I suggest, before you make any permanent decisions about your beliefs in God, that you talk to a priest that is part of a religious grouped called the Legionaries of Christ. They are a great community and have always been there for me and my family and friends. I think they could help you as they have always helped me and everyone I know for my whole life.

You are in my prayers, God Bless

I wondered why you felt the need to “marry” your present partner, knowing that your marriage wouldn’t be recognised by the Church.

I imagine, also, there is the added guilt, that you are living in sin (adultery) as far as the Church is concerned.

I suggest you live apart from your husband or refrain from any “physical” contact until you get married in the Catholic Church…on the condition you get your annulment.

Remember, Nicki, Jesus Christ, comes before everything.

Another thing… a few times a year, we visit friends from out of state. They are Christian, but non-demoninatinal. As guests in their home, we always oblige and go with them to thier church. Besides, the nearest Catholic church is in a neighboring town. This little Christian church is filled with people eager and happy to be there. They sing!! I try taking the good parts of their church and bring them to ours. I’m driven to bring life into our congregation. I don’t know…

I could use some advice. Thank you.

One has to be filled with the Spirit!

http://youhearitssound.blogspot.com/

I am deeply concerned about this situation from a spiritual standpoint, and have been very nervous and grieved this entire fall over this issue. What is more I am not an isolated case. There are many of us who support church teachings, but felt very “bullied” by certain priests and bishops who we feel have overstepped their bounds. I am not trying to win a debate here, although I am quite a bit more informed on church teaching than you might think. My concern is that I am afraid we are, as a church on a slippery slope into schism, or some sort of spiritual divide that essentially breaks our unity. I respect your opinion very much even if i don’t totally see things the way you do. Many of us do. But we feel disenfranchised and hurt that we, who have heretofore have been loyal in our minds to the church have been essentially considered by, if even a minority of clergy, to be less than Catholic at best, or totally anathema at worst. I do, as I said before appreciate your concern, and I am sure that we would be more in agreement on virtually all issues, than not. Furthermore, I resolve not to leave the church at this time, as I feel that I have a purpose to be in it. I am very serious, when I say to you how grieved I am over the present situation in the church, and I implore you and all who might disagree with those who hold a different opinion on this to try to come to some concensus on these important issues, some meeting place without compromising church teaching. As I said before I have friends who are far more liberal than I, who don’t care what the bishops say or think. They hold obedience to be unimportant. My problem is that I do care what the bishops believe and say and would like to comply, but feel abandoned. I just seek peace. I want to go to church with nothing but love of Christ in my heart, and love for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I would welcome a follow-up response from you. Pax Vobiscum.

I am sad you think this of the Church. The Church is not strong arming anyone they are merely stating the teaching of the Church as they have always been. You seem to not agree with these teachings but many do. Have you even looked at the history of the early Church in writings such as the didache, Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch and others. These teachings have always been there. Protecting marriage and the unborn have always been the teaching of the Church. They are the teachings of Christ. Please reconsider and I would strongly suggest speaking with a priest and not allow your pride to blind you.

In many ways modern society is the one that is attacking us in so many ways. Pushing morals that contradict the Bible and the Church. Sex, violence, murder, abortion have been pushed on our society and we have become desensitised to these evils. We should all feel lucky that the Church is there to give us a moral compass in these times. What you view as authoritarian I and many others view as the bishops and the Pope doing their job which is shepherding the flock.

I find it very interesting that you do not believe in God but you seem to be very interested on the state of affairs with the Catholic Church.

Many Catholics such as myself would rather have a Church that is faithful to the time tested teachings of the Church than a Church that has fallen away from it teachings. Whether it is dominated by Africa or South America does not really matter as long as the Church remains faithful to its teaching.

The image portrayal of Jesus or Mary is not the primary point of our religion. Jesus came for all mankind as our savior. How we portray Him is not really all that relevant.

God Bless

Christopher

It won’t be long before western culture type images of the catholic church change. In a few years I believe the sacred heart of jesus picture (which jesus look like a california surfer with the middle parted long brown hair with blond highlights) the images of him and mary will take on the image of darker smaller people with big lips and big noses similar to african natives who will soon be the pitch people for the catholic church. I could never understand why its so important for catholics to have jesus look like an american from malibu beach and mary with her long blond hair and white features, when in reality (if there was a mary/jesus) why they are not depicted in what their culture of the times would have them look like. Small jewish people with dark hair, dark skin, big nose big lips. (But western culture country catholics don’t want them to look like that, we want them to look like us) (LOL) Other western culture traditions will also change such as the ideoligy pictures/statues of the saints, they will reflect the images of people from this far away continent.

Big changes coming in the catholic church whether you want it or not. The church will respond and go where the action is. The future of the church is not in the USA or any other current western culture countries. Its Africa and South America. You will either adapt or fall by the wayside. Thats reality!

Thanks for the post.

You seem to have the same attitude that some of Jesus’s own apostles and the Jews of his time had. They expected him to be something other than what he was. They expected Jesus to be a great military leader who would conquer the Romans and be the Messiah that they had defined. This was not his plan. Instead he came to die for our sins on a cross as a criminal.

Just because he was not considered a great individual during his lifetime does not mean that he did not exist and was not what he claimed.

We have far less information about the likes of Alexander the Great than we do of Jesus Christ. There was far more written in the first decades afters his death than four gospels. There were many epistles and extra biblical books written regarding him and/or his Church. They may not be history as we practice it today but they were historical.

To say that nothing was written about Jesus is not exactly true either. There are legitimate portions of Josephus that are about Jesus and many more from others regarding his followers.

Just because there are similarities with other religions does not really mean what you say it does. Could it be that these religions had a portion of the truth that was revealed and understood more clearly later on or that the similarities are coincedence. What about the differences?

Just because at one time individuals married at a younger age does not indict a religion. Plural marriages were once accepted but now are not. Could this be more of a cultural issue?

How an indivdual culter chooses to represent Jesus in picture form is irrelevant to whether he exists. If you look at how he is represented in other cultures, you would see him as african, asian or indian. Jesus came to save mankind and is often represented according to the culture. Again this does not prove or disprove Catholcism or Christianity.

Please remember this there were followers of Jesus Christ who died for their belief in him in the first century such as Peter whose burial site is under the Vatican. I don’t know about you but I would have a very difficult time dying for a myth.

I once thought somewhat along the lines that you do. I was raised Catholic and fell away for many years because I thought religion was pointless. I never really stopped believing in God but I had doubts about religion in general and Christianity in particular….. Miracles do happen!

God Bless

Chris

Religions are formed by myth making and recycling of old stories from previous religions. Read the stories of greek mythology from several hundred years before christianity. People were born of a virgin, born on december 25, had powers of god etc etc. Buddhism has the golden rule of six that are almost the same as the 10 commandments. These were formed hundreds of years before christianity.

Catholicism teaches our children that Mary was 12 or 13 years old having jesus. That goes against our moral beliefs. Anyone educated person today would say any 12 or 13 year old having a child is immoral divine or not. Where in the bible or any writings does it say Mary and Joseph went to an Inn but the Inn was full and mary had jesus in a stable. Every christmas eve thousands of catholics march their children off to church and teach them this fairy tale.

Jesus is always depicted on the cross as an a western culture person. Tall man maybe 6 foot 2 or so, Long brown hair with blond highlights parted in the middle looking like a california surfer. Why do catholics not want to believe that their jesus looked like any jewish or middle eastern man from the time. He would have probably had short dark hair, dark eyes dark complextion about 5 feet 5 or so with a big nose and big lips……..why? because thats not the image catholics want to believe.

For a man that has caputured the hearts of billions for centuries and we don’t have any world documentation what so ever that he even existed. Don’t know a credible date when he was born, know date when he died. But people keep on believing. Why? Because its a familty tradition that has carried on for centuries. I asked my mother 88 recently why she was such a devout catholic. She thought for a minute and said because her mother and father told her and her grandparents told her parents and so on and so on. Not based on any factual information just a tradition. Like santa clause…….

I am sad that you think that there is no God. The evidence for God is all over the place to see. I find it very difficult to believe in an accidental creation or accidental universe.

http://catholic.com/newsletters/kke_080311.asp