These are good points all of them. Thanks so much.
Just to clarify, while I am "Catholic" I am not a "good Catholic" or even close to that. I am just fine with Gay marriage, and also just fine with fun,consensual, non-exploitive contraceptive sex between two consenting adults, no matter their gender. This is enough for a first-class ticket to Hell in Catholic teaching, though no family member and few priests would say that to my face.
One of my biggest problems with the Church is how it claims it never has been wrong or "changed" on teachings of faith and morals. I would argue that it has, and more than once. Catholic_Lady I need your thoughts!
1. Suicide:The Church used to teach that those who killed themselves went straight to Hell, and the vicitims of suicide were refused a Catholic burial. This practice and teaching was changed in the 1970s, when the science began to prove that such people had serious mental health problems.
2. Anti-Semitism: Anti-semitism used to be part and parcel of Catholic teaching and perspective. Not in the sense that they advocated the death ( or even phyiscal mistreatment) of Jewish people, yet they were regarded (as a people) with great contempt by the Church. Not exactly because of the whole "killing Jesus" thing, it was a bit more complicated than that. From what I read, the Church, pre WWII held that the Jews were a bit worse than the average heathen, because they refused to recognize God's love and generosity toward them by appearing as Jesus, and thus remain in a "dead covenent" with God, not accepting Jesus out of "blindness of heart." Before Vatican II, you'd rarely hear a priest or bishop talk about Jews in a positive way, but I suppose WWII shamed even the Vatican to change this teaching.
3. Divorce. The Church used to teach that someone who divorced their spouse was a sinner and it should never happen, even if there were cases of domestic and child abuse (it is a modern, secular concept in it's self to consider either a crime btw.) Now they teach it is fine to seek a civil divorce if there's a legitimate fear for yourself or another family member. The Church never would have taught this as being ok in the 40s or 50s. Further, I find it a bit hypocritical how easy it is for someone to get an annulment stating "the marriage never happened" all so someone can have the joy and bliss of yet another Catholic wedding. It seems like kind of a cop-out to just help divorced people back into the Church?
Idk, it just seems the Catholic Church is far less coherent or sensible than it's defenders make it out to be.
Just to clarify, while I am "Catholic" I am not a "good Catholic" or even close to that. I am just fine with Gay marriage, and also just fine with fun,consensual, non-exploitive contraceptive sex between two consenting adults, no matter their gender. This is enough for a first-class ticket to Hell in Catholic teaching, though no family member and few priests would say that to my face.
One of my biggest problems with the Church is how it claims it never has been wrong or "changed" on teachings of faith and morals. I would argue that it has, and more than once. Catholic_Lady I need your thoughts!
1. Suicide:The Church used to teach that those who killed themselves went straight to Hell, and the vicitims of suicide were refused a Catholic burial. This practice and teaching was changed in the 1970s, when the science began to prove that such people had serious mental health problems.
2. Anti-Semitism: Anti-semitism used to be part and parcel of Catholic teaching and perspective. Not in the sense that they advocated the death ( or even phyiscal mistreatment) of Jewish people, yet they were regarded (as a people) with great contempt by the Church. Not exactly because of the whole "killing Jesus" thing, it was a bit more complicated than that. From what I read, the Church, pre WWII held that the Jews were a bit worse than the average heathen, because they refused to recognize God's love and generosity toward them by appearing as Jesus, and thus remain in a "dead covenent" with God, not accepting Jesus out of "blindness of heart." Before Vatican II, you'd rarely hear a priest or bishop talk about Jews in a positive way, but I suppose WWII shamed even the Vatican to change this teaching.
3. Divorce. The Church used to teach that someone who divorced their spouse was a sinner and it should never happen, even if there were cases of domestic and child abuse (it is a modern, secular concept in it's self to consider either a crime btw.) Now they teach it is fine to seek a civil divorce if there's a legitimate fear for yourself or another family member. The Church never would have taught this as being ok in the 40s or 50s. Further, I find it a bit hypocritical how easy it is for someone to get an annulment stating "the marriage never happened" all so someone can have the joy and bliss of yet another Catholic wedding. It seems like kind of a cop-out to just help divorced people back into the Church?
Idk, it just seems the Catholic Church is far less coherent or sensible than it's defenders make it out to be.
