Posted on 12/11/2002 4:58:07 AM PST by ninenot
And he has made the accusation that he was raped by a predecessor (as Cardinal Archbishop) of O'Connor and Medeiros, meaning either Spellman (NY) or Cushing (Boston).
There is still much to learn.
“IMHO”. What does that mean? In my humble opinion?
What’s humble about wishing for the downfall of my religion?
Your remark strikes me as quite arrogant and malicious, especially if you are a fellow Christian.
Navigating the treacherous
waters of liberal culture.
Jesus did not write a 'Bible'. Jesus selected Apostles and used the Holy Spirit to teach through them. Then and now.Correct. However, the Apostles Jesus selected did pen writings which the Church recognizes as scripture. The Holy Spirit teaches through the Apostles writings now, as He taught through the Apostles when they lived.
More so in Europe than in the US, where the church was not that strong, Catholicism had, especially for the clergy, degenerated into an excessively dogmatic and rule bound institution that was so caught up in arcana that it could no longer do the modern world justice. But at the same time, as an institution, it insisted on its prerogatives.
I think the problems began in Europe when the church obviously was delinquent in its pastoral obligations towards the poor, which resulted in the spread of socialism. The first half of the last century was spent watching the Pontiff who did so die, watching the Habsburgs self-destruct after his sheperding bore its fruits, and then watching national socialism in action. It wasn't until the 60s that things had calmed down enough for the necessary day of reckoning. 60 years worth of changes can't be pushed through in a decade, without a lot of dishes being broken.
The Catholic Faith is based upon the teachings of Christ to the Apostles, and the teachings of the Apostles to all the peoples of the world. From there it has been handed down intact by each successive generation of the heirarchy and of Catholic parents.
The Catholic Faith is a Divine Revelation from Almighty God. It is proved by the miracles wrought by Christ and his sucessors, foremost among them Christ's Resurrection from the Dead, but not excluding even so trifling a matter as the annual liquification of the blood of St. Januarius (San Gennaro in Italian) in Naples or the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano. If it were defined by human men, we would be worshipping ourselves and our own opinon.
I understand your point but differ. I don't believe the Holy Spirit would provide so many different interpretations of what the Apostles taught as are apparent today. If the Holy Spirit was providing the teaching, there would be only one interpretation. Right now many are claiming the Holy Spirit with contradictory message. That is not possible.
I do believe Jesus founded a living Church, with Peter as the head and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. The Church decided the Canon and will 'bind and loose' on earth. Jesus will still teach through people and not exclusively with a text book. Truth cannot contradict truth. Truth must be one.
And I want to dig deeper and know why they didn't mesh with women. Is there something about the way morality was taught that to be attracted to a female in one's adolescence was not only sinful but abnormal? And the Virgin Mary was always held up as an example? What was left for young men other than psychological castration to THINK about their sexual urges which could not be suppressed despite the efforts of zealot spiritual masters to do so?
This is merely suppositioning. Other cultural groups don't seem to have this sexual dichotomy or they hide it better. And yet they have, through the centuries, maintained good standards of sexual morality for their sons and daughters. . . or did they really? Why have Jews, as a whole, had fewer breaches of basic morality than Christians (historically and disregarding the last 50 or so years where everybody in the west went more or less haywire about sex)?
In none of this do I deny that it is sinful to engage in innapropriate sexual relationships.
How did homosexuality gain such a foothold in the west? It is rampant in England, as well, within the context of their Anglian heritage.
The above is intended more as questioning than a personal opinion.
The lyrics and intent.
The leading Protestant theologian of my generation, R. J. Rushdoony, described the doctrine of papal infallibility as a firewall against modernism -- a firewall that actually held for several generations, until Vatican II. He spoke of this as an achievement that preserved the integrity of the Catholic faith even while the largest protestant denominations were hijacked by apostates.
The question then is:
Is the organ, guitar, lyre, harp or cymbal the problem...
or is it the music itself?
I don't believe the Holy Spirit would provide so many different interpretations of what the Apostles taught as are apparent today. If the Holy Spirit was providing the teaching, there would be only one interpretation.The Holy Spirit will, indeed, give us the TRUE interpretation of what the Apostles taught.
The question is ... are we listening to the Holy Spirit ... or are we listening to men ?
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