Annoyed and pissed off, so ranty. Don't expect 'fair.'

[demiurgent]

One of the things I hear from Christian friends -- meant entirely seriously, and I do not deride them for this -- is "hey, [x] doesn't speak for me. That kind of prejudiced garbage has nothing to do with the teachings of Christ." This is particularly something I hear from folks about the organized and intentional persecution of homosexuals.

(And yes, when the Mormon church, as an example, rallies to get something like Prop 8 passed, overwhelmingly from a different state, that there's organized persecution, and one day it will be written about in the same sympathetic tones we write about Jim Crow laws and whipping slaves. But this is not about Mormans at the moment.)

I'm generally willing to accept that. I really am. I know Fred Phelps doesn't speak for anyone but his own deranged cult made up of family members. I know that fewer and fewer evangelical Christians are willing to accept what their 'leaders' declaim in their name.

Yeah, that won't fly this time. Not for Roman Catholics. Because the Pope does speak for them. The Pope by definition speaks for them. So when the Pope uses his End of the Year Christmas Message, celebrating the birth of savior of Mankind (in their view), a time that we have been told unceasingly is a time of love, of peace, of joy, of brotherhood, of hope and of compassion, to directly attack homosexuals and transsexuals, comparing their existence to ecological disaster? He's speaking for the Catholics.

If you're a Catholic? He's speaking for you. He's speaking for you. And repudiation of that message of hate will take more than just disavowing him. You can't disavow the Pope and still take Communion next week. It doesn't work like that.

If you're a believer, and if you're a Catholic, then -- and I mean this sincerely, without irony -- God help you. Good luck with all this, because you're going to need it.

Comments

[demiurgent.livejournal.com]

I guess I have to ask the honest question, then. If you don't follow the teachings or doctrine of the Catholic Church, nor take the Pontiff as your spiritual leader, in what way are you Roman Catholic?

I mean, one of the key differences between your church and almost all Protestant Denominations is the presence of Christ's Representative on Earth, granted the Keys to Heaven as Christ granted them to Peter, the rock on which He built His Church. Disagreement with the Pope and his Priests, in the end, has led to essentially every schism the Catholic Church has had -- both the Protestant sects (whose name reflects their innate protest against Papal and Catholic authority) and the direct schismed churches like the Church of England (who replaced the Pope with the British Monarch) or the Greek Orthodox church (who replaced the Pope with their Patriarch.)

Regardless, I'm going to reiterate my core point. If you're a Catholic, then this is being put forth by the leader of the Church in your name. If the leader of your Church doesn't speak for you... then in what way are you a follower of that Church?

[starline.livejournal.com]

I'm a Roman Catholic because I like the church I go to. I tried others, and I didn't feel a connection there. I like the way the service is done. I like my priest because he never condemns people or other religions during his services. He's very encouraging and tells people to try their best and treat people how you want to be treated. I like the traditions and holidays, Easter, Palm Sunday, Lent, etc. Everything you said in your second paragraph isn't important to me because that's not why I go to church.

I could give a crap about what the 'leader' says. He's just another person who has faults like everyone else.

I don't follow your strict definition of Catholicism, and I don't understand why someone has to in order to identify with the religion. Honestly, if the Pope came up to me today and excommunicated me personally, I'd still go around and say I'm Catholic and go to church whenever I felt like it.

Religion isn't about rules to me, its about how you as an individual choose to connect to a higher power (if you believe that sorta thing.)

[demiurgent.livejournal.com]

C'est ca. I can respect that.