RE: A Religion for the Non Religious
July 19, 2015 at 9:58 pm
(This post was last modified: July 19, 2015 at 10:01 pm by Metis.)
(July 19, 2015 at 9:21 pm)Yeauxleaux Wrote: The actual religion itself isn't really diverse. Whatever Catholic church you go to the teachings are the same, whether it's a Catholic Church in Valletta, Dublin, Sao Paulo or Manila (four cities and cultures which are otherwise strikingly diverse apart from dominant religion).
Sure there's "diversity" among Catholic people in terms of devoutness and wider ethnic culture, but it's very homogenous in terms of what the values and beliefs are.
On a doctrinal level officially perhaps but on a lay level culture plays a huge overriding factor.
Take gay marriage for instance, priests have been literally booed off the pulpit for stating they are against same sex marriage and received standing ovations when they've told their congregations they've got a boyfreind. In America Catholic values appear to be Republican Party values (Laudato Si is a fantastic example of this, A Papal Bull about climate change? Clearly a communist heresy). In Africa Cathoic values tend to be patriarchal tribal values.
Doctrine actually means little or nothing in practice, most Catholics I've met in France don't believe in Hell and almost 90% of UK Catholics are for divorce. I've met many Catholics since coming here and I could count the ones who are against contraception on a single hand, and that's even including almost all of my boyfriends ultra conservative hellfire-spewing family.
