[esther2]

I thought about returning to the Catholic church because I'm a member of one of the mainline denominations (Presbyterian Church U.S.A.--which my mother was raised in) that seems to be speeding toward apostasy. It's hard to tell the difference between the PCUSA and the Democrat Party sometimes. But the congregation of which I'm a member is very conservative, and we probably will leave the PCUSA if the ruling body decides to approve homosexual ordination of clergy. My pastor says he thinks we'll have a good idea by February as to whether the denomination is going to split or not, so I've been waiting to see what happens.

I also have a son who is in 11th grade and has grown up in this one congregation. I don't want to take him out of this church because it's been very good for him. I also have lots of very good friends after being there for 12 years now.

And you are right about the worldwide membership of the Catholic Church. My husband's mother was from Honduras, and she was very devout--went to Mass several times a week. She passed away before he and I met. And I find the discussions about a possible Latin American pope very interesting.

P.S. Didn't I see something this morning about how the Pope said military action is okay in some limited circumstances? It sounded like St. Augustine's Just War doctrine to me, which makes sense.

[Conservative til I die]

I thought about returning to the Catholic church because I'm a member of one of the mainline denominations (Presbyterian Church U.S.A.--which my mother was raised in) that seems to be speeding toward apostasy. It's hard to tell the difference between the PCUSA and the Democrat Party sometimes. But the congregation of which I'm a member is very conservative, and we probably will leave the PCUSA if the ruling body decides to approve homosexual ordination of clergy. My pastor says he thinks we'll have a good idea by February as to whether the denomination is going to split or not, so I've been waiting to see what happens.

This is the problem I have with mainline Protestantism (fundamentalism, with its comic book theology is a different creature). It seems to be like a religious weather vane, blowing in different directions, doing 180 degree about-faces, splitting, uncertainty, and more. These are all distractions -and about things that were settled 1500 years ago- that take away from real worship.