a neat place to visit, but not as valuable as an actual church:)
Haha. Amen to that!
Lots and lots get their “understanding” of the Church from their adolescent experiences and/or websites galore.
I’ve often thought and still maintain if all the anti-Catholics went to Mass regularly, with an open mind/heart and no resistance against what may occur there, they would be transformed by the sublime mystery that is the Mass. At least transformed enough to ask/seek out honest answers to honest questions.
IOW it’s nakedly obvious to me (and I dare say others here) that those who oppose Catholic teaching at LEAST don’t know what they are rejecting. They reject a distorted notion of the Church, a notion so distorted by: uninformed adolescent experiences, experiences full of sorrow because of some evil person (wolf) IN the Church, some horrible misunderstanding based upon ignorance of the Church teaching, all (or any number of the former) wrapped inside a bubble of bias of their own construction.
If that’s too “personal”, if that “offends” someone reading this so be it. We both (you reading this and I) know its the truth. If you don’t want to admit it and feign “offense” I can’t stop you.
Wanna really “Challenge” Catholicism? Go to Mass every day for a year, praying each time before it starts, “God, show me your presence here”, and MEAN it. You’ll won’t be able to deny His Presence there then.
Go ahead, do it, if you have the courage to admit you might, just MIGHT, be wrong. Because as was said, and I’ve replied to here: the truth of Catholicism isn’t ultimately found in “debate” on the Internet. It’s found in the true, honest experience as an authentic human being: in the REAL world.
The realm of reality. Precisely where God is found.