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    Ask a Christian (Catholic)

    I thought this might be fun- I'm a pretty "bad Catholic" but I'd still love to answer anyone's questions on it, or Christianity in general (though I can't go into questions on the tenants of other denominations). You guys have taught me quite a bit, so if I can return the favor, that would be cool.

    (And if no one is interested, just ignore this post ^_^)
    hey look, I have a book! And look I have a second one too!

    #2
    Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

    If you think you are a 'bad catholic', why do you practice Catholicism at all? And what defines a 'good' and 'bad' catholic?


    Mostly art.

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

      As an individual with deep Catholic roots myself I ask your answers are in Harmony with the Holy See. Catholics tend to get the idea that certain doctrine and dogma are negotiable and optional, and in reality that is far from true.

      I hope you have your Catechism ready If not I can lend a hand.

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

        Roman Catholic or other? Catholocism isn't (to my knowledge) quite as divided as Protestants or Paganism but there are some variations on it floating around with varying allegiance to the Vatican.
        life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

        Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

        "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

        John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

        "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

        Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


        Comment


          #5
          Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

          Originally posted by MaskedOne View Post
          Roman Catholic or other? Catholocism isn't (to my knowledge) quite as divided as Protestants or Paganism but there are some variations on it floating around with varying allegiance to the Vatican.
          Right, like Orthadox denominations and "empty seater" pre-vatican II denominations

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

            I was thinking Orthodox. I'm not familiar with the "empty seater" denominations.
            life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

            Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

            "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

            John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

            "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

            Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


            Comment


              #7
              Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

              Why am I a "Bad Catholic"? Let me count the ways:
              1. I disagree with a huge number of church teachings, including those on Gays, birth control, women's role in the church, ordination of women, etc.
              2. I haven't attended mass locally in some time because my local priest is ridiculously homophobic.
              3. My girlfriend is a Pagan.

              What makes a "Bad Catholic" is largely a social perception. Its something that other Catholics would or think about you, rather then the church itself. As such it varies between parishes.
              A good Catholic would be attending church weekly despite the fact that every sermon their priest has given recently made you want to walk out and not come back, at the very least.

              Being Catholic is more than just the teachings of the Church, as one of my playwriting tutors told me, "you never really stop being Catholic." As a Catholic I share an upbringing with other Catholics, and a familiarity with ritual that people outside the faith often find offputting.

              As for why I haven't stopped being Catholic, its largely that. My family is Catholic, and even though I haven't been to mass in some time, and in fact have been to other churches, I still think of myself as Catholic. It might also be obstinance. Growing up I was told I was going to hell for being Catholic, that I was actually worshiping Satan, not God. That the Pope was the Anti-Christ. A guy in the KKK even spit at me as a child heading home from church. Its hard to let go of that identity, it makes it feel like all those people are "winning", if that makes sense :/ ...

              Callmeclemens-- I would love help answering the less personal, more doctrinal questions !
              hey look, I have a book! And look I have a second one too!

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

                I'm from Ireland, horrendously catholic country, very hard to get rid of, like a bad smell, or mould. I've heard a few people come out with the 'once a cathy always a cathy' line.. I don't identify as catholic in anyway at all (100% pagan, just pimpin') ... but I get what you're saying about the shared traditions and famililarity.. it's like a culture unto itself... sometimes only another (ex)catholic will understand certain things, espeically when you're taking the piss.
                I'm glad you're a "bad catholic"
                I was in lighting a candle in mass once, I was only a kid, around a eleven, but I already felt drawn to the goddess, magic, tarot.. anyway.. didn't i lean over the candles cos there was only room on the back shelf.. all of a sudden i heard a noise.. my hair had caught on fire!! Imagine me standin there guilty as fuck because i was on the 'dark side' and the statue of st peter eyeballin' me out of it!! catholic life

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

                  ok i have a question, i don't mean these to sound agreesive but, how do catholic's justify worshipping the crucifix (jesus) and mary, when the the ten commandments specifically forbid it.


                  I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
                  You shall have no other gods before me.
                  You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God .....
                  Exodus 20

                  Jesus is not yet the lord and resides in heaven untill such time as he inherents the earth sooo????

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

                    Originally posted by Kahlenda View Post
                    ok i have a question, i don't mean these to sound agreesive but, how do catholic's justify worshipping the crucifix (jesus) and mary, when the the ten commandments specifically forbid it.




                    Exodus 20

                    Jesus is not yet the lord and resides in heaven untill such time as he inherents the earth sooo????
                    I was born into a Roman Catholic family complete with a live-in, off-the-boat Italian grandmother. I went to Catholic school through 5th grade. We didn't worship the crucifix or Mary or the Pope, or any of those other (largely) Protestant myths. I still hear people say "Catholics aren't Christian", and I still find it absurd. We prayed to God the father, Jesus the son, and the Holy Spirit. Saints, Mary, etc., were employed as intercessors "Holy Mary mother of God PRAY FOR US SINNERS", and the like. But they weren't thought of as being God.

                    I sometimes talk to my deceased relatives and half-jokingly ask them to "put in a good word for me" in times of need - same thing.
                    sigpic
                    Can you hear me, Major Tom? I think I love you.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

                      ok but you still put up "idols" of jesus and mary and bow down to them

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

                        Originally posted by Kahlenda View Post
                        ok but you still put up "idols" of jesus and mary and bow down to them
                        I left the church in 1973. I'm not too sure what's been changed since then. (Probably not much.) I'm no expert - just relaying what I was taught.

                        Those are just symbols - not unlike a Pagan altar. Focus aids, in a manner of speaking. No one is praying to the actual statue! I've attended various Protestant churches and they all had a cross over the altar. Some kind of representation, symbol, makes it easier for people to pray, as our minds can't fathom the concepts we're told about.

                        I can see how it's observed the way it is, but it's all in the interpretation of scripture that makes all the different churches/denominations.
                        sigpic
                        Can you hear me, Major Tom? I think I love you.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

                          Originally posted by Kahlenda View Post
                          ok but you still put up "idols" of jesus and mary and bow down to them

                          No, we don't. Churches have a long history of using imagery to tell the story of Jesus and God. For the illiterate, or children, such images are the only way they will be able to learn about the stories of our faith.

                          For those of us who are older, these serve as symbols and reminders of our faith, not idols. I have never bowed down to an image of God, Jesus, or Mary.

                          Also, we don't worship Mary, ever. Somehow that lie never dies *Sigh*.

                          - - - Updated - - -

                          Originally posted by MaskedOne View Post
                          Roman Catholic or other? Catholocism isn't (to my knowledge) quite as divided as Protestants or Paganism but there are some variations on it floating around with varying allegiance to the Vatican.
                          I'm Roman Catholic, but I have been to Ruthinian-Rite Catholic Services (I dated a Ruthinian Catholic girl for a long time) and I went to Latin-Rite services for a year in high school. But the Catholic churches where I live are all Roman Catholic, and that's where I went to Sunday school and such.

                          - - - Updated - - -

                          Originally posted by gealachgirl View Post
                          I'm from Ireland, horrendously catholic country, very hard to get rid of, like a bad smell, or mould. I've heard a few people come out with the 'once a cathy always a cathy' line.. I don't identify as catholic in anyway at all (100% pagan, just pimpin') ... but I get what you're saying about the shared traditions and famililarity.. it's like a culture unto itself... sometimes only another (ex)catholic will understand certain things, espeically when you're taking the piss.
                          I'm glad you're a "bad catholic"
                          I was in lighting a candle in mass once, I was only a kid, around a eleven, but I already felt drawn to the goddess, magic, tarot.. anyway.. didn't i lean over the candles cos there was only room on the back shelf.. all of a sudden i heard a noise.. my hair had caught on fire!! Imagine me standin there guilty as fuck because i was on the 'dark side' and the statue of st peter eyeballin' me out of it!! catholic life
                          XD That's quite the story. I hope you were okay!

                          There definitely are things about being Catholic that, almost like a shared cultural heritage, are hard to explain to people who didn't grow up with it. My atheist friends who are ex-Catholic are sometimes much easier to talk to about religion then my evangelical friends for that reason- we share a common background, even if we now disagree on the truth of it.

                          I've never been to Ireland, so I can only imagine. The Bogside artists came to my college and gave a talk about life in Northern Ireland and the conflicts there... Crazy stuff. I've never heard the phrase "horrendously Catholic" before, but for Ireland from what I've heard, it makes sense.

                          I'm glad to be a "bad Catholic" as well. If I wasn't, I don't think I'd like who I am, not to mention I don't think I'd be dating the girl of my dreams... And if I was I'd probably be trying to convert her or something, something I have no interest in doing. Jesus and Yahweh are very important to me, they are a center of my life, but I'm not going to run around trying to shove that down people's throats. Especially when I love them as they are.
                          hey look, I have a book! And look I have a second one too!

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

                            Malfick, you're doing an awesome job, I'll just brush up a bit with Official Doctrine.

                            Mainly on the "Saint" and "Marian" Worship.

                            Malfick was spot on about the statues and paintings, a huge part of the Catholic faith is a deep appreciation for tradition, a tradition that roots back directly to the death of Christ.

                            (Read this on Marian worship and the Saints http://www.americancatholic.org/feat...ry_worship.asp )

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Ask a Christian (Catholic)

                              Do Catholics specifically (Roman Catholic, Vatican types) have a from and specific practice of mysticism, such as the Jesuit Red Hats or Daoist Mystics, Buddhist Mystics, etc? To clarify, by mystics I mean those that hold the powers of the Saints and God/Christ within them such as healing, exorcism, ESP and other supernatural deeds, or is this type of ideation/practice blasphemy?

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