That sounds like a very "pass-the-buck" position to me. :) As I understand it, GREAT discretion is used in the decision to excommunicate. For example, why isn't John Kerry excommunicated? Worse than that, he is still served the Eucharist. It looks like it depends on who the celebrity is and who the Bishop is. And my only point in saying this is to show that it actually IS the Church who makes a decision on whether the person is "officially" damned or not. Anyone so deemed would be prohibited from taking the sacraments, and presumably could not be saved under normal circumstances. For one, he could not have his sins forgiven through a priest and would die in a state of mortal sin.
The Church holds all Truth that is imparted to it by the Holy Spirit. We are not democrats - Truth is never uncovered by a voting crowd.
Well, then in what form does the imparting take if not by a vote of the majority?
***That sounds like a very “pass-the-buck” position to me. :) As I understand it, GREAT discretion is used in the decision to excommunicate.***
It is not up to the Church to save or damn - that is God’s perogative. The Church is the teaching authority, not the Judge.
***For example, why isn’t John Kerry excommunicated? Worse than that, he is still served the Eucharist. It looks like it depends on who the celebrity is and who the Bishop is. ***
I don’t know why the likes of John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi are not excommunicated. Or the abortion doctors and nurses who happend to be Catholic. I don’t know.
*** And my only point in saying this is to show that it actually IS the Church who makes a decision on whether the person is “officially” damned or not. Anyone so deemed would be prohibited from taking the sacraments, and presumably could not be saved under normal circumstances. For one, he could not have his sins forgiven through a priest and would die in a state of mortal sin.***
The person who commits grievous sins and repents of them and believes in Jesus and is baptized, and does not commit them again will, according to Jesus, be saved.
***Well, then in what form does the imparting take if not by a vote of the majority?***
A whole bunch of segregated prayer and discussion and more prayer and more discussion and more prayer. The Truth is slowly arrived at by those men who have spent their lives in the service of God.
That's like saying, "Not only is so-and-so bald, but he has very little hair!"
You got to study up on your "excommunication". The normal way for an excommunicated person to get un-ex-ed is to go to confession. It's only if it's REALLY bad is restoration reserved to the Pope or the Bishop. And the sacraments are not denied to anyone in extremis in any event.
And in any case we are not such fools as to think that God can't save anyone without our permission -- despite what I've said to Him about various politicians ....