[thefrankbaum]

Notre Dame is not a Catholic university, it is a Jesuit university that most people identify as Catholic.

You know what...I'm sorry, but I've got to take umbrage with this as well. The Jesuits are the largest Catholic order in the world, and, yes, have some members who stray from the norm. However, they are the ones who make headlines - the vast majority of them are good, honest Catholics faithful to the Truth.

From my experience, if you ask a Jesuit, “Are you a Jesuit first, or a Catholic first?”, there would be a pause, regardless of what the verbal response would be.

Possibly because they subsist in one another. If I asked you "are you a patriot first, or an American first?" you'd probably pause as well.

Sorry, but, as the product of eight years of Jesuit education, I feel the need to defend the Society at times.

[naturalman1975]

I'm an Anglican teaching in a Jesuit school. The Priests and Brothers impress me every day with the way they live their lives in the service of God and man.

A sense of humour too - I'm sure you've heard this one but it was new to me.

A Franciscan and a Dominican were debating about whose order was the greater. After months of arguing, they decided to ask for an answer from God when they died. Years later, they met in heaven and decided to go to the throne of God to resolve their old disagreement. God seemed a bit puzzled about the question and told them he would reply in writing a few days later. After much deliberation, God sent the following letter:

My beloved children,

Please stop bickering about such trivial matters. Both of your orders are equally great and good in my eyes.

Sincerely yours,

God, S.J.

[Talisker]

Bernard wrote: From my experience, if you ask a Jesuit, "Are you a Jesuit first, or a Catholic first?", there would be a pause, regardless of what the verbal response would be.

To which thefrankbaum replied: Possibly because they subsist in one another. If I asked you "are you a patriot first, or an American first?" you'd probably pause as well. Sorry, but, as the product of eight years of Jesuit education, I feel the need to defend the Society at times.

You have indeed had a Jesuit education. A patriot defends his country - any country, while an American is a member of a specific country. Likewise, a Catholic is a member of specific religion, while a Jesuit (in your analogy) is a defender of their faith - but which faith is not addressed.

So what you really did was reply in a way that sounded like a rebuttal, while you merely reaffirmed the poster's statement.

How perfectly Jesuitical of you.