ok, this doesn't necessarily relate to anyone here, or the thread in general but i feel like ranting. i kinda have a little trouble with the people who claim to be catholic yet who disagree with the church and expect the church to change to suit them. now there are a lot of religions out there and a lot of subsects within those religions that covers a lot of ground. the thing i have a problem with is people who want to identify themselves as being members of a religion, but do not believe in the tenets of that religion. i mean if you disagree with the teachings of the church, why would you continue to associate with the church?
now, for those out there who will bring up the fact that the church itself is hypocritical in its teachings, i have to say, "duh." no one has a gun to your head forcing you to the communion rail. oh wait sorry, the only still existing communion rail in the country is at mel's little private chapel in cali. but the point remains. religion is not like gender or race, i mean it's totally a choice. so those who choose to identify themselves as catholics, knowing full well what the stance of the church is on certain issues would seem to me to be the hypocrites. it's like joining the kkk and then demanding an affirmative action policy.
face it, catholic priests are men, the church considers homosexual acts to be a sin, it still don't condone birth control, abortion is murder in the eyes of the church, you have to get an annulment to have a re-marriage recognized by the church, jesus was an only child, immaculate conception, holy trinity...these are their views. this is catholic dogma. that's catholicism. now for people to choose to practice this religion and then complain that it's too restrictive is ludicrous. you knew going in those were the rules. you chose them. if you don't agree with them , wouldn't it make more sense to find a church and religion which more closely resembles your own views?
it's not like they changed the rules on you once you joined. "a-ha, now that we've got you in the fold, we'll let you in on the big secrets of catholicism." catholic teaching has remained pretty consistent over the years. oh yeah, they gave up the no eating meat on friday and limbo seems to have gone by the wayside (i really hope the occupants were promoted). purgatory isn't something that gets a lotta ink anymore either. vatican 2 cleared the jewish people of any responsibilty for jesus's death and modernized the mass (removing so much of the ritual that i loved) but the core beliefs, on social issues have been unchanged.
i know this all sounds suspiciously like the dreaded, "love it or leave it, argument." but when it comes to religion, shouldn't it be exactly that? if you don't agree with the teachings of your church then why on earth continue to associate yourself with it? when there are so many institutions out there that will cater to your spiritual needs, why continue to claim allegiance to one that goes against your core morality?
r.i.p. marco, my guardian angel.
...global warming can manifest itself as heat, cool, precipitation, storms, drought, wind, or any other phenomenon, much like a shapeshifter. -- jim geraghty
pray to st. jude
i'm a sonic reducer
he was the gimmicky sort
fenchurch=mejusthavingfun=magwildwood=mmousefan=bkcollector=bradmajors=somethingtotalkabout: the fenchurch mpd collective
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