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To: Pyro7480
Recently. What the Church demands of me to be in Communion, I cannot give her. As St. Thomas Aquinas pointed out, if you can't believe or assent to believe, have the integrity to get out.

One thing I want to say is that I wish the Roman Catholic Church well, and I really mean that. You won't find me on any Catholic threads bemoaning this or that, criticizing this or that, the Church's affairs are no longer any of my business. It cost me a bit to leave, but what I did I did because of the prompting of my conscience.

154 posted on 02/15/2006 11:11:13 AM PST by AlbionGirl ("Torna pecina mia, torna dal tuo Papa, ti spettero sempre, con l'anzieta.")
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To: AlbionGirl
What the Church demands of me to be in Communion, I cannot give her.

Curious. What specifically did the Church ask of you that you were unable to give?

203 posted on 02/15/2006 12:00:28 PM PST by TradicalRC (No longer to the right of the Pope...)
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To: AlbionGirl

"What the Church demands of me to be in Communion, I cannot give her. As St. Thomas Aquinas pointed out, if you can't believe or assent to believe, have the integrity to get out."

I'm very sorry to hear that. But you're saying that it's not so much a matter of the Church being "wrong" as much as it's a matter of your not bing able to live up to its teachings. But who really is "totally" able to do that? It's not something that is likely to be achieved, rather, it is what is sought after. Jesus told us to "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:28) We know that is not going to happen while in this life, yet we remain Christians struggling to attain that goal. We don't become discouraged for lack of perfect adherence to the ideal.

It's none of our business to inquire what it is that the Church demands that you cannot give. But I would ask you to be introspective here and really ask yourself if even the basic idea behind your statement makes a justifiable reason to leave. If sin is involved that you can't or won't give up, the Church is still there to help you overcome it, if you will allow it. If it's a matter of practices or policies in the Church, you have to consider whether the Church is otherwise "legitimate," and whether you might have to therefore consider a realignment in your own thinking. To leave simply because retaining membership poses personal inconveniences is wrong. Consider that the early martyrs certainly were inconvenienced by their imprisonment and deaths, and realize that your situation likely pales by comparison. Or consider their sacrifices of previous practices that were perfectly okay while they were pagans, or that were legitimized by the pagan world surrounding them, even if they were raised as Christians.

Sometimes we are called to submerge our personal desires or preferences in favor of mastering ourselves, as St. Paul himself had to do as described in 1Corinthians 9:27. The Truth is "one," and sometimes our natural inclinations find themselves outside of it. Happens to everyone! I hope that you will be open to the grace of reconsideration. You are in my prayers.


213 posted on 02/15/2006 12:07:59 PM PST by magisterium
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