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To: Edward Watson
Of course. but that isn't the point. Divorce is still considered an excommunicable offence whereas living together isn't. What option must a faithful Catholic choose?

I would guess a faithful Catholic would choose not to commit divorce or adultery, but I'm not a Catholic, and I don't know how they do it on their side of the house. Maybe Catholics are allowed to sin so long as they're committing a lesser sin in lieu of a greater sin? God might be open to making deals like that. I mean, He can't really expect us to uphold all those rules and regulations, right? Saying you belong to a religion and following the convenient rules surely protects one from criticism with an aegis of piety.

326 posted on 03/21/2005 10:34:49 AM PST by Caesar Soze
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To: Caesar Soze
Divorce is still considered an excommunicable offence

You might want to ask a knowledgable Catholic, but no it isn't. Remarriage after divorce might be, but divorce per se is not.

Cordially,

335 posted on 03/21/2005 10:38:53 AM PST by Diamond
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To: Caesar Soze

It's a matter of tailoring the punishments to fit the crime. I once attended a 50th anniverary party and sat beside a Catholic priest. He opened up to me when he found out I wasn't Catholic and we discussed the various levels of Catholic doctrine and punishments over dinner. He waved his arm around the room and said nearly every one of his parishioners practiced birth control in definace of the church's teachings but if he was ever going to enforce the punishment of prohibiting communion to him, he will lose his entire congregation.

The same goes with living together when marriage is impossible. For example, the Philippines is one of the few countries in the world that prohibits divorce. Only the rich can get annulments so the vast majority of separated couples can't remarry unless one dies. Consequently, there is a very large number of people who live together without marriage. The church tolerates this because the alternative is to allow divorce.


456 posted on 03/21/2005 11:45:11 AM PST by Edward Watson
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