Posted on 09/27/2014 12:04:33 PM PDT by steve86
GREAT FALLS, Mont.
A Roman Catholic bishop says a central Montana parish is about evenly divided over a new priest's decision to prohibit a gay couple from receiving Communion unless they divorce, live separately and write a statement affirming that a marriage is between a man and a woman.
Bishop Michael Warfel of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings met Saturday with about 300 parishioners of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Lewistown, where he also led a Mass. About half the parishioners supported the Rev. Samuel Spiering's decision, while the other half were very angry, the Great Falls Tribune reported.
"There obviously is polarization, and certainly what I want to do is try to effect some healing," Warfel said Saturday. "At the same time, as a Catholic bishop, I uphold our Catholic teachings."
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
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Since when do parishioners decide theology by popular vote?
They already founded the Metropolitan Community Church. The couple in this case want to simply push the church into accepting their behavior as right. It isn’t about options, it’s about fear and a form of attempted extortion.
“At the church, Wojtowick is an organist”
This is proof that the couple are deranged. Why would any sane person want to belong to any organization that so soundly condemns what they are or think they are.
A faith must be strong, or it is only a nominal thing, an aside to life.
Socialism is a twisted parody of Christianity, that substitutes mankind for God as the center of the universe. But the end result is people behaving like the Gadarene swine, in more ways then one.
To start with, they have no direction or purpose other than whim. They dash around hither and yon, with no direction but that of their swineherd, if that. They trample, destroy and consume, creating nothing.
And as a group, they can be possessed with demons, and hurl themselves off a cliff to their doom.
But those of faith are different, for they have guidance and purpose in their faith. They also have clear rules of behavior, which it is their choice to follow or reject, and experience the consequences of each choice.
Yet these are not man’s rules, which can be changed, but the rules created by heaven, which are immutable. If one obeys the rules, they are righteous; if they do not, they are failures. And all the whining and social change in the world cannot change the rules by the breadth of a hair.
They leave and Satan wins.
Satan only wins if a person lets him win, or throws the game to him. This couple openly rebelled and made their position clear, the church made its position clear. If they really wanted to stick around, they could have gone the way recommended them by the church. Not easy, but if one hears what Christ said about what each and every one of us would ultimately have to decode, wd all have our own challebges, and all have our own baggage which we have to make the choice between jettisoning it or letting it weigh us down, just below what we could achieve.
If you leave the Church Christ established, Satan wins
And how many of these were local activists? How many are not church members? How many are nominal catholics who rarely go to church?
Good conclusion.
In any given congregation, less than half actively (weekly or more) attend. Others, not as much.
BINGO! We have a winner.
“Evenly divided”? Any of these so-called Christians read in the Bible what God has to say about whether or not a homosexual relationship is valid in His eyes? This is the problem with the “Church” as a whole; too much man, not enough God.
He wins that soul. The Catholic Church wins for those faithful enough to stay. The Catholic Church can not allow heresy to run rampant. That is why we have ex-communication. It is not punitive, it is rehabilitative.
Then why doesn’t all these LBGT get married in that church, and leave the other churches alone? I’ll tell you why. Because the only thing these people hate more than CHRISTIANS, is to be ignored. That’s what all of us “STRAIGHTS” should be doing, ignoring them.
Oh, well, that certainly puts it all into perspective.
Shouldn't she be able to receive Holy Communion if she held a position of such honor? I mean, really...
ditto’s. God didn’t ask for “input” when He inspired the sacred teachings in the bible, nor did the Church need to request public support or ratification for what it put forward in published dogma and doctrine.
Yup. Half of them don't seem to be Catholic.
Basic catechesis is still very necessary, despite great new resources like Catholic Answers.
All the pastors have to do is place a link in their bulletins, and let the internet do the heavy lifting.
Not just what the Bible says. The Bible doesn't even say that.
"If he will not listen to the church, treat him as a pagan or tax collector." --Jesus
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