I don’t want negativity to be my “mission statement”.
Negativity, as you label it, is entirely appropriate in certain situations. When looking to the next four years with Obama my viewpoint might be called one of negativity. However, intentional positivity in spite of overwhelming evidence is nothing more than naiveté. We are not called by the Gospel to be a naive people. Over and over we are encouraged and exhorted to be wise, aware and watchful of threats, both from within and without. Bishops are not impeccable or infallible, and it would behove all of us to judge the trees by the fruit.
These bishops, as a collective body, have been massively derelict, at best, in defending and spreading the faith. They have taken position after position which fails any possible smell test a person of faith could apply. Are there good ones? Sure, but that doesn't speak to the collective which was referred to in the earlier post and whose motives were implied to be so virtuous. We cannot ignore that the one time the bishops decided to break their consistent pro-democrat and liberal political position was when it actually affected them directly rather than their congregations. One would have to be very naive indeed to think they all just suddenly turned away from their errors over this one issue. The truth is they just don't have any moral authority anymore in these things, and until they take an unpopular stand in defense of the true faith which actually costs them money or people in their pews I will continue to be very skeptical.
I never said bishops were in fallible.
Admit failure in leadership-—yes, I can do that about some bishops.
Come to terms with the fact that a certain number of priests have been “liberal”. Yes, I can acknowledge that.
But I also don’t believe that we need to be...or should be ...at war with our own Church.
On this forum, I have read, over the years, many posts made by FReepers who were openly antagonist towards the Catholic Church. In keeping with their approach, they often referred to all priests as if all of them were child-predators. That is the kind of broad brush method I see as wrong and unjust.
It’s what it’s like when broad brushes are used. The position is one of accusation.
The Gospel tells us many things. The admonition to be wise and aware and watchful are FIRST meant to be applied to our own actions-—not those of others; and it is the fruit of our own lives that should come under our inspection first.
I don’t think it is any use for me to say any more. You “continue to be skeptical” and I’ll continue to do my best-—with God’s grace—to be filled with the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Love...(the first 3 beads after the Our Father on my rosary).