Bishop in Oregon Weeds Out Fake 'Catholics'

NewsMax.com ^ | Friday, July 30, 2004 | Associated Press

[A.A. Cunningham]

Additional comments at: Bishop Requires Lay People to Affirm Church Teachings

[A.A. Cunningham]

Once again, did you report this "leader" to the Bishop?

[TheGeezer]

"I happen to believe that many of the teachings on human sexuality are just plain faulty," said Hens, one of at least six lay ministers to quit because of the affirmation in the Diocese of Baker, headquartered in Bend. "I don't want to be held to those teachings. I cannot give my full assent. I don't want to pretend to do so in order to be a lay minister."

Sadly, she cannot be Catholic if she cannot give her full consent to the teachings of the church. Let her find salvation somehow else, perhaps in one of the 25,000 Protestant churches in the world?

"If he is going to exclude anyone who has any doubt about a church teaching, he's going to exclude 100 percent of the membership of the church, including himself. He has to be a human being, the same as me, and I have doubts about some of the church teachings," Dolezal said.

I think he is in for surprise, for beyond his limited circle of experience, there are many who are faithful to the teachings of the Church. Doubt is one thing; posing as an authority greater than that of the Pope and bishops is quite another. The rest of the faithful hope Mr. Dolezai will be prevented from misleading others into the same errors in which he finds himself...and that he may find his way back to the complete truth.

[rudyrudy]

I find this hard to believe.

[pgkdan]

The leader said, "Just lie-we all do".

Sorry but I find that very hard to believe.

[madprof98]

More hang-wringing over bedrock articles of the Faith.:

The affirmation singled out issues that many American Catholics have struggled with, such as the sinfulness of contraception and "the church's teaching that any extramarital sexual relationships are gravely evil and that these include premarital relations, masturbation, fornication, the viewing of pornography and homosexual relations."

I don't know. I think respect for human life from conception til natural death is a "bedrock article of the faith." I don't think these items as a group rank with that. In fact, I think asserting that masturbation is a weighty a matter as abortion really trivializes the teachings of the Church.

[muawiyah]

Doesn't make them "good" Catholics though, right?

[muawiyah]

I didn't say Catholics weren't Christian. The initial comment concerned a Bishop weeding out fake Catholics. I merely noted he was also weeding out fake Christians.

In some quarters, the two terms are NOT synonymns!

[Tribune7]

Yeah, buy how many public pronouncements claiming the church is wrong and they are going to ignore its teachings? Those that do can't be considered good Catholics.

[jscd3]

I would make a bet that 5 out of 10 people receiving Communion in church this Sunday are not in what Catholics call a state of Grace, that many are practising contraception and that in spite of this Bishops edict he knows it.

For which there is confession and the opportunity to sin no more.

[Sir Charles]

What in the world do you call a "good Catholic"?

[don-o]

Jim, you are having your honesty questioned.

[Jim Noble]

Jim, you are having your honesty questioned.

I see that.

What happened is what happened, I have no interest in fighting about it.

Sorry if I offended anyone.

[G Larry]

Too bad you have no understanding what is meant by "a State of Grace".

It means any mortal sins have been confessed and forgiven.

[G Larry]

Polycarp,
See how long these threads last in the news section when you don't post.

I love your posts, and am on your ping list.
Just emphasising an earlier point that I believe the fact that your posts are bannished to the religion forum are truly personal.

[don-o]

Sorry but I find that very hard to believe.

I found it hard to believe that priests were sexually assaulting boys and bishops were covering it up.

[bray]

So you are for Abortion??? There is a difference in the edict between Biblical Teaching and Church Teachings. The Bible says, Thou Shalt Not Kill. It doesn't speak about birth control.

Pray for W and Our Troops

[onehipdad]

Correct, and more specifically, a letter to Catholic lay ministers. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Protestants, their beliefs or practices.

[bad company]

If you're not willing to hold yourself to a higher standard maybe you should just sleep in on sunday.

[sgtbono2002]

I am not for abortion , I am for contraception. Although in the case of rape or incest I could endorse abortion if it were done in the first tri-mester.