A Question For Catholics

TIDE-HSV

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Thanks.

Once I made my mind up about God and Christianity. I did a lot of study. I don't consider myself a scholar; don't have any formal theological education; can't read Koine Greek, Aramaic or Hebrew (although I know quite a few words and phrases from trying); and I absolutely abhorred trying Latin. When studying with the priests I did read the RCC Catechism cover to cover (along with multiple other ones). I did read an English translation of Summa Theologica cover to cover. I did read English translations of most of the "fathers" full works (I had a lot of time on my hands at that period in my life). So I am pretty well versed.

I just didn't want to speak for someone. Even though one knows horses, it is better to hear "straight from the horses mouth." :)
Nice if that were true. I know a lot of both Catholics and Jews who don't know crap about their own religion...
 

mittman

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Nice if that were true. I know a lot of both Catholics and Jews who don't know crap about their own religion...
True. So do I. A great deal of people fall into the "I was brought up that way." category and never really form their own belief systems.
 

Jon

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True. So do I. A great deal of people fall into the "I was brought up that way." category and never really form their own belief systems.
In religion and politics people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.
- Autobiography of Mark Twain
 

Vinny

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Being catholic, I was told years ago if you get divorced, then you cannot receive communion, however all bets are off when the other party passes away, then the surviving man or woman can receive communion. Also a tid bit I picked up years ago when receiving communion. Once you put the host in your mouth, you are supposed to do the sign of the cross where you stand and then move on. I learned this when my wife was going through RCIA prior to getting married.


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TIDE-HSV

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Years ago, in 1965, I was hired by Msgr. McGonegal, rector of Holy Spirit Catholic Church here in HSV to help them straighten out a fairly straightforward easement problem. He was very grateful and wanted to show me their new sanctuary, which he had raced Vatican II to get built. It was beautiful - six different marbles from Italy, etc. I think I caught him off guard when I automatically genuflected, which he hastened to imitate. Less than than two years later, it was all torn out and the altar moved out front. He tried to pay me $800 for the job ($6,000 today). I demurred, saying it was too much for the job. We settled for $500. I realized then how complete the control of the rector in the Catholic Church was over the purse. I come from the UMC, the second most centrally-controlled church in the nation, but the pastor has nothing like the local financial control as exists in the Catholic...
 

Displaced Bama Fan

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. I come from the UMC, the second most centrally-controlled church in the nation, but the pastor has nothing like the local financial control as exists in the Catholic...
Funny, I friend of mine in Shiner, Tx told me how a Catholic Bishop convinced an aging woman to will her oil wells to the Church instead of leaving them to the family. Ironically, after she died, he was "promoted" to arch-bishop.
 

jthomas666

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Being catholic, I was told years ago if you get divorced, then you cannot receive communion, however all bets are off when the other party passes away, then the surviving man or woman can receive communion. Also a tid bit I picked up years ago when receiving communion. Once you put the host in your mouth, you are supposed to do the sign of the cross where you stand and then move on. I learned this when my wife was going through RCIA prior to getting married.
You can receive communion if you get divorced; it's if you get remarried while your ex is still alive that they bring out the ban hammer.
 

selmaborntidefan

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I think that Methodists also believe that theirs is the only true Church.
This is totally 100% wrong. My father was a Methodist before he met my mother, and I've known MANY Methodists through the years. They are one of the most open, ecumenical groups among those that profess Christian doctrine yet have (in some parts) remained among the more conservative groups (still holding to biblical authority).

My church history prof had a funny saying - "You need the Baptists to get them saved, the Presbyterians to get them theologically astute, and the Methodists to give them a social conscience." Rigidity is found among the Churches of Christ that are proliferated through the South, with major numbers in Tennessee and Texas. There are SOME Baptist groups (Landmarks is one example) that are extremely separatist and militantly fundamentalistic although you won't find those folks (usually) going all Al Qaeda on you.

Here's how I look at it (not that anyone asked): the centrality of NT teaching begins with the bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our theology should go in concentric circles outward from there. Most Christians who apostasize and abandon the faith have set their theology up like a domino - when one falls, the entire system collapses. If one sets up his bibliology first (doctrine of the Bible - inerrancy) and is then persuaded the Bible has errors then the entire worldview of such a person collapses. (Amazingly enough, fundamentalists who do this don't usually become more sophisticated in their approach - they become militant skeptics who are every bit as fundamentalist as they were before but just play for the other team - just as angry and snide as they were as professing Christians).

Let me put it another way: belief in young earth Creationism (which is NOT a biblical teaching but a philosophical construct) is NOT even on the same planet (if you'll pardon the pun) as the bodily Resurrection of Jesus. In fact, if you will look back there are Christians arguing for a much older than 6,000-year old earth hundreds of years prior to Darwin. The gap theory dates to the 17th century (the notion there is a creative gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2). I'm not going to argue the correctness or incorrectness of the theory except to say one can be a devout, orthodox Christian and still believe in an earth MUCH older than 6,000 years.


I just don't believe a Supreme Being is under any obligation to make a person use the brain He gave them. By the same token ALL positions including atheism mandate elements of faith (none of us knows for absolute certainty what will happen after we die - until we die).

But back to the point - Methodism historically has been an ecumenical movement, open with a social conscience. I don't agree with some of their positions but I've had more than one person suggest I "convert." I can't, though - I have too many disagreements on some "lesser" issues with them to "fake it."

Catholicism is also nowhere near as closed now as it was pre-Vatican II.
 

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