To think some Catholics don't understand their own faith

[zombiegames]

Okay I admit a thread about a couple of other threads.

I was brought up Catholic, but am not one now - but I do understand how the way you are brought up as a Catholic gets under your skin. But it does make me angry that other people here who say they are catholics, appear to have so little understanding of their own faith.

The pope is not just someone whose opinion you can dismiss if you are a catholic. He is christs representative on earth and he is infallible - that means he can't be wrong. This is an absolute key part of the one true faith. It is not a side belief that can be conveniently ignored.

So when the pope says for example that gay marriage or using condoms is wrong, that is a belief of the catholic faith and can't just be dismissed. If you say this is wrong, you are saying that the pope is not infallible and thus you are questioning an absolute key part of catholicism.

Why does this anger me? Because a lot of people who are not and have never been catholics don't really understand catholicism as can be seen on here when non catholic parents who send dcs to catholic schools froth on here about what their dcs are being taught. Posters who post about being catholic and non homophobic, are misrepresenting catholicism to those who don't understand it. If the pope says something, then that is part of the catholic faith and is what catholics should believe.

And sorry I probably ABU as I know this is a bit of a rant, even though it is true.

I'm wondering if anyone posting on here voted for Tony 'Catholic Church Attendee' Blair

If you did it would scupper your point somewhat.

The central part of the faith is that Jesus died for our suns and rose again on the third day. All the rest is peripheral as far as I am concerned so yes change can and should happen as long as the central core remains the same.

I love attending Mass with all the bells and smells but the vital bit is still the Eucharist and everything else is peripheral.

I don't remember Jesus speaking out against gay relationships ever and I will keep saying so. That does not mean I cannot be Catholic and support the good stuff.

Of course it matters how central something is to a faith. Peripheral stuff = easier to change. Central stuff = harder to change.

Our "suns" you know I meant "sins" right?

I liked "suns". More picturesque :o

Codandchops you said: "The central part of the faith is that Jesus died for our suns and rose again on the third day"

If all the rest is peripheral, why do you identify as Catholic specifically and not some other group of Christianity. Isn't the pope's authority central to the Catholic religion, specifically? Or have I missed something?

(I believe you have identified as Catholic; if I am mistaken, I am sorry)

Surely our faith is believing in something even tough we cannot see it.

Therefore the only parts of the church which are faith are the belief that God exists, Jesus was the son of God and the sanctity of the sacrament.

The other stuff can change and not change those main beliefs.

Codandchops is right Jesus did not speak out against gay relationships. He taught us to love one another.

Only Catholics (I believe) believe that the sacrament is truly turned into the body and blood of Jesus Christ in Mass. It is not a simple case of changing religions.

Super simplistic overview of catholic beliefs there...

And conveniently skimming over the unpleasant stuff.

I don't think Faith should be complicated. I think the Church is wrong on many areas.

However that is many the Vatican. Actual churches and churchgoers are a million miles from the Vatican

*mainly

Just catching up with this thread - it's flying!

I feel the need to peep up again at this point as evolution is my specialist subject. Someone said gravity is a theory - it is. So is the theory that the sun will rise tomorrow. When you have so many historical facts that support one theory (every single day for millenia, the sun has risen) then that one theory is considered fact and has predictive value (the sun will rise tomorrow).

Evolution is considered by all but a very few scientists, to be a fact. The other theories that are taught in some school include something know as 'creation science'. Google for more info. Or the theory that god simply made us all up with any bit of the genesis story you may/may not want to add on.

ps my neice has just confirmed that she wasn't taught about condoms in her catholic school (probably would remember this - she's 20 now) but can't remember about evolution. pps i'm not old, unless 35 counts as old nowadays.

I WAS taught evolution at a very Catholic school.

Cherry picking => because I do not know of any other way of influencing change in the Church. It is also called voting with your feet.

I do it because I care. The care is what makes me Catholic. Not toeing the line blindly which in itself would be a sin if I knew I was doing wrong.

So Kanayo all Catholics should believe all elements of doctrine regardless how peripheral or leave the church?

LeBFG, what schools in the UK teach anything other than Evolution? I have heard of it happening in the US, but I didn't think that it happened here.

Regarding contraception, I am almost 40 and I was taught about contraception in science: this is what it is; this is how it works; these are the pros and cons. Catholic church's views on contraception were discussed in RE, not science.

You say your niece didn't learn about condoms, did she learn about other methods of contraception? I'm pretty sure that schools have to teach this stuff to the over 15s.

leBFG, thanks for that, about evolution. Just to be clear, I don't think any of us were saying that we didn't believe in evolution, just that that could be a reason why someone's nephew may have come home from school describing it as a theory - ie that that is correct terminology in the strict scientific sense. Also, of course, the title of Darwin's work, so the teacher may have used the word for that reason.

I thought the Catholic church position was in favour of evolution.

The Carmel School in Bristol teaches a Young Earth creationist curriculum I believe.

My sex ed at catholic school was a days workshop

We went over biology - what is sex, where do the bits go...

And love and marriage. There was actually a huge emphasis on marriage and relationships.

We went over what contraception was very briefly and then not
Given all options, told
How it prevented life and shouldn't really be relevant.

We had a few pregnant 6 formers...

How awful Kayano. Sex ed with a focus on relationships.

I'm sure there were no pregnant 6 formers in the non catholic schools

ha ha Kayano, you've confirmed all my prejudices.

My point was they didn't give all the contraceptive information. It was patently skimmed over and very basic and they made it clear they thought it pointless as we shouldn't be doing it

In fact they did say that.

It was a very poor sex ed. it should have been called marriage and procreation ed

Did your parents not speak to you about contraception? My husband went to a non catholic school and his sex ed class was a thirty minute video. There were plenty of pregnant girls there too.

No... Because my parents were catholic.

And contraception is frowned upon by the catholic church

To the point my mother was mortified when my virgin self was prescribed the pill for horrendous periods and mood swings.

Ahh, just looked up the surprising assertion that the catholic church is open to evolution and seems to be the case. I will really believe this when the pope stands up and says 'yes, we humans are animals descended from apes'.