Does the Catholic Church get a bum rap

[Fury Ra]

Posted by Céline (here)
Religion is about "God"..

Spirituality is about Man..

hmmm.....I've never heard it put like that before, I'm going to step out on a shaky branch here and say WELL SAID PUT !!!

[Richard]

Posted by Céline (here)
Religion is about "God"..

Spirituality is about Man..

that's Backwards imo

Religion is about man, power and control

Spirituality is about God, love and respecting creation

[Atticus]

The bird may fly in any direction,do not condemn all the feathers.

The majority of the church are good kind people,they have helped me to hide on many occasions,when my so called friends were gone.

[Fury Ra]

Does the Catholic Church get a bum rap?

it all go's back to the typical saying, one bad apple ruins em all. One bad cop makes all cops look bad yeah dig. Like anything else the Church, the Catholic church specifically here, if originally meant for good etc....has obviously been hi jacked, kind of like money. Was a good idea in the beginning, but now it's just kind of like...."really ? "

[bodixa]

I think the fundamental thing wrong with Catholic Christianity is that it starts from the premise that people are bad. You're born bad, you're a sinner. It's a no brainer. Join and be saved or perish in Hell for all eternity.

I saw a video of Alex Collier talking about this - he gets really passionate about it. I wish I could find it and post it here. If anyone knows the one I mean, help!

I've sort of come to the conclusion tho, that no one is really to blame anymore. Most people involved in it are just fast asleep and following some half cocked, skewed and politicised interpretation of the life of Christ. It's arrogance, control, power, suppression, fear.

But with noone out there to tell the alternative truth in a solid, credible way that works and cuts through the fear, people will get lost and clutch on to whatever works at the time. So - Bum Rap - yes, I think so, for the ordinary people in it.

[Fury Ra]

Posted by Richard (here)
that's Backwards imo

Religion is about man, power and control

Spirituality is about God, love and respecting creation

What is this "imo" mean? I keep seeing that..but anyways, for the sake of argument this is the problem whith philosophical jargon, religion , spirituality, these are just words. I see what your saying though as when someone asks me, "are you religious?" in my mind I'm like, " hell no ! " however I have definately convinced myself I'm an energy temporarily residing in a physical body thats for sure.

I guess why I liked this that it was put:

Religion is about God : because Religion is used to manipulate man into fearing a God that is judge, jury and executioner.

Spirituality is about Man: because man has the potential to become like a God when unlocking true potential.

once again though philisophical jargon mate!

[jackovesk]

Posted by plumr2007 (here)
I know what most of you are thinking about hypocrites and pedophilia and you are absolutely right. But a church really is about the people in it. The nun who wrote to Bill got me thinking of my childhood and the church I grew up in. From kindergarten to eight grade I was educated by Dominican nuns. These women were sharp always warning us about the Jesuits and the assassination of John Paul 1 by the masonic cardinals in the Vatican. When I got to high school I went to a prep school in New Rochelle run by the Salesians. We had very open discussions about many things . They told us that the Church was going to make a very big thing about homosexuality . then in religion class one priest showed us a book that had all the sacraments and rites of the church and right there in the book was a Mass for same sex marriage. He told us to keep an open mind and not be bulls***ed by any one espousing the opposite opinion.
My dad was a Knight of Columbus. He was a fifth degree ( yes there is a fifth ) and also a member of a sect in the K of C called the Alhambra. They wore fezzes and were only 10,000 ever in the world. My dad was very pious but never stepped foot in a church. He would berate a man for selling X-Mas trees instead of Christmas trees but thought the church was full of it. What I'm saying I guess is that many individuals make up a church and some may be more enlightened than others. Anyway what do you all think.

You asked me what I think?

plumr2007 Quote: "But a church really is about the people in it."

If the people "IN IT" had any idea whatsoever of what the church has done to Humanity throughout the ages?

Sure there are good people within the church, but their Leadership is questionable at the best of times!

[Celine]

Posted by Richard (here)
that's Backwards imo

Religion is about man, power and control

Spirituality is about God, love and respecting creation

Thank you for correcting that babe.

Backwards or forwards... sometimes i am not sure which side of the mirror i am on

* kisses your cheek *

[buffski]

might I also humbly suggest that spirituality can at times, depending on the person, weave itself around dogma thus itself becoming a form of religion?

[buffski]

Posted by Céline (here)
There is no heart.. in the Vatican

none..empty..cold..dead.


all i feel is power struggles..sexual tension... buried repressed thoughts..

but no heart

Indeed! In the Vatican as a whole, but respect to those with heart who cling on in there with all their might, to keep a window open....now that must be one HELL of a mission.

[Binaryspellbook]

For my part, I don't care for any of the mainstream religions. You don't have to be religious to be a thoroughly decent human being. I think my fellow Scot Billy Connolly said it best. Take note however, if you are easily offended, an anal retentive or an Islamic fundamentalist nutter. This video clip may not be suitable for you.

Jamie.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=SMx8QvhULIs

[plumr2007]

jackovesk any group , religious or not , runs the same risk of being co-opted or highjacked by a sect with an agenda. I am a past president on the Rotary Club and quit after I found out about its involvement with the United Nations and the polio vaccines. My children were brought up in the Methodist Church because my ex is Methodist and after hearing stories from my youngest son ( who is gay ) I can tell you they are plaqued with the same problems albeit on a smaller scale. But the people who make up the Catholic church are no more prone to evil than the members of my Rotary club. They were by and large people who thought they were doing good but were at the same time being led by evil hierarchies.
As for this pope I'm with you all the way. This man is the co-founder of the Bilderbergers and a known Nazi sympathizer during the war.Pure evil. Malachi Martins book A Windswept House I believe was prophetic of this man's rule.
St. Malachi's prophecies of the lineage of popes says he is the second to last before the end of the Church.
However that all being said I believe that the premise of the Church's original ( pre Nicean ) tenets to be based on a spiritual life and worthy of emulating. You just have to look past the false facade presented to the world today by these co-opters.

[bodixa]

Posted by Atticus (here)
The bird may fly in any direction,do not condemn all the feathers.

The majority of the church are good kind people,they have helped me to hide on many occasions,when my so called friends were gone.

when did you sneak that one in? didn't see that. Must be going senile..

[Caren]

"The majority of the church are good kind people, they have helped me..."
Thank you Atticus - true words spoken from a very wise man. I also like "Walk a mile in my shoes" and "The golden rule" as well just for starters.
Please.. we need to stop JUDGING and CONDEMNING others and work on our COMPASSION and FORGIVENESS!!! (I am in no way singling out any one person here.) "I love you" - pass it on..
It's certainly OK to have our opinions and express them.. but wouldn't it be more fruitful to spend our valuable time thinking about ways we can help our beautiful Mother earth to heal?.. There is Never enough LOVE being shared.. I respectfully suggest we focus our energies on that please. The rest will fall into place.
"Give Peace A Chance" Sir John
Love and Peace to all.

[aikya]

I will have a look and see if I can find some links to information which would confirm this, but there seems to be a widespread misunderstanding that 'The Crown' means 'the Queen' or 'the British Crown', when in fact it means the 'Crown Temple' based in the City of London, which is private and separate from the British Crown, and which I believe is ultimately under the control of the Vatican.

[aikya]

It seems to me there are good people in the Roman Catholic church DESPITE the Vatican, not because of it. To me the Vatican represents the dark, corrupt, institutional side and is more about suppressing spiritual evolution and retaining supremet control for nefarious ends.

[Steven]

There are two distinctive churches.

One that stands in materiality, institutional, makes the laws (dogma) and rules over the flock.

The other is spiritual, manifest everywhere, any time, and comes from the heart. It is truly 'universal', knows no boundary of religion, culture or gender.

The two fights all of the time. See the life of Oscar Romero : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Romero

He knew quite well both of them and ultimatly chose the second, at the cost of his Life.

Namaste, Steven

[aikya]

imo = in my opinion.

[cowens66]

Posted by Atticus (here)
The bird may fly in any direction,do not condemn all the feathers.

The majority of the church are good kind people,they have helped me to hide on many occasions,when my so called friends were gone.

I have very strong feelings on this but will try to keep it cool. I think the majority, or just some, of the people in the church are good kind people, but the church and every religion was set up and intended, from the beginning, as a means of control and brain washing.IMO. I have met plenty of people in the RCC who could not, by any stretch of the imagination, be considered good or kind but have been lead to believe that they are justified in their malice because they are "right". Having said all that, I too have met the rare catholic, like the nun who wrote to Bill, who is beginning to awaken and is genuinely kind and loving. Btw I was raised RC in a large Portuguese, Italian, American family.

[bodixa]

What is religion anyway? Religion is people organising themselves around a set of common beliefs, practices, purpose and history. Like any other structure in society, in religion, the richest, best educated, better communicators and strongest, maybe even wisest, personalities are in the driving seat. People need to connect around a common purpose and need to be led. Even the Elite!!

People organise themselves. It's what we do as part of our deepest insecurities. QED