Scrupulousity²

[valient_Lucy]

lol, I understand what you are saying but you are probably getting a skewed view of CAF and other forums. Due to the anonymous nature of the internet, people often times are more free to say and ask stuff they normally wouldn’t do IRL.

Amen to that! The internet is a kind of pseudo world, where a person can be friends with over a quarter of a million people that they have never met.

 

[Micki]

Is it only me, or does anyone else think that many, if not most, people participating here at CAF are scrupulous to an excessive degree?

Does anyone else think that a pleasant “medium” should be sought in everything in our lives, from quantity of food we eat, to how we dress, to the vehicles we drive, and even to the quantity of sex we share with our spouses?

I’ve spent a few weeks here at CAF trying to observe how other Catholics think, behave (or misbehave in the recent case of one particular guy ), live and react in 21st century Catholicism. I rather expected to see a reasonably bell-curve of reactions to various stimuli, approximating what I’ve observed as a long-term Catholic and “elder member” of our parish and diocese. However, the level of scrupulosity I’ve observed here at CAF far exceeds the amount I’ve observed at a few parishes here in the Midwest. Perhaps the 90th percentile of Catholics (who have easily-accessible internet access) don’t bother to pursue or simply observe their professed religious beliefs on-line.

Personally, I try to seek a balance between one extreme and another; “enough food” to stay healthy, but not “so much” that I become obese; enough play time to keep me happy, but not to the detriment of my chores; enough sleep to maintain my body’s requirements, but not so much that I’m lazy; enough participation and volunteering at Church activities to serve the parish, but not so much that I neglect my family and external friends; and the list continues. I’m not so up-tight that I need to go to confession after looking at what could be a CopperTone sunscreen advertisement, but I certainly don’t seek out smut at a bookshop or on my computer screen.

Last night, at her insistence, my wife, daughter and I went to JCPenney’s to purchase a couple of new pants and T-shirts for me (my late birthday & Grandfather/Father’s Day gifts) and we happened to walk through the "Ambrielle, LilyfromFrance, Liz Co, Olga, Play-Tex, and a few more brands" department, and as I walked through the swinging 44DD-mammaried mannequin on display, I wondered to myself just how people here at CAF would deal with such a display of estrogen empowerment. Is it a sin? Or is looking at those human udder-covers simply a joke? From the opinions and replies I’ve observed from a good many here at CAF, JCPenney ought to install walk-through confessionals at their exits.

"God is the definitive LIGHT and Satan is the definitive DARKNESS; We humans are all simply various shades of grey."

No, I do not thing most of us are scrupulous but I guess it is easy to appear that way.

 

[McatholicN]

Is it only me, or does anyone else think that many, if not most, people participating here at CAF are scrupulous to an excessive degree?

Does anyone else think that a pleasant “medium” should be sought in everything in our lives, from quantity of food we eat, to how we dress, to the vehicles we drive, and even to the quantity of sex we share with our spouses?

I’ve spent a few weeks here at CAF trying to observe how other Catholics think, behave (or misbehave in the recent case of one particular guy ), live and react in 21st century Catholicism. I rather expected to see a reasonably bell-curve of reactions to various stimuli, approximating what I’ve observed as a long-term Catholic and “elder member” of our parish and diocese. However, the level of scrupulosity I’ve observed here at CAF far exceeds the amount I’ve observed at a few parishes here in the Midwest. Perhaps the 90th percentile of Catholics (who have easily-accessible internet access) don’t bother to pursue or simply observe their professed religious beliefs on-line.

Personally, I try to seek a balance between one extreme and another; “enough food” to stay healthy, but not “so much” that I become obese; enough play time to keep me happy, but not to the detriment of my chores; enough sleep to maintain my body’s requirements, but not so much that I’m lazy; enough participation and volunteering at Church activities to serve the parish, but not so much that I neglect my family and external friends; and the list continues. I’m not so up-tight that I need to go to confession after looking at what could be a CopperTone sunscreen advertisement, but I certainly don’t seek out smut at a bookshop or on my computer screen.

Last night, at her insistence, my wife, daughter and I went to JCPenney’s to purchase a couple of new pants and T-shirts for me (my late birthday & Grandfather/Father’s Day gifts) and we happened to walk through the "Ambrielle, LilyfromFrance, Liz Co, Olga, Play-Tex, and a few more brands" department, and as I walked through the swinging 44DD-mammaried mannequin on display, I wondered to myself just how people here at CAF would deal with such a display of estrogen empowerment. Is it a sin? Or is looking at those human udder-covers simply a joke? From the opinions and replies I’ve observed from a good many here at CAF, JCPenney ought to install walk-through confessionals at their exits.

"God is the definitive LIGHT and Satan is the definitive DARKNESS; We humans are all simply various shades of grey."

Being one who is scrupulous, I found your post very helpful. Especially the part about balance.

Thank you.

 

[Pug]

Is it only me, or does anyone else think that many, if not most, people participating here at CAF are scrupulous to an excessive degree?

Does anyone else think that a pleasant “medium” should be sought in everything in our lives, from quantity of food we eat, to how we dress, to the vehicles we drive, and even to the quantity of sex we share with our spouses?

I’ve spent a few weeks here at CAF trying to observe how other Catholics think, behave (or misbehave in the recent case of one particular guy ), live and react in 21st century Catholicism. I rather expected to see a reasonably bell-curve of reactions to various stimuli, approximating what I’ve observed as a long-term Catholic and “elder member” of our parish and diocese. However, the level of scrupulosity I’ve observed here at CAF far exceeds the amount I’ve observed at a few parishes here in the Midwest. Perhaps the 90th percentile of Catholics (who have easily-accessible internet access) don’t bother to pursue or simply observe their professed religious beliefs on-line.

Personally, I try to seek a balance between one extreme and another; “enough food” to stay healthy, but not “so much” that I become obese; enough play time to keep me happy, but not to the detriment of my chores; enough sleep to maintain my body’s requirements, but not so much that I’m lazy; enough participation and volunteering at Church activities to serve the parish, but not so much that I neglect my family and external friends; and the list continues. I’m not so up-tight that I need to go to confession after looking at what could be a CopperTone sunscreen advertisement, but I certainly don’t seek out smut at a bookshop or on my computer screen.

Last night, at her insistence, my wife, daughter and I went to JCPenney’s to purchase a couple of new pants and T-shirts for me (my late birthday & Grandfather/Father’s Day gifts) and we happened to walk through the "Ambrielle, LilyfromFrance, Liz Co, Olga, Play-Tex, and a few more brands" department, and as I walked through the swinging 44DD-mammaried mannequin on display, I wondered to myself just how people here at CAF would deal with such a display of estrogen empowerment. Is it a sin? Or is looking at those human udder-covers simply a joke? From the opinions and replies I’ve observed from a good many here at CAF, JCPenney ought to install walk-through confessionals at their exits.

"God is the definitive LIGHT and Satan is the definitive DARKNESS; We humans are all simply various shades of grey."

Possibly you are conflating several types of member into one. Some types do appear to go to confession each week, but I doubt it is for strolling through a department store, unless that is their personal prowling ground for trouble with a T. Often it is for masturbation. The are other types who step on a fly and they can’t tell if it was on accident, so they think it was mortal, and this causes them much pain and torment. These folks suffer a lot of pain and it is not about simply not being moderate. They are trapped with this problem and need help. Then there are the members who like to explain the truths that no one told them when they were young. Sometimes this zeal is mistaken for harshness. Also, there are those who lament the direction our society has taken, perhaps deploring the state of modern fashion or advertisements. Still others find this place to be a great place, since it allows them to ask the questions that perhaps they would not get to ask anywhere else.

They don’t really amount to many people who think it is a sin for a Catholic to walk through a department store.

Don’t worry! Walk through JCPenny at will, trailing along behind those members of your family who insist on dragging along non-shoppers. Carry their packages and smile serenely. Tease them later by taking the scenic route home and expostulating that you are not lost.

 

[TheQuestioner]

Is it just me or does it seem that lately many people are going through “dark nights” and suffering spiritual attacks?

 

[2cats]

To the OP:

I was so relieved to read your post, because I think the same thing. ITA that it’s good to have a balance in life. Sometimes I think if you take things to the extreme, you end up unable to enjoy things that were created to be enjoyable (e.g., food) because you’re worried the whole time about whether you’ve crossed the line to being excessive. Sometimes I question whether it’s healthy for me to continue to read and post on CAF, But I keep coming back anyway! Maybe that’s because many of the Catholics I know seem not quite scrupulous enough (myself included sometimes). I know this is an over-generalization, but I seem to see one extreme on this forum, and the other extreme in my daily life. I think the ideal is probably somewhere in between. I haven’t reached a point where I’m confident that I’ve achieved that balance. Will keep trying though!