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.

You want everybody to go to some mediocre, bland, poorly run, badly populated, generic comprehensive, where the brightest kids are shuffled to the bottom and all the lessons fall to the standard of the lowest common denominator, bullying is rife, disruption is rife etc. etc.? (rather like mine)

Parents don't want this, surprisingly enough.

And anyway, why should parents at the disadvantaged school have to invest proportionally more time and effort turning their child's school around because the local faith school has quite deliberately disadvantaged them?

So you dont want to put the work in - fair enough

"What do you want me to say HouseOfBamboo? People disapprove of them and run them down constantly, you can't have it all. You don't even want them."

If people could 'have' faith schools without taking funding and options away from the rest of the population, then that would be absolutely fair enough. But that's not how it is, which is why people are annoyed - surely you can understand that?

Bamboo Did your parents grow up in NI. If so division of education was the least of the problems!

"So you dont want to put the work in - fair enough"

snappysnappy - how do you know how much work I put into my DCs school?

How does removing middle class pupils from a school disadvantage it, if the environment is so equal as well? Are you saying that the pupils that are left, are disadvantaging their own environment?

Again, you can't have it all.

Since when did life come with a guarantee of 'being fair' HouseOfBamboo? This is why people need to value their kids educational opportunities and support them instead of raising kids who don't even own a book or spend their time in school messing about and dragging others down.

Life isn't fair and opportunities need to be grabbed with both hands, nurtured and valued. That's probably why I've survived after the start I had

Bamboo I can understand why as an atheist parent, you watch some of the more motivated children go to a faith school whilst yours go to a less successful comp and you find that frustrating.

However its up to you and people like you to do something about your local schools and if that isnt an option for you then focus on ensuring your child gets as much help at home as is possible.

Getting rid of faith schools wont get rid of inequality.

Sometimes we spend the food money on books and music lessons

"How does removing middle class pupils from a school disadvantage it, if the environment is so equal as well? Are you saying that the pupils that are left, are disadvantaging their own environment? "

I'm off for a bit now, before my brain melts in despair.

Bamboo you made this statement
And anyway, why should parents at the disadvantaged school have to invest proportionally more time and effort turning their child's school around because the local faith school has quite deliberately disadvantaged them?

That makes me think that you dont think parents should have to put the work in

Hear, hear snappy

Equality starts within the home and some parents just aren't that bothered.

yes the despair of people not agreeing with you!

Pupils disadvantage (drag down) their own school environment by not taking responsibility for their own behaviour. I've seen it first hand in the schools that I attended, so don't go on about your brain melting Bamboo

That and 'liberal' schooling where the staff have more sympathy for the bully rather than the poor sod on the receiving end (personal experience).

See bamboo it was the opposite for my parents - faith schools and the education it provided gave them the opportunity to go on to grammar schools and move out of the poverty they were born into.