What Do You Think of the Catholic Church?

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The Catholic Church is really way to complex to describe. One could argue that more evil has come into the world from Catholicism than any other religion if one wanted too. Ironically, one could also argue that more good have come into the world from Catholicism than through any other religion as well. The simple fact of the matter is, since it is the single largest religious organization on earth, of course it is going to have more of everything. More good, more bad, more human, more infallible, more fallible, more inflexible and more flexibility. As the Irish would say, it is and it isn't. The Church is known for its inflexibility, for instance, but I have found it to be more flexible than many religions as far as beliefs, theology, and personal practice go.

Peace,

Windlord.

If only the Catholic Church were the only religious organization trying to influence U.S. politics (domestic and abroad).

Um, Constantine started the Orthodox Church (not the Catholic church), and it was to unify the empire of Byzantium, not Rome. Rome split off later into a separate church.

Yes, Constantine was a polytheist most of his life (there is a debate regarding his deathbed conversion). And yes, Christianity did absorb a lot of pre-existing non-Christian beliefs and practices.

I think the RCC is a couple of centuries overdue for dissolution, but that dissolution is finally on the way.

Its tastes are far, far too rich: It consumes enormous amounts of resources that would be better spent in the communities of the believers.

Many of its policies, such as the bans on birth control and divorce, contribute directly to the suffering of believers.

I, for one, will not be sad to see it fade into oblivion.

I too was raised Catholic. I left the Church because it could no longer meet my needs nor could I squeeze myself into its mold any longer.

My impression of the Church is that it is an institution that is on the defensive simply because it has lost and continues to lose power. It no longer is capable of influencing events; it can only react to them. As an institution it has produced no innovations, no new insights. Even from the beginning it was backwards-looking; and the Protestant Reformation even more so. While there have been talented individuals in the Church, it--as an organization--is not the reason why so many advances have been made in health, in knowledge, in technology. Just compare conditions during the Dark Ages--the Age of Faith--with conditions today.

There was once a bishop of a small denomination in Dayton, Ohio, who was very concerned about the onslaught of secularism and liberalism on his faith. He spent his whole life battling these threats. I daresay that few people outside his church know who Bishop Wright was or what he stood for. But his sons chose an entirely different path--one that did not involve religion or God, as far as any of the accounts I have read about them go--one that profoundly affects our lives today. (For those who might have forgotten their history, they were Wilbur and Orville Wright). Nothing the Church has done, or can do, can shape the world as much as those two. And that, I think, is the Church's tragedy and its eventual undoing.

My husband is Catholic (non-practising) and occasionally mentions me giving it a try.
I have told him I will be happy to accept Catholicism when Catholicism accepts me.
I refuse to give money to an organization that treats me as a second-class citizen for remarrying, yet allows child rapists to preach from its pulpits.

[quote="Rynessa"]My husband is Catholic (non-practising) and occasionally mentions me giving it a try.

Interesting . . . if he is non-practising, then why does he think you ought to give it a try? People don't drop out of organizations because they are satisfied with them.

Incidentially, I totally agree with what you said about child rapists. I did not leave the Church because of that, but it is the main reason I am not interested in coming back any time soon. From the time I was old enough to understand the concept, I had modesty and chastity crammed down my throat. I was brought up to save sex for marriage. And I have been faithful to that teaching, though I have suffered much harrassment because of that. Yet here are men who took PUBLIC VOWS of chastity going about raping children and covering up their crimes!! !! By their actions they have made fools of those of us who still believe in the old values. The Church has much to answer for for this. Until it gets its house thoroughly in order, it has NO right to preach to the rest of us how to live our sexual lives. If I appear to still live its teachings, it is in spite of the Church, not because of the Church.

He didn't drop out, he just can't be bothered to get up and go to mass
I sometimes say I would like us to join a church (mostly for the social interaction) and that's when he suggests Catholicism. He doesn't agree with the church on most social issues, but he was raised Catholic so I think he thinks if he starts going to a protestant church he'll burn in hell.

I like this institution and hope Benedict can reclaim some of the ground lost to materialism and relativism. I don't quite like that the church is opposed to any kind of death penalty due to dogma, but I'd trade the leftist politics of the western world for more authority of the church any day. I didn't like John Paul II that much, but the new pope has made a better impression on me, he's got an important message and he's trying to restore our collapsing civilization. I also like that he's got the courage to stand up to dominating views in more than one field - he's clearly pointed out that Bush's wars aren't just, unlike the flipflopping Christians in the US that seem to accept anything just to have some symbolic influence. The catholic church doesn't have this problem, its followers keep on increasing in spite of not making any concessions. I also find it a sign of its strength that it doesn't need to reject the theory of evolution.

Christianity in the US today seems to have transformed almost completely into a crowd of yes-men, with little roots in Christian tradition. Most churches over there seem to have flushed the doctrine of the new covenant down the toilet too, replacing it with Zionism. Like, who cares if Paul, Augustine and all the other church fathers explained that Israel was now any person with faith in JC, let's just become a tool of whoever is the strongest force at the moment in politics and preach beliefs ingratiating to them.

Dude.

Take off the tin foil hat. This is Wrong Planet, not Infowars or Rense.com.

The catholic church does have some issues. However, the more powerful group is the evangelicals. They have more power and control in government than the catholics.


Corruption happens in all the denominations.

I think the catholic church is fine. Just like I think most Christian denominations and most if not all major world religions are fine.
It's more some of the individuals who can be a problem. I've noticed through reading various things and talking to a few people that most larger religions do believe in some sort of tolerance towards others. It seems to me to be mainly extremists and just those who either don't understand everything or even just make one misinterpretation somewhere.

I was baptised a Catholic, but I see myself as more of a Christian as I believe in a person's freedoms. Catholics do teach tolerance, but many don't follow it. There's a word for that I believe...
Oh yes, Hypocrite.

nothing but a multi billion (maybe trillion) dollar biz just like every other religious institution

I think it should reform itself until its teachings are based solely upon the doctrines found in the Bible.

Examples:

1. I think they should "Call no man 'Father'" in a spiritual sense (Matt 23:9).

2. I think they shouldn't make or bow for revered images, whether of Mary, or Jesus, or anyone else (Exodus 20:4).

3. I think they shouldn't teach saying "Hail Mary"s or "Our Father"s (Matt 6:7).

4. I think they shouldn't have a religious hierarchy, but rather we should all be considered spiritually equal (Mark 10:42-43).

5. I think they shouldn't preach a Salvation that must be maintained by man or it can be lost (1 Peter 3:18).

6. I think they shouldn't teach that Salvation comes through the church (John 3:16).

Those are just some starters, and I'd of course add the remaining of Luther's 95 objections as well.

In short, I'd like to see the Catholic Church stripped of its paganities, i.e. made relevant again.

To the OP: My best friend was raised Catholic, turned atheist after he figured out it's just a dead system, and much later became a Biblical Christian.

And another biggie: There's just something wrong with "Christians" who don't like Jews. The King of the Jews will have a few questions for such "Christians". (Like, "Why should I let you into Heaven?")

Mind you, I always think only of the leaders when I hear "Catholic Church", because they're the most powerful part of it, and the ones responsible for the anti-Biblical doctrines. So I understand that many Catholics are Christian, but only in that they don't fully embrace all of the anti-Biblical doctrines of Catholicism.

Last edited by Ragtime on 14 Feb 2008, 10:02 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I think there are many Catholics who are Christians, but the Catholic church is not THE Church and neither is any one denomination either. The Church is composed of all true Christians and not necessarily anyone claiming to be Christian.

the Catholic Church is nothing more than a loose criminal organization dedicated to extortion and pedophilia under the guise as a religion. i'm Irish and i'm absolutely disgusted with them. and this isn't a recent trend. you look at the Catholic Church's history this has been all they've done since they came into existence. look no further than the popes themselves.

Linus - not even sure he exists. this puts the succession from St. Peter into doubt right away.
Clement V - sold out the papacy to King Philip IV, including desecrating the corpse of his predecessor on Philip's command.
Leo VIII - excommunicated after dying from a stroke during sex with a married woman.
Pius XII - refused to castagate Hitler during WWII and actually received Eva Braun several times in Vatican City to set up ODESSA.
Pius II - established that the law that the Pope is infaliable and launched The Crusades. this after fathering a dozen illegitimate children.
Benedict IX - given the papacy by his father at the age of 12. rampant sodomizer (part of the reason the church doesn't like homosexuality). eventually sold the papacy to the highest bidder when he was bored.
Sergius III - murdered his predecessor and fathered his successor with his mistress.
John VIII - supposedly a woman in the days before the church declared female clergy as heretics.
John XII - held orgies in the halls of St. John Lateran.
Alexander VI - regularly had his illegitimate children poison cardinals that opposed him.

all this while ignoring the AIDS epidemic and condemning homosexuality. very "do as we say, not as we do". screw that.