feeling isolated in church

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It's the same at my church.
Parishoners who are in cliques think that being Catholic is the coolest thing in the world! It's not.

These people think they are good catholics because they pop out lots of babies, pray the rosary, and schmooze with the priest. A real catholic is supposed to help people in their times of need. After all, Jesus said to love thy neighbor as I have loved you. The book of James talks a lot about the importance of walking the walk and not just talking the talk. My dad loves the book of James.

We tithe when we can.

LOL at popping out babies. Birth control might be a good thing to practice. Hahaha

< sigh > Speaking with the Voice of Experience ...

It has to do with the "Prosperity Gospel" - the belief that if God favors you, then He will make you successful and prosperous in every way. The flip side of this belief is that if you are poor, unemployed, disabled, ugly, or have a child with autism or a birth defect, then it's a sure sign that you must have committed such a grevious sin that God has turned away from you and left you to suffer the consequences.

Never let anyone at church know that you are sad or depressed - it's a sign to many evangelical Christians that the Holy Spirit is not with you, either.

And if even God wants nothing to do with you, then why should the average, church-going Christian?

This belief is common in all Christian denominations, Judaism, Islam, and even in many eastern religions (look up the definition for the word "karma" in relation to reincarnation).

It sucks, but what can you do except stop going to that country club church?

Last edited by Fnord on 26 Apr 2016, 8:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

That is quite unfortunate considering that does not align with the teachings of Jesus.

Who said anything about the teachings of Jesus?

We're talking about Christians, here!

The majority are fake and pick and choose what parts of the bible they will follow.

It does align with Protestant theology. These a$$holes really think they have god's favor. It's called worship of the Middle Class God.....this character doesn't give a rip about the poor.

You want a caring God? Go to Latin America where they freely love Jesus with no strings attached. Very spiritual people in the Spanish speaking churches.

Fnord, right on ! !! !!

I donate blood whenever I can and yet I still get told off by fellow Catholics regardless if I mention it or not. Jesus does indeed say "Love thy neighbor", not "Love a specific kind of neighbor." My two previous mentors from church and their wives moved to other churches a few years ago after realizing that the cliques were too much not only for themselves, but also for their children.

Reading some previous posts in this thread makes me want to watch
Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2.

You sound like a kind person. The cliques are counter productive to the message of Christ. The RC needs to retain its younger members if it hopes to remain a viable institution.

Love a specific kind of neighbor sounds about right to me.

It does sound like high school. Hey Elaine you ever date Catholic guys?

The dating pool around here leaves much to be desired. I went to school with most of the guys in my church and they never talked to me and still don't. They prefer popular girls.

Like many people from church, my sister, my mom, and I refuse to participate in church activities, hence many parishoners call us "the parish rebels."

In fact, my sister stopped going to church in 2013. She would rather pray in a place without feeling distracted instead of having to deal with people who think being Catholic is so cool.

As much as I'd like to date a Catholic girl, I am already in a loving relationship with a non-Catholic girl.

Stay cool, Oregon Poster.