tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132273.post1301280448788849593..comments2023-05-01T11:44:04.490-03:00Comments on D for Disorientation: Catholics and evangelicals and the power of wordsPablohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296074005654785159noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132273.post-78299359895471716512007-09-21T11:00:00.000-03:002007-09-21T11:00:00.000-03:00Hi, Timothy! I suppose you're right and Argentina ...Hi, Timothy! I suppose you're right and Argentina is very different from your area. It must be that, in places where it's comfortably established, the Catholic Church has relaxed a lot. They concentrate on keeping their political influence and forget about the faithful. It reminds me of what I've read about the Anglican Church in England. Make a religion the state religion, and you'll ruin it.<BR/><BR/>You'll have to forgive me if my language is not terribly precise. In fact I've done my share (and more than the usual share) of sitting, standing and kneeling in Catholic mass, which I was taught to attend, and then forced to attend, until I left the fold for good at the end of my teens.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure you understand a bit of sarcasm. I <I>know</I> it's difficult to be a Catholic, but it's <I>not</I> difficult to call oneself a Catholic and get away with it in Argentina. Nobody's going to challenge you to show you're a <I>good</I>, true Catholic. So that's what I meant.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for writing and for being kind while being also critical.Pablohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296074005654785159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132273.post-89644026903399332132007-09-21T10:35:00.000-03:002007-09-21T10:35:00.000-03:00Greetings! Saw your post in Google Blogsearch and ...Greetings! Saw your post in Google Blogsearch and came to read it.<BR/><BR/>>" if you've had that you know that most people in church are just there to gossip about their neighbours, and not to hear the priest using spiritual or abstract language"<BR/><BR/>Argentina must be very diferent. I have never found this to be true in my area of the world. I attend mass at several churches and have yet see most people here to gossip. Worship, yes. Gossip, no.<BR/><BR/><BR/>>" In order to be a Catholic you have to do... well, nothing."<BR/><BR/>Not so. While baptism formally initiates one into the Catholic faith, Christ makes clear in the Gospels that to be Catholic is extremely difficult and requires much effort. Remember the whole give up family, friends, wealth and follow me speech? Camel. Eye of the needle?<BR/><BR/>>"If you want to be an active Catholic, you're only required to attend church and sit there"<BR/><BR/>Um, have you ever been to a Catholic Mass? Doesn't sound like it. There's a lot of standing and kneeling. Sitting is probably less than 1/3 the time of the service.<BR/><BR/>>"The Catholics are in the majority, and they'd rather keep their ninety-nine sheep happily in the fold than go out of their way to look for the missing hundredth"<BR/><BR/>Um, you do realize that it is the shephard who seeks out the missing sheep and not the sheep themselves? In our area, the bishops and priests work very hard to find the missing sheep and return them to the flock.<BR/><BR/>As an online lay Catholic apologist, I frequently remind Catholics that it is time for them to return to their Catholic faith.<BR/><BR/>Good luck on the papers and God bless...Timothyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06992217665437521336noreply@blogger.com