Letter writer misrepresents the faith
There was a sad letter in today's Democrat and Chronicle.
The writer seemed to be arguing that it's okay to disagree with the Church on some important issues just becuase a number of people break Church teachings.
In response to the June 1 letter writer who claims Catholics cannot pick and choose what they want or do not want to believe: Well, that's exactly what most Catholics do.
Okay, many Catholics do violate the teaching of the Church. But that does not make their actions right.
They believe in birth control; the church does not.
If they practice birth control, they are violating Church and natural law.
They believe that gays and the divorced should receive the "body of Christ"; the church does not.
Actually, the Church does not say homosexuals and the divorced can't receive Communion. Catholics who commit homosexual acts, or get divorced and remarried without an annulment should not receive, but just being homosexual or divorced does not preclude receiving.
They believe that priests should marry; the church does not. (The reason being that the church did not want the priests' children to inherit the land.)
First, there ARE married priests. Second, the Catholic and Orthodox churches that allow married priests require that they be married before they are ordained, and say they can't marry once they are ordained. Third, the reason they are prohibited had nothing to do with inheriting the land. That is false history.
Most churchgoing Catholics do pick and choose what they want to believe but continue to support a church that they disagree with.
Again, just because they choose to violate the laws does not make their actions right. Many people drive above the speed limit, talk on cell phones while driving, steal from their employers, illegally download music, etc. Surely this letter writers would not argue that because so many people break these societal laws that it's somehow okay?
All this is simply a sign of the sinful nature we all share - a nature with which the Church is trying to help us deal.
The writer seemed to be arguing that it's okay to disagree with the Church on some important issues just becuase a number of people break Church teachings.
In response to the June 1 letter writer who claims Catholics cannot pick and choose what they want or do not want to believe: Well, that's exactly what most Catholics do.
Okay, many Catholics do violate the teaching of the Church. But that does not make their actions right.
They believe in birth control; the church does not.
If they practice birth control, they are violating Church and natural law.
They believe that gays and the divorced should receive the "body of Christ"; the church does not.
Actually, the Church does not say homosexuals and the divorced can't receive Communion. Catholics who commit homosexual acts, or get divorced and remarried without an annulment should not receive, but just being homosexual or divorced does not preclude receiving.
They believe that priests should marry; the church does not. (The reason being that the church did not want the priests' children to inherit the land.)
First, there ARE married priests. Second, the Catholic and Orthodox churches that allow married priests require that they be married before they are ordained, and say they can't marry once they are ordained. Third, the reason they are prohibited had nothing to do with inheriting the land. That is false history.
Most churchgoing Catholics do pick and choose what they want to believe but continue to support a church that they disagree with.
Again, just because they choose to violate the laws does not make their actions right. Many people drive above the speed limit, talk on cell phones while driving, steal from their employers, illegally download music, etc. Surely this letter writers would not argue that because so many people break these societal laws that it's somehow okay?
All this is simply a sign of the sinful nature we all share - a nature with which the Church is trying to help us deal.
posted by A Secular Franciscan | 9:04 PM
2 Comments:
The author of that letter isn't even a Catholic. As some commenter pointed out, she put Body of Christ in quotes, signaling that she's probably a Protestant that does not accept the Catholic Real Presence.
She could be a Catholic. A lot of Catholics don't understand or accept the Real Presence.
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