Mike, I support your view on the corruption and criminality of the leadership of the Catholic Church. Despite a dire shortage of priests, the hierarchy refuses to allow women priests. The egregious child abuse was atrocious enough but the revealed cover up piled suffering upon suffering of innocent people. It happened in my own back yard, bringing with it suicides, broken families and fractured lives. The main perpetrator never spent a minute in jail. Now the arrogance of Catholic bishops sending damning letters to our government leaders warning of the тАЬdamageтАЭ perpetrated by ratification of the ERA is enough to make this woman wonder how in literally GodтАЩs name does one support a religion that blatantly hurts its most vulnerable, denies acceptance of the LGBT community and fights to place women in second class citizenry. It sickens my soul that I was Catholic until age 50. The good people of this religion need to stand up to this ongoing atrocity within their leadership. Stand up for JesusтАЩs tenets of loving one another, protecting the poor and bringing fairness and justice to all mankind.
When I was 10 or 11 yrs old my mother told me that Jesus said the most important commandment was Love. Nothing more, nothing less, simply Love. Basically saying all the others could be disregarded as acting with Love encompassed them.
And the Dalai Lama says "My religion is kindness." Just acting from love and kindness is the key to living humanely with each other. No need for the trappings of religion.
Ally, the root of the тАЬsicknessтАЭ is the many years in my life supporting such hurtful dogma. I was taught as a child that all non Catholics were doomed to hell. Imagine a child of 6 or 7 hearing that and worrying about the non Catholic loved ones in her life. My gay sister took the time (as an adult) to ask a priest to explain the churchтАЩs position on homosexuality; she was a devoted Catholic. He said she could not be part of the Catholic Church if she remained gay. This dogma is antithetical to the teachings of the prophet upon which the religion is centered. The sadness I speak of is the unwillingness of millions of good Catholics to create/demand change in the hierarchy.
Moureen, Religion is always a Difficult subject as there are so many different points of view amongst the practitioners. My humble view is that Faith is something someone acquires thru introspection and cannot and should not be imposed. we must allow each other to find our own faith pertinent to ourselves. I find that in most religions there are common threads to be found in kindness and a sense of community.
(a phrase hijacked from those recovering from an addiction of some sort. Then again Christian religious fervor - proselytizing etc - is akin to addiction.)
I suggest reading White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity by Robert P. Jones.
Just put it on hold at the library. Surprisingly, it was there.
Mike, I support your view on the corruption and criminality of the leadership of the Catholic Church. Despite a dire shortage of priests, the hierarchy refuses to allow women priests. The egregious child abuse was atrocious enough but the revealed cover up piled suffering upon suffering of innocent people. It happened in my own back yard, bringing with it suicides, broken families and fractured lives. The main perpetrator never spent a minute in jail. Now the arrogance of Catholic bishops sending damning letters to our government leaders warning of the тАЬdamageтАЭ perpetrated by ratification of the ERA is enough to make this woman wonder how in literally GodтАЩs name does one support a religion that blatantly hurts its most vulnerable, denies acceptance of the LGBT community and fights to place women in second class citizenry. It sickens my soul that I was Catholic until age 50. The good people of this religion need to stand up to this ongoing atrocity within their leadership. Stand up for JesusтАЩs tenets of loving one another, protecting the poor and bringing fairness and justice to all mankind.
When I was 10 or 11 yrs old my mother told me that Jesus said the most important commandment was Love. Nothing more, nothing less, simply Love. Basically saying all the others could be disregarded as acting with Love encompassed them.
And the Dalai Lama says "My religion is kindness." Just acting from love and kindness is the key to living humanely with each other. No need for the trappings of religion.
I can only guess at the "sickness in your soul" as a result of your religious background. Thank you for sharing your story here.
Ally, the root of the тАЬsicknessтАЭ is the many years in my life supporting such hurtful dogma. I was taught as a child that all non Catholics were doomed to hell. Imagine a child of 6 or 7 hearing that and worrying about the non Catholic loved ones in her life. My gay sister took the time (as an adult) to ask a priest to explain the churchтАЩs position on homosexuality; she was a devoted Catholic. He said she could not be part of the Catholic Church if she remained gay. This dogma is antithetical to the teachings of the prophet upon which the religion is centered. The sadness I speak of is the unwillingness of millions of good Catholics to create/demand change in the hierarchy.
Moureen, Religion is always a Difficult subject as there are so many different points of view amongst the practitioners. My humble view is that Faith is something someone acquires thru introspection and cannot and should not be imposed. we must allow each other to find our own faith pertinent to ourselves. I find that in most religions there are common threads to be found in kindness and a sense of community.
A great saint once said тАШAll religions lead to GodтАЩ.
I suspect those that see their religion is the тАШonly wayтАЩ have lost sight of this truthтАж.
The good Catholic people with the wisdom and gumption to stand up against the church's trashing of Jesus' tenets left it decades ago.
A friend says she is тАЬa recovering catholicтАЭ
(a phrase hijacked from those recovering from an addiction of some sort. Then again Christian religious fervor - proselytizing etc - is akin to addiction.)
I would hope, Mike, that you live in an area where the wing nuts are not trying to "cleanse" the public library.
I am the President of the Friends of my library.
I wish the would be nut my best wishes.
ЁЯШК
Good for you. I was a school librarian many years ago when I could handle the censors on my own. Sorry, not putting creation in the science number.
Ditto.
I have. It was VERY interesting. In fact, I think I've recommended it here before.