I converted to Roman Catholicism AMA

[lightsandmirrors]

I was recieved into the Roman Catholic Church a few years ago, having previously been an atheist. Ask me anything and I will try to answer!

I cannot seriously believe that you have used Brexit to explain what free thinking and free speech can do?! FFS. If we lived without our ability to make our own decisions we'd still be in the dark ages or in Gilead. The ability to make our own choices is what makes humanity as terrible and as wonderful as it is. I, for one, am no sheep (I prefer to think of myself as a fennec fox and encourage my DC to be pink fairy armadillo or perhaps star-nosed moles).

You are hiding behind religion to excuse your right-wing, traditional views. Masterbation is a sin? Are you living in another dimension. I have serious concern for your DC growing up in such an environment, having views such as these imposed upon them. We are merely the gatekeepers of our children: nurturing and guiding them to become the people they want to be.

I was brought up in the pomp, ceremony and utter lies and control of the Catholic church and school system. Thank goodness my mam was a liberal Catholic who always told us to chose our own path. My 2 best friends and sisters are still practising Catholics but liberal, free-thinking ones who believe in an individual's right to chose and body autonomy. If they were as you describe yourself I could bear to be in their company.

The Catholic congregations are dwindling fast, no wonder.

"In cases of rape ofcourse that is not the case and it would be truly truly horrible but the answer would be that there are two innocent parties the woman and the unborn child. Why should the child die because of the crimes of the father?"

AMA

I'll ask you, how can you write that and not realise that you sound like a stupid heartless cunt?

Do you really genuinely hold that belief?

• couldn't bear

@Pelleas

Do lifelong Catholics see you any differently, as a recent convert?

Did you feel welcomed when you approached (I assume) a priest and expressed your wish to be converted?

As above some people find it weird that I would choose it. Others have also said it has strengthened their faith. I generally just try to fade into the background.

Very very welcomed, I don't think they can picky!

This has to be a windup.

In fact don't bothering replying because I'm fucking hiding this thread. There are some really hideous attitudes displayed on here, you should feel ashamed

However whether someone wearing liturgical dress or having beautiful things is a sin seems a bit less clear cut and I guess is for God to decide.

What are you going to do OP when you find out that God is merely a construct put in place by society to control the masses?

In fact don't bothering replying because I'm fucking hiding this thread. There are some really hideous attitudes displayed on here, you should feel ashamed

This. You should be shaking in shame.

@Dancingwithdaftness

How do you reconcile men's natural gravity towards becoming Catholic priests or brothers when they're paedophiles? Have you ever watched this movie? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_for_a_Raggy_Boy

FWIW There is something mysteriously magically comforting about Catholism. Even in movies where exorcisms are required, people call on the Catholics rather than the vicar. I'm agnostic though due to paedophilia which was actively covered up and utterly rife within the Catholic church in particular. I was raised Catholic. I have my own rather tenuous faith but cannot in good conscience grace the Catholic Church with much of my presence as it is such an horrific institution of abominable cruelty.

Not sure what you mean by reconcile, but it is observable across society that paedophiles gravitate towards positions where they have responsibility over children. Its sick but I suppose if you're a paedophile that is what you would do? The church needs to be doing more to weed such people out at selection. I have seen the film, it was shocking. I hope such things are well in the past.

In cases of rape ofcourse that is not the case and it would be truly truly horrible but the answer would be that there are two innocent parties the woman and the unborn child. Why should the child die because of the crimes of the father?

Why should a woman have to go through pregnancy for 9 months and give birth to a baby that she never wanted, because of the crimes of a man?

What happens to the baby once it is born? Are you gonna adopt all of the babies conceived from rape and bring them up yourself? No, of course you're not. You don't actually care about the babies once they are actually born do you?

And you see pregnancy and birth of an unwanted child as a punishment for a woman who dared to have sex don't you?

Not sure what you mean by reconcile, but it is observable across society that paedophiles gravitate towards positions where they have responsibility over children.

I'll tell you where else they gravitate to - to places where they know they won't be punished for it and will be able to carry out their crimes safe in the knowledge that someone will cover for them if they are caught.

@RaspberryToupee

Do you actually listen to the sermons or just tune out? My in-laws are Catholic and DH is technically a Catholic, although somewhat lapsed. I have attended mass with my in-laws and DH when he is being a good cultural catholic and listened to the sermons. I’ve never agreed with one yet. On questioning my in-laws about the sermon later, they admit they don’t listen. Same with DH. I’ve even attended a few masses in German as my in-laws don’t live in this country, despite knowing about 5 words in German I still try to listen to the sermon. From what I can make out, I still don’t agree with it. I look around the church now during sermon and everyone has a zoned out look. Which explains why nobody is standing up and shouting at the priest.

Do you feel like the Catholic Church is inclusive? Particularly before you were confirmed but presumably attending services. As someone who grew up in CofE, I find the Catholic Church horribly exclusionary. Sure, they like minorities if they are Catholic but it’s not welcoming to people outside the Catholic world. As I was confirmed in a CofE church I am unable to partake in mass at a Catholic Church, unless I want a blessing which I refuse on principle. The church I grew up was very inclusive, it’s a space for community and people of other denominations can attend services if they want a place of worship. The services will be CofE but members have been invited up to do their own prayers, sometimes in their first language.

I do listen to sermons, some are really great, some not so great. I always try to take something from them! I would consider attending masses in a different parish every now and then if I knew the priest there was a great preacher as I have grown spiritually from great sermons in the past. I do think it is inclusive, I have been in some very multicultural parishes where as you have said different cultures have been invited to say prayers in the own language and had bring and share meals of food from peoples cultures. In terms of allowing people to recieve communion who are not full members of the church, I think some people get offended by it. But you really have to understand that Catholics are supposed to believe in the true presence of Christ in the eucharist. It would be offensive if someone who didn't believe this were to take part because it is something very precious and they would not recieve it in the way it was meant. Also you have to be in right relationship with God even if you are a practicing Catholic. So it is not just a Catholic/non Catholic thing.

What I mean by 'reconcile' is how you can accept that the church you choose to follow is seeded with paedophiles. Paedophiles. Yes - those who take 8 year old boys and shove their dicks up their anuses. Or the ones who have female preference, so rape 7 year old girls. How do you reconcile your love for that church which you actively chose, with what they are renowned for?

A "life begins at conception" thought experiment: You're in a burning building and have time to save a container of 100 frozen embryos OR one living child. Which do you choose? Does your answer change if it were your embryos vs your ds? What would the church tell you to do?

'Grown spiritually'? How? By endorsing a clearly corrupt organisation? Because that's all it is. A money making racket for sick individuals. God above. As for 'the church lets me participate'. I bet you're handing out holy communion. Wiping the priest's arse for him maybe?

@RiaOverTheRainbow

A "life begins at conception" thought experiment: You're in a burning building and have time to save a container of 100 frozen embryos OR one living child. Which do you choose? Does your answer change if it were your embryos vs your ds? What would the church tell you to do?

Well it wouldn't be the OP's embryos as the church doesn't believe in IVF.

Do you know what the First Commandment is OP?

I don't have a question. I was born and bred catholic in rural Ireland. I am now an atheist. At 14 years of age I realised it was all a crock of shit. All my family/community/friends are/were catholic. We all went to catholic school, primary and secondary. We were all indoctrinated into the cult from birth, we had no choice.

But at 14 years old I got sense and told my mother I would not be attending mass anymore. I am now in my 40s and it is a big bone of contention with all my family that I will not blindly follow all the shit that is preached for years to us.

It has destroyed more families than I care to think about.

Do you have any idea of the amount of people who have died because of the catholic church? Women warned by their doctor to not have anymore children as their poor bodies couldn't cope who were told, actually told in person, by their parish priest to not take contraception but they still had to have sex with their husbands and then got pregnant and died. A lot of males from my area have died by suicide because of the sexual abuse they endured from their parish priest or pastoral care in school. Women who were deeply unhappy in their marriages, abuse victims, who killed themselves instead of being shunned by their church because we were all brought up that the church is first. No divorce, no abortions, catholic counselling (yeah right, what the fuck does a priest or a nun know about real fucking life). I am shocked that an adult actually came to the conclusion that any of this is not just another misyognist man made cult to keep the woman folk in line.

@SwedishEdith meh, not 100% sure and I’m not getting into the technicalities with in-laws as I just can’t be bothered. The marriage was short and has been annulled in the eyes of the Catholic Church apparently - no children and the marriage ended on her adultery. BIL’s fiancé is Catholic so everyone is hoping for a big catholic wedding in which we pretend BIL wasn’t married before. We had a barbed comment from in-laws that BIL can now get married in a Catholic Church and have the marriage ‘recognised’ by the church. Obviously we didn’t get married in a Catholic Church and so our marriage isn’t really real 🙄 Surprisingly they aren’t too bothered about their kids ‘living in sin’ though so at least they never given us shit about that.

We have considered a convalidation, so like a vow renewal/blessing in the Catholic Church, just inviting his parents and my parents which would mean our marriage is recognised by the Catholic Church. Although we when enquired about it, the priest made it quite clear I’d led my poor husband astray. It doesn’t help I haven’t taken my husbands name and I’m C of E so I’m clearly a heathen of the highest order and my husband needs his soul prayed for.

@WhichOneNowTheRedOrTheGreen but ending life through abortion is murder! What else could it be.

Toddler- you like cats. What are your feelings on euthanasia?

Are you a nurse?

I find it hard to believe you could be a nurse and say such a fucking stupid thing. Your views are vile.

Why do I always forget to click hide?!!
Anyway you feel free to keep on airing your abhorrent views toddler - way to represent the Catholic Church. Really, well done. Special well done for airing views like that along with telling people you're a nurse. Outstanding.

Fuck me.

I think nurses are perfectly entitled to their views as long as they're professional and respectful. It's not something that would really even come up in, say, geriatrics (I have no idea what area toddlerteatime works in admittedly). Not agreeing with something doesn't necessarily mean lacking compassion or being judgmental towards individuals does it?

I know abortion is a hugely emotive issue but neither the OP nor toddler were the ones who brought it up. They just answered the question when it was asked. It can hardly have been a surprise that on a thread about converting to Catholicism, that question would elicit the answers it did.

It can hardly be a surprise that people are disgusted when a nurse - of whom we expect compassion - casts people who have have had an abortion as murderers.