Shouldn't There Be A Punishment For Going Against Church Teaching?

[OraLabora]

And if you were a heretic in your private life, that’s one thing. BUT if you were a prominent heretic in public office who said you were a practicing catholic, all the while spewing misinformation and scandal on TV–or if you wore a nun’s habit, rode all over the country doing the same–then the church SHOULD have excommunicated you too! If they had a pair, of course–but for the most part they didn’t 30 years ago and don’t today! And that, my friend, is a sad but true fact!

That’s one thing.

But there was an argument that it was better to have a parish of 10 “true believers” than one of 1000 “cafeteria Catholics”.

That’s what I think is wrong.

Nobody is afraid of others whose views differ from their own. But when those views happen to be believing in, and supporting abortion rights, believing homosexual behavior is not really sinful, contraception not being a sin etc. etc. etc. And then, they continue to unabashedly promote these things contrary to the Catholic Faith with absolutely no remorse, and they continue to receive the Most Holy Eucharist…then yes, you’re damn right I’m offended, and you should be too because you’re witnessing a grave sacrilege!

Peace, Mark

I just pray for them.

It’s a heck of a lot healthier than getting angry for something over which you have no control.

Getting older has taught me to pick my battles as there’s only so much energy to go around, and the biggest battle I face is my own conversion.

 

[Starrsmother]

That’s one thing.

But there was an argument that it was better to have a parish of 10 “true believers” than one of 1000 “cafeteria Catholics”.

That’s what I think is wrong.

I just pray for them.

It’s a heck of a lot healthier than getting angry for something over which you have no control.

Getting older has taught me to pick my battles as there’s only so much energy to go around, and the biggest battle I face is my own conversion.

Then I agree with you 100% OraLabora. I fell away from the Catholic church myself for over 30 years–so you will never find a greater sinner on this earth than me! And I thank God every day that the church welcomed me home after all that time away, forgave my sins and gave me absolution which allowed me a second chance! I went back and read what this thread initially was about and the “10 good people” idea really is a pompous and un-Christian one, you are totally correct in my opinion. What aggravates me are public officials like Pelosi and Biden or those “Nuns on a Bus” who go on TV or do public speaking tours–and tell everyone that they are practicing Catholics who just don’t happen to agree with current church teaching about abortion, gay marriage or female priests–among other things they usually don’t agree with, as if by their being activists, the church is somehow wrong and will one day change church doctrine. They are not only simply heretics, but in my opinion the worst and most dangerous kind of heretic–not because they sin— as we all sin–but because they project deliberately false teachings as church teachings which scandalizes many–Catholic and non-Catholic alike. And our young people are often the most impacted by what they say! I absolutely think that our Catholic hierarchy should take them on for it–but they seem to lack the moral courage to do so–and I don’t understand why.

 

[Credo_in_Deum]

Then I agree with you 100% OraLabora. I fell away from the Catholic church myself for over 30 years–so you will never find a greater sinner on this earth than me! And I thank God every day that the church welcomed me home after all that time away, forgave my sins and gave me absolution which allowed me a second chance! I went back and read what this thread initially was about and the “10 good people” idea really is a pompous and un-Christian one, you are totally correct in my opinion. What aggravates me are public officials like Pelosi and Biden or those “Nuns on a Bus” who go on TV or do public speaking tours–and tell everyone that they are practicing Catholics who just don’t happen to agree with current church teaching about abortion, gay marriage or female priests–among other things they usually don’t agree with, as if by their being activists, the church is somehow wrong and will one day change church doctrine. They are not only simply heretics, but in my opinion the worst and most dangerous kind of heretic–not because they sin— as we all sin–but because they project deliberately false teachings as church teachings which scandalizes many–Catholic and non-Catholic alike. And our young people are often the most impacted by what they say! I absolutely think that our Catholic hierarchy should take them on for it–but they seem to lack the moral courage to do so–and I don’t understand why.

I believe the “10 good people” remark was the posters way of saying they would rather have a Church of faithful Catholics (note that this doesn’t mean sinless Catholics since we are all sinners) rather than a Church with 1000 openly public heretical ones who defy and promote anti-Catholic beliefs and practices all the while claiming to be Catholic and who are tolerated for the sake of “dialogue”.

People need to wake up and realize there are people who will not respond to “dialogue” and thus need to be rooted out for the sake of the others they may harm. This -contrary to popular myth- is not uncharitable. In fact its no more uncharitable than parents kicking their child out of the house for being a drug user who refuses to stop using drugs. Yet its worse because this same child is also telling the other children that drug use is perfectly ok even though their parents say it isn’t and that its perfectly ok to undermine the parents authority.

Some in this thread may find the parents actions as being uncharitable because the parents didn’t continue to try and “dialogue” with their unruly child.

Others like myself applaud the parents actions since these parents did the truly charitable thing for their child by refusing to be an enabler. Likewise this very same action was an act of charity towards their other children since it removed the bad influence from them and showed them that choices have consequences.

 

[TimothyH]

And if you were a heretic in your private life, that’s one thing. BUT if you were a prominent heretic in public office who said you were a practicing catholic, all the while spewing misinformation and scandal on TV–or if you wore a nun’s habit, rode all over the country doing the same–then the church SHOULD have excommunicated you too! If they had a pair, of course–but for the most part they didn’t 30 years ago and don’t today! And that, my friend, is a sad but true fact!

This is the second most vicious post I have ever read on CAF and ranks with one of the most hateful things I have ever heard anyone say.

Thankfully God patient and forgiving.

-Tim-

 

[Brendan_64]

I would argue that it is centred on the newly created soul in the context of their spiritual family.

Is this Catholic doctrine or is it your own personal view?

A person’s soul is individual and not part of some sort of group ‘family soul’. Baptism is the grace of God washing an individual soul clean of original sin. This grace is not dependent on the person’s family.

 

[Michael_Francis]

Closed pending review by moderator Thomas Casey.