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To: bkaycee; Salvation
I reject the Catholic only doctrines because I believe them to be false.

So in other words, while you may hold heretical beliefs, you could not be found guilty of the ecclesial crime of heresy...at least not according to canon law.

Isn't that a definition of crazy? To believe something is true AND reject it?

First of all, I probably worded that wrong. It's that you know enough to believe it and then reject it anyway. The exact wording is "full knowledge" and "deliberate intent."

An example of this would be a Catholic priest who was fully taught orthodox Catholic doctrine in seminary, yet went and taught that God has no problem with homosexual conduct or that God fully supports the concept of female ordination. Still and yet, he would not be guilty unless he meets the "obstinate" requirement. His superior would need to attempt to correct his erroneous teachings and he would still need to hold to them even after multiple attempts at being corrected.

If you were to take a look at Romans 2:14-15, it pretty well captures the situation you may find yourself in:

14 When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them

The above is the Scriptural basis for the Catholic teaching on "invincible ignorance," as highlighted especially well by Pope Pius IX back 160 or so years ago.

Essentially, the belief is that God will not hold you to something where you haven't been fully instructed. But He will hold all of us to the natural law that He wrote on all of our hearts.

Again, let me point out that a full K-12 Catholic education, followed up by a Catholic university, you may still well have been improperly or insufficiently educated. I know that I must be very careful of my daughter's education (she will be in 12th grade next year)...as they have tried to instruct her erroneously in a number of areas. Frankly, had I left her religious formation strictly up to her Catholic elementary or secondary school, she might be looking forward to the day when she could bolt.

The point is that, while I have no doubt that you hold heretical beliefs, there is a distinction made in Canon Law between holding heretical beliefs and being guilty of the crime of heresy.

And, as I said before, there are some who I believe take pleasure in claiming that the full weight of the Inquisition is upon them and that they have to watch their backsides so that they aren't dragged into a dungeon and tortured with the comfy pillow until they confess...if you are one of those, I don't want to burst your bubble. But any excommunicating that has happened in your case is likely only you excommunicating yourself.

104 posted on 06/15/2010 10:17:19 AM PDT by markomalley (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus)
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To: markomalley
My asking "AM I still Catholic" was more rhetorical than anything else.
107 posted on 06/15/2010 10:31:42 AM PDT by bkaycee
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