Anonymous wrote:I'm a non-practicing Catholic and can see exactly why there is a lot of animosity toward the Catholic church. It's hard for millions of people to approve of a multi-billion dollar institution that tells other people how to live while not only turning a blind eye to decades of child molestation, but could also easily build a hospital for the poor if it sold off a few lavish properties in the US and Europe. The church in many ways has forgotten the poor man who walked around in sandals, was kind to children and threw money changers out of his father's house. And the church is able to go on this way because so many Catholics are more interested in the blessings but not actually living according to the words of Jesus Christ.

And there is still not a hint of traditional American Protestant anti-Catholicism out there? I find a lot of today's anti-Catholic sentiment is the same kind of stuff that the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale and other Protestant anti-Catholics used to peddle back in the day. Only now, it has been picked by so called "secular" liberals, feminists, etc. They are not happy that an institution that has existed for 2,000 plus years fails to "get with the times," so they attribute to it and its members all sorts of malignant intents.

Why have we not had a Catholic President since JFK? There are plenty of Catholics in both parties who have been more than qualified?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many practicing Catholics can't stand criticism of the Church, even when it's totally fact-based.

Many Catholics haters can't stand the idea that Catholics love their Church and find meaning and comfort in it. The haters obviously believe that it is much better to worship money, material goods, and self promotion and to bash everyone whose choices and beliefs don't mirror theirs. But then they spew on about what great open minded liberals they are in other contexts, such as when it comes to defending Islam, which, ironically is the most conservative religion of all. They say whatever is politically fashionable. What hypocrites!

someone went off their meds

Anonymous wrote:Many practicing Catholics can't stand criticism of the Church, even when it's totally fact-based.

Many Catholics haters can't stand the idea that Catholics love their Church and find meaning and comfort in it. The haters obviously believe that it is much better to worship money, material goods, and self promotion and to bash everyone whose choices and beliefs don't mirror theirs. But then they spew on about what great open minded liberals they are in other contexts, such as when it comes to defending Islam, which, ironically is the most conservative religion of all. They say whatever is politically fashionable. What hypocrites!

Many practicing Catholics can't stand criticism of the Church, even when it's totally fact-based.

Anonymous wrote:I'm a non-practicing Catholic and can see exactly why there is a lot of animosity toward the Catholic church. It's hard for millions of people to approve of a multi-billion dollar institution that tells other people how to live while not only turning a blind eye to decades of child molestation, but could also easily build a hospital for the poor if it sold off a few lavish properties in the US and Europe. The church in many ways has forgotten the poor man who walked around in sandals, was kind to children and threw money changers out of his father's house. And the church is able to go on this way because so many Catholics are more interested in the blessings but not actually living according to the words of Jesus Christ.

Those buildings are part of the world's architectural and artistic patrimony. They are expensive to maintain and free for the public to view and worship in. It would be a tragedy if they were placed in private hands and the masses could not see or worship in them. Remember also that these places when they were built were the pride and joy of the local community and often built with donated labor and donated paintings commissioned by nobles. They served secular and religious purposes. (The religious purposes, btw, were to inspire people trapped in the day to day to lift up their heads and hearts to heaven and think about the eternal -- then work from their in their own lives.)

Also in many cases they would not fetch asuch as you think because the cost to renovate them for a new use would be astronomical.

I donate to charities that fight poverty. I also donate to charities that display beautiful art and architecture. The two goals are not mutually exclusive.

NP; Anyone know what the original 2012 post was about women in black SUVs and can post it?

I'm a non-practicing Catholic and can see exactly why there is a lot of animosity toward the Catholic church. It's hard for millions of people to approve of a multi-billion dollar institution that tells other people how to live while not only turning a blind eye to decades of child molestation, but could also easily build a hospital for the poor if it sold off a few lavish properties in the US and Europe. The church in many ways has forgotten the poor man who walked around in sandals, was kind to children and threw money changers out of his father's house. And the church is able to go on this way because so many Catholics are more interested in the blessings but not actually living according to the words of Jesus Christ.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Church sucks. Embrace it, and don't be such a baby.

Signed,

lapsed RC

Ugh! Thanks for the reminder to add "lapsed Catholic" to the thread about words and phrases we can't stand.

why b/c you're jealous someone had the balls to move away from a sick lifestyle?

Oh, shut up you crazy nut! I am not jealous of someone who is clearly insane and bitter.

There ae many, many lapsed Catholics out there who are not nuts

The post obviously referred to the one PP, not all lapsed Catholics. Work on your reading comprehension.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love being Catholic.

I also love that being Catholic helps me to not give a caca about what people think about me being Catholic.

Preach sister! Who needs these haters, we are a billion strong!

I went to an all girls parochial high school, with nuns, and survived. Nothing scares me.

And my cousin was sent to a convent when her mother became very ill.

witnessed all sorts of "interesting" things happening between (and among) the nuns

yeah - such a classy and healthy religion
truly for those who are sane

Some relative tells a few anecdotal stories and all of a sudden a billion Catholics all over the world are insane, unhealthy, and lacking in class. Great reasoning skills you have there, genius.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love being Catholic.

I also love that being Catholic helps me to not give a caca about what people think about me being Catholic.

Preach sister! Who needs these haters, we are a billion strong!

So numbers are everything? It doesn't matter what the quality of the members are or that many of those counted were baptised but left the religion long ago

Every church and religion has good and bad members and a lot in between. The point is that a very large segment of the world's population has a connection to the Catholic Church. I know that you are disappointed that it is not on the decline as you probably hoped.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love being Catholic.

I also love that being Catholic helps me to not give a caca about what people think about me being Catholic.

Preach sister! Who needs these haters, we are a billion strong!

I went to an all girls parochial high school, with nuns, and survived. Nothing scares me.

And my cousin was sent to a convent when her mother became very ill.

witnessed all sorts of "interesting" things happening between (and among) the nuns

yeah - such a classy and healthy religion
truly for those who are sane

^^ Calm down, Myrtle, you'll give yourself a nosebleed

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Church sucks. Embrace it, and don't be such a baby.

Signed,

lapsed RC

Ugh! Thanks for the reminder to add "lapsed Catholic" to the thread about words and phrases we can't stand.

why b/c you're jealous someone had the balls to move away from a sick lifestyle?

Oh, shut up you crazy nut! I am not jealous of someone who is clearly insane and bitter.

There ae many, many lapsed Catholics out there who are not nuts

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love being Catholic.

I also love that being Catholic helps me to not give a caca about what people think about me being Catholic.

Preach sister! Who needs these haters, we are a billion strong!

So numbers are everything? It doesn't matter what the quality of the members are or that many of those counted were baptised but left the religion long ago

Anonymous wrote:I did not choose to be a Catholic. My parents did. They baptised me and sent me to Catholic school. My family has baptisims and weddings in Catholic churches. They have family over to celebrate Christmas and Easter.

Non of those are my choices. At this point it's just my family's culture.

YOu can have the celebrations without believing the suppoting dogma