Why are ex-Catholic's bitter about the Church?

[Daniel_Marsh]

Tmaque,

Since, the national “average” is a high crime rate, utah has a high crime rate.

And, by blaming crime on ex-LDS you have proven my point that mormons are conditioned to blame the crime in utah on non-mormons.

or should we talk about sexual abuse within the Mormon Church leadership?

In our last newsletter we discussed the problem of child sexual abuse committed by bishops and other important leaders in the Mormon Church. Recently we received another letter from a woman reporting that she was abused by her father: “Some of your research is being sent to a related attorney regarding the Beckly W. VA. [case] Sad! My bishop father sexually abused me. I know about the damage.”
Significantly, two other cases of sexual abuse involving prominent Mormons have recently come to light.
1–Lloyd Gerald Pond, 51, was originally charged with two counts of forcible sodomy on a 14-year-old girl he met at a Mormon ward. Pond was employed by the Mormon Church’s public-relations department and “hosted a weekly nationwide radio program that promoted Mormon values…” (Salt Lake Tribune, Feb. 4, 1997) Many people were publicly complaining that Pond would only get a slap on the wrist because he was a well-known Mormon. Fortunately, this turned out not to be the case. The Tribune reported: “Ignoring recommendations for probation, a 3rd District judge sent confessed child sex abuser Lloyd Gerald Pond to prison for up to 15 years.” Ironically, Pond’s radio work for the church included warnings “about the evils of child abuse and pornography…” (Ibid., Nov. 16, 1996)
2–The Idaho Falls Post Register reported the following on November 13, 1996: "A former state senator [Rex Furness] will be spending the next two months in jail for sexually battering his teenage granddaughter… Furness will serve 60 days in the county jail, starting next week, and seven years probation…
"He was also very active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, holding various titles, including bishop until he confessed the acts to his church and surrendered his temple recommend.
“What he did not say in court was that the charge against him forced him to resign from the state senate.”

xmission.com/~country/reason/abuse_ud.htm

google.com/u/utlm?q=sexual+abuse

LDS CHURCH WORKED TO SUPPRESS SEX-ABUSE STUDY

Web Posted: May 16, 1999

officials of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attempted to prevent publication of a study which reported on the experiences of Mormon women who were victims of childhood sexual abuse, and later turned to church officials for support. Professors Karen E. Gerdes and Martha N. Beck, then of Brigham Young University – an LDS institution – were prohibited from publishing their results, but the study appeared anyway in the Spring 1996 issue of Affilia, Journal of Women and Social Work.

atheists.org/flash.line/mormon1.htm

google.com/search?hl=en&q=LDS+Church+sexual%2Babuse

 

[scylla]

Back to the topic…

Some Catholics fall away and don’t hold a bitterness against the Church, but since we are talking about bitter non-catholics, most of them are bitter because of the rejection they have done with their faith.

They now reject the whole of Church belief and focus on certain. In order to reject you have to make a reason, this can be with Mary, sacramentals, worship method etc… Often this is accompanied by emotion which can be illustrated by this, if logical answers are given then the real issue is shifted to another subject. Someone without an emotional bitterness usually will accept the answers investigate then study more, others will just state they do not need to look it up they already have the truth. This shows an emotional bitterness which prevents an honest investigation and is very difficult to overcome.

Now many converts or reverts to Catholicism really don’t reject their previous beliefs outrightly, they still believe wholly in the Bible, so they are free to spend time with non-catholics and it is easy to be charitable. I frequently spend time with non-catholics and even will visit their events. I can share my love of Jesus with them and even share that I am still a Christian without denouncing them. I will sometimes encounter the bitter ex-catholic who wont talk to me once I have some answers to their questions and sometimes being a witness is more important than answers, since no answer is ever good enough for them. Just charitably answer questions and invite them to more.

In Christ
Scylla

For those of you on the West Coast, National Catholic Family Conference is coming up! Come on down to Anaheim!

 

[Duchofb]

I am now in the process of leaving my current church (Baptist and yes I am very sorry for saying and thinking very anti-Catholic sentiments I can only plead ignorance. Of course, I would also have to plead arrogance since I’ve never done any research until now.) and I have it on personal authority that “Holier than thou” attitudes and “You’re doing it wrong.” are not restricted to the Catholic church.

I can also say that the first reason the Catholic Church was the first we looked at and so far remains at the top of the list is that people are allowed to question without recrimination and the second is that a person who goes to the Baptist group my parents host is Catholic and he never behaves as though there is anything wrong with attending meetings held by other faiths. I like that kind of tolerance and freedom.

So Dewman, continue going and being a good and faithful servant to the Lord. You never know how your presence is affecting others until you get to Heaven and your Father tells you.

 

[anon49823460]

deb1:

For me this is a timely topic. I gave up this forum for Lent(although I did post twice), but lately my heart has been heavy and depressed on this very subject.

I am joining the church this Easter and I am so happy and overjoyed. But this past few weeks I have come across so many angry, exCatholics that it is really begining to weigh on me. Not that I have any doubt about my decision but just the vitrole that these people seem to expend against God’s Church really, really gets me down. It breaks my heart.

Last night was a good example. My neighbor is an Independent Baptist and I love her like a sister. The other night, I met a woman at her home, an exCatholic, agnostic. I liked the woman just fine. In fact, we have some things in common-mothers of teenagers, homeschoolers, stay at home moms. There is also the fact that she rides motorcycles, something that I would love to do-my hubby hates them. Plus her family is from Germany and my husband’s mother is from Austria, so I thought that my husband would like her also. I was overjoyed to have a new friend.

Last night I went to my friend’s home and this same woman was there. First she asked us, “Why the **** are you becoming Catholic.” WHich my baptist friend laughed at. I would never have allowed anyone to confront her like that, so I felt a tad bit betrayed. Then this woman went into a lecture on how hardcore Catholic her family was and that was why she disliked the Church. Of course she also explained later that her mom was crazy and she hadn’t talked to her dad in fourteen years.

I should have said something but I just changed the subject and this has angered me with myself. I have been praying to God that he give me the opportunity to witness to others but when the chance comes I fail miserably.

Please don’t be angry with yourself. God will guide you. I’m with you, it is a very difficult situation. They are attacking without any respect for your beliefs. You don’t want to respond with anger or to hurt them. Whatever you say won’t change their mind anyway. But I believe how you respond with the love of Christ will eventually. Congratulation finding the one true faith started by Jesus Christ himself. May God bless you on your journey.

 

[Orionthehunter]

From Kujo: I felt that the reason that Mary and Joseph are hardly mentioned is because that’s all we need to know about them.

While little is said of Joseph, your tone implies that he is insignificant. He is the adoptive father of Jesus Christ and he loved Jesus’ mother, a woman selected by God to bear his Son.

Furthermore, besides Jesus, Mary and Peter (two people dissed by people of Kujo’s persuasion) are the most significantly referenced people in the Gospels. Especially Luke takes great efforts to weave Mary into the life of Jesus. To dismiss them lightly does a disservice to Jesus.

From Kujo: I cannot belong to a religion that says that they are the “true Church” and yet they have more than one way to get to Heaven besides Jesus. (scapular. dont you deny it. If you do, start another thread. I’d love to see that one) . . . With Catholics believing that wearing a scapular will protect you from hell when you die is saying that Jesus is a liar. He said that He is the only way. . . .

The Church teaches unequivocally that Christ came:

1. To die in repatriation for our sins,
2. To make the Eternal Word Incarnate (God with us) so we might better know and love God and understand God’s Plan for us, and
3. That Jesus will be the final judge on our eternal resting place (either with or without God).

If you have a different understanding than this about eternal salvation, I’m interested in hearing it. However, please, please don’t tell me what the Church teaches. The fact that you won’t even open up the Catechism so you can speak intelligently about what the Church teaches makes you totally incompetent in this regard.

From Kujo: Ain’t gonna look up catechism.

I admit that I’ll probably disregard your “understanding” as relevant because your lack of intellectual vigor and honesty in your scapular assertion and unwillingness to even take the time to read in the Catechism what the Church teaches belies a bigotry unworthy to be taken seriously.