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To: P-Marlowe
You guess????

That is kind of a tentative answer to a simply yes or no question, isn't it?

It's not a tentative answer. It's simply meant to convey my ambivalence to what is an ambiguous question. "Are you a Christian" is not necessarily a simple yes or no answer, though it may be to you. Why? Because the word "Christian" is often used to mean "non-Catholic".

For instance, a "Christian Bookshop" is 100% of the time, in my experience, a non-Catholic bookshop. It does not sell Catholic literature though it may contain some material which is in agreement with Catholic teaching. Catholic bookshops, on the other hand, identify themselves as such and never, in my experience, use the word "Christian".

That doesn't mean that we don't consider ourselves to be Christians, however. It's simply an example of how these two terms have come to be used in the everyday vernacular and why they often mean different things to different people. I think Mr. Clark should be cut some slack for responding that he was a "Catholic".

60 posted on 03/02/2007 8:54:33 AM PST by marshmallow
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To: marshmallow; xzins; blue-duncan
I think Mr. Clark should be cut some slack for responding that he was a "Catholic".

If he had answered "I'm a Methodist" or "I'm a Presbyterian" or "I'm a Baptist" I would have likewise rejected his application. He was asked a simple question "Are you a Christian". He did not give the correct answer. He gave a parochial answer to a broad non-denominational question. He should have known better. He didn't. He is not leadership material, especially for a group like the Salvation Army. Clueless people should not be in leadership positions.

68 posted on 03/02/2007 9:15:45 AM PST by P-Marlowe (LPFOKETT GAHCOEEP-w/o*)
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