SPLIT: Married outside the Church

[AFormerCatholic]

[edited] “Living in sin with my wife of 20 years” ??? Maybe you should come back down to Earth.

Richard

Yes, according to Church teaching and beliefs, Catholics marrying outside of the Church, without a Bishops dispensation, is a sin. After said marriage, continuing to live as husband and wife, is also a sin, until such time that one confesses and receives " a blessing " from the Church, which validates their marriage in the eyes of their God.

Your outrage, your annoyance, your dis-belief, does not change what the Church teaches or believes.

 

[AFormerCatholic]

He didn’t do that, and I was a little disappointed in him, to say the least. (20 years is a long time)

Richard

He didn’t absolve you, for the simple fact that the Priest is aware that you have an invalid marriage in the eyes of the Church.

The Priest is aware that you have no intentions of living as ’ brother and sister’ until such time, that you can get your marriage validated by the RC.

Seriously, if you are a Roman Catholic, what exactly are you complaining about?

Either you follow the rules, or you refuse to follow the rules and deal with the consequences of remaining in a Church that believes you are committing a sin.

You have clearly chosen the latter.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

The church wont bend, but it has loop holes big enough to drive a tank through.

They are not “loop holes” but rather are the Church’s attempt to help people normalize their relationship to the Church. The Church has laws and rules, but the Church also recognizes that human nature being what it is people don’t always do the right/best thing. So the Church makes every attempt to help people “get right” with the Church and receive the sacraments.
Would you rather the Church not care to help anyone meet their obligations?

I forgot the terminology that Catholics use for the expected tip during a transaction like that?

Its not a “tip”, its to help pay expenses. Do you think the diocese gets electricity, water, heat, paper, ink, etc. for free?

I enjoy talking to these heartless legalist around here,

No one here is being a “heartless legalist”. You have been childish and borish at every turn and people have been responding to that.

plus they don’t read thier Bibles either.

LOL, people are here know more about the Bible than you do. All you’ve done is post a biblical verse that you personally interpret for your own purposes and then wonder why no one knows what you’re talking about. Nice try.

 

[AFormerCatholic]

Ask yourself this question, “If it was God’s Will that I marry a Catholic, why didn’t a beautify young Catholic gal run up to me and throw her arm around me and beg me to marry her?”

I can hear a **bigamist **using your line:

" Ask yourself this question, " If it was God’s will that I only marry one wife, why did several beautiful young women keep running up to me and throw their arms around me and beg me to marry them?"

I mean, come one, really, that’s what you believe?

 

[AFormerCatholic]

because I believe that it was God’s will and that my marriage is between me and God. Marriages being made in Heaven is a very popular belief here in America.

A Bigamist could say the same thing;

" I believe it was God’s will that my marriages are between me and God."

Catholicism is not a relatavistic faith, where you get to decide what is satisfactory in the eyes of God. The Catholic Church has clear teachings on this very subject and to be frank, it is obvious, that you simply do not agree with what the Church teaches, believes and demands from it’s Catholics.

I don’t agree either, I have my opinion about it, but if you are a Catholic, that is quite simply, the way it is.

 

[AFormerCatholic]

Nope! I am only going to confess what I know in my own heart to be an offence against God.

How seriously do you even believe in confession, if this is your attitude?

If the Church clearly states that a certain action that your performing, is a serious sin and you choose to ignore that teaching.

Then it is clear, your sins will not be forgiven. Yet, you seem to believe that your opinion on matters of salvation, trump the Church’s view on said subject.

If you do believe in all of this stuff, confession, absolution, sacraments etc…, simply pretending that certain ’ rules ’ do not apply to you, does not change anything.

Either you believe it and take seriously what the Church teaches is sinful or you don’t believe it and you alone have the power to decide what is and is not worthy of bringing to the confessional.

What’s stopping a Bigamist, who knows in his heart, that he deeply loves all of his wives and knows in his own heart, that he’s not sinning, from going to confession and receiving absolution for all of his sins?

Well, nothing, the Bigamist can go to confession, but he ain’t going to receive absolution.

Remeber, the whole power of binding and loosing, yeah, your a member of a Church that believes that stuff and their Priests alone, have that power.

Catholicism is not Relativism., as you so desperately want it to be.