next few years before becoming Orthodox.

There are doctrinal issues as well that led me to Orthodoxy, but I think having just been anointed this past Wednesday, this incident is foremost in my mind at this time.

Very sorry to hear this happened to you, regarding the anointing. I don’t know what the stance is in different diocese, but my wife was anointed by our parish priest last year while in the midst of a kidney surgery. It was not life threatening, and he had actually offered, without us asking.

Is there any “official” stance on this? (Sorry, don’t mean to side track the thread, just wondering).