My problems with Catholicism

[jfoges]

High Anglicans also have confession to a priest, AFAIK.

Some Lutherans have confession also. Luther considered confession to be a valuable tool, but unnecessary for forgiveness of sins. He did not consider it to be a sacrament, the only sacraments to Luther were baptism and the Lord’s supper.

 

[RDJ12345]

Hello everyone,

There is another thing about Catholicism that I really don’t understand. Why does the Catholic Church take such a strong position on being pro-life? Do you think it is very Christian to basically tell women what they can and can’t do with their body? I know abortion is still legal, but being pro-life could still influence the choice a woman makes when deciding whether to have an abortion or not. Why can’t the Catholic Church take a position on something health related that affects others, such as the use of tobacco products? According to inforesearchlab.com, around 5.4 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco (see more at inforesearchlab.com/smokingdeaths.chtml) I look forward to hearing your responses.

 

[jfoges]

Hello everyone,

There is another thing about Catholicism that I really don’t understand. Why does the Catholic Church take such a strong position on being pro-life? Do you think it is very Christian to basically tell women what they can and can’t do with their body? I know abortion is still legal, but being pro-life could still influence the choice a woman makes when deciding whether to have an abortion or not. Why can’t the Catholic Church take a position on something health related that affects others, such as the use of tobacco products? According to inforesearchlab.com, around 5.4 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco (see more at inforesearchlab.com/smokingdeaths.chtml) I look forward to hearing your responses.

The Catholic Church is not against abortion in order to control women, it is against abortion because it is believed that abortion is the killing of innocent life. The killing of innocent life has always been a major prohibition in the Catholic tradition. Many Catholics are also against killing in all circumstances such as war and the death penalty. However those are issues where there are different views, but the Catholic Church is firm that the killing of innocent life cannot be tolerated. As for what you said about smoking, it probably is a good idea for the Church to oppose those products that cause health problems, whether it be junk food, tobacco, excessive alcohol, or any other such thing. But I can see how these things are not as serious as the taking of innocent life. When someone smokes they are doing something that is very unhealthy, but it doesn’t immediately cause death, sometimes it doesn’t cause death at all. Smoking is a risky behavior but it is not an example of killing.

 

[Ismael]

Hello everyone,

There is another thing about Catholicism that I really don’t understand. Why does the Catholic Church take such a strong position on being pro-life? Do you think it is very Christian to basically tell women what they can and can’t do with their body? I know abortion is still legal, but being pro-life could still influence the choice a woman makes when deciding whether to have an abortion or not.

The human body and human life belong first of all to the creator: God.

We cannot do what we please with it without discrimination. Certain acts are plainly wrong, such as suicide.

Abortion is the ending of an INNOCENT life (it does not get more innocent than that!) and no man has such right. Only God, as creator, has.

Why can’t the Catholic Church take a position on something health related that affects others, such as the use of tobacco products? According to inforesearchlab.com, around 5.4 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco (see more at inforesearchlab.com/smokingdeaths.chtml) I look forward to hearing your responses.

The church HAS a position on that: the use of certain substainces, in moderation, is allowed.

The Church teaches that Temperance is one of the four cardinal virtues (from which all other human virtues descend).

Smoking or Drinking with common sense will not kill your body or cause it significant harm (I do not smoke myself and if they would issue a tobacco proibition it would not affect me I might add).

The problem is when somone smokes or drinks too much.

Lung Cancer is on the bottom of the top 20 causes of death in wealthy countries, cardiovacular diseases being nr. 1, while in poor countries it’s usually infectious diseases.

The information about *‘tobacco-related deaths’ *are also quite debatable. I do not argue that smoking is bad, but the influence of smoke depends on several factors:

• genetic predisposition for (lung) cancer
• lifestyle
• how much one smokes
• other

---

Unlike smoking, which MIGHT cause severe harm, abortion KILLS.
It;s like comparing a slap on the face with a knife in the heart…

 

[Peter_Dawson]

Hello everyone,

I know you probably don’t like these kinds of questions, but there are some problems with Catholicism that I have. Keep in mind that I am here to get a better understanding of the Catholic faith, not to condemn it or anything like that.
These are some of the questions I have:

Why does there need to be a Purgatory? What motivation would that give anyone to do anything God says if they can be avoid Hell completely even though that person did terrible things in their life?

How does observing Lent not go against God’s teachings? I thought that the Bible said that sacrifices were to be made only for God.

Why do you need to confess your sins if God already knows what you have done? If you feel the need to confess your sins, wouldn’t it be more pleasing to God to pray to Him about the sins you have committed and asking Him for forgiveness?

Why must Popes, Priests and Nuns remain celibate? Would being married make them any less qualified to fulfill their role as a Pope, Priest or Nun? It seems pretty clear to me that 1 Timothy:3 condemns remaining celibate.

Why does the Catholic Church make a distinction between mortal and venial sins? Aren’t all sins equally bad in the eyes of God?

I thank you in advance for your responses.

Good questions! Congratulations!

One at a time…

PURGATORY: God’s justice is perfect and brutal. Whereas God forgives sin of the contrite heart, so that ultimately all who sin but who are then contrite come to Heaven, God through the lens of His Own perfect justice sees the imbalance between the temporal pain of (1) a contrite sinner who, for example, mortally sinned by hating God in response to a life of shocking, electrocution-like pain caused by a neurological dysfunction; and (2) a contrite sinner who, for example, mortally sinned by thumbing his nose at God’s rules by using inherited money to buy sex from dozens of gorgeous mistresses.

The “temporal debt” owed by contrite Sinner (1) is probably much smaller than the “temporal debt” owed by contrite Sinner (2).

Purgatory fixes this.

God forgives and saves from Hell all Who come crawling to Him.

But the “baggage” needs to be burned-off, in Purgatory.

 

[Carlan]

Hello everyone,

There is another thing about Catholicism that I really don’t understand. Why does the Catholic Church take such a strong position on being pro-life? Do you think it is very Christian to basically tell women what they can and can’t do with their body? I know abortion is still legal, but being pro-life could still influence the choice a woman makes when deciding whether to have an abortion or not. Why can’t the Catholic Church take a position on something health related that affects others, such as the use of tobacco products? According to inforesearchlab.com, around 5.4 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco (see more at inforesearchlab.com/smokingdeaths.chtml) I look forward to hearing your responses.

Abortion, is killing an Innocent life(Murder). Use of tobacco, not a good thing, but very different.Carlan

 

[Carlan]

Hello everyone,

Why does there need to be a Purgatory? What motivation would that give anyone to do anything God says if they can be avoid Hell completely even though that person did terrible things in their life?

Here is a Catholic teaching I’d like to offer from my notes on the affects of sin.

Sin has a double consequence. Everysin, grave(,mortal) sin or even venial sin entails an unhealthy attatchment to us which must be purified. Yes, we have been forgiven when we repent of our sin and are restored to communion with God, but temporal punishment remains, and we must strive to accept that temporal punishment as a grace to do good and’put off the “old man” completely and 'put on the “new man”.
This is how we come to achieve holiness.

This unhealthy attachment to sin is either purified in this life or after death in the state called Purgatory.It will take place after the 1st judgement not at the end as you suggest.

This purification frees one from what is called Temporal punishment of sin. these two punishment must not be concieved of as any kind of vengiance inflicked by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin.

Again, temporal punishment due to sin, whose guilt has already been paid for by Jesus, Catholics believe is a grace from God to help us to become better Christians by purification so as to achieve the holiness needed to enter into the joy of heaven.

Thank you for posting RDJ, and God bless you. Carlan

Beatitude: Happy the pure in heart ,
They shall see God.

 

[happilycatholic]

Hello everyone,

I know you probably don’t like these kinds of questions, but there are some problems with Catholicism that I have. Keep in mind that I am here to get a better understanding of the Catholic faith, not to condemn it or anything like that.
These are some of the questions I have:

Why does there need to be a Purgatory? What motivation would that give anyone to do anything God says if they can be avoid Hell completely even though that person did terrible things in their life?

 

[Ignatius]

Hello everyone,

There is another thing about Catholicism that I really don’t understand. Why does the Catholic Church take such a strong position on being pro-life?

Because it is a foundational Christian principal to defend the innocent and those unable to defend themselves. Who is more innocent and an unborn infant, who is more defenseless? Also, Murder of the innocent and defenseless is a violation of God’s law.

 

[beeliner]

High Anglicans also have confession to a priest, AFAIK.

The poster is correct, and not necessarily only among ‘high’ Anglicans, though it is certainly more common there.

In the lower manifestations of Anglicanism you would have to ask a priest to hear your confession, in the higher, confessions might be regularly scheduled as in the RCC.

The real difference, though, is that the Anglican liturgy gives a general absolution during the Mass or Communion service, something that the Catholic Church does only rarely.

The Anglican so forgiven would of course, as in the RCC, need to have genuine contrition and purpose of amendment, but private confession would be optional.

 

[MarkInOregon]

No, it’s all sins where did you hear it’s only mortal sins?

Actually it is only mortal sin that needs to be confessed to a priest. Venial sins are forgiven at Mass during the penetential rite and through communion.
You can confess venial sins to the preist and it is probably a good practice, but it is not required.

 

[MarkInOregon]

Hello everyone,

There is another thing about Catholicism that I really don’t understand. Why does the Catholic Church take such a strong position on being pro-life? Do you think it is very Christian to basically tell women what they can and can’t do with their body? I know abortion is still legal, but being pro-life could still influence the choice a woman makes when deciding whether to have an abortion or not. Why can’t the Catholic Church take a position on something health related that affects others, such as the use of tobacco products? According to inforesearchlab.com, around 5.4 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco (see more at inforesearchlab.com/smokingdeaths.chtml) I look forward to hearing your responses.

So what do you think the developing human is? So you think the womens right to choose–trumps the babys right to live? If you search the Catholic answers website and other threads you will find answers to these questions. If you read the Catechism you will find answers…

Society tell people all the time what they can and cannot do with there bodies. You can’t take illegal drugs for instance. You can’t drink and drive. You can’t murder. You can’t run around naked in public. We put all kinds of restrictions on what you can do with your body–if you want to characterize it that way.

I would say being pro-life is not about telling a woman what she can and can’t do to her body but rather is telling her what she can and can’t do to the human being growing inside her.

 

[kimmielittle]

A re-post of mine.
Hiyas

IMHO: Many forget the Catholic Church came BEFORE the NT-OT Bible. It is one of the flaws, I see, in those who try to use the NT-OT Bible to discredit the Church.

This applies to Protestant and Mormon arguments.

Think about it ]

As Always, Just my thoughts

 

[regression]

Do you think it is very Christian to basically tell women what they can and can’t do with their body?

I have heard this a lot but it doesn’t make sense to me. When someone says a woman shouldn’t have an abortion, it isn’t someone telling a woman what she can or cannot do to her body, it is talking about the body of the child, not hers…

 

[jmcrae]

Hello everyone,

There is another thing about Catholicism that I really don’t understand. Why does the Catholic Church take such a strong position on being pro-life? Do you think it is very Christian to basically tell women what they can and can’t do with their body? I know abortion is still legal, but being pro-life could still influence the choice a woman makes when deciding whether to have an abortion or not. Why can’t the Catholic Church take a position on something health related that affects others,

Do you think abortion has no effect on others? First, the child herself who is being killed is certainly affected by the abortion - she dies. Then, the father of the child is affected, because he loses the ability to be a father to his child. The grandparents are also affected, since the future of their family, as represented by the child, is being destroyed in the abortion.

such as the use of tobacco products? According to inforesearchlab.com, around 5.4 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco (see more at inforesearchlab.com/smokingdeaths.chtml) I look forward to hearing your responses.

Millions of unborn children are killed every year by abortion. If that many babies were dying and it was not on purpose, we would be declared to be a Third World country, and it would be considered a serious health crisis.