As you quoted from me in #48, "There are tens of millions of Catholics with a very strong, even fundamental, belief in Mary's divinity." That is correct, that is what I said and what I meant. That is my observation of a historical fact, a long-developed, hisotrical fact. A historical fact easily researched, and of such abiding power that the Catholic Church has found it necessary to instruct Catholics many times that Mary's divinity is not the teaching of the Church. A historical fact so powerful and abiding that this thread is about an article which is about a three-volume book written by a man who says he's felt the need for this clarification for Catholics for over twenty years.
The only slander on this thread are yours, against me, for observing these facts. And the only effect you're having is portraying the Catholic Church as weak and even threatening (vis a vis "sin") towards any Catholics who want to understand this issue.
And to top it off, you refuse to own your own faith, while pretending to speak for the Church.
You, and people like you, are why millions have walked away from Catholicism. But keep it up - insult, threaten, libel and suppress ever harder.
After all, Catholics need to know their place, and raw power to forbid thought on pain of hell has worked for centuries. So why change a good thing?
The quote is accurate, the claim it makes is unproven, non-factual, incorrect...in other words: False.
The only slander on this thread are yours...
False.
...against me...
False.
...for observing these facts.
False.
And to top it off, you refuse to own your own faith...
False.
...while pretending to speak for the Church.
False.
When will you stop?
***You, and people like you, are why millions have walked away from Catholicism. But keep it up - insult, threaten, libel and suppress ever harder. ***
The only ex Catholics that I have ever met are the theologically lazy. The Protestants that have embraced the Faith (our current Pastor is one) have done so because of the theology. This gentleman was a Baptist preacher, graduate of a Baptist seminary. He wound up in the Army side by side with the Catholic religious education officer. The Catholic was reassigned and as a result, he took over the Catholic religious education as well as the Protestant.
It took less than four years for him to convert himself.
***After all, Catholics need to know their place, and raw power to forbid thought on pain of hell has worked for centuries. So why change a good thing?***
Our only place is our recognition as a Creature of God Almighty; and our only duty is to worship Him with all of our hearts and minds and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. That is the good thing that Christ told us to do.